Tiaras for Mum

Don't know why a farm girl from Iowa would love tiaras  (hate pageants, BTW) but I do.Maybe it was watching "A Queen for a Day" on TV in the 50s (when I was a VERY SMALL CHILD!!!)

Sparkles. Jewels. So much cooler than barrettes.

So now I can just make them. and I have been doing just that.

Some of these are wearable....but I know that most people who may love tiaras and crowns most likely won't wear them much....so some are really designed for your Queen Mum (Mom) to hold her crown jewels (Grandkids photos).

Like this...(aren't my sister's grandkids and my nephews cute???)

I really like the copper and turquoise combination.

But tiaras to wear are cool, too, like this one from stained glass.

Yup, it's a bit heavy. So, ask any monarch if wearing a crown isn't hard work!
This one is lighter....

Then there's this - made from an old silver-plated basket. It was all dented and bent, partly detached from the very crumpled bowl. Found it in the back of my friend Dewey's truck (he's a metal recycler...good friend to have!) Now it's a circlet crown, of sorts. Maybe Laura will like it.

Such fun. Happy Spring.

Honeydew with Pearls

One more garland complete - Honeydew.  Reclaimed creamy satin drapery cord, cream embroidered satin ribbon, green organza ribbon and a remnant of beaded trim.

Glass triangles are accented with dangles of glass, crystal and pearls.

The scary part is the only supply newly purchased is the glass and solder. All the beads and ribbons and pearls and fibers are from my stash...

How I Got My Groove Back....

Been having trouble getting creative lately, but finally dosed myself with an antidote, ....and it wasn't Taye Diggs nor our recent trip to San Diego.

I started something completely new and different - which means SHOPPING, NEW TOOLS and a new MEDIUM. So far I've probably spent over $200 - not sure since I'm afraid to hit the "Summary Report" button in Quick Books.

But I now have a working soldering iron, glass cutter, a box of lovely glass from the scraps bin (read: cheaper) at the local Stained Glass Station. And so far I've made 3 girly garlands from glass, beads, silk, fibers, ribbons and chains....This one is Miss Havisham's Wedding Garland.

I found myself working into the wee hours, learning the soldering steps, then making the little glass triangles. But combining the glass with the fibers into a garland that hangs happily takes time too.
This one is Medieval Fantasy - I got carried away with the hand-dyed ribbons (which I bought a while back, not knowing what they'd be good for) so that the pretty amber fern-textured glass  is a little lost. It needs to be in a window with light shining on it.

It looks very cool close up, in person - it's currently for sale in Eclectics.www.eclecticskc.com

My goal was this one - it's been living inside my head for a while and now it's hanging in the gallery.

Grey silk, vintage silver chain, beads and dark mirror glass....Thru a Glass Darkly. The beads at the bottom of each glass mirror are vintage cracked marbles! From back in the day when it was cool to heat marbles then drop them into cold water to see them crack (NOTE: if you try this, be sure to use safety precautions - we're talking very hot glass here!) These were clear marbles, have tiny bales glued to them and were strung on a chain as a necklace. It's one of my saved weird old jewelry items I thought I'd never use!

Garlands each measure about 45" long, with 7 or 8 pieces of glass and a loop and a little extra on the end for hanging. Of course, I can't just have ribbons and stained glass triangles (about 3-4" long, 2-3" wide at the top) without adding jewelry elements.

Can't wait to make more. I bought some great glass colors and am really getting the hang of the soldering, thanks to the repetition!!

I think they will look great hanging above a mirror or with a strand of twinkly lights or in a window.

But best of all, I made something new AND have some new tools to boot!