YOJ: Week 11 off topic "Garden Trellis"

I just couldn't come up with anything for this week's theme, partly because the theme doesn't grab me, and partly I"m so unfocused the last few weeks. I mostly blame my cold/ear infection/sinus infection/ whatever the heck it is .... Since Saturday 3/8/08 I feel like I stuffed 2 ever lasting and buzzing kitchen timers in my ears and packed them in with cotton. I hear a very loud buzzing constantly in my ears, and all other sounds are muffled to the point I can't really hear. I have occational sharp pain, dull pain and incredibly strong pressure in my ears. Since my day job is working at the phone company, and what a surprise!-- I'm on the phone alot... work has been such a joy this week! (really heavy sarcasm )

So I've not been very productive in my studio this week. I finally broke down and went to the doctor today, and in addition to the 2 antibiotics I'm already on, she added 3 different discongestions and steroids for the next few days. I'm hopeful my hearing will come back in a day or 2, and maybe the buzzing will stop before I go postal.

So back to the subject... we are going out of town and I didn't want to be late for week 11, especially since I'm still working at Week 9. Hopefully next week I'll get it done, assuming I feel better by then. So I present something I made just before I got sick, 2 weeks ago: "Garden Trellis" The lovely colorful hollow bead was a birthday present for me from a dear friend, Jodi Brindley. I'm sad to say, it was a birthday present from 2 or 3 years ago!! Sometimes you just don't know what to make something into. It's been sitting around the studio either put away or in the " I really need to do something with this " pile. Part of the problem is I wanted to keep the bead, and sometimes I have a hard time sitting down and just making me something other than quick earrings ( I have lots of earrings!! ) I don't want to take the time out of my limited stock and "waste" it on me I guess... Part of the problem is with the bead in the normal direction it is almost clear.. all the great limes and purples are on the sides of the bead by the holes. (if you look in the 3rd picture you will see what I mean) So I knew I wanted to mount it somehow that would show off the great swirls of color.
I was goofing off making something like a star pendant out of spirals and realized it would make a great base for a focal bead... I started digging around my stash and re found Jodi's bead and I know I had it !! I added crystals, little hooks and a chain and boom! first necklace I made for me in a long long time. I call it garden trellis because I think positioned this way the bead looks like a really kewl flower, and the wire makes me think of a trellis fence to hold the big heavy flower up to the sun. It's a keeper!!

I just wanted to add a plug of sorts: Janet Brown of http://www.jkbrownstudioalamode.blogspot.com:80/ profiled some of my work, it's her march 09, 2008 entry. Thanks Janet!

A couple of other items of recent vintage: another pin, I think I'm getting better at these. This is bone bead with cloisonne on the ends. Another pendant and earrings made with great 2 holed garnets. It's hard to see in the photo, but the garnets have this great hand bezeled look to them. Last, a pair of earrings with handmade earwires.