One More Bail Experiment All Grown Up

I saw a great bezel-set stone pendant on Flickr, by Susan Fincher of Libellula Jewelry, with a great bail construction and was inspired to try something similar, but without soldering (still afraid of the oxygen tank so I have't fired up my new torch yet. I'm such a sissy.) I decided to try something similar with this horse eye donut:

I don't know what to call this

I let it sit around for a while, and re-antiqued it and re-tumbled it, before I decided to leave it like it was. But I wasn't sure what to do with it. When my sari silk came from Mudhound Studio, that seemed like the thing for it. The slatey-teal colored silk seemed to draw out the teal green in the stone (red creek jasper, maybe?) I wrapped some little copper bones around it to sort of give it a pillowy effect. I recently did some coils with copper strips that I was intending to use to cover up wire wrap on ribbon ends, and decided to try them on  here. They worked pretty well. I'm sure there are other ways to use them to.

Well, my battery is running low so I better sign off!

Harness Your Frog Energy.

"Frog's song calls down the cleansing power of the rain. Frog is a reminder of the sacred power of tears to transform and cleanse away sorrow. Frogs will die if away from moisture for too long, and thus Frog reminds us to refresh ourselves, and allow joy to moisten our lives and our hearts. If you are feeling "muddied" by the world, take a moment to dream, to laugh and cry and renew yourself. Frog also reminds us to cleanse our bodies, our environments and our auric fields. People with Frog energy should learn and utilize methods of psychic cleansing."

Whatever.

I made this today with a pewter frog totem from most fabulous Happy Mango Beads, combined with lampwork from Pat Redinger at Beingbeads, and a stash of moss agate in a couple different sizes I completely forgot I had and obviously never really looked at closely because if I had I would have been OBSESSED with it and ordered 10 more strands and 80% of the stuff in my shop would be made with moss agate. It ranges from translucent, pale iceberg blue (even sometimes approaching periwinkle) through teal blue to vivid viridian and even towards a yellow-green, all of it with a delicate, glassy translucency, and fascinating veining that really does look like moss.

I added some little rice pearls in iris green. I've been meaning to use this totem with some of my blue-green lampwork from Pat and decided today was the day. And it wasn't even something I started two weeks ago and then stared at! I started it late this morning, and finished it the same day. Frigging amazing. I had to periodically LOS-ize more sterling wire, and melt more headpins in my torch, but it went pretty smoothly. My owl totem bracelet was very similar so I kind of knew how to go about it. This time, though, I looped the leather through a jumpring and wrapped it securely with a coil of silver wire, instead of using the crimp ends like I did with the owl bracelet. That was easier than I expected it to be.

I really do like frogs, actually (if I start collecting figurines in my 80s it will definitely be frogs--in fact my favorite is the poison dart frog). And I have been known to periodically sob in the restroom (public or private), after which time I generally do feel better although I look like crap. I had always thought I was just having a breakdown, but it's such a relief to know I was only instinctively cleansing my auric field. Moistening my, ah, life. Getting my Frog energy on.

What is Frog telling you?

An Aegean Adventure

In your mind. Without even leaving home. Or getting dressed. Except for this one thing.

Fathomless, glassy teal blue quartz like the sea; Soochow jade in translucent terra cotta, soft olive green, creamy celadon and caramel apple; golden jade in a dusty apricot; two lonely serpentine roundels in variegated moss green and black; and burnished copper.

Focal made in Ghana, West Africa--a stylized leaf medallion in a rustic melding of copper and brass; hand-formed copper chain and beadcaps; and Delica glass seed beads in captivating finishes--matte denim blue, and opalescent palest peach. Focal from Happy Mango Beads; seed beads from Fusion Beads.

Oh man, now I want some spanikopita. Really really bad.

Summers Studio Pendant No. 2

This pendant started out as a bracelet. I was going to make a triple stranded bracelet with these wonderful minty porcelain beads by Macarroll, with teal quartz and amethyst glass. I started out with the main strand (minus the pendant focal), and a strand of amethyst glass tile beads with silver heishi, and another strand with tiny antiqued silver rounds and green aventurine pebbles. When I looked at it lying there on my glass top Japanese-style work bench, however, I thought to myself, "That really ought to be a necklace." And then I remembered my one remaining Summers Studio lentil bead, and ran (seriously, I did) and got it. I thought it looked decidedly fabulous with the other beads, so I started trying to figure out how to work it in. I ended up omitting the third strand with the aventurine pebbles, and just went with the amethyst glass tile beads. I threw in a few lilac pearls for variety, and a couple faceted glass beads in an ultra pale lilac (which I bought at the bead store a couple years ago thinking, under the fluorescent lights, that they were blue green).



I spent what seemed like HOURS trying to decide how to finish the ends of the beaded portions (so hard to make it look NICE and also be durable), and settled on wire guards and crimps/crimp covers. I didn't like the way it looked though--wire guards are not very pretty--so I covered the wire guards with some gorgeous pewter ring beads I got from Happy Mango Beads -- they slid right over them. But then the rings were wanting to slide up the chain (seriously cool stuff from Ornamentea), so I had to add the little pearls (on my hand-forged sterling ball head pins) to keep them from moving. Phew.  This took me all weekend to figure out. And some of it had already been sitting there for a couple weeks already -- some green and purple stuff I had big, vague plans for.

I rather like it. Those silver plated heishi from Happy Mango are so rustic (I think they're silver over copper), they lend an earthy, funky feel to stuff that keeps it from being too formal looking. It almost has an industrial flavor. Those Kenyans. Nothing like Kenyan heishi. (Sounds like a matter for the DEA.)

The Sea Dragon

I bought two strands of these gorgeous teal-dyed quartz rounds at a local beadshop when they were on sale--I had no idea what I was going to do with them but they were irresistible. (I don't know why I have this lust for teal, but I have an aversion to actual blue. I mean, are they really that different?) I had multiple scenarios for using these beads, none of which resembled the pictures below. First I was going to get teal ribbon and knot it and dangle them in between. But can you find teal ribbon to match? No. I even inquired about a custom order but was so frustrated by the seller's garbled non-response I said screw it. Tried some sea green silk cord--gah, NOT. Tried teal blue satin cord--again, GAH! OK, black then. Maybe Greek leather. No, too stiff. Black silk then. Huh, the dangling thing isn't going to work. (Where have I heard THAT before.) Which also would probably conceptually disqualify black satin cord. Finally decided to just wire wrap the damn thing. And I nearly fell out of my chair when some of my new boro beads actually coordinate nicely with the quartz. Well, I guess good things DO happen to bad people.



Et voila! Some handmade nickel bead caps pounded flat to fit the boro beads, a little amazonite roundel to finish off one side, and some antique silver-plated rolo chain from Ornamentea.

The two larger boro beads are from LAJewelry on Etsy, and the smaller is from BeingBeads on Etsy (my local supplier). Unbelievable how close they match! The holes on the boro beads are pretty big and I had to drop a few 8/0 seed beads in there to pick up the slack with my 20 gauge wire. Seemed to work fine.



The pewter dragon pendant is from Happy Mango Beads. They have an awesome selection of ethnic-inspired pewter, free shipping, and they ship fast. They also recently started carrying a selection of gorgeous pewter beads. I'm sure you'll be seeing them on here pretty soon.

In other news, I got my Fusion Beads order with my vast assortment of blue and purple seed beads, so I am theoretically prepared to start my project with Pat's blue beads (see below). I should have that wrapped up in about a month. If I don't get sidetracked. Or if I don't decide I don't like it. If we win the lottery it'll be longer because I'll be in the desert playing golf. The watered part.

Not What I Had Originally Planned

Well, this wasn't at all what I had started out to make. I was determined to use my bronze Summers Studio pendant, but it just didn't work out. So I will continue to hoard that one until I can devise the PERFECT setting. I was so looking forward to using that, I almost gave up halfway on this one. I hate having to start over with a design idea. And I wasn't thrilled with this disc of chrysocolla, it was just so plain. In the process of creating a bail for it I got carried away adding gewgaws to it (there was epoxy), and I like it a little more. (For more info, CLICK HERE).



I had started out with bronze-colored chain (I left my brass chain in the ammonia fumes for a LONG time, until it turned sable brown), so I decided to stick with that. Used some of my hand-forged beadcaps that I had also bronzed in the ammonia fumes, and then spent ALL day trying to figure out what else to do with it. Finally settled on these great wood wheels from Beads and Pieces (fabulous wood bead selection). And of course, being me, I had to add just one more thing. So I dangled some little turquoise glass roundels partway along the chain to keep it from being too naked. I did have some brass spirals on there too, but then there were just too many curlicues everywhere and I took them off.



Didn't have time for the new torch yesterday. Frankly, I'm a little nervous. Making fire with something that's delivered in a truck is a little daunting. My cigar lighter torch is much less threatening. Bic is harmless. You light them at concerts. Unfortunately the thing I just made (above) was not on my to do list, so I can't cross it off. So the list is the same length. Long. I guess I should add it on there and THEN cross it off. But my list would still be the same length. Damn.

All the Charm of Barbed Wire, But Without the Pointy Parts

I saw a nifty pendant somewhere (can't remember who did it, or I'd give her credit) where the artist had made some simple ring-shaped connectors out of wire. Looked sort of messy, like a bird's nest with an unfortunate big hole in the middle. I wanted to do earrings with them, so yesterday on my lunch hour I set about figuring it out. I couldn't get that same messy look, although I was able to make a ring shape. So to bump up the messy factor (judging by my house and my car and my hair you'd think I'd be really good at messy wire work) I sort of wrapped the end of the wire around in an irregular fashion. Well I'll be darned if that doesn't look like barbed wire, I said. Hmm, not quite the nature-inspired look I was thinking of. More a self-mutilation-inspired look. But people are into that, right?

I had been wanting to combine some vivid teal green/blue colors with the steel, so this is my first pair. Going to do it again with fuschia, and white and amber, and green, and...

Look What I Bought!

I just couldn't wait. I started circling over Kelley's shop this morning and there were GORGEOUS BLUE BEADS!! I've been neglecting the color blue and that was going to be my next thing. I warned her. Or tipped her off, rather. And there they were. ADD TO CART.



There was another set of beads in a barely-there palette of cream-to-creme brulee, lavender, and sky blue. I love subtle shades, and these beads are so versatile in their coloring I could combine them with all sorts of things and they would be spectacular. I love how clear they are--I think it will be a nice contrast to the usual opacity and semi matte finish of the types of gemstones I use. ADD TO CART.



And then to just really cement my dedication to using lampwork, I bought a couple more from another seller, LA Jewelry Designs.



I've been really into this slatey teal color lately. Haven't used it yet, just...collecting things. I love colors with a lot of gray in them. ADD TO CART.

OK, just had to share. Best go get busy with the pendant I'm making with the first of Kelley's beads.