Congrats to Marjorie Jumisco for winning the Beyond the Bead comments prize! Email me at theimpatientcrafter@gmail.com to claim your prize! You and your kitties are going to get a copy of my book, a promo button and a judicious smattering of CRYSTALLIZED-Swarovski Elements!
This collage necklace is a design I did for Beadalon three years ago. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I’ve been veering into mixed media since my second book
The Impatient Beader Gets Inspired. When that book came out a lot of folks in the bead industry totally scratched their heads. They simply did not get where I was going, but I did. I'm restless. I find doing the same thing more than twice to be incredibly pedantic. I like to forge new pathways, make glorious mistakes and delicious discoveries and move forward...always.
The pendant is made of a faux optical lens I got from Outside the Margins, unfortunately these aren’t available anymore. You could opt to use a vintage lens (you can get them at Art Chix Studio) and collage the items on the back and then seal them with Mod Podge OR you could use a different frame. This is an image I cut out of a vintage magazine and I couldn’t resist the pun. I’m a romantic, what can I say? I love the collage work of people like
Ann Taintor and
Josie Cirincione. Image and text works for me since I'm such a verbally driven person. You can find similar images, optical lenses and lots of great charms at Outside the Margins and ArtChixStudios (see links below.) Aren’t these Victorian style charms adorable? The little chicks make me so happy I could just squeak.
Tune in later today to hear my interview with the creative dervish Alison Lee at
CraftCast! We had a fabulous time and I’m only sorry she doesn’t live nearby because I’m quite sure we’d be stirring up creative trouble on a regular basis!
My How Soft Your Lips Are
Margot Potter for Beadalon
Copyright 2006This saucy vintage image from an old magazine was slipped into a faux optical lens with a bit of visually ‘punny’ text and a tiny cut out heart. Old magazines are easy to find at antique shops and online or you can get images from online sources who sell them in collage sheets. If you can’t find an optical lens, use a mini frame. The chain, CRYSTALLIZED-Swarovski Elements and charms give this a very Victorian appeal.
MaterialsFaux or real vintage optical lens (or mini-frame)
Vintage Magazine (or Ephemera sheets from Art Chix Studio or Outside the Margins)
Red construction paper (for tiny heart)
Printed text on white paper (Old English Text 12pt.) ‘the better to kiss you with’
6 20mm cream Swarovski pearls
4 8mm bright gold Swarovski pearls
4 6mm crystal copper Swarovski rounds
4 6mm silk Swarovski rondelles
3 gold plated metal chick charms
4 gold plated metal hand charms
3 gold plated metal lock and key charm sets
2 gold plated filigree 2 strand connectors
1 gold plated hook and eye clasp
12 gold plated filigree bead caps
25 6mm gold plated jump rings
1 20mm gold plated jump ring
1 8mm textured gold plated jump ring
2 8-link segments, 2 26-link segments, 1 25-link segment, 1 105-link segment gold plated elongated cable chain
10 ball tipped gold plated head pins
8 gold plated head pins
Beacon Zip Dry Paper Glue
Beacon 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue
3” length black satin looped ribbon
ToolsRound nose pliers
2 pairs chain nose pliers
Flush cutters
Scissors
1. Select image to frame inside of lens. (If using a vintage lens, you will need to adhere the image to the backside of the lens with decoupage medium and seal it. If using the faux lens or frame, simply slide image inside.)
2. Trace image to fit inside lens. Cut with sharp scissors.
3. Create tiny heart by folding red construction paper and cutting.
4. Print text and cut into three segments: the better, to kiss, you with.
5. Adhere text and heart to image with Zip Dry glue. Allow to dry.
6. Insert collaged image into frame and secure it closed.
7. Tie small black craft ribbon bow to loop in top of lens or on jump ring that connects pendant to necklace. Add a dab of GS Hypo Cement to secure bow.
8. Attach a chick charm on the textured jump ring to loop in top of lens.
9. Create coil topped head pins for the 6 filigree encased cream pearls (sandwich pearls between filigree before threading on head pins) and 4 copper crystals using ball tipped head pins.
10. Create coil topped head pins for the remaining beads using regular head pins.
11. Remove chain segments.
12. Create your chains. The longer chain pattern is: 105 link chain working from left to right add a hand charm on a jump ring to the 9th link using to pairs of chain nose pliers to open and close the links, a filigree encased pearl to the 17th link, a chick charm to the 24th and alternating this pattern every seven links* until reaching the last hand charm. (*Add the pendant to the center chain link.)
13. Attach this chain to the outer links of the filigree connectors using two pairs chain nose pliers.
14. Create your second chain. The shorter chain pattern is: 8-link chain, connecting jump ring with attached silk, pearl, copper crystal dangles on jump ring, 24-link chain with lock and key attached to the 13th link with a jump ring, connecting jump ring with attached dangles on jump ring...repeat this pattern until reaching the final 8-link chain.
15. Attach this to the inside loops of the filigree connectors using two pairs chain nose pliers.
16. Attach hook and eye clasp to connector ends using jump rings.
Sources
Chain, jump rings, clasp, connectors, bead caps, head pins
Beadalon, hand, lock and chick charms
Art Chix Studio, faux optical lens
Outside the Margins, pearls and crystals
CRYSTALLIZED-Swarovski Elements, Zip Dry Paper Glue and 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue
Beacon, ribbon
Offray, image vintage magazine.
My How Soft Your Lips Are copyright 2006 Margot Potter for Beadalon