#conval

Just created a necklace inspired by my high school in honor of this year’s graduates! Coordinating with the school’s colors, the necklace chain is gold-filled and the beads cobalt.

The feature bead is made with sand from the location of your choice.

So excited for the Go Monadnock virtual pop-up market this weekend! 

Welcome to Baluva! My name is Cara and I create beads out of sand. They are then incorporated into pieces such as jewelry, prayer beads, rosaries, ornaments, worry stones, and other gift items that remind people of the places they hold dear.

There are pieces for sale at my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Baluva

I also take requests and make custom designs! And stay tuned for a ConVal-theme necklace design coming shortly.

If you want to learn more:

- A while back, I wrote about Baluva’s beginnings

- And Baluva’s name.

- I really enjoy traveling. And blogging about it.

And as for the Go Monadnock event, I am a ConVal graduate.

Proof - a picture of me and Holly (of Grey Cricket Studios) 💛:

I was also happy about tonight because I was able to hang with someone I was once close with. You can say we were close in High school, but we did go our separate ways when I graduated. But tonight, was just great. We caught up and were music nerds. As the rest of the audience was listening in pleasure, we were just there listening and finding all the chord progressions of the pieces, listened if the chords were in an inversion or not, etc We were just being Music nerds, and that’s the best kind of nerd there is.

Prologue-

The sun rose up over the mountains in the distance. Piercing through the window, I awoke to the sunlight shining on me. I did not want to get up out of my comfortable bed. It was early November, and a chill had crept in overnight. I wanted to retain the warmth but I knew he would be here any minute. Standing up my small feet, my stomach immediately flipped. I knew that feeling. It was going to be a horrible day early on. The thought signaled my nerves to edge up. I tried to ignore the groggy sensation and go on with whatever lied ahead of me today, but alas I was not prepared.

    A small ‘tap tap tap’ against the hexagonal window rattled me. I noticed my best friend, Conval. Of course he was standing on the roof, again. I was irritated by his stubbornness. My word, if Father saw him…

    “Hey baby.” Conval smirked at me, and just like any child would do he drew a fog face in the window. I knew he had a thing for me, but we were far too young to be boyfriend and girlfriend. After All he was like what, 8? And I was 7.

    “Conval, get off the roof before my dad see’s you!” I whispered in exasperation. I ran to the window, unlatching it has become a breeze to open from since we moved here. He slid into my room, falling on the floor in the process. “Shhh”. I placed one finger in front of my mouth, with high hopes of quieting him down.

    “Relax. He is out back chopping wood. So... how was your night?” He stumbled over to my dresser and picked up a flimsy old stuffed dog. My favorite one too.

    “Hey, put that down!” I snapped my finger at him and immediately he retreated to my side. With a sad look he sighed. “I slept good, and you?” I wanted to draw away from the scolding and on to a lighter note.

    “I was out with the pack, Dad took me to watch the hunt! You should have seen it! It was the biggest Buck by far!” He jumped around in excitement.

    I raised my hand to stop his enthusiasm “Wait. I hear someone.” The footsteps grew louder against the old wooden floor. “Hide!” I unintentionally pushed Conval to the floor.

    “What? Where?” He scattered around like a centipede with too many legs.

    “The bed. Under the bed!” I gave Conval a good kick to get him under there, and faster than you could spell ‘Mississippi’ I was lying on the bed drawing a picture.

    “Accalia? Are you in there? I heard a bang, are you alright?” It was my father, being caring and concerned as always.

    “Yes, Daddy. I am fine. I-I dropped my pencil and fell on to the floor trying to get it.” I tried too hard to act fluently, and realized I stuttered my words. Oh crap he noticed! My heart pounded faster and my palms became sweaty.

“Let me guess. Didn’t want to get up so you tried to stay in bed and retrieve it?” Dad raised a brow to me.

“Yes.” I gulped down the butterflies. It was a gross feeling, being nervous and unsure were two things I hated, but when mixed together- It was not good.

“Okay. Well let me know if you need anything.” He got the hint that I was not in a social mood. The door slowly closing behind him made a god-awful sound. I cringed in disgust. Silence struck the atmosphere as the seconds flew by.

“Is the coast clear?” I heard Conval mutter.

    I breathed in deep. “Yes”.

    “Good because I found a piece of candy corn under here and I wanted to know if I could-”

one kid says:  You're from Africa? Why are you white?