Wha????

Autumn Dragonfly

I dropped by to chat with my financial adviser the other day. I had a little savings, and wondered if I should be using it for something instead of just letting it sit (like maybe paying off my car). We chatted for a bit ("Cash is king," she said--meaning hang onto it if you got it), and we talked about my jewelry, i.e., my jewelry supply collection. I explained that making jewelry was really just an excuse to collect jewelry-making supplies, and that there was not one single aspect of my jewelry-making that could be construed as a "business." Especially the "income" part. She paused a moment, and asked: "Well, why don't you try running it as a business?"


Whaaaaa????

Well I have been reeling ever since. What. A novel. Idea. Like a business.

So I have been playing a little game with myself called "Use What You Have." The rules are that I am not allowed, for the foreseeable future (I haven't yet defined the time period further), to execute any jewelry ideas that involve supplies or tools I do not yet have. The challenge, if you will, is to create something from the colossal pile of crap I already have. It's actually been really fun, like a puzzle, and I love puzzles. Kind of like MacGyver. ("Your challenge, should you accept it, is to create a pair of earrings using only elements from this ginormous basket of assorted gauges of wire of all kinds, these storage units full of tools half of which you don't even know the purpose of, and these 20 containers of beads.") The earrings above were one of the first pair I did as part of my new "game." I've had the amber forever, the dragonflies almost as long, but I confess I recently acquired (before the commencement of my game) the Czech glass (along with about 20 other colors of Czech glass). The items below are also part of my game:

The Raven

I've had these carved horn feathers forever, and this is the first time I've ever used them. Ditto for the lampwork spacers, and I think I used two of the little striped glass beads in another pair of earrings. I've been too phobic to use my sterling silver because of the cost (I always choke because I'm trying to be too careful), but I decided it won't have cost me any less (money's already gone) just sitting there so I might as well use it, and if I have to waste a little pretending it's copper (so that I don't choke) then so be it--better than letting it sit there. So I'm getting all extravagant with my hoard of sterling silver. And I'm not allowed to buy more (according to the game rules) when I run out. I'll just have to use copper and brass.

Half and Half

I've been hoarding these wonderful two-tone tablets by Kelley Wenzel forever, waiting for just the right design. Then my game began, and I thought, "Screw that, I'm usin' 'em." Et voila. AND sterling silver--am I a daredevil or what? I love how these turned out (with more Czech glass from my pre-game splurge--I'm determined to use as many of those glittery little babies as possible. I like them on earwires.).

Robins' Eggs. But Sort of Flattened.

I've had these nifty ceramic beads since my first (and so far, last) visit to Hobby Lobby. (It's like 8 hours away, which might be a big reason we're not on food stamps.) I used them in earrings once before, and really liked them, so I used some more. (I'm really getting the hang of this frugal, ascetic thing.) I used them with yet more of my new Czech glass beads stash, and some little papyrus charms I have also had forever, since buying them for some mysterious future purpose.

Verdigris Medallion Lariat

These are more of my stash of brass leaf medallions (had them forever) from Happy Mango Beads, treated with a traditional verdigris patina. I've attached them to some deerskin lace in cocoa, with both nickel and sterling silver accents, and blue sky jasper (had it forever), ebony wood (had it forever), and spruce tint lampwork (had it forever). I'm so proud of myself. (This is a lariat, which I've been wanting to do--you just tie it loosely.) Went hog wild with the sterling silver wire again--but holy crap, fourteen 3" long 20-gauge ball headpins really adds up.)

And of course I had grown instantly bored with my button pieces as soon as I had gotten the hang of them (and had amassed quite an impressive collection of disc beads.) But then THE GAME began, and I was obliged to start using my stash of disc beads. The turquoise ones seem quite popular, so I did this little variation, that has a second strand with a little gingko charm:

Southwest Gingko

I have a couple ideas for tomorrow, for using more "stuff I've had forever." I also have sort of a loose goal to try to make one thing a day. Not sure how long that will last. Tomorrow I will try to post about the pearl hoard I got with my Bead Trends gift certificate.