Rosary Bracelets

A recent lot of older jewelry I bought had a bunch of catholic charms and broken up rosaries.. So I made charm bracelets with them.  I added vintage wrapped pearls as well.   Also I wanted to share me wearing the sorting hat from Five Monkeys Inc Gallery.  Gryffindor, of course!!

Playing with the Camera Phone

I took this during my very last event in 2016, which was at Five Monkeys, Inc Gallery here in Des Moines.  It's the panorama setting on my Iphone - just goofing off.

It's amazing how far technology keeps going.  5 years ago you couldn't do this with a phone.... 10 years ago you maybe could do with a digital camera - a really fancy shmancy one.  Now you do it on your phone.  I have to wonder how camera sells are nowadays.. unless you are a really serious about photography, you just use your phone.   I imagine really high end ones are doing middlin' OK, but the mass consumer market has to be dead dead dead.

We have cut up a few old cameras in search of parts for jewelry, but most of them have very little in the way of moving parts... heck, the old box cameras are mostly air and mirrors.

And now it's all computer chips.

We bought a video camera back in 1996 with the birth of our child.  The thing had to weigh 10 lbs or more, and was the size of a Nike shoe box.

Now you can do more with your phone than we could with that video camera.

That old video camera BTW, got taken apart and recycled into jewelry a couple of years ago.

New Jury Photos

 Woo HOO! my new Jury photos came today, I'm soo excited and I think they turned out terrific!   So you know what I'll be doing this week.... working on shows for the summer.  I'm still going to stick to 10-15 range, but I think these photos really show how I've grown the last few years.  So fingers crossed they make an impression on the judges !   Most of these pieces are available at Five Monkeys Inc here in Des Moines, A few are on the gallery website even! I'll have them back to the store by Friday.

taxes, back ups and other boring business stuff....

I saw this back in August at a antique store and I still dream about it... over 7 ft of dreamy turn of the century storage... drooooollllll 

I can't say this week in the Jewelry biz is all that fun.  First off, in my "day" job I'm in training this week... training always seems to kill my desire to make stuff.  Since it's January I feel like it's OK to to take the week off, I'm hoping to get crackin' on a few projects this weekend.  I got a new tool (toy?) and I want to try it out and I've getting a craving to work chainmaile... I tend to ignore chainmaile and then every couple of months I just have to make it.  Or maybe I'll just keep reading books... I have a huge stack of paperbacks that I didn't have time to read over the summer.  The lovely thing about January is it's OK if I take a week off, it doesn't hurt anything.  I was amazing productive last week, so it all sort of balances out during the winter months.  

January is also the time of sales tax payments, end of year inventories, and making sure all my computer stuff is properly backed up.  I clean out my photo files and start up new ones for the year as well. job.  I like to sort my jewelry pics into some sort of order before I archive them.. that's actually tonight's job.

What sort of *fun*, once a year chores do you have?

Des Moines is KEWL!

I'm just cleaning up my file of photos from 2016 and ran across these --- believe it or not, this is wall art in downtown Des Moines, IA.

The 2 story, entire side of the building mural is fantastic, and this is just 2 little pieces of it.    Here's an article that tells some about this specific piece and several others in downtown Des Moines.  The article is a couple of years old, so I bet there is even more if you look.

Des Moines is a great city, you just have to look alittle harder for all the good stuff, and it's worth the effort!

So what does Kat do all Winter, since she doesn't have shows?

I found these vintage painted Cabs in Colorado on my family vacation last summer.. I immediately started working on a project using them and then... lost my artistic vision... 

Well I work a full time day job, so that of course.

Second, I clean my house.  OK, I clean slightly better than I do in the summer, because I have actual chunks of time, instead of 5 seconds here and there.  But that's not what I really want to do or talk about.  Ever.

So Winter is time to recharge batteries, acquire new skills, brush up old ones, work on new designs, investigate art shows and new gallery opportunities, source materials, reorganize one's studio or just simply put away things you didn't have time to put away since July, and maybe, just maybe, finish a couple of  UFO's.  (Unfinished Objects d'art)

Every artist has them... you start something, all enthusiastically, and somewhere you loose your creative energy, or you don't have exactly what you need, or just just don't have time to do it justice.   Or maybe it doesn't work right, and you just can't figure out what is next.

The plan is to put the Cab in this vintage locket that looks like a pocket watch.  The left shows the raw brass, and the right shows it after I've added some patina.

Somewhere on my back table  lies this project... I started to clean up and sort and put away stuff from a whole summer's worth of work, but I haven't run across this one yet, to make a "mock" pocket watch.  I have about 1 foot square of my back table that I haven't touched in months... I'm hoping to get to it this weekend.  It's about the last place this project could be.. but in some ways I'm not sure I want to find it.. I still am not sure how to finish it up.  Still, the cab calls to me, and I wish to do it justice.   I have a couple of other things that I just can't quite give up on, even though one of them I started over 2 years ago.  It periodically rises to the top of the pile, to be discarded once again as I just can't move forward on it.

Other things to think about this month: taxes, end of year paperwork, and getting new jury photos done.  I'm hoping to have them in the next 2 weeks and then it's going to be applying to art shows.  Jerry and I will be doing a reduced schedule again this year since last year it worked out so well.  I suspect actually this is the "new" normal.  ( isn't that just a terrible phrase? )   Doing 20 + shows a year is just frankly exhausting! Last year we did 12, and this year I'm thinking 10 at minimum, but no more than 15.  12 seems like a lovely number frankly.



 

Happy New Year!!!

I hope your 2017 is fab!

Merry Christmas to all!

I hope everyone has a great holiday season.  Remember to practice kindness, not  because it's Christmas--  practice it everyday.  We all need all the kindness we can get !

typewriter bracelet - probably my last commission for the year!

This is a typewriter from 1950, pre - destruction.

Close up of the margin bar.... 

Finish bracelet, once cleaned, cut, filed, shaped, and sealed.

Battlestar Galactica and Making Jewelry

Costume jewelry necklace missing it's centerpiece cab... so I added a vintage watch face and crystal  instead..  I adore  redos! 

I came to watching Battlestar pretty late in the game... I remember exactly when, we were at a gaming convention in Council Buffs and I wasn't feeling very good or I was over peopled or something.  Anyway, I decided to stay that Sat in the hotel room and Jerry went out and gamed.  I remember we had a great suit with 2 tv's ( This would of been 2006 ).  So I got Chinese and looked around the cable and lounged on the bed and started watching Battlestar.  I'll heard about it, I'd probably caught an episode or part of one.  I've always been a scfi qeek but somehow I'd missed the first 2 seasons...

They had this great recap show prior to the season 3 opener, which was damn helpful.

But the first real episode I watched was Occupation.


*****Spoiler Alert *****











Kara thrace calmly eating steak after killing her Cylon captor.  Wow.  Just wow.  












***** End Spoiler *****












So here I am, rewatching BG , and it's just as good as I remembered
My only complaint ( ok this is tongue in cheek) -- not enough jewelry in it, and most of it is booooring.

But that's ok, as I rewatch the whole show, I'm making jewelry... and wrapping Christmas presents and sometimes just watching a great show.

If you haven't ever watched it, I strongly recommend it.

Time Lady and early Christmas Presents

I'm wrapping presents, making jewelry and posting etsy listings this fine Tuesday, while watching my early Christmas present to myself: the Blue Ray of "Battlestar Galactica Blood & Chrome".

I'm about 30 minutes in and it's really good, and damn I wish it became the spin-off it was intended to be.

Battlestar Galactica is hands down, one of the best SCFI tv shows ever... up there with Babylon 5, Firefly and Doctor Who (IMO)

I've watched the show in it's entirety - but this came out during the years of no Cable  so I missed it.  I didn't even know it existed actually.  So the best kind of Christmas -- a true surprise and pleasure!

My hope is this necklace, "time Lady" is the same sort of surprise and pleasure.  I worked very hard to make the vintage ceramic clock face so it sprins like a game show wheel.

Just putting that bit of fun in fashion that we all love so well.  If you are interested in this piece it's available at Five Monkeys Inc Gallery.

My shows are done, but you can still buy my jewelry and here is how....

Made from the little lights from a speedometer.  I added the sparkies!

Just a quick hey and Hi !

 The holiday season is upon us, and I'm thinking more about what shortbread recipe will I try this year for Christmas than making jewelry.

Not that I can actually turn off that part of my brain off very long.  I even have a few commissions on my desk right now, and I've actually been sketching some design ideas.  Still  I am glad that show deadline pressure is off me.

But the good news is you can still buy my jewelry and right now is the perfect time -- my jewelry makes excellent gifts!

The easiest way would be online... you can see a good portion of my current Mechanical Romance line on the very easy to use Five Monkey Inc online Gallery .  If you are in the Des Moines Area, stop by the shop, as I have several other pieces on display that's not on the website, including the fab speedometer earrings shown above.  Actually the bulk of my Mechanical Romance line is at the gallery through December, so seriously go check it out.  The gallery represents only Iowa Artists, up to 60 at a time, so if you can't find that special present with my jewelry, you can find something else at the gallery to suit anyone!

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You can also visit my Etsy store here  which has over 100 pieces of jewelry from all of my lines, including my chainmail.   I'll be adding new pieces everyday (OK that's my hope )

I still have a few commission slots open before Christmas actually arrives, so if you have something old from a loved one and want to have a new piece of jewelry, talk to me.  I've made jewelry for folks using all kinds of things like beloved scrabble tiles, watches and bicycle parts.  That way you have a keepsake from someone you love, but in a usable piece of jewelry.  Or if you just want something different and unique than what you can buy at icky large retailers, talk to me.  I thrive on the different!


Have you seen something on my blog or facebook and you loved it? Well ask... I might still have it, or I can probably create something from scratch that will capture what you loved about the original piece, but customized for you.

So The artist is still in the house guys, just ask.  It never hurts to ask.

Small Business Saturday Preview!

1920's singer sewing machine plaque.  I've cleaned, patined and polished to a lovely glowy shine, and then embellished with painted dragonflies... 

 I'm almost ready for Small Business Saturday this weekend!! I'll be at my favorite local gallery, Five Monkeys, Inc  10-4, but the whole block is doing stuff for SBS all day long... you can see some of the shops and fun activities here    Here's pics of some of the new stuff I'll have on hand for the show... so come out and support your local shops, we keep your shopping fun and interesting!

Domestic is early 30's sewing machine, the singer harder to date, it was a added on motor to a 1898 singer sewing machine.. from the tag I'm guessing probably 30's on the motor tag.  no way to know for sure ...

old gears, dragonflies and crystals.  yummy!

This is a angel Christmas tree ornament, I'm probably only going to have 2 made for the show, but I've got more golf club plates so I can make more.  This one has a watch face for a face, a bottle cap for a halo, and the body is cut from a cookie tin.  

Typewriter Earrings

I love using typewriter parts, but I rarely use the keys.  I think it's because there are soooo many other folks doing name and saying jewelry using the keys, to the point you can buy fake keys for making said jewelry.

I'm into going where my muse leads me,  so I don't normally feel like I even want to use them.  I've made a couple of rings and I've used the odd letter key here and there as embellishments.  I have nothing against them, they just don't talk to me normally.  (And if anyone ever wants to commission something with the keys, that's fine and dandy- I have no problems with that, hint hint)   However when Jerry was chopping up a old L. C. Smith typewriter from the 1920's, I fell in love with the shift keys.  As you can see in the pictures, it has "Smith Typewriter Sales Chicago"

These keys' tell a story.  I tried to research them, but couldn't find anything conclusive. They make my imagination run wild.  Was the typewriter a special, display model to sell other typewriters?   Did a particular store get this added to the typewriters they sold for branding?  I did find an interesting ad from 1922 .

I paired the keys with large crystals that are new, but they look really vintage to me with the large bezels.  I love these, I'm tempted to keep them, but they are currently in the sales pile.  Want to see them in person? Be sure to Stop by Small Business Saturday Nov 26th starting at 10am at Five Monkey's Inc gallery!   They won't last long, that's for sure.

A tale of two Bracelets

I can make cuffs in a variety of colors, including a natural brown leather.

I used a sharpie marker as the etch resist, which you can see here.  The best way to use a sharpie as a resist is just letting it sit for a couple of weeks before you etch. since this was a commission and had a deadline, I use the secret shortcut. ( Don't tell anyone, but it's heat!)

I love Commissions!  Especially when the client trusts me to make something they will like.  I basically got told to make 2 leather cuffs , one for Miss Polk county 2017, and one that said "Wanderlust" and had an anchor involved.  My original thought -- stamp the letters.  After some thought, I decided to etch instead.  The lovely thing about text messages and using facebook messenger... I took photos along  the way so the clients could see the projects develop as I worked them.  It also gave them a chance to approve of the design options as I worked the process.  I thought it would be fun to share the step by step!  A huge thank you to Dina at Five Monkeys who suggested me to the clients.

After etching and clean up.  I got a really good etch on these

Adding patina.. then cleaning it up again, and then renwax to seal.

adding the holes to attach to the bracelet

Finished cuff -- because the anchor I used is pewter and won't bend, I was afraid to rivet it directly, as too much pressure will break pewter.  So I wire wrapped it to the cuff.

Hard to see in the photo, but I did end up using stamps.. i stamped 2017 in the heart.  Since this is all brass or copper  I only used rivets on this one.

7 day jewelry challenge day 7 - pretty as a picture

I've been nominated for the 7 day jewelry challenge by Lyn Joy Reeve.  Thanks Lyn!  It's a Facebook challenge on one of the groups I belong to, and I thought it might be fun to share.  The idea is to share for 1 week a piece a day that is important to you in some fashion that you have made.


I'm using this piece as my 7th day piece because I loved how this turned out, and it has a more "formal" feel than many of my pieces.  I used this great brass stamping tag in a rectangle shape.  when I looked at it it looked like to me a great vintage frame for a picture.  I instantly thought I could make like a mini-portrait using it as the base.  I ended up "drawing" outside the lines, but I still think the design works.  I have a couple more tags like this in my stash -- I feel like I still have things to say artistically about mini-portraits.

7 day jewelry challenge day 6

I've been nominated for the 7 day jewelry challenge by Lyn Joy Reeve.  Thanks Lyn!  It's a facebook challenge on one of the groups I belong to, and I thought it might be fun to share.  The idea is to share for 1 week a piece a day that is important to you in some fashion that you have made.

This is one of my newest pieces, I call her lady of the lake at least in my head, because of the great patina that I managed to put on her, it just makes me think of something lost in the water, then found again.  Besides, her hair is all floaty, in great art nouveau style.  What I  really like is the movement... the vintage pearl drop at the bottom has lovely swing to it, and the vintage pocket watch face has very easy movement.. you can make it twirl like a top if you hold the necklace just right.  Brass stampings, vintage jewelry bits, vintage pocket watch face, rivets and screws.

7 day jewelry challenge day 5: The pair that got away

I've been nominated for the 7 day jewelry challenge by Lyn Joy Reeve.  Thanks Lyn!  It's a Facebook challenge on one of the groups I belong to, and I thought it might be fun to share.  The idea is to share for 1 week a piece a day that is important to you in some fashion that you have made.

Not surprising for a jewelry artist, I made a heck of a lot of earrings.  This pair I adore!! it's made with a retaining ring, vintage watch face and typewriter parts.  and Wings of course.  They make me think Egyptian thoughts -- they look like really stylized ankhs to me.  These were sold months ago, and I regret letting them fly away... they should have been keepers!

7 day jewelry challenge day 4 Liberty Fairy

I've been nominated for the 7 day jewelry challenge by Lyn Joy Reeve.  Thanks Lyn!  It's a Facebook challenge on one of the groups I belong to, and I thought it might be fun to share.  The idea is to share for 1 week a piece a day that is important to you in some fashion that you have made.

This is one of my lady Liberty Fairies.  I made 4 of them total, all had colorful fairy wings with a lady liberty, but from there all of them explored different aspects of freedom.  I used a large cog from a adding machine, watch face, clock key, and the standard tag is from a sewing machine.

This one is about breaking free from expectations, and flying free.  it's hard to see but the key has "journey" on it.  Cause art is all about the journey, not the destinations!

This statement piece is still available through Five Monkeys Inc, gallery website 

7 day jewelry challenge day 3 Medusa

I've been nominated for the 7 day jewelry challenge by Lyn Joy Reeve.  Thanks Lyn!  It's a facebook challenge on one of the groups I belong to, and I thought it might be fun to share.  The idea is to share for 1 week a piece a day that is important to you in some fashion that you have made.

 Yesterday I featured Octy as one of my favorite pieces.  Believe it or not, octy is in this piece as well... as Medusa's Hair!   The American made brass stamping got turn upside down, I pounded his poor head in so I could lay the bone face flat.  Vintage pocket watch face, and vintage watch movement and parts complete Medusa's head to toe look.  Of the many pieces I've made, this is one I seriously think of doing again... it wouldn't turn out exactly the same of course, but I just love the hair-do, and I've looked for faces for a Medusa II but I've not been happy with any so far.  Too many of the bone faces look, I don't know.. smirky.  I love the calm look on this one.  And I really made a great steampunky necklace to go with my Medusa.  If you want more pictures or details on her construction, you can see my original blog here.  This is the piece that finally got me over my fears of glue... while I will always look at over types of connections first, I no longer fear glue for me or my customers.