Just in time for summer, I won two pieces by Earthenwood Studio to use in a creation for my blog. I love the handmade porcelain beads that Melanie Brooks creates, especially the new typewriter key charms. I am so jealous of those folks who get to go to Bead & Button this year and see them all in person!
For this challenge, Melanie sent two porcelain pieces: an ice cream cone pendant and a round, textured link. I wanted to create one design with both pieces, but nothing seemed to work. So I gave up and created two different pieces. I'm sharing the first one today; I'll share the other tomorrow.
Ice Cream Cone Necklace
This ice cream pendant is so cute! I tried several different ideas for a design, including strands of wood and twisted glass ovals and a version on knotted hemp cord, before settling on the dark brown satin ribbon.
Using ribbon gives the necklace the carefree, summer feeling I wanted. I made some wire-wrapped dangles with a few vintage Lucite discs (with silver ball-end head pins and heishi spacers) and strung those on the ribbon. I also stitched some beige seed beads onto the ribbon for a fun, polka-dotted look.
Finishing Touches
I've left the ribbon so it could just be tied in a knot or bow, but I might add metal ribbon ends and a clasp to finish it off. I'm also debating whether to add a third type of bead (maybe a white round?) or a strand of chain to the mix.
In other words, I'm not convinced I'm "finished" with this necklace, but I wanted to post this photo anyway. Sometimes I can be a very slow designer and by the time I decide this necklace is really "finished," it will probably be September!
Coming Tomorrow
Stay tuned for my post showing what I did with the porcelain link from Earthenwood Studio. That design experience turned out to be the complete opposite of this one: No second guessing or trying lots of possible combinations. I found the perfect beads in my stash and a design idea immediately popped into my head. When I went to put the necklace together, the finished design looked just as nice as I'd pictured it. Don't we love days like that?