A necklace laid flat, with its cording positioned in elegant, artful curves was Helen Breil’s inspiration for this magnetic lariat. “Could you maintain that elegant composition as you wore the piece?” she wondered.

Thin magnets positioned behind the two metal-backed components help the wearer vary the positions and come up with many ways to artfully arrange the lariat.  The cording stays draped in place as an important design element.

“It’s like I’ve extended the creativity process not just to the making of a piece, but also to the wearing of it,” she says. Helen shares more about her designs (and new silkscreens) on Facebook, her site and Pinterest. She will teach a wrap bracelet how-to class on Craftcast on January 20.

Brave Souls

Two of polymer’s shyest and most intriguing artists are joining forces as they jump into the mixed media crowd at the Portland Art and Soul retreat March 1.

Sign up for the Garden of Earthly Delights class with Wendy Malinow and Leslie Blackford here. Laurie Mika paved the way into the Art and Soul retreats. Laurie’s classes start here.