Two New Pieces & The Sniffles

Somewhere along the line I must let my guard down and a cold snuck up and got me. :( I'd love to give it away if there is anyone out there that would like it. Yeah well... I'm thinking I could be waiting a long time for a taker on that offer!!

I did make 2 new pieces for the April art walk. Things have been selling pretty slow during the winter months. Helena did tell me that over the years she has noticed that during the winter the jewelry sales really slow down. But as soon as it's starts to warm up the sales pick up. I was a bit sceptical but low and behold already this month I've sold more then I did all of last month!! And it's only the 8th. So I guess that means I better be planning on spending the next week increasing the inventory. With the last 2&1/2 months of the dry season to go, and the increase in the population of mouths (birds) to feed and water we are going to be buying more food and ordering more water delivered.

I've noticed in a lot of the Spring catalogs & adds like Anthropologie,

Sundance, and even Tiffany's, necklaces of simple sterling chains with a few stones strung on them. So I thought I'd try a couple of ideas out. I was also thinking that I could make some pieces that were less complicated (translate-fewer components) and labor intensive. By doing that I could charge less money and maybe fill that little nitch along with my earrings. Kinda like the way we buy a new color lipstick because we can't afford to by a whole new outfit. Most people have $200mx, $20us in their pocket when they are out shopping. So maybe they don't have enough for that necklace they just fell in love with but they could justify those really cute earrings, or simple bracelet.

So with that in mind. I made this little sterling silver necklace.

I started out with a vintage 16inch sterling chain. Wire wrapped 20gage sterling wire  to add a nice chunk of garnet and amethyst and a center stone of Chiapas amber.

Course even if I'm scaling down and simplifying I still can't just leave the clasp alone and unadorned, now can I?? So I added a little heart milagro, a couple of tiny amethyst and garnet beads and a little tie of silk just so you know I make it.

Simple, clean and must have filled a nitch cuz it disappeared the first weekend after the walk. :)

The other piece I made was a little bracelet out of vintage scrap. I wire wrapped with copper a couple of square moss agates and round unakite beads. I had a pair of vintage brass earrings with some great natural patina on them.

For the centerpiece I used and vintage lady's watch case. In place of the watch works glued a piece of dark green cotton lace. Then placed 3 tiny stones of garnet and aquamarine to roll around lose in the case. Out of an old dictionary I used the words NO Time Reversal. Since the watch pins were no longer with the watch I had to make a couple out of 20gage copper, in order to wire the earrings and stones to the case.

To give it a bit more finished look I tied a couple of strips of sari silk, on each side of the watch face.

I guess this little bracelet found a nitch also cuz it was gone by the first of the week. :) Funny thing is I made this because I wanted to. You know how sometimes you just get an idea (doesn't have to be earth shattering) in your mind and you aren't happy till you make it?? Well that was what this was. I found the earrings while I was sorting & adding to my stash (more about that with my next post). I even told LW that I would be surprised if it ever sold. Seems that when I tend to stray into a bit of imaginative, funky or a bit off center creating, the pieces sit for a very long time before someone "gets it" and falls in love. But this one went right away, sooooo maybe there's hope yet???

Have a most audacious and art filled day, no matter where in the world you are.   p;)