Inspired by Reading: All the Light We Cannot See

 

I took March off from participating in the Inspired by Reading Book Club hosted by my friends Andrew and William at Allegory Gallery, but I'm back in action this month!  

As usual, I'm pretty terrible about describing a book and the inspiration for my jewelry without giving too much away... so if you plan to read this moving novel, just stick to looking at my creations and skip my rambling, lol.

Set during the years leading up to and during World War II in both France and Germany, All the Light We Cannot See weaves the stories of two young people together along with that of a supposedly cursed diamond, the Sea of Flames.  Marie-Laure, a blind girl who begins the book living with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History where he is the principal locksmith... and Werner, a German orphan who has an amazing affinity for making and fixing radios, a skill that eventually makes him useful to the German war effort.

With all the talk of keys and locks, my mind went first in that direction.  I have a pair of keyhole connectors from Diana Ptaszynski's Suburban Girl ceramic days that I've been hanging onto for some time.  I decided to whip up some simple earrings with black metal key charms.

Next I turned my thoughts to the idea of the model scales of the neighborhoods in which Marie-Laure and her father lived.  Beyond being an accomplished locksmith, her father made amazing models and puzzle boxes for his daughter.  In particular, a model of her great-uncle's tall house by the sea in Saint-Malo that comes out of the neighborhood model and hides the very valuable diamond the Sea of Flames. Another piece that has long lingered in my bead stash is a little 3D house bead from Green Girl Studios.  This seemed like the perfect time to use it!  It's got some heft to it, so I struggled a little with how to best incorporate it into a necklace.  I knew I wanted to use gemstones as a nod to the diamond and the wider collection of the Natural History Museum.  I didn't have anything to approximate the blue of the Sea of Flames, so I had to go with what worked size wise.  In the end I decided on an asymmetrical design with LOTS of my hoarded fluorite beads and little Czech glass beads as spacers..  A large fluorite nugget opposite the house helps balance the weight of the design.

I had a few other lock and key pieces that I wanted to play with as well as another Green Girl pendant, but time ran out.  Story of my life!  This was a fun one to design for!  Next month's book isn't available locally so I'll probably sit it out.  We'll see when I pop up to participate again.  Until then, happy reading and happy creating!

February 2022 Honey Do List

2022 marks the seventh 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... The Honey Do List!  (Y'all, time really does fly!!)  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:

I would love to post a spring picture, but we in MN are still in the depths of subzero temps right now.  To commemorate that frigid cold, here is a Bokeh shot of winter lights from the MN Landscape Arboretum.  Hopefully this challenge will keep folks busy until warmer weather arrives!

Boy, I'm wishing Eric could share some real-time spring pictures too!  But MN has way different ideas.  I feel like this winter has been more bitterly cold than it has been in a while, but this too shall pass!  For now, I guess I just have to embrace the snowflakes a little bit longer!  

I've been in a bit of creative slump lately... so I'm grateful to Eric's inspiration to keep me making a bit.  It was also a good kick in the bum to not let some snowflake themed items to languish for another year.  I'll be ahead of the game next winter, right??

First up, a pair of earrings featuring lovely colorized pewter charms by Soul Relica that I snagged in a destash a while back.  Both the color and design of the charms work well with Eric's inspiration photo.  I paired them with some iridescent Czech glass melon drops and a mix of silver plated and blackened findings.  I'm pretty happy with the final effect and they aren't super seasonal feeling either.  

Keeping on the earring theme, since they are my favorite things to make... another fun pair coming right up!  For this one I was focused more on the Bokeh effect of the photo.  The effect reminded me of some charms I've had stashed away from Diana Ptaszynki for a bit.  They are wood shapes that she monoprinted with a gel plate.  I love the layered look of them!  I had some fun vintage lucite melon roundelles that paired nicely and then I added a tiny touch of aqua with some small Czech glass beads.  These are long but super light weight due to the materials used.    

Last but not least, I did manage to make a necklace before time was up!  I've had this ceramic snowflake pendant by my friend Tracee Dock of The Classic Bead forever.  Time for it to see the light of day!  (I'm pretty sure this is the last snowflake I have from her.)  Returning to my stringing roots once again, I used a combination of Czech glass, Vintaj Natural Brass, vintage fluted brass, and moonstone.  

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 soon to see what Eric has in store for us this month! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Art Elements Theme of the Month: Swirl

As much as I'm enjoying the new Art Elements monthly theme challenges, I wasn't sure that I'd have time to pull it off this month with an 18 day trip overseas.  Luckily, I started thinking about some possibilities before my trip and was able to really focus on getting something done as soon as we got home.  This month it was Marsha Neal's turn to choose the theme and she picked "swirl."  I'm glad that I didn't have to sit such a fun one out... even if I didn't end up making as much as I would have liked.

I thought it was only fitting to use some of Marsha's ceramic charms for this challenge (Marsha Neal Studio).  I had a bunch to choose from that all would have worked, but I loved these little teardrop shaped charms and their mix of aqua and pale green.  They went perfectly with some sage/olive green sari silk cocoons from Anna Pierson of Saga Hus (the charms don't really look so blue in person).  These were a quick and easy way for me to kick off the challenge!

One of the pendants that I had set aside for the challenge, was a fun two holed ceramic pendant by Keith O'Connor.  As luck would have it, a bead mix that I bought in the Czech Republic (more about that in a future blog post I hope) was a perfect complement for the glaze on the spiral pendant.  I decided to limit myself to using just that bead mix and added findings for the most part.  The only extra beads that I added were some brass corrugated rounds to balance things out.  I kept to the swirl theme with the Vintaj brass clasp and the lines that spiral around the barrel shaped beads.

Last but not least, I made one more pair of earrings with some little charms from my friend Diana Ptaszynski that I've had in my stash for quite some time.  I paired the root beer glazed ceramics with some wooden rounds and Czech glass with black findings.

This is a blog hop:  Check out what everyone else was inspired to create!

Guest Artists:

Alison

Anita

Cat 

Caroline

Jill

Kathy

Karin

Kimberly 

Mischelle

Raven

Sarajo (you are here)

Susan

Tammy 

Art Elements Team: 

Cathy

Caroline

Claire

Jen

Jenny & Lesley

Laney

Marsha

Susan

Muffin Tin Challenge Reveal: Redux

Think way, way back to January and you may remember that Heather Powers hosted a Muffin Tin Challenge where participants were encouraged to fill a muffin tin with all the goodies needed for a project and get as many as possible completed during the given time frame.  It was a wonderful creative challenge that helped me get my creative mojo going.  I used the challenge as a way to make some pieces to submit to Create Jewelry, a special issue of Stringing magazine and, since they actually wanted to see a number of my submissions in person, I wasn't able to actually show off my finished projects for the Muffin Tin reveal.  Better late than never, I'm finally going to share the rest of my creations!

Here is how my muffin tin looked when I first started.  I finished 7 necklaces and 6 pairs of earrings during the challenge but still had projects left in 4 cups when the challenge ended.  (I'm happy to say that I eventually finished all but one of the intended projects... Jenny Davies-Reazor's pendant is still waiting for some love.)

Moth Collector: This necklace features a resin filled pendant that I made, a mix of silver plated chain, mookaite, rhodonite, and septaria.  I'm always pleased when I can successfully achieve asymmetry!

Seahorse Cove: Andrew Thornton's porcelain pendant was the starting point for this necklace.  I had grabbed this one and several others at his shop Allegory Gallery when we visited Ligonier last fall.  I used a mix of ceramic, glass, and apatite beads with sari silk at the back.  I'm thrilled with the way this one turned out!  I'm still pretty new to mixing fibers into my designs so I'm proud of myself for getting out of my comfort zone.

Proud Peacock: This one started with a set of beads from Gaea.  I added some brass beads and some random gemstones in complementary colors and had fun playing with a mix of waxed Irish linen colors.  This one is BIG... a real statement piece for sure!

Lotus Blossom: My sweet husband bought me this ceramic lotus flower pendant from Diana Ptaszynski of Suburban Girl Studio for Christmas.  I added in a couple of types of jade and some brass beads along the waxed Irish linen.

Cracked Earth: This amazing sunflower pendant from Tracee Dock of The Classic Bead was in my wonderful grab bag on my first Bead Cruise.  Yes, it has been languishing in my stash for that long!  Well, the time was right for it to get out of cold storage and into a design mixed with red creek and crazy horse jaspers as well as some petrified green opal nuggets and some metallic peanut beads.

Last, but not least is Secret Sunflower:  This is the one necklace out of the bunch that actually got published!  I used a cheerful shadowbox bead from Round Rabbit and added Czech and recycled glass links in bright pinks and oranges.  This was my first time having a necklace appear in a national magazine so that was pretty exciting.  This is one design that I just can't bear to part with.

I'm very happy to say that all but Lotus Blossom and Cracked Earth found good homes at this past weekend's show, The Edge of the Big Woods Art Wander!  Another huge thank you to everyone who Wandered by over the three day studio tour.  It was wonderful to see old friends and make new ones.
This week finds me tired but happy.  I'm giving myself a couple of days where I'm not pushing too hard but still getting things done before I get back on what passes for a normal schedule around here.  Thanks for stopping by today... have a great week!  

Art Bead Scene: July 2015

It's time once again for me to play along with the Art Bead Scene challenge.  July's inspiration is Still Life with Shells by Dutch Golden Age painter Balthasar van der Ast.  It feels like a display of summer beach treasures from days gone by... these are the best of the best specimens someone has collected with care.  Overall, the colors seem more muted than I'd expect for the middle of summer, but the fruit does offer some small pops of color to the otherwise pale scene.  You can read more about the art and the artist over on the ABS blog HERE.

Still Life with Shells, 1640

By Balthasar van der Ast

This inspiration piece just screamed out for a somewhat literal interpretation (to me, anyway!) and I had just the thing in my stash.  I had gotten a pair of shell charms made by Diana Ptaszynski of Suburban Girl Studio in my Bead Cruise goody bag.  Lucky for me, I was sitting next to Diana and she offered me the matching pendant that just happened to be in her bag!  (Thanks again Diana... you rock!!!!)

The earthiness of this color palette led me to go straight to my gemstones... the rich mix of colors in Red Creek Jasper seemed like a no brainer.  I have several different sizes and shapes of this stone, but I just received a graduated strand of Red Creek Jasper that was perfect for the challenge in an order from Lima Beads... great timing!  To stretch the length out a bit as well as add some additional color and texture, I pulled in some Swarovski pearls and various brass beads.  I also finally braved playing with some of the WoolyWire that I had acquired a while back.  The "Flame" strand had just the right colors to bring out the reds in the painting and the jasper!  I'll admit that there was some trial and error with the Wooly Wire and I don't think I quite have the technique for keeping the cut ends nice and smooth figured out.  After a couple of attempts I'm pretty happy with the bail I made.

I knew that I had to complete the set and make earrings with those adorable shell charms.  I wire wrapped a bunch of tiny Red Creek Jasper Rounds to a jump ring and simply strung that and the charms loop right to the ear wire.  Voila!

Art Jewelery Elements Use Your Stash Challenge

Each month one of the contributors over at the Art Jewelery Elements blog offers up some handmade beads or other components for their fellow contributors and a few lucky winners to design with and then share in a blog hop.  I've been lucky to be chosen a couple of times to win some of that beady goodness.  For January, they decided to switch things up a little with each contributor donating something of theirs form their own stash.  Even if you weren't chosen to win one of the components (and I wasn't, sad face) readers were encouraged to bust into their own bead stash and create using something from one of the AJE contributors.  As usual, I just couldn't pass up a good challenge so I decided to play along.

I had just made a necklace with one of Diana Ptaszynski's pendants in hopes that a magazine might want a closer look.  This was completed for Heather Powers' Muffin Tin Challenge, but I never showed the necklace in true color.  I had lots of fun playing with waxed Irish linen and a mix of gemstone rounds and brass beads.  I'm also happy to report that, for once in my life, I actually cut the linen cord long enough!

I got a really nice mix of Diana's components for Christmas when my sweet husband bought a couple of her destash bundles.  That's where the pendant above came from too!  I have a number of items in this same lovely glaze (copper patina might be what it's called).  I liked the way the colors in the stones worked with the necklace I had already made, that I wanted to play more with that combination.

Not leaving myself a ton of time, I thought a pair of coordinating earrings was in order.  I dug out these little discs and started to play with ways to wrap them using the same waxed Irish linen as in the necklace.  This is my first time using linen in earrings as more than just an accent, and I'm really happy with how they turned out!

Please check out what all the other participants made with their AJE stash items!

Here is the list of the participants - the team, winners and special guests! 

AJE team: 

Kristen Stephens 

Susan Kennedy 

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Lesley Watt    

Melissa  Meman

 Lindsay Starr 

Jennifer Cameron 

Caroline Dewison

Linda Landig

Guest Participants ( aka winners)

Lee - Strega Jewellry

Shai - Shai’s Ramblings

Samantha- Wescott Jewelry

Kathy - Bay Moon Designs

Nikki - Silver Nik nats

Melissa Trudinger

Becky Pancake

Yvette - Blue Kiln Beads

Karin - Ginko et Coquelicot

Bonus participants! 

Sarajo Wentling

Leah Curtis

Susan Delaney 

Karen Z
Christine Walker

AJE Earring Challenge Weeks 29 & 30

Happy August, everyone!  Can you even believe how fast this summer has gone by?  I really can't.  Before we know it school will be back in session and temperatures will be starting to cool off.  I'm not ready for that yet, so one of my pairs of earrings this time is all about capturing the last of our sunny days...but more about that in a moment.

 It's time again for another reveal in the Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge.  For those of you who may be stopping in for the first time, the challenge is to make one pair of earrings a week using artisan made beads.  As much as possible I've been trying to highlight one artist for each reveal.  This time, I'm featuring fun porcelain beads from Diana Ptaszynski of Suburban Girl Studio.  I just love Diana's work and am thrilled to show off her fun earring charms!

First up is a pair I'm calling "Hibiscus Lemonade" for the fun floral pattern in yummy yellow and pink.  I paired the charms with some pink cracked quartz that I bought when I was out in Bend, Oregon back in June.  Mixed with Vintaj brass wire and earwires, I think that these make a perfect summer treat!

Week 29: Hibiscus Lemonade

My second pair combines charms in a glaze Diana calls rootbeer that is a great combination of browns that range from caramel to almost black.  For this set, I added in some fluted, black agate beads that I've been hoarding forever.  I used Vintaj copper wire and copper-plated jump rings from Nunn Design to round out the look.  These are a little bigger than the earrings I tend to make, but not too crazy!

Week 30: Coffee Bean

Both pairs are currently for sale in my Etsy shop.  Click HERE to check it out.