So, yeah...I'll admit that headline was a bit of a stretch. But I'm excited about two things today - tomorrow's Thanksgiving, and the casting grain I just got in the mail. I had to figure out some way to reference both.

Aren't they pretty?? All tiny, sparkly, shiny, and new!
I ordered a pound of bronze (pictured at right) and a few ounces of fine silver. [If you weren't already familiar, casting grain is metal in raw form; its small size makes measuring and melting easier.]

Now, are you ready to hear about my klutz move of the day?
(Yes, I have one practically every day. I think it's in my genetic code or something.) 

I wanted to melt my casting grains the second after they arrived on my desk. But I needed to get a photo or two first for the magazine. [Be on the lookout for my casting project and article in the May issue of Art Jewelry magazine!] So I reluctantly dropped the two little bags of casting grains off at our photo department.

Today, Jim Forbes, one of our staff photographers, called me down to get my opinion on the shots that he'd taken. They were beautiful, of course - much better than my little snap shot here. So I officially approved them, grabbed my casting grains, and headed back to my office.

On the way back, I decided to detour to the washroom. No problems so far, right? So I set my two little bags of casting grains on the sink counter.

Just to set the scene, the silver grains came in a tiny zip top bag, so they were safe. But the bronze grains were in this cloth bag shown here. [I think it looks like a miniature money bag that robbers in cartoons would steal from the bank. That makes me want to draw a big "$" on it!] Well, since the cloth bag only has a draw string it wasn't exactly secure. 

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Before I'd realized what I'd done, the bag full of bronze casting grains shifted on the edge of the sink counter. The next sound I heard was the multiple "PINGS!" of itty-bitty casting grains spilling out and bouncing on the tile floor.

Oops. 

I scooped up the bag before too much damage was done, but there were still plenty of grains rolling around. So now I'm on my hands and knees on the washroom floor, crawling around under the sink and counter, trying to retrieve every little elusive grain.

How dignified.

Luckily, only one other co-worker walked in at that moment to witness me in all my klutzy glory. She only laughed a little bit, and she even helped me spot stray grains, which was nice. I think I got most of them, though I know one bounced down the drain.

So the moral of the story is to put all your casting grains (or any other tiny thing, like gemstones) into zip top bags. And close them.
And just for safe measure, keep them away from me.

Happy Turkey Day!

~Addie~