Just Checkin' In

Hi - sorry I've been quiet for yet another week. I am still a bit blog-challenged and have not been in a very creative place lately. I appreciate all the great new connections I've made recently through your blogs and Twitter, and really want to keep the conversation going, so I'll try a bit harder!

I've started messing (and that word is quite appropriately descriptive) around with the gluable bracelet forms - here's one work in progress so far. White metal bracelet form with gluable discs and hammered links to which I have, so far, added 5, 14mm long by 10mm wide hemimorphite beads. there are 7 links in the bracelet, but the final link on one end is the clasp link and the other end is the loop link through which the clasp locks so I couldn't add the beads to them.

and here's how I did it

Supplies

• glueable bracelet form (Stock#: 40-337-1. 7.2" disk-and-loop bracelet forms for gluing. Hammered oval loops. Length may vary +/- ¼".)
  
• soft silver tone metal wire (used what I had for experimenting, an inexpensive 20 gauge from Michael's, no metal info on the spool, which I bought to practice wrapping and making loops),
  
• flush cutter,
  
• chain nose pliers,
  
• oval beads small enough to give some 'clearance' inside the link and the 14x10mm beads fit fine.

Snipped about 3" of wire and shaped a "t-pin" shape using the chain nose pliers (and flush cutter when I had excess to snip)

make a right angle bend about 3/4 inch long

bend back over itself about 1/4 inch from the center (long end of wire)

turn over, bend the other side the same way - there's a bit of overlap, trim with flush cutter

flatten the folds as much as possible

Now, for the assembly stuff

1. Open the connector bit on one of the gluable disk links
   
2. Remove the oval hammered link and thread wire through the vertical opening in the opened connector bit (I bet there's a technical term for that)
3. 
4. Put the oval link back in, making sure the bead and the wire are on "top" of the link, otherwise you have to thread the wire back through the link, and the less bending the better because (as I'm sure everyone knows but I tested the concept strenuously, and often, to the failure point...) soft wire gets brittle and breaks the more you work it
5. Close the connector bit (there I go with those highly technical terms again) over the wire pin and link - it's a tight fit and will make the bracelet a little less flexible, unfortunately.
6. Thread the wire through the open connector bit on the next disk.

This part is extra tricky. I had to do all the folding and bending and trimming of the wire that I was able to do easily when it was just holding and folding the wire, inside of the open connector and then close the connector over it and the oval link. After finishing, it sometimes stuck out too much so it showed on the right side of the piece, and I either had to try and squish it in, or open the whole thing up again and trim it then bend and squish a much smaller piece of wire, inside the tight confines of the connector.

Then I closed up the connector bit on the other side.


Finished work - so far.

Still need to decide what to do with the gluable disk part. I'm thinking about investing in some resin and molds and trying my hand at little round resin domes with something embedded in them - not sure what to embed (but edging closer to a vintage-y concept), nor what kind of resin to get. I have the MagicGlos stuff, but I need a cure light for that. Also thinking about polyclay, but I need a better working surface than I have right now, which would entail lots of re-arranging the office/beading room and purchases of things I need not be purchasing right now, like new shelving and a nice long worktable/bench (that I've been wanting for some time now).

Back to My Creative Comfort Zone - At Least for a Little While

What a day. Shopping for more display stuff at Michael's - more on that later in the post. Changing some earring wires for lever-backs because it looks better on the display. When I finish my displays, I may photo and post them - it would be great to hear what you think. Thank you for stopping by, to all the new visitors who've come from Twitter or maybe from a link you saw on another blog. I'll be finding as many of them as I can and linking to their blogs, too on my blog roll soon.

This morning I took some pictures of the stuff I've recently finished. I went back to my comfort zone and did some stringing. It was soothing to not be wondering how to "make this do that or the other thing" and just drop beads on the wires...

First, freshwater pearl, copper beads and tubes and malachite diagonally drilled cubes. It's about 20" long, has a copper leaf hook and loop clasp.

Next, a necklace with aquamarine chips and roundels with freshwater pearls and sterling silver beads. Lobster claw clasp, 20" long.

I really, really like how these turned out. Is it ok to be quite self-satisfied? Because I really feel great about those.

If they don't sell next weekend at Potlatch, they will go up on my Artfire store. Speaking of which, I haven't updated Etsy or Artfire because of the convention. I wonder if I should delist the current offerings until the con is over...

Here's another choker form idea - teal choker, teal Czech faceted, firepolished 4mm faceted glass and sterling spirals and swirls.

And lastly, here's yesterday's swirls and wraps and purple beaded choker again - but I've done a bit more wrapping (on the bottom left to balance the top right) and tweaking...I think it's getting close to done. I'll be ordering that sterling choker form for it!

So, about shopping at Michael's. As much as I'd like to only buy from trusted online sources and bead artists, sometimes I need so get something fast, locally. That means Michael's. I'm not crazy about the local store, it never seems to be well stocked, the beading section, particularly is getting smaller. But still, I go. Today it was raining fairly hard but I needed stuff for my displays for next weekend, so off I go to get the stuff. I get inside and they've put those long poles on the shopping carts so you can't take them beyond the door.

Well, if I hadn't been buying two foam display boards and about 20 lbs of decorative rock, two wire easels and three glass vases, I might not have minded. But that's what I got and I couldn't take them all out in one go without a cart. Especially if I wanted to stay dry and hold my umbrella in one hand. I have a bad shoulder, and carrying the bag strained it. What do they do for people with canes or walkers? I hope they help them out to the car.

Meanwhile people who won't return carts have ruined it for those of us who always take that couple of minutes to do so.

Well, it'll be as long as I can possibly make it before I go back there.

This Is What Kept Me Up 'til 2 am Last Night

Sometimes my brain and my fingers just take over and I play around on autopilot. Take last night for instance. At about 9 pm I (thought I had) finished up the last blog post with a few words about the silver filigree and stampings I had bought from Accessories Susan. That got me wondering if there was a way to make my own filigree. I started Googling around.

I didn't really find anything immediately accessible, like web tutorials or even downloadable .pdfs, although there is a book I might be getting. Just looking at the cover, I knew that it would be a major equipment and supply investment to do filigree that way. (by the way, if you'd like to buy this book and you do it from clicking this link, I get a few pennies).

But I did get an idea of how I could use what I had on hand to attempt something filigree-ish. I didn't want to try and copy what was on the cover, but I thought to myself, I can make curlicues and wire them together, right? So I grabbed my 22 gauge wire (yeah, the expensive sterling stuff again - ouch) and started making spirals and wrapping them together, lather rinse repeat...and this is where I ended up at 2:30 am (you can click to enlarge):

The beads are from the Beads of the Month assortment I posted about on the 8th- I particularly was happy that there was a larger bead that is embossed with tiny swirls, and the little "honeybun" beads - all in lovely shades of lavender and purple.

It's still in 'draft' - I need to step away from it for a while, look at the picture, maybe even print a few copies out and draw on them...to see what needs changing. I like the off-center look, but there's still balance to be considered, and the side on the left of the photo seems too light because of the larger bead on the right and the heavier wrapping that comes from the middle and curves to the right (an artifact of starting at what ended up as the center of the design and building from there.

And, as you can see, I used a Rings & Things choker form to hold the design. It's the clear coated, 16" steel, magnet clasp form. If I get this to a place where I like it, I will invest in a sterling silver choker form for it.

I also think, when I look at the picture above, that the backdrop I use in my photos may have subconsciously influenced the design...the backdrop is a pillow sham I put over a rectangle of styrofoam and prop up behind the necklace display bust. It comes from a heavy cotton, white on white Jacobean embroidery coverlet and sham set. Yep, lots of swirly curly there...

Lines and Squares, Inspired by Curves and Circles

Dave from Rings & Things tweeted about a choker that Margot Potter (The Impatient Crafter and star of wonderful crafting videos) made using one of the choker forms from Rings & Things (see my earlier post and review of those forms). I went to visit her site and take a look at the necklace - it's gorgeous. (And she has a contest going on as well, be sure to leave her a comment).

As I mentioned in her comments, her design got me thinking about using the red choker form from Rings & Things to make something that radiated out around the neck, too, but taking a different stylistic approach. So I got out some beads and sterling wire and got started. Here's the work so far - still need to add a few more bits if I want to get that radiating look. It's definitely an 'apprentice' piece, where I'm learning more what not to do as I go than what works (so maybe I shouldn't have used that sterling wire, but it was the right gauge and handy)...but I think I'll get to something I can be happy with eventually.

At first I was thinking Mondrian was the inspiration, because I was going for a simple primary palette and angular design, but I'm not so sure that's it. My background is woefully limited when it comes to modern art and artists.

Editing to add: I just realized (after reading some back posts on her blog) that the wire wrapping part of my choker, above, came from JustATish - she showed one of her choker form ideas in this post where she does a beautiful design with copper wire (or is it something else?), lampwork beads and turquoise dyed howlite. I truly regret the curse of CRS that caused me to forget where the inspiration to use wire wrapping on my piece came from!

Sometimes I Think I Should Just Stick to What I Know

I have this urge to make a necklace using wrapped wire loops. I am practicing. I am wasting a lot of wire. I think I need to take a class.

I have also been visiting various lampwork glass artisan sites. Somebody hide my credit card - I could do it a lot of damage, the ones I've visited have such lovely beads. One in particular, Air and Earth Designs, by the artist, Kandice Seeber, has me especially ga-ga. The flowers she adds on top of the beads are fabulous - to say nothing of the colors.

Made a necklace lanyard tonight, though, so I did finish something - the wire wrapped loop necklace will probably take several years at the pace I'm going.

I used faceted glass cubes in clear and light blue with an iridescent finish, tiny silver seamless round beads, faceted blue glass bicones and teensy tiny dark blue iridescent seed beads. I think I will name it "Resistance is Futile".

Still haven't heard from the LosCon folk. I hope that doesn't mean anything except they're very busy with Real Life stuff and haven't had time to get back to me.

(Not) Working (Well) With Wire

I recently started trying to work with wire to make rings and perhaps move on to pendants and other items. I'm wondering if I'll have the patience to keep at it! So far my early attempts take forever and, well, mostly suck. Here are three of my better efforts - but I'm not entirely happy with them.

Copper and leopard skin jasper - the wire setting for the pendant was made with 20 gauge wire and a Wig-Jig.


Next are a couple rings in silver. The first is three spirals in a V shape.

This is a tiny pink faceted Czech glass bead wrapped wire ring.


I'm doing better with making loops for connecting beads together or to chains and that's taken me some serious practice. I may just have to convince myself not to give up and eventually I'll get better at it.

I've made three sales via Etsy this year. If you're not familiar with Etsy, it's a great community and there are so many wonderful hand crafted items for sale there.

I went to one of the workshops they provide the other day, and had my shop reviewed. Took the advice I got, too. One of the things I was advised was to post a "teaser" type picture first rather than the view of the lanyard on a bust or the full sized mannequin. The top items listed in the shop are using new teaser pics, lower (posted earlier on) ones are the ones I haven't re-shot yet. What do you think?

Today I finished the piece shown below. It's lapis lazuli with silver and gold metal bead accents. This one uses the most expensive materials I've used so far, so I don't know if it's too pricy for my shop at this point. Besides which, I love lapis and don't know if I can part with it.