Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Keeping Busy

The last couple of days have been wonderful! I haven't had the chance to blog, but have been working still.


I have been wanting to make a skirt out of some jeans for quite some time now, and I have finally leaped off the ledge to do so. I have opened up the hems and started to pin back together. I will be starting to sew in the next day or so.


I have also been doing some knitting. I like to knit or crochet a scarf or two every fall season. I have mastered the scarf, and may be looking to start a project that is not linear soon.


Today's creative piece is a pair of earrings. I liked those other pearl and chain earrings that I made a few weeks ago so much, I decided to make another pair. This go round I decided to use both regular and green pearls. And instead of having pearls dangling from the bottom, I decided to have a single pearl dangling in the middle of the triangle made with the chains at the top. As with the other earrings, the chains were previously a broken belt.



Green has been my color of choice this season


NEWS:
I have decided to still give away free jewelry to those that are commenting. I will be doing so quarterly instead of monthly because I don't have a whole bunch of folks commenting. However, I will be choosing a name to send free jewelry to for the month of September.


I pray you all have a wonderful evening, and until we meet again....ta ta!

Pearls of Wisdom:
"A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for." ~William Shedd
Likewise, our gifts are safe if we keep them for ourselves, but that is not what our gifts are for. Share your gifts today. Your gift may be the driving force to change someones world!

Be blessed!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Alternate Creative Ventures

Today I digressed a bit from jewelry to take a bit of time with Buddy. Buddy (for those that are not aware) is my camera.

I love photography, especially black and white photography. To me it tells a story that has occurred in a still moment. Much like visual art of various kinds, it leaves room for the viewer to have some creative license.

So today, I was more than happy to help a couple of friends of mine tell the story of birth. They will soon be welcoming two beautiful babies into this world. I am honored to help them celebrate and create memories!

Congratulations Lori and Rashaan! I love you all!


We will be blessed by your presence twins!
Pearls of Wisdom:
"Everyone knows that by far the happiest and universally enjoyable age of man is the first. What is there about babies which makes us hug and kiss and fondle them, so that even and enemy would give them help at that age?
~Desiderius Eramus
Babies are gifts given to us by God. It is His ultimate display of love through and for us!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

The Bracelet-Part 3

TADA! Here you have it folks! The unveiling of the bracelet that I have been working on for the past few days last week.

I chose to pair the delicate crushed pearl center with a rather bulky chain so I could stay with the theme of the pieces I have been doing. The clasp is the original clasp that went with the belt I took the center piece from.



I hope you all like! I am looking forward to using the center piece of this belt for other projects (hairpin and necklace for starters).

Pearls of Wisdom:
Good things come to those who wait! What is it good that you are waiting for?
Be blessed!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Bracelet - Part 2

Hey Folks!

Well, it's day two of this bracelet journey. I explained that these few blog entries would be short as this week is extremely hectic.

So today, I decided to take some pearls and smash them into pieces. I started off with a mix of a purple and off white pearl. I love the colors, but it wasn't contrasting enough with the metal belt piece. Instead, I decided to use a mixture of dark and light green pearls. Although I have been using a lot of green, the contrast here was greater.


A close up of the first set of pearls I crushed.
There you have it good people. I look forward to showing you the next couple of days of this project. Have a wonderful and safe evening!

Pearls of Wisdom:
"If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse gift will find a fitting place."
~ Margaret Mead

Be blessed!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

A Slow Start

As I spoke of yesterday, I am starting a new bracelet!

There are a couple of steps that I will be doing to create this bracelet, so I thought that I would blog in segments. The segments will keep each blog entry this week short and sweet, but also build some excitement for you at the end of the week.

So, I got the base for this bracelet at a thrift store in Southern Jersey called Villiage Thrift. It was a chain belt with a native american motif pieces fit into where a cobechan would noramally be. I liked the wooden painted pieces, but thought I would like to put something else in that space. I popped out the pieces and took off the metal pieces that created the chain.

I was left with one metal piece that I needed to bend in order for it to form to the wrist. I then chose out the type of chain I wanted to use.

The belt I took apart. If you look to the left you will see it's original clasp, which I will use in the new bracelet!


I popped out the piece in the middle. At the bottom you will see the empty metal piece and at the top you will see the pieces popped out.

Tomorrow I will be crushing some pearls to put in the center of the metal piece. Have a wonderful evening/morning yall!

Pearls of Wisdom:
"If we focus on being some other place because we think it's better, then we will neither enjoy where we are nor do what we must to succeed." ~ John C. Maxwell
Before you take a gander at the grass on your neighbor's lawn, are ou the best you can be where you are? Are you taking the time to enjoy where you are now, and are you doing what you need to do in the space you are now to succeed in the future?

Be blessed!



Monday, October 11, 2010

Cheat Day 2

Hola Compadres!

I am taking the liberty to have a cheat day today. Today was busy, and this upcoming week will prove to be the same. Although I have a cheat day today, this week I will be working to create a bracelet. The project will probably take me all week, so I will be showing you all the progress of the bracelet each day. It's a little more detailed than some of the other jewelry I have made.

So today's creation was made about a year ago. At that time I was not in the same vain as I am now. I was still using natural gems, but I was into making daintier pieces. None of the pieces used to make this bracelet were found. By the time I made this piece, I was pretty fast at making these types of items. It may have taken me about 4 hours total.



Goodnight good people!

Pearls of Wisdom:
Find something that you love to do, and get to doing it! You would be surprised how it relieves you of your everyday stressors!

Be blessed!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

A Beautiful Mess!

Dictionary.com defines mess as, "to busy oneself without purpose or plan; work aimlessly or halfheartedly; putter, to waste time; loaf, to meddle or interfere; to involve or associate oneself (esp. for immoral or unethical purposes)".

As I thought about this definition and the recent work I have been doing with broken, found, and unwanted jewelry...I thought of myself. I can identify with the definition of mess...I've been a mess, and still am at times. However, what I realize is that what is seen as a mess to some is absolutely beautiful in the eyes of GOD. So today, I am grateful to be a beautiful mess, working to be all that I was created to be!!!!

Truthfully, I see the broken, found and unwanted jewelry much the same. It's a mess when I get it...torn, cracked and burned, amongst other things. However, what a awesome thing to be able to turn something tattered into something stunning. Being able to see the outcome, is priceless!

So today's bracelet comes from so many different sources. I posted a while back about some earring that I was trying to make out of a bracelet a friend gave me. The project didn't work so well as earrings, but was perfect as part of a toggle. I burnished the other end so it would match. I saw so much potential in these charms on a dress a friend gave me. The dress fared well without them too! I took the jump rings off a broken belt, and the chain is from another piece of broken jewelry from the lot I purchased weeks ago.



The bracelet, and part of the finished toggle

The other part of the toggle, and the mess of a belt I got the jumprings from


The dress I got the charms from. Can you see where they were?

Vwala...there you have it! A new piece of jewelry to be worn! You folks have a great day, and I look forward to posting more!

Front view Side View

Front and back view

Pearls of Wisdom:
LOVE HIMSELF loves mess...including me and you!

Be blessed!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

More than Jewelry

If you would have asked me years ago if I thought that I would be making jewelry, my answer would have been no. I don't even know how I got into jewelry making, but now find that I am coming into my own on that front.

If you have met me in the last few years you would think that I just make jewerly, and that could be the furthest from the truth. The truth is, I like to use a multitude of mediums. I like to use whatever material is going to get my thoughts across to others. That medium may be a pencil, pen, paint, via camera, sand, rice, trash...pretty much anything that you could think of.

So today's creative thought comes from a card that I made for a friend that is doing the Susan G. Komen 3 day walk. I decided to actually make the card instead of buying one, and this is what I came up with. Of course I used a sneaker because she will be walking, and I used the color pink because of the cancer walk. I doubled up on some string to make the shoe-laces, and a silver pen to do a bit of details.


The card coming out of its envelope


I thought she would like a fun envelope, so I made that too!

That's it for this evening everyone! I pray that you have a wonderful evening and look forward to more creations tomorrow!!!

Pearls of Wisdom:
"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." ~ Scott Adams

Be blessed!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Taking Care of Business

Today was another productive day. I managed to take care of the business that I set out to handle today.

Today's earrings are quite simple. The top piece is from a bracelet, and the bottom piece is from a belt. They both hail from the broken lot that I purchased about a month ago.



There you have it for the day folks...a simple and easy post! Enjoy your weekend!

Pearls of Wisdom:
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." ~ Leonardo Da Vinci

Be blessed!