CATHARTIC WIRING W/A HAMMER!

Something cathartic about using a hammer and pounding on anything, but especially metal and watching it transform from it's original form!  Thanks to Heather Powers of Humblebeads, for her generous "Bead Table Wednesday" live podcasts, which truly inspire.  It looks easy when she does it, but I must confess this project was NOT!  I found hammering 14 or 16 gauge copper wire to a flattened state and then centering my hole punch as not to drill right through the whole end ($%^&*@#) a difficult task!  So, I came up with an alternative method to achieve a similar look.  I used 12 gauge floral wire (which looks to be copper but of course is more an artistic wire with a protective covering).  As I continued to hammer and flatten the wire, the coating started to peel, but I just kept going cuz I knew it would work!  Once I was sure I had punched an acceptable hole on both sides of the "U", and had it properly flattened, then I used some light sandpaper to knock off the loose pieces and got creative with my vintaj paints.  LOVE how this turned out.  I also used one of Heather's incredible polymer clay tubular beads and one of her birds.  Totally new style and look for me.  Thank you so much for inspiring me Heather!

Sugar Skull Fun

A new Artisan widening my horizons.  Very exciting to do something different - and I have discovered a new found appreciation for Sugar Skulls!  This Skull by Staci Louise Originals.  She is so creative  and inspiring on many levels, and I'm excited to have made my first purchase from her, and now my first original necklace design, using none other than a couple of her polymer clay designs.  Just in time for Halloween and the Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations.  Visit Staci's page and see what I'm talking about.  It's a new view for me...kind of out of my comfort zone.., and that's exactly where I need to be!

There's another of Staci's Artisan polymer beads on the right hand side with the wheel design.



I have had these ancient brass/copper beads (I think they are tribal handmade beads from long ago) just waiting for that right project, and here it is!  They were perfect, together with the rough cut Czech beads and the colorful new lucite feathers I've purchased from Eileen at Bead Street.  Quite a cross over of worlds in this one piece!

FUN FUN FUN!!!