A week of shinies: WIPs, Trees and Giveaway

I feel like I've been working on, and posting on, the same projects for ever now. I have so many that are soooooooo close to being finished, but keep getting hung up on the last step or two. Darn it. 

All part of the process of learning new, more complicated shinies I suppose. 

I don't mind it usually. Except that I'm not cranking out new finished pieces. But, it's how I learn new things. Constant trial and error. Lots of trial, lots of error, but eventually I'll get it figured out. So goes my current plethora of projects. 

I've got several many attempts at brooches going. Still. Freeform and cabochon ones. We are most definitely still in the trial/many errors stage of those goodies. I think I'm getting closer, but still... no cigar. 

Viking knit is ...close. I've got 4 lengths now, in various sizes, and I've worked them all smooth to where they drap well, but I'm stuck on the darn end caps and clasps. 

Thought I had the silver one whup'd, but I'm not in love with the clasp. I found a set of end caps that fit perfectly, big yay for that, but that clasp is ... too small...? I think that's it. Need to try a different one. I had originally thought of making a special hand made clasp for it, but since it doesn't have a specific pendant to go with it I thought maybe I'd treat it as a regular chain that could be used with pendants the new owner might already have. Or at least give them the option. It already runs the risk of not fitting smaller pendants, so I hesitate to restrict it further still by making some fancy closure that will end up...big...er.

But who knows. Subject to change as the project moves forward.

The copper ones I will need to make my own end caps and clasps for. At least if I want to keep them real copper. Which... I do. Of course, I thought that would be simple. Of course... it didn't turn out to be so. Could be, I think, except that I don't have the right size tool to use as a dowel. *sigh* what a silly thing. I could just wing it and wrap them, but that looked messy and I want them to look good soooooo... I'm on a dowel hunt. 

End caps and clasps have been a sticking point lately on many things. So I've been ... clasping.

That's just... a few. I'm kind of drowning in clasp attempts. I'm trying several different things to dress up some leather bracelets and necklaces. For trees and medallions and, and... stuff. Find something that not only works well, but looks nice too and compliments the main focal piece. 

I did get one of my projects finally finished up. My leather Tree of Life bracelet. This is the one I've been working towards. It's a custom made, sterling sliver Tree of Life with a single Lapis chip made into a leather bracelet. :)

I'm super pleased with it. I finally got those darn cord ends to work right. Nice and secure like. Big.Yay.For.That. :D This little project will spawn many more tree bracelets. I'm excited about that. I've got a couple copper and leather ones in the works today, as well as some 1/2 worked ones with stone bracelets. Full moon trees, sparkle forest trees, chip trees.... all kinds of tree bracelets coming soon. :D whoowhoo.

I've also been working on medallions. Working on prepping them anyway. I have a couple silver and a couple copper frames made and ready to finish. They take so long just to get the backing made and the frame woven that I figured I'd get a few ready to roll. Just need to figure out what I want to put on them. Also need to figure out how to knock some time off these babies. It takes 5-6hrs just to make the frame, IF everything goes well, before I even do scrolls, stones or ... any decorating what so ever. Time consuming little suckers. But I love them. loveLoveLOVE. And I reeeeeally want to make them. But it won't matter what I love or want to make if they are so darn expensive no one can afford them.

I may have stumbled on to a way to shave off some time and make a medallion backing I like better. Has potential anyway. Crocheted wire. Not sure why, but last night I took one of my old crochet hooks to my new thinner gauge copper wire and started playing around. What I ended up with was a pretty cool little... thingy. Might be just the ticket. I'd post a pic of it but I've tweak and smooshed it so much it's just a ... smooshed up tweaked thingy. Doesn't mean much as is. It will in the future though. I do believe I've stumbled into something I can definitely use. Yay for stumbling into new techniques :D 

Oh! I've also been working on getting some better pics for listing new trees. I'd posted this one before, it's my rare Mahogany / Silver Sheen Obsidian tree. I've not been able to get any good pics so I've not listed it yet. It's a stone you have to see in RL to appreciate. It's got special ... sheen. Sparkle. Shine. It's just... special. :)

I think I finally got it. 

From this...(which looks just fine and way cool) ....

... to this...

I love the sheen in that stone. Special sheen, flash and sparkle is so hard to show on line. Finally got this one though.

Last, but definitely not least, one of my shinies is up for a giveaway. It's a bookmark I made for Lee Brazil's Summer Giveway.

It's a pewter bookmark with faceted Citrine, Aquamarine and Iolite chips. He's giving that away along with his book Truth or Dare #4 over on his blog here... 

http://leebrazilauthor.blogspot.com/2013/08/summer-giveaway-hand-crafted-freia.html?zx=8e3674f031372d39

Aaaand now it's time to go play with more shinies. See if I can't get some of these off the bench and all finished up.

:D