Our state bird is the cardinal, and just for winter alone, I see why. What a pretty contrast between the icy-white palette of winter and the cardinal’s bright red hue. Such a perfect counterpoint, what a perfect scene.
The pieces in this Journey strike me the same way: what a pleasing contrast between the stark white snow and red berries or softly falling snow settling on a bold, red temple. Ah. I love how snow softens each composition with a soft, hushed beauty; you can almost hear the still quiet of snowfall in each piece.
At the end of this post I’m including a tutorial for the pendant shown in the featured necklace. This fast project is easy-to-make and so satisfying that you may find yourself making a nice stash for your studio some afternoon. Use a sentimental broken piece, or cast-offs from a thrift shop – all will do.
In “Snow at the Zojoji Temple” I loved how the serene elements of nature set such an unassuming backdrop for the bold red temple. For this piece, I used elements from Hands of the Hills. Hefty brass nuggets gleam, while a metal scroll bead from Tibet lends the piece gravity. A bit of vintage red satin ribbon offers a soft counterpoint.
I wanted to make a piece that emulated the hushed color of the silk in “Evening Snow at Asakusa.” The darker pewter tone of this primitive button works against the warm ochre silk sari ribbon from Darn Good Yarn.
Taking a cue from the festive berries in “Birds and Fruit in Snow” bobbly red coral dangles sure look the part! I paired this with a vintage Japanese coin (found on our beloved Etsy) wrapped in bright silver wire, for fun.
To make your porcelain piece pendant, you’ll first need: a shard of broken china, a glue-on bail, metal/glass epoxy (I like Bead Fix by Beadalon), fabric paint, old rag or paper towel. Now, let’s start this easy project so you can make a million: being very careful as you handle the porcelain shard (sorry to say this, but you can easily cut yourself on broken china) apply fabric paint to the edge of the pottery, covering it completely. With you rag or paper towel, wipe off any excess that got on the front or back of the piece. This will be pretty easy, because the front and back of the china are non-porous, while the un-glazed, broken edge is porous and will grab the paint nicely. Let dry completely. When dry, determine where you want to glue your bail, turn over, add a drop or two of epoxy and add your bail. Set on an even surface to dry, supporting the bail loop in place, if necessary. Let dry completely. Test for security. Done.
To make the necklace shown, I simply crocheted a 36″ length of skinny-skinny cotton crochet thread with a steel hook. Then I threaded on several silver rice heishi from Hands of the Hills. Added my pendant, and we’re good to go.
