I Just Hate When That Happens...

In one of the bags of stash I have been so generously given over the last few months, was a cross. Kinda rustic metal with a bit of wire wrapping where the cross arms meet, so it looks like the arms where wired on. It was a pewter color but was even softer then pewter, (lead??? naw...)  I thought it would be cool to play a bit with patinas on it. I really like the way I've been able to use the rust and verdigris on the same pieces. I think it really adds some great visual and tactile layers. With a ton of experimenting I can now put the patinas where I want them to be and not have them run into each other casing yuk! It's beginning to look more like Ma Nature did the work instead of Ma Pattie ;)

Let me put this disclaimer in right now. Nope I do not have a before picture. But I now have a big sign over my bench that says to remember to take a before picture!! :) Well you never know it might help! And you have to admit I'm taking a proactive approach to this issue.  I did a bit of rusting on the cross and added the verdigris on the wrapped wire. At the center of the cross While messing with the cross I realized that the structural flaw is that the wire is only wrapped around each appendage. There is only the 2 thin metal pieces as they all meet together in the middle. Soooooooo the arms want to bend in with just the slightest bit of persuasion. My thought was to wire a garnet on one side...

On the other I wired an old chandelier prism. I used some of the ever soooooo cool transfer medium I brought back from the Northlands, to transfer a small heart to the back of the crystal.

As I was wiring the two on I thought to myself. I'd better be careful or the arms would break before I could get them stabilized..... yep just then the left arm drops into the palm of my hand that is ever so gently supporting the cross!! @%!#&** Have I ever told you that old sailors

 can't hold a candle to old nurses when it comes to a cussing contest?? :)

The nurse named Amelia in the caption, does she look familiar???? Why yes that is Ms Earhart before she earned her wings :)

Can you believe it?? Well I sure couldn't there went 2 days worth of patina layering, and a really cool looking turquoise and coral necklace made to go perfectly with the cross. SOB!!!

Never fear E6000 came to the rescue!

I built up under both the crystal and garnet with the glue after gluing the arm back into it's socket. Then I didn't touch it for 48 hours. Do you know how hard that was??? Sure you do, it goes against every little artistic dendrite we have in our bodies not to fiddle with something when it's drying. :)

Well it seems to have mended together quite well. If you didn't know that it had met with a slight amputation & reattachment surgery you couldn't tell.

I think what I will do is make a necklace to wear the cross on. Remember the original turquoise and coral one went to the Friday art walk with a verdigris heart as it's focal in place of the cross? I'll test drive it for awhile and it it holds up and looks excellent I'll consider adding it to the other pieces for sale.

LW brought home the mail today and the new Stampington "Where Women Create" came with him!! YEA! So this little artist is fixing a cup of tea and curling up to drool dream. I hope you have an audacious day to make a bit of art no matter where you are in the world.  p;