Greetings Beady Friends! I've been working on Poppyfield's wire "department". Terri, one of my past students, asked if I will carry wire. YES! I love wire, and envision wire work classes and projects. I am mostly self taught. However, I did have the fantabulous experience of taking a 2 day class with Lisa Niven Kelly and Laura McCabe together. They taught their award winning "Celebration" necklace at Bead and Button a few years back. I flew all the way to Wisconsin for just that 2 day class. Lisa taught the wire portion, and it was great getting tips from a pro. I also took Kris Silva's coiled bezel class at Beadfest Santa Fe 2 years ago. That was also invaluable in giving me technique and confidence to go forward further with my own exploration.
Which leads me to this recent Christmas...
I was in a bit of a frenzy with the store. So much to do, and how to do it all? I started working on the store non stop as I was having difficulty stopping. Frenzy begets frenzy (if you weren't already aware) and makes me into an unpleasant person. Then Christmas happened. Every company I was dealing with, every store, every body, just shut down for the holiday. I was forced to rest. It isn't even my holiday - but it was a bit of a miracle for me. I started "making stuff" again. I hadn't made a thing since Margo announced she was closing Poppyfield.
I opened my wire drawer and pulled out my base metal stash- nickel and copper. Base metal is inexpensive, looks good, and guilt free for experimenting. I looked through some old magazines and books and came up with 2 new designs. The first is a Valentine inspired heart with crystals in fuschia and a white pearl dangle. The second is more complex and my first try at weaving since the class with Kris. It uses sterling silver beads, a chalcedony top drilled briolette, and glass drops. Both were done with just pliers and fingertips.
A Little Romance - Wire Wrapped Heart by Julia Hecht
Good Tears Pendant by Julia Hecht
When everyone rebooted on Monday I was rejuvenated and ready to go. I was also calmer, thinking more clearly, and probably more pleasant to be around. It was a powerful lesson about balance, and taking breaks.
Now...off to work to finish my wire "department" inventory order: pliers and cutters, jigs, and Artisitic Wire (colored copper wire gauges 16 - 32). Yay!!
