There is an old Indian prayer to the armadillo, which says “Protect my borders, teach me my shield, reflect my pain so I do not yield”.

The armadillo is a charming, slightly clumsy nocturnal animal from the American continent that curls up into a ball when frightened.

All samples are provided by Trollbeads.com.

On Friday, March 25, there will be a Trollbeads limited edition collection coming out consisting of six glass beads and one silver bead. Sometimes limited edition collections sell out… I’m remembering the Brush of Blue beads that seemed to sell quite quickly a few years ago, so this might be a collection not to wait on. Judging by people’s reactions on the previews, this one is bound to be popular. The soft colours are so dreamy and perfect for spring. If you’re like me, where I live in Canada it is only now beginning to warm up, so these beads are appearing at a perfect time. The glass beads will cost $50 USD/$65 CAD each and the silver bead will be $61 USD/$74 CAD. Something interesting to note-usually I like to post who the designers are, but this time the information says all beads are designed by Trollbeads Design Group, instead of an individual.

The Silver Armadillo is so adorable and shy looking.

The two glass beads above and below are the Pale Rose Armadillo on the left and the Light Pastel Armadillo on the right. I am totally smitten with these soft colours and am trying to decide which ones I might want to get in pairs. The border between Canada/USA has finally loosened restrictions as of April 1, so we are likely going to head down to Trollbeads at Partridge Creek in Michigan! What a treat it will be to see beads in person again after over two years!

I think the Pale Rose Armadillo looks amazing with this older Trollbeads Green Jade bead.

Here are the Pale Rose and Light Pastel Armadillos in a pastel bracelet.

In the bright sun the glass beads are so pretty.

The Serenity Shades Armadillo has several colours in it. There is some celadon green, butter yellow and pale blue. The silver bead is called Clover Bead.

The colours blend so beautifully.

I also used the Serenity Shades Armadillo with some older beads-a pair of Whitecap beads and a pair of Azure Bubbles. I think it’s important to see how new beads can integrate with our older beads. When I try to put new Pandora with old Pandora, the effect is often pretty dismal and can be downright jarring, but Trollbeads seem to always mix well, even if the sizes of glass beads differ.

I really like how this bracelet turned out. Wouldn’t it be pretty for a wedding or summer party?

Look at how delicate the flower is on the Ivory Flower Armadillo.

Here I’ve used the Ivory Flower Armadillo with the Sunshine Flower Armadillo and tried to incorporate some green and blue.

The last armadillo in the sextet is the Blue Sky Armadillo. It’s bright and cheery. I’m not sure why I put it with the Purple Waters beads below, but I think the effect works if you’re a purple lover. This bead should work really well with turquoise beads also. Also, I wonder if this bead would look nice with the new Cobalt colour of X Jewellery. Maybe I’ll be able to check that out in the States.

To pull together a look using all six armadillos, I brought in some beads from the older Uplifting Bubble Joy Kit.

Here’s the same bracelet again, but on a different piece of paper.

So, that wraps up today’s blog post. Are any of these beads on your wishlist? They are some of my favourite beads so far this year, but my taste has always leaned towards a sleek, simple Scandinavian look, so that’s no surprise. I was surprised that the Pale Rose Armadillo has a soft green in it, as the stock photos suggested more of a white shade, but I adore the pink and green combination. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment below!