Inspired By Reading: The Forgotten Garden

It's been a little while since I've actually made something for the Inspired By Reading Book Club even though I've done some of the reading.  Suddenly the world has been turned on its head and I have much more time for reading and creating (in theory anyway.) 

The March selection for book club was Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden.  I had a good feeling about this book as soon as I saw the endpapers which featured one of Arthur Rackham's illustrations from an edition of Peter Pan.  (We actually bought a print of this very illustration when we were in York last summer.)  This novel involves a family mystery that spans three generations and two continents.  There's a foundling, a book of dark fairy tales, a secret walled garden, and more.  The story switches between the three time periods as the story and the mystery slowly unfold.  Things may tie up a little too neatly in the end but I certainly enjoyed the journey of getting there.  I'm curious about Kate Morton's other books... when the libraries are safe to reopen I'll have to see if I can check them out.

I honestly didn't think I'd manage to make anything this month... but, miraculously, I did!  I spent a good amount of time this past weekend trying to get at least a tiny amount of my insane bead mess organized and put away.  In the process of doing that, I unearthed a wonderful pair of faux tin charms by Heather Powers of Humblebeads that I snagged during one of Andrew Thornton's destash events.  These little fairies were perfect for a novel that featured an Authoress and her fairy tales so prominently! 

As luck would have it, at the same time I found the charms, I also had one of my boxes of dark blue beads was also out on my table.  Some medium sized English cut Czech glass in a nice dark blue with Picasso finish jumped right out at me!  I then grabbed some small caramel colored rondelles that are great match for the tones in the fairy wings.

Ok,  I'm going to go curl up with the kitties and return to reading my current book, The Grammarians by Cathleen Schine.  Even though I have plenty of books on my shelves, I do wish that I had checked out a few more books the last time I was at the library. 

Inspired by Reading: Catching Up

I've been doing pretty well keeping up with the reading for the Inspired by Reading Book Club the last couple of months and even had ideas rolling around in my brain... sadly I just didn't get around to actually making anything.  This post will be a quick catch up for September and October's selections!

For September we read The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin.  I wasn't really sure what to expect from this one, but the idea of knowing your death date and how that might influence one's life was intriguing.  I'm still not totally sure how I feel about this book... I'm not sure it's one I'd readily recommend.  I think part of it is that I didn't find the characters particularly likable overall.  They were all very flawed individuals which I suppose is the human experience.  I have to wonder if knowing their supposed death dates led the siblings to make some of the decisions that they did.  What I wonder is would their lives had been different and deaths different and at different times without that "knowledge"?  Each of the siblings seemed trapped in the knowledge of their own individual expiration date.

For my creation, what stuck out to me was the phrase "thoughts have wings."  It comes up in Daniel's story and, if I'm not mistaken again in Varya's.  I honestly can't say why that is what rose to the top, but that's just how the mind and creative process work sometimes!  I decided to stamp the phrase on an Arte Metal blank from which I intended to hang a wing shape that I had painted in silver.  It didn't feel hefty enough at that point so I decided to add another layer behind the original blank.  This time I used a texturing hammer and then highlighted the surface of the blank to get more of a gunmetal grey color.  It's hard to see in the picture but I used some little metal beads between the two blanks when I riveted them to give a more three dimensional effect to the pendant.  Physically, it was still pretty light in weight and I worried it wouldn't hang properly so I added a beaded segment with a chunky rock crystal and Czech glass before hanging the whole thing from a long length of silver plated chain.

October's book was the suitably otherworldly Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.  It really seems like I should have read this one ages ago but, alas, I was late to the party.  Eric made me watch the BBC mini-series ages ago but I honestly remember very little about it.  So little in fact, that I wonder if I slept through a good portion of it!  Better late than never I guess!  I read this one so quickly... it was a a captivating urban fantasy built on the premise that there is a world literally and figuratively underneath the one we know... or at leas underneath the London we know.  Poor, painfully normal, dull Richard Mayhew gets sucked into the dealing of London Below and his life will never be the same. 

Full disclosure, the earrings I made for this month were originally meant to be part of my October Honey Do List reveal (you can see that HERE if you missed it) but I didn't finish them in time.  As I was painting them (and the coordinating bracelet) I was thinking about the character of Old Bailey and his rooftop roost with all of his birds.  These asymmetrical feather earrings are a design I've done before but always in brighter colors.

I've already made a decent dent in November's book club selection, so I have high hopes to participate next month as well.  For now, it's back to the bead table as soon as I can extricate myself from the sweet purring kitty hanging out in my lap!

Inspired by Reading: What Alice Forgot

Wow.  It's been a looooong time since I actually made something for the Inspired by Reading Book Club!  Yikes!  I've mostly been keeping up on the reading but have lacked the time (and, honestly, sometimes the inspiration) to get something created.  Well, this month I'm back!  For August, we read What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty.

This is the second book I've read by Liane Moriarty and I liked this one so much better than Big Little Lies.  The basic premise is that the main character, Alice, has come to after a head injury sustained at the gym and has completely lost all memories from the past 10 years.  She thinks she's 29 and pregnant with her first child when in fact she's about to turn 40, the mother of three children, and is in the middle of a contentious divorce.  It's fascinating to follow Alice as she slowly starts to unravel the mystery that is her present day life.  How bizarre to not remember how you got to be the person you are, and living the life that you are! 

It really made think.  How much would my 35 year old self recognize of my 45 year old life?  For sure I would be surprised that I'd quit my job as a librarian to make jewelry and more of the household.  I had barely started making jewelry 10 years ago and hadn't dreamed of selling anything!  I thought about all the friends that I hadn't met yet then... and the people who have passed away in that time that I wouldn't know about.  Crazy!  Another big shocker is that I now cook (some) and do all the grocery shopping.  I'd also probably be a little dismayed that I weigh a bit more now than I did then, LOL!

It might not be the most imaginative but I went for a piece inspired by the book's cover.  The cover designer was likely thinking of idea of your memories being blown out of you head just like so many dandelion seeds... at least that's my interpretation!  I knew that I had a lovely dandelion pendant from Summer Wind Art tucked away from a recent order.  (Seriously, if you don't know her stuff, check out her Etsy shop.  She does amazing wood burned pieces that she hand paints.)  The colors in the pendant even matched the book cover!  How perfect is that?!  Here's a close up of the necklace and the pretty pendant.

I've really been feeling the stringing lately... does anyone else seem to go through phases like that?  I immediately grabbed a handful of blue Czech glass rondelles that were a great match for the pendant, knowing that they would be the backbone of my design.  I added in some dark wood saucers and small brass beads to pull out the dark, burned lines of the pendants design and some ivory Czech glass melons with brown in the creases.  The final addition to my design were some lovely Terra Agate barrels that I got from Dakota Stones at our local bead show.  I think they bring things together nicely!

I was originally thinking that I'd make this a fairly long necklace with brass chain at the back.  Once I finished the stringing portion, I totally changed my mind and it's a shorter length (about 20 inches) with a lobster claw clasp at the back.

Thanks for stopping by to see what I've been up to.  Hopefully I'm now back on track with creating for Book Club!

Inspired by Reading: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

The April selection for the Inspired by Reading Book Club was Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.  This is one that I'd been interested in for a little while so I was happy to see it on our list for this year!

As the story began I really just felt like Eleanor was just an odd duck of a character.  She's someone very rigid and totally stuck in her routines.  She really lives for the structure that her office job gives her during the week and then loses herself in vodka over the weekend to make the off time go faster.  As you continue to read, you begin to understand that there are many layers to Eleanor and they are slowly peeled back.  As usual, I really don't want to say too much about the book to avoid giving anything away. 

As much as I enjoyed this novel, I was at a bit of a loss for what to make.  Maybe I just go too immersed in the story and wasn't paying attention to creative jumping off points.  In the end, the only thing that came to mind was a bit of a stretch.  I chose Eleanor's froggy pouf to start off my design! 

I knew that I had a pair of enameled frog charms from Gardanne that would be cute as part of a charm style necklace.  When I was picking those out of my art bead storage, a little word bead from Swoondimples caught my eye as well.  I thought the message of "give more" made sense for Eleanor... her life starts to change as she starts to give a little more of herself to those around her... opening up.  I added the key to represent Eleanor unlocking the secrets of her past to herself and those close to her.  The flower is to mark how Eleanor really blossomed by the end of the novel.

I love the colors in this long charm necklace.  I added a few Czech glass links along the chain for additional color.  I know that this one is a bit quirky, but I hope it finds a happy home with the right person!

Thanks for stopping by to see what I've been up to lately!  I hope you're having a great week.  We're finally getting some spring weather here so I'm trying to balance making new jewelry with enjoying some fresh air and sunshine!

Inspired by Reading: The Keeper of Lost Things

For this month's Inspired by Reading Book Club we read The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan.  I'm so glad that this charming debut novel made the cut for this year's book list!  This was a quick read with a truly unique premise.  It kept me turning those pages even when I was so sleepy that I had to practically prop my eyes open. 

As I proven so many times before, I'm really terrible at summarizing the books that I read... so I'm just going to share the blurb from the books back cover to give you an idea if this might be a book for you!  Although, don't let that last line of the jacket copy fool you, it's not all happiness in this book.  There were things that truly tugged at my heart strings.

Anthony Peardew is the Keeper of Lost Things. Once a celebrated author of short stories, now in his twilight years, Anthony has sought consolation from the long-ago loss of his fiancée by lovingly rescuing lost objects—the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidently left behind. Realizing that he’s running out of time, he leaves his beautiful house and all the collected treasures to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, the one person he trusts to fulfill his legacy.

Recovering from a bad divorce, Laura is in some ways one of Anthony’s lost things. But when she moves into his lovely old Victorian mansion, her life suddenly begins to change. Anthony’s final wishes set in motion a most serendipitous series of encounters as Laura sets out to realize Anthony’s last wish: reuniting his cherished lost objects with their owners. 

With an unforgettable cast of characters that includes a teenage girl with special powers, a handsome gardener, a fussy ghost, and an array of irresistible four-legged friends, The Keeper of Lost Things is a heartwarming read about second chances, endless possibilities, and joyful discoveries.
 
My first inclination was to finally create with some lost things that found their way into my possession a little over a year ago... a ring of vintage keys!  I was thinking about the key to the study as well as Therese's locked room as well as the key on the cover of my paperback copy.  I picked out a few contenders and started thinking about ways to put a necklace together... and then got totally sidetracked.  I'll circle back to this idea though!

There really were so many great jumping off points for creativity in this book with all the lost objects, but what really captured my imagination was the rose garden that Anthony planted for his beloved and how the smell of roses was always strong in Therese's room even in winter. 

Earlier this month I attended the Twin Cities Bead Bazaar and its Cocktails with Candie Cooper event where they had some make and takes for us.  One of them was using the Sizzix Movers and Shapers magnetic dies to cut leather shapes.  The room was a little crowded and I wasn't super patient, so I brought my leather pieces home to play with.  Before making the earrings that I had envisioned, I decided to run the leather teardrops through my Big Kick machine in an embossing folder with a fun floral design.  I'm pretty happy with the results!  I added some little dangles inside the teardrops with cultured sea glass and brass for a fun, almost stamen-like effect.

Next, I kept with the floral theme for a necklace.  I originally grabbed this little ceramic connector by Gaea thinking I might combine it with one of the vintage keys, but it had other ideas!  I added some Czech glass flowers to the bottom of the connector and picked out other coordinating glass beads for links along the necklace.  I think that this would be perfect for a garden party!

Finally after I (mostly) got the flowers out of my head, I was ready to return to the vintage keys.  I had already selected a little Green Girl flower bud to use with one of my key designs, and I decided it went nicely with this shiny key.  I wrapped a little bit of patterned sari silk ribbon around the middle of the key and then used wire wraps to attach it securely.  I'm really liking the extra pop of color the ribbon adds.  In addition to the pewter flower, I made two more dangles with a Czech glass flower on one side and a bright polymer clay bead by Heather Powers of Humblebeads.

Figuring out how to get the key to sit just right was a bit of a challenge.  I think that I'll go about future designs a little differently!  Wanting to keep going with the bright pink/magenta hues, I made little links with Czech glass two different dyed agates.  I'm pretty happy with how this one came together (albeit at the last minute!) and I'm going to wear test this one tonight at a get together we're headed out to in just a bit.

That's it for me for now.  My other key designs will have to wait until another day.  Have a fabulous weekend, my friends!  I hope that wherever you are that Spring is starting to have Sprung and you can get outside and enjoy some much deserved warmer temperatures!

Inspired by Reading: Carry On

This month's selection for the Inspired by Reading Book Club was Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.  I know Rainbow Rowell for her contemporary young adult books (and also as the cousin of the now retired Jade Scott!) so I assumed that this was along those lines.  Wrong!  That's what I get for never reading the descriptions or jacket blurbs for book club books I guess.  I learned after I finished it that Carry On is connected to Rowell's first book, Fangirl.  Simon Snow is a fictional character that the protagonist in Fangirl is obsessed with... Rowell wanted to flesh that world out and thus wrote Carry On (and it's sequel out this fall.)  I'm going to have to go back and read that one!

To me, this book felt like a mash up of the Harry Potter series and The Magicians by Lev Grossman aimed at an upper YA audience.  It is set at a British magical academy, Watford, that is kept apart from the Normal world where young magicians learn the skills/spells they will need.  Simon, the main character is an orphan who has become the unofficial heir to the the Mage, the headmaster of the school and the leader of the magical world.  He's also the first student of apparently "Normal" background to gain admittance to Watford.  His roommate and nemesis is Baz, who happens to be both a magician and a vampire.  The big bad in the novel is the magic eating Humdrum... who just happens to look just like an 11 year old version of Simon.  That's the basic set up... I won't spoil the rest of it.

Some books are just harder for me to find some sort of jumping off point for creativity.  This was one of those books.  The only thing that kept sticking in my brain was the chapter when the dragon attacked Watford... specifically, Baz casting "Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home."  I thought it was somewhat endearing that it is Baz, the self-professed villain in the story who understands that the dragon doesn't want to be there attacking the school and that killing it unnecessarily would be cruel and dark.  So between that and a somewhat desperate need for spring and warmer weather (seriously, the Polar Vortex struggle is real), I went with ladybugs and brights for this month's creations. 

I had a ladybug and daisy flower covered ceramic lentil bead from Golem Design Studio as well as a coordinating pendant.  Perfect!  I started with the lentil and worked it into a multi-strand bracelet in the style of a tutorial by Lorelie Eurto.  I used tons of Czech glass including some adorable ladybug beads plus pewter, crystal, and seed beads for the strands. 

For the necklace, I had fun pulling together different flower beads to pull out the colors from the pendant.  The flowers and little ladybug beads pop against the background of green Czech glass just like the designs do on the pendant.  

Not created for this challenge, but made this week... here's another piece that includes some of those fun ladybug beads!  This charm bracelet was a special order for a friend.  The charms belonged to her late sister and she asked me to make something for her with them.  Voila!  The gardening themed charms called out for bright flowers and leaves... and, of course, ladybugs.

I'm really hoping that these bright pieces will help me ward off the next few rounds of snow we're expecting.  If this doesn't end soon, I may have to book a flight south to escape!!

Inspired by Reading: A Discovery of Witches

I actually read the November selection for the Inspired by Reading Book Club but never got around to making anything, so I'm happy to be back in the swing of things this month!  This month's book was A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.  I remember ages ago picking this up as an ARC at an American Library Association conference and happily handing it over to one of the adult services librarians.  I remember this book having a pretty big buzz when it came out so I was mildly interested in seeing what all the fuss was about.

Overall, I didn't love this novel, but I did stick it out to the bitter end, which clocks in at 579 pages if you're curious.  I thought that the premise was intriguing, but it devolved into way too much romance for my taste.  I also thought that Diana as a main character needed way too much saving by a man... or a male vampire, whatever.  Anyway, I did preserver and finish the book, but I'm not going to run out to grab the sequels. (Although if someone wants to tell me what happens, that's cool.)

I decided to to try and make a pendant based on the de Clermont seal featuring a crescent moon and star.  I used a scrap of copper left over from my Christmas ornament making frenzy.  I had used a couple of different Fretz texturing hammers on the scrap before I used my disc cutter to cut the moon shape out.  I used some spacers under the moon to give it a 3D effect when I riveted it to an Arte Metal circle blank that I went around the edges with my ball peen hammer.  I then riveted a brass star beside the moon and wrapped a brass filigree around the pendant.  I have to say that it was fun to do some riveting.  I want to do more metal work!

I could have left it here and just put on a jump ring and plain chain, but I wanted to do a little more than that.  I made some Czech glass links in metallics and black and finished the design with Vintaj natural brass chain.

When I was putting some unused beads back in their proper place, I discovered a few brass beads with star and moon designs.  I just had to make something with them!  I paired them with some fun purple druzy barrels that I've been holding onto for a bit.

I'd better go pick up the February book from the library and get started soon... or maybe I'll wait until we're back in the positive numbers for temperatures!  If you're interested in joining the book club fun, check out our Facebook group HERE.

Inspired by Reading: The Rules of Magic

I'm a little bit behind on posting my creation for the October installation of the Inspired by Reading Book Club... mostly because I've been crazy busy with shows and travel.  Better late than never, but this is a super short post!

The October selection was The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman which is a prequel to her super popular Practical Magic.  While I enjoyed reading the story of the Owens family and how each of the children dealt with the ramifications of the family curse, my creation was more inspired by the cover of the book.  The cover really plays on the time period of the book... the 1960s... and I took my cue from that. 

I was in a frenzy of painting with my Vintaj patina paints and added color to these sweet little daisy or sunflower charms.  I'm super happy with how my paint job turned out with just a tiny hint of bronze on the stem and leaves as well as the center of the happy yellow flowers. 

Sorry for the brevity of this post... but there's so much on my plate right now and I'm zipping off to tackle the next 20 things on my ever-growing to do list!  Enjoy the day!

Inspired by Reading: We Are Water

I'm a little late to the reveal, but September's Inspired by Reading Book Club selection was We Are Water by Wally Lamb.  This might be the first book by Lamb I've read since I devoured She's Come Undone when that first came out.  I owned I Know This Much is True but I'm not convinced that I ever read it... clearly, if I did, it certainly didn't leave an impression!

Full disclosure:  I found this a really tough book to get through.  The jumping around from character to character and to different points in time was challenging enough, but it was the content that was really rough for me.  I think this book should have a trigger warning on it... it deals with and recounts in some detail child sexual abuse.  I found that excruciating to read.  I also really didn't like any of the characters all that much... so it was hard for me to get invested too much.  That all being said, I found it an odd choice, considering the format of the rest of the novel, that the entire last section of the book is only from one character's point of view...  you get some wrap up on the other folks, but all from one person's voice.

Anyway, as the title suggests, water is an integral part of the novel.  The central element for Annie's story is the flooding that took both her mother and baby sister's lives when she was only a small child... the event that sets so much in motion.  Much of the story also takes place at the beaches of Nantucket especially for Orion's part of the book.  Because of this water/wave/flooding theme for the book I chose a Vintaj Arte Metal pendant that I had painted a while back as a starting point for my necklace design.  Wanting more visual weight for the pendant, I embossed an Arte Metal circle blank and riveted the two pieces together.  The pendant is simply strung on a collection of Czech glass and shell pearls in shades of blue and silver.

Thanks for stopping by to see my latest creation!  If you'd like to know more about the Inspired by Reading Book Club, the new book list was just announced and you can see it HERE.

Inspired by Reading: Dark Matter

I'm a little late to the Inspired by Reading Book Club party for August, but better late than never!  Our August read was Dark Matter by Blake Crouch... a science fiction thriller that explores the ideas of choices, paths not taken, and how far we'll go to claim (or reclaim) the lives we dream of.  The last words Jason Dessen hears before he's knocked unconscious are "Are you happy with your life?"  The next thing he knows is waking up strapped to a table, surrounded by strangers who seem to know him, and in a world that's not his own.  Thus begins Jason's harrowing and mind-bending journey to get back to the life and family he loves.    

Being short on time, I ended up making two pairs of earrings this month.  First up, I chose a pair of square ceramic charms by Diane Hawkey to represent the box that allows Jason to travel between realities.  I liked the ideas of the squares within squares as a representation of the infinite possibilities.  I added some fun beaded links by Anna Pierson of Saga Hus Components.

Next up,  I picked out some fun Golem Design Studio lentils with a geometric pattern in black and white.  The shattered pattern made me think of how each decision Jason makes causes his timeline to split off.  Wanting to keep with the sharp lines on the ceramic beads, I chose some cool faceted hematite.

Thanks for checking out my newest creations!  Now it's back to crazy show prep time for the Art Wander!!!

Inspired by Reading: Station Eleven

As expected, I'm running a bit behind for the May Inspired by Reading Book Club selection.  No one should be shocked.  Better late than never though... and, darn it, I finished the book!  Speaking of the book, the May selection was Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.

Station Eleven, despite the sound of the name, is NOT a science fiction space story...  it's the story of a world-wide flu pandemic that wipes out the majority of the Earth's population and how the world looks 20 years after the collapse of civilization.  The book goes back and forth in time following a small group of characters who end up having an unlikely connection.  While it may have been a bit of a shark jump for so many people who were connected to survive the highly virulent strain of influenza, it was enjoyable to read and unravel the threads.  While bleak, it was not the depression inducing read that The Road was for me...  I don't know if it enhanced my reading experience or not, but there's some irony that Eric and I have been playing through the game Pandemic Legacy... trying to save the world from collapsing due to spreading and mutating disease.

So, I have to say, the parts of the book dealing with the actual pandemic and the bleak world it left behind were not particularly inspiring to me.  Luckily, I got an idea from the storyline of the Dr. Eleven comic books embedded within the overarching tale.  Station Eleven is a planet like space station that has escaped from chaos on Earth through a wormhole.  Unfortunately the station systems were damaged and it is perpetually twilight on the station and most of the surface is covered with water.  There is conflict between the island dwellers led by Dr. Eleven and the people of the Undersea who want to return to Earth.  The Undersea dwellers ride giant and dangerous seahorses... half animal, half machine.  I used the seahorses as my jumping off point... although the ones in my designs aren't scary!  Also, it doesn't hurt that it's summer time and seahorse items seem seasonally appropriate.

My first design features a porcelain seahorse pendant from Andrew Thornton... I think I picked this one up at last year's Bead & Button show but you can find all his lovelies through Allegory Gallery.  I started playing around with various design options in shades of purple and eventually settled on stringing the necklace with a rich mix of gemstones and some accents of Czech glass.  The dyed white jade briolettes are from Allegory Gallery as well and were a perfect match for the pendant's color.  There's also a ton of amethyst in various cuts and shades... yum!  In keeping with the undersea theme, I used a sweet little starfish clasp from Green Girl Studios in fine pewter.

I also wanted to play with a fun ceramic set that I got from Michelle McCarthy of Firefly Design Studio.  When I pulled these guys out onto my bead mat, I realized that they color was just perfect for some cuprite beads I recently acquired.  I started with the bracelet design, adding in a couple of bronzite faceted rondelles to the matte cuprite beads.  I figured I should keep going and finish the set since I already had everything out!

Next, I laid out a necklace design that mixed matte and shiny cuprite beads with the bronzite... I kept with the same style chain and a similar dangle on the end of the chain to go with the bracelet.  I'm really loving how both of those turned out.  I've started the earrings, but since they aren't specifically seahorse patterned, I'll share them on my Instagram account when I'm done. 

Thanks for stopping by to see my May book club creations.  The blue set should be swimming over to Unearthed Arts soon! 

Inspired By Reading: The High Mountains of Portugal

I hope you're all having a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.  It's crazy hot here, so I've been trying to spend as much time as possible in my cool basement lair!

I'm a little behind in getting something made and posted for the April Inspired by Reading Book Club.  (Spoilers: there's a good chance I'll behind on the May selection as well!)  April's selection was The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel.  This was the first time I'd read one of his books... don't judge, I spent years as the children's and young adult book selector for my library system which didn't leave much time to read adult books.

This was one of those novels that I felt compelled to keep reading but honestly couldn't tell you why.  The book is told in three distinct parts, each in a different time period, and each dealing with how one handles grief.  As the stories unfold, you end up discovering how they are all connected.  Even after putting some distance between me and finishing the book, I'm still left feeling that I just didn't get it.  I found it odd that parts of the novel felt very grounded in realism and other parts were strange and magical.  In the end it just didn't come together and gel for me.  I'd love to hear how others reacted to it though and get your insights.

As I read, I kept trying to latch onto some sort of imagery or something that I could translate into a jewelry piece but came up short.  Determined to make something since I actually finished the book, I ended up taking my inspiration from the book's cover.  I had an enameled pendant by Gardanne that had the perfect combination of colors.

Wanting to keep the pendant the star of the show, and having a mix of size 11 seed beads in the perfect colors, I decided to go with a multi strand design of seed beads and small Czech glass beads.  I'm really happy with how this one came together!

Now to try and get working on something for our May selection... at least I've finished reading it!

Inspired by Reading: The Valley of Amazement

This month's Inspired by Reading Book Club selection was The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan.  I for one, was not amazed.  After slugging through it for most of the past month, I finally gave up on reading it at about page 300... way more than my usual 50 page deadline for a book to hook me.  Seriously, I gave up about half way through.  If I hadn't stopped when I did then I'd probably still be trying to finish this time next month!

For whatever reason, this one just didn't grab me.  I think that part of the reason was that I didn't find any of the characters particularly like-able.  Also the fact that so much of the story revolves around one of the main characters, Violet, being kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery.  Yeah.  That probably has something to do with it.

Anyway, I was still determined to make something this month.  So, since I didn't finish, I went a little vague in my design direction.  Thinking about the name of Violet's mother's first class courtesan house, Hidden Jade Path, I remembered some lovely Jadeite carved flower beads that bought in my very first year of beading.  I'd had them in one of my bead boxes with a Rhyolite (I think!) pendant that I've also had for quite some time.  I obviously had long thought that they would play nice together, but just never got around to doing anything with them.  (I know you've heard this story from me before!)  They have to wait no more!

Rounding out the design, I used some Burma Jade rounds that I bought three or four years ago from Dakota Stones.  Because they were individually knotted, I'd just never taken the time to cut them free until the past week.  I'm really trying to be good and balance my time between making new things and getting my ridiculously messy studio under control... wrangling these little guys was part of last week's work.  I knew that I wanted to string the beads (the idea of doing a zillion wrapped loops just wasn't exciting me!), but I wanted to jazz it up a bit.  So, I turned to yet another neglected element in my hoard of jewelry making supplies... my collection of Vintaj filigree and embellishments.  It took a little bit of wrangling to get the deco vine pieces to work the way I wanted them to as connectors, but I'm glad that I didn't give up on the idea!

There was a lot of exposition about the way the courtesans would work with the jewelers to get better jewelry sets as gifts from their suitors and patrons, so making jewelry for this month's book seems even more appropriate than usual.  I'm hoping that next month's book is more to my liking!  Better get to the library to grab it before I head out on the Bead Cruise.

Inspired by Reading: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

Between the holidays and a book that I didn't feel like re-reading, I've taken a couple of months off from the Inspired by Reading Book Club.  It feels good to be back in action for our February selection!  This month we read The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by first time author Natasha Pulley.

I was really expecting this novel to have more of a steam punk feel from the cover and description...  maybe the octopus on the cover reminded me of the Order of the Brass Octopus from the Parasol Protectorate series!  Set in Victorian London with some flashes to Japan as the modern period is just beginning, the book revolves around a trio of characters unlikely to end up in the same circles.  The book opens with Thaniel Steepleton, a clerk for the Home Office discovering a gold pocket watch clearly meant for him in his room.  There is much mystery around the origins of the watch and what is meant to do... as it does not seem to be an entirely ordinary watch.  The titular watchmaker is Keita Mori, a Japanese immigrant who possesses mechanical abilities years beyond any one else.  The third main character is Grace Carrow, an Oxford physicist struggling to find her independence in a world not quite ready for that.  I don't want to give too much else away and ruin the story for anyone.

Steampunk or not, there was plenty of gears and clockwork involved in the story making me think of a pair of mis-matched porcelain charms by Joan Miller with gear decals.  At first I was considering wire wrapping some sort of gemstone beads above Joan's charms.  As so often happens to me, when I was looking for something for a different project, I stumbled upon the perfect "cocoon" links from my friend Anna Pierson of Saga Hus.  The brown fabric is a perfect match for the gears and the blue dots add a touch of whimsy.

This next pair of earrings has an unexpected connection to the book by way of Katsu the clockwork octopus.  Sound strange?  Yup.  It is.  When Eric and I were shopping Michelle McCarthy's booth at Bead & Button last summer, he apparently added some things to my basket without me knowing.  One of those items was this little pair of octopus charms... I didn't know I had them until I started putting my beads away after we got home!  After reading the book, it seems almost like they stole into my basket on their own like Katsu creeping into Thaniel's dresser!  Ok, maybe I'm reading too much into it but it still cracks me up.  Fancy wire wrapping is still a little outside my normal comfort zone, but I do like the look so I stretched myself and tried to channel my inner Loralee Kolton for this pair!  (Seriously, if you don't know Loralee's work, check out her Etsy shop HERE to see her amazing designs!  She's got a major knack for wire work and combining components in wonderful ways!)

Ok enough rambling!  I paired the cute little octopus charms in a soft grey-green color with some Labradorite coins.  I wanted to hide the wire loop on the charms and add a little more interest to the whole design.  Taking a page from Loralee's book, I did some messy wire wraps with tiny grey charlottes around the loops.  I think the messy, not exactly matching wraps speak to the randomness of Katsu's workings.

I have a cheap-o "brass" octopus necklace that I bought years ago when I first read the Parasol Protectorate series that I've been meaning to take apart and use the pendant.  Unfortunately I ran out of time and that got put back on the back burner for now.  Oh well... I'll eventually get around to it!  For now I'm going to cuddle up with next month's book!

Inspired by Reading: The Handmaid's Tale

I'm a little late to the book club party once again, but the October selection for the Inspired by Reading book club was the chilling (and not so terribly far-fetched) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  This was a second read for me of this book.  Originally published in 1986, it's amazingly relevant today... perhaps even more so than when it was written.  I still haven't watched the Hulu series but will have to wait until it's out on DVD. 

One of the things that I appreciate about Atwood's writing/storytelling in this book is that she made a very conscious effort not to include anything (technology, etc) that didn't exist in the real world.  (A good counterpoint is When She Woke by Hillary Jordan that has similar themes but non-existant technology like the ability to "brand" lawbreakers according to their crimes with skin pigmentation.  For instance, the main character has been found guilty of having an abortion and all of her skin has been turned bright red as part of her punishment.  It's a great book that you would probably enjoy if you liked this one.) 

Anyway, Atwood has written a book that should have every person really questioning how tenuous our freedoms can be... how easily they could all be taken away, possibly without a fight or objection as a "temporary" measure for public safety.  For women, people of color, those who identify as GLBTQ this novel should be especially troubling.  For me the take away really is a reinforcement to question everything... and to speak up loudly to protect those liberties we hold dear.  If you watch the news at all you should be aware at how certain factions are attempting to roll back rights and liberties to certain groups and to sow seeds of discord to further divide us as a country.  If you aren't alarmed and outraged, you aren't paying attention.

Stepping down off my soapbox now and getting back to the creative task at hand.... As much as I was engrossed in the book, I struggled to figure out how to translate something from the story into jewelry.  At first all I could really wrap my head around was the red of the handmaids' uniforms but that was't really feeling all that fresh or inspired. 

I kept coming back to a bracelet bar by my friend Erin Prais-Hintz of Tesori Trovati that I've had for a while.  Yes, I do realize that I went with something red, but it wasn't just the color that got my gears going.  I appreciated the message on the focal too... "Follow Your Path."  Offred had to follow her own path... figure out how to survive, how to navigate the strange and perilous circumstances that she found herself in under the new world order in what once was the United States.  She had to be brave and resilient... but she also had to be vulnerable and put her trust in others without truly knowing the wisdom of such trust. 

I chose the pewter colored leather for the braiding that I did using my new lucet from Mr. Humblebeads.  It went nicely with the bracelet bar but also made me think of the wall on the book's cover.  A small detail that the picture doesn't really capture is the little beaded dangle.  I used a Picasso finished Czech glass bead that coordinates with the focal, but also a triangular piece of plated hematite.  I liked the triangle for the seriously weird trinity between Offred, the Commander, and the Commander's wife.  I originally had planned to work a polymer clay bead that I made and/or some English Cut Czech glass into the design, but my braid was long enough that I decided to just keep it very simple.

Thanks for stopping by my blog to read my ramblings and to see what I've been making!

Inspired by Reading: The Marriage of Opposites

I skipped last month's Inspired by Reading Book Club, but I'm back in action for the September selection!  This month we read The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman.  I'd never ready any of Hoffman's adult books before... only one or two of her young adult titles.  It took me a little while to get into the story, but I'm so glad that I stuck it out.

The novel tells the story of Rachel, a young Jewish girl growing up in the early 1800's on the island of St. Thomas and follows her and those close to her through to her old age.  There was much beauty in the story as well as sadness and the frustration of coming up against society's rules and norms which are often so very unfair.  Rachel is such a strong, stubborn, and resilient character albeit often prickly to those she cares for the most.  This is a story filled with love, loss, and longing that was wonderful to watch unfold.  I loved how the stories of the characters ended up being even more entwined than you first thought as the lives of what seem like secondary characters come into view.

Despite a lot of lovely imagery and language in the novel, it took me awhile to decide what themes or images from the book I might use as a jumping off point for my creation this month.  I eventually settled on the idea of the Flamboyant Tree whose branches and flowers were repeatedly mentioned.  (I honestly wasn't sure if it was actually a real thing until I did a Google search!)

Flamboyant Tree or Delonix Regia

So just last week, and not for the first time in my beading life, I fell prey to not paying attention to what size something bought online actually was.  Shocking, right??  I've always loved the gorgeous pinks and oranges of Patricia Healey's copper and am particularly fond of her flowers.  So it seemed like a no brainer to snatch up one of her flower pendants that was on last chance clearance at Lima Beads (with an additional 10% off no less!).  But here's the thing....  55mm is HUGE!  Lol.  I'm sure none of you would have been surprised by the size when you opened up your package, but I sure was!  Ooopsie!  But no matter, I knew that someone out there would favor the bold design that this powerhouse of a pedant would need.  The color and flower shape were perfect for a flamboyant tree inspired design... I regret nothing!!

I dug into my box of orange beads and found a good number of chunkier carnelian and Czech glass beads that were contenders for the design.  In truth, I probably could have gotten away with even bigger beads, but this is what I had on hand!  I ended up using carnelian nuggets, faceted rounds in two sizes, and smooth rounds... so many yummy shades of orange, dark red, and peach.  

Not being super knowledgeable about plant life, I also wanted to see what the Bougainvillea flower looked like.  I found a picture where the blooms were just a wonderful mix of bright colors.  Most of what I saw were the pink to purple flowers, but this picture was perfect for the Golem Design Studio bead that I was thinking about using!

Bougainvillea

I decided to make a variation of a design that I've done before with the carved almond beads from Golem.  (I'm seriously addicted to their amazing designs and COLORS... so yummy!!)  I picked up a strand of this shape in what they call peacock in a mix of orange, pink, and purple.  Despite the name of the pattern, I think looks like flower petals in this color way.  I made a chain tassel and added tiny Czech class beads to the end of each piece of chain in complementary colors.  Sometimes I leave the chain plain for this style of necklace, but I wanted the extra pop of color for this one!

One of the other thoughts that had been vying for my attention while I read the books was the mention of moths beating against the windows.  This imagery came up several times, and though not in any way really central to the story, it stuck with me.  And, hey, a good excuse to pull out my moth beads!  It seemed appropriate to grab one of the small moth pendants by Lisa Peters Russ that I bought from Allegory Gallery after seeing them in a Facebook post (or it might have been a video).

I grabbed three of these cuties, but chose to work with the one with touches of palest green and tiny specks of what I would definitely call "haint blue."  Because of the diminutive size of the pendant, I tried to give it a little extra punch with some beads dangling from lengths of chain that sit behind the moth.  It was fun to pull out some of my tinier gemstones for this design like some AB vessuvianite, prehnite rice beads, faceted smoky quartz, and some Czech glass.  I finished the back with a bit of ribbon in shades of green.

Usually after a big show I go into a sort of jewelry making hibernation period.  I work so hard heading into a show that I'm just done for awhile afterwards.  I'm thankful for book club getting my mojo back way quicker than normal!