I am a collector. I collect specific items which I source and shop for. I also collect items that I come upon by chance and feel I must have. These particular items may not have an immediate intended use, they may be items I will gaze upon for years, but one day I know they will find their place.
I collect lampwork beads from some of the best glass artists, some well known, some just making these bits of art for themselves. I may buy one or two, I may buy a collection. Glass has such an intensity of color, it absorbs and disperses light so beautifully, I find it magical. For the past few months I have crafted scissor/key FOBs which have been received so well by you, my friends. How do I choose the components of these FOBs? Let's work through a case study!
Recently I purchased 2 magnificent lampwork beads from an American artist. I was immediately drawn to the intricate work on these beads and the unexpected color combinations. I could see how they could work as great focal beads for a FOB.
Below you can see 2 angles of one of these beads and marvel at it's intricacy.
I like to add an element of fiber to my FOBs so I decided to make my own tassel. I used a beautiful bead cap as the head of the tassel and topped it off with another pretty bead. You can see the tassel below.
Next I chose two possible connectors that would add weight when connected to the scissor/key ring itself.
I picked another two lampwork beads which played off the colors in my focal bead and chose a lovely star scissor/key ring to tie everything together. I like to use little bits of silver chain when connecting the single elements to the larger connectors so that each of the elements has a bit of movement, some swing to it, instead of staying stiff and awkward.
Using silver jewelry pins and very careful wrapping techniques, I combine all the elements, adding a few additional beads along the way.
Below is the completed Scissor/Key FOB I made for the sister lampwork bead. Here I made my own tassel, using a variety of colored silk thread, and used additional bead embellishments. I think the result is quite beautiful. I hope you agree.
(If you like these twin FOBs, they can be found in my ETSY store
HERE)
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