Sixteen Days & Counting!!!

Yikes that's 2 weeks plus 2 days!!!! I'm sorry I haven't been a very responsible Bloglandian the last few days! :( But I'm just barely keeping a head of the a fit of the Panics. I'm managing to get all the promised projects done, but only cuz I haven't allowed myself to slip into Bloglandia and go "awandering" I finished all the jewelry projects that I had on my plate. Now if I can just keep that plate clean.

Tomorrow the sewing machine gets fired up, so I can finish those projects. Oh Gosh no LeAnn I don't have all the beach/grocery tote bags done but I do have half done so that leaves me 10 more to do. :)

Here are the last two jewelry projects I finished this weekend. "From a woman's soul. Through a woman's eyes. By a woman's hands" is a quote that Jo Northrup, the artist-author of "Where Women Create", has painted on the wall in her studio. Since the first time I read it I have wanted to visually interpret it with a piece of art jewelry. Have any of you guys ever had a piece that takes months of percolating on the back burner waiting for all the right pieces of an inspiration to come together??? Well for me this was one of those pieces. On one of those divine vision kinda days I struck on the idea of creating an antique "chatelaine". Chatelaines have been around since the Medieval era. It's French meaning-lady of the castle. Because pockets were not built into clothes yet, the lady of the castle or house wore a belt with a clip to hold the keys and necessary implements needed to run the house hold. They continued to be popular until the first world war when women had to work away from home in heavy labor positions. Then pockets and purses took over.

I decided to interpret the quote by creating a chatelaine to submit for a challenge I'm participating in.

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The belt is brass chain (naturally aged in the sea air) ;) I wove a torn tea/vanilla dyed piece of manta and vintage tatting lace through the links and secured them with some copper wire wrapped with a few beads. For the "chatelaine clip" I found a vintage huge brass skirt pin. The kind we use to use on wrapped plaid pleated skirts that we wore in the 60-70s :)

Oh the pin I hung an empty watch case, that I placed a small heart pendent, a tiny key, a piece of tiny Mermaid tear, a pearl, a sapphire and some white stars. On the back I decoupaged "from a woman's soul" The middle "tool" is a vintage chandelier prism, that I transferred a picture of a beautiful wise old woman's eyes. Along with "through a woman's eyes" The last tool is a vintage brass door key that is hanging from a piece of faux vintage brass with HOME stamped in it. On the top surface of the brass is a wire nest with three eggs. There is a tiny glass bottle with a few grains of sand & a mermaid tear and a tattered piece of paper that says "by a woman's hands" It's sealed shut with a piece of tatting lace and wax.

It took a while to get the whole thing to peculate to the surface, but I really am very pleased with the way I visually interpreted this beautiful quote. :)

This is a little necklace I through together for myself. I wanted something I could wear with anything and be able to change the focals to dress the piece up or down. I wired some dark dark red vintage glass beads and some chunky rustic pieces of agate (look like lovely caramels) In the center of the glass beads I place a small lobster claw, so I can change focal on the slightest whim. Well after all it's my prerogative don't you know ;)

For the back half of the necklace I used a frayed piece of red sari and sand colored silk. I wire wrapped them to the necklace and for the clasp I reconstructed a great pair of vintage rhinestone earrings. Dang I forgot to load a picture of the glued appliqued flowers on the backs. I think that's the best way for me to cover up the most awesome butcher soldered jobs you will ever be forced to see!! :) I can wear it with my Mum's vintage cameo, and her wonderful piece of amber. Actually I can use anything that strikes my fancy :)

Okay my fellow Bloglandians I'm headed to bed!! Have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are p;)