Art Bead Scene - Ornament Blog Hop

In a moment of insanity (it looks like I have lots of them lately), when Heather Powers posted on Art Bead Scene there will be an Ornament Blog Hop I said 'yes!'.

Then I had that moment of lucidity that follows the insanity: now what? I had no clear idea... so I did what I do best, leave it to brew. I don't know about you, but for me it really works (the trick is to tell yourself to brew the idea, not to forget it). Half of my work ideas come in dreams; I wake up in the morning and I suddenly have the solution of whatever issues I had.

This time I didn't dream about it, though. Couple of weeks ago, at Dee's studio, I simply rummaged through my IKEA box of boxes, looking for items. It had to be metal / wire, but I wanted some colour as well. I kept digging until I recovered an adorable blue cab with a matte finish, like etched glass (it is not glass, some sort of resin). From previous experience I know it's hard to use them in bezels, the finish is finicky and burnishing the bezel around is not looking good on the cab. While thinking of this, I kind of made the back for it, from copper, hammered and stamped. I thought one of those net-like bezels from wire would work best, I made the first raw on the net, then realized it will never go well with just the net, as the wire was too think (24 ga). There is a solution to every problem - and I found mine immediately :)

The cab is quite small (about 1" in diameter) and the ornament looked like it was missing something. Luckily for me, I always carry wire and enamel with me now.

This is what I ended up with:

Isn't it adorable? What you see is the actual size (just a tad larger in real life) and the funniest part is that today I was wearing a dress in exact those 2 blues. So I think my ornament will end up being a pendant soon :) What's best than a piece that can be both?!

I am searching for a name - something with fish net / octopus / sea life comes to mind... I haven't figured it out yet. I might add the 3rd 'leg' - I had three of them, but for some unknown reasons, one decided to melt while torched... before I even touched the enamel. It just warped itself out of solid state into a semi-liquid state. Strange, I know, as all three legs were made the same way, from the same piece of wire, same torch. Oh, well, I will survive. Maybe it's some mystical sea creature - two-legged, yes, I actually like that. 

"Mystical sea creature" :) 

Thank you for stopping by - we'll all be hopping from the ABS' site, I'll try to add the list link here as well. 

Wishing you a peaceful season: may you celebrate what you believe in with your loved ones!