Honey Do List March 2020

2020 marks the fifth year that my husband Eric has been giving me a design challenge each month to get me out of my comfort zone and to help clear out my bead stash... it's the Honey Do List 2020!  I know that I'm not the only one who loves a good design challenge, so I'm hoping folks will continue to play along with us!

Here's this month's inspiration and what Eric had to say about it:

This is an oldie, from our trip to Prague summers years ago.  This is the huge ornate door to the German Consulate and I really loved the metal work and colors in it.  Not pictured are the many cameras around the door, and I had some reservations about getting close and taking this shot...luckily no German guards bearing submachine guns came storming out of the gates after me!  

The very first thing that came to my mind when I saw Eric's inspiration photo this month was doing something with my collection of Vintaj Patina paints, metal blanks, and embellishments.  I started with two different shapes of brass altered blanks and gave each pair a slightly different texture with hammers.  If you look closely at the background of the door's surface in the photo you'll see some dimpling... I was trying to replicate that feeling.  Next I mixed up a custom blend of patina paints (using Garnet and Earth).  It's not perfect, but pretty close overall.  

For the first pair I used some little flower shaped charms that I cut the loops off of and punched holes in the center for the rivets.  I thought the flowers resembled the round decoration on the door.  The dimpled texture on the brass blanks is pretty similar to what is on the door.  Pretty happy with how that part turned out!  Since the flowers have some dimension to them, they were a little tricky to rivet without flattening, but I did it by using the corner of my bench block.  I added some metallic English cut Czech glass and small plated hematite rondelles.

For the second pair of earrings I used more ornate brass blanks that I did an all over hammered texture before painted.  I used some small brass filigree pieces that are reminiscent of the diamond shaped decorations on the doors.   

The first thing that I actually made for this month's challenge was another pair of earrings... this time making use of my oft-neglected Now That's a Jig!  The color and pattern on these fabulous enameled charms by Blue Hare Art Wear fit nicely with our inspiration.  I wanted to keep the focus on the charms so I kept it really simple.  I used annealed steel wire to make little "hangers" for the charms on my jig and then just hammered them to strengthen them.  I slipped on black niobium ear wires and I was done!

I didn't just make earrings!  I also pulled out some beads that I bought from Allegory Gallery in one of Andrew and William's destash events.  I got the focal and the Czech glass puff coins as a set.  I'm 99% sure that the lampwork bead is by Patti Cahill.  I'm honestly not entirely sure why these caught my attention for this challenge... maybe the deep reds in the Picasso finish glass coins... maybe the rings around the raised dots on the lampwork bead.  Either way, I just went with it!  Adding filigree rounds in brass tones help bring it together.

Not my creation (pretty obviously), I wanted to share these fancy sterling silver brooches from Portugal that belonged to my paternal grandmother.  The patterns in the petals reminded me of the look of the metal door decorations.  I just had to share!

My friend Anna Pierson of Saga Hus doesn't blog so she sent me a picture collage of what she was inspired to make this month.  Isn't this a fun mini-collection of earrings?!  I think my favorites are the asymmetrical pair.

Now it's your turn!  Please add links to/photos of your own creations below.  I love seeing what everyone else is making too!  Check back on April 1st (no foolin'!) to see what Eric has in store for us next month!  

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