Freeform, Summer Melons

I've been gone from the blog for quite a while.  My daughter and I have spent the last several weeks creating costumes for a show written and directed by a very dear friend of hers.  We have done this for several summers now, Carrie designing, and both of us building the costumes, and it's always enjoyable.  The entire production is a family affair with many of the same actors, techies and volunteers coming back year after year to help get these plays on the stage successfully.  But, this past weekend was the opening and our work has morphed from making to managing the costumes backstage.  So, I'm able to return to what passes for normal in my life! 

While we were working on costumes I would take a few minutes here and there to work on a new freeform necklace I had started several weeks ago.  I had put a tease on the blog thinking it would be finished long before now.  I call it Summer Melons and you can see why.

I love the colors.  If you look closely you can see a square element that I incorporated into the beadwork.  It's a hand painted plastic piece from a company called My Elements.  They have a wonderful assortment of pieces in bright colors that can be used in all sorts of ways.  I decided to try them in freeform.  By beading over and under them the pieces became part of the beadwork.  And, they were the jumping off point for my colors.  The finished necklace reminds me of melons!   Here are a couple more closeups of the finished necklace.

It's a fun summer necklace with it's mother of pearl beads, lucite flowers, and fringe coming off parts of the beadwork.  I'm happy I finished it while there's still some summer left so I can enjoy wearing it.  

I hope you're enjoying your summer.  Thanks for sharing you time with me.