Reveal for SJ September Honey Do List

It wasn't until the beginning of this month that I saw the inspiration photo from Sarajo and Eric for the September Honey Do List on the SJ Designs Jewelry blog. And, when I saw this beauty of a photo, I knew I had to make something. It has so much of what I love: layers of moss, old wood, rusty bits (if you look close), and metal. Take a look!

Inspiration for September Honey Do List

It took a day or two to gather my thoughts as I kept the image open in my browser. I finally gathered a few beads, a piece of tin, and a couple of charms. I set to work punching out tin circles to make bead caps and distressing large wooden beads for a more aged look. Alas, that design just didn't work. But, the elements I had assembled stayed on my desk for a day or so until inspiration struck again and the black metal hinge with the rusty washers in the photo caught my eye. 

I was tickled to pull this pendant together. The green and yellow tin are like the bits of moss on the door while the darkened tin is like the hinge. Rusty washers, small tin discs, and rivets completed the pendant by looking like the bolts on the hinge. 

It took me another day or so to realize that I just needed wood beads to complete the necklace. 

Since the holes in wood beads are often large and swallow the wrapped loops, I added Czech matte glass seed beads on either side of the wood beads. And, darkened steel wire reflects the hinge. A gunmetal clasp closes the chain. 

Before I cleaned all the gathered pieces from my desk, a pair of almost-matching earrings fell together too. 

Because of the wood and the tin, both of these pieces are super lightweight.

Thanks to Sarajo and Eric for the gorgeous inspiration. My apologies for running behind on this one, but I HAD to give it a go. You can see what Sarajo made for her September Honey Do List reveal and/or check out the photo inspiration for the October Honey Do List to get started on their newest challenge.