Clam Shell Necklace

I tend to collect things that other people pass by. I'll walk by the perfect shells to pick up the interesting broken pieces. This is the broken edge of a large clam shell smoothed in the ocean. I loved the organic curve of the shell and it seemed to fit the curve of my neck perfectly -- but it needed a little jazzing up. First I used a hand drill to drill the holes. Then I applied gold leaf and a sealer. I used sterling jump rings and chain because once it got the gold leaf treatment it was looking first class. I think its a more modern take on the souvenir shop seashell necklace idea. 

Trashion at Maker Faire

Maker Faire says its "A two-day, family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement". Its also a group of brilliant geeks, a few Burning Man vehicles, the Life Size Mousetrap Game (literally), edgy crafters, 3D printers, food and lots more.  There are even some boring corporate booths but no one pays much attention to them because they don't have the cool stuff. 

Last weekend I presented my Trashion Accessories workshop at World Maker Faire in New York and won an Editor's Choice Award. The creativity and the crowds (estimated at over 50,000 people) were overwhelming! 

It was a bit crazy to present a one-on-one workshop to hundreds of people (mostly kids) outdoors for two full days. The goal was to make a fun and wearable accessory. I brought an array of interesting materials that cost me next to nothing: discarded weed wacker cords, T shirts, computer cables, felted sweaters, wire, a leopard print Snuggie, safety pins, thread, magazines, cardboard, Diet Coke bottles and, most importantly, a ton of patience. 

I was really amazed to see how people were able to stop and create in the middle of a chaotic festival surrounded by so many interesting things. They committed to making something and didn't walk away until they were done. Then they walked away very proudly wearing their creation -- which in almost every case was quite cool. 

Disney was giving away plastic kites just a few booths away.  In spite of Disney's resources (and the obvious name and character recognition) the kids had a much richer experience making their own things out of a bunch of stuff that cost practically nothing. 

Found Wood Necklace

I'm trying to create jewelry that reflects my values, so all components have to be found/recycled or Fair Trade. I found the wood at the Brooklyn Botanical garden near Patrick Dougherty's wonderful woven wood sculpture.  It was a beautiful day with cherry petals swirling around like a pink snow globe. Yup, I stole a wood chip from the BBG as a little souvenir. I wanted to keep that all important wood chip integrity, so I just sanded it a bit, applied some lemon oil, gold leaf and attached the chain.