Another
month has passed and I’m ready for another installment of the Inspired By
Reading Book Club. For the month of March, Andrew (Thornton), our fearless
leader, chose An Irish Country Doctor. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable novel
by Patrick Taylor, who is himself an Irish doctor.
We
follow young Dr. Barry Laverty as he becomes assistant to rough Dr. Fingal O’Reilly. Taylor’s anecdotes give us many insights
into life in a small town, human nature, and how to “read” and best deal with different personalities.
I
was struck by how Dr. O’Reilly dealt with one character early on. It was
actually Barry’s first encounter with the seemingly gruff older man. O’Reilly literally
threw the patient out of his office and told him not to come back until he had washed his
feet.
Well
– of course I had a podiatrist appointment the next day. And you can be sure I
washed my feet before I went!
Here’s
the necklace I was inspired to create. The flip flops stamp was as close as I
could get to feet. I love the way the tiny wrap came out on the blue beach
glass.
I traced a river stone for the copper blank. Don't you love the organic shape?!
Everything was oxidized in liver of sulfur and tumbled. I'm not sure I'll ever put chain in the tumbler again. (Who am I kidding? It looks great ~ I'll deal with the tangles.)
I also need to figure out which copper wire I used for the wrap, because it did not oxidize like I wanted it too.
I'm hoping this will become a favorite at art and craft fairs in The Hampton's.Another part of the book that I could not get out of my head was the title of the 6th chapter ~ “Forty Shades of Green”. I’ll just leave it to your imagination as to what it reminded me of.
Anyhow
– I had to create something green. I actually thought for a brief moment to
create 40 green things. Not in my lifetime!
Instead, I searched through my box ‘o green and settled on some lovely faceted chrysoprase beads in two shapes. I really love the many shades of green in these beads.
Instead, I searched through my box ‘o green and settled on some lovely faceted chrysoprase beads in two shapes. I really love the many shades of green in these beads.
Once again, I must thank Andrew and the other book club members. I challenge myself each month to try different techniques and create my own components whenever possible.
Please check out the other participants. I'm excited to see some new names and more participants this month!
(I'll add links on Thursday. For now I'm off to NYC to have lunch with my daughter)
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Judy Campbell
Andrew Thornton, Laurel Ross, Terri Greenawalt, and Alison Herrington
Karen Grosset Grange Be sure to scroll down - it's in French and English!!!
Sarajo Wentling
Ann Schroeder
Rachel Stewart
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Judy Campbell
Andrew Thornton, Laurel Ross, Terri Greenawalt, and Alison Herrington
Karen Grosset Grange Be sure to scroll down - it's in French and English!!!
Sarajo Wentling
Ann Schroeder
Rachel Stewart
I love your sea glass piece, and I'm sure it'll be a popular seller for summer. The stone necklace is so fresh and simple. It will look great dressed up or down!
ReplyDeleteTerri
Thanks Terri!
DeleteI've already worn both pieces. They'll be hard to part with.
Both pieces are wonderful, I love the combination of glass and copper, serenity and roughness, your wirework bezel is amazing! And the simplicity of the different shades of green is just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you Karin! I fell in love with that chrysoprase when I found it in Tucson. Of course I had to get 2 strands of each!
DeleteLove both your pieces, Jeanne! The sea glass piece is so simple and cute... and I'm super impressed by all of your knotting with those gorgeous green beads.
ReplyDeleteSarajo, I used to avoid knotting like the plague. Now I actually find it relaxing. It's a great way to "stretch" a string of gorgeous beads. I just kept on going with this one till I ran out silk cord.
DeleteI giggle every time I remember the line the Dr says at the stop light... What particular shade of green were you waiting for? tehehe You depicted it perfectly with all those lovely 'shades of green'. The copper cut out IS wonderful and organic and flows perfectly with the wrapped glass! What fun this month was!!
ReplyDeleteI loved that line, too! Alison. Thanks for your comments!
DeleteBoth great necklaces! I like that you try to use new techniques and make your own components. I've got to do more of that; your results certainly support that it's a good thing to do!
ReplyDeleteAnn, I sell at events The Hamptons. Over the years, I learned that I had to distinguish myself from all of the "stringers". Yes - I still string a lot. But my clasps and earwires really help to sell my pieces and bring customers back.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your great comments!
What great pieces! I am so happy that you are participating! I look forward to seeing what you'll do next and what new technique you'll try next! The wire-wrapped pendant is really nice. I like all the texture. If your copper wire isn't taking patina like it should, it might be a coated wire. Look for "bare copper wire". Then you can get all the many different colors from the copper wire. And the knotted piece is beautiful! Very wearable and luxurious looking. I liked that chapter too. We had discussed how all the chapter titles came from poetry and songs and it adds an extra layer to the story!
ReplyDeleteLove your pieces! The green knotted one reminds me of the Ireland countryside. The copper and sea glass piece is really nice too. I love the combination of the materials! Can't wait to see what you create next!
ReplyDeleteRachel