Oh how much fun is it to try creating in a new way! Even better when it is with friends, including a silver jeweller who offers classes at the local Henhouse Studio! My hubby picked up on my frequent and not-so-subtle hints requesting a class in metal clay for my Christmas gift.  He gifted me a sparkly necklace made by Julie AND a gift certificate to make my own necklace in her class! In the end I made FOUR pendants (one will be a gift, but somehow the others I made are all for me).  Don’t you love how they turned out?

Here you can see how I reproduced the lovely flower pattern of my mother’s silver for a sentimental piece (yes, there is one for my sister, shhh…don’t tell).

Here is the piece I made to symbolize me and he, the two waves, with a bubbly sea (of love).  Sorry, could not resist….Valentine’s day is just the perfect day for such corny smooshiness (is that a word?) and this man of mine has been so good to me lately!  The ocean bubbles texture was made using a sea urchin shell he collected from the bottom of the sea.  The two “happy accident” bubbles splashing above the waves were not planned (happened when the bail was soldered on the back) but their playfulness and presence are so perfect and so clearly our two little mermaids. I wanted a piece to remember this amazing time in our relationship. A time when we have spent half our lives together (yes it will be 19 years this month), a time when my man has decided he will whisk me away for a romantic tropical holiday for two (his idea, what an amazing surprise), a time when we are finding a bit of the us again in a partnership of four hearts.

Even before the happy accident in the wave pendant, I decided to make a little something to represent my girls.  I used the bit of metal clay I had left to make two wee urchin baubles. In the end, I decided to hang these together and love how the piece turned out.

Clearly happy accidents and leftover last minute ideas can be magic!  Just as clearly, it was no accident that the man I first kissed nearly 19 years ago is still with me today.  Very soon, on that special first kiss anniversary (yes, we have celebrated it all these years), we will be splashing along some tropical shore…and I might just be wearing this special necklace!

Until then, I dream of the magic we will have and remember so many other amazing moments together by the sea….

Happy Valentine’s Day Baby….how about tonight we eat those sprinkle covered sugar cookies the kids made us and book our romantic tropical holiday by the sea?