Week 38 and 39: bracelets

I am sooooo far behind, I"m going to try to get caught up in the next week. It's been such a busy show season this year, but I"m pleased to report I am done with outside shows for the year now. Don't worry, I plan to stay busy... learning new skills and playing ( which is the best way to learn!) with new tools and materials; doing home jewelry parties ( if you are in the Des Moines, IA area and would like to host one just drop me a email); exploring gallery opportunities; and finally keeping my Etsy site stocked up with jewelry goodness!! I've got several exciting design ideas and sketches I've back burnered during my shows, and I can't wait to work on them! Once I get caught up on YOJ I plan to start making pieces specifically for the challenge again. On that hopeful note, I present week 38 & 39... the first is a spiral bracelet made with 9 different seed beads. I actually started this bracelet 2 years ago, and then put it aside... this summer I took it out again and started to work on it. I'm not sure exactly why I didn't touch it for so long, but I'm glad I've gotten it finished finally!! I think the wide variety of colors actually go well together!

Second bracelet is fire opal agate ( also called crab opal agate) bangle made with gold filled wire. I used 20Ga for the base, and wrapped it with 20GA flat. The clasp is I think 18GA. Using the flat wire for the decorate wrapped worked extremely well, gives it more of an airy texture I think. I've been on a bangle kick, so expect to see more over the next few days.... Bonus pick is earrings made with a sterling disk I punched out by hand, texturized and filed. The blue beads are vintage glass.

Week 37th: pendants pendants pendants

I had a great show in Cedar Falls, IA yesterday, despite the misty and rainy weather... a great thanks goes to the shoppers who braved the weather to see and purchase great art.... thank you very very much!!

OK, trying to keep on time if not on topic for YOJ, present 4 different pendants, in 4 styles. You can pick which one seems more "french culture " to you. I"m am greatly looking forward to October, because I'll have a nice break from shows, and really get a chance to play and stretch my artistry again for the YOJ challenge, instead of just making do.
First pendant is vintage crystals and sterling (square wire, 21GA) Next is Agate in the Sculptural style with goldfilled wire ( square wire 21GA). Next is a wrap loop on black gold amazonite (20GA wrapped with 24Ga) and last is a wrapped donut, with a crystal drop (22GA twisted) enjoy!

Week 36: Opal Hearts

This weekend's is my daughters' 12th birthday party/sleepover with friends, so I 've only got a few minutes between shrieks, elephants running through the house, and feeding frenzies... at least they are having a good time, all though my achin' head will never be the same... LOL! This necklace is a series of heart shaped sterling links and opal crystals, or opulence glass. I didn't really get good pictures of this, in person it's really delicate and graceful looking. It's based on a design from Sharilyn Miller's book... only she goes for a heavier wire look.. I like the elegant style of this, it's light and airy. I used 20GA on the links, gently flattened them with my hammer, and then tumbled the whole piece for shinny shinny. I made 2 different earrings for this, both are pictured last. Most go feed the hordes again.

Week 35: Pretty Pinks

This is sort of a redo. I made the body of this necklace over a year ago, and had a centerpiece of a vintage glass cab. I never really quite liked how it looked... so I decided to take it apart. Instead I started to play around with another vintage glass cab, and well, now it looks great! At least I think it looks great!! I think the biggest problem is the links of silver on this are so big... and the original centerpiece was about the same size. The center needed to be bigger to look balanced. I initially had the same problem with this cab... so I started to add layers to it. The pendant is made with 21GA square on the wrap, then the first loop is 22GA twisted wire, and then finally another loop with small pink beads. If you look at the sterling links on the necklace they are are different, and made from 18GA. I made earrings to match naturally! This necklace now has that funky vintage look I wanted originally. This just reinforces you shouldn't be afraid to rip stuff apart and redo it... when it doesn't feel right the first time.

Earrings, Earrings, Earrings........

I've been on a real earring kick this past week, it started with this stunning pair. The sterling domed disks I made by hand!! They turned out so well, I dug into my private vintage stock for the blue rounds... and I'm keeping this pair!! I've worn them to work about every other day so far... I should make another pair for sell, maybe this weekend eh? Next some Botswana Agate with delicate sterling swirls,

Gold filled wire encircles vintage pearly white glass balls, and these.. crazy lace agate dyed a shocking pink and sterling silver. I'm very pleased with these, they are similar in design to the scuplural pendants I make..

I call these my orange fish.. I just was trying to make cute squiggles, but it really looks fishy...

This final pair is pieces from a vintage necklace. You know, one of those glam gorgeous vintage costume jewelry pieces that are segmented? Some of the rhinestones where missing, so I took it apart to recycle the sections that had the full compliment of rhinestone's. They make great earrings! That's all for now.

Week 34: Hip to be Square

OK, I admit I'm not following themes this much this year. I even like this week's theme: Crystal Clear. I'm actually working on a pearl/crystal creation that would work perfectly for the theme.. alas, I don't want to get behind again. So here is this weeks' not on theme item: "hip to be square" I've made one of these bracelets before using traditional round beads, but I wanted to try it with different shaped beads.. these square Sodalite beads are really nice, they have bezels on the edges and everything. I really wanted to feature them in a piece, so what is better than square frames? I'm especially pleased how well the clasp came out. Not exactly square, but angular for sure. This sold almost the second I put it out, and the gal commissioned matching earrings, which turned out great.. regretfully I didn't get pictures of them.



Here are 3 pendants I've made recently. The blue is cat's eye, the middle one is a vintage glass cab meant to suggest opal, and the 3rd jasper of some type. I mostly play in silver, but I know quite a few of my customers appreciate gold also, so I've been making an effort to make some things with gold fill. these turned out pretty well don't you think?

Week 33: "leftovers"

OK, I really won't call this piece leftovers, but that's what it is. If you recall, a month or so ago I made this great piece with copper and sterling with handmade copper leaves. After that project, I had 2 leaves left and some of the sterling links. I ran across them again trying to put stuff away ( I get lazy and tend to shove old bits to the side.. until the sides outgrow the middle of my work desk.. at which point I'm compelled to clean up or find somewhere else to work!) Well I also had this great handmade lampworked blue leaf bead just hanging around, and well, I decided to make another handmade chain necklace. Almost everything on this necklace, minus the blue leaf, are "extras" or bits from other projects. Since I'm lazy, I often put left over beads all in 1 box instead of properly putting them away.. making bead soup as it's called. Blues are my favorite color, so I had lots of bits of blue leftovers... I did have to make more sterling links but overall, this was a very quick necklace to put together, since almost everything was prefabricated. Now of course I'm going to make 2 more copper leaves to make matching earrings, I've got them cut out but not sanded down yet.. I"ll have pics in a week or 2 of them. Below is another necklace and earring pair I've made recently, using banded agate and onyx. The wrap on the pendant is very simple, I just tried to follow the banding of the agate.

Week 32: "God's Tear"

This is my attempt to find beauty amidst the sadness. The "tear" is a beautiful, delicate crystal butterfly. Yeah, I've been depressed lately, and yeah, I'm trying to work through it. Art is therapy both for the artist and the viewer.

The "eye" is a huge (guessing 35mm) buckeye agate, the frame is in 16GA sterling, wrapped I think with 24GA?

Week 31: Yin-Yang

Messing around with pearls again, like that ~never!~ happens around here. Anyway, wanted to do a bracelet with a wire center, and came up with this yin-yang pattern. It's a spiral, naturally! I love spirals. It's made with 16GA wire for the base, and 24GA for the wrap. The pearls are great in this, a very deep metallic blue.

Week 29 & 30: catch up

Argh! I"m behind again, and I"m not in the mood you know? so here is a few items I've done recently:
I really do love to play with wire. Both of these designs are from a mag, with modifications. The Paula and crystal necklace I shaped the Fleur's free hand off the pliers using 20Ga sterling wire. I gently hammered the loops for strength. The chain that goes around the neck is purchased. The 2ND piece is from 18GA? and again free hand forming. To keep the spiral segments as even as possible, I cut the wire first in equal lengths. I made the hook on the bracelet.. I think it looks pretty good. The spirals are gently hammered, the loop connecting each link I hammered extra for strength. This piece is long gone, I think it sold in the first show I had it in.

YOJ Week 28: Copper Fields

This was so much fun to make!! I'm still playing around with copper and sterling together. I started out with 24GA sheet copper, cut out the lily shapes and leaves, filed them so the rough ends were smooth, and shaped and textured them. Some of the leaves I used hammers on, one of the leaves I used my punch block to shape. I used pliers to give some of the leaves crinkles on the edges.. I tried to make each leaf different. I got out my letter stamps and used o's and x's on the large lily on the bottom lip. I really want to get more stamps and punches, it's really fun to texture metal using them, and it amazing what different patterns you can up with just using the letters! The Chain is alternating open sterling links with closed copper links. I used sterling wire ( probably 20GA) to attach the leaves on the chain, and look.. I used spirals! I love spirals!! then I used LOS and polished and cleaned the piece until I liked how it looked. I left more LOS on the copper.. I just really like brighter silver I guess. I lost most of the color variations I had with the LOS.. one of the silver links turned a lovely green/purple, but the LOS was coming off in my hands I figured it was better to polish it all off. This piece took a significant chunk of time to do, even with using the dremel as a short cut for some of the filing and polishing. The lily and leaves are from a design from Janice Berkebile, she is a fabulous teacher! The copper links and spiral attachments are me playing around. You can see her classes here: http://wiredarts.net/jbclasses.html If you get a chance to take a class from her then do it!

YOJ: Week 27

Again I'm not actually following topic, but I"m continuing my explorations of mixing sterling silver with copper. I've never actually made this type of bracelet before, so I"m very happy with how it turned out, and I think it looks extra special snazzy with sterling accents. I did something which I don't do alot, I followed the instructions exactly, and it came up kind of short.. so I added the change and the hook. ( The directions I had called for 7 inch pieces, in the future I think I"ll try it with 9 inch pieces) I think it looks rather nice even with the chain and hook. 2ND piece is a copper heart embellished with craft wire in a couple of colors. It's sort of a dream catcher that is heart shaped.