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2012

THE UGLY NECKLACE CONTEST
-- A Jewelry Design Contest With A Twist!

Land of Odds : Ninth, 2012
The Ugly Necklace Contest
A Jewelry Design Competition With A Twist
...TAKE OUR SURVEY...

Lynn Margaret Davy
Wimborne, Dorset, United Kingdom

"Cast Out From My Garden of Beadin'"

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Wearing

POEM

Cast Out From My Garden of Beadin'

I should have stuck to simple beads
That satisfied my simple needs.
But I got bored, I lost the thread
Switched the computer on instead
And now it's messing with my head.

I flitted like the butterflies
In search ofsome elusive prize.
And pretty soon I'd spent all day:
A little chat... a read... a play...
It's a jungle out there. I lost my way.

Exploring, searching, in so deep
I didn't eat, I didn't sleep
Always just one more thing to see
Some tempting fruit hung on a tree
My inner voice persuading me.

A serpent friendly and beguiling
And not-so-innocently smiling:
Go on. You know you want to. Eat.
The fruit is wild, it's free, it's sweet.
Just give in. You deserve a treat.

And once I'd got those browsing habits
They multiplied like eager rabbits.
And in my jungle warm and sunny
There's now lots more than just one bunny:
They are a plague. And that's not funny.

Those tiny feet went pitter-patter
Just like my keyboard. Didn't matter.
And now I've stayed there much too long
Lost in the birds' enticing song.
Before I knew it, I'd gone wrong.

And if it's wrong, can I be blamed?
I'm not unhappy, not ashamed.
It may be love, or just a crush;
But anyway, what is the rush?
The fruit is ripe, the leaves are lush...

It started out as just amusing,
It's all mixed up now, so confusing.
How can I know what's wrong or right
What's sickening, and what's delight?
The threads and wires are clinging tight.

A tangled web with big fat spiders
Who lured me in. Come, sit beside us.
Buzz with the bees. Admire the flowers.
Succumb to our hypnotic powers
And surf our net for hours and hours.

It's like a curse. Too late to lift it.
You'd need some heavy plant to shift it
To plough on through to where you'd find me
Break the addiction-chains that bind me
Cut loose the cables, and unwind me --

Only to find the truth is hateful.
I won't comply. I won't be grateful.
I live here now. I'm quite enslaved.
It's given me the fix I craved.
Thanks, but I don't want to be saved.

So... am I right? Who cares -- I'm happy.
I've stitched a necklace uber-crappy.
Well? Is it ugly, is it pretty?
I want your vote, if not your pity.
You can decide. This ends my ditty.

Front View

Clasp Assembly
Hand crafter wire-hook that snags into a rolled-up ball of mixed fibers.

The piece has several clasp points so it can be dis-assembled and reconfigured, or shortened

Another Clasp Assembly Point
Brooch Pin Back locking through a bead-woven piece.

MATERIALS LIST:
(This list may not be exhaustive, but it's a fair sample)

o Rubber track from toy excavator
o Czech, Indian and Japanese seed beads in sizes 6, 8, 9, 10,11 and 15
o Enamelled copper wire
o Nylon beading thread
o Chenille yarn
o Plastic spiders from Xmas crackers
o Elastic band
o Glass bugle beads
o Plastic and metal charms
o Acorn
o Feathers
o Wire spiral binding from calendar
o Iridescent plastic ribbon packing from chocolate box
o Amethyst chips
o Lapis lazuli chips
o Labradorite teardrop
o Garnet bead
o Chain
o Faux suede cord
o Jump rings
o Velvet
o Vintage hook and eye fasteners
o Vintage button
o Plastic snail charm
o Bar parts from toggle clasps
o Mobile phone charm lanyard without the charm
o Steel wire
o Silk flower
o Metal bead caps
o Pressed glass round, snail, teardrop, flower, butterfly and petal beads
o Swarovski crystal
o Faux pearl
o Handmade lampwork glass (the heart with the cute serpent is by Laney Mead of Izzybeads, please forgive me Laney, I couldn't resist...)
o Sparkly chenille pom-pom
o Plastic pony bead in the shape of a rabbit
o Metalized plastic flower beads
o Brooch back
o Fire polished faceted glass
o Metal charms: cupids, bees, baby feet, an electric guitar, an oversized dollar sign
o Sequins
o Japanese cylinder beads
o Wooden bird charm
o Indian glass rounds
o Metallic foiled butterfly bead
o Indian glass fruit charms
o Japanese fringe drop beads
o Japanese triangle beads
o Dried fungus that looks like a brain
o Snap fastener
o Cat's eye glass

Artist's Notes

This started out as a bit of fun but soon became an exploration of my own inextricably intertwined addictions to both beads and the Internet. Most of the components began with good intentions but ended in a tangled mess of too-much information that makes it impossible to separate the good from the bad, the pretty from the hideous. And anyway, how do you tell them apart when so much depends on the context?

As ever, I have incorporated a wide variety of recycled, repurposed and "found" materials together with the more"normal" beads, glass and gemstones.

The piece has several clasp points so it can be dis-assembled and reconfigured, or shortened (I can't imagine I will ever want more of it, but you never know). Most of it is stitched, strung or wire-worked together but the spiders' webby tangle is... well, I guess you could call it felted although it did most of that itself.

My ugly necklace made me smile, and then it made me think. I hope it'll do the same for you!

Close Up

Use of Little Beads

Detail

...TAKE OUR SURVEY...

Lynn Margaret Davy
Wimborne, Dorset, United Kingdom

"Cast Out From My Garden of Beadin'"

Click here for contest rules

Share your reactions, opinions and thoughts about our Ugly Necklace entries,
or about the Contest as a whole on our
Learn To Bead Blog.
blog.landofodds.com

To add your name to our email list
associated with The Ugly Necklace Contest, send an email to:
oddsian@landofodds.com
and Write "Ugly Necklace Email List" in the subject line.

OTHER PROGRAMS AT LAND OF ODDS:

All Dolled Up: Beaded Art Doll Competition
Theme: Transformations
Deadline: August 31st, 2013

JEWELRY DESIGN CAMP October 2013
Session I: Contemporizing Traditional Etruscan Jewelry Sun, 10/6/13 thru Sat, 10/12/13	Session II: Fringe, Edge, Strap, Bail, Surface Embellishment in Jewelry -- Art or Not? Sun, 10/13/13 thru Sat, 10/19/13	Immerse yourself into a week-long study of jewelry design theories, and their applications and manipulations with various materials, techniques and strategies.
CENTER FOR BEADWORK & JEWELRY ARTS WARREN FELD JEWELRY BE DAZZLED BEADS

**********************

LAND OF ODDS - BE DAZZLED BEADS -- Jewelry Design Center
      On-line at http://www.landofodds.com
BE DAZZLED -- the physical store at:
      718 Thompson Lane, Ste 123
     Nashville, TN 37204
Phone: 615/292-0610; FAX: 615-460-7001
Email:   oddsian@landofodds.com

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Main Content

2012

THE UGLY NECKLACE CONTEST
-- A Jewelry Design Contest With A Twist!

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The Ugly Necklace Contest