Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The Rendezvous


A love letter tucked secretly away in a locket and worn close to her heart revealed only to her the time and place that she would at last meet him once again...the rendezvous. 

Okay, romance novelist I'm not; I'm better suited to provoking emotions through jewelry.

The inspiration for this necklace - entitled Rendezvous - came last week with a challenge from Deryn Mentock on her post. If you've never visited her blog Something Sublime...you really should! She's an amazing artist.

The challenge: Design a piece of jewelry inspired by this room.

I had been ho-humming back and forth as to whether or not I would participate in the challenge when, as luck would have it, I found a pill box at a thrift store for $.99. The light bulb started burning bright in my head and it was too late to turn it off! I would have to transform that little pill box into a cherished locket containing a note that told of a secret rendezvous.

I rummaged through my stash and found some
old jewelry that would complement the soon to be sacred locket.

The sail boat just wouldn't do so I ripped it off the box and
replaced it with a vintage button that had belonged to my grandmother.

Next I removed the dangles from a pair of earrings and glued the earrings to the
back of the box. Not only did it look pretty, it also provided a way to attach the chain.

I used Modge Podge to line the inside of the box with decorative papers. I glued some of the dangles (from the earrings) along with a few pearls inside the box. Now for the fun part - I put on my darkest shade of berry lipstick and created the ultimate
symbol of romance onto tissue paper. It's not pretty yet...

The magic happened once I poured in the ICE resin. The tissue paper became transparent revealing the beautiful paper underneath. Of course, I had to add a key!
(How else could she unlock the secrets to his heart?)

I disassembled the rest of the jewelry and used bits and pieces of it along with
a few added gems, pearls and charms to make the chain and the jeweled dangle.
  It was pretty but lacked that heavy feel that was so obviously present
throughout the inspiration room. So I added a chunky silver chain,
some bordeaux colored suede and reworked the dangle.
Success! Rich, heavy, and dripping with luxury!

Did you notice the jeweled pieces (especially the small ones) are much darker and more dramatic than in the original photo? I painted the backs with a layer of dark berry
and a layer of black acrylic paint and then sealed them with Modge Podge.


She opened the sacred locket and grasped the key that would unlock the door to his bedchamber, for at long last...the rendezvous.

Happy Creating!
Kathy

10 comments:

  1. Beautiful and rich...very creative! I'm so glad you participated!

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  2. A stunning piece--and it comes with a story too!

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  3. I LOVE that little pill box transformation! It's beautiful, very creative and just absolutely unique. I adore it!

    --Shuku

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  4. Another gorgeous transformation! It fits the inspiration room perfectly! I don't know, though, I think you're secretly reading romance novels while Rick is at work!

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  5. Gorgeous, luxurious, inspired! Love hearing your process and those lips! So delightful, you have inspired me with your imagination and creativity!

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  6. You are so creative with the box....it's fantastic! I love the textures with the fabric and metal...this is gorgeous!

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  7. This is just stunning, Kathy...and I so see the inspiration room...wonderful creation!

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  8. Oh my! I love this. That transformation of the little pill box is pure genius! I am so glad that someone else sees potential in these small overlooked things! Great piece and wonderful story to go with it.
    Enjoy the day!
    Erin

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  9. oh so romantic! I love your finished piece and it was fun to see the steps along the way. What a treasured piece you have with grandma's button.

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  10. such romantic and unique pieces you create!

    thanks for visiting my lil blog!

    michele

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I look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!

Have a great day!
Kathy