Week 10 - EARTH'S BOUNTY

This week sees me way off theme, and unless you count tigertail - not a scrap of wire in sight...lol.
It seems like a thousand years since I have done anything strung, I "really" love working with wire!!
This 4 strand necklace is for a friend's daughter.
I started with the foiled pendant, and then added lots of bits and pieces - seed beads, freshwater pearls, glass beads and peridot gem chips.
BTW - This isn't all I have done this week (so don't go thinkin' I'm really slack!!) I finally finished off and posted my competition piece for a huge comp that is running at the moment. Fingers crossed big-time here!! I'll know next week whether it made it into the finals or not.

Week 9 - WHAT'S YOUR ZODIAC SIGN?

I'm just a squidgy bit late this week - depending on where you live I s'pose.
I finished this pendant 3 days ago, but was only able to get a piccie today. I have a really good idea for the chain (maybe!) - but it will have to wait until I have a bit more time for some serious torching!
This was an easy one for me this week.
My star sign is cancer. Symbol - the crab. Metal - silver. One of my gemstones - pearl.
This sort of made itself! I wish more ideas came to me this easily!!
The basic frame of my "crab claw" is 16 gauge sterling, hammered just a bit to give it some strength.
The weaving and wrapping is all 28 gauge silver, the little baby beads are 2mm and the fw pearl (actually a very pale green) is about 10mm.
The overall length is about 58mm (roughly 2 + 1/4"), so it's not exactly tiny!...lol.

Week 8 - THE GODDESS

This week has been a busy one - which is all good!
Heaps of orders on the go - some actually finished just waiting to be collected. Others, in varying degrees of done!
My piece for this week is another piece of my fused glass which is supposed to represent a goddess type figure.
DH doesn't "get" why I want to make blob shaped squashed marbles! lol. Then he reprised his opinion and said it looked like a squashed Xmas beetle. Although to me, she looks a bit more like a demented freddo frog!
You just have to have a good imagination...lol.
I have fused a fine silver spiral in her belly and a small ring to hang her from.
For the neck-cord I have borrowed rather heavily from Angie (weirdlywired) and her week 51 piece from last fsoj. Hope that's OK (?) This is braided leather on which I have wrapped 2 pieces of 18g SS wire around and it is finished with coiled end caps (thanks for the help with those Angie - they worked!!) and a hand-made "S" clasp.

This next piece is one of my orders. Similar neck-cord, hung with a pendant made in the same way as my celtic drop earrings from week 9 last season. I also made matching earrings. Not the greatest picture in the world - at the bottom of the pendant is a big chunky coral bead.





I also made a pair of earrings to go with my "mixed metal" piece - again from last season. I think these are really cool and I love the idea that they are different (just wish it had of been MY idea!) This is them below.

Week 7 - TURNING POINT

I have had quite a few major turning points in my life, to the the extent that sometimes I forget where I am or which direction I'm supposed to be headed....lol.
This piece does not really have anything to do with a "Turning Point" - more like a slight tangent off to one side, causing me to discover if I really don't like something I CAN pull it to bits and re-do it.
Some may remember a piece I did in the last fsoj, I was never 100% happy with it, so I pulled it to bits and remade some of it. I'm still not really happy with this either (and will probably pull this to bits too), but in the interest of not falling way behind again I thought I would post it anyway. Time is a bit of a luxury to me at the moment as I seem to have heaps on my plate right now - which is great, I love it when I'm busy - I seem to work better!!!
This piece is nothing flash or fancy - just sterling silver and glass beads.

Week 6 - ANTIQUITY

I'm not really on theme this week, although this does look kinda old. To me it almost has a "Deco" feel to it.
It's been a strange week, and I feel like I qualify for the theme myself at the moment, although I think you'd only put me in "vintage" technically...lol.
I finished this on time (after re-doing the centre bit twice), then the camera died, so hadn't been able to get a piccie until now.
The framework is done with 18g. sterling and then wrapped with 28g. I have used 4mm & 6mm onyx beads and one Bali silver bead in the middle. A small length of cable chain and a hand-made "s" hook finishes it off.
I LOS'd it, then spent ages trying to get most of it off! Ooops - mixed it up a bit too strong - black in about 3 seconds!!

SOME NEW DICHRO.

I have just unloaded the kiln. Will hopefully get these pictures up on the picture trail albums later today. Just thought I'd add them here in case anyone wants a sneak preview.

These are a couple of pieces set with rings :-


These pendants have all had hammered fine silver wire included :-


And some freeform donuts:-