Saturday, April 25, 2009

Like riding a bike...



The forsythia is in bloom and the rose cones have been removed from the garden. The neighborhood cats are starting to frequent the large waterlily pond, hoping for frogs. I get nostalgic for things old and familiar this time of year and thankfully, I've been able to revisit an old craft I gave up years ago.

Thanks to repetitive strain injury -- aka carpal tunnel syndrome -- I no longer knit. Even though I had surgery for the right hand almost four years ago, I was warned it's possible to re injure yourself so I stopped. But I saw a knock-out of a necklace a few weeks ago and I tried wire crochet. Went surprising quickly and it was fun to do. Here is one of the first ones I've made so far.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Inspiration



Yes, I read ads. If I didn't, I likely wouldn't have found a new book by Irina Miech so quickly and you wouldn't be seeing this picture.

The earrings and pendant were inspired by Beautiful wire jewelery for beaders and are the second and third projects I tried from the book. The first, the freeform aluminum beaded cuff in my slideshow, coincidentally was the project featured in the ad.

Aside from the wealth of instructional materials you can buy, I've been lucky to find artisans who will freely share advice and technique for the love of the craft. Two such individuals are Jane Christie, who introduced me to wirework, and Vicki Green, who continues to amaze me with her bead expertise. Thanks to you both.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Saving spring

I was reminded yesterday of how magical is spring. We woke up to 4 cm. fresh snow. By evening it was gone and spring bulbs were none the worse. Below is my attempt to capture the feel of snowdrops, our first blooms every year.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009



Never realized the right way to finish this choker until I found this Kirsty Naray lampwork poppy bead late last month. With a few false starts, I was able to adapt it as part of a copper wire closure. May not be as polished looking as I'd like it, but it works. Have a look below for a closeup of the bead -- it's absolutely gorgeous.




You have to start somewhere

Q. When does a hobby stop being a hobby?
A. When you no longer continue the activity for pure enjoyment.

That being said, I’m a hobbyist who enjoys creating. My current interest is mostly jewellery – glass beads, metal, natural stone and minerals. I get a kick learning a technique or working with a medium I haven’t tried before. The problem is what do I do with all the items I’ve made. My solution is this blog.

I’d rather see the bracelets, necklaces et al find a home with someone who will enjoy wearing them as much as I did making them. If I can cover my costs as well, then I can afford to keep trying new projects without going broke. Sounds good in theory. Hope it works.

Look forward to hearing from you by email if you see something you like or have questions.