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Free Project: Woodsy

September 21, 2011
“A wise old owl sat on an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard
Why aren’t we like that wise old bird?”

Owls are associated with wisdom. They can see things that others can’t. Apparently I needed to heed the power of the owl because I was ignorant of how social media could work for me.

I am not a big fan of Facebook, as I would rather spend my time blogging, and Twitter is just way too brief for me (please, I say 140 characters before I even get out of bed in the morning!). But I know that a lot of you are out there on Facebook quite regularly. After I spent the night listing things (please, Etsy, make it even quicker for me to batch edit and list items!) I stopped into Facebook for my bi-weekly check in. I added a picture of one of the little hooties to my profile and within moments I had hits and mentions and comments and hops… it was viral, I tell you! I have never seen anything like it. And because of that little innocent posting I even sold a bunch of things. (Note to self: rethink your aversion to Facebook). My point is that I wasn’t even planning that interaction and yet there it was.

This necklace features one of the first wise old owls that I made in my ‘simple truths’ like back in January 2011. With the cooler weather in the air, I have been making up a clutch of young owlets like my first wide-eyed friend, and apparently you like him! (Note to self: make more owlets). I submitted this little guy to a magazine…but he got rejected 🙁 Sad for me, but a bonus for you! I think that he is too cute to keep to myself, so I am going to share him with you for free! So here is a project to design your own fall-inspired, asymmetrical necklace.

Supplies:

23” antique copper bar chain, Industrial Chic line (or substitute what you have!)
6 etched brass jump rings
1 etched brass oval jump ring, Vintaj
4 antique copper jump rings, Vintaj
1 brass ball head pin
1 leaf toggle bar, Vintaj
1 leaf toggle, Vintaj
6” 20 gauge bronze wire, Vintaj
6 antique copper cog spacers, TierraCast
3 polymer clay disk beads, Humblebeads (or substitute ceramic for an earthy feel!)
1 long antique copper branch, Nunn Designs (or make your own with thick 16 gauge copper wire hammered and twisted into a branch shape)
2 short antique copper branches, Nunn Designs
1 copper leaf stamping, similar found at AccesoriesSusan
1 owl pendant, Simple Truths by Tesori Trovati
• Finished size: 18” with a 1” drop
Step by step:
1: Separate the chain into two 10 ½” pieces and two 1” pieces. Set aside.
2: Cut the wire into three 2” sections. Create a wrapped loop stringing one copper cog spacer, one polymer clay bead and one copper cog spacer. Finish with a wrapped loop. Repeat two more times.

3: Connect the wrapped bead links with the etched jump ring. Attach the two long pieces of chain to the jump ring on one side. Attach the two short pieces of chain to the jump ring on the other side, ending with another jump ring.

4: Connect the pendant to this jump ring. 

5: Position the branch connections so that they form an open space in the middle. Connect them together using small jump rings. To the middle branch add the copper leaf stamping. Attach an etched jump ring to one side, and connect the other side to the jump ring in step 4.
6: Use a small jump ring to attach the leaf toggle to the etch jump ring.
7: On the other end of the chain, connect an oval etched jump ring. Thread the brass ball head pin to the leaf toggle bar and created a wrapped loop underneath. Open the oval brass jump ring and thread the toggle bar and the two remaining ends of the chain.

I think I need to get back in the studio and make more of these happy little owlets because they are literally flying out the door!

Happy creating! 

Do you design around the seasons and traditional themes, or do you just design what you will like?
What sort of motifs are you seeking as themes for your designs this fall and for the upcoming winter/holiday season?

Do tell!