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Tuesday, December 3, 2013

{Rolling Blog Hop Challenge} Christine of One Kiss Creations

A short while back, I asked some creative and inspiring women if they would like to participate in a loose kind of blog hop.  Instead of everyone posting on the same day, we will post as we get our projects done, with an end of November deadline.  I send them each a package containing vintage wooden spools like you see on the upper left of the blog (badge compliments of Hope's wonderful photography and Janet's tweaking...thanks ladies~it looks great!).  I found them while antiquing in NJ.


It's my turn!
My spool ideas were all over the place.  Eventually, I had it narrowed down to two ideas and did a little sketching.  Normally, I do not sketch, but have found that when I do, I can stay on track.  I think I need to do it more often.




The first idea was to saw the spool into rounds.  I was hoping to get 4 rounds out of a spool.  I was lucky enough to get two rounds.  These suckers, as we have heard, like to break and fly.  I wanted them not completely even but even enough.  I gave them a quick sand to take away the roundness and give them subtle angles.  I used ladybugs Liz from Bead Contagion gave me, orange and yellow seed beads Cynthia from Antiquity Travelers gave me, dyed howlite flowers I picked up at Michael's, red twin holes and purple seed beads I had in my stash, and green fireline I found at Cabela's on clearance.  I ran my thumb nail down it a few times to stretch it out and it softened it up nicely.  These have the flowers on both sides of the round.












Then came the second piece.
This gave me fits.
I worked up the spools just how I wanted them.  Turning it into a necklace was another story.  I seriously considered a shadow box.  Then I decided on a necklace.  I should have stuck with shadow box.  I might still do it.  We'll see.  Anyway...initially, it was strung on bamboo cord with big wooden beads.  Serious kindergarten art.  I live with it for 2 weeks and cut it all up.  Then I did what you see here.

It was when I was making the sari beads from my last post that I decided to make these cloth beads.  I was at the hardware store and picked up some annealed stainless steel wire.  I used the thicker gauge as the core of the bead, wrapped some free fabric samples I scored at an upholstery shop around the core wire, and wrapped some thinner wire around that.  The buttons are from my Gram's stash.  And some other people's Grandmas' stashes as well.  The back braided cord was from Cynthia.  I was at a loss as to what to do for the back.  This piece quite literally fell from a pile of fabric scraps and landed on my shoe.  Perfect!






The spools were the first part I completed.  They turned out just like I pictured them.

I used red size 13 charlotte beads.  For the three spools, I used more of the upholstery fabric.  I sorted through my stash until I found the blue fabric.  I wanted it to be frayed and a constant fluid piece.
Spools, needles, fabric, sewing...finding stray threads and scraps everywhere.
The other two samples don't fray quite as much.  One spool of chaos is enough.
The needles are porcupine quills Liz gifted me.  Go here to read how she found them and cleaned them so they can be used in jewelry and other art pieces.  I love these!!!
I did keep some of the bamboo cord to lace these spools together and added some buttons for a dangle.










                                                                 


                                                                     The whole of it.




This was so much more of a challenge than I thought it would be.  I thought about bowing out and just hosting a few dozen times.  But I am glad I saw it through.



If you haven't already, please go see the other spools that are posted:

Janet  ~  Hope  ~  Tanya  ~  Maryanne  ~  Bobbie  ~  Cynthia  ~  Lisa  ~  Liz  ~  Kim  ~  Cynthia again  ~  Karin

Erin  and  Therese   will post theirs in the next week or so.  I really cannot wait to see what they came up with, but it will also be a little sad knowing when they do,  this Rolling Hop is over.  You all have made this so much fun!  That is what this is all about.  Fun, smiles, with a little bit of drool here and there.  Thank you Ladies ~ this turned out better than I could have imagined :-D

15 comments:

Bobbie said...

These are serious fun! The little flower earrings will bring a smile every time you wear them -- a ray of sunshine in the middle of winter. And the necklace captures the spirit of the spools' former life so nicely, with the bits of fabric. And a porcupine quill as a needle? Genius!

kimmykats said...

Grinned all the way through it. What wonderful jewelry you came up with!! This has been such a pleasure.

windrock studio said...

These gorgeous colors did my heart good! You are very brave for the attempts made and with an awesome outcome ... glorious work, my friend!

Maryanne said...

I'm glad you worked your way through the challenge because your earrings and necklace are so wonderful! They are so bright and cheerful and will always remind you of this great blog hop!

Honey from the Bee said...

There's something very fun about those spools! It makes me think of the joy we have in beads... that a sewer must have in their spools of thread and buttons. Love the bright colors - happiness!

AntiquityTravelers said...

I have been waiting for you to post! I do so love the earrings. Happy, fun, sunny ... perfect for a winter's day. and that you sawed them? you are braver than me - I would have sent them flying for sure. I managed to slice myself peeling potatoes for Thanksgiving, lord knows what I'd slice with a saw!

The spools in the necklace are fantastic on so many levels. First (and I just have to say it) for someone who won't sew ... you threw a spool party my friend?! And then your piece is a vintage seamstress delight ... it is fantastic! I LOVE that you did beading for thread, and quills for needles (that is SO cool) and clustered like you'd find on a work table. Wearable art. Whether you leave it as is, or in a shadow box. I'd still LOVE it.

Thank you for such an inventive hop that we have all clearly, totally LOVED. The best hop (IMHO) ever!

Liz said...

Those earrings are so sweet. Colorful and really fun. A sunny day with a margarita on the beach.

Your quite the tease with your post. I was so busy reading I didn't just scroll down for all the pictures. As I was reading and scrutinizing the strap I was thinking "where are the spools?" And then, bang, there they are! Amazing. It's art that happens to be wearable. I love the way you put the spools together. Bold (all 4!) and intriguing. They are separate but they are one. Wonderful use of the quills. Love the buttons.

This hop has been the most fun hop I have done. Thank you for that :-)

Miss Val's Creations said...

I love the fun colorful earrings! Those would be great on a summer day! What you did with the spools is amazing. A feast for the eyes! The quill detail adds more to the unexpected.

Unknown said...

What an inventive use of materials! I love the earrings, especially the lady bugs. these will be so much fun to wear. And the necklace! Whoa. that's a serious mixed media piece that works so so well together. Great job!

Therese's Treasures said...

Wow Christine, this is quite a statement piece I love it. Using all the different textile, metal, and natural elements in the necklace really pulls the spool theme together well. The earrings are very cute, so spring time, bright and pretty.
Therese

Patti Vanderbloemen said...

This post was such a joy to read! The earrings are sweet...love the little lady bugs!!!! Steel wire! I have not used that...yet! I am repeating a comment from above, but it applies: this has such a fabulous vintage feel to it! Well done!

Your writing just cracks me up!!!!!

Gloria said...

I will repeat what others have said and that these are "fun" pieces. They are so tactile and substantial, the necklace reminds me of candy and little tomtoms. I think a storyteller would get fabulous use of your pieces.

I've enjoyed this and all the other spool stories, too.

Karin Slaton said...

Christine, I just love your necklace!! The fabric-wrapped stainless steel combined with the vintage spools, Gram's buttons, the gifted cord, those quill needles, whisper stories of friends and family, of artful lives. And you know I love a piece with a backstory! This challenge has been so much fun...and there's still more to come!

Tanya said...

Those earrings are awesome! I love the little lady bugs.

The necklace, though .. wow. It looks amazing. I love the touches of fabric and the little needle.

Thank you so much for hosting this hop. It was so much fun and I loved seeing what everyone made.

Elysian Studios said...

I love it! Wow! what a piece of art indeed! Either wearable or in a shadowbox, this is a piece to be proud of, Christine! Beautiful!