Simple Truths Celebration Hop - Reveal

Well, welcome to my little piece of the internet for the lovely Miss Erin’s Simple Truth’s Celebration! Let’s start with what’s right about this necklace, namely Miss Erin’s sweet little owl pendant – love him! Love his colors and sweet little face. I won him in a giveaway at The Art Bead Scene. For a week and a half I’ve had him sitting on my dining room table adding and taking away ingredients as I would stop and look at it. Firstly, I hate my bead storage system – approximately 25-30 of the multiple divider boxes. It just doesn’t work. Anyhoo, I knew I wanted him to dangle from the Vintaj branch. I also wanted to keep the necklace more on the delicate side, a little more romantic.

I loved the Swarovski Crystal Copper beads (not sure which article # they are) with him. Then I decided to add some vintage MOP buttons that I bought at Tinsel Trading Company last fall in my spur-of-the-moment 3 hour NYC whirlwind (my only time to NYC) with Gabrielle. That part is fine, though I think I’m going to remove the upper and lower crystals and I’m okay with the brass oval link chain. So, overall I like this side of the necklace.

Now, let’s move to the other side of the necklace. It will not stay this way. This is where I can begin the description of the epic fail. If I’m going to keep the tortoise Lucite tube component I made, this side of the necklace needs a little more heft. I had picked up a neat yellow chain at Michael’s that I thought would work. It’s great, but it’s a bit too “funky” for this necklace. I decided at 9:00 last night (why at 9:00 I decided this, I’m not sure) to make the pearl links. I like them, but I’m not sure they work with the Lucite tube – or if the Lucite tube works with the necklace; I think I need to remove it. I just love the patina on the vintage brass caps. Can you see the bits of yellow, pink and purple in the pictures (I know they’re not great, I took them at 6:00 this morning)? Anyway, I think the pearl links work, but it still needs more heft. I tried attaching two different chains this morning, neither of them worked. I think I’m going to do a variation of the pearl links as a second chain. We’ll see. Lastly, the clasp is absolutely WRONG. I don’t have many non-silver clasps. Tonight I’m going to make either a toggle clasp or a hook and eye clasp that I learned in The Art of Closure e-course that I recently took from the very talented Deryn Mentock. Check back late Sunday or Monday to see the revamped necklace. All of the components, other than those specified came from my favorite bead store The Beadin' Path in Freeport, Maine.

See, it's out of balance and the clasp is totally wrong (the Lucite tube probably is too).

Miss Erin, thank you so much for hosting this creative challenge! Please visit Erin's blog for today's participants and the chance to win a prize!

This is the carnage on my dining room table today.