In an attempt to keep my spirits up the past few weeks I have been creating some jewelry! So far this week I have been working with cabochons, filagree, images and vials to create interesting victorian style pendants. The cabochons are fun to play with and enable me to create a wide variety of different looks with similar materials. Below are three pendants I recently put up. The Lady of Shalott pendant has a filagree backing on it that wraps around to the front, giving the whole thing a more victorian look.

The next one has a set of gears underneath the glass and a dark blue artisan paper behind those for added depth. Silvery glass beading adorns the frame of the pendant for some added intricacy.

This last one I made with the same blue paper backing as the one above but overlaid with micah and lace and topped with a small coordinating bead.

I have been having a lot of fun making these items while I rest. The one I am currently working on (not listed yet) is one of my favorites. It’s an Alice in Wonderland themed pendant.

The pendant begins with a small glass vial wrapped in gears and filagree and filled with a “Drink Me” card and a picture of Alice from the book. Then copper and bronze wire are interlaced around the neck to add color. Finally, the cork has a small bead hanging off it into the vial and attaches to the bronze chain. Above the vial is a small skeleton key. This one took quite some time to complete but was a ton of fun to make. I plan to make a series of Alice themed necklaces and earrings.
My next attempt will be Chesire Cat earrings I think. I will have to paint the cat image on the back of the cabochon and then place it into the earring base. Should be entertaining, I hope!
Thank you all for the sweet messages, texts, and emails. I appreciate you reaching out to me during my time of struggle.
Again, you prove that you are AMAZING! I haven’t looked at my beading supplies in almost a year. I have little patience with the cats’ interest in them (and I’ve had FOUR of the critters for a couple of years,. now), and I get tremors from time to time. Your work is BEAUTIFUL! *hugs* What a wonderful use of your time: doing something many others admire and wish they had the time for. *smile*