Not What I Wanted

 I'm being less controlling this month. I'm not trying to get my way about everything. I let my other needs and living my life get in the way of my wire agenda more often.

  In some ways I am more content, even though my longing to do more wire has not lessened. I am trying to make peace with my life as it is, and I have been successful.
  So I don't get much done:)

  And I have begun a strange, for me, way of working. Which is to have multiple projects going at once. I flit like a butterfly from one idea to the next but that method gets nothing done also.

So I guess this brooch is a good example of my frame of mind. This design was "not the plan". Very far off from the original plan in fact. I usually recycle the work that falls too far from the design idea.

I just couldn't stand to not rescue this design and get something done. So this is me, not getting my way but rescuing the situation:) It's growing on me. I like it's whimsical quirkiness.

The vintage abalone button is much nicer and shinier than it appears in my photo work.

Victorian Jewelry

  It's very busy at the office right now and I am not making any jewelry at the moment. I'll try to do something simple over the weekend so that I can submit to Year of Jewelry.

  If you need some inspiration, I recommend this video by Mona Hair on Victorian Jewelry. I had a lot of ideas when I watched it a few weeks back.

  She doesn't really get started until about 10 minutes into the video, you can scroll it forward a bit.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/14732547

Coral Sterling Necklace

    The first challenge I had to overcome to make this necklace was simply to remove my frugality from the design process. Once that was out of the way it all moved along at a good clip until I got to the beaded bead:

  It took me 4 evenings to get it done and work out all the details. Should I make it in wire? Or thread? Do I tumble it? or assemble later? Will it be a round ball or a link?   Do I even have wire small enough to weave 2mm coral beads? Do I have thread small enough? No I don't.

  The beaded coral components used up an entire strand of 2mm coral beads and than I had to search my local bead stores for a somewhat close match to finish it. It was a good reminder that bead weaving takes longer than wire weaving. My hat is off to all those bead weavers who make such extravagant works!

Now that I have the supplies and the know how I really want to make another link.  I used 'right angle weave' to made the bead and 32 gauge wire. I think the wire is steel or some sort of base metal. But the rest of the necklace is sterling.