A chronicle of the meanderings, false starts (which in retrospect, while sort of embarrassing turned out to be highly instructive), epiphanies, selective apathy (still evolving), wild mood swings, opinions (subject to frequent change), and life lessons of an inveterate dabbler (and her latest dabblings).

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Circling

I'm working myself up for a couple of projects. Unfortunately I couldn't just dive in because I was out of everything--beadcaps, headpins, connector rings, etc.

So while all that stuff went round and round in the tumbler, I toyed with the random stuff on my bead table. And some of the components destined for other projects seemed to work nicely with some of the other stuff on my table. (Most of the "other stuff" on my table were things I really wanted to use in something, but just didn't have the right "thing" for them yet).

This piece below came about because I got a bug up my ass to find out RIGHT NOW if those donut bails I started in the car (and finished at home) would fit any of the stone donut pendants I had. Turned out one of the bails fit this "golden horse" jasper donut perfectly. I put the bail on there and left in on the table and it was so big I couldn't help but look at it day after day. When the germ of an idea came into my head I had to jump on it. Repeatedly for a couple days. (Tired now). This is what eventually came out of the hopper:

I like the main portion with the leather, but I can't decide if I like the shorter section with it. I just seemed sort of bare with all that length so I put that in there. What do you think? Leave it or take it out? (Beach stones from Stonestudiostoo on Etsy).
Of course I had to make earrings to go with it.
Earrings To Go With It
(Gray lampwork spacers by Beingbeads; earwires, headpins and beadcaps by moi; also with faceted moukaite and brecciated jasper).

These earrings below happened when I took some of the big beadcaps I was doing for my button pieces (stamped on the inside to be used upside down) and popped them on top of a smaller bead. They looked more like a big floppy hat then than a little watch cap. I put a little bead up inside there to make them sit up a little higher. I like the Japanese straw hat effect. Like you're digging weeds in your garden in Kyoto on a hot sunny day and you don't want to get brown spots. Or like a fuchsia blossom. Vaguely. So I did some more but stamped them on the outside, like a traditional beadcap.

Japanese Garden earrings

I was trying to think of a more interesting way to fasten a decorative seed bead to earwires, and I thought these itty bitty beadcaps I've been making might work. They're like a little nest for the bead to sit in. I wrapped some wire right above them to keep them in place.

I had these nifty cylinder beads with the cutouts sitting on my table because I thought I might use them in the jasper pendant, but that didn't look right and I was too lazy to put them away. But then I put a big beadcap on top of those and I liked that too! So this is what eventually became of them:
Japanese Lantern Earrings
With tiny turquoise heishi, moukaite again wearing tiny beadcaps, and ivory bone spacers.

Now I can't decide whether I should start on that other project now or take a nap. I'm leaning towards the nap. Like literally leaning in my chair. I'm really tired.

13 comments:

  1. I love, love, love the lantern earrings!

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  2. OMG! That necklace is gorgeous! I just love your work!

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  3. I absolutely love your work :) Regarding your necklace, I think you should leave it in, but perhaps move the shorter section up a couple of notches so that each section can be on display. Absolutely gorgeous though!

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  4. LOVE. LOVE every single FLIPPIN thing you do.

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  5. Keirsten - don't move! Stay in that creative spot!!!
    Girl - you are on a roll here - these pieces are fantastic. The necklace is gorgeous - don't change a thing - unless you are totally convinced...

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  6. beautiful pieces, i especially the lantern earrings!

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  7. Every thing is gorgeous as usual. I love the necklace the length it is, but i also think it would work well sat just on the décolletage just below the collar bone. You are defiantly on a creative role there, but a nap will do you good, i find if i'm really tired, i start making silly mistakes with my beading, thats when i know it's time to put it down and rest my brain and my eyes

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  8. I say leave it in but if you decide to take it out, i'd think it would be the perfect bracelet for a three piece set. I love your work, AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!!!!!!! swopemelmel

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  9. Loving those earrings!! All of them!

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  10. I like it with the extra section, but you could always put a clasp on each end of that section so it becomes "removable" and that way the wearer can customize it.

    KJ

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  11. I love hearing your thoughts as you work please continue. I would love to know how you antique your things. Do you use chemicals? I tried with eggs don't quite know what to do afterwards. Do you put them in the tumbler after you've antiqued them and if so how do the stones etc cope?

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  12. Love the earrings, they are fabulous!

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