Here fishy, fishy, fishy...

You cannot come to Ch!na and not get a little obsessed with gold fish and koi. Or at least I couldn't. They are everywhere! I've even wondered if Rocker needs a pet goldfish. My aunt always says, "if you keep a goldfish on your kitchen table, it will never die."

There's something quite soothing about these creatures. I'm sure it has something to do with how slow and fluid they are in their movements. Calming. Here, they are a symbols of wealth and abundance.

The other day I picked up these hand painted gold fish beads from one of my favorite vendors.

They are glass bubble like beads where the painting is done on the inside. Seems very tedious to me. I've been to this vendor three times and every time he shows me his paintbrush with the tip bent at ninety degrees so he can get inside to paint. Now, I only wish you could see the paintbrush he claims to use for these super intricate beads. Seriously, there is no way this brush could do that. It looks like a road killed paint brush with porcupine needle like bristles. C'mon dude. Really, do I have gullible tattooed on my forehead.....in Ch!nese?!?! However, I always find it a tiny bit amusing that he thinks I believe him.

And on the other side:

I know I over paid a ton for this one---they guy totally knew how badly I wanted it. What was that bit about goldfish bringing wealth and abundance. Worked for the vendor! As for what I'm going to do with them, I have no idea. I have a small (but growing out of quite fast) box of special beads like this. I call it my bead bank and it's pretty much a piggy bank of unique beads. When I need just the right touch for a piece I go to my bead bank. Or when I have not a clue where to start on a design. Or a rainy day.