Hoping in....

"Loves Hope"

I love a good challenge.

It truly always pushes me into a direction I would not take otherwise.

This challenge once again proved the same.

A couple of months ago, Carmi Cimicata of Resin Crafts asked if I'd like to participate in a blog hop featuring a new line, called Instant Glam, within a line of products called 

Metal Complex.

She sent a couple of components, one of which was a silver bezel.

I chose to use it for the hop!

 I had found this gorgeous rhinestone necklace at the antique festival this past Spring.

I knew it was destined for beauty.

I first oxidized the bezel, as it was much too shiny for me.

Then I sanded it a bit, just before I added a couple soft layers of Gilders Paste.

Damask was first, and then I topped it with Silver.

I reached into my bag of goodies

(really my shelf of supplies)

picking up some pewter hearts I had purchased from Thomas Mann.

This is the one I chose!  Just perfect, 

as it has a great little oval shaped well in the middle.

I found a rhinestone connector that had a hint of turquoise in it, 

snipping off the two end connectors.  

Then I pulled out my vintage book of Shakespeare, 

to find my next word,

hope. 

 I looked across my desk, 

finding some resin covered sheet music I had used in a previous project.

The title of the song had the word I was looking for,

Loves.

The name of my piece was born.

I attached the paper inside the bezel.  Mixed up a batch of Ice Resin and attached the heart inside the bezel using the resin.

I gently lowered the rhinestone connector, which now held the word hope,

into the tiny well in the middle of the heart.

As the resin was drying, I decided I wanted a few drops of silver inside the well,

so I added some silver glass micro beads.

Simply divine.  I am so in love with this piece.  

Thank you Carmi for asking me to be part of the hop!

It was a blast =)