I am happy to say that February brought inspiration - leather!! I did not have any experience with leather work and so it seemed logical to put metal and leather together. This means that I can continue with the metal work and use the leather as a decorative base.
Luckily, I found a leather supply shop about an hour away and my husband and I took a trip. Wow!! So much stuff in this store. The staff were extremely helpful when I told them I had never done any leather work before and helped me pick out some leather and basic tools.
My first attempt was a cuff bracelet with a cut and pierced metal piece called "Hello, Mr. Rabbit". Which I decided to keep for myself.
Then I did some wire weaving around a piece of Turquoise, cut, tooled, dyed the leather and added some leather cord.
I found I really enjoyed working with the leather, of course, this meant more tools, more dyes etc., etc., etc.
Over the past few weeks I have been experimenting with some new water based dyes which I really like. The colours are so vibrant and set off the metal beautifully.
One of the designs I really like is the Celtic Knot and wanted to experiment to see if I could fit one of these onto a leather cuff. I decided to find and learn a new wire weave for this piece and it turned out really well.
I then decided I would like to try a pendant set consisting of necklace, earrings and cuff bracelet. I wanted to create something very different and I must admit, it has been a struggle knowing which part of the process to do before another, so that it would all fit together. The beginner learning curve, I guess. But, I am learning lots of new things. The pendant set is called "Butterflies Come Dancing" and as soon as it is finished I will post a photo.
