When mistakes take you to an even better place!

So my hand is finally better (knock on wood, cross your fingers and all that!), and I am back with a bang :-)

9 new designs in 15 days! I did not have this pace even before the trouble with the hand started :-)
I have to say my friends are responsible for it...so many of them inspired me to make something for them...otherwise I would be still wondering what to do!
So thank you, Michelle, Shelley, Shefali, Bhavna, Divya and Saritha!

Here's a collage of this first wave of jewelry (yeah, some of them are sideways, I know, deal with it :p)

I have a few other things lined up..folks waiting for things and all, so I hope to keep up this momentum.

But...coming to the point of this post...the mistake.

Ever since I learned how to make my first spiral, I wanted to make a spiral headpin. Not the simple kind where the spiral hangs down. The kind where it acts like a bead cap and the beads sits on it.
So I tried making that today...after a cursory glance at it in Kerry Bogert's book "Rustic Wrappings" (ordered it from Amazon, and they sent me Thomas and Friends train instead, when I called them, the customer service lady laughed for at least 10 seconds :-))

So anyway, I started making this spiral headpin. When I was done, the wire section that was supposed to be the "pin" part was a bit to the side instead of the center. So it would not work as a headpin. But it was a pretty spiral. So twisted it this way and that, and made....an earwire! And then another and then another. Yeah, three of them.

Here's the "good" pair

Pretty, right? I still need to finish off the ends...filing and all that.

Now the third one...the center of the spiral was not round enough, so it was not making a perfect pair. So...it became a bail instead...

 

And that's how I ended up with the beginnings of a set of earrings and necklace :-) Far better than the spiral headpin I was trying to make...

Will try that again...some other day :-) And maybe I will come up with something else yet again. 

Would love to hear your stories of how you started to do one thing and ended up with another!

Focus On Life Week 12~ Observe the Curve

This week's assignment was to observe how curves show up in our lives.

I was cooking lunch when I read Sally's prompt (on my phone), an started observing...
Everything had soft curves! From my spice box, to the frying pan to the beveled edges of my kitchen counter, the legs of my chairs and table, even the flame I was cooking on had gentle curves.

Then I looked around some more, and noticed the cabinets and doors that had sharp edges, and remembered how I am always mindful of avoiding them, as I bruise very easily.

This led me to the conclusion that curves are usually what I (and maybe most people) associate with softness, warmth and safety.

While finishing off my cooking, I decided I will take a photograph of my "french curve". Used for creating all kinds of garments, it seemed like a very powerful tool!

Later in the day, I was cleaning, and noticed a seashell we had bought in Hawaii. The store owner said it was actually used as a weapon due to its shape. It is beautiful, with flowing curves, and deadly "claws".

 I got into a rather philosophical mood and thought that it was a lot like human beings. We all have our soft sides, and our vicious sides. Some show the softer side more often, some hide it. But we all have both.

There are lots of layers that make up a personality

...some of them so deep that we can never completely figure it out.

We are all soft and curvy at times...

...sharp and pointy when needed

And this is true of everything in nature! As long as we watch out for the sharp edges (like I do with my doors, but I still sometimes run into them, I am very clumsy), we should be good :-)

This prompt really took me deep into my own psyche :)
To see what curves everyone else is throwing, head on over to Sally's blog:

http://thestudiosublime.com/2013/03/22/focus-on-life-week-12/

PS: A thought just occurred to me that my favoritest curve in whole entire world is my Dad's bald head :)

Focus On Life Week 11~ The Possibilities Are Endless

I am realizing that I have been writing here only on Fridays to put up my photo of the week.
Am going to put a positive spin on that and say that at least I have THAT to blog about...else I would not do it at all for a long long time! Am going to try posting more, but am thankful to Sally for hosting this, it keeps me in touch with you at least once a week!

So this time the prompt is POSSIBILITIES!

I have been reading about quite a few folks on my FB groups saying they are stuck in a rut...either a bad work situation, bad relationship, or some other thing that they are not happy about.

I had been thinking about them last Sunday when I saw this patch of sunlight on my dining room floor. After a lot of miserably cloudy days.

The patch of sunshine said: You only need to step outside, the possibilities are endless! And the best part is there are no bars holding you back, except the ones in your own mind. So be brave, and make that change. A whole new life full of exciting possibilities...the ones YOU want are waiting for you out there!

This photo actually puts things truly into perspective. Its dark inside and bright out there. As black and white as it can get!

And now onwards to Sally's blog to see a whole lot more possibilities that I would never have thought of...

http://thestudiosublime.com/2013/03/15/focus-on-life-week-11/

Focus On Life Week 10~ All Wrapped Up!

Interesting prompt we had this week. All Wrapped Up! It can be interpreted in soooo many ways!

Sally sent us 15 different meanings of the word "wrap". So while it gave so many options, it also led to a lot of dilemma about which one to use?

Should I click a picture of my jasmine creeper all wrapped around my fuschia basket? Or should I focus my lens on a woman wrapped graciously in a sari? Or maybe a scarf I crocheted that I wrap around my neck for warmth? Or a picture of a really beautiful shawl my sister sent me from, well, Kashmir! I feel wrapped up in her loving hug when I wear it! Or a picture of the hubby curled and wrapped in the blanket (that would be a picture of a blanket only though, he would be somewhere deep inside, an excavation needed to find him!) Oh! I know! My gladiator sandals that wrap my feet from toes to ankles! Neh. What would have been really nice is our guava tree wrapped up in frost covers. But, well, it was not wrapped right now.

 I did NOT want to post a picture of any of my wire wrapped ribbon jewelry, and also no more pictures of my hand wrapped in therapy related stuff. (Am done with it, btw, yippeee!)

Earlier this week, I went to an Indian restaurant for lunch. After a lovely meal, I went to the counter to pay, and found a tray of "paan". What is it you ask? It is a lot of interesting ingredients, skillfully wrapped in a betel leaf. I bought one, ate it, and while I was chewing it, I realized I was also chewing on a missed opportunity for a great photo for today. Oh well.

This morning, we had a "lunch social" at work. I walked into the room where the food was spread out. The most mouth watering varieties of wraps were laid out there, 3-4 vegetarian options, and that many meat ones. And all in different colors. Very beautiful. I was going to meet a friend for lunch, so I didn't get any, but I went back and told my teammates to go get some. After about 10 minutes, I was enlightened about yet another photo-op presenting itself. I hurried back with my camera, but people were already eating, and I didn't want to look all strange clicking photos of their lunch.

Dang!

And then I went to visit my friend at his office for lunch. Its one of those that provides lavish lunches to employees. I was totally in awe with what I saw. They had a pizzeria, a Mexican restaurant, a sushi place, a Burger Shack, a coffee shop, a bakery with scrumptious cookies, pastries, cakes and ice creams, even their own barber shop, bike repair shop, and a bank!!! They have shuttles to pick up employees from all over the area. My friend joined only in December and he said they added a shuttle stop in front of his house because he requested it.

Any guesses what company this is?

It is one which has people from all over the world wrapped around its little thumb!

Note for Courtney: Clicked this from my car, was stopped at a red light, completely stationary! But go ahead, say it ;-)

Now go on to Sally's blog to see what everyone else has wrapped up!
http://thestudiosublime.com/2013/03/08/week-10-all-wrapped-up/

Focus On Life Week 9 ~ Knock, Knock!

Doors always make me curious, I HAVE to find out what's on the other side. But...if I know what's on the other side, and I want to get to it, I don't even notice the closed door, I march right ahead and make sure I get to the other side. Metaphorically speaking, of course ;-)

I think the internet is a giant door to SO many new opportunities and information and friendships! The internet is how I found my friend Cynthia of Antiquity Travelers!

She was here last weekend, and I met her just hours after Sally gave us this week's prompt: Doors!
We met up in Burlingame, a cute town very close to the San Francisco airport, and drove to the downtown, which is made up of just a few blocks. Cynthia's younger one, Annie, joined us too. Must say, she's a sweet kid, no fuss, and very polite and well behaved.

We walked the entire length of the street, and saw this shop, I cried, "Cynthia, doors!" And of course, we had to go in and take a look.

It was a split door, the top frame was also filled with Frida Kahlo paintings.

 

We went inside, and spoke to the owner, told her why we were particularly fascinated by doors on that day, and asked for permission to click photos. She was more than happy to help. She also told us that her mother had painted this door because she found the original white door too boring. But of course!!

The shop was full of doors! Like this one...she said this was assembled with parts from all over the world (I think that's what she said)

I bought a cute leather bracelet from the shop, and when I went to pay, I saw this! Now this is the real star of this blog post!

I asked her about it, and she said, one morning, she came to work, and found it in front of the shop. She did notice it when she drove by the shop, trying to find parking, and assumed it was something the mailman brought in, some package. When she came in, though, she found out this little matchbox painted in beautiful colors. She opened it to find this!

It is a very detailed scene of a sombrero making workshop! Complete with a pet dog!!!
She never did find out who left it there.

We chatted a bit longer, Cynthia bought the cutest Frida Kahlo pill box, and we had Annie click a memorable photo of Cynthia and me and Frida!

Do check out the rest of the doors at Sally's blog:
http://thestudiosublime.com/2013/03/01/focus-on-life-week-9/