Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Finished Projects


Aunt Wilma's Wren Necklace:
Last summer my great aunt said she'd love to have a necklace - one handmade by me. She told me the colors she likes and how long it should be...so far so good...but then she said, "I really like wrens. Could you make me a wren necklace?" Well that request threw me for a loop. I know a few birds, but wrens had never piqued my interest, and they are brown (not so interesting to me).
When I start a project like this, my first thought is always to make a cane. I love making canes, and when I have time, I head that direction, but a cane of a brown bird, that was not piquing my interest, not at all!
I was hitting a wall with this so I decided to ask for some help.  My friend, Kate, suggested I incorporate a photo of a wren from a Birds and Blooms magazine.  Well, that wasn't quite feasable, since I could not find wrens in any of the issues I have here at home.
Well, by the time the leaves were already changing this fall, I was still struggling with making a "wren necklace." I wandered around Flickr in search of photos of wrens to get me back on track. When I saw this photo, I fell in love with this sweet little bird.
Kate had taught me to carve in cured clay last spring, so that was the technique I decided to use.  If you'd like to see more photos of the process I used, I have a set of WIP photos on Flickr.
Thanks, so much, Kate, for all your suggestions and tips and techniques you share with me.  Aunt Wilma sent me a thank-you note and I think she really liked the necklace.  I thank you for helping me with this project. 

Update on the gRiSbLEu method - Midori Necklace
I finally finished and sent my friend, Midori, her necklace with earrings last month.  Here is a photo of the finished set. 


If you would like to see more photos of the progress of my WIP on this necklace, I have posted this to Flickr as well.  The tutorial was in French, so I translated it to English for the author.  She has posted my translation to her site.  :)  What fun I'm having with art and languages! 

2 comments:

  1. Hey, I love the new look of your blog! I see the famous cane up there, looks good!

    I'm glad I could help with your wren project! I should have thought to send you some of the pictures I took this summer of the family that built a nest on my back porch. Especially the ones of the chicks feeding! It took both parents all day to feed those three! How tiring is that? Your necklace turned out great, and I'm glad you aunt liked it, the back is really cool too! I love how you repurposed that bracelet link.

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  2. Thanks so much for your comment, Kate. Glad you like the new look. I never would have guessed I'd choose a blue background. I surprised myself with that one! Anyway, I love finding your comment, and your pretty leaf looks good on the blue too. :)

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