Ribbon necklaces

One of my favourite new designs is the silk ribbon wrap bracelet/necklace. The ladies at Class Act Designs commisioned this bracelet above, after seeing my Forbidden Love necklace, below.

 I embroider 15/o seed beads onto the ribbons (they may need ironing; do this with caution) around a focal bead such as this metal heart from Green Girl Studios.

 

 

When I saw this little Shiva Nataraja pendant at Tika Imports, I knew I was going to buy it. Why? Because I've been looking for one ever since reading the book 'Shiva's Fire', about a girl Parvati with the power of dance. I've looked for years for a pendant version of the dancing Shiva in his ring of flames, but only found little statuettes until the B&B show.

  

I paired the pendant with the hot pink and orange silk ribbon from Class Act Designs as befitting an Indian-inspired piece, and embroidered slanting lines in gold 15/o seed beads.

Forbidden love

 

The most forbidden of loves is not that of a mortal for an immortal (basically, just a special-needs human, nothing forbidden about that).

 

It's not that of two people from familes who don't like each other.

 

It's not the cheerleader and the captain of the chess club or whatever (yes, I read a lot of junior chick lit).

 

The most forbidden of loves is that which you don't allow yourself to have.

 

Made for HeartToHearts' 'Forbidden Love' contest, reflecting the theme 'Forbidden Love'. A hand-dyed silk ribbon is hand-embellished with tiny gunmetal glass beads, supporting a pewter bead, artisan-made from Green Girl Studios. It's a heart-shaped bead, looks like it's been covered with riveted steel plates all over. One side reads 'Unbreakable'. The unbeaded portion ties around the neck as a necklace.

The Final Mystery

The other day, I sat down to finally make a bracelet that my sister had sketched for me, to use the special Sphinx gold bead from Green Girl Studios (I have a bit of a problem designing with Special Beads, which Green Girl beads always are). I dutifully pulled out the bag she'd put together containing all the beads required (gold bead, black lava coins, topaz crystal rondelles), and began to string theprescribed pattern of gold bead on the end, then alternating lava and crystal rondelles paired with tiny silver spacers.

But I found I didn't want to make a simple bracelet. Then inspiration hit me--I strung a topaz/gold Scooplet beaded bead in between the last two lava coins, and the necklace snowballed from there. I went on up the side of what I realized was fast becoming a necklace, stringing my remaining topaz crystal rondelles between silver spacers and gold seed beads, finishing with a flourish--a long loop of gold seed beads back down the strand. The other side would be a single strand, so to balance the lighter but double strand of the first side,  I pulled out some darker topaz/amber pressed and faceted glass, ending again with a loop of seed beads connecting with the first loop. A gold filigree navette clasp near the sphinx bead completed the necklace.

The sphinx bead reads 'the final mystery is oneself'.

The Blue Door

She is keenly aware of the slightest sensation as she ascends the staircase--the summer silk dress unworn for years, brushing against her ankle with every movement; the soles of her shoes knocking softly against aged wood, a reminder that her every step is a fresh decision to approach the blue door at the end of the hallway, and whoever lives behind it.
She is almost mesmerized by the memory of his voice. "Did you get the key?"

I mentioned in an earlier post that I'm inspired by more cerebral concepts in movies, as well as overt imagery. This is such a necklace, inspired by a scene in the art movie 'Fur'. Freshwater pearls, turquoise chips, some lovely frosted cobalt seed beads, ethereal gray silk ribbon that I (for once) bought for this specific project, and Green Girl pewter keyhole and key from last year's Bead & Button Show, all went into the making of this necklace. It went through a few changes from the original design, and all of them have made it better.