Self-Discipline. Of a sort.

Bird on Some Wire (Sold)

I am still working my way through my pendant stash. This necklace started with a bird element in raku by Duane Collins of Elements Pottery. I suspended it from a large brass ring I soldered myself (yay!), and surrounded it with recycled glass from Happy Mango Beads, lava, moss agate, more brass, and more artisan elements--a clay pottery bead by JJPotteryBeads and a "belly" dangle by Petra Carpreau of ScorchedEarthonEtsy.

Where does the "self-discipline" come in, you say? Well, lately, after finishing a necklace, I have been marching right back to my pendant bin to choose another pendant, which I then put on my workbench, and there it stays until it becomes a full-blown necklace. And they haven't been staying there for months, as has been the case in the past, but just a week or two. I do not put it back in the bin if I'm temporarily stymied; I keep laboring stubbornly away at it. In fact, I reworked the pendant portion on the bird necklace above like seven times. (I feel less inhibited about doing that when I'm using waxed linen and I have entire spools of it--it's not like cutting up sterling silver wire.)

The next item I pulled out of my pendant bin was a stunning geometric pendant in raku-glazed porcelain from SpinningStarStudio. I even had raku spacers from the same shop. I started right away with the big dotted lampwork focal, and added this and that. It sat on the ottoman for a week, and every night when I got home from work I would stare at it and change around the beads. This is like the umpteenth "dry fit" version of this before I knotted it. Then I reworked the pendant portion a few times as well (AFTER it was knotted together), literally cutting it up and changing it.

High Priestess of Something-or-Other

The lampwork bead, believe it or not, is from Michael's (it was one of three items in the bead section that were not atrocious--the Michael's franchise did NOT score a win with our new local store). The other turquoise stones are genuine turquoise (a local bead shop bought them in bulk and I loaded up on several strands), two earthy bulls-eye donuts from Jana of HappyFishWithHeart attached back to back, sand-hued seed beads from Happy Mango Beads, a little silver and a little copper, a few square raku spacers also from SpinningStarStudio, and some altered bone spacers (I sanded, scored, and antiqued them to coordinate with Jana's donuts). I knotted it all onto black waxed linen cording, and finished it off with some Greek leather and copper chain. It is long. Priestess-long. I'm into that lately....It is actually NOT sold, and is available HERE.

I picture it layered with other necklaces. The way a Priestess of Something-or-Other might do.

With a long tunic. Or a floor length Priestess dress.

I got a little carried away.

I also thought I might make a bracelet to go with my Annie Oakley necklace (see my previous post). I rather like the bracelet more than the necklace! In fact it may upstage the necklace a bit.

Annie Oakley's Wrist (SOLD)

I picture it on her slender wrist as she lines up her shot....

(I am thrilled to be finally achieving my half-hearted goal of using my hoard of drilled beach stones from StoneStudiosToo. So hard to let them go...Gorgeous mother of pearl buttons from OritDotan.)

Right now I have a sweet little round pendant by Mary Welsh Hubbard of White Clover Kiln sitting on my work table, with a half-formed idea in my head for it. I WILL PREVAIL!!! And after that I really gotta make some earrings.