Finding Inspiration in the Nature of Yellowstone

photo credit:: https://unsplash.com/@kris_ricepees

I get lots of inspirations for my jewelry designs from nature. I recently ran across an online guide to Yellowstone National Park that made me think back on a couple of recent trips there. One of the highlights of the park are the geysers. Yellowstone National Park offers visitors a unique perspective of the geothermal activity going on just below the earth´s crust. There aren´t many places in our world where you can go and say that you were walking around the mouth of a super volcano ready to erupt at any moment.  This guide has some breath taking images of them. Another reason, folks go to Yelllowstone is to see the wildlife there. Yellowstone has herds of bison, elk and pronghorn and one of the best places in the lower 48 states to see a grizzly bear.  This guide also has some great photos of the wildlife there.  I wish I had run across this guide before my trips there because it offers some really good tips on places to go there and things to see.
In a previous blog, I talked about a few pairs of  earrings that were inspired by my first trip to Yellowstone and I included a few photos of the geysers that served as the inspiration.  On my second trip there last year, we camped in the northern part of the park where you can find lots of wildlife.  Early one morning, I spotted a fox crossing a creek and I was very close to it. They are widespread throughout the northern part of the park with somewhat patchy distribution elsewhere in the park. Of course, I got so excited I blew all of my photos of him. But I was so close to the fox that the sighting was one of the highlights of the trip there and the memory has stayed with me and inspired me to create a couple of bracelets with the red fox serving as the centerpiece.

Fox bracelet by BayMoonDesign

Heather Powers of Humblebeads is a favorite bead maker of mine. When I saw that she made a component with a running fox on it, I know that I had to create with it. Jumping fox component has a sly little fox running through a birch forest. I love the muted earthy hues. It has oranges, olive greens, and muddy browns and grays,


Around the same time I read the Leather Bracelet with Micro Screws Nuts Tutorial by Powers of Humblebeads on her blog and I decided to give it a try while working with her fox component.   A real plus in this tutorial is that it lists component and where to locate them. It also has great directions with photos. I did deviate from the tutorial slightly when I used her fox component. It didn't have holes on each end like the bracelet bar in the tutorial. I had to create a loop and connect it to the jump ring and leave enough room to make a messy wrap next to the component. I then ran the wire horizontally through the component and make another loop. I used this loop to attach to the jump ring. Once again I left enough room to make a messy wrap next to the component. Now, that I made the bracelet I have mastered a new skill. Micro screws and nuts make this a no-fail project with very minimal tools and no riveting experience needed! In fact, I had the tools. I just needed to get the leather, E hook clasp, jump rings, micro screw and nuts from Lima Beadshttp://www.limabeads.com/.  My first fox bracelet was gifted to my daughter who loves in Atlanta.  She has foxes that live in her neighborhood.  She really enjoys watching them so I knew she would love the fox bracelet.

Fox bracelet by BayMoonDesign

My second trip to Yellowstone made me want to make another fox bracelet. Knowing Heather makes darling fox components I decided to purchase another fox.  This time I used the same directions but different metals to accentuate the tan leather I choose.  I selected brass instead of copper.  

Which bracelet is your favorite--copper or brass?