Working on A Gift Set

(for the Mis-matched Earring Swap/Hop, keep scrolling down, it's the previous post)

I'm working on a surprise gift for my mom and my four aunts.  The only reason I'm not too worried about mentioning it on here is because none of them follow my blog (mom isn't tech-savvy or on FB -shoot she can barely text! - and the aunts haven't joined my blog followers... family!)

(and, for those of you cousins who DO follow, if you spill.... well, remember, I still know where you live! and I have contacts! even in Texas!!)

(Stacy, this means you since your mom's getting this, too!)

That said, here's a page from my sketch book. I'm trying to work out how to bend my bezel wire into a round and then into a heart. And to make the red (sort of stained-glass look) in the heart, I think Envirotex Lite will work if I'm slow and careful and don't just pour, but the red is important.  Red was Mimi's color (my mom's mom) so it has to be incorporated, somehow. As I said, this is just a sketch. I may change my mind a few times before this is done. Actually, I'm pretty positive I'll change my mind a few times before this is done.  I don't normally sketch ideas out, I just sit down and do what the beads and wires tell me to (they can talk... did you know that? of course you did! you're beaders, too!)

The keepsake idea is this; I asked one of my uncles if he had any of the letters my grandparents had written each other over the years and he does.  He's going to get me some copies (somehow) and I'm going to try to make jewelry for my mom and aunts from those letters. I have the idea to make at least a necklace and earrings... possibly a bracelet (still undecided) for a full parure set.  I want to make them as a surprise for Christmas.  (send the copies soon, Unc!)  I'm still debating size of the focal because that will determine length of necklace and whether I use chain, chain and ribbon, or leather to hold it all.

(remember, shhhh!)
(p.s., if any of the aunts do follow me and I just didn't know? pretend! do not tell me and spoil my fun! act like you had NO clue! Okay? Okay.)