An Explosion of Colour

Hello readers, thanks for stopping by. This has been a productive week, made difficult by the lack of a camera. I realised how important a camera was to Caprilicious when my little Canon IXUS went to the 1st Aid Centre (no, I'm not joking - it is called just that)  to have it's LCD screen replaced. I have no camera phone, and so was unable to take a single picture all week.
I generally take pictures of almost everything I make as I go along - it's amazing how minor flaws, like a wire end going awol, or a crookedly placed gemstone show up clearly on camera, but cannot be seen when I eyeball them.  The camera hospital were kind enough to return it in three days time - phew! and I was off and away again. While I waited for the return of the invalid, I played with wire and made some earrings - wire filigree is so much fun.

A tutorial by Lisa Van Herik of Beadifferent got me making a round wire braid and I made these into earrings - large hoop earrings are back in vogue, and this is the Caprilicious version!

Peach Blossom

This is not a colour I would generally pick - but I fell in love with the delicacy of the iridescent peachy pink of these quartz needles. I sent off for glass teardrops to put in between them - I think this is such a pretty piece of jewellery - I might even wear it myself, and sit down demurely sipping a cup of tea, and nibbling on a cucumber sandwich, just so I can suit the necklace, as I do love it. I am sure it will find a home with someone who is a bit more ladylike than me.

Rula

This is the crab apple tree we planted in front of our house ten years ago - aren't those fruit pretty?
I myself have never fancied eating the fruit, or made jelly, for that matter - the blackbirds love them - the tree is stripped bare by New Years Eve. I do have a friend, however, who loves the tart little fruit,  and crunches them down, straight off the tree - Oh well, each to her own!

This next necklace was inspired by my crab apple tree, and made with wire and Czech glass beads. Why Rula?? - well, Rula Lenska is an English actress of Polish origin - in the late eighties she was in a TV commercial, and her line was "My hair is a brilliant red, my eyes a dazzling green and if you're not seeing that you're not watching on an RCA television"... besides, the piece is so theatrical, I could see Rula Lenska wearing it.

Serena

Serena Wilson was an American, credited with popularising the middle Eastern dance form in the USA, and elevating it from being perceived as a dance only performed in sleazy nightclubs, to an art form. She was a choreographer with her own troupe and studio, and the American Tribal dance genre owes a lot to her. I thought it fitting to name this necklace after her. The pendant comes from Afghanistan and I made the polymer clay beads a while ago.

Ruslana

Ruslana is a Ukranian singer who won the Eurovision song contest in 2004 with her song - Wild Dances. I could see her wearing my next necklace - perhaps not during her wild dance - it might be a bit too jangly for that with it's fringe of chain and bells.

These beads were made from the brick of polymer clay opposite, and I used them liberally in Ruslana.

I think this most definitely qualifies as an Explosion of Colour!

For those of you who celebrate it, a Happy Diwali to you, and I'll see you again next week, same time, same place
xx