I Need Sheet Metal

I've been playing again in my craft room and normally when I play I'm painting or doing one of my other hobbies but yesterday and today was actually playing with sheet metal and wire. I wanted to make some copper bangles but didn't have any sheet copper but did have some sheet metal the color of copper and silver in 24 gauge. It is a little thin for bracelets but thought I would work up some ideas anyway. I really like how the copper colored one came out and I think in a heavier gauge metal it would work really well.

Funny thing that while I was at the craft store buying fake flowers (see last paragraph) I just had to go over to the jewelry and beads section and I found some sheet metal with patterns embossed. So, I got to play a bit more. Here is the set I created with the antiqued gold tone metal pieces.

I think for the other metal pieces I'll get out the big guns (the Dremel) to help with the filing and polishing as doing this with a little jewelry file was time consuming. The bracelet is my favorite piece but they all work well together but I do have to change up the necklace a bit as I just don't like the chain dangles from the top.

Since I was playing and there was no pressure to create something fantastic, at the home improvement store hubby bought me a copper tube cutting tool. This is too cool. I already had the copper tubing but had no way to cut it and never even thought about cutting it up into little pieces for beads but this was so much fun.

It's just this heavy chunky chain and I love it. I may have to make more. I think I'm obsessed.

To take a break from jewelry making, I decided to redo my front porch... ha ha, those of you that know me know that I can not grow flowers at all. In fact, plants and I don't get along and they seem to just wither and die a slow death. Well, last Fall I got the bright idea to put fake (silk) flowers in my flower pots out front. So, I planted sunflowers and mums. It looked so much better than the dead flowers and lasted all Winter. Well, it has been past time for me to update the porch for Spring/Summer. So, off to the craft store I went and found all kinds of silk flowers for my pots. My front porch is now ready for warm weather and I don't even have to water them.

On that note, I'll wish everyone a happy Memorial Day and let us all remember the Veterans who have given their life so that we may have freedom. Thank a Veteran today.

Struggling with Design

Today I am beating my head against a wall. I have indecision with me and I really don't like him. Note I did call it a him as that is what I believe it to be as my muse is a woman. I've been working on some Amulets and Talismans for a charm swap. I've done quite a bit of research so they at least look somewhat authentic and then just trying to figure out how to craft them was giving me fits.

Here is what I have so far:

We are challenged by size as we can't go larger than 1 1/2" in length so I immediately have to eliminate the bottle with all the healing and protection in it (agates, seeds, salt, rosemary) as it will be too long. I don't like the triangle with the eye in the middle... it just needs something more. The other four, I'm okay with. Would love comments, ideas or anything else you might suggest.

I made some really cool crystal ball pendants that would have been great for this swap this past weekend but alas they are too long, so they will get used for a pendant swap. I think the rock crystal is about a 16mm.

If I would have thought about it, I could have gotten some a bit smaller. I think they would have made a great charm and had significant meaning.

Well, If I'm going to get finished with these blasted things I better get back to it. Have a great Memorial weekend and be safe. I'll be posting an update on my art blog later today if you want to check that out.

Cheers, Dana

Button Swap Blog Hop Time

Some time ago I mentioned that I was participating in a button swap hosted by Cindy Wimmer over at Sweet Bead Studio... now what do we do with all those buttons? Well I decided to make some jewelry.  My partner was Christine Stonefield over at Sweet Girl Design. She sent me some wonderful buttons to play with. Our challenge was to use at least one of them in a creation of some kind and it didn't have to be jewelry.

Here is what she sent. Don't you just love the large ceramic one... How did she know that I love leaves and all things trees. My first thought was to make a journal and use one of the buttons for a closure and I may still do that but I really had to so something with that vintage lovely at the back.

This was the first piece and I knew I wanted to make a ring and this is the perfect button for that added flash  for when we go out in the evenings.

This next piece just kind of created itself. My first thought was to make some of my signature wire leaves and dangle them off the bottom but when that didn't look good I moved it to the top and added gemstone beads of jade, malachite and unikite as dangles at the bottom. Since I felt it still needed something I tied a bit of sari silk in the middle and used the remainder to hang around my neck. Yep the perfect pendant.

I am so going to wear this today as my mother and I are going shopping for Mother's Day.... okay we really don't have to have a reason to go shopping but since I couldn't get the guys to agree to a picnic up on Mt. Rainier, we will just have to suffer through.

So if you would like to blog hop around and see all the other fantastic button works of art, here are the participants and their partners.

Enjoy and Happy Mother's Day!

Alice Peterson  and Kim Bender

Angie Blasingame and Billi R.S. Rothove

 Billi R.S. Rothove and Angie Blasingame

 Birgitta Lejonklou and Pam Farren

 Bonnie Coursolle and Tania Hagen

 Brenda Salzano and Hope Smitherman

 Cat Kerr and Heather Powers

 Cece Cornier and Jeannie Dukic

 Celeste Thurston and Christine Damm

 Christine Damm and Celeste Thurston

 Christine Stonefield and Dana James

 Cilla Watkins and Lori Bowring Michaud

 Cindy Wimmer and Mimi Gardner

 Cynthia Machata and Julia Johnson

 Cynthia Riggs and Lori Finney

 Dana James and Christine Stonefield

Diana Ptaszynski and Erin Prais-Hintz

 Emma Thomas and Rebecca Anderson

 Erin Prais-Hintz and Diana Ptaszynski

 Erin Siegel and Sharon Borsavage

 Heather Powers and Cat Kerr

 Holly Westfall and Sally Russick

 Hope Smitherman and Brenda Salzano

 Jayne Capps and Kim Dworak

 Jeannie Dukic and Cece Cornier

 Jenna Meyers and Kristi Harrison

 Jenna Tomalka and Karen McKillip

 Jenny Davies Reazor and Sandi Volpe

 Julia Johnson and Cynthia Machata

 Kalaya Steede and Kylie Dickman

 Karen McKillip and Jenna Tomalka

 Karen Mitchell and Renetha Stanziano

 Karla Morgen and Mary Govaars

Kay Thomerson and Shannon Chomanczuk

 Kim Ballor and Laurel Steven

 Kim Bender and Alice Peterson

 Kim Dworak and Jayne Capps

 Kim Roberts and Partner unable to participate at this time.

 Kristi Harrison and Jenna Meyers

 Kylie Dickman and Kalaya Steede

 Kym Hunter and Lynda Moseley

 Laurel Steven and Kim Ballor

 Linda Djokic and Patty Gasparino

 Line Labrecque and Teri Baskett

 Liz DeLuca and Lorelei Eurto

 Lorelei Eurto and Liz DeLuca

 Lori Anderson and Niky Sayers

 Lori Bowring Michaud and Cilla Watkins

 Lori Finney and Cynthia Riggs

 Lynda Moseley and Kym Hunter

 Marianna Boylan and Tracy Statler

 Mary Govaars and Karla Morgen

 Mary Harding and Stacie Florer 

 Maureen Baranov and Tracy Bell

 Melissa Martin and Theresa Fosdick

 Michelle Hardy and Peggy Johnson

 Mimi Gardner and Cindy Wimmer

 Nicole Valentine Rimmer and Niki Meiners

 Niki Meiners and Nicole Valentine Rimmer

 Niky Sayers and Lori Anderson

 Pam Farren and Birgitta Lejonklou

* Pam Ferarri and Stefanie Teufel (will share their reveal on a later date)

 Patty Gasparino and Linda Djokic

 Peggy Johnson and Michelle Hardy

 Rebecca Anderson and Emma Thomas

 Rebekah Payne and Sue Kennedy

 Renetha Stanziano and Karen Mitchell

 Rose Binoya and Shanti Johnson

 Sally Russick and Holly Westfall

 Sandi Volpe and Jenny Davies Reazor

 Shannon Chomanczuk and Kay Thomerson

 Shanti Johnson and Rose Binoya

 Sharon Borsavage and Erin Siegel

 Shirley Moore and Veralynne Malone

 Stacie Florer and Mary Harding

* Stefanie Teufel and Pam Ferarri (will share their reveal on a later date)

 Sue Hamel and Terry Carter

 Sue Kennedy and Rebekah Payne

 Tania Hagen and Bonnie Coursolle

 Tania Spivey and Teresa Gagne

 Teresa Gagne and Tania Spivey

 Teri Baskett and Line Labrecque

 Terry Carter and Sue Hamel

 Theresa Fosdick and Melissa Martin

 Tracy Bell and Maureen Baranov

 Tracy Statler and Marianna Boylan

 Veralynne Malone and Shirley Moore

Forged in Fire

Since Mother's Day is tomorrow I've been working on a few things for my mom. She seems to always complain indicate that she has no jewelry... yea right mom. So, I've been working on a few new pieces just for her. One thing she says is that she has no copper, well she can't say that after tomorrow as I made her an entire ensemble.

Close up of the necklace.

I just kind of let the metal do what it wanted to. I pounded and then stuck it in the flame of my torch then pounded some more. Finally I got the 12 gauge metal wire into some semblance of a shape, then wire wrapped the top with another loop. After looking at it a bit more, punched the holes in the bottom and dangled the Carnelians and felt it was still missing something. That's when I remember making my flower head pins, so I torched the ends to a ball then wrapped them up the sides of the piece.

Here is a picture of all of it together.

Okay, so if you see my mom wearing this set be sure to say something about her "new" jewelry. Then she'll be able to say that everyone noticed that she was wearing something new. LOL

Have a great weekend.

May Already

I really can't believe how fast this year is flying by. Already it is May and I don't feel like I have accomplished anything but then again what am I to accomplish?

My last post was when we were demonstrating at the West Seattle Show and after that we took a little trip to Eastern Washington to the Spring Barrel Tasting and spent time with family. I have a couple of favorite pictures that I was able to snap while we were there.

My Brother and DH enjoying the scenery from Terra Blanca Winery.

My mother and SIL inside Terra Blanca.

I just realized that while we make the excuse to go to E. WA for this event the main reason is to be with family. We don't have to many family get togethers where we can just sit and read or share a great glass of wine and eat to our hearts content and not have to worry about going somewhere, like home in a few hours. We all converge on my brother's house, DH and I sleep in the Motorhome and the others inside. It's hard to explain the noise, peace and love that can all happen at once. It really is a special time that we wouldn't give up for the world.

This week I've been working on ArtCharms and findings. I had a couple of swaps that I wanted to finish up one was a Sewing theme and I made hook and eye closures... these were fun.

These were made for a Pendant/Focal Swap.

And if that wasn't enough I decided to develop a new class for Shipwreck Beads called Simply Findings. So I made my samples, submitted my proposal and took pictures for their web site. I am happy to announce that I'll be offering this class starting in July. I'll be sure to post more when I have the actual dates and times.

I think for now I'll be cleaning off my studio desk and get ready to do some painting. I've been missing my art for the past couple of weeks and it's time.

Have a great weekend.