An obsession with fruit

I've always had a thing for fruit.  Paintings, fabric, etc.. - our home is filled with images of pineapples, pears and oranges.  So, it's probably not a surprise that I adore fruit jewelry.   I discovered plastic fruit beads at B'Sue's and bought 3 or 4 bags worth.  Don't believe me?  Here's the proof:

A quart jar of fruity goodness.

They didn't stay in the jar for long.   I had made a resin spoon of Carmen Miranda, but she needed way more fruit that the few pieces included in the spoon.  Here's she is in all her tutti-frutti fabulousness:​

Ey ey.... ey ey... have you ever been to the tropics?​

I didn't stop at Carmen.  Who doesn't need a convertible charm bracelet/necklace covered in plastic fruit?   ​

March Challenge - Kitchen Sink

​​My entry in the B'Sue Boutiques FB Creative Group March Kitchen Sink Challenge.  This "sinker" includes recycled chain, vintage clip earrings, brass stampings and charms, a bus token, key and my favorite, the Mona Lisa bug. 

What's kitchen sink?  Go here for details.  :)  ​

Mardi Gras Cuff

Had a fabulous February including a wonderful surprise birthday/Mardi Gras party for a dear friend.  The house was decked out in purple, gold and green, the house was filled with the aroma of red beans and rice and jambalaya and the sounds of dixieland jazz and zydeco.  Most importantly, we had a houseful of happy revelers who had a blast!   

So, after putting away the decorations, I was inspired to ​work on the theme of the French Quarter/Mardi Gras and I came away with this cuff.  Having never designed a cuff before,  I discovered there is a lot of manipulating metal to get the right fit to the curves of the cuff.  Once that nut was cracked, it was down to the fun part of finding pieces and parts to add.   The focal has four layers of stampings and a resin bezel focal with watch gears and a lamp transparency image.  Those fabulous masks on the side sport a feather festoon and vintage rhinestone eyes. 

This piece will always remind me of that fun party and the great time I had figuring out my first cuff bracelet.