Head and Shoulder

So Monday, we meet again. Though I suppose I don't have much to show for it, the weekend was long and full of activity. The new mask was named, Such A Sad Love and listed on Friday. Then the general malaise that usually sets when I finish a large project settled in making moving on a bit of a chore, but move on I did. I finished up some custom orders and got back to the shoulder jewelry. Then I got a couple more orders in, so I set aside the project to work on those, then back to the shoulder jewelry. Clearly it has become my, 'when I'm not busy' piece.

I decided to stick with simple for the long section that will wrap around the arm and just started with a simple chain matching the one in the rest of the design. After I have it as long as I hope I need it, I started adding some character to the length. I will likely add a few more of these little outcrops and then the whole piece will either get attached to the memory wire or more like will just clasp to the end. Sure, it won't have the same look as the piece it was inspired by, but it won't be uncomfortable nor need to be glues to ones arm either. Though know that I think about it, I'm afraid it might shift on the arm and unspiral...I guess I'll need to test wear it for a spell when I get the length worked up before I settle on the means of attachment.

The rest of the weekend was spent running errands, taking the kids to the Lowe's build and grow thing, making crayons with their new Crayon Maker and watching every member of my family play video games endlessly. Of course I made a few spur of the moment decisions over the weekend too. I am doing another 365 photo project. I only made it to September last year and I am starting a week late, but I'm going to stick with using my phone this time and see if the convenience keeps me on task. I have also added another day to the Wunderkammer. I received a treasury notice from someone and realized that adding an already made treasury to the blog on Sunday wouldn't be too much effort and adds more content. I'll likely oscillate between the two etsy street teams I belong to and then I won't even have to look very far.

I did also get my supplies in, so I organized and got that all put away. When there was a clear space issue, I got some more tubs and some for finished pieces as well. I got every piece put in a label tub by type. No more digging through four of them to find one piece. I will just now have to dig through one. Of course it reminded me that when I started this endeavor almost five years ago now, I had one small box of pieces, one box of thread and one box of findings. Now, not so much.

So hopefully I will get more work done on the shoulder piece, though I am starting to doubt that the original requester is going to want it. It is quite large and likely expensive at this point, but since I started I have to finish it right? Then I want to get a few new one of kind bits worked up, but I do have a vet appointment for the boy kitties today and there's always school so really, I hope I get anything done.

Shoulder Jewelry

I did it, I focused and actually started work on the arm piece. I think what was tripping me up is that I usually design whilst tatting. I don't make elaborate plans, I just start making and see how it goes. This technique works well when you understand the shape of what you're making. I've made hundreds of necklaces and bracelets, I know the shape of the foot and the hand, but this one was entirely new territory. I just kept stalling rather than trust my instincts. Of course I still have no idea whether it will fly or not, but at least I've started.

I took a bit from a hanky edging that I have already turned into a necklace. I changed the picots. added a few elements and used it as the basis for the design. Initially, I had though I was going to tat over memory wire or attach the piece to it for the whole length, but I decided that wasn't going to work at all. Instead I think I'm going to co-op the shoulder jewelry trend and have the lace drape over the shoulder and attach with a chain underneath. Then the lace will drape down the arm, hopefully in a spiral and likely end with a small bit attached with memory wire to keep it in place.

I've only gotten as far as the shoulder bit, so the rest of the design idea is just conjecture right now. I did manage to get the shape of the shoulder right on the first try, but there was a lot of hesitating before I worked that bit up. I'll try to tackle the next challenge today, the spiral bit. I have decided that even if it doesn't work as the piece it is intended to be, the work I've done so far would make a neat epaulet...again jumping on that shoulder jewelry thing, but we'll have to see how it all shakes out.

The other thing I recently decided to undertake is the retaking of listing pictures. I have many that were taken years ago, are horrible and I've just never redone them. They're mostly smaller pieces that just weren't a priority, but I should a couple yesterday and it got me thinking about it. Redoing pictures as I remake pieces would help pull the shop together and make it harder to tell which pieces I've been making since day one and which I created yesterday. I won't do it in a big group, but likely just as those piece sell and get remade. Now that it's in print, I am obligated to actually follow through...which is the reason I write much of this stuff down. So off to it then.