The Challenge of Travel Blog Hop

The premise of this blog hop was to travel places we've never been through jewellery.  I chose New Zealand since it's a country I've never been too... when I think of New Zealand I think of  bright greens and blues surrounding Mountains  and of course Kiwi birds.... Well my kiwi bird bead has a lovely background but the little brown blob did nothing for me so it is no residing in Fred Fishes aquarium.  (One of these days he's going to run out of aquarium to swim in!)

As I was strolling through photos of New Zealand I kept running into sets for the Tolkien books... I've always loved the intro to The Hobbit... so my necklace is a tribute to Bilbo  and all the hours of pleasure people have had reading about him....  I've even include the  door into his hobbit hole as a bead in  my necklace ....

Using the flag as a jumping off point was suggested... well it's red white and blue with Stars and a union Jack... Those colours are not New Zealand in my mind! I see New  Zealand as blues, greens purples and more blues....






New Zealand's aboriginal population are the Maori's... traditionally they had elaborate tattoos... The tattoos remind me a bit of the intricately filigreed steel beads that I've been  enamelling for the last 18 months... so my trip through New Zealand is colour. 

 The necklace has a lampworked tree bead as a focal and then grades up through blue water, green trees, purple mountains and then back into blue sky;  my version of a New Zealand landscape.

I've finished the necklace with one of my enameled toggles!  All components of this necklace are made by me except for the chain which was purchased as chain.











In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole and that means comfort.
It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel; a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats - the hobbit was fond of visitors.  (From 'the Hobit' JR Tolkein)
 
And speaking of visiting I would love you to visit me on this blog hop! Don't forget to visit the other participants!  A list can be found here! http://treasures-found.blogspot.ca/

 

Almost wordless Wednesday

Have been trying to find tiny clay vases for my enamelled poppies, finally gave up and decided to try them in glass instead.  The poppies are about 3.5 inches tall.   I actually think the vase would be better a bit shorter... But by the time I decided that I had way too much white glass wound on the mandrel!

Starving Jewelry Artist Carnival Blog.... " Who and what inspired me...."

Back in the mid 90's before we/I wasted 5 + hours a day playing on the computer I was a flat glass artist... I made stained glass birds... leaded panels and large fused pieces... then I took a hand formed metals class class at Series in Red Deer think it was '94and saw some glass beads in the teachers show case made by Heather Trimlett.....   I'd already met glass beads at Pilchuk in '91... but they didn't inspire me to make my own..... 

Scroll back in time to '94 and  read about my attemps to make beads on a hot head! http://www.fireballbeeds.com/bio.html

Heather's Beads still inspire me I'd love to make hollows that are as neat as hers.... Although I'm now lusting after taking a class from this woman too...  Jari Sheese  She's teaching in FL in April... but she's teaching Easter weekend.... There are lots of cheap flights down mid week but the flights go through the roof to get home after Easter Monday... So that class isn't in my immediate future!

Some day I may even take a class from Jerry or Heather.....  In  '95 I got a video made by Kate Fowle  .... So I try to blame all my bad habits on her! Four  years ago I actually did get to take a class from her in CT....

What I can't get over is what you can get on the internet now...  I actually had a computer in '94 but I certainly didn't have an internet connection... and could scroll through pages and pages of beads....

Wonder how different my beads would be if I'd started off actually knowing what a bead was suppose to look like rather than spending 5 years locked in my studio by myself making wonky glass blobs!

The beads scattered through out this post are my latest listings on etsy and have no relevance to the blog!

Check out the Starving Artists Blog to see what other members are doing and learn interesting facts about Jewellery and Gemstones! and here's the links to other members participating this month!

J3 Jewelry
BeadSire
FamiLee Jewels
Bead Sophisticate