The flood gates have been opened! I can't seem to stop making stuff! I'll be working on something, I then look at the clock and realize I really should wrap up and do something else that needs my attention. I occasionally may leave it to another day, depending on what it is. Laundry, for example ... well, depending on how much clean underwear I have left, I might be able to leave it for another day. I'll just keep making what I'm making.
It had been a while since I had been to Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, and took a trip merely to kill some time on Sunday (uh, makes it yesterday, upon typing this post). To my pleasant surprise, there was a antiques and collectibles show with the most fantastic jewelry and vintage pieces one could shake a stick at! I managed to purchase some vintage lucite beads from the 1960s, a large mahogany obsidian focal bead, and a vintage necklace with some really incredible yellow ... uh, well, I think they're lucite beads, but I really didn't care; it was the beads themselves that drew me.
I usually take a picture of the beads I bought before I put them in some arrangement, but I was a little too eager to use them. Here's what I made yesterday!
The brown and orange square beads lucite, and the yellow beads are from the vintage necklace I had torn apart. I had also bought this red bead with turtles on either side. The bead made me smile, so I couldn't resist picking it up. I bought some more tigers eye chips and flitted them about the bracelet for some more movement. I love, love, love lucite, and appreciate its awesomeness whenever I get my hands on them. And I love, love, love how this bracelet turned out!
The necklace may be slightly reworked, but I'll have to wear it first before I can figure out if it needs it. Here are those yellow beads from the vintage necklace, and the mahogany obsidian bead, along with the original necklace's clasp were both used as off-centre focal points. (I love the setting of the clasp!) The mahogany wood beads on the first strand are from my bead stash, which pair well with the mahogany obsidian focal bead. Mahogany is my favourite wood - on a guitar, for furniture, and especially in jewelry! Its rich tone can be used in elegant settings and bring drama to casual attire. Paired with these yellow vintage beads, there's a great feeling of elegance meets natural beauty. I've got to find an outfit to wear this with!
And the earrings were a natural stopping point. I had a bunch more tigers eye chips left, using two round beads from the now-destroyed vintage necklace. These pair better with the bracelet than the necklace, but I'll probably make a pair for the necklace as well.
And today is Day #35 ... rib-ib-ibit.
I have more toy frogs than I know what to do with. You probably remember these guys from their introduction in the September Make n' Tell Challenge, which really started this whole madness. (I had been recently asked if I was 'nuts' for doing this 365-day marathon, and yes, Lisa! I'm completely nuts! :) ) I made two more frog necklaces today, with a little help from some vintage bead friends.
The tigers eye chips and yellow vintage beads did really work well together for the earrings, and threw in an orange frog with brown stripes for the centrepiece. I tried yellow (frog) on yellow (beads), and didn't have the desired effect. The orange pops out, and isn't an 'offensive' orange that would have contrasted harshly with the yellow. Ribbit.
I was originally going to use these red agate chips for a Dexter-style necklace. The idea was a strand of these red chips with a broken knife handle or syringe as the pendant. That was the idea I had bought them for, but, the fool that I am, I decided to use them for this frog instead. I have a few more, and I haven't even found the pendant I want to use yet. Talking with Jacquie, Nick's mum, has given me a few more ideas on the Dexter necklace, which I'll probably sketch out later (now that I've brought it up). The frog has some green tinges in the webbed toes, so I threw in some sea green chips. Very few, though. I didn't want it to be a Christmas necklace, more like a 'natural occurance' feeling to it. It turned out pretty awesome, I must say! Both frogs sit as if they're sitting just below your throat and looking up at you. Very light and comfortable to wear! Croooooak. Ribbit.
I look at all these pictures, and realize that I've made a complete set by chance:
The necklace.
The earrings.
And, the bracelet.
How cool is that! The brown and orange beads on the bracelet are a fantastic match for the colours on Mr. Frog, and Mr. Turtle dangling from the bracelet fits in with his amphibian friend just nicely!
Stay tuned for more fantastic stuff from me and my friends on the 365-Day Make n' Tell Challenge!
Designs by Victoria
Mrs Gryphon
The Tote Trove
3 comments:
Wow. I'm impressed by all you were able to make! My favorites are the frog jewelry, but then I'm a sucker for unusual jewelry. The brown and burnt orange cube beads are really cool, too.
I really like the Brown and orange square necklace!
...but gotta LOVE the frogs!
You are SO Creative!!!!
Ya, those brown and orange lucite beads were a REAL find! I think the red turtle bead and the mahogany obsidian beads are my favourite outta these.
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