Inspired By Reading ~ The Fault In Our Stars

I'll admit it - I over-extended myself with way too many events in April and May. It was great to step back and travel in June and scale back even more in July. This has given me the chance to read and dive back into the Inspired By Reading book club started by Andrew Thornton.

For July, we read The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, a poignant story of two teenagers battling cancer. I hope to see the movie someday.

Hazel, a main character, finds parallels in her life and the life of the main character in her favorite book. That character's mother fell in love with a "Dutch Tulip Man".

I was inspired to create tulips - 2 ways, on copper ovals cut in the hydraulic press with Potter USA's spoon shaped pancake die.

First I etched a flower design that I colored with alcohol inks.
I kept this design simple with a dangling carnelian bead and copper chain.

My next tulip is enameled on copper. I mixed the powdered enamel with Thompson's A-3 Holding Agent to create a liquid I could paint with.




Originally, I had planned to hang the pendant from a simple mixed seed bead necklace, but it needed something more. I love the way the little carnelian dangles on the silver chain tie the piece together.

Finally - a pair of sterling silver earrings with stamped stars.

Thanks for visiting!

CLOUD BRIDGE ~ An Allegory Gallery Design Challenge

Who or what is Pantone, and why do they can dictate the "it color" for the year. 
I went to their website -  still can't figure out what they do? Can anyone explain it to me?

So, this year's color of the year is actually two colors - rose quartz and serenity.  

This photo of Andrew Thornton's Allegory Gallery Cloud Bridge kit called to me.
I don't know why, because I'm not a huge fan of pink and blue together. I once had my house turned into a nursery by mistake. Apparently, the contractor couldn't read my directions. 
He changed it the next day.



Crunched for time; preparing for an out of state art festival and ensuring the gift shop had new pieces in my absence, I decided to work some simpler designs. 

rose quartz chips with river rocks

assorted rose quartz

First up are two bracelets using the some of the rose quartz and river rocks from the kit.

I added sterling silver accents and my hand-crafted toggles.




This color palette actually worked quite well with a few gorgeous glass beads from Andrea Pirkey that I've been hoarding for a several years.



The seed and small glass beads for the perfect accent for this lovely floral focal. 

I love the simplicity of this design.

Rose quartz and pink glass from the kit with blue glass from my stash make this fun bead pop!

Thanks to Andrew and William for another great challenge!

And, THANK YOU, for stopping by.
I hope you'll leave a comment here or on my Facebook page.

Inspired By Reading ~ The Magicians

Yikes!

I can't believe it's been three months since my last post.
I have been reading and I have been creating for the Inspired By Reading Book Club, hosted by Andrew Thornton. I just haven't found the time to write and post.

The most recent book for our club is The Magicians, by Lev Grossman.  The story line feels like a marriage of Harry Potter and The Chronicles Of Narnia.  Although I am still reading the book, a few images have spoken to me.

At one point during the testing to determine Quentin's magical discipline, sparks flew out of his fingertips. Lightning bolts came to mind, so I created these earrings out of 18 gauge sterling wire.





















One of the professors brought a lizard to the testing. I thought I must have a lizard my stash of Green Girl Pewter. And there I found Cynthia Thornton's Gecko Ball. I created a simple pendant with a sterling silver chain tassel.

If you want to learn more about this book, and see another design, you really should visit Sarajo Spurgeon Wentling's blog Sj Designs Jewelry.

The Night Circus - August's offering for the Inspired By Reading Book Club

Le Cirque des Reves, The Circus Of Dreams, lives in Erin Morgenstern's imagination and on the pages of her novel, The Night Circus. This is a circus like no other. It arrives overnight without notice and disappears the same way. It is only open after dark.

I listened to the book back in June during my 10 hour drive north to the Hamptons. Since it was a while ago and I am not feeling super intellectual at the moment, I'll quote the blurb from the back of the book...

...behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game only one can be left standing...

... Celia and Marco soon fall in love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, leaving the lives of everyone ... hanging in the balance.

I loved the myriad of unusual characters, the plot twists, magical elements, and, of course, the love story.

I was drawn to the description of the lighting of the bonfire each time the circus opened in a venue. I wanted to replicate that effect some way in a piece of jewelry. I had some torch issues, so it didn't come out quite the way I wanted it to. If you squint, you might see flames.






The crystals represent the shift of flame colors  as twelve archers light the fire...

First yellow, then clear sky blue, warm bright pink, ripe pumpkin, sparkling crimson, incandescent wine, shimmering violet, indigo, midnight blue, black, and, finally, blinding white.
As I write, I realize I have forgotten the black and blinding white crystals. I also plan to use a shorter connector.



This next piece came about quite by accident. The last time I was in NYC I picked up a gorgeous strand of red coral at Wonder Sources on 38th St. I love the contrast of the rectangular ceramic beads from Golem Studio. I purchased those (and more) directly from Vladislav, the artist, in Tucson last February.

As I tied knots in the silk cord, I remembered that the circus tents were striped white and black, with no other color. I also recalled the "Revelers", a society of folk (groupies) who followed the circus, wore black and white with a splash of red to distinguish themselves from other circus patrons.













So - back to my stash for a bumpy black and white lampwork bead by Jason Powers. I repurposed a black Chinese crystal necklace that hasn't sold in a few years and a splash of red - more ceramic from Golem.

I love the results!

Thanks for visiting!
Please visit our book club leader, Andrew Thornton's blog to learn about the next book and links to see creations by the other participants.   click here!

Swamplandia – another edition of the Inspired By Reading Book Club

I was disappointed to miss last month. I was traveling once again ~ busy on Long Island attending retirement parties, family events and participating in the Sag Harbor Arts and Crafts Fair. In case you’re wondering (and even if you’re not), in spite of the pouring rain, I had a good show, with follow up opportunities.

I enjoyed Swamplandia, by Karen Russell. The story follows a family of alligator wrestlers who run an ailing tourist attraction in the Florida Everglades. Chief Big Tree and his children struggle to keep Swamplandia open after their mother, the main attraction, succumbs to cancer. They also have to contend with competition from “The World of Darkness”, the new high tech amusement park on the mainland.

It wouldn’t be a book club selection if there wasn’t a bit of the supernatural or weirdness involved in the story.  Sixteen year old Ossie considers herself to be a spiritualist and believes that she has relationships with ghosts. After finding a ghost ship (really a dredge from the 1930’s), Ossie imagines herself in love with a young man who perished in an explosion and decides to run off and marry him.

The obvious inspiration for this book would be alligators. So, as I read, I checked my stash and a few suppliers – no alligators. Then Ossie and Ava stumble upon the decrepit ship with a swarm of buzzards overhead. There was my inspiration! Somehow, someway, I was determined to create a buzzard. Luckily, Kevin Potter has a great bird pancake die and it was on sale when I wanted it. I headed out to the hydraulic press with some 20 gauge sheet copper. The next challenge was how to make it look like a buzzard…

After an internet search for buzzard images, a trip to Ornamentea in Raleigh for Thomson enamels, and four torch firings of different layers and colors, I’m pretty excited with the result.

I don't always counter-enamel, but felt this piece needed it  

I've added a bail and chain, maybe I'll add some beads, but haven’t decided if I prefer copper or silver chain. 

What do you think?

Please visit book club leader, Andrew Thornton's blog here to learn more about our group

and visit other participants listed below...

Sarajo Spurgeon Wentling

Allison Herrington

Mary K McGraw

Ann Schroeder

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

GIRL READING - Inspired By Reading Book Club. April 2015

This month the Inspired By Reading Book club read Girl Reading- A Novel by Katie Ward. I wondered why it's considered a novel. At first glance, Ms. Ward's book appears to be a collection of short stories set in various time periods. However, there is a common thread throughout the book - the obvious - a "girl" or woman reading in each vignette. And the artist; painter, photographer who has "caught them in the act". Not so obvious are the references in each chapter to an artistic element from the precious chapter.

I woke up one morning thinking I wanted to represent the painters in the story. I thought about how to depict the painter's pallet in a jewelry design.
So, here we have what is to be a pendant. I'll add a ring or bail of some kind and probably hang it from a copper chain.   

I'm pretty excited with how it came out. I used a spoon shaped pancake die to cut the basic oval shape. I got creative with Eurotool's hole punch and my dremel grinder to form the handle. Finally, Indents made with a metal punch and dapping block were filled with enamel.

Visit Andrew Thornton's blog to see who else played with us this month.
(You'll have to scroll through one of my other posts for links. I wrote this whole post on my phone while traveling by train between NYC & New Haven Connecticut and I don't know how to use all of the functions.)

Home By Toni Morrison ~ an Inspired By Reading Book Club post

Sometimes I wonder why Andrew lets me stay in “the club”. 

I don’t think I’ve met a deadline yet.

The Club is the Inspired By Reading Book Club, the brain child of Andrew Thornton, owner of Allegory Gallery in Ligonier, PA.  Each month we read a book, create and blog. This month our book was Home, by Toni Morrison.

It’s the story of a young black man reclaiming his life after returning from the Korean War.

The San Francisco Chronicle said the book “Brims with affection and optimism.” Perhaps I missed much of the symbolism, but I found it to be somewhat dark and depressing. Because of that, I had a difficult time deciding on a project.

At the very beginning of the story, Frank Money and his younger sister sneaked into a crawl space to watch two horses in an overgrown field.  One was rust colored and the other deep black.

My design idea was very literal – I had planned to use a Green Girl horse pendant with black onyx and carnelian.  The horse looked too rustic and out of place with my faceted onyx so I ended up with two necklaces.

I removed the horse, added a black onyx nugget as a focal piece and highlighted with sterling silver bead caps and daisies, and shiny copper nuggets.

Then - I hung the horse with a hammered silver ring from a silver chain. (I mass produce the rings so I always have a few in stock.) I wire wrapped more of those shiny copper nuggets to the chain for texture and interest.

Please go to Andrew's Blog to learn more about the book and check out the other talented members of the group.

Spring Awakening Challenge

When I saw the beautiful blue and green palette of the Spring Awakening  challenge, I just had to have the kit.

Every month or so Andrew Thornton puts together a collection of beads and components for the Allegory Gallery Challenge and blog hop. 

Participants purchase the kits and then work their magic. It is so much fun and inspiring to hop around and see the completely different approaches everyone has taken with the same raw materials.

I like to sort and organize the beads by shape, color, type or whatever catches my fancy.

The first beads to catch my fancy were the green and black glass – maybe vintage German?

My first thought was to use peridot, but that didn’t show off the beads.

Back to my stash for black onyx.  Perfect!

The additional assorted greens are from the kit. Of course, the bracelet is finished with one of my signature toggles.

You may have noticed that I’ve been obsessed by multi-strand designs lately. I decided to challenge myself to use some (a lot) of those smaller beads Andrew always includes. This bracelet went through a few reincarnations before completion. I’m quite happy with the finished product. 
It received great reviews at the Ollie’s (the gift shop that carries “my line”), although I haven’t put it up for sale yet.

Finally, I had set aside an eclectic mix of beads to go with Andrew’s mystery component, a polymer clay pendant in a lovely shade of spring green.  It was fun to create a mismatched, yet balanced “chain”.

There's plenty more to play with, including that luscious green waxed linen cord. Check back Monday to the earring designs floating around in my head.
I’m looking forward to hopping later to see what all the other creative folks have done. 

Hope you’ll join me!!!

Paula Kramer http://cavecreekbeads.blogspot.com

Jeanne Steck http://www.gemsbyjeannemarie.blogspot.com/ 

Christina Porter http://queenbeedesignsny.com 

Ann Schroeder http://www.beadlove.wordpress.com

Michelle McCarthy of Playing with Clay www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com 

Lennis Carrier http://Windbent.wordpress.com 

Alison Herrington http://www.AlisonAdorns.blogspot.com/ 

Andrew Thornton http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com 

Geek Love ~ an Inspired By Reading Book Club selection

 Geek Love, by Katherine Dunn, is one of those books that took me by surprise. I had a completely different idea as to what the book would be about. I suppose if I had actually taken a good look at the cover, I might have had a clue.

My predictions really don’t matter ~ what does matter is the fact that I was intrigued by the story and couldn’t put the book down. I actually stayed on the stationary bike at the gym for a full 45 minutes because I didn’t want to stop reading.

Geek Love follows the lives of a carnival family. The father has genetically engineered his own freak show by giving his wife drugs and other concoctions during pregnancy. Each child has a different abnormality that makes him/her “special”.

When I read that Arturo, also known as “Aqua Boy” was born with flippers instead of limbs.  I immediately thought of Cynthia Thornton’s Green Girl fine pewter pendants. I remembered she had a few sea turtles so I contacted Cynthia and she put a them aside for me to pick up in Tucson.

Have sea turtles – now what?

While taking an enameling class with Joni Kisro I had a brainstorm. 

Shapes cut with
Potter USA's pancake dies.

Use an enameled piece as a focal and hang the turtle from it. I went back to Joni’s the next day after picking up trade beads at the African Market and put my plan in motion.

When I returned home, I dug through my stash for coordinating components, decided on a design and got to work. I haven’t decided on a closure so for now the necklace is adjustable - just tie the extra long waxed linen wherever you want.

 The glass spacers are from Robbie Daly.

Back to Geek Love…

And “the Reds” – The girls who worked the midway and ticket booths all had to have red hair, natural or otherwise. I wanted to play off of that somehow. Strolling through To Bead True Blue, I paused at the Woman Shops World  booth. Maybe they had sari silk or ribbons I could use.

Then, there they were ~ tassels!

And I found little red crystals to match from African Gems.

I had it in my head that I wanted to crochet a really long wrap around necklace. (Cynthia Thornton was crocheting necklaces with some sort of fiber while I chatted with her.) 

But, alas, at that point I was back in North Carolina snowed in and had to make do. 30 gauge brown Parawire worked perfectly. (yes, another Tucson purchase!)

I am seriously obsessed with this clasp I created!

Just for fun I put together a few pair of coordinating earrings.

These ceramic beads are from Golem Designs  with Vintaj caps.

If you haven’t read Geek Love, you should!

You should also visit the other members of the group and perhaps think about joining us next time! 

Alison Herrington

Jeanne Steck

Sarajo Wentling

Rachel Stewart

Mary K McGraw

Andrew Thornton and Laurel Ross   Andrew's blog will give you more info about the group.

Desert Sands Delay

If you are looking for the Desert Sands Challenge, I hope to post later today. 

We left earlier than expected for our road trip to Tucson. 

Since I'm the passenger, I have plans to work. 

Here's a sneak peak ...