Using Perforated or Screen Findings - Part 2 - Adding Depth

Next, we'll add the focal flowers.

Because these are flattish with a central hole - the are tough to wire on directly.

Poke the wire up through the screen, and through the flower bead, and then through a smaller bead (in this case, an aqua bicone) and back through the centre of the flower. You can go through the same hole or a different one in the screen. At this point - it is getting busy back there - so you may have to go for whatever hole you can get it through.






For the next two flowers - I wanted more depth, more dimensionality.

So I took one of the glass, flat flower beads, and put it underneath the focal flower assembly - threading on a "lifter" flower, then the focal flower, then the stopper, and back down through the two flower beads and into the screen. This bead is almost invisible, except from the side, and serves only to lift the focal flower up and make the whole thing more dimensional. It would have been nice if it had added to the design, but it worked fine the way it was.




Next, we are going to make a spray of leaves with a lady bug on them. This will be added to the brooch as a single, dimensional element.

Start with the lady bug and a fresh piece of wire, about 6 inches. Thread Ms. Ladybug onto the wire, move her to the centre and fold the wire in half.









Hold the wire in your right hand, and grasp the ladybug firmly in your left forefinger and thumb and twist 2-3 times.

The wire will twist at the ladybug bead.






Separate the ends of the wire and add a leaf on one wire, leaving a half inch of wire from the ladybug.












Grasp the leave in your left hand and twist.

The wire will twist up to the lady bug.








Bend the wire so that the leaf is next to the lady bug, and take another end of the wire, add a leaf, and twist to secure in place.










You can add a flower bead, more leaves, etc. Don't go crazy twisting the wire, just a few twists, as the wire will fatigue and break if you over-do it.














When you have 4-5 beads on your "floral spray" - twist the two wires together for a stem. (Actually - don't twist them together for as far as this picture - it makes the stem kinda long for the brooch.)


Poke the spray of leaves in amongst the other leaves, and poke the two ends of the wire in through separate holes, and twist on the other side.











Make another "spray" or two, and add where the "bouquet looks less full.










Next - Part 3 - finishing off.