This is my fifth jewelry piece from the "Counting Blessings" Bead Exchange. Lisa, Lynn and myself come together in this necklace I'm calling "Country Home Love". The necklace takes me to a cozy cottage home in the country. I picture rich vintage fabrics, comfy hand-knit blankets, warm golden sun coming through the windows, sitting on the porch enjoying the scenic views of nature outside.
Lisa's "Home is Where the Heart is" charm is the center piece of the necklace. This charm is pretty amazing. Lisa really did such a wonderful job on this charm. It's beautifully detailed with decorative paper, beads and embellishments on BOTH sides. Yes, it's reversible! Each side is different. You could easily wear it either way! And look at that cute little puppy charm dangling from the bottom. He's so cute! I can picture him running around in the yard outside my little cottage!
I added some of Lynn's hand-dyed fabric ribbon and yarn next. I tied the fabric ribbon to the charm and weaved the yarn back and forth through some big link sterling silver chain. The yarn and fabric really add a lot to the cozy, cottage home feel of the necklace. Lynn's yarn has multiple colors of reds, teals, greens and purples running through it. Just beautiful. Look at how well the colors go with Lisa's charm too! I ran the yarn all the way through the chain and tied it off at the end along with a few more pieces of fabric ribbon. Along the chain, I wire-wrapped a few glass beads and attached one of my own ceramic leaf charms from the swap. The necklace is finished off with a few more wire-wrapped beads at the ends and a hand-made hook clasp.
I still have a few items from the swap I haven't used yet. I'm holding on to those until another wave of inspiration hits me! I'm happy that I've used an item from each person in a project, that was my goal. I love everyone's creations from the swap. I've had so much fun playing around with them. Each one took me on a journey and I used some techniques and design ideas that I've never tried before. I really got a lot out of this exchange. Thank you, Cristi, Gaea, Heather, Lisa, Lorelei, Lynn and Mary for participating!
12 comments:
this is FABULOUS! I'm having a hard time keeping up with you girl!!
Hey i'm curious.
Are all these super fab pieces, are they all for your personal jewelry box?
I'm wondering what to do with the pieces that I create using the charms. Just wondering what other ladies from the swap are doing?
I feel like running to the kitchen and making some cozy soup now and pulling out my knitting. This is so sweet!
Hey Lorelei,
Thank you! To answer your question, for me yes I am keeping the pieces or giving them to close family or friends. But if I were you I would feel free to sell the finished pieces that you make, if you want to that is. Because that's what you do, you make and sell jewelry made with art beads. You see for me, I love making jewelry and showcasing what can be done with art beads on my blog but I don't really sell finished jewelry. My focus is on selling my ceramic pieces to other designers and jewelry-makers and not-so-much on finished pieces.
Hey Thanks, Beth! Glad that homey feeling comes across!
Erin, this is just marvelous! I was secretly hoping, when I slipped in some yards of yarn and hand-dyed fabric, that someone would be so clever as this and find a great way to make use of them! I was thinking of cutting short strips and tying to a chain, but this is even better. Wonderful! and so lovely with the house charm too. You clever, smart, creative one!
This is great. I love the mixed media feeling.
Hi Erin, this piece is wonderful. I love the mixed media approach. I just love how it moves from one part to the next... a little like music. Best, LeAnn
It looks terrific, Erin! I'm behind on my creations. I had Lisa's charm in my hand last week and couldn't decide how to use it.
You do good work girl!
Wow Erin! Your necklace is fantastic! And I'm not just saying that because it features my charm, but you definitely did make my charm look good :D I love the colors and the yarn...it is so cheerful! I really need to get working on using the swap items. You have inspired me to get to work on some jewelry!!
That is really a sweet necklace, I love it!
This is such a sweet necklace! Love it!
LOL! I guess Lisa Peters and I are on the same wave length!
Post a Comment