I seriously do not know how Lori pulled off another massive BSBP while feeling like she's been feeling. But she did! And I can't wait to see what the other third reveal jewelry artists have created!
I was teamed with a lovely lady from Minnesota, Brenda Sigafoos. I almost cried when I opened the package from Brenda...she sent masses of stuff, not just a few beads and a focal and a clasp, oh NO...she sent the most amazing assortment of black and white beads and crystals, a beautiful handmade silver wire clasp, a stunning black and white cameo focal, and a bunch of vintage loveliness all wrapped in three vintage hankies. Amazing.
I wanted to make a few pieces of jewelry that honored Brenda's sweetness and generosity, and that would showcase the beautiful pieces she chose for me.
I knew I wanted to show off the beautiful handmade silver wire clasp...I didn't want to stick it in the back of a necklace where it would be hidden; I wanted it to be the focus of this necklace. I created a very simple strand of various beads, and made an equally simple fake chain maille (maybe it's real chain maille, I've never done it before!) section on the opposite side of the clasp to give balance to the piece.
Close-up of clasp in hankie.
I was teamed with a lovely lady from Minnesota, Brenda Sigafoos. I almost cried when I opened the package from Brenda...she sent masses of stuff, not just a few beads and a focal and a clasp, oh NO...she sent the most amazing assortment of black and white beads and crystals, a beautiful handmade silver wire clasp, a stunning black and white cameo focal, and a bunch of vintage loveliness all wrapped in three vintage hankies. Amazing.
I wanted to make a few pieces of jewelry that honored Brenda's sweetness and generosity, and that would showcase the beautiful pieces she chose for me.
I knew I wanted to show off the beautiful handmade silver wire clasp...I didn't want to stick it in the back of a necklace where it would be hidden; I wanted it to be the focus of this necklace. I created a very simple strand of various beads, and made an equally simple fake chain maille (maybe it's real chain maille, I've never done it before!) section on the opposite side of the clasp to give balance to the piece.
Close-up of clasp in hankie.
Once again, I am reminded of the general suckiness of my photographs. When will I make this a priority? When will I set up and actually learn to use the light box I bought a full month ago? Rhetorical questions...don't feel compelled to answer. Really...don't.
Moving on. The cameo. Lovely, lovely cameo. Again, I wanted it to be showcased. The star of the show, so to speak. So here it is:
I added a little dangle to the cameo, using one of Brenda's (I mean, my) cracked glass beads. The chain...ah, that chain. It was made by Jeannie Dukic, of do-over challenge fame! I received two strands of these meticulously wire-wrapped pearls as my challenge to "do over" into something different. Make them over? Take them apart? Oh no. Let me tell you, Jeannie is a wire-wrapping MACHINE! Each is identical to the next. Perfection. I couldn't demolish it. All I could do was add to it. So I did. I took small sections (3 pearls each) and made a double strand on each side at the top of the pendant. Added a couple swirly "S"-like connectors, and placed a single strand of pearls around to form a short necklace. The cameo rests just below the collarbone in front. The clasp...there is no clasp. It is very simple to wind one of the silver jump rings around and up one of the connectors to put on and take off. Simple but secure.
I created a super-long necklace using many (oh, so many) small graphite beads from my stash. Each bead is separated by a tiny seed bead. I had a black ceramic connector in my stash with five holes on each side. I turned it on end and added a different dangle to each hole. The center dangle has a crystal dagger on the bottom, and the beads are wire wrapped together. I added equal lengths of black chain to each of the five holes on the top end, and connected them all to a graphite circle. The long rope of beads is attached to the circle. This necklace can be worn long, or may be looped around the neck to form a choker and a longer necklace. (Why do you suppose this photograph is appropriately oriented in Picasa, but will not rotate here?)
Next I turned my attention to one of the vintage pieces...a beautiful, flashy bright gold pendant with seven dangling daggers. (Doesn't that sound like something you'd chant while jumping rope? Seven dangling daggers...six dangling daggers...) Anyway. Inspired by Lil Ruby and her ice enamel perfection in the first reveal, I decided to enamel this piece. Alas, the enamels I purchased are brights...pink, green, and blue. I wanted something more muted for this piece. So I took a breath, dared myself to do it, and used a combination of dark gold, black, and silver embossing powders. Yes, I did. And I blasted it with my heat gun till it was melted. Twice. I did it two times. I attached this pendant to a simple strand of cathedral beads...clear glass with antiqued gold ends. I can't say I'm exactly thrilled with the result...but I'm not horrified by it, either. I believe I will be playing with this pendant for some time, until I get a result I really am thrilled with.
And then, just to make good use of many (many, many!) of Brenda's beads plus some of my own, I made a five-coil memory wire bracelet, as seen here:
I strung the beads in random patterns...I have a bad habit of making things so symmetrical that all the beads line up when worn, and that's not a look I like. Variety is the spice of life on these bracelets. I had to work REALLY HARD to make random patterns (you will notice I am not exactly saying that I strung the beads randomly, because I did create little sets...little patterns...to satisfy my secret OCD tendency to make things symmetrical).
I strung the beads in random patterns...I have a bad habit of making things so symmetrical that all the beads line up when worn, and that's not a look I like. Variety is the spice of life on these bracelets. I had to work REALLY HARD to make random patterns (you will notice I am not exactly saying that I strung the beads randomly, because I did create little sets...little patterns...to satisfy my secret OCD tendency to make things symmetrical).
Thanks so much for viewing what I made with Brenda's generous gift, and please stop by the other bloggers who are revealing their creations today!
