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| Bella's Charm Bronze version |
My latest beading project began with the lovely vintage photograph shown here. I don't know who the person is, I picked her out of a box of old photographs in a junk shop.
I loved the detailing on what was probably her 'best' outfit and the fact that she's wearing both a brooch and a pendant necklace, her favourite treasures maybe.
I am intrigued by treasures and trinkets with secret compartments,
talismans, and the way our personal treasures have layers of meaning.
Like a touchstone, our treasure can anchor us to a loved one, a moment in time, or an ambition achieved. Simple lockets with photographs and curls of hair, or gifts given to celebrate graduation, childbirth, marriage, coming of age, symbols to protect the traveller and on it goes.
I also like the way these treasures travel with us through our lives and witness our best and worst.
Bella's charm is a pendant with a secret compartment, just big enough to hold a slip of parchment with a wish, hope, dream, prayer, spell or incantation written on it. Embellished with sparkling chatons and gleaming pearls it is worked in a mixture of stitches. I made the first one in the lovely warm shades of sepia photographs, bronze and gold. Then I thought I'd take a look and see how it worked out in a lighter mix of silver and aqua... which became my instant fave... until I tried blood red and pewter, the perfect gothic mix!
The pattern, materials pack and full kit are on the website if you'd like a Bella's Charm of your own.
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| Sunset bronze, Midnight pewter or Moonrise silver |
