Kicking Off the New Year

It's time to make good on those New Year resolution lists again.  I think I really needed a few pieces of paper this go 'round.  There are so many things that didn't get done last year, and they are nagging at me.  Then, there are a whole lot of new things that I want to do.  The excitement of starting and completing projects keeps me juiced.  The ones that do not get done really drag me down.  So, Resolution #1:  Finish what you start.  High on the list is the chair swing.  The fanged critter that was eating my branch, lost the battle of the plastic bag that I encased it in, and after a few weeks of working on it, that branch is so beautiful.  I learned that it really is a good idea to de-bark  the branch when it is freshly cut.  The bark will peal right off.  Since this was over a year old, the inner bark was really hard to sand off.  It was quite tough.  The swing part has been ready to attach, and I am gathering up courage to drill holes through the branch to mount and hold the swing in place.  I'll keep you posted on that.

 In spite of my UFO pile, I have not been totally slacking.  ...Just in a slower mode.  Now this will show you all the jewelry projects that I had planned for gift giving.  All those little plastic trays once held frozen dinners. There are eleven shown there, and not all of them were even started.  I had dreams of wrap bracelets for one of my sons and grandson, of leather and chain and a stamped plate with my grandson's racing number on it.  When it came time to start, I decided the chain was too shiny and refined for what I had in mind.  That idea was scrapped for the time being!  Anyway, I put all the components that seem to want to go together into a tray and then work from that.  All my projects took unexpected turns.  Rose quartz nuggets that were to become a multi-strand bracelet for my granddaughter didn't look right and were replaced with strands of pearls connected rosary style and clasped with an old rhinestone earring.  I have no photo because I was right down to the wire with finishing it, and was bagging it as she came in the door.  Although I am a "last-minute" person, that was a little ridiculous.   These are bracelets that went to my "daughters" (one is a son's girlfriend.)  In the fist one, I flattened a button and made a few fabric beads to jazz it up.  In the second one, I hand twisted silver wire to do the clasp.  I love that mother-of-pearl focal.  In the last one, I made use of a Chinese coin relic that is about 2" in diameter, and twisted some fabric rope to be a very simple bracelet.  I love the look of this one by itself and with the separate bangle I made to be worn with it.