Heavy metal

Today I am taking a quick break from our normally sophisticated blogging discourse to talk about three metal things that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE:

#1) Loose-leaf metal rings!

I have quite a collection of rings and I use them for binding all sorts of things...cards, postcards, mini-albums, plastic bags filled with floss (no, not dental floss--embroidery floss!) ...you name it!

I buy them by the box at my local office supply store. I usually get the box of assorted sizes, ranging from 1" up to 2". At the Midwest Scrapbooking Convention where I taught this fall, I ran across a vendor selling the tiniest loose-leaf rings I'd ever seen: less than 3/4"! So of course I had to buy a few of those to keep on hand. 'Cuz you just never know when you might have something really tiny to bind.

#2) Beaded ball chains!

A close second to my beloved loose-leaf rings, chains are also great for binding various things together, or just for dangling assorted doo-dads from a tin, mini-album, or other project.

You can find ball chains in various lengths in the jewelry making department at Hobby Lobby. They are very inexpensive and fun to have on hand. Just like loose-leaf metal rings, you can't have too many of these.

#3) 7 Gypsies ATC Spinner!

Until today, I didn't know if I'd actually get my hands on one of these, but sure enough, I happened to be at Memory Bound when freight came in. So I snagged one!

I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, but for now, I'm content just to admire its cute factor.

Edited to add: If you don't know what an ATC Spinner looks like when it's full, take a look at this one by Ali Edwards.

OK, that's all I have to say about awesome metal things that bind and spin. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.