Cynthia Thornton’s book,
Enchanted Adornments has
rave reviews. It’s beautifully illustrated and pulls the reader in like a novel with the stories of each piece of jewelry. It’s lovely, it’s magical, it’s beautiful.
It’s also something you might not have noticed – a very practical guide to creating with polymer clay, resin, precious metal clay and mold making.
Last summer, I blogged about my first mold ever.
Andrew Thorton (Cynthia's brother) left a comment on the post about how I should ask Cynthia about mold making since she was a master mold maker. How her book had an entire chapter dedicated to moldmaking.
Andrew knew what we all can miss - inside Enchanted Adornments is a very practical guide with an extensive section on moldmaking and tips on creating good molds. Then there are the tips through out the book, e.g., saving scraps of wire to make button shanks (what a great tip!).
All that practicality is wrapped up in such a lovely book, you can overlook it. Enchanted Adornments is like the pretty girl with brains- you think she's just pretty but it's delightful packaging for considerable expertise and knowledge. For example, page 12 is entitled, "Deconstruction." It's only one page but is a comprehensive discussion on how you can take an abstract source of inspiration and break it down into components you can use to create a piece of art (jewelry.)
Cynthia Thornton knows her media inside and out. I was impressed with her discussion on how to work polymer clay and I am in love with the Owl Ojime Necklace on page 66. I absolutely love the Window of the Heart Bezel Pendant and take out the book to stare at it regularly. I've never seen anyone do shrink plastic as well. Shrink plastic is fun but can look cheap. Cynthia is a maestro and uses shrink plastic in just the right piece with her Petal Cascade Hairpin and earrings project on page 62. Showing off her talents in resin and wire, the delicate Woodland Wings on page 80 will make you run down to the craft store to stock up on resin just so you can create these lovely translucent beauties.
Enchanted Adornments is beautiful, magical AND practical. Cynthia Thornton weaves her considerable knowledge and practical advice into beautifully illustrated enthralling storytelling.
