developing interesting headgear.....

......i worked and worked all day to develope a base for my leafy tiara.  first i started with a curved sheet of brass.  i worked and shaped it until it fit comfortably on my head.  i go for the 'princess diana' style of tiara.  hers were always molded to her head rather than the fifties rhinestone prom queen models.  those were always on a straight foundation of flat wire, and sat rather precariously on the head.  tiara engineering is very important if you are a princess and destined to wear decorative headgear for more that 1/2 hour for a costume party.  when i had what i wanted, i began soldering leaves to the brass band, beginning from the outside edge of the design.  when the right and left sides were done, i was very pleased.  my leaves were getting a nice patina with the extra heat of soldering, and the design was going together well.  at last it was time to put in the three center leaves, including the one with the stone.  i clamped everything together, fluxed and placed the solder, then added heat with my little micro-torch......held my breath and the solder melted.  nothing had fallen off, and i was home free!  ready to buff and polish and prepare the final finish.

BUT....there's always a but...it was late in the day by this time, and i was tired.  i had been concentrating on this almost without coming up for air for three hours solid.  BUT, as i said, but..... the solder didn't hold and two of the last three pieces fell away when i unclamped everything.......  oh well........  time to quit and start again another day.  never fear.....the princess in me will prevail!  what my mother and father taught me over and over, is, that "where there's a will, there's a way!"  what a great life lesson.  and a wonderful gift.  for this reason, i have never doubted that if i could dream it......i could DO it.  more later.....the picture is of the unpolished tiara.............with a steel clamp holding the last pieces into place!