auction prep and new necklace

the annual penland benefit auction starts this friday and i've been busy making all kinds of jewelry for the occasion. auction attendees will be touring the penland campus and visiting the resident studios throughout the weekend. then on saturday we host "breakfast at the barns," a studio tour and sale with pastries and coffee. i've been told this 1 1/2 hour event can be very busy as well as the weekend in general, but who knows what will happen this year with the economy...i feel prepared and ready for whatever happens.

i started this necklace for the event two weeks ago and finished it the other day. i made it using mostly scraps from my scrap bin. the largest shape is from weeks ago and is something i just did not like after i made it. i challenged myself to use it as the focal point for a new piece and added the pop-up cut-outs to complement it. when i first finished it it didn't feel right to me so i let it hang out for a week. then i went back at it and made a few adjustments - i removed the popped-up parts, added a few more cut-outs, made it a bit longer, and made the center piece asymmetrical. then i flipped it so the staple-like connections are now face forward. now i like it.

thanks for reading.