Week Eleven…A Race Against Time

I have been so busy this week that I wasn’t sure I would finish. I started out the week needing to finish the ring and earrings from last week.  I thought about not trying another tutorial or picking a really simple one like a charm, but instead I did what my friend calls “putting on your big girl panties” and dove into a pendant that I have been a little hesitant to create…I mean this is a challenge after all. 🙂

The tutorial that I chose was the Elven Pendant Tutorial by Nicole Hanna.  Now some may wonder what the big deal is about it that had me quaking in my boots just a little…well it is the mirror image that is needed in the wrapping process.  I know it may not sound like a big deal, but trying to create a mirror image in anything drives the perfectionist in me to distraction and crazy to boot!

Speaking of mirror imaging in wire wrapping…remember these from Week Seven…

Elf Ear Cuffs from Week Seven

Yes, that is a lot of mirror imaging in wire and it took me several tries to get them right, but the important thing was I didn’t quit and I actually made them.  With the ear cuffs under my belt I felt more confident in creating the Elven Pendant, and that confidence made this weeks project fun instead of stressful.

Before I began making the pedant I wanted to finish the ring and earrings from last week.  Here are the finished pictures of the Biker Chain Chic Ring by Perri Jackson and the Mini Evil Eye Earrings tutorial by Nicole Hanna.

Completed Biker Chain Chic Ring

Completed Biker Chain Chic Ring

Completed Mini Evil Eye Earrings

Completed Mini Evil Eye Earring

They are not perfect and I can tell how my struggles from last week showed up in the wire work, but I am pleased with how both of these projects finished up.  It was a great lesson in perseverance, finishing well and growing in my jewelry making abilities and those are big parts of what this challenge is about.

Now onto my Elven Pendant…

I usually try to have my piece of jewelry finished by Friday, so my husband can take pictures on Saturday and then I blog about it on Sunday.  That isn’t what happened this week.  It was Wednesday before I even started on this week’s project and I just finished tonight.

I worked on it each evening, but it seemed like it was time for bed right after I got going.  It felt like time was slipping away and there wasn’t much progress to show for the couple of hours I had spent working and normally that makes me feel like a failure or incompetent, but not this week.  The difference this week is that I wasn’t getting caught up in the comparison trap I usually fall into.  I see many people posting beautiful pictures of the thirty intricate wire weaving pieces they created that day…well okay maybe one or two…and it is hard to hold my head high because I think I should be able to create things fast too.  The problem is for me fast usually means messy and a lot of mistakes and me not being satisfied in my end product.

This week I found myself relaxing with what I was doing and enjoying the process of creating and doing a good job as I did it.  It wasn’t a frustration free project, but there was a whole lot of fun and a great sense of satisfaction when I saw the finished piece.

Here is the finished pendant…

Completed Elven Pendant

Completed Elven Pendant

Bottom part of the Elven Pendant.  I am still working on my wrapped briolettes.

I am so thankful that I could do it at my own pace without self condemnation.  There really isn’t a race going on, but sometimes it feels like that.  I know that I shouldn’t compare my creative journey to anyone else’s, but that is a hard thing to stop and I fail at it most of the time.  However, this week I am grateful for the freedom to just do my work at my own pace and enjoy the process…which is apart of enjoying my journey a I learn to live my life.