Yesterday I received a convo, (that's Etsy talk for conversation or private email), from a customer who had seen this bracelet in Bead Dreams Magazine January 2009 issue and wanted to make her own version of it.
Could I make her a mermaid and a seahorse that are .5" tall? That's just under 13mm. I measured the mermaids on this bracelet and they are about .7" or 18mm and remembered how hard it was to make the wee complicated beads.
She explained that she wanted a more delicate bracelet and the smaller charms would better fit into her design.
Needless to say, the seashells, sea glass and other less detailed and rounder beads would be so much easier to reduce and she did choose a starfish and palm tree in the diminutive size too. So today, part of my studio schedule includes attempting a half inch mermaid.
Charm sized beads are a great way to use up stringer and other little bits that are hanging around your bench. I love making sculptural miniatures which make great charms, earrings or dangles. I keep a small section, (ha, ha) in my Etsy shop.
If anyone else wants to join me in trying this, I'd love to see your efforts. The colors of her hair and tail have been left up to me. I'm smiling thinking that yellow could be interesting. That way I could make her wearing an itsy bitsy teensy weensy yellow polka dot bikini, that she wore for the first time today. (Please note, the last line is only amusing if you are about my age and know this song. But if you do, it will probably be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. My apologies.)
That sounds like a real challenge Marcy! I'll be interested to see how you cope with such a small size ;o)
ReplyDeleteThat sound like a challenge Marcy - my beads just seem to keep getting bigger & bigger. Eeek!
ReplyDeleteOn a side note - my Aunt recently got a new whizzy doo flash scanner that & is in the throes of scanning old photo's & *gasp* slides! I picked up a pile of photo's at Mum's place the other day & started looking through. There was a photo of her & my Aunt & a friend all in home made yellow polka dot bikini's doing a rendition of that exact song! Now I'd heard of this 'party act' in my younger day, but never seen any evidence. She said I could have a copy until I mentioned posting it on my blog - at which point it quickly got whipped out of my hand accompanied by a comment that I don't think I shall repeat here ;o)
Aw come on Deb. That comment might be the spice I need for this blog. It's a little too rated G. ;)
ReplyDeleteMarcy, this is a challenge I need!!! Thank you!!!! I made some tiny non-beady "girls" many years ago and it was a lot of fun. I'll have to see if I can translate them to beads. (they were components that were going into a paperweight in a class) BUT they'd be fun beads.
ReplyDeleteI love your bracelet!! Did you keep it for yourself or did it go to a new home?
Hi Marcy,
ReplyDeleteYou know I love your charms and your custom beads. You can do it, girl, I know you can.