Starting off, I thought to make her a necklace that would be elaborate and striking. Her request was miles off the mind track I was on!
"Mommy make me something elegent and simple. I don't want a necklace, only a bracelet". Talk about throwing me totally off track!
Frankly, I must say I thought about it for 2 weeks. Looked through magazines in hopes of getting inspired. Three days before Prom, it dawned to me what materials I would use for the earrings first. A Swarovski Rivoli I purchased years ago from one of my trips to the United States would be the focal. Thanks to Laura Macabe class, I decided to implement the circular Peyote technique around to frame and encase the Rivoli.
As my daughters' request was for the color blue, I decided to introduce two different blues, sky blue and torquoise seed beads. For an accent color I used dark topaz AB seed beads at the inner most frame circling the Rivoli. When that was done, I strategically introduced Swarovski crystal pearls, bicones, and butterfly beads in order to give warmth, softness, youthfulness and character to the earrings.
Thankfully, after showing my daughter the first earring I got her blessings and went straight ahead to complete the second.
"Fly My Butterfly" earrings was born.
Drawing a complete blank the next day, I decided to approach it the way I always have and just create as I go along. I laugh as I recall my little bracelet journey only because I ended up learning something new myself. Naively I thought I would be able to finish a bracelet faster if I used wirework rather than off-loom. Ha! The joke was on me. But I must say, I like the outcome. A complete row of wirework with butterflies. So delicate and liberating just like the feeling a young person has when graduating. Perfect.
As more color and softness was needed, I decided to string 2 rows of crystals; one crystal pearls and the other row bicone crystals. All strung and connected to a 3-loop sliding clasp, I made the deadline and was extremely pleased. Most importantly, my most important and precious client was pleased too.
The past 11 years of beading all came down to this one critical moment- making something with my own 2 hands for my daughter to compliment her beauty on this special day in her life. Allah ya7fetha.
Fly My Butterfly...
4 comments:
It's interesting to see the dialogue between the wearer and the maker as the project begins and evolves. She will take those pieces and associate it with specific people and events and that's what wearing jewelry boils down to- evoking feelings and empowering the wearer
Beautiful pieces! What a wonderful way to share your art with a loved one.
Lubna..Yes it was definitely interesting... When you want to make a once-in-a-lifetime event be memorable in more than one way. Its challenging when you have something elaborate in mind and the "special someone" says they want TOTAL opposite :) We both were happy with the outcome. She especially liked the bracelet.
Nerissa-
It surely was what learning a craft is all about.. sharing.. and especially with those closest to your heart. Im glad you like the pieces :) Thank you.
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