My Moma done tol' me

I remember, as a child, my mother would say to me: you can make anything your eyes can see.  She thought I had artistic talent and encouraged me to try my hand at different artsy endeavors.  It always made me feel glowy, knowing she thought I had it in me.   Later in life, my mother and I, would often go to art shows, galleries, craft shows, and every time  I saw something I liked, she would say: oh you could make that, even better!  While I knew she meant this to be a compliment, I just wanted to buy something beautiful for myself, not make it! 

Well, the belief in my ability to make what my eyes can see,  has stayed with me and I must admit, it has become somewhat of a challenge to see how true my mother's statement could be.  So the other day I received the Sundance Catalog.  It has a Western, high end, handmade type of vibe, with some beautiful items and some, well, overpriced items... 

Case in point, I came across these earrings priced at $240.  I appreciate the time, the thought, the materials put into these earrings, but $240??  So, with a few items I had laying around, I decided to make my version of them.

I collected all the beads, stones and findings I thought would look good in my version of the earrings.  I put them on headpins, and did some wire wrapping to make the links. 

Then I took a piece of chain and attached it to earwires.  Along the chain I attached all the little doodads I created and voila!  My version of the Sundance earrings at a fraction of the price.

Now, I'll go call  my mother and tell her all about them...