Well, it's the end of the month again, and you know what that means! It's time for the great Art Jewelry Elements Blog Component of the Month challenge.
This month we all had the chance to play with one of Linda Landig's beautiful oak leaf and acorn pendants. I chose this little guy:
I loved the pale celadon green of the background, and the orangey brown of the leaf and acorn. For me, this type of green is very reminiscent of Home (Oregon/Washington), like trees through mist or rain. Oak trees are also super plentiful back home, so this month I decided to make a tribute to fall in the pacific Northwest.
Then I did something I've NEVER done before. Last week I took my component to work with me so I could sketch at lunch...and left it there over the weekend by accident! Now when I realized that the reveal was today, I knew I needed to get to work and make the majority of the necklace without the component, in the hopes that I could stitch or tie it in the middle at the last second. Here is what I came up with.
I had in my head a design with long green fringe, and a pile of leaves "raked" into it, but I didn't have time to do something fully stitched. Designs like that usually require me to have the main focal on my tray for color choices and shape/size judgments anyway. So I came up with an idea to incorporate waxed linen fringe, stitched seed bead fringe, and my favorite leather lace. Do you see the empty set of holes above the green fringe? Guess what goes there...
I took my linen and a couple of seed beads to work today, just so I could attach the component at lunch and finish the piece. I simply passed the waxed linen through the holes I had made before, tied a couple of overhand knots to attach the piece, and finished off the fringe with some more seed beads. (Side note - doesn't that foil inside the large Indian lampwork bead remind you of a crunchy leaf?)
Dangling from the seed beaded fringe are laser cut wood oak leaves from an artist in Gatlinburg TN. I drilled little holes in the top for stringing. Alternating with the wood leaves are some vintage lucite leaves too - to give a little bit of diversity. I love the sound the lucite and wood makes when the necklace moves - almost like leaves rustling across the ground. I moved to 8/0 and 6/0 picasso finished seed beads for the waxed linen fringe. I love the mossy frame it creates for the dangling leaves.
And the beauty shot. I fully admit to some trepidation when I realized I had to make this piece without having the component in hand...but I'm pretty happy with the end result.
Please hop along and see what everyone else made with Linda's gorgeous creations. I'm off to do just that right now!
Gorgeous Lindsay antotally original as always....love the effect of the layered fringing...makes me think Indian squaw! :0)
ReplyDeleteI am just always amazed and how much you get done in such a short amount of time - awesome!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. I love the vibrant colors and I love those leaves.
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice piece you created without the benefit of having the focal with you Lindsay. It came out very well. I like the choice of complementary beads that you used.
ReplyDeleteMona
Wow!!!! That's stunning Lindsay I love it... I bet it makes a wonderful sound when you wear it!
ReplyDeleteOh my, this is spectacular!! I've so enjoyed seeing what everybody created and you created an amazing piece!
ReplyDeleteOh my this makes me want to jump in a pile of crispy leaves! I love the way you have stitched the beads to the leather (you have a fantastic eye for detail) and the way the beautiful green beads trail down the sides framing the piece!
ReplyDeleteI love your design and fall colors. I like how you worked in your seed beads with your creation.
ReplyDeleteSee - Im always in awe of not only what you come up with but how effortless you make the engineering look. And it always works for you... Drooling over your 8 and 6 picasso seeds. They are sweet. The piece IS a statement. I love your conceptual approach - pile of leaves. And the sensory experience - sound, feel,....
ReplyDeleteVery impressive! I can almost hear the wind rustling through the leaves. This is a really magnificent statement piece.
ReplyDeleteThis is so beautiful! I love fringe and this with the different greens and leaves is spectacular. I'm also impressed how wonderfully it all goes together in the end when you were designing without the focal!
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