Green Girl Studios and Bead Commitment Issues....

My bead commitment issues have re-surfaced. ABS loves Cynthia Thornton's wondrous book,Enchanted Adornments. Cynthia's book and Green Girl Studios beads, pendants and toggles always make me want to become a woodland fairy. The lovely assortment above was sent to me by the amazingly talented designer and creative soul, Andrew Thornton in a swap readying ourselves to do a Collaboration Exploration. It was about then that I was hit with migraines which I'm still struggling with - so our collaboration has been delayed. (My bad Andrew!)

Right about now you're wondering what this has to do with my bead commitment issues? These pieces are laying right in front of me now, I've figured out about 100 designs I could make with them but I can't get myself to commit to a permanent design for them.

I love holding them in my hands and reading the oh-so-pithy phrases on the back. They're like little bits of magic. So maybe it's not so bad afterall to want to keep them loose so they be held and read and carried in my pocket so I always have a bit of a woodland fairy's magic with me.

Today's Treat

Today marks the beginning of a repeating blog series called, "Today's Treat." I'll showcase a piece of jewelry or a special bead with a story behind it. The art beads and jewelry I create has a story behind it, a reason it was created and I'll share those stories with you.

Today's Treat showcases pendants I created with Earthenwood Moon face and Green Girls Studio Dryad head . I have a personal stash of Earthenwood beads - Melanie imbues her beads with her personality, sensitive, earth conscious with attention to detail. Each Earthenwood bead is finely crafted. I sense the same feeling from Green Girl Studios work - each bead has significance - when you create with a Green Girl bead, you're making a statement about the natural environment. Both of these face beads carry their own message so I wanted to create pendants that would stand alone on a single rubber cord.

I paired the face beads with my Glass Spirals and sterling silver. While the moon face and the dryad head speak to the natural world, they're also whimsical. They needn't be too serious. I wanted to create a fantasy pendant and in order to achieve that, I needed wings. Glass wings were created at the torch using silver foil and dichroic glass to make them shimmer. The "wing" beads are versatile and look like wings or tail fins depending on how they're strung. A sterling silver crown completes the fantasy.

Artbeadscene hosts a monthly design challenge with fabulous themes - so hats off to ABS for inspiring me with their August Challenge - Midsummer Night's Dream. This is my midsummer night's dream, what is your midsummer night dream like?