For those that celebrate Easter or Passover, I hope you're all having a happy holiday season! I decided to post a few more pics of the Neck Laces that I've been working on and tell a story about a recent trip to my local Michael's Craft store I had this weekend...
I've been looking for things to use as "centerpieces" for these little ditties... I decided to expand beyond acrylic cabochons and move into things that are a little more varied. I had gone online to do some exploring, and was overwhelmed by the variety that is offered out there... I had no idea there was so many options to mount on things! Real stones, polymer clay creations, resin figurines... I just about shorted out my keyboard I was drooling so badly! My creativity hormones went off the scale, and I was frozen with an inability to actually decide what I wanted. There were too many choices!
For some, that's great. But I've heard that as human beings, when we are presented with a few choices and we end up making a decision, we are happy. We like that flexibility. But it's been proven that when we have too many choices we start to feel unhappy--we doubt our decision making abilities, and are never truly satisfied with our selection. It's like choosing from 3 salsas in a taste test or choosing from 10. It's incrementally harder to make up one's mind, and we're never really sure we chose right...
Well, that's how I felt. Blown away. So what did I do? I decided to go to Michael's so I could narrow my choices, see things in person, and feel better about what I was buying.
Wrong answer. I forgot that jewelry is really really, really, REALLY popular to make right now. The aisles and aisles of jewelry beads and rhinestones and findings and cabochons and charms were just as daunting as the internet!! I wanted everything, could afford very little, and left feeling like I could have purchased more had I been smarter and patient and ordered off the internet.
But I did get a few lockets, heat set rhinestones, bugle beads, and charms to add to my collection. My instant gratification fix was satiated. 
I also remembered (too late) that I owned a book on making my own little charms myself: Making Mixed Media Art Charms and Jewelry by Peggy Krzyzewski and Christine Hansen. I perused that when I got home and realized there was a lot of stuff that I could make on my own with supplies I already had.
So I've taken some of my bead stock and some of my jewelry findings and created a few dangly pieces that I am going to add to my Neck Laces. And I put some holes in some bottle caps, and suspended things from them as well, so there's a real "folky" look to some. I'm excited about those! Lesson learned: (As Dorothy Gale says in the Wizard of Oz) "If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it in the first place!" Except in my case, it'd be my studio stock supplies and my reference library, not my back yard. And certainly not at Michael's.Anyway. Here's a few more pics of the pieces I've developed in the last couple of days... Thought I'd share! Until next time, Live Life with Relish!
I'm in my beads phase now having gotten addicted a few weeks ago. I just wish beads aren't so hard to hook needles into.
ReplyDeleteThe colors are lovely in these pieces.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about too many choices, but it is fun to see what is out there. I like to touch the things, so that's what I do when I meet my friend to shop-end up buying things I don't need too.
Good morning, Corey ... thanks for sharing your latest creations, all of these neck laces are just gorgeous! That was my first thought as I began reading your post, thinking that could be a whole other venture, to make your own focal pieces.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was involved with the bracelet project I visited so many sites where all the many things you listed were being created with beads, clay etc. etc. Stunning! and I sincerely think that supporting these artists would be alot more fun than a trip to Michaels!
But I can see the wheels turning and look forward to seeing what you come up with next, always!
Happy creating.
Getting the beads threaded isn't my problem--it's the thread catching onto the previously sewn beads and creating little loop tangles... I don't have enough hands to control the thread!! LOL! I'm sure I'm doing something wrong int he process, though, and I'll get a book to figure it out... Beading isn't easy, is it? Haha!
ReplyDeleteSandy, I think touching part is all important. It's a visceral experience that a photograph on the internet just can't replace... Try as I might to remain strong and not buy things, I inevitably end up in the checkout line! Having one thing on my list guarantees I'm actually going to get three things! LOL!
ReplyDeleteSusan--Yeah, I always feel a bit guilty going into Michaels... There are a number of bead stores in San Diego that are independently owned and operated. I think I need to start getting what I need from those places and perhaps I'll be more directly supporting a local economy. I keep telling myself, "No more Michaels!" and every time I end up waiting in line for 20 minutes to check out... You'd think I'd learn! Haha!
ReplyDeleteI think I'll spend some more time exploring my options on the internet--you're absolutely right. There are indeed a lot of creative pieces out there that are waiting for people like me to come buy them! I'll keep you posted on what I find!