Wednesday 10 November 2010

My creative muse has returned

I don't know where she's been lately but my Muse went AWOL round about the time I invested in a whole lot of copper wire.  I keep looking at it, touching it, sitting it beside other shiny, sparkly things but, until now, nothing has inspired me.

Today I decided I was going to have a creative day.  In the end I didn't create very much.  I took The Boy's scuba diver cufflinks apart and put them back together with sterling silver wire in a double wrapped loop instead of the specially bought cuff link chains that were far too long. Humph!

Tiaras were on my mind so I took the reel of 2mm diameter copper wire that's in my 'shiny bits' box and shaped it into an Alice band to use as a base, then I gave it a gentle going over with a chasing hammer to harden it up a little and filed the ends to smooth and shape them.  Then I lost my inspiration again.  Tiaras are what I started with but I stopped liking them so much after a while, probably because my creative Muse had deserted me.

So.... I took the little silver leaves that I made with silver artclay and decided to use The Boy's Dremel to drill holes for jump rings.  Slight problem.  The drill bits were way too small for the chuck in the Dremel.  So... I'd to resort to the maual method., ie, twirl the impossibly thin drill bit with my fingers.  It took a while and I'll probably have RSI as a result, but I did it.  Result!

I suddenly remembered about dinner, or lack of any kind of meal in progress so I chopped onions and braising steak, put them on to cook and ran out to the butcher's to buy puff pastry.  Potatoes are peeled and in the pot and peas are ready to go.  Dinner sorted.

The fresh air must have done the trick because when I went back upstairs to my 'studio' I felt inspired at long last.  I name my Muse 'Irritation' as she irritates the Hell out of me by not being at my beck and call.

I was looking for something to match bright, pure copper wire.  The gold coloured lampwork beads I took out first just didn't go.  Then I came across some heart shaped lampwork beads in pale blue with a dark gold foil and there was no stopping me after that.  Add a few pale blue fresh water pearls, some sort of coppery coloured Swarovski pearls, some pale blue and peach Swarovksi crystals and we're sorted.

I won't show you the naff results of me trying to photograph myself wearing the finished result.  They're just too awful.  I will try to take more photos in the daylight to show up the lovely colours but this is probably the best photo I managed to take using the transparent lid of a tiara box as a prop:


I haven't made a tiara in a while but I'm really pleased with this one. I think it's the prettiest one I've ever made.  This is for the bride who wants to be that little bit different.  Or it would suit someone with vibrant red hair.

Did I do good?  I will be listing it on Etsy, Misi, or Folksy later.  Check my website later to find out where.

2 comments:

  1. I think it's lovely!! I was a natural red head once but now need to resort to the bottle. I'd have just loved to wear this in my teens and twenties..

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  2. Thank you. I love copper at the moment for some reason and the pale blue just seemed to go... and I thought of red heads.

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