It Don't Mean a Thing...

If it ain't got the bling!

I know, it's corny, but that's what I decided to call this piece, for now.















It started with this gorgeous focal pendant from Lisa Peters Art. I had no idea what to do with it, I only knew that I wanted to keep it for myself. Or so I thought.

I sat down with the big bag of leftover 4mm Swarovski bicones that I bought about a million years ago with the intention of using them in beading kits and started to make a strap out of right angle weave. I didn't like the way the strap looked with the pendant - it was too angular compared to the soft lines of the pendant. Then I accidentally picked up two sets of beads and stitched them together - wa-haa! It made something like a circle! And then I added a 4.5mm Swarovski "Simplicity" bead in the middle - and it looked even more like a circle!

I wanted to jump around and say, "Who's your daddy?" but I held back. After all, Colden was asleep.

I actually thought about naming the piece "Who's Your Daddy?" but figured it wouldn't work very well in magazines or on websites. Not with my target market, anyway.

But then this morning, I figured out how to add the pendant and stitched on the clasp, and it came out better than I thought. But now I have problems.

1. Should I keep the original piece or sell it?
2. Should I offer the design/pattern to Beadwork/Bead and Button magazine first or just publish it on About.com?
3. And now I want to make a plain version without a focal pendant, and I have just barely enough Simplicities in the right color and size.

I have really never thought of myself as a crystal-kinda-person. Truth be told, most days, I don't wear much jewelry because I find that it has been getting in the way of doing the dishes, taking care of the chickens, and it gives Colden one more thing to yank on when I pick him up. (He hasn't torn an earlobe yet, but I'm just waiting for it to happen.)

I am going to embark on the plain version later today, I think. The first version stitched up much, much faster than I thought it would, so I think the plain version will be quick, too.

And on that note, I think my glass fusing students are here, so off to the kiln for a little while!