Don’t you just feel that Fall crispness in the air? No . . .? Unfortunately, I don’t either. It’s rapidly approaching 100 degrees here in South Texas and I’m wondering why in the world I am working on Fall design pieces. Could it be because the summer merchandise is rapidly clearing out of the boutiques and the Fall clothing will start arriving in August. If I don’t start thinking Fall right now, I’ll be behind. So, here I sit with the Fall color predictions on one side of me and a boutique’s Nomadic Treasures clothing brochure indicating what she has purchased on the other. I’ve also turned the ceiling fan in the studio on high and am trying to think about cool weather and darker colors. (This is a BIG stretch!) Since I’ve been making the etched cuffs, it was a fairly easy transition to use more Fall-like designs on them. I used a Fall leaf stamp to make this copper on copper bracelet. Sticking with the metal, I also finished a copper leaf pendant shown below. I torched the metal until it was black and, following cleaning, the leaf offered a beautiful red color. Then I soldered the little dragonfly on to one side. The challenge came in digging deep into my bead drawers to find the right Fall colors. This was made easier by spending time at a boutique yesterday. There, I was able to match the colors to a Fall wool vest that was in stock. I find it much easier to design with a garment in front of me. Both of these pieces are currently available on my etsy shop @ www.dreamcatcherdesigns.etsy.com Fall is definitely here in the studio and I should be ready when the real deal comes along outdoors. Think COOL.