Hello everyone, how are you all on this bright and sunny morning? Green shoots are springing up everywhere and although the weather report is full of doom and gloom with high wind forecast over the weekend, my spirits are lifted every time I look out of the window and instead of brown bare soil there are tiny slivers of green. Coincidentally, I was asked to make a bright emerald green chunky necklace by a friend of mine and I jumped at the chance to reflect my surroundings. Commissioned pieces can be difficult to make because what the person envisages and what you see in your own mind may be entirely different. As customer satisfaction is what Caprilicious is all about, I sent pictures of beads that I had in my not inconsiderable stash, and some more from suppliers' websites. Pictures of necklaces already made up for design purposes, and others to confirm the colour. Price points, delivery arrangements; our phone lines were red hot with all the back and forthing that took place between us - thank you WhatsApp! However, we had one thing going for us - I know this girl almost as well as I know myself, having met on our very first day at medical school as terrified 17 year olds at rag week. We've been friends ever since and supported each other through all sorts of craziness and shared experiences. So, here's the necklace I made for her - she loves the one picture of it that I sent her, and has already made arrangements for delivery to Boston, where she lives. The Enchanted ForestI love the lost wax cast bronze sun beads from Ghana, which always make a fabulous focal counter point to the agate druzy. I've had a strand of these for ages - I've written about them before and there is a link to a previous blog post above. I picked them up in the USA when I went there in 2017. I've obviously used them very, very sparingly as I still have a couple left in 2023! I last used them in another agate necklace, which incidentally, is still available on the website. I am disappointed, however, by the inability of my camera to pick up the sugar-crystal sparkles from the druzy at the centre of each stone. Unfortunately, it can only be seen when the light plays over it in movement, and I would need to film a little video to show off that effect but haven't had the time. I used fire agate beads at the back of the necklace - the agate slab nuggets were too irregular shaped and seemed unwieldy to me, and the necklace might have been too heavy for my friend as she has a very slender neck. There are little onyx beads at the centre of each agate to hide the beading wire - I had some green wire, which I doubled to increase the tensile strength of the necklace. The other little silvery beads are electroplated haematite. That's it for this week, folks. I have to report that I finally gave up on the 'fugly' piece and took it apart, retrieving safely the elements that I could reuse. This is the first time I've had to do this, as I can usually rescue most pieces, but I lost patience with this one.
Have a wonderfull weekend and I'll try and catch you next week with a new piece i'm working on - all I can tell you now is that it promises to be a pretty piece and that flowers are involved. Take care, and I'll see you soon. Watch out for my next instalment. Until then xx
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The oldest child always has it bad - conformity, and the setting of a good example are phrases one hears ad nauseum. So I conformed, people, I did as I was bade, until I was sick to the back teeth - but yet, somehow, I didn't fit in - wherever I went and no matter what I did, I couldn't put my finger on it, but I just didn't fit the mold. Of course, I soon tired of the quest to conform - I do what I do, in my own way - take it or leave it - I guess that's what's called growing into your own skin - or even growing up! The magic of making my own jewellery has allowed me to be non conformist in glorious technicolour - now, my quest is to find other people, who like me have gone with the flow in their murky past, but are ready to shake their bootees and sing! C'mon out people, wherever you are................. let's have some fun! One of my role models is a woman called Kat O'Sullivan - she makes and markets upcycled sweaters - they are snapped up within minutes of being posted on ETSY, and I am the lucky owner of a couple of them. She owns a house called Calico, otherwise known as 'The House That Sweaters Built'. She is most definitely a non-conformist par excellence. She is only a young thing, and I admire her self assurance and insouciance. The Grow Your Blog Party Giveaway
Jennifer LaVite wins Jungle Drums - a bangle, earrings and pendant set. I hope she reads this and contacts me with her address so I can send it on to her. I bought these beautiful hollow beads from a shop that sells Moroccan artefacts. The first piece I made was with rough cut black tourmaline nuggets fuchsia pearls and agate beads, and I called it Some Like It Hot. My friend Sheela picked it up while helping to arrange the display for my exhibition. 'Just to save you from finding somewhere to display it' is how she put it - not that space was at a premium, but we didn't argue the point too strenuously. She wore it to the exhibition, 'as a walking advertisement' she said - and then halfway through the day, she found other things she liked, and changed into them instead. Now that the first bead had found a home, I decided to use a second one from my stash - but this time make it as different as possible from the first. It is always a temptation to make the same thing over and over again - but, that is laziness, and no longer a 'one-of-a-kind' endeavour. I have two more beads, and will endeavour to make each necklace as different from the last one as possible - a challenge! - I love challenges!! Here's Sheela looking very pleased with herself for snafu-ing Some Like it Hot, and beside it is Mountain Mist, the second necklace I made using the Moroccan bead. Mountain MistI made this necklace using some of my collection of 'vaseline glass' beads. The colours are very soothing - the pale blues and greens in the original African vaseline trade beads came from uranium mixed in with the glass - these beads of course are contemporary, and thankfully they have no uranium content - you will not glow in the dark! The Kiss of the DragonAn ox - bone carved Chinese dragon was the focal point for this piece. Embellished with antiqued copper wire and red howlite beads, it was ready to be hung on a necklace, which I made using fire agate - it seemed appropriate to have a dragon on a fire agate necklace. I spent a pleasurable weekend, wallowing in clay making scarf jewellery for my friends at Look in the Bag. It has been fun translating my friends ideas into my work - a learning experience for me as I usually make my jewellery to my own specifications. It is nice to have a focus, while I am having fun creating something pretty. Before I go, let me share this with you - a friend of mine who couldn't come to the show sent a couple of her friends instead - this is what her friend had to say about Caprilicious - I was deeply touched. That's all I have had time for folks, have a great week, and I will catch you next week, same time, same place
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