Inspirational Beading: Seasonal Treats and Ring Twenty

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Seasonal Treats and Ring Twenty

Candy apples are traditionally an autumn treat, served around Hallowe’en when the apples are ripe enough to eat. And yet, ask anyone to list their favorite summer confections, and chances are, candy apples will be one of them. They are often found in the midway at the fair, in the concession at the amusement park, and they are even sold by vendors at the beach.

Thanks to advanced growing techniques, artificial ripening, and refrigerated trucks, we can have seasonal fruit any time of the year. When you think about it, so many of our favorite things would cease to exist in a more natural world.

While making Ring # 18 with ripe summer cherries, I got to thinking about some other summer fruits. Candy apples instantly came to mind, even though apples are supposed to be an autumn fruit. It seems like I can’t go a day without discovering something that I should give up. It makes me wonder how we ever got this far, and how much further we can go, living the way that we do.

My train of thought ended pretty darkly, so I decided to cheer myself up with a new ring. The inspiration might not fit in with the 100 Mile Diet, but the ring is almost good enough to eat.

I used lime green AB seed beads for the ring band, and added transparent red pinch bicones and a dark pink shell coin for the focal. I love a red/green combination that doesn’t look at all Christmas-y. This one is sweet and tangy, just like an apple covered in syrup!

Ring # 20 - Candy Apple