Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

   My last post told how a mixed media wall piece combined wood, metal clay, feathers and ribbons to produce a story.   I introduced the 'Gastornis' - an extinct flightless primitive bird.  This week I'm sharing the 2 pendants I made at the same time I made the 'Gastornis' wall decor.   This post is about telling a story with jewelry and shows how color can add to the message. The pendant on the left above combines warm brass beads, meaningful red prayer beads and a handmade bronze wire clasp.  Does it made you feel excited?  The pendant on the right combines Hubei turquoise with silver and bronze.  The greenish color along with the silver cools the bronze.  Maybe this pendant makes you feel calmer?   Each of us bring our own color experiences with us.  I find it helpful to understand what we like and why.  That makes selections more meaningful and enjoyable.   Let's look at the pendant on the left and I'm going to call it 'The Warm Bird'.  This sto

Just back from traveling and here are a few of my recent favorite photos. Swallowtail Butterfly Dragonfly Dragonfly Not settled down enough to share my travels but here is some some inspiration.  Talk about natural color and fall color trends!

Finished Button and Beads After two days of being on the phone with a credit union, a bank, Medicare, and social security, I needed a distraction.   It was time to open my new package with the polymer clay ‘Ultimate Clay Extruder’ by Makin’s and the Bullen’s Wullens Driver Adapter.   I’ve had these tools for weeks and just kept putting off setting them up.   Found an old variable speed drill and I’m ready! This project started when I signed up for another online ‘Craftcast’ class.   This time it was ‘Extrusions’ with Cynthia Tinapple.   http://www.craftcast.com/class-or-recording-item/279652-learn-to-make-extraordinary-polymer-clay   I attended class and was intrigued.   Of course I ordered all the tools to make the class project and waited.   This evening I watched the class video again and assembled everything.   After conditioning 6 colors of clay, I rolled them through the pasta machine on the widest setting.   I used the Kemper Cutter to make the correct size circles of al

It is getting cooler in Prescott and ducks are flying in from the Arctic area (too cold with no food there!)    So Peter and I went birding to see how many ducks and what kinds were arriving.   Today we saw Mallards, Shovelers, Canvasbacks, Ring - Necked Ducks, Lesser Scaups, American Wigeons, Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads and one Green - winged Teal.   Then I spotted the eye candy!   Three Wood Ducks swimming in a man-made waterfall area at the entrance to a housing development – a place one would not expect to find them since they like secluded areas like wooded swamps.   The one male and two females caused us to stop the car, get our binoculars and just stand there looking!   The colors on the females were blended so that the blues slid into the greens and browns and then the blue green on their heads caught the sunlight.   It was such a rich color that I just wanted to touch. There was a delicate white pattern around their eyes and an elegant shape to their heads. The male coloring is

Hummingbirds are the tiniest of birds and one of the most fascinating species.   Everywhere I’ve lived, I’ve been able to watch these birds at feeders, hover in the air, get the nectar from bell shaped flowers and flash their colors in the sun.   I love to capture their image in my jewelry and I just found out that they sing with their tail feathers! http://newyork.ibtimes.com/articles/211694/20110910/hummingbird-sing-feather-flutter-sound-male.htm   We have seen several Rufous hummingbirds on their migration flight this summer.   Currently an Anna’s hummingbird has staked out his territory at our feeder.   He buzzes any other hummer who even thinks about getting a drink! Peter and I went to Ecuador a couple of years ago and being avid birders we looked for hummingbirds.   I had no idea how many different ones exist.   There are over 300 different species and Ecuador has the most!     The variety of details in their feathers, shapes and colors can be overwhelming.    We were standing o

Visitng another culture broadens and enriches my view of the world as I try to understand how we are all connected.   I am fascinated by how we are the same and yet so different.   I take lots of pictures of the details, patterns and textures when I travel and bring them home to sort through and absorb.   I let my imagination go to see what I can create that reminds me of my experiences. I am sharing some of my photos and impressions with you.                                                                                               At the base of this kopje, there are petroglyphs - ancient paintings from the Masai people.   Animals, maps, and other information left to assist or tell a story to the next passerby.   This rock formation is tall and wide.  The drawings on the rock are about 5 ft. high. This is a great example of being inspired by nature!  The beautiful crowned crane was the basis for this airplane's tail.        The columns of wood are carved by artists to t

I found a surprise on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater.   Jewelry!   Beautiful beaded jewelry for sale made by the Maasai tribe in that area.   Somewhere around the 1900’s the Maasai and the Europeans met and began trading goods.   The Europeans had beads – glass beads- colorful beads.   So the Maasai became makers and sellers of their jewelry. The Maasai tribe in Africa numbers about half a million people.   Men herd the cattle and women make the jewelry to survive.   The traditional beads were seeds, copper, bone, wood and gourds. Today they use mostly glass. The women sit together watching the children and cooking.   They milk cows and build their homes and cattle pens.   They also bead their jewelry giving great attention to creating beauty with contrast and balance.   Not so different than jewelry makers everywhere. As in most cultures, the intricate pattern and colorful designs are indications of social standing. The more intricate and the more colorful the higher you are