I’ve noticed that my stash of items is growing, but because I’m working more than usual, I’m not using as much of it as I normally would. Makes it hard to keep the stash down to a manageable level. (I say this as I stare at the pile of pearls, gemstones and wire scattered across my desk.)
So as I was reading through some of my blogs, I ran across a post by Felicia at Fluffy Flowers about a challenge called “Use What You Have, Stash Buster, I Will Not Buy Anymore Fabric No Matter How Dirt Cheap it Is” found on Karyn’s Trail Mix blog.
While clearly I don’t do anything with fabric, the idea intrigued me so much that I thought it would be a great to participate. I mentioned it to Felicia and with her gentle prodding and the A-OK from Karyn in another post for all crafters to join even though their stash is not fabric, I signed up for the Flickr group. So now, I am committed to no new bauble purchases through the end of July. Good thing that I have a ton of items that have never even been used!
Below is my first piece for the stash busting challenge. I bought this shell pendant over a year ago when I was on a large pendant kick and then I never did anything with it. This is what I was led to make with the teardrop – inspired by an Eni Oken design from one of her tutorials. I haven’t attached the chain yet and I still need to clean it, but I was really excited that I finally decided what to do with it!!
If you’d like to see what I started with, here is a picture of the unadorned shell pendant.
I didn’t purchase Eni’s tutorial for the technique. I just guessed at the construction of it, but I may purchase the tutorial later on to compare notes. It was a nice challenge and I’m very pleased with how the piece came out. Do you like?
The pendant is just beautiful! I love Eni Oken’s tutorials. I’ve only done the basic ones. I like how you’ve added your own style to the pendant. Great job!
Thanks Maia! I have a couple more I’d like to try, but believe it or not, I have yet to master the herringbone technique. So that’s my next conquest before I move on with more of her tutorials. :)
I love your pendant! I’ve never seen Eni Oken’s tutorials, so I’m going to have to check them out. I am also a bead hoarder. I have a bunch of kits I really need to work up!