Even more color ...

So Richelle got me thinking with her comment on my last post and I decided to give braiding another try.  I have this friendship wheel thing (it's basically a kumihimo disc for kids) which I tried once before with some yarn, but it took forever to get even a short length and I got bored and put it to one side.  Rather than wool or cotton I used the sari silk ribbon I am so in love with.  I had to cut some extra notches in the disc so the silk would fit but it actually worked really well and, better still, was really quick to work up. The finished braid was a bit too much on its own so I added some dangles and wrapped short sections with balled copper wire to break it up a bit:

The skein the ribbon came from is multicolored (the color changes every yard or so) so I wasn't too fussy and just went with the flow.  It's one of those pieces, I think, that looks far nicer on than off.

Whilst I was in Melbourne I picked up some lovely noro sock yarn that was on special. I vaguely planned to make a hat (I justify my yarn purchases with the flimsiest of excuses) but used a bit on the tassel for this choker:

The round bead is actually bright pink plastic so I used some gilders paste to tone it down and sealed it with acrylic lacquer.  I really like chokers.  They're easy to wear and suit pretty much everyone.

These earrings have already sold - I bit the bullet and bought some sterling silver for the ear wires - and made the cylinder beads by wrapping silk around a mandrel and treating with mod podge.  They go absolutely rock hard, and are pretty much unsquishable:

I've had some leather scraps sitting around for a while - beautifully soft - which I used for this amulet pouch.  I took 13s advice and used the smallest crimps I could get away with o the beading wire - don't know what a wire guardian is though?  Must look it up.  I still have reservations about beading Beatnheart and am so much more comfortable with wire wrapping:

I also share Beatnheart's exasperation around sales.  Mine seem to have taken a bit of a nose dive just lately.  Not sure if it's down to what I have on offer in the shop or the fact that it's coming up on Christmas.  Most of my sales seem to be to the USA and you guys have had an absolutely rotten time of it lately what with Sandy and all.  It's getting warmer here which is lovely but the thought of bush fires keeps nudging me.  We were caught up in the terrible Victorian fires in 2009/10 - fortunately we were all OK but it was incredibly scary. The fire was heading towards us but a slight change in the wind caused the neighbouring village of Boolarra to take the brunt.  Several of my friends lost their houses.  In the North of the state, whole towns were destroyed and lots of people tragically lost their lives. Just dreadful.  I think we are all much better prepared now so hopefully it will never happen again.