#1. Altar This pendant has four PMC charms hanging from little holes in the base and attached with fine silver wire. The base has 'happiness' written in script. I used small polished ruby rondelles and gold tourmaline briolettes to alternate with the charms. The little bird is securely attached to the roof. If you go to flickr you can see a detail of the chain and the back of this piece as well. Sterling chain, bali spacers and 2 unusual golden faceted pearls. You can also click on each photo here and see a larger view.
#2. Espalier
In this pendant I attached the bird to the roof again. The chain travels through a spiral vine on the top. I used beautiful periwinkle blue faceted tanzanite beads interspersed between oxidized sterling chain. There are two charms hanging from the house, one is a leaf and on the back of it is written 'happiness' (my favorite word this year), and the other has stamped on it the word 'secrets'. There are two very small blue freshwater pearls down there and an olive green carved tourmaline leaf bead.
****************** ******************* ******************* ************************ #3. Klimt In this necklace I used faceted pink tourmaline beads, small dyed deep pink pearls, and down by the bird I added one green tourmaline bead for a little bit of GREEN. One of the charms (says 'fearless' on one side) had a whole in the bottom that I hadn't noticed till after I photographed it, so I added another green tourmaline, because I love green, and it was just looking so pink-ish. The base of this birdhouse has a nice W on it and I finished the word to say 'Wind'. I have used bits of rubber stamps on these from "Invoke Arts", "Anna Griffin", "Judikins", "Stamper's Anonymous", and "Personal Impressions".
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********************** ******************* ****************** ****************** ****************** **************** ***************** **************** **************** **************** *************** ****************** I am having a heck of a time with spacing here... **************** ***************** ******************* ************** **************** ***************** ***************** ****************** ****************** ************************ #4. Music O.K. I lost the bird. Doh! And yet it is still stunning, even if I do say so myself. I hate losing things so I don't do it a lot. My husband says as soon as I let go of this necklace the bird will turn up. Or I can make another.This house is stamped with a musical score, some asterisks and the word 'la!' It also has a little noisy texture on a few small random spots. It is my way of adding a collage effect. Oxidized sterling chain, faceted amazonite stones and polished blue apatite rondelles strung with a few bali spacers. The charm on the bottom has 'at home with yourself ' written in script on the back. The golden bead is another color of tourmaline and it is also a carved leaf. I don't know what the greenish bead is, but it is so pretty up close, I had to put it in here. It just works, and I love it. Maybe it is adventurine, or serpentine, or green agate. I may never know. It was given to me as a gift. By the way, all the tourmaline leaf beads I bought from a very nice online bead company called A Grain of Sand. I don't usually get beads online, except from them. They have new beads all the time, pearls, clasps, vintage finds and all kinds of interesting things there.
#5. Rose Bird on roof! Tiny pink pearl, white faceted pearl with a little keyhole charm. The other charm has 'peace' stamped on one side and a swirly spiraly pattern carved on the back. The base is a pretty flower. I used teeny, tiny sterling ball chain and did an asymmetrical stringing of both together. The pearls are the tiniest long white little things, smaller then rice, and after each pearl is an itty bitty aquamarine. I wanted it to balance out.
***************** ***************** *************** **************** ******************** ****************** ***************** ************** ******************** *************** ****************** ******************* ******************* ****************** **************** ******************** ****************** ******************** ******************** ****************** *************** ******************** ************************* #6. Why This bird looks like a duck to me. The leaf charm says 'nature' on the back. I used a gorgeous sterling cord chain and oxidized and polished it so it is just beautiful. The deep purple gems are amethysts, and there are also lilac dyed freshwater pearls and small round dyed purple pearls. On the left I attached a long twist wire bead I made so it stays together and doesn't twist around so much. It is kind of slinky. The roof of the house is textured to look like grass/hay and around the edge in random spots are YES! small green pearls. Did I mention I like green? (I get silly writing at 2......AM) I used the nice W on this one, and carved letters after it to spell 'Why'. Can you see me working late at night under a spot lamp writing down short words that start with W?
***************** **************** ******************** ******************** ******************** ****************** ******************* ******************** ******************* ************************ #7. Jungle Well, I had to do this... I got a crazy idea one night and I have this little stuffed monkey. I'm older now and I don't really care about stuffed animals that much but when I saw this monkey I had to have it. I love this little monkey and so I was sleeping with it and I've had it for a little over a month. It got into my brain, we were so happy together. When my husband went fishing to Alaska, I held my little stuffed animal and I felt calm and happy. Really, I'm not kidding. So I made this:
He has a hole through his hand and he swings on his bar. He looks just like my stuffed little animal that has been keeping me company. And you know what? He never turns over and wakes me. He lets me be and smiles, all the time.
I made these birdhouses because I was inspired by a simple theme used by the Arts Council in my city for their benefit auction. The inspiration led me in a new direction in my work and I am very grateful for the chance to express myself in this way. If anyone is interested in getting one of these birdhouse necklaces, please contact me. Yes, they will cost money, I NEED to buy more silver clay. O.K. I'm done.
But, I leave you all with this quote I have been carrying around in my pocket for two or three years or so. (It's not 3 AM yet so I will add a little more) At that time I was in front of a long path of hard work to get to where I wanted to be, and actually where I find myself today.
"Do not even listen, simply wait. Do not
even wait, be quite still and solitary. The
world will freely offer itself to you . . . it
will roll in ecstasy at your feet." Kafka
Now I'm done and it is 3 AM.
