Who Turned Out the Lights?

My computer recently decided that it would no longer 'speak' to the AC adaptor. So bought another but to no avail the charger connector on the laptop had died.
Now one of the disadvantages of not living in even a small country town is the length of the line of supply. Luckily I had the service of a 'phone-a-friend' and my daughter was able to get a docking station for the Dell which arrived today. Wooohooo back in the world again.

2 Metres of Wire . . .

That's what it took to make these.

So about now you are thinking just how big are these earrings? Or, more likely, you are nodding your head knowing what is to come.

Yep these were the earrings of indecision.

Love the scarabs, especially the soft green. Love the creamy shell and sequins. Had a lovely handmade lampwork round with a spring green core and clear surround. Strung them up, and fed the wire through the scarab and made loops on the ends of the wire. Attached the top section to the loops, but the scarab kept rolling on the pin.

Nip Nip undo

Re did it with the top loop threaded through the scarab which stopped the rolling, but and was umming and ahhhing about the size of the bottom loop.

Nip nip undo

Remake with smaller loop, but dissatisfied with the size of the lampwork bead and how the whole design sat.

Nip nip undo

Discard lampwork bead and find clear glass drops in stash. Rework bottom loop so wire wrapped drop can hang. Re thread cream beads/sequins.

Make two loops in top wire, overlap loops and try on ear wires. Nope no likee that. Needs more green and the overlapping loops pull apart

Nip nip undo

Re do bottom with green glass pearls - much bedda

Re do top wire with different loops, try earwire and pearl - looking good.

Nip nip undo WAIT WHAT ARE YOU DOING!

Recut all wire and reshape so both earrings are the same-ish. Rewire bottom loop. Rewire top loop, apply dark patina add earwires and FINALLY satisfied.  

Whew think I need a coffee.

These earrings however, took very little wire at all.

 Source of the Nile and Silk Road both in my Etsy shop
 

Coupla Newies

Barbary Coast

The Barbary Coast was the term used by Europeans from the 16th until the 19th century to refer to much of the middle and western coastal regions of North Africa – what is now Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya.

The name evokes the memories of the Barbary pirates based on the coast in Tunis, Tripoli and Algiers. They attacked merchant ships for their rich cargoes and coastal settlements in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic for slaves.
Today the Barbary Coast is a romantic exotic memory full of rich fabrics, golden treasures, fabulous tales, wooden ships and iron men. 

Ur

Ur was a supercontinent formed about 3 billion years ago during the Archeon eon. In the early period of it's existence it was probably the only continent on Earth.
Ur joined with other continents over the eons to eventually form the supercontinent Pangaea.
Rocks that made up Ur are found in Australia, Africa and India.

Purloining the Pig

 

Green Heart Trade beads with lovely crusty bits

Tiny clay tube beads                      
Indonesian glass beads in mottled matte green

    Antique pink Indonesian glass
                     

More Indonesian glass in a soft dusty mauve

All the above from geographicformations

                 
  A humungous pile of leather pieces from Eugenia Transylvania 

                           

Red Yak bone prayer beads

White Yak bone prayed beads

Ceramic scarabs

All from By Roberta Supplies

 

 Turkoman stamped squares

Turkoman buttons

All from UberKuchi

 

Mexican  Milagros from alamo2003 

 

 A bunch of silver bangles from hinic1 

Alas my piggy bank now looks like this . . . .

Back in the Swing

Take These Broken Wings
Rust, dark pewter and pale dreamy pink.
Oh, and yes that cute little round thingy is a hammered press stud and yes you can nick this idea!

 Ghost Nets
 Edgy, gritty and definitely unhinged!
 Environmental Statement earrings.

Ghost nets are fishing nets that have been lost accidentally, or deliberately discarded at sea.. They travel the oceans of the world with the currents and tides, continually fishing as they progress through the waters. They.trap a wide range of marine species including turtles, dolphins, whales, seabirds, dugong, crabs, fish and sharks.

Marine debris is such a danger to the marine environment that it is a 'Key Threatening Process.'

These gritty, edgy environmental statement earrings have been designed from salvaged metals patinaed to look as though they have spent years in the ocean. The aqua apatite nuggets represent the sea through which the nets have trawled.

Down the Rabbit Hole . . .

That's what I feel I have done the last few weeks.
Have not made a single piece of jewelery, but made lots of messes. Then I realised that the deadline for the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery exhibition, 'Park Benches', was coming up fast so I had to get my derriere in gear.
Jenni from Jenni's Beads had a post about her visit to the garden and nursery of 'Cloudhill' near my old home city of Melbourne. She took a series of photos showcasing the garden, including this wonderful rusty garden seat.

It was just perfect for the B.R.A.G. exhibition and she graciously allowed me to use her inspirational photo.

As you can see the my obsession with all things rust took over.

OK, off with the smock and beret and see if I can get the 'grunge-studio' debris under control.

Home - Home at Last

Took some time to visit the family while my son was away on business.
Boy I had forgotten how full on a mob of little kids can be! Didn't take long for the old mothering skills to surface and had it all under control after a few days.
When it came time to come home Jupiter Pluvius decided that a torrential rain event was just the ticket and the highway home was flooded in several places.
Have spent this week catching up on stuff and photographing some earrings I made before the trip.

  The Guardian