Chainmaille and watermelon...excellent combo!

Although I won't likely put it up in the shop, a new chainmaille necklace I've been working on the last couple of days was a definite learning experience. It is made up of anodized aluminum rings (7mm) in black and a 4-color blue/green blend. The weave is European 4-1 that is folded over on itself to make the tube. If I do it again, I want the contrasting color to be silver I think.



The new addition to the shop from the last three days though I really love. I saw these coral beads and had to have them. They are squares but top-drilled so have a really unique look. Stuck them on some lightly hammered argentium square earwires (handmade) and dubbed them Melon Bits. Going to wear them today to the in-laws and get some feedback!



A quick note to all the folks expecting a sale...it is coming this week. I just didn't want to do it on Memorial Day because that's not what the memorial is supposed to be about. Please take the opportunity to honor our country's fallen military.

Soul of Somanya, Ghanaian Beads and Artisans

I first found Soul of Somanya when searching for Ghanaian krobo beads, a recycled glass bead. I was thrilled to find out that their artisans are compensated at market rates for their work and that they are working to develop sustainable employment opportunities in Somanya-Krobo in Ghana.

You can read more about their artisans and products at their website.

I was inspired to make a necklace from the beads I purchased and tried to use as many color combinations as I could. I used brown hemp for the strands and held the bead charms in place with simple knots. The bead charms are made from 18-gauge sterling silver filled wire as is the handcrafted necklace closure.

Click here to read more details about this necklace.

And I'm not even a water person!

Ever since the Paradiso family started our annual trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina, I've realized that some part of me loves a certain kind of beach. I'm not a fan of the heat-baked white sands of say Florida, but the moody tides of the Eastern coasts (and mind you, I go once a year so allow me my romanticism) are wonderful.

So I've been hoarding bits of shells for awhile now (some cowrie shells since 1995 I brought back from Ghana) not really sure what to do with them. I think with shells too it's hard to do something neat and tidy, sort of against their nature at least how they ended up. I started making the wrapped loop charms last night and came up with a first version of the hemp part but didn't care for that so took it all part tonight (not the charms, ye gads, that took me long enough).

The idea to wrap the hemp in wire was a whim (I wanted something to contain the strands mostly) but once it stretched out I realized it looked and acted like the edge of a spiral-bound notebook and that appealed to me immediately. Mind you, this thing is nice and long, just shy of 30 inches so all those shells are front and center. It could definitely be shortened though and would make a very neat choker I think as well.

So I posted photos on flickr and have posted this necklace in the Etsy shop too. Now it's time to do all the things I promised myself I would do instead of what washed up in my head...

Tonight's project: crochet and pearls!

In the latest Bead Style magazine there is a how-to on making a simple necklace with wrapped-loop pearls and lucite flowers but I'm not a huge fan of lucite preferring to stick with natural materials when possible. For some reason my mind jumped to yarn and I asked my friend Katey if she had any yellow yarn I could work with.

She returned a bountiful bag full of wonderful bits I'm going to have much fun with, I can tell already. I decided to work with one of the purplely hued ones partially for the color and somewhat for the texture. It felt like it had a bit of wool in it and Katey confirmed that earlier in the evening.

The fringe is really what sets this necklace apart I think. I've found with a lot of my ideas, the execution is simple but what really draws me in and makes me spend upwards to an hour pulling each tiny skein apart is that simple plus simple multiplied by simple sometimes makes fantastic.

I think that's why I like repeating patterns so much. They aren't usually very complex but when you start layering them you see larger patterns emerge within the structure and you are never quite sure if you are going to see a glimpse into the inner workings of the universe.

The other thing that really appeals to me about this necklace is that it really reminds me of all the cosmos we had in our garden growing up. When I had my first house, I even went out of my way to plant a big row of cosmos against the side of the house one year. It is a simple flower but because it overwhelms with the sheer number that spring up, it becomes fantastic in the simplicity.

This necklace was fairly labor intensive but I love the result. I'm going to experiment with other yarns and textures but meanwhile this one is now on sale in the Etsy shop.