Epic TV Inspiration Blog Challenge

Back at the end of April a blog challenge invitation was issued by Melissa Trudinger. The time was right to have a design challenge and blog hop inspired by Epic TV. Heather Powers had just issued a Game of Thrones challenge but that was okay, there was enough scope in TV series out there to inspire a dozen blog hops!

I’ve been busy outside all day and haven’t had the time to post until end of the day. Then I couldn’t find my camera. It still hasn’t turned up. I took my photos with my iPhone. Even these I took outside, because it really has been a glorious day!

I chose 2 Epic TV shows for the subjects of my challenge.

The first is Castle, the police drama where Richard Castle works with New York Police detective Kate Beckett to solve crimes. It certainly wasn’t Rick who attracted my attention, and gorgeous as she is, Kate Beckett is not one to wear a lot of jewellery. My inspiration was Martha Rodgers, Rick Castle’s mother.

Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers, Photo courtesy of imdb.com / ABC

Susan Sullivan, a long time veteran of episode TV, plays the part of Martha to perfection. Martha is an actress, specifically a stage actress, who lives with her son and granddaughter, and now her daughter-in-law Kate. When the series started, Martha was down on her luck and had not had any parts or been in any plays for some time. Martha was a very minor character at the beginning of the show. Her part and onscreen presence has expanded over the years. In Season 7 Martha was an important member of the storyline.

Martha Rodgers is a prima donna actress, relishing her role in plays, and dresses the part. She loves cutting edge fashion and jewellery with a twist.  I designed these pieces with her in mind.

First is this bib necklace of turquoise. These are beads I purchased from an artist who was clearing her stock. They are 22 – 25 years old and are of gorgeous quality. I matched them with round quartz crystal beads and sterling silver.

The Martha Rogers Necklace

The matching earrings came next. They are delicate looking, yet strong and hang from leverback ear wires, also in sterling silver. I can see Martha wearing this set to a premiere party!

The Martha Rogers Earrings

Next is this necklace, which pays homage to Martha Rodgers classic refinement. Much as she loves fashion forward looks, she also have a classic side. The necklace is composed of brass flowers enameled in a creamy ivory with centres full of little rhinestones. The bib effect hangs from a gold plated Circle and Circle chain. In making the bib effect I used jeweller’s brass jump rings to get the right spacing.

Martha Rogers Necklace Two

I’m not totally thrilled with the result. Though the flowers lay nicely on a flat surface and when the necklace is being worn, they all collapse into each other when it’s held up. My daughter looked at it and came up with the best solution; use narrow widths of brass sheet on the back to maintain the shape! Sometimes we are just too invested in a method to see the alternatives. I will be modifying the back and soon it will look just as lovely in the hand as it does when worn. I set aside two of the flowers to make earrings with but ran out of time. These will come soon too.

One of my other favourite shows is the Canadian science fiction show Orphan Black.  Tatiana Maslany plays many characters on this show about clones and the intrigue surrounding their creation by "a scientific movement called Neolution. The movement believes that human beings can use scientific knowledge to direct their evolution as a species. The movement has an institutional base in the large, influential, and wealthy biotech corporation, the Dyad Institute. The Dyad Institute conducts basic research, lobbies political institutions, and promotes its eugenics program, aided by the clone Rachel Duncan. But it also seeks to profit from the technology the clones embody. It has thus placed "monitors" into the clones' personal lives, allegedly to study them scientifically but also to keep them under surveillance."

One of the clone “sister” characters played by Tatiana is Allison Hendrix, a most unusual suburban wife.  According to her official bio, she is “married to Donnie Hendrix, and the (adoptive) mother of Oscar and Gemma. Her yoga pant-wearing, craft-making, soccer-mom exterior is a clever front for who she really is; a gun-toting suburban rebel who will stop at nothing, including murder, to protect her family. After Donnie comes clean about his own clumsy murder, the two find a lost passion. Now sober and recommitted to ‘Team Hendrix’, Alison intends on keeping her eye on the prize – helping her sisters, and keeping her family safe.”

Allison can be very conservative in her appearance, as depicted in this photo.

Tatiana Maslaney as Allison Hendrix, Photo courtesy of Space.ca

This necklace came to my mind when I started to imagine the jewellery she wears. The focal is a ceramic pottery shard from the pattern Blue Willow. The necklace itself is made of Lapis Lazuli beads in two sizes, tiny sterling silver beads and finished in sterling silver.

The Allison Hendrix Necklace

The second clone sister I selected is Cosima Neihaus. The official bio on Cosima states she is “the cosmic geek and PhD student in Experimental Evolutionary Development Biology, who helps her clone sisters make sense of the science behind their existence. After becoming embroiled in a steamy and sometimes dangerous love affair with the duplicitous Dyad scientist, Dr. Delphine Cormier, Cosima’s life is even more complicated. She has a congenital respiratory illness unique to the Leda clones, and is obsessively driven to get to the truth of their biology. Cosima hopes to free them from their collective and fatal destiny, through newly discovered research.”

Cosima has a very bohemian attitude and style.

Tatiana Maslaney as Cosima Neihaus, Photo courtesy of Space.ca

I imagined her wearing a necklace like this one.  The beautiful focal bead is made of polymer clay and is a creation of Erin Prais-Hintz. The bead itself was inspired by Frida Khalo. I matched it to four colours of waxed cotton and in the soft cotton tassel that I made. The colours used in both are taken form the colours of the flower and butterfly in the bead. Ceramic beads and antiqued bronze chain, hoops and clasp finish off this necklace.

The Cosima Neihaus Necklace

Thanks for stopping by. Please visit all the other participants of the challenge:

Melissa Trudinger   http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com  (Hostess)

Karen Mitchell         http://www.overthemoon-design.com

Andrea Glick            http://zenithjade.blogspot.com/

Karen Martinez        http://fairiesmarket.blogspot.com/

Lennis Carrier          http://windbent.wordpress.com

Lindsay Starr                        http://phantasmcreation.blogspot.com/

Mona Arnott            http://bijouxgemsjoy.blogspot.com (You’re here now)

Lee Koopman           http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com

Shaiha Williams      http://ShaihasRamblings.com

Veralynne Malone   http://veradesigns.blogspot.com

Elisabeth Auld         http://www.beadsforbusygals.com

Kelly Schermerhorn           http://meanderingwithkelly.blogspot.com

Dini Bruinsma         http://www.angazabychanges.blogspot.nl

Jami Shipp               http://www.celebratinglifewithdamamashipp.blogspot.com.au/

Terri G                     http://terrisbloomingideas.blogspot.ca