Frog Prince

 

Yes, this was yet another project.  It started out as something to place into my friend's little gallery shop but then she said business had been really slow and she hadn't had any sales for several weeks.  In other words; she didn't need any more inventory.  I truly understood and could empathize as my own tiny etsy shop, AlmostPrecious,  been has languishing in a purgatory of loneliness.  Views are waaaay down and I've not made a single sale since I switched from selling my destash supplies back to handcrafted jewelry.

 

When I first saw these adorable pewter frog beads I instantly thought of fairytales and frogs who were really  princes under a witches wicked spell.   Well what can I say, other than I love fairytales and fantasies.  :) 

 

I went ahead and created the little frog necklace using some of my hand braided kumihimo braid and used sterling silver coil ends, extender chain and a very long, heavy weight headpin with one gorgeous clover shaped head on it.  The heavy weight headpin was long enough for me to wrap it into a 2 loop bail ... a bail large enough to slide over my kumihimo cord.  For convenience to the wearer I splurged on a sterling silver, swivel clasp.  Perhaps I over spent in supplies but I did want to make this piece special.

 

 

Photo above - back of necklace showing extender chain and swivel clasp.

Photo below - showing the elaborate head of the heavy weight sterling headpin. 



 

The matching earrings also feature that cute little frog bead and my own handcrafted earring hooks (fashioned out of 20 gauge, 925% sterling silver wire).  Each hook is embellished with a glass flower bell bead and a Swarovski crystal. 

 

Again, perhaps I over spent on my supplies but I think somethings are just worth it.   How about you?  How do you feel about this?  Do you think most people would rather purchase a piece that used highend supplies and pay a little more for it, or would they perfer to save money and purchase something that uses economical supplies but will probably not look as nice or last quite as long?

Footnote - Is it just me or has Blogger been obnoxious today?  It is stopping me every few seconds to save text, down loading photos was a hassle and inserting URL links had to be done manually (which was a royal pain) as the pop-up was not working as it should. 
PS - Not sure that the links are functioning as I tried one and got an error page.  Oh Blogspot why dost thou constantly break my heart? :(

Disjointed Ramblings

 Turkey Sightings

Our friendly neighborhood turkey has a following of her own .  Whenever we spot her, we notify our neighbors, Linda and Mike (who are avid bird watchers) and whenever they spot her, they give us a call.  Yesterday Linda sent us a couple of photos of the "Turkey Girl", she has even given her a name, Miss TheaDora.

Photo above - TheaDora carousing with the horses.

Photo below - TheaDora glaring at the paparazzi.

 

Linda's email stated that TheaDora is a pretty girl and probably tasty too.

Old projects:

I know I mentioned that I had a number of projects that have been keeping me preoccupied but now I'd like to say that not all of those projects were new.  I had a number of items consigned to a local small tiny gallery and there were items that had been there a while.  I decided to change a few things out, take them home for reevaluation.  Some of those items, I have to admit, had not come out exactly how I had envisioned and so I decided to re-vamp them . . . reads:  take them completely apart and remake them.  One such item was this herringbone beaded rope necklace.

 

 

It was pretty, supple and slinky as a snake, but it was not quite what I had envisioned.  I was trying for a twisted herringbone but obviously did something wrong as the stitch never began to spiral.  So when I got it home, out came the thread snippers and beads began popping off.   I used yards and yards of Nymo and began once again to create a twisted herringbone rope.  This time successfully. 

 

 

 

I know, the change is very subtle, but to me it makes a world of difference.

 

NEW PROJECTS :

 

Below is another Kumihimo bracelet that I'm making, the second of three.  It is just about complete.

 

The Bollywood bangle that I made is vibrant and pretty, but I personally gravitate towards a more sedate palate and really like the softer shades of peridot green, gold and ivory in this bangle.

 

And below is a small pile of earrings that I recently finished, some are bead work, some are not.

 

 

Are these ALL of my projects?  Well no, not quite.  I still have a whole tray full of things that I either took apart and revamped or brand new pieces and I've a tray full of pieces that have yet to be revamped and projects that are still begging to be started, but I think I've probably flooded you with too much of my stuff already. :D



Bollywood and Back-Burner Projects

 Making some Christmas gifts have been on my back burner for awhile now.  A few weeks ago I took a Kumihimo class to learn how to braid these lovely, embellished Bangle Bracelets.  It was a class that started at 10 AM and lasted until 3 PM and I went away with a partially completed bangle.  I'm sad to say that first bangle came apart on me and I had to make it over, but by then I had learned a few tricks and knew what I was trying to accomplish.  My second attempt came out stronger and prettier.  The class teacher called this bangle, "Bollyood" as she said it reminded her of the lush, vivid colors popular in India.  I have to concur.

 

 

I haven't yet decided if this "Bollywood" bangle is going to my daughter, Kathy, or my granddaughter-in-law, Marci.  I have another bangle almost done, its colors are in yellow-gold and peridot green.  The third bangle is still a pile of beads and a skein of silk cord. 

Are any of you involved in creating Christmas gifts at the moment ?



Getting Projects off the Back Burner

I haven't been blogging much lately nor have I been on line much either.  For my own lack-luster blogging performance I offer no apologies, however I do apologize for my lapse in visiting the wonderful blogs of so many of my favorite bloggers.

The last few weeks I've focused upon trying to complete several projects that have been gathering dust, along with neglect, on my work table.  The Kitty Cat earrings pictured were one of many such projects.

My youngest daughter, Wendi, loves cats and has her own BFFF (best feline friend forever).  Her cat, Mimi, knows who is boss around Wendi's home and that boss is Mimi.   So when I saw these adorable kitty cat bead caps I thought of Wendi and had to purchase them.   I already had the lovely faceted amethyst beads for their bodies and a strand of size 4 mm round amethyst beads, which I used

to embellish my handmade hook earrings.   I must admit that the large, faceted beads are synthetic amethyst that has been created in a lab, it has all of the properties of real amethyst but cost a lot less - real amethyst of this size and quality would have cost me a few hundred dollars!

 

 

These are going in a drawer until Christmas.  Hope she will like them, though maybe Mimi might get a bit jealous as she thinks Wendi should be a one cat woman.