The Wigglebutt Blog

I can't even tell you how happy I am with this one☺ With the exception of the 2 small pink beads (which are 'reconstructed turquoise') everything about this necklace is handmade☺ I made some "organic" links using steel wire and enameled them along with some iron beads. I added a couple of ceramic beads by an  "unknown to me" artist here in AK that I got at a bead show, and two JulsBeads. All of the wire wraps and links are made with annealed steel wire and I seriously believe my fingertips are actually swollen. This turned out even better than what I had in my head! It is totally different than what I am usually inclined to make and even with the dark wire work, I think it still looks bright and cheerful! Think maybe this Year of Jewelry Project might be doing me some good ~LOVE!~

Just thought I would share a pic of my yard If you look closely, you might notice that the snow looks a tad...shiny... Yep.. about 6" of snow covered with about 2" of solid ice, thanks to 24 hours of freezing rain a couple of weeks ago. The good thing is that the 6" of snow that fell last weekend blew away quite easily when the wind kicked up. (It's very windy here in the winter) The bad news is that 'break up' won't happen for another couple of months, so we are stuck with this stuff. Lily can't stand up on this stuff but she is learning to  walk where the tire tracks compacted the snow so it didn't blow away and she can get some traction☺

I swear I have other things happening in my life than just this project.☺ Hopefully I will start posting about some of those things.... sometime....soon☺ But in the mean time I will just show you my week 3 project I don't know why, but this one was really hard to photograph (do you ever have one of those days when everything looks like it spelled wrong) Oh well..........moving on........ I must have taken about 60 shots Using different "props" Different backgrounds And different angles and I still am not really thrilled with how any of the photos came out, but I do like how the bracelet came out. It was fun to just play. I am waiting for this book , but thought I would do some experimenting on my own. I used 16g dark annealed steel wire that I got at the hardware store. I scrubbed it good with a sanding sponge, then I shaped the links, whacked at them with a hammer. Then I made some jump rings with some 20g steel wire and joined th...

This was my Week 2 project~ not because I made it in week 2 but because I finished it  in week 2 and that TOTALLY counts by the way☺ Again, the focal is a JulsBeads lampwork focal...... I can't help it, I have this addiction☺ This one took quite a while because I didn't follow a pattern (that makes it too easy when you are trying to learn something new LOL!) so I started, stopped, un-knotted and re-knotted A LOT before I finally came up with something I liked. I really do like the way this one turned out. The band is not too wide and not too skinny It's just wide enough to balance out the focal I think☺ I do already have something new started for next week and it doesn't involve a JulsBead  at all ~ lol! In fact it doesn't  involve ANY beads. I'll tell ya all about it later in the week☺

Normally I do not like to commit to long term 'crafty' projects,  mainly because I KNOW life is going to get in the way at some point. I do not make my living  making jewelry or sculpting with clay, thank goodness... Why thank goodness??? 1. I'd starve☺ So many reasons come to mind as to why I would starve,  but the main one is a total lack of  focus! I do believe that if creating was my main source of income that  that would be the incentive to "focus", but since it is just a hobby, (that I love, love, love!!!), I allow myself to try doing any project that looks like fun Which is everything I see☺ Apparently I have a need to learn EVERY jewelry making technique ~  stringing, seed beading, micro-macrame, kumihimo,  metal clay, resin, wirework and on and on....  you name it, I have to try it. (not to mention the polymer clay projects and the need to crochet every hat, earwarmer, scarf or fingerless...