Saturday, April 11, 2015

Whats on My Bench

Hello and welcome back to the JET Teamblog, and to another edition of Whats on My Bench! This week we say goodbye to Donna, who is taking a break from blogging duties, and say hello to our new presenter, Val Swanson.

Hi! I thought you might like to know what’s on my own bench today. Well, for starters, my bench is not a bench - it is a desk as you can see below.



Yes, but what's on it? What I have on my desk is a partially made Kumihimo in teal peacock Czech glass, with gold Czech glass accents. I even have one end finished with a cone, and I am attaching the gold filled chain to it.



Sadly, this Kumihimo necklace has sat on my desk for over a year like this. The question is - why has this piece fallen out of favor with me? The answer is complex. I still like the teal peacock Czech beads but I’m not sure I like how they lay in this necklace. I’m also not sold on the cone I used, though I do like the chain accent. Basically, what it comes down to is this - I need to take this necklace apart and redo it, so I’ve been avoiding it like the plague!

I also have two finished Kumihimo strands which have been sitting on the other side of my desk for over a year, but I'll save the story behind those for next week...

19 comments :

Mollie Ann said...

Val, what a delightful peek behind the scenes! As for the necklace, redo it - right this minute! It's far too lovely to spend another year in waiting!

And here's a huge Thank You to Donna for rolling out this wonderful weekly feature!

Unknown said...

It's so pretty!!! Get it off da bench!!!

jemsbyjb said...

Cool "bench" Val. Thanks for sharing.

VenusVelvet said...

Thank you for sharing that with us Val. It looks like a lovely space to create in :)

Keystring said...

Love reading this! Also glad that I am not the only one with projects that are on a waiting list for finishing/re-designing!

Gambatte said...

I think everyone who makes jewelry has at least one project that sits waiting for completion, including me! Hope your beautiful necklace finds a place in your shop soon!

Gemstones on My Mind said...

Gorgeous Val, it has such an elegant look about it. I hope you find your solution and get it posted for all to see. Thanks for the peek into your fun space!

Cher said...

I envy your workspace, Val... it looks so organized and a soothing place for inspiration too :)
BTW, those beads are so unique, you must recreate something fabulous with them... can't wait to see how it comes out, so be sure to post pics when it's done!

SendingLoveGallery said...

I'm glad you shared this Val! I think it's a lovely necklace now but will be even better when you are happy with it. We can't argue against our instincts as designers (although we do) ;)

Unknown said...

Great peek into your working environment, Val - what an awesome desk/bench you have!

Erika Price said...

Oh Val, I'm so relieved I'm not the only one with half-finished designs sitting on my bench for a year or more!!! Thanks for sharing :)

Beadsme said...

LOL you must look like a Manager behind your desk.

And I say finish that beautiful bracelet.

Tracy said...

I'm envious of your amazing workspace! No wonder you're able to crank our such amazingness!

WanderingJewel said...

It's a beautiful bracelet!
I love your workbench setup. I really have to work on mine.

mjsee said...

Such a NEAT bench! Would that I could be so disciplined. Alas...I have ever been an utter mess. :) I hear you on the necklace you are avoiding...I've got more than one piece like that lurking in my "to be photographed" box...

SatinDollCo said...

It's a beautiful piece and I can see why it fell to the waist side since it requires a lot of work. But it's so worth it.

JillreOzmay said...

absolutely understand that one unfinished item, except I have WAY more than one. I think for me it's that I need that time to disconnect from it before I can take it apart. It's like you know it's not working, but you can't bear to take it apart and acknowledge either feeling like you failed, or accepting that you wasted so much time. Letting is sit gives me the time I need to let it go. Then when I take it apart, it's like I got a whole bunch of new beads!

Michele said...

Nice work area and gorgeous necklace I hope you can get inspired and finish.

Gaiane said...

This is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!!!