Isn't it sweet how things sometimes come together even if you have not expected it at all? This time it was the color blue that pulled it all together. First of all I found this dyed blue agate slice in my stash. The other day I had made a brooch with a purple agate slice in a wire knit setting. The irregular shape of the agates is easier to set in wire knitting, so that's what I decided on again here.
From there my muse took things into her own hands. I remembered the blue pearls in my drawer and as I like to do, I strung my wire with a whole bunch of them. As you can tell, though, I didn't need that many after all. My plan had been to crochet an extra edge onto the bezel and to fill it with pearls, but the shape of the slice seemed to call for a freeform edge. That's when I began to see the ocean theme. I don't know what you see in this pendant, but to me it became part of a coral reef and I knew I wanted to have something else on there. I wracked my brain to remember if I might have hidden a fish or maybe a crab charm somewhere, and I was almost ready to go and look for charms to order - which wouldn't have gone together that well with the goal of using my stash - when I remembered my fishes by Melissa Vess. Among all of her beautiful beads of which I have not enough by far, Melissa's fishes have always been my favorites. I always felt her love of the ocean and diving made them even more special. Unfortunately Melissa isn't a lampworker anymore which makes me think even more about how I use her beads in my work. And there it was, a blue fish which matched the blue of the agate perfectly as if it was made to swim through this underwater world. Bingo!
This one of a kind pendant is available in my DaWanda shop now.
What does the color silver mean to you? For me silver is related to the moon like gold is to the sun. I'm very drawn to the moon, so that could be one reason I love silver. I found a website called Color Meanings and these are some of the things they have to say about silver (click the link to read the whole article):
You are considered to be gentle, kind and sensitive if you like
silver. White and silver are colors associated with the higher self and
spirituality.
Where gold is masculine, silver is considered as feminine energy. It
is associated with the moon as well as the ebb and flow of tides.
Silver color is considered as ‘cleansing, illuminating and showing the
way forward’.
People who like silver tend to be introspective and often lost in
their own world. They are highly artistic, creative and imaginative
making them good poets and writers.
It is believed that success comes easily to those who like this
color. This may be due to the fact that such people are more open to new
ideas and possibilities while being resourceful.
On the downside, silver loving people can be moody as their moods
are reflected by the changes in the lunar cycle. Often they live in a
delusional world of fantasies.
Why did I ask this question? This week the JAC Oldies but Goodies Challenge was about the color silver. It's funny, but I only found one piece myself in just silver. I love to combine silver with beads of all kinds, even if it's just a few small ones. I wonder if I should make it a personal challenge to create something in all silver now. There was no lack of silver at all with the other members, however, as you can see not only in the picture, but in the thread if you click the above link. Have fun!
Have you ever been lost? So lost that you didn't know where you were, not even the town? That's what happened to Bernard who felt the urge to buy himself a motorbike, take off, not knowing where the trip would end. Now he's somewhere in the middle of Alaska trying to find his way again. Joel might not be the best person to ask. The state of Alaska paid for his university education on the condition that he has pay it back by working in Alaska as a doctor for a few years. Instead of ending up in a nice hospital and a city apartment, however, Joel is ... well, in the middle of Alaska. Bernard: Excuse me. Joel: Yeah. Bernard: Where am I? Joel: You know I have been asking myself that same question since I got here. I finally figured out we are somewhere between the end of the line and the middle of nowhere. Bernard: Oh. Where is that on the map?
I have large dagger beads and loads of small ones in my stash. I used them on different pendants and a necklace before, and also on two WIP pieces that are still secret. This time I had fun making earrings with them, at first just in combination with seed beads until my stash of crystals called me as well. They are not in my shop, not at the moment at least because some will possibly be a donation for an animal rescue auction, but if you are interested, send me a message.
The topic of this Jewelry Artisans Community Oldies but Goodies Challenge has been inspired by Valentine's Day. Have you ever wondered where the heart shape comes from? You can find a few theories about that here. No matter if you believe any of them, hearts have been around for a while, and not just on Valentine's Day. You see them in pictures, in jewelry, replacing the dots on the i in some girls' handwritings (no, I was never one of those who did that) ... and of course in the Oldies but Goodies!
I used to love playing board games, but unfortunately it's not easy finding someone to play with. Are you wondering why I am telling you that fact in a quote of the week post? Today's movie is based on a board game that has been around for a long time, since 1949. I'm talking about Cluedo (its original name in the UK and also in Germany) or Clue (the US version). In the game you are supposed to find out who killed the victim, in which room it happened and which weapon was used. In the movie six people are invited to a big old house and find out that they are all being blackmailed by the same man. In the end there are six dead people, none of them the original guests, though. Who did it? Colonel Mustard? Miss Scarlet? Mrs. White? Professor Plum? Mr. Green? Mrs. Peacock? Or was it the butler Wadsworth? Let's go back to the moment after Mr. Boddy (the blackmailer according to Wadsworth) and the cook have been killed. It's obvious one of the people left must be the murderer ... or maybe not? Colonel Mustard: Wadsworth, am I right in thinking there is nobody else in this house? Wadsworth: Um, no. Colonel Mustard: Then there is someone else in this house. Wadsworth: No, sorry. I said no meaning yes. Colonel Mustard: No meaning yes? Look, I want a straight answer. Is there someone else or isn't there? Yes or no! Wadsworth: No. No. Colonel Mustard: No, there is, or no, there isn't?! Wadsworth: Yes. Mrs. White (smashing her glass against the fireplace and screaming): Please!!
I never spared a thought for tumbleweeds before. To me they were just part of Western movies, a bunch of tangled twigs or whatever rolling over an empty street or through the desert to create a mood of silence or loneliness. That changed when one of my favorite cabochon suppliers, Stones That Rock, started offering tumbleweed cabs. From our trip to Scotland I had already known the Heathergems. In a feeble attempt not to spend too much money I had resisted buying a piece of jewelry and cabs are not available. So when I saw the tumbleweed cabochons, I jumped on it the way my cats jump on a new toy and got one which arrived yesterday.
I stole this from the website: "This is not rock, but it's dyed tumbleweed. The tumbleweed is harvested
from the Arizona desert, debarked and then the dyed sticks and stems are
heated and compressed for 30 days. This produces bricks of tumbleweed.
From there you can slab it, cut it into a unique cabochon. This is very
lightweight."
If you make a bezel for a stone, there are three things you want. You want to compliment the look of the stone without hiding too much of it, you want the stone to sit safely in its setting and you want the piece to have your own style. With wire crochet or wire knit it's not always easy to make sure the first two work together in the best way. This last pendant I made features a dark green cabochon in a golden wire knit setting. It was the first time for me working on the edge in a way that not only shows most of the beautiful stone, but also a delicate golden border. A lovely pearl is adding a little movement to the pendant - yes, I still am in "dangly mode"! ;-)
Another week, another Jewelry Artisans Community Oldies but Goodies Challenge, this time with the topic UPCYCLED. That means that part of the piece is not a normal jewelry component, they are also called Found Objects. Buttons, shells, sea glass, watch parts, keys, tile pieces, flatware, porcelain shards, deco objects, marbles, there is no end to the possibilities of working with those things, and here I'll show you a few of them.
Boris is sent to war against Napoleon's army. On the way to a battle his fellow soldiers and he talk about the women they love ... Soldier: Are you married, Boris? Boris: Me? No. Soldier: You got a sweetheart? Boris: No, no. I'm in love with a girl. She's married to someone, and she's in love with someone and he's married. It's a real healthy situation. Soldier: Hey, look, Boris, look. Boris: What have you got there? Soldier (pulls out some hair): I got a lock of my wife's hair. Boris (taking the hair from him and dropping some): A lock of her hair? Jeez, she's probably running around bald! Soldier: Don't drop it! Don't drop it. Have you got a lock of your sweetheart's hair? Boris: No, my sweetheart's married. I got a lock of her husband's hair. It's the best I could do.
I love dangly earrings, have I told you that before? ;-) Yeah, yeah, I know I have. What coincidence that I found a pair of lampwork cabochons that practically begged to be earrings in my stash. The golden wire knit settings and the shimmering golden AB cubes that dangle from them are a beautiful contrast to the organic colors and patterns of the cabs, and the rows of tiny black onyx beads are a special accent.
Today's JAC Oldies but Goodies Challenge is about flowers. I know that I'm not the only dreaming of flowers and spring, instead I see snowflakes dancing outside. What I loved most about the flowers that I'm going to show you now is that they are all different. Not just different in style, but also in material. We have painted flowers, metal and crystals, polymer clay, tiny beads and even a real preserved rose. Isn't it fun? :-) What would you have contributed if you are a jewelry artisan? Why not come and play with us next time?
Listen, I'm sorry. I had completely forgotten that I hadn't picked a quote yet. Of course the movie we saw last night - another hilarious trash monster movie - was a real treasure box of quotes, but I wasn't prepared and didn't record it. Instead of drowning you in excuses, though, and tell you stories that you don't want to hear, I'll give you a song as a quote instead. Marilyn, you are not forgotten.
