How I choose my embellishment elements -

I am a collector.  I collect specific items which I source and shop for.  I also collect items that I come upon by chance and feel I must have.  These particular items may not have an immediate intended use, they may be items I will gaze upon for years, but one day I know they will find their place.

I collect lampwork beads from some of the best glass artists, some well known, some just making these bits of art for themselves.  I may buy one or two, I may buy a collection.  Glass has such an intensity of color, it absorbs and disperses light so beautifully, I find it magical.  For the past few months I have crafted scissor/key FOBs which have been received so well by you, my friends.  How do I choose the components of these FOBs?  Let's work through a case study!

Recently I purchased 2 magnificent lampwork beads from an American artist.  I was immediately drawn to the intricate work on these beads and the unexpected color combinations.  I could see how they could work as great focal beads for a FOB.

Below you can see 2 angles of one of these beads and marvel at it's intricacy.

 

I like to add an element of fiber to my FOBs so I decided to make my own tassel.  I used a beautiful bead cap as the head of the tassel and topped it off with another pretty bead.  You can see the tassel below.

Next I chose two possible connectors that would add weight when connected to the scissor/key ring itself.

I picked another two lampwork beads which played off the colors in my focal bead and chose a lovely star scissor/key ring to tie everything together.  I like to use little bits of silver chain when connecting the single elements to the larger connectors so that each of the elements has a bit of movement, some swing to it, instead of staying stiff and awkward.  

Using silver jewelry pins and very careful wrapping techniques, I combine all the elements, adding a few additional beads along the way.

Below is the completed Scissor/Key FOB I made for the sister lampwork bead.  Here I made my own tassel, using a variety of colored silk thread, and used additional bead embellishments. I think the result is quite beautiful.  I hope you agree.

(If you like these twin FOBs, they can be found in my ETSY store HERE)