Necklace re-make - LOVE IT!!

A woman who owns a few of my pieces of jewelry had a favorite necklace litterally fall apart while shopping one day. It was NOT one of the necklaces she bought from me but it was a gift from her son that she dearly loved. Unfortunately, one of the focal beads - a small turquoise bear fetish - was lost. She asked if I could repair/re-make her necklace and I was happy to give it a try.

What I received was a standing bear fetish, a small turquoise bear fetish, some silver beads and what was left of a strand of black dyed coconut heishi. I really wish I had taken a picture before I started but I didn't (*dang*). But here is the finished piece - I'm really quite proud of it!

Added from my stash were silver rounds, turquoise rounds, small sterling spacers, sterling studded rondelles, glass seed beads and some dyed bone hairpipe beads. What looks like a tiered necklace is actually two separate necklaces that can be worn together or alone.

I designed a clever clasp configuration to make it possible to not only wear the necklaces separately or together but the length can also be adjusted, if desired.

Here's a close-up of the bear fetish beads...

Anyway, I hope she will love it because I think it's FABULOUS! :)
Let me know what you think...

"Trees" Exhibit Opening Tomorrow Night!

Here in Dubuque we have a great little art gallery called "Outside The Lines" located in the historic Cable Car Square on Bluff Street. A group exhibit entitled simply "Trees" is opening tomorrow night and will feature the work of 24 local and near-regional artists (myself included!). If you live in the area, stop by tomorrow evening (Jan 3rd) between 7-9pm for the opening reception - I promise it will be great fun and the art is super! You may even find the need to buy something...  :)

Chinese Lantern - A New Woven Neckpiece

The holiday season seems so busy for me this year - not that it actually IS busier than usual, it just seems that way! I was beginning to wonder if I would ever finish the necklace project I had started a couple of weeks ago. But I did, finally, almost, last night... it is still lacking a neck strap and so not entirely "finished" but we're getting there.

For now, I am calling this piece "Chinese Lantern" as the inspiration came from a bright red, embroidered silk jacket I have and then from the lovely vintage necklace pendant once for sale in my vintage shop on Etsy - it never sold and I was secretly glad of that! Originally, It had some faux pearl drops but I replaced them with freshwater pearls, gold-plated chain fringe and gold-plated bead caps. Matching earrings are in the making, as well. A more exotic moniker may come to me and the name will change but for now... it's "Chinese Lantern".

Here are a couple of photos I wanted to share - more to follow... Please feel free to comment - I would love to know what you think! :)

Sonoran Skies 2

If you know me, you know that I REALLY like big statement jewelry! Not everyone does. Go figure... right? So, I decided to try making a smaller version of "Sonoran Skies", one of my needleweaving jewelry pieces. The pendant section measures 3 1/2" x 2" (instead of the 8" x 4 1/2" of the original). It can be worn in lengths up to 30". Here is "Sonoran Skies 2" - more compact in size but not in punch! I hope you'll agree...

Sonoran Skies Cuff

After finishing my latest neckpiece, Sonoran Skies, I decided to try to make a woven cuff to match. Here is the final product! -

Sonoran Skies Cuff by Cindy Caraway

I am quite proud of it but really wasn't too sure while I was making it....

Everything started as usual: a design was drawn up, colored, pinned to the board, warped with Irish waxed linen and off I went. Once the weaving was finished, though, I realized a couple of things: since I was used to sizing cuffs made with bead embroidery (which tend to be bulky), it was too long for being so thin and it felt too delicate to stand up to being worn on the wrist - I was afraid it would stretch out-of-shape too easily or snag on something.  
**That being said, please realize that I am a worrier and am always thinking about what could go wrong with a design or whether it can withstand being out in the "real world".

So... having a fabulous selection of very nice leather remnants thanks to my custom boot-maker friend, Paul (be sure to visit his site here), lining it with leather was my best option. And that's exactly what I did!

The top weaving is lined with one piece of leather and secured with embroidery (chain stitch) around the edge.

Then I padded the inside with some soft eco-felt and backed it with another piece of leather. The edge was finished with more embroidery (button-hole stitch).

I also added a clasp - two antique shell buttons and a wrap so the fit is completely adjustable.

Anyway, it's lovely (IMO) and super comfy to wear! My hubby even asked if I would make one for him (more masculine in it's design, of course!). Look for it soon in my shop on Etsy -

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Sonoran Skies

Here's the latest of my woven neckpieces - - -

Sonoran Skies! 

This piece was inspired by the vintage copper brooch and built from there in a lovely color palette of turquoise, coral pink, rusty red and silver grays. The beads include copper prayer beads from Ethiopia, Czech glass, pink shell heishi and one beautiful Chinese cloisonne bead. The fibers used are perle cotton, silk and silver metallic threads woven over waxed Irish linen. I hope you like it! I will be posting it on Etsy later today but here are some other shots for you to enjoy in the meantime... :)

Tree of Life is finished!

I finished "Tree of Life" today and really like how it turned out! It's available to purchase at CindyCaraway on Etsy - let me know what you think! :)

 

 

 

Tree of LIfe

There is a group exhibition coming up at a local gallery here in Dubuque. The gallery is "Outside the Lines" and the exhibition is themed "Trees" and I am working on some pieces to enter.

I just finished "Autumn Tree Twilight" and started working on a new piece that incorporates a tree of life centerpiece...

I've always been intrigued by these and finally just decided to give one a try! Pretty good for a first attempt, IMO :)

Next I drew up a pattern for a new necklace and figured out where the focal will be and planned for some leafy fringe. The pattern is warped and ready to go - I hope I'll have time to get started on it today!

Art Trades and More Beads!

This past weekend I was a vendor at a small arts festival in Bellevue, IA called the "Fishtival". Bellevue is a lovely little town nicely situated on the Mississippi River - the weather couldn't have been more perfect, the view more delightful or the crowds more appreciative! I also met some great artists/makers while there... one was Jill, a gal who, among other talents, made really cool fishing lures using her beautiful polymer clay beads. While talking to her about how I wanted to buy a couple of her lures and use the beads in one of my woven pieces, we struck a deal... I mentioned that I enjoy doing art trades and she instantly picked out a cuff she liked...

Grey Poupon Fabric Cuff Bracelet

In exchange I got this wonderful collection of her handmade polymer beads! What fabulous colors - it will be fun to use these in some new projects - I'm especially in love with the red and turquoise ones!

Thank you, Jill! I hope you enjoy your cuff :)

Right Place, Right Time

Tuesday is my "run-around day" - the day I visit my favorite coffee shop, the library, the local thrift shops and do some needed grocery shopping. Some weeks I add Friday as an extra "run-around day" just so I can hit some garage sales, too. Sometimes during those "run-around days" I just feel like I'm in the right place at the right time and that was me yesterday.

Late in the afternoon I stopped at one of my regular thrift shops and found a treasure trove of African trade beads among other things! Some were hanging up with the necklaces and other jewelry and some were in a big bag of "junk" - a gallon zip lock baggie stuffed full of bits and bobs, tangled jewelry, odd earrings, etc - you just never know what you might find in it.

Well, here's a peek at the lovely beads I picked up for a proverbial "song"...

In photos you will see some big-and-beautiful bone beads from Kenya, small glass trade beads, Kofi beads (the red plastic disc beads), silver metal Ethiopian prayer beads, some nice hammered brass beads and some very old Venitian millefiori trade beads. Ooooh, you can probably guess that I was dancing all the way to the car - so happy that they didn't know what they had!! (Geez, I hope they don't read my blog!)

Such pretty beads! I have no idea what I'm going to use them for. For now, I'm just happy looking at them :)

New Ingredients added to the mix! Yay!

Since I've started brewin' up new jewelry creations from vintage finds, I have been having way too much fun gathering new ingredients (aka. wholesale lots of jewelry!). This bunch of beauties came from KattsLair on Etsy. Here's a big bunch of beauty that arrived on my doorstep a few days ago. Now all I need is some time and space to get cooking! :)

All the new "ingredients"

Hmmm... What to do with these Native-style beaded pieces?

 

Love that dusty pink Lucite next to the sage green glass beads

This necklace is made entirely of antique brass bead caps!

More Lucite... and in such a lovely shade of turquoise.

Two New Necklaces - Panthera Regale and Tropic of Cancer

I made two new necklaces today - the first is called "Panthera Regale"...

"Panthera Regale" is a mixed media statement necklace made using bits of new and vintage jewelry and found objects. It was inspired by the leopard pendant in an antiqued brass finish. I instantly thought of the Indian Subcontinent - leopards, elephants, palaces and the maharaja - and wanted to make something fit for royalty but not necessarily opulent.

With that in mind I chose the sweet elephant charm and a color palette of antiqued brass, gold, red and cerulean blue with some touches of amber tossed in. Other materials used in making "Panthera Regale" include a lovely vintage brass swirl (this is a mystery piece and has been in my stash for a few years. I have no idea what it's supposed to be!), vintage red glass beads, beaded drops and upcycled gold and brass chain. The many drops and fringes of chain give this piece lots of movement - it is fun to wear and will attract lots of admiring attention! The links of the necklace chain easily accommodate the lobster clasp so the necklace length is adjustable up to 18".

The other is called "Tropic of Cancer"...

"Tropic of Cancer" is a mixed media statement necklace made using bits of new and vintage jewelry and found objects. It all started with the green enameled crab charm and went from there. The crab is surrounded by elegant shades of gold and bronze to make "Tropic of Cancer".

Besides the enameled crab pendant, other items (all reclaimed!) used in the making of "Tropic of Cancer" include: vintage chain, vintage filigree and rhinestone drops, a beaded bracelet and tassels fashioned from filigree bead caps and sections of chain. The necklace can be worn in lengths ranging from 16" to 19" but the length can be extended upon request.

Angel Fish Rumba - Even MORE Summery Goodness!

"Angel Fish Rumba" is a mixed media statement necklace made using bits of new and vintage jewelry and found objects. It all started with the pretty angel fish pendant and went from there. The color palette of gold, tangerine orange and lime green brings to mind lounging on a tropical beach - preferably with a fancy cocktail in-hand!

Besides the angel fish pendant, other items (all reclaimed!) used in the making of "Angel Fish Rumba" include: vintage chain, vintage filigree drops, vintage filigree bead caps, vintage acrylic beads in shades of tangerine and lime green, gold tone spacer beads and a necklace centerpiece. The necklace can be worn in lengths ranging from 16" to 19" but the length can be extended upon request.

Also available are these fun, dangle earrings that are a perfect complement to "Angel Fish Rumba"...

Green Gecko Holiday - Summery Goodness!!

"Green Gecko Holiday" is a mixed media statement necklace made using bits of new and vintage jewelry and found objects. It all started with the funny green gecko charm and went from there. The color palette of gold, orange, shades of green and turquoise brings to mind sunny summer days - and there's a cute little gecko along for the ride!

Besides the gecko charm, other items (all reclaimed!) used in the making of "Green Gecko Holiday" include: vintage chain, reclaimed charms and beads, a gold bead necklace and vintage orange Lucite "crystals". The necklace can be worn in lengths ranging from 16" to 19" but the length can be extended upon request.

Also available are these sweet dangle earrings in Teal and Lime Green - a wonderful complement to the "Green Gecko Holiday" necklace!

Sunflower

"Sunflower" is a mixed media statement necklace made using bits of new and vintage jewelry and found objects. The beautiful centerpiece for the pendant started life as a brooch. It came to me missing all but one rhinestone and I thought that was absolutely perfect!

Besides the flower brooch centerpiece, other items (all reclaimed!) used in the making of "Sunflower" include: vintage chain, vintage Lucite acorn drops, links from a vintage bracelet and vintage acrylic beads in swirled shades of amber. The necklace can be worn in lengths ranging from 18" to 20" but the length can be extended upon request. It comes with the matching dangle earrings - they have a drop of 1 3/4".