I admit, I wasn’t overly fond of the Tupilak beads when I first saw them. They are quirky, which I am usually drawn to, but I found them a bit too quirky and couldn’t picture using them in a combination. All three retired a few years before I started collecting Trollbeads so there was no chance of seeing them in person, which I often find can change my perception of a bead one way or another, but over time as I saw them used in people’s pictures, their quirkiness won me over and I could see the possibilities. So far I have only obtained the Tupilak, Big bead (which isn’t really as big as I thought it’d be) but I’d love to have the Tupilak Mouth one day as well. The third design, simply called Tupilak, I have so far resisted, perhaps because I don’t see it appear in as many bracelets so it has not (yet?) had a chance to sway me as much.
I’ve had the idea of doing a zombie bracelet for a while, as a nod to my husband who pretty much loves all things zombie (and who puts up with my love for all things beady!), but I’ve been a bit stumped about how I could represent zombies without being too cartoony or too gory. I had settled on using some of my stones to get that dirty, just-woke-up-from-the-grave feeling, but I was still trying to figure out what silvers I could use that accurately portrayed a zombie theme. And then, when looking at the Tupilak, Big bead, it hit me that one of the faces reminded me of the classic zombie stare.
While this is still a work in progress, can’t you just imagine him saying “Braaaaains”?!?