Time Capsule: Found Objects

Way, way back in November of 2009, the theme on Inspirational Beading seemed to be found objects. There were only a few designs to share that month, and two out of three featured unusual, non-bead components like river rocks, napkin rings, and bamboo placemat tiles. That was the year that I tried to tie every month's post together in a neat little bundle, and it was a great challenge to come up with designs to match.

My favorite design from the Found Object marathon is the Gaia necklace. The entire piece was an experiment, from netting a river stone in seed beads, to creating straps with right angle weave and freeform embellishment. I am still in love with the combination of colors, and the abundance of Picasso finish. When I retired this design from my shop, it went immediately to the top of my to-wear list. I've never been able to recreate the look of that necklace - my next few attempts at the technique were disastrous. I suppose it must have been one of those lucky accidents.

Looking back, I can’t recall very many designs in the past three years that featured other found objects. Apart from this year's Halloween pendant, I’ve pretty much steered clear of unusual components. Perhaps it’s only because nothing has come across my path that shouts “Bead me!”. Since I had to work so hard to "find" the right objects for this series of necklace, it's more likely that I’m just too enamored with seed beads to view everyday things in a jewelry frame of mind.

Do you ever work with found objects? What’s your favorite subject to date?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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