PRETTY PENDANT

 

“Wilderness” ~ there's a pretty side to it where flowers thrive.

 

That's what I hope to reflect in this pendant.

 

It was not made using a pattern.

 

I was guided by a picture in my mind ~ a trailing strand of leaves, flowers.

 

So this is a spontaneous make :-)

 

 

The key material here is the thin wire.

 

It's easy to thread beads onto it and

manually twist them into shape eg green beads to form leaves.

 

Also the thin wire can be manipulated eg a leaf moved behind a flower

so each element can be positioned to give dimension to the whole piece. 

 

Finally, the whole strand is shaped into gentle curves.

 

It's finished by adding a jump ring to the top leaf,

and threading through a black cord.

 

Gifted to a friend on her birthday!
 

I just realised it looks Christmas-y with the red/green beads.

It's not intentional.

I wonder if any of my friends would like
this pendant as an Xmas present!

 

~Ema N~

***
What I made for recent Le Challenges
epp star necklace: "Direction"
love token earrings: "Single"
 flower brooch : "Wood"

***

 See what others created for Le Challenge's "Wilderness" theme!
 

Linking up with

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LOVE TOKEN EARRINGS

I went to the park to gather a few seeds
from the Adenanthera pavonina tree.

They are perfect for this month's Le Challenge theme, "Single".

It's a practice here for single ladies
to collect enough of these to fill up a glass jar
then give them to the guy they like.

 

Why are these seeds used as tokens of love?

Perhaps it's their heart shape (squint your eyes) 

and vibrant red, the colour of passion.

 

 Love tokens made me think of old-fashioned courtship.

What came to mind was a vintage-looking pair of earrings,
something the heroine in a romance novel might wear.

"Something ornate, but not overly so, to frame the red seeds", I thought.
 

These leafy bead caps might work.

The points break up the expanse of red.
The texture on the metal contrasts with the smooth surface of the seed
and provide visual interest.

The caps were just the right size too and held the seeds in a warm embrace.

They were then glued to earring posts.

And I have a pair of vintage-y earrings I think will be worn often.

 

The red is striking, isn't it?

As a child, I was told this story about how the seed got its colour:

Once upon a time, there was a loving couple. One day, the husband was summoned by the king to go to war. The wife was sad to see him go. Every day, she climbed to the top of the hill in the hope of seeing him return. She did this for weeks, then months, and then years. He never came back. She cried and cried. One day, her tears turned into drops of blood. As they touched the ground, Adenanthera pavonina trees sprung up. When pods of the tree ripened, they burst open and threw out bright red seeds. Villagers said they were the tears of the heart-broken wife. 

***

See the brooch I made for last month's Le Challenge, "Wood".

***
 

~Ema N~

 

Linking up with Le Challenge.

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SPRING NECKLACE

Many butterflies in the park these few days.
They are a delight to watch.
 

I had a strong feeling that I absolutely must have a spring necklace.

So went straight home to make one.

What I had in mind was something
with a butterfly flitting towards flowers.

 

And here it is...
wore it straight away, while still in my exercise t-shirt!

~Ema N~

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AN EVENING WALK

The park is at its best after a rainstorm, I think.

 

It is more alive.

 

Sounds of water, bird and insect calls are clearer.

Colours are cleaner, sharper.

The earthy smell of the soil, grass and rotting leaves is more intense.

 

Best of all is the glistening of raindrops on lotus leaves, like diamonds sparkling.

 

I'll show you another time.

 

It was too slippery to get to the other side for such a shot.

This picture of the lotus is my "pix of the day".

 

I like its view from the "back".

It shows the bruised, bug-eaten leaves better than
the conventional "front" angle .

 

I like the content.

Beauty and decay.

That's life.
 

There are more squirrels these days. 

 

They bounce across paths and up trees,

spring from one branch to another.

But what I really want you to see
are the button-like leaves on the lower right.

It's the Dragon's Scale Fern :-) :-) :-)

 

 Pyrrosia piloselloides.

It's a drought-tolerant epiphyte.

Climbs up trees like this one.



 Spotted these mushrooms in the field.

 

I've never seen this type before.

 

Any mushroom expert out there who knows what species this is?

 

 

I call it the muffin mushroom.

 

Doesn't it look like one? (lower left pix).

 

The older mushroom has a crinkled top, looks like a brain.

 

A brainy muffin mushroom.
 

 

I always have a bag to hold fallen bark, leaves and

whatever else that catch my eye when I'm out and about.

 

I like the textures, the colours of these.
 

That's my evening walk in the park today.

 :-)
 

~Ema N~

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THUNDERSTORM

 

It rained and rained and then rained some more today.

 

Wind and thunder. Drama.

I watched it through the window.

I worried for the trees.

Its branches, already heavy with fruit,

now under greater strain with the added weight of rainwater.



I worried for the birds in the trees.

 

Come inside and take shelter!

~Ema N~

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CAPSICUM

This capsicum makes me happy.

I wake up and think: "Oh, how much has the capsicum grown overnight?".

I get up and go for a visit, even when it's raining.

Look at the green, shiny surface. I just have to reach out and touch it!

The unripe fruit is the same colour as the leaves and stems.
So well camouflaged. I didn't see it when it was a tiny baby.

There are aphids.
 Can you spot them in the pix? I check daily and pluck the infected leaves.

But the ants that 'milk' the aphids also help pollinate the flowers.

 

I can't remember if I had planted yellow or red capsicum.

 Have to wait and see.

:-)

 

~Ema N~

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MINT

The mint plant is doing well.

It glows in the morning sun.

Brushed my fingers over the leaves.

Inhaled the fresh, minty smell.

I felt calm, peaceful.

Gave it a drink of rainwater collected from yesterday's storm.

Sprigs added to tea.

Thank you, mint!

Did you know mint plants have square stems?

Most plant stems are round.

Stinging Nettles also have square stems.

 

~Ema N~

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Please do not use without permission.