It was a lazy and snowy weekend here in Virginia. My husband built a rip-roaring fire for us and we spent Saturday afternoon watching movies and snowflakes falling. (Did anyone else cry when they watched "Up"? What a sweet movie, but I needed to keep the tissues close!)
It was a perfect way to rest up for the new week and when I returned to my studio yesterday, my mind was clear and my hands were ready to work. I ended up with two projects going at once.
(Click this image to see more photos of this work in progress.)
The first was a silver and brass pendant I've been working on for a few days now. It has a hinge and ball latch that have been soldered and then melted apart more than once. I've been working on positioning the parts correctly--and am afraid that my Little Torch is too hot for doing this work. We'll see...
It's a learning piece for me--now that it's been melted so many times. I'm keeping track of what goes right so I can recreate a piece just like this one--with less re-do's and re-soldering. Although it is taking longer to finish this pendant than I'd expected, I'm actually enjoying the process and am really happy with how it's turning out.
The second project was an experiment with polymer clay and button making. Have you noticed any of the pieces of button jewelry that people like Grainne Morton are making? Well, I was thinking that if you could make your own buttons or cabochons from polymer clay, then you could have a lot more control over your design and color scheme. So I grabbed a few vintage buttons and pressed them into Sculpey Mold Maker clay. In about 40 minutes, I had a handful of cute little buttons cooling. I love polymer clay for just that reason--it's so versatile and easy to work with. You can make just about anything you dream up!
Before I go, here's one more affirmation for you. It's not always easy to face days when nothing gets finished in the studio, but we need to trust and keep showing up to create. When we log in hours dreaming, experimenting, constructing, and learning, we are actually using the special gifts that God has given us, and few things feel as satisfying and right as that.
