Get Even

Meet "Get Even", a brass and glass antique brooch retooled and refurbished into a fist pump worthy two-finger ring. I found the brooch while searching for long unloved finery at some local antique stores as a way to clear my head in light of upcoming final exams.

The beautiful green of the center gem caught my eye and the details of the old metal work blew me away.

I am always attracted to beautiful items by the way they make me feel. The brooch inspired so much possibility despite being tarnished and broken (the pin on the back was falling off and the metal enclosure kept coming loose.) I knew I had to have it for my own and give it new life. The result was a statement making modern gem with a touch of old world flair.

A bright pick-me-up is always welcome in light of all the recent stress and anxiety. A great reminder to never give in to negativity.

So here's to finding the new in the old. Here's to turning things around. Here's to getting even.

Current Urge: Cloth Bib Necklace

My creativity comes in "urges." There are certain sources of inspiration that urge me to create something of my own. The current urge came in three steps.

(1) I have a dear friend, who, for the purposes of this blog shall be called "Mona." Mona is allergic to metals and posed a design challenge to create a necklace in spite of these allergies. Simple solution: cloth bib necklace.

(2) With this thought in mind, I started to Google "cloth bib necklace" to get some design ideas. These are some of the images I found that I liked:

Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjizArlyyzuA09SQ8W6klp72VBjkfsAKtKPRDcjWVR9PmXm0XKLZrx4G7-x_Hsionf4Nf1s30q0bBu0Jyy88dNQwF0rO9kb1xlQgsUNhIAx2DVuerukE_M_qqhi83LMYVz6TOkTmTD6iHKb/s400/banana+republic+coiled+bib+necklace.jpg

Source: http://thegloss.com/files/2009/07/vera-wang-crystal-bib-necklace-3.jpg

Source: http://www.pompomemporium.com/files/imagecache/gallery_image/files/images/CIMG5078.jpg

(3) Then I googled "bib necklace" and found this:

Source: http://www.blingworld.com.au/myfiles/3304695341_7db7efde59_o(1).jpg

I completely forgot about this beautiful necklace that Amy Adams wore once upon a time and I fell back in love with the colors and straight-forward shape. Hopefully my cloth interpretation will do the design justice and make Mona proud.

Starry Sky

Meet Starry Sky. That fabulously warm weather I was talking about a few days ago? I spoke too soon. Outside it is now a fall appropriate 51 degrees Fahrenheit. The necklace was inspired by the sudden chill and a beautiful collection of cut crystal beads lying in my craft box.

This necklace will be gifted to one of my beloved cousins for Christmas. She was also a partial inspiration for the overall design: simple, classic, and feminine.

I honestly cannot wait for the snow to come. Warm weather is nice, but late fall and winter holidays are not the same without cold weather. My current mood leans toward iterations of crystal necklaces reminiscent of ice and snow. Starry sky is an expression of crisp fall nights and clear brilliant skies.

She Gave Me Two Jade Fire-Flies to Light My Way

These are quite possibly, my favorite pair of earrings. I was heartbroken when I couldn't find them for the past few months and then they turned up in my side-table drawer. Like magic.

The earrings are "clip-studs" made of Jade and wrapped in gold.

People have been commenting on how "cute" they are when I wear them. It's flattering and I do appreciate the compliments, however, I wanted to air out something more about these earrings. These earrings are more than just "cute" to me. They were a present from one of my aunts who recently passed away. The last time I saw her, she took them off of her ears and pressed them in my hands. She wanted me to have them. It was her way of saying goodbye. I always feel like she's with me when I put them on, so it was particularly traumatic when I couldn't find these earrings for a really long time. I felt like I let her down in a way. It's a miracle they were found. Really.

My aunt was a fire-cracker of sorts. She was always so loud. Just like these earrings. Bright and lightning-green. She was always so energetic. I loved her so much. I know she loved me too, a lot. It's a wonderful feeling to be loved like my aunt loved me. To be one of her "bebes" (her babies) . It's still a shock to think that she's not here anymore causing her usual mayhem. She always inspired me to be my own person and do my own thing. I hope I do her proud.

The Light is Lovely

I took this picture with my handy-dandy I-phone. Fall is here, but without the cool weather to match. Today I find myself wearing a light cotton dress and cotton flats. Indian summers are wonderful excuses to keep wearing summer clothes. It is harder and harder to study and easier and easier to wander around outside. This delightfully warm weather makes it particularly easy to enjoy the changing leaves.

Yellow, Bright, and Lovely

Source: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/files/2009/08/the-kiss.jpg

This is "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt. It is one of my all time favorite pieces of art. It is fantastic, expressive, and luminous. The use of gold serves to heighten and intensify the intimacy of the two figures.

A friend recently pushed me to make something in silver. He said, "Everybody loves silver." That may be so, but, I love gold. Gold inspires me more than silver ever could. He pushes because he believes that silver is more lucrative, especially, if and when I decide to share my pieces. But profitability is not why I create. I do this because I love making beautiful things. Maybe one day I may craft something out of that cold, white-gray metal, but only when the mood strikes and the time is right. For now I will stick to my favorite materials--yellow, bright, and lovely.

Gold has character. Gold is rich. Gold is warm.

Priorities

Meet "Lavender&Gold." A ring that took little time to think up but hours to create. I wanted a rock bouquet of sorts and this is what I got. It is modern and feminine in sensibility. I quite like it.

Unfortunately, making this ring also took away from other pressing matters needing attending to. As the boyfriend (or BPB) loves to tell me, I need to set priorities. My hobbies always need a requisite amount of time but so does everything else. So after this post, that PowerPoint WILL get done, those applications WILL be filled out, those chores WILL... have to wait for the weekend.