Friday, May 29, 2015

The Children's Book - another edition of the Inspired By Reading BookClub

How time flies…
Another month has gone by and it's, once again, time for the Inspired By Reading Book Club reveal. And, once again, I'm traveling (I'm back in NYC for my daughter's graduation from Hunter College ! Yay!) I'm posting from my phone and apologize in advance for the quality of my photos.  

I'm excited by my design because of a personal connection to the components. 

This month we read "The Children's Book" by A.S. Byatt. Actually, I've been listening. I was able to download the audio version from the library. The story takes place in England in the late 1800's. It is a mix a "real-time" narrative, reminisces and political commentary. Although, I have some difficulty following the narrative  and many characters, I am intrigued by the story and historical references and am compelled to continue listening. 

Right from the beginning Byatt lavishes us with vivid descriptions, rich in fairy tale, folklore and history. I thought I might want to try my hand at mosaics - perhaps a small pendant in a bezel cup with resin. Since I had no clue how to go about it, that idea was scrapped. 

At one point, Phillip, a runaway and aspiring artist admires a large pot - gold and silver with cobalt.  I knew then that I wanted to use some of the beautiful lapis I purchased at Wonder Sources the last time I was in NYC. Still no clue what to create. 

As I listened further, Byatt described another character in detail, including her pocket watch. I was reminded that my grandfather's watch fob was in a box of incomplete projects. Several years ago I had planned to link gold and silver plated fleur de lis to complete the chain. I'm glad I never did. 

Instead, I soldered sterling silver and gold-filled links, as well as, lapis links. I love the way it coordinates with the 14k gold, two toned antique piece. The new section is removable and can be connected to a chain to make a simpler necklace. 





Please check our group leader, Andrew Thornton's blog to see what the other very creative folks have done.   http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/2015/05/inspired-by-reading-may-blog-hop.html?m=1







6 comments:

  1. What a special piece... an heirloom that you can pass down some day! I love the links you made and the addition of the lapis.

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  2. Cool piece! Great idea to use the watch chain. I love your links as well, they all flow nicely together.

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  3. I love the mixed metals in this piece and the whimsical style of the soldered links! It's a lovely creation! Thank you so much for playing along! I appreciate you sticking with us, even through your travels and move and busy schedule! :-)

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    1. It's been tricky at times, Andrew - but I do enjoy the challenges!
      Thank you!

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