The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

January's pick for the Inspired by Reading book club was The Starless Sea, a novel which I had fortuitously bought for myself as a birthday present the previous month. It's a story about stories and the truths they tell or hide. Grad student Zachary finds a mysterious book on the shelves of the library that contains several tales about a giant library below the world where all stories are kept, including the tale of how a young Zachary found a door to that library and almost went through it but didn't -- an event he never told anyone about.

I loved this book so much. It's a lovely paean to storytelling, filled with rich and vivid imagery -- bees and keys and swords abound, and honey lemon cookies and cats and dollhouses and trees and doors appearing everywhere. There's a millenia-old love story, and another sweet, more recent one. There are endings and beginnings and second chances and lost opportunities, and through it all the thrill of a well-told tale.

There were also some narrative problems. A sinister secret society becomes quite dangerous early on before fizzling out completely; another secret society ends up not having much of a role at all. One of Zachary's friends takes over part of the narration at the end of the book and she's wildly entertaining but she feels like she belongs in another novel entirely. And I would have liked some variation in the voice of all the non-Zachary tales, to reflect the fact that the underworld library is supposed to hold all kinds of stories told in all kinds of manners. But on the whole I could not get enough of the world Morgenstern created. Maybe a sequel centered on Kat?

I went with the obvious when it came to making the jewelry:

I attached a bee, sword, and key to a black filigree base, and attached that to a matching chain. A second strand of amber chips to evoke the honey of the Starless Sea adds a little textural interest.

But I didn't stop there!

Using a deep indigo strip of silk I picked up at Allegory Gallery a few years ago, I attached a big brass ring with a slip knot and added an assortment of charms, beads, and another hunk of honey-colored amber. this is my favorite of the two, and I will keep it for myself. The other I will list in my etsy store.

Restocking the Esty Store

With milagros and religious medal necklaces:

A couple more pairs of bobbin earrings:

I also decided to sell the rest of my embellished Lotería cards:

Sari Tassel Beads

My latest creation:

inspired by the February box by Blueberry Cove Beads. 

I coveted that box the moment I saw it, but I couldn't justify the expenditure, especially since I already owned recycled sari strips:

little bells:

and glass beads from India:

Inspiration struck almost immediately.  I cut a few four inch (or so) lengths of the sari strips and used brass craft wire to tie them together, making a wire-wrapped loop at the top:

I folded the strips down and used more wire to wrap around the bundle, creating a tassel:

Then, using beading thread, I attached to the base four strands of small glass beads, ending each with a brass bell:

Love them. 

 When I shake my head, I hear the bells tinkle together!

For good measure, I made a second pair to sell through my etsy store:

For Sale!

Due to "popular" demand, I am selling the Arrested Development pattern.  You can find a PDF to download here in my etsy store.

While I was at it, I made a couple of Frida Kahlo necklaces to sell; she tends to be pretty popular:

You can find them and some other simple jewelry in my etsy store too.

Earrings for Sale

Yesterday I listed a bunch of new earrings in my Etsy shop.

Silk cocoon earrings:
Beaded wool earrings in indigo:
Bordeaux:
Teal:
And pink:
Button earrings in purple (large):
Purple (small):
Blue:
Citrus:
Green:
And pink and yellow:

Another Commission

Yet another friend of mine saw the calaveras earrings I made for myself a few years ago:
and thought they'd be perfect for her brother's girlfriend. So I made these for her:
The picture's not great, but the earrings came out better than the first pair, in my opinion. I think I'll make another for the etsy store -- skulls are trendy right now.