I'm sure folks can agree with me, when you're on a roll, you're on a roll. I am a machine. I find myself on the third piece of the night, and it's almost 3:30 in the morning. Yep, I have a job, and I should get some sleep for it. So, I do pardon for the tardiness in the post. So, this'll be another combination of two days' fruition.
I would like to make a point that I do become obsessive with finishing a piece at times if I know that I can do it within a reasonable amount of time. I do know my limits, sometimes I push them just to relieve some 'creative pressure'. I can get multiple ideas at a time, and would want to start them all, but if one thing that this month's challenge has taught me, is to finish the project I start. So, excited to start the project after the one I'm currently working on, I focus on the current piece and finish it as quickly and efficiently as possible, so that I don't really have to go back to it again. Sure, on occasion, I may pull out a piece I had made a while back, see it with 'fresh' eyes and change either something, if not the entire piece. It's the nature of growth that our tastes and preferences change. It's always best to embrace them and let them take you where they may, even if it's something you weren't entirely confident in - hey, at least you tried!
We participants of the September Make n' Tell Challenge have already delved into things that we may not have taken a second glance at, or haven't glanced in an eternity, or even glanced once in our dreams, we accomplish this on this month, the month where we begin to believe that anything through hard work and focus is more than possible. How's that!
Ah, man - and this cold isn't shaking. I think it was psyching me out when I was feeling better, except for this dumb cough. (Generally I would use a stronger expletive than 'dumb', but this is a family show, folks, but that stronger expletive is more accurate to how I feel.)
Yesterday ... well, I mean, on Day #17, I was inspired by Victoria's piece to reuse some of her chains, and thought of the pile of chain I had sitting in a 'hardware' container. I had always envied the girls - and guys - who could pull of the 'multi-chain' look, especially with eclectic and exotic charms. I love Victoria's necklace she created on Day #16, incredibly elegant; I picture it on a bride!
I'm starting to delve into a more boho-meets-urban look on accessories with a project I might be undertaking, and figure I'd start with a more rock n' roll look for my multi-chain necklace.
I was gonna pile the charms on, but I really did want something more that gave the illusion of a stack of necklaces, as supposed to a charm bracelet a la necklace. I had already put the chain together, save the crystal-and-kiltpin part, stuck to three charms I thought would be really swell together - a battle helmet, a cassette tape, and a Ganesh pendant my boyfriend's mum, Jacquie, had given me. I measured the crystal-and-kiltpin chain last for the right length. I have a few extremely personal tokens in this necklace: the square crystal piece fell off a ring that was given to me by a dear friend in Iceland I have not spoken to in nearly a decade, her name is Inga. She and I had met while volunteering in South America for a few months. Above the kilt pin, the top-and-bottom drilled metal piece, came from an old stage costume from theatre days gone by. The back extender charm is a snowflake obsidian heart and clasp charm is faceted lucite. A little drama, a little rock, a little dharma. Who could ask for anything more?
How did I get Gershwin in there? Anyway ...
Well, here's where that dilemma mentioned earlier, with the anticipation of the next cool project. I like to stroll the aisles of my local dollar stores for weird and wonderful things I could manipulate for the sake of art. (I still have a stash of the little green army men I plan on making into a charm bracelet. I also have 'aliens and spacemen' and ninja toys in the same fashion. It may be an invasion on a bracelet! Stay tuned!) Well, on my lunch break with some free time, my imagination went wild when I saw these beauties below in the dollar store next to my work.
So, I finished the necklace last night, and made the earrings today.
This is the first of a billion ideas I have for those colourful wildlife treats. You'll be seeing more of them.
I'm not entirely sure what possessed me to make this next piece. Ah, wait, I remember. It was two things - first, the sea life package of toys had a small crab and a lobster, and I have a big messenger bag with about a dozen smaller pockets on the front that I had started to decorate with a bunch of keychains and buttons. I was starting to use it for work and wanted it to look a little more professional, so I had taken them all off, save a few for personality, and, once again, started to think of ideas to make with some of the keychains I wouldn't know what to do with anymore. One of them was a white anchor. It had made me think of some top-drilled shell pieces and charms that would go well with it, and just ran with it. I didn't end up using any of the sea life toys, but here's where the race ended, and I'm pretty satisfied.
Well, yeah. That was a night.
Oh, boy, I am dead tired, and having a hard time keeping my eyes open. It's been a long week for me and a lot of my friends, and I'm looking forward to some well-earned rest. I apologize to my September Make n' Tell Challenge friends, again, for the late post, and hope that everything is well with you all! I invite all readers to marvel in the process of their creations over the past weeks, as this month quickly comes to a close!
www.afrayedknotknits.com
BeadCrazed by Lisa Lutz
lisalutz.blogspot.com
Brainphreak
www.brainphreak.com
Designs by Victoria
dbvictoria.blogspot.com
Life Stiles
iron-chef-bbq.livejournal.com
Mrs Gryphon
mrsgryphon.blogspot.com
The Tote Trove
thetotetrove.blogspot.com
Day #2 - The first Make n' Tell giveaway! Congrats to Tracy from The Tote Trove!
Day #10 & #11Day #12 - Happy Birthday, Dad!
Day #13
Day #14
Day #15
Day #16 & #17
2 comments:
Wow. This is stuff is great, and I'm really loving your dollar store inspiration. I can really relate to that need to finish a current project so you can move on to the one that's brewing in your head. I'm constantly listing all the totes I want to paint, all the jewelry I want to make, afraid that if I don't I'll lose them. Anyway, congrats on creating some seriously cool stuff in the wee hours!
You and I are cut from the same cloth, Tracy (and pardon the pun). I also admit that I have a bad memory - if I get an idea, I'd better do it right away or I may not remember it. That's why I started keeping a sketchbook, too.
Post a Comment