Merry-go-round collaboration project!

For the last friday of the month and last day of the year, we decided on a collaboration project for our Merry-Go-Round posts. Each of us received some supplies from another merry member and the challenge was to create a collaboration piece.

Kim of Viltalakim, asked me which colours I preferred and sent me the most DELICIOUS supplies made out of felt! I receive little acorns with their natural hats, 2 of them still on their little branches!! – felted ‘cords’ which will be perfect for bracelets and necklaces, and the most incredible piece of felt I have ever held in my hands. First the colours are my favourite combo: green and pink, I just love it! Furthermore, the felt piece had FOLDS!!!!They add texture and movement without me doing anything to it… Just fabulous!



Straight away I knew I wanted to make a cuff adding lace and wired pieces.



Working with Kim’s felt was pure pleasure, the felt is thick and soft, I hardly have any visible stitches on the back of the cuff, so no need to hide anything and it becomes a real wrist warmer, it’s sooooooo lovely and soft!!!




My wired pieces consist of a leaf with silver plated wire and semi-precious stones and a dragonfly made out of copper wire with topaze, rock crystal chips and crystals. I added embellishments of fabric and lace flowers, and a few beads, ribbon and lace that I found in my local market.
This one is MINE!!! I absolutely ADORE it!!! THANK YOU KIM!!!!

Such a nice way to finish the year, I enjoyed all our merry posts throughout 2010 and I look forward to 2011!!!
Have a look at what everyone else made!!

Kim at Vilt a la Kim - http://viltalakim.blogspot.com
Sara at Crafts of Texture - http://sarastexturecrafts.blogspot.com
Mariana at Florcita - http://www.florcita.eu/
Agathe at Le Bar du Vent - http://lebarduvent.blogspot.com
Lily at Lily Pang Art and Design - http://lilypangart.blogspot.com
Mitsy at ArtMind - http://artmind-etcetera.blogspot.com
Ruth at Birdlandcreations - http://insidetheartisan.blogspot.com

Another Cuff!

Finished yesterday! I am really enjoying this new line!!! :)
Viva the Merry!!!

Merry-Go-Round!!

It''s time for another ride on the merry-go-round! Jump on and join a group of 8 artists/crafts-women as they link around the world and tell you a little about their lives in art and craft.
This month: How to care for your art - information for buyers.

My jewellery is mainly made out of silver plated and artistic wire. To enjoy it for as long as possible, it needs to be kept wrapped in tissue paper and/or sealed plastic bag, in a dry place, away from dust and humidity. The stones will not budge but the wire won't like getting wet, so avoid washing dishes and the likes while wearing it. Handmade jewellery is always a little more fragile, despite my taking huge care and many hours to make sure that all wire ends are secure, it is not as strong as machine made jewellery. Be aware, but ENJOY!!!

Here's a little extra bit, directly related to last month merry post, which was about trying something new... I dived into fabric and sewing, and managed to finish a piece I LOVE... And it's all thanks to this wonderful group of thought provoking, super friendly and supportive ladies!!! A huge thank you to you all, especially to Ruth, our guru!! :)

So here's my take on wire-wrapping and fabric:





Last but not least: I am already not very good at all at blogging... I apologise in advance, as I have a feeling it might get worse lol: We are expecting our first baby at the end of January, and he is already mushing up my brain!! So don't expect too much from me for a few months lol!!!:)

Thanks for reading! ;)

Earrings... Boucles...

The Dream Seller Ring * Bague Marchand de Songes

Les Années Folles... The Roaring 1920's...

Pour le défi "Années Folles" d'ALM voici un (modeste) homage à la célèbre, énigmatique et fascinante Mademoiselle Chanel, qui dans ses bijoux fantaisie aimaient que les pierres semi-précieuses côtoient les fausses perles, le strass et les métaux considérés non-précieux.



Dans “l’esprit de Coco”, de belles aigues-marines naturelles dans les tons allant du bleu au blanc sont accompagnés de perles de verre beige irisé récupérées d’un collier des années 70, séparées par des petites pierres naturelles: aigue-marine, nacre et quartz blanc. Le tout est monté sur double fil noué à la main après chaque perle.



Le collier (qui peut aussi se porter en bracelet) est réhaussé d’un élément en wire plaqué argent d’inspiration Art Déco, composé d’une phrénite au centre et brodé de perles d’eau douce, aigue-marine, nacre, quartz blanc et petites perles de verre, fini par un toggle et apprêts en métal argenté.
Le collier mesure 59 cm et pèse 44 gr.



For ALM 's Roaring Twenties theme this month, here is my modest contribution to the famous, enigmatic and fascinating Mademoiselle Chanel, who liked in her costme jewellery to mix precious and non-precious elements.



So in this necklace called "Coco's Spirit", beautiful natural aquamarine sit next to 'salvaged' glass beads from a 70's necklace, separated with small stones (quartz, mother-of-pearl and aquamarine), strung on double thread which has been hand-knotted between each bead. Accompanied by a Art Deco inspired wire-wrapped element embroidered with small natural stones. Finished with metal toggle and findings.
The necklace can also be worn as a bracelet, measures 59 cm and weighs 44 gr.

Merry-Go-Round!!!!

It's time for another ride on the merry-go-round! Jump on and join a group of 8 artists/crafts-women as they link around the world and tell you a little about their lives in art and craft.

This month's topic is : Get out of your comfort zone and try something new!

This month’s merry theme has been an absolute treat for me, since I felt my inspiration deserting me with my wire-wrapped pieces lately, so a little break from wire was very welcome indeed!

Like everyone else, I have bits of fabric lying around doing absolutely nothing, and despite having moved house 3 times in the past 5 years, these remnants have survived 3 clear-outs, so I decided to find something to do with them!

I like sewing, I am no good at it, I don’t know anything about it, but I love the idea of being able to make something out of fabric. It involves so many skills!!! The most challenging for me was to actually think about what the finished product would look like… with wire-wrapping I don’t really do the thinking beforehand, I have an idea or a mood or a colour scheme and I just run with it – or rather my wire does lol!!

So I started to look around for simple sewing projects I could do by hand (I don’t have a sewing machine), and there are thousands of websites, forums and tutorials out there!!!

I searched for a few days and in the end I stumbled upon Flowerpotdesign who very generously put together fabric flower tutorials from around the web!!!
And that was that, flowers it would be!

I read every tutorial, and came up with these:





And because you can take the girl out of the wire, but you can’t get the wire out of the girl lol:



This has given me new ideas, I am investing in supplies at the moment, so nothing concrete yet, but fabric is definitely on the cards…

Thanks for reading!

Have a look what the other merry-go-rounders have been up to:
Kim at Viltalakim -
Sara at Crafts of Texture -
Mariana at Florcita -
Agathe at Le Bar du Vent -
Lily at Lily Pang Art and Design -
Mitsy at ArtMind - unable to join in this month -

Little Planet ... Petite Planète...

Metamorphosis...

'Métamorphose', car l'oeil de tigre est une pierre plutôt masculine... que j'ai essayé ici de féminiser au maximum avec un corset!! La pierre centrale était pour moi irrésistible, tellement lumineuse!!
Collier réglable avec 2 mètres de ruban à nouer, le collier peut se porter en ras-de-cou, mi-long et sautoir.
Le pendentif est serti de wire plaqué argent, traité pour résister au ternissement, brodé de minuscules perles d'eau douce, cristaux, onyx, nacre, quartz blanc, oeil de tigre, agate indienne et citrine, et de petites perles de verre.
Merci de votre visite!




"Metamorphosis" as tiger eyes are rather 'masculine' stones... and here I have tried to make it as feminine as possible, with a corset!! The focal stone was irresistible to me, so luminous!!
Adjustable necklace with 2 meters of ribbon to knot. The necklace can be as short or as long as you want.
The pendant is wrapped with silver-plated wire and embroidered withtiny freshwater pearls, crystals, onyx, mother-of-pearl, white quartz, tiger eye, indian agate and citrine, and glass seed beads.

Le verre filé, tout l'art de Jacquelina!!

Voici le nouveau site de Jacquelina, ou vous trouverez de véritables petites oeuvres d'art par une artiste dont l'imagination débordante ne cesse d'émerveiller!!!

Still continuing on the fairy tales/kiddies stories theme, here are 2 more decorative objects (though one can be worn too as a GIGANTIC pendant!): The Little Mermaid and The Magic Roundabout. Wire and semi-precious stones as always...





Toujours sur le theme des contes ou des histoires pour enfants, voici 2 objets de plus: La Petite Sirene et Le Manege Enchanté. La Petite Sirene peut également se porter en (gigantesque) pendentif... Wire et pierres naturelles, comme d'hab.

Défi Contes et Légendes... Legends & Fairytales Challenge...

Dans le cadre du Défi Contes et Légendes sur ALM, voici mon premier objet de déco en 3D en wire-wrapping: La Tour de Rapunzel sur un lit de végétation luxuriante en pierre semi-précieuses... plus d'info ici



For ALM's Legends and Fairytales Challenge, here's is my first 'object', as opposed to a piece of jewellery, but this is not just an object I feel: this mini 3D scene could be used as a storyteller's prop when reading Rapunzel to a group of children perhaps...

La Nuit des Temps...

"La Nuit des Temps", R.Barjavel (1968)
La folie humaine et le destin tragique d'Eléa et Paikan...
Au centre de ma "Nuit des Temps": une améthyste rugueuse et scintillante, comme un glacier...