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Making the Best of It...

Sometimes things happen and leave us hanging.  Recently I had a trip planned that feel apart and I was very bummed then aha!  the "cat" in me realized I was home alone for three days...and then a freind of mine sent me this and I a laughed and laughed...

                                                

I always need more time in the studio so I decided that I would walk past everything that I would have left behind on my trip anyway and really spend some quality time in the studio and see what happened.  No agendas other than playing with things there.

I noticed that I had a LOT of things in my studio that had a hole in the center.  I decided to focus on ways to make them into something fun to wear.  I started with a piece that I had successfully made in a class with Andy Cooperman and used it as a jumping off point.

This gear was in my stash for a long long time and I finally made something with it.  I love this pin as the gear moves so it's fun for "chimping" a term I learned from Andy.  When the "buyer" wears something and fiddles with it...it has to be strong enough to hold up under the chimping.  I tend to chimp my jewelry so this piece is great entertainment.  My only regret is not setting a sparkling stone in the border in a silver tube.  

I am considering retrofitting it with a cold setting but haven't gotten up the nerve to drill the hole.

I had a piece of Roman era glass I had just run across so I decided to set it through the hole...using a similar technique I came up with this pin..

I never "got" why makers did a series of similar pieces but after two days  I realized that it was a great way to master a technique and explore the possibilities without going back to square one!  So I got on a roll...This disk of glass was bored in my drawer.  Glass is tricky because of the breaking so both of these pieces took extra thought for sure.

This large worn down shell needed a home too!

Did I say I love pins!  I like the way I can put them somewhere and they stay put.  Sometimes a pendant drives me nuts when I am zipping around and it is swinging back and forth.  I also work with power tools and pendants, chains and a jeweler's wheel are a bad combo.

The smaller shell I was setting in this one broke when I got careless--over confident?   so I used the tube of sterling to mash down and make a focal point.  I love mashed down crunched metal.  

 

 here is the back of one of the pins, I'm starting to want them to be as beautiful as the front!

 I belong to a grouo on Facebook called Happy Accidents and I think this one would qualify.  Leave a comment and I will draw a name to send The Overflowing Stash too...it has been growing! Linda

 

France 2013

Last call for students to join us in France 2013!  We had some "life" situations come up and have some last minute openings.  We will be traveling to Paris and spending each day at the flea market  in the morning then museums and sight seeing in the afternoon.  We will then journey by train to our class at the lovely La Cascade where we will make souvenirs from our finds!

Here is some "eye candy" to let you know the amazing finds only in Paris! 

I love love love hardware!

and vintage jewelry...

 and letters and numbers of all kinds...

  

When we go south we see such amazing little villages...this is Soreze where "Au Chocolate" was filmed....I am pretty sure Johnny Depp is still hanging out there somewhere...

 

 

and of course you can't leave without making friends with a little French Bull Dog!!  

The teachers will be Debbi Simon, Brenda Schweder and Linda Larsen and we will guide you to the markets and help you make souvenirs of your amazing trip!

Email me if you want more information...linda@objectsandelements.com

The winners from last weeks blog have been emailed with their prize, thanks for all your comments....