here is my new "bubble gum ball" bracelet that i finished this weekend. it is a commission piece for a woman in new jersey. this could be my favorite bracelet that i have ever made....it has all my favorite (and right) colors in it......typically, i have a difficult time putting unlike colors together....but, this bracelet combo could change my tune. thanks for that carrie :O)
bubble gum ball is made with sterling silver, reflector, cabbage patch kid shoe plastic, plastic from a lego piece, a vintage ceramic tile, and a plastic vintage button.
these little babies will become the "links" for a long link necklace made of limpet shells and other misc. white shells for a customer in miami. i wanted to photgraph them before i put the necklace together so i can reference the images for further experimentation. somewhere in the middle of making this piece i realized that i was really excited to see the stones "naked". they have all the fun little soldered swirls, bubbles, dots, and spots that is continuous in my work but without a visible functional detail.......none of the fussy stuff, like bails, links, or earwires that my pendants earrings and bracelets require. i was thinking it might be fun to make some pieces like this that have a pin on the back so they can function as a brooch. these little brooches can be individual or be collaged into a family. to be continued.....
new color of float earrings made from the shiny pale pale blue blow up floatee that i bought at "this and that" in coconut grove. my friend and instructor rebecca at the yoga studio bought these little babies. she loved that i called them shiny pale pale blue. she said that it reminded her of teaching yoga in singapore. they don't have superlatives in their language so if you wanted to say that something had "more" or "to a greater degree" then you would say it twice. i thought this was really funny since chris always teases me for saying the phrase "pale pale" when talking about a color....but in my mind one pale is not enough to describe a really soft color...hence, shiny pale pale blue.
my nieces olivia and meagan are artists too....they opted for the snowman!!!
this was my score at "this and that". a thrift shop that was across the street from the hotel in coconut grove. i'm not certain that it is for a doll but i can't imagine that it could be for anything else. whatever the original function, i will be using it to make pillows. the pale pale shiny blue will make some yummy lil' softees. Yippity!!!
this was my super score at the blue hanger. plasticky type tote bag in orange of all colors. my favorite!!! this was the bag i used to make the orange pillow earrings. these were a favorite of my mom's..........i really want to make a necklace with the floating pillow idea. it's on the list. :O)
here's a picture of the child's cribsheet i used to make the white pillow choker. i love the little lambies on this....those i will save for another project.
january 18th, 2007 from 5:30p - 8p. hope you can swing by and see my new work. the newest cushion pieces which evolved from the "sewing circles" project are made of recycled things such as rain poncho's, infant cribsheets, random tote bags, garmet bags or other finds made with plastic material. i even bought a child's turtle floatee that will become a variety of assorted shapes and sizes of sewn pillows for a necklace or other wearable goodness.
this could be the best gift i've ever received. chris (my husband) gave it to me for christmas. if you are a metalsmith, jewelry collector, art book collector or just a lover of the unusual, beautiful and truly artistic, you will want to own this book. the title is "ornament as art, avante garde jewelry from the helen williams drutt collection, the museum of fine arts, houston". i was very excited to see the work of wendy ramshaw featured. i took a two week workshop with her when i went to haystack school of arts in crafts in maine in the summer of 2000. also, eleanor moty whom i took a workshop with at SIUE while in school. i have just had time to briefly look thru it but can't wait to get a hot cup of tea, my couch "wobbie" and settle into it for an evening.
i have been wanting to incorporate fabric in my work for some time now. i am using my upcoming show at the xen gallery in st. louis, mo (beginning january 18, 2008) as a deadline to make at least a few pieces with my new "fabric" vision. if all goes well, i will have a few of my newest fabric pieces in the show. the photo is of my sewing station and the many circles i have sewn.....now to stuff them, finish the sewing and play. most of the fabric i'm using is either from older clothes of mine or some fabric from a couple girlfriends' studios.
a small sample of inspiration……part of my vintage button collection.
here i am searching for treasures to use in my work. chris(my husband) and i went to sausalito, ca for an art fair and before the show we took a day to scavenge the beach. of course, i found some goodies, glass, plastic bits, little pebbles.
i love the yummy colors and textures of succulents....something i like to do when not in the studio making jewelry........a bit of green thumb activity.