Soak Up The Sun

My friend turned 50 and she decided she wanted a "Wake" for her birthday party. We had a great time. I have to admit it was a little creepy walking into a dark room lite with candles and seeing her "laid out" under a white shroud. She laid there so still as the guests arrived. Several of us tried to get her to giggle or something but she stayed quiet and still for a long time. There was a eulogy and then we rose her from the dead. Her son put together a video of pictures to her favorite song "Soak Up The Sun" by Sheryl Crow. I made this necklace for her in honor of that song. It so fits her. I had made the brightly colored sun buttons. I strung those with waxed linen which reminded me of rope that you often see around the beach. I added the dyed turquoise beads on one side because they went well with the suns. I've wanted to use the dyed turquoise but when I bought them I was thinking fall colors. But they really are bright. The other side of the necklace is a double strand of some water colored stone chip beads. Those really made me think of the beach. And some brass chain. I altered the copper washers and I love the copper in this. Copper always reminds me of sun. I made the clasp with another altered copper washer and copper wire. I stamped Deana on one side of the clasp and Happy 50 on the other side with my new metal stamps which I love.

This necklace is totally not my style. It's very bright and has a lot of different elements in it. Ceramic buttons and beads. Waxed linen, brass chain, copper, turquoise and stone beads. But I think you can definitely tell I was inspired by the song.