I joined the Wellness Words Jewelry Challenge on January 9th, which gave me just over 3 weeks to work on this project. It was far more meaningful than I imagined. Above is my short list of words, but the one I finally chose is...
Be Kind
And the way Be Kind became my wellness word was by working through a lot of other words and phrases. Most of those words and phrases seem to focus on a something that I perceived as negative. That I get distracted before I finish things, that I'm not passionate about everything I do, that I'm not skinny enough, healthy enough, disciplined enough and on and on.
And around the same time I was beating myself up, I noticed other people not being as nice as they could be towards others - especially in online communities. It felt like people were typing things that they wouldn't necessarily say in front of the people who could read it. Actually - maybe they would say it - I have no way of knowing since I don't know them personally, but it was making me realize that kindness was in short supply, not just by me, towards me. So, I decided the best place to start spreading kindness was with me!
Now, I had my word and I needed a way to communicate it. Sheesh... That should be easy, but it wasn't. I spent the better part of two weeks trying to find a way that I was satisfied with. I stamped metal (a new skill for me - and one that I have not mastered by a long shot!), I considered metal clay and etching, but ultimately, I decided a good old shrinky-dink would easy enough. But, it wasn't.
Shrink plastic is not as easy as it seems. Originally, I thought it would be a larger tag, and fancier lettering, and maybe hand colored. Well, after many tries, simpler was better and my small 1/4 inch round tag with block letters came about. Many batches of trial and error later.
Holy cow - you mean I still need to make a piece of jewelry?! But there's only two days left!!!
Yeah, I am not kidding.
By the time I had a tag I liked, I was down to the wire on completing this challenge. I knew I wanted a wire wrapped gemstone bracelet. I wear this style bracelet every day and I really did want to remind myself (and others!) to be kind so it made sense. But there was more to it.
I also wanted:
- multiple strands
- my favorite gemstones
- to try new techniques and challenge myself
- something that I would wear everyday.
As you can see, this challenge was taking on a life of it's own! I decided three strands was the right number and my favorite gemstones (that look really good with my skin tone and clothing) are Labradorite, Peach Moonstone, Sapphire, and Ruby. For the new technique part, I wanted a multi-strand clasp - which I made several prototypes of - but in the end I decided a single strand that I could also wear as a necklace was more versatile.
There was one more element - fun! I didn't want this to be too serious, so I decided to add some charms and assorted dangles. Most of the little 'surprises' aren't that surprising. The colors blend, like the amethyst herringbone wrap, the kyanite smooth pebble and the ruby flower. But one of these things is not like the others.
The carnelian flower. It stands out. It is larger than the other embellishments and it is brighter than the other embellishments. And, honestly, I'm not sure I like it. It makes me uncomfortable.
Which is good. Because it is supposed to do that.
It is my reminder to not be afraid to stand out. To be different. Not to blend into the background. (To those people who know me that are laughing, stop it! I can be subtle!)
If you read this far, thank you! The challenge was personal and I think the blog post had to be too. I really enjoyed participating in the challenge and can't wait to see what everyone else made. I'm wearing my bracelet and I love it. I'm adjusting to the carnelian flower.
And I'll be using my extra 'Be Kind' tags on my jewelry in the future.
Please visit the other participants in the Wellness Words challenge, and a big thanks to the challenge host Tracy at the Make Bracelets Blog. I can't wait to see everyone else's creations and follow your blogs and facebook pages. Please like me on facebook at Lisa Yang Jewelry.
lisayangjewelry.com (You are here!)
I really like your "be kind" charms! I think the carnelian flower works - its a great punch of color. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm glad I left the carnelian flower. It has really grown on me.
DeleteGreat choice!! You have inspired me to create something with "be kind" as well. I agree, online can be very unkind, so maybe we can change that!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you like the idea of Be Kind. I agree that it's something we can all use to be reminded of. Enjoy!
DeleteGreat seeing the creative process for your lovely jewellery, you ended up making so much!!
ReplyDelete** Kate **
Thank you so much. It was strange - I did get a bit possessed by it. But I love the result and it opened a lot of creative doors. Lisa
DeleteI could not agree more with your words Lisa! I love the colors and the versatility of your necklace/wrap bracelet. All that wire wrapping was quite a bit of work - but oh so worth it! Thank you for participating!
ReplyDeleteThank you Tracy for hosting this blog hop. It was my first and so much fun. I still haven't visited everyone's pages, but it has been so interesting and inspiring I think I might take my time. Best - Lisa
DeleteWat a great post. I agree that the world needs more kindness. I love your little charms and you have inspired me to try my hand at the shrink plastic. I think my daughter would love it. Your necklace is beautiful and I love that it is versatile. It looks amazing as a bracelet also.
ReplyDeleteThe shrink plastic really is a lot of fun. I'm going to write a post about my experience with it this week and do a few more tags. It's very versatile, you just need to figure out the proportions for shrinkage and also how it affects the color. Amazing what you can do with it though - especially with the printer. I hope you try it!
DeleteWasn't this a fun challenge? I have been wanting to try Shrink Plastic too - but was worried about the outcomes! I guess I need to just experiment. Love how yours turned out!
ReplyDeleteThis was a lot of fun - but very challenging and introspective too. I enjoyed it a lot. There's no worries about the outcome with shrink plastic. It's so inexpensive (you can even use take home containers if you find the right ones - just search the internet!). A great way to try it out without investing anything but time. Thanks for your comments!
DeleteI really like the shrinky-dinks and I totally understand it's not as straight forward as one would think. No matter what the medium we work with, there is always a learning curve, huh? And think what you created at the end came out lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I loved trying a few new things over the course of this challenge. I'm enjoying being inspired by everyone else's words and projects too.
DeleteLove this!! There is such a lack of kindnes these days it seems, you are so right! Your bracelet is beautiful. The colors so vibrant and bright with such wonderful textures - truly yummy!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Shel! I admire your jewelry and style too!
DeleteKindness is definitely lacking today. That is a beautiful piece of work!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I enjoy wearing it.
DeleteCute charms and a good reminder.
ReplyDeleteThank you Cece.
DeleteYour charms and finished bracelet are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThank you Erin. I admire your work too.
DeleteWhat fun! you really took the bull by the horns with this challenge
ReplyDeleteIt kinda took me by the horns - lol! But yes, I feel like I got control of it in the end. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteHello Miss Lisa! I love reading about your process. The fact that you took this challenge and made it your own by having to learn new skills and push yourself creatively is awesome and such a reward to wear the final product. I like the wire wrapping on the red stone. Very pretty detail! Thank you for sharing. Enjoy the day. Erin
ReplyDeleteThank you Erin! I'm glad you enjoyed reading about it. It was fun and I do enjoy wearing the bracelet. Best to you! Lisa
DeleteBeautiful work Lisa! I love the be kind components you created along with the wire work. It is horrible how people can be online. Personally I have always lived by "If you do not have something kind to say, don't say anything at all" and that is brought over to my online activities.
ReplyDeleteI think these are great and the wire work is detailed. I am learning how to work with all kinds of metals now including aluminum wiring.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really lovely bracelet, and I know it will remind you constantly to "be kind". It's been fun to use this challenge to try out a new medium or technique too hasn't it?!
ReplyDelete