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).

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

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.