Tackle that stash - Who was first, the hen or the egg?

Of course this post is not really about hens or eggs. It's about in what different ways a project can develop over time and which thought comes first.
I mentioned often enough how my designs like to change during the process. An earring becomes a pendant because I often don't have the patience for making the same thing twice. A simple wire crochet bezel turns into a multi-layer bezel of knitted and crocheted wire, never again to repeated because I wouldn't know why. A piece screams for one dangle ... and another dangle ... and how about one here and a little something on the top? These are just a few examples.

And then there are those pieces I don't even have a vague idea of when I start. They don't always work out. Sometimes I end up with something that calls for something I don't know (yet). They are usually experimental pieces that will be lying around for a long time until my brain suddenly comes up with just the right thing - although it may deny having anything to do with the result a few months later and instead blame it on my inability to listen - or they will have to wait forever serving as reminders how very, very wrong things can go. Sometimes they have to be eliminated because I can't bear looking at them anymore without being able to finish them. Oh yes, and more than I care to think of are probably hidden away in my infamous drawers.

There are also good moments when I start making something that I like, so I go hunting for the perfect component, and then I'm lucky and find it!
In this case I vaguely had a snail's shell on my mind when I began weaving a spiral. After a while a cab under the spiral to bring it out more sounded like a good idea. I was thinking of a stone cab, but unfortunately I didn't have anything in the right size that was round or oval.
Without much hope I looked in my lampwork drawer and found this lovely cab, a meltie by Deronda Designs. This must have been in my stash for a long, long time because I wrote about Deronda's melties in 2010 which I almost can't believe.
I like how the soft pink and green - and a bit of black, those are no bits of fluff - peek through the copper which will stay unoxidized this time!

Now I need just a little more light for a picture on my manikin. I love rain, but it's not that helpful with pictures.

Universe

I'm not really good at making free form pieces. I have to push myself hard to make something slightly asymmetrical and free form ... well, that takes me back to school when I argued with my art teacher about being too much in love with details and too stuck to symmetry. I can still see him taking my tool from me when we had to do an etching of a forest, scratching some wild branches into my carefully designed wood, telling me that nature was wild. So he was right, but still .... let's say we loved to provoke each other and being almost grown up now I see he did have some points and am able to admit it, too :-P

This piece started out with an attempt of using thicker gauge wire for needle lace. I'm not sure anymore what exactly I wanted to do with it then, but when I found it today and then stumbled upon some more gorgeous bubble lampwork beads by Deronda O'Neill, it was like a sign - possibly from my art teacher *grin*

The beads look like the planet Earth to me with their lovely color and this gave me the idea to turn the silver into the atmosphere surrounding it, keeping it organic and "wild".

"Universe" is available in my studio now.

Stop the thief! ;-)

Do you remember the Slouchies? I told you about them here. What you don't know yet is that one of them moved into my house where he has been standing on my desk, leaning at my box of business cards, smiling at me.

This is what Cleody told the world before I adopted my Slouchy:

"This little Slouchy has been naughty.
Apparently on their home planet, this little one got into the habit of stealing pretty trinkets from other Slouchies. After coming through the portal, we decided to give him another chance. However, it was apparent that his love for shiny things was too great. He began running around in a frenzy, giggling and hopping around, rolling in my jewelry and plucking shiny accessories from other Slouchies.
This little one is no danger to others, so he is allowed to function as any other Slouchy would. However, to keep him from stealing, he sleeps in a tiny jail cell made of popsicle sticks and he empties his little pockets every night before going into the cell. It's a pretty good system so far.
I hope whoever adopts this little one doesn't mind the occasional piece of jewelry going missing.
He's a little thief, but who could resist that little smirk?"

Yeah, now tell me it's not as if I haven't been warned, but it's true, I couldn't resist that little smirk and the little fellow makes me smile each time I look at him. Sometimes I discuss new designs or photos with him and he has been very helpful so far.

For some reason I started calling him Ben.

Well, today I had a look over there to the box and Ben was gone, but not alone. He had grabbed some of my unlisted pieces and made a run for it. I finally found him in my library where he tried to blend in. Too bad that brown wood and a jailbird outfit don't blend too well. Around his neck he wore three long lariats, wire crochet ropes, all of them with lampwork beads by Deronda Designs. 

He didn't hesitate to give them back to me, though, and he made my heart melt, so I let him wear the pair of earrings that I finished today, gunmetal colored hoops with sparkly Swarovskis all around.

I'm glad he hadn't seen my last two listed items, a bracelet and earrings, also both with lampwork beads by two of my favorite "fire" girls, from Pink Beach Studios and Melissa Vess.

Wire crochet rope bracelet with lampwork bead

Wire crochet rope hoops with lampwork beads

I guess now that Ben has licked blood, I'll have to have an extra eye on him. I don't even want to think about what will happen when he teams up with Ponder, my other master thief! ;-)

Awol ... Christmas in July ... working on my stash/preview

What can I say? Day job, heat ... age ;-) All of that is wearing me out at the moment and I can't do things like I want them to do. Sorry about that. I'm alive, though. I am. Don't forget that when you don't see me around much the next few weeks.

I thought however I really should drop in for a bit of the latest news.

Let's start with Christmas in July. Did you know that many of the Smooshers are having a sale for this event? Check out the guild blog to see a list of all the shops participating!

Yup, I'm in there, too. 10 % off each item.

Now to show you that I am not just sitting on my butt, looking DVDs and snuggling with cats, here are a few still unlisted pieces I made over the last few weeks. Should any of them catch your eye and you want to take advantage of the sales price in July, you know where to find me. Just shoot me a message.

I used up my red goldstone beads and aren't they a perfect match?

A fossilized shell in a netting of gunmetal wire with tiny freshwater pearls

The "Doily pendant" ;-) Onyx donut filled not with jam, but different dark beads

Free form serpentine cab made into a heart with fine silver wire crochet accented by rainbow moonstones

Mmmm, Deronda O'Neills clear bubble beads teamed up with fine silver wire crochet beads of my making covered with tiny red carnelian, black and green onyx

Sunflower ring, this is not the only flower I have made, either!

Wait for me, will you? I promise I'll be back! ;-)

Vacation update

Well, yeah ... I knew it wouldn't work out. I still haven't written the e-mails, two of the challenge pieces are not finished yet, but to my defense I have to say that I wasn't home longer than a day.

I went to a, let's say, sort of private movie festival. Who knows maybe one or the other quote will turn up eventually.

That doesn't mean I haven't gotten anything done.

Let's see.

- one challenge item done, one almost done, the last one prepared (not sure if that one will work out), laundry done and chest cleaned out

- feet put up thoroughly, DVDs watched in abundance

- social media and e-mails ... ehm ... *cough cough* you get it

- grocery shopping done, but not by me, pile of books reduced a little bit

- playing with cats done, photos not really

- clay is still on my list, but calls to friends and family are done

- visit family ... done

- I didn't really believe I'd write a letter by hand. That's good because I didn't do it

- online gaming ... nope ... nap one, today

- relaxation ... oh yes, it was a very relaxing week. Can I have another one now?

And I dreamed, not about my to-do list, but about someone who shall stay unnamed pushing Ponder around in a shopping cart at work. I do dream weird.

If you want to see proof of something I have done, here it is - yes, I'm still obsessed with Deronda's gorgeous lampwork beads.
This necklace makes me think of a painting of spring in the countryside.
It's in my ArtFire studio now.

Deronda and the magic of lampwork

It has been a while since I mentioned Deronda. The lady with the addictive lampwork beads? By now I do have a little stash of beads and cabs made by my favorite "lampies" and it was about time that I tried to incorporate some of them into new pieces.

Last time I got myself some bubble beads from Deronda.
The pink one has been turned into a simple little pendant with a crochet tube made from slip stitches only.


The blue ones that I could stare at forever are now the bottom part of these large earrings, also with crochet tubes, made from single crochet this time. What I like about using some kind of tube with lampwork is that the earrings don't get too heavy. I can't wear heavy earrings for long myself and I'm sure there are others that can't either.


My absolute favorites are the melties, though.
The bubbles on this cab look like big berries to me and I seem to feel a sweet taste on my tongue when I look at them.


I think the pattern on the back is just as beautiful as the front which is why I made sure the pendant can be worn both ways, even if the bezel is bigger on the back. We don't want that cab to slip out, right?


If you like glass, go to Deronda's ArtFire studio. There are so many more beads that I'm lusting after. Whenever I have just ordered something and it's on the way, bang, there are more beauties in her studio!

This is a sneak preview by the way. None of these pieces has been listed yet.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe ...

.... and it was one of Deronda Designs meltie cabs I had in my hands. I had been wanting to do something with it forever.
Just look at it, isn't it gorgeous? It makes me think of hot chocolate that has been topped with whipped cream and now the cream is slowly melting into the chocolate. I can almost taste it on my tongue.
Being a cab it needed a bezel of course, but for quite a while I hadn't been sure if I wanted to use wire in a matching color tone or silver. I finally decided today and I think it's was the right decision.


To tie it in with my comparison to chocolate, I'll just say the bezel could be a silver cup.
I then added three sterling silver chains on each side.


You should check out Deronda's studio on ArtFire, either bring very strong nerves or your purse, it's pure temptation. I have never been disappointed so far and will be back again and again!