My Addictions...Handcrafted Jewelry by Patti: Kelley Ford Wenzel

Saturday, February 25, 2012

7000 Bracelets for Hope Blog Hop

What is The Global Genes Project and what are 7000 Bracelets of Hope for?

The Global Genes Project exists to raise awareness and support for the more than 30 million people affected by rare diseases. There are currently over 7,000 rare diseases identified, and 75% of those affected are children. With the 7000 Bracelets Campaign, the Children's Rare Disease Network gives artists and crafters an opportunity to lovingly share their creative gifts with families who have a child suffering with a rare disease.

Erin from Elysian Studios and Christine of One Kiss Creations Beaded Jewelry are hosting this Blog Hop for the 7000 Bracelets of Hope this year. 7000 Bracelets of Hope is run through the Global Genes Project . The bracelets are donated to the mothers and caretakers of these children, as a way to give them a little support and lift their spirits.

The theme is to make a bracelet with hues of blue, and to try to make the bracelet adjustable. I am a bead whore - it is terrible! Because of this self-imposed illness, I made not one, but four bracelets - all blue, and all adjustable.

The first bracelet above features deep blue freshwater pearls, wire wrapped with tiny white freshwater pearls to a bold silver chain. The clasp was hand formed from heavy gauge, sterling silver wire.

The second bracelet features ceramic rounds, which have been wire wrapped with heavy gauge, silver plated wire. The bracelet can be fastened into any of the large, wire wraps, making it adjustable. I placed a small, "believe" pewter charm in the last ring.

The third bracelet features a focal bead by Unicorne Beads - it has beautiful shades of blue throughout, including little dots of dichroic glass. This has been wire wrapped, with heavy gauge sterling silver wire and sweet, powder blue ceramic rounds, and a hand formed clasp. The bracelet terminates with a lovely headpin made by Kelley's Bead Studio.

The last bracelet features varying shapes of turquoise beads and antique brass beads, wire wrapped to a heavy duty, brass chain. I placed a lovely dragonfly charm by LeAnn of Summers Studio on the last link.

It is my hope that whoever ends up with one of these bracelets (ANY of the bracelets in this blog hop as well) gains comfort and a little bit of hope in knowing there are people "out there" who are praying for a cure for their little ones.

Please be sure to visit all of the blog hop participants, and thank you for stopping by my little world!

Elysian Studios and One Kiss Creations

The Studio Sublime Crafty Hope
The Gossiping Goddess
SilverRose Designs
Firefly Visions
Pink Chapeau Vintage Jewelry
Michelle Mach
Pine Ridge Treasures
Backstory Beads
Adventures in Creativity with Lorillijean
Carefree Jewelry by Lisa

Sue Beads

MiShel Designs

Saturday, February 11, 2012

ABS Challenge - February 2012

The Conference of Birds by Habiballah

From the ABS website - The Art

This painting illustrates the beginning of Attar's mystic allegory where the birds begin their pilgrimage in search of the Simurgh (representing ultimate spiritual unity). Under the leadership of the hoopoe (perched on a rock at center right), who exhorts them to be steadfast and unwavering in their joint quest, the birds ultimately learn that they are identical to the Simurgh (which means 'thirty birds'). This illustration depicts a scene from the mystical poem "Mantiq al-tair" (The Language of the Birds), composed by the twelfth-century Iranian Farid al-din `Attar. The birds symbolize individual souls in search of the Simurgh (a mystical bird representing ultimate spiritual unity) and are assembled here to begin their pilgrimage under the leadership of the hoopoe (perched on a rock at center right). The idyllic landscape in which the birds have congregated appears to be in harmony with the late-fifteenth-century Timurid miniatures in the manuscript. The hunter carrying a matchlock (firearm), which is irrelevant to the story, was a popular motif at that time. In contrast, the tree with a snake climbing toward a bird's nest may have been inspired by the same motif on another Timurid folio page. The motif of goats on a mountain is also typical of Timurid paintings. Probably Habiballah used these Timurid motifs to visually align the additional Safavid illustrations to the original Timurid pages.

My Interpretation

What I first see when I look at this painting is a winding river, surrounded by trees and shrubs along its river bank, speckled with birds feeding on its nourishment. The red of the birds' beaks and the green foliage pop. I tried to capture that river in my vast selection of beads, and I think I found it in this gorgeous lamp work bead by Kelley Ford Wenzel, which she aptly named "Desert Creek". Though my picture may not truly show the colors of her bead, there is a tinge of blue-green swirl, which is reflected in the blue-green of this sweet little lamp work bird, by Elise Thomas.

The red beaks of the birds in the original painting are also reflected in Kelley's focal bead, which I accented throughout the necklace with red agate beads.

I wire wrapped some vintage resin "wooden" beads that mimic the towering tree and earth-toned shrubs in the surrounding landscape of the original painting. I used a simple wooden donut and sterling silver wire to create the clasp. This is another asymmetrical design from me, with the clasp worn to the side, in the front. This was a challenge for me - way out of my comfort zone. But....I kinda like it!

Thank you for stopping by my little world!