Wine Bottle Collars..

Now that the fundraiser project is finally done.. I have two weddings to get ready for. I decided to try wine bottle collars..... not as hard as I thought....but not easy.

This is the pattern I found. Unfortunately, it gave bead measurements in the 1/4 inch-type measurements and if you've bought beads in the US in the last few years, they use mms. So finding the beads was a challenge in itself. This was my first attempt.

Not bad I must say. Here's a closer look.

I took it to work to show it off, and instantly got orders for 6 MORE! My co-workers are always saying, "You should get a booth at the Saturday Market", "You should consign in the gift shop", "You should sell on eBay". The truth is, they keep me busy enough and I never really build up a stock of anything.!
So, this is my second attempt. I only slightly changed the design.

I know, not a great pic. Sorry. I really wanted to do one in a sapphire blue and black diamond-type crystal, maybe with a little bit of opalite or moonstone, but I can't find the beads in the right dimensions. Pisses me OFF!!
Anyway, this is a fun and interesting change from bracelets and earrings, and it gives me some new ideas for those too! Actually, one girl I work with is starting to talk about having me do a glorious, over-the-top necklace designed after one of these (I'm not really excited about something of that magnitude. Holy fuck, that would take forever!)... She's also in the process of remodeling her kitchen and we're talking about doing pendant lights made from wine or champagne bottles with glamorous collars on them.. (That was my idea, I think it ROCKS... I just gotta figure out how to cut the bottoms off the bottles!)
I find myself really wishing that I had a craft room or a workshop.... There's so much stuff I want to try! Kinda wish I had the money to try it all too!!..............!!!!