While on one of my neverending search and destroy missions to stock up on the oh-so-elusive beads I deem "LongLocks HairSticks worthy," I came across a stash of vintage fine jewelers' supplies. Among the incredible pile of goodies I found a circa 1950 box that contained smaller boxes filled with paper-thin, unbelievably gorgeous mother-of-pearl flakes. I'm sure my gasp was audible. In Poughkeepsie. I knew I had to have them and had to figure out a way to use them. I also knew I was signing on for a challenge.
I made the considerable investment and bought all that were available, which were disappointingly few (so obviously, this style is not going to be around forever unless I'm lucky enough to find another stash of gem quality vintage mother-of-pearl flakes, which are *nothing* like the MOP garbage which can be found today for use in the beauty industry). Once I got home and into my studio I began the process of trying to figure out exactly how I was going to adorn sticks with these delicate, fragile beauties. It was a fairly consistent study in complete and utter failure throughout several attempts, nothing worked well enough to give me the results I wanted. I didn't give up though, and I finally glued, sanded, enameled, sanded, enameled, sanded, enameled, sanded, enameled (I could repeat this about thirty more times but I'm bettin' you get the idea) my way to success, eventually creating the designs that shimmer with translucent opalescence as the PearliStix hair sticks style appears here.
In my opinion, this is the most beautiful style of hair sticks I have yet to create, and I love making them. They also happen to be the most labor-intensive, physically painful (as my hands cramped into unclenchable fists of pain will attest) style of hair sticks I have ever made, and I dread making them. Oh, the irony of life!
