Transforming Cast Off Jewelry Into Wearable Art

 

One of my dear friends, Bev will bring me bits and pieces of jewelry that she has had tucked away for years.  Sometimes it's a necklace, or a vintage silver charm she received in elementary school and sometimes it's broken bits and pieces of necklaces and bracelets.  I have gotten a feel for Bev's taste in jewelry so it becomes a really fun project to put something together for her that I know she will love.   In custom work, it's all about getting a good understanding of the person's tastes and style before you begin the design process.

 

Bev brought a broken necklace made of very old jet glass beads and a sterling silver beaded bracelet.  I took those two great foundation pieces and designed an asymetrical necklace with a silver wirework clasp and charm holder.  The clasp becomes part of the focal point of the necklace.  From the charm holder I her first charm a vintage carved tulip bead in ivory that I found in an antique shop.

I made the copper bead cap adding spirals around the edge and added an amethyst bead for just a bit of subtle color.

It's simple, elegant and interesting - also a great description for my friend, Bev.  I can't wait to see her smile when I return her jet and silver beads to her transformed into a necklace that I know she will enjoy wearing.

 

A have another friend that brings me lovely polished stones that she has gathered here and there to wire wrap into pendants so that she can wear them as a necklaces.  Little treasures gathered along her journey, now transformed into jewelry.  How wonderful is that?

My friends continue to offer me the opportunity to design jewelry for them - something I love doing.  It really gets the creative juices flowing...  Do you have bits and pieces of jewelry tucked away?  I encourage you to get them out and make something new to wear for Spring.  It feels great!

What have you created modern jewelry from cast off pieces?  If so, I would love to hear about them and see photos if you would like to share.

Blessings, Julie

American Bald Eagles at the Farm

If you look closely you will see an American Bald Eagle in this photo that I took at our farm over the weekend.  Isn't he magnificent?  If only I would have had a zoom lens on my camera...  Eagles have made a nest at our neighbor's pond high in an oak tree overlooking the surrounding prairie, but we have never seen them before this weekend, just the empty nest.  

When I am at the farm I see the most amazing things - like this beautiful Eagle, Meadowlarks on the fence rows, red squirrels in the feeders, and Spring calves in the fields.   I hear the call of the coyote and the hoot - hoot of the owl in the massive oak trees that creak in the breeze at night.  In the city, I hear train whistles, sirens, traffic noise and jets flying overheard.  So wildly different from one another...

 

 The Eagle's mate is on the branch in the second tree from the right, again a zoom lens would have been useful...  Look at the great color of the fields covered in golden prairie grasses,  dark silhouettes of the trees and gray skies of the Winter sky that are so beautiful this time of year in the country.

 

Inside the house it is Springtime with lovely fuschia tulips on my kitchen island.  It is one of my New Year's resolutions to always have fresh flowers when we are at the farm.  I pick them up at the grocery when we stop for weekend supplies as we make our way to the farm.   They are now sitting in my kitchen back in the city.

A little treat just for me - during the cold gloomy days of Winter.   Until Spring flowers arrive from my gardens...I will bring flowers with me to the farm to enjoy because they just make me happy.  Having green things around takes the sting out of the gloomy days of Winter... a sure fire cure for the Winter blues in my opinion.

I also purchased two varieties of onion bulbs, three varieties of seed potatoes and white peonies to plant this Spring.  The onions will go in as soon as the garden dries out a bit, it's too muddy right now.  The potatoes and peonies will go in the ground in mid to late March.

 

 The surrounding pastures are filled with the girls munching away on sweet hay.  They keep me company as I walk around the farm.  Ever curious about my ongoings... Such sweet and gentle creatures.  I grew up with cattle, so they are like old friends to me.

Cows are very social creatures and calf-sit for one another while the little calves' mothers go to graze.  This cow is calf-sitting three babies in white, gray and red while their mothers feed about 30 feet away.  I have seen the cows come charging back across the pasture whenever a dog would get too close to the calves.  Cows can move quickly when necessary and have no difficulty fending off predator's weighing in at 1000 pounds or more.  They gather around the calves maneuvering them behind in a protective semi circle.  

Predator's are not really a concern, even though coyote are plentiful, mountain lions and bobcats are also close by... but, smaller,  easier game is plentiful so the calves are safe.  Lots of open prairie surround the farm so Mother Nature is in balance here in the country.

 

Here are my new kicks, purchased at our local Orscheln's Farm store perfect for stomping through the mud on rainy days.  Yes, I have rubber boots and a white Chevy pickup - staples of farmgirls everywhere...perfect for sloshing through the muddy dirt roads this time of year.

What is soothing your soul during the Winter months?

Blessings - Julie