Leather! I’ve Got More Leather!!

I received this glorious box of leather from Endless Leather last week.

 Just look at all the gorgeous goodies! I can’t wait to get in there and create some beautiful jewelry with it! You can’t really see it in these pictures but the cork has gold and silver in it, it is sooooo pretty! 

I have ideas, oh do I have ideas!!

Here I am with this box of gorgeous cords and still kind of stuck for an idea for this weeks Year of Jewelry piece. We even have color prompts for stuck weeks and that didn’t get the ball rolling. I looked on the desk at my UFO’s and meh I don’t feel like stringing, or weaving, I made simple earrings last week, what to do what to do? Hmmm what do I have left in this basket? Oh yeah! The embossed butterfly…… I wonder if some of the blue leather will match the turquoise color of the glass beads. 

Perfect match!

This is a Nappa Leather cord  and oh my, this is some of the softest leather I’ve ever felt, and it lays along the neck just beautifully.

I’ve got all kinds of ideas from bracelet wraps to necklaces for this gorgeous gorgeous stuff! You’ll be seeing lots more of this as I have a couple different colors and I’m really excited about using more of it.

Before I leave you for the week, let me share a little funny.

The hubs and I have been having some very serious discussions as of late, this morning was no exception. I got up walked over to him. Held his face in my hands and raised up to tip toes so I could look him in the eyes. I say to him "I love you. I need you to know that I know you have....F'ING CALVES!" Both calves cramp up dropping me to my knees, still holding his face in my hands we both twist over. The hubs cracks up, this intense romantic moment has been turned into much needed comic relief. He looks me in the eyes and says  " We are a pair, and this is our life"  I do love that man.

Cherish these moments, these are the ones that keep you going when all else feels lost.

Thanks for stopping by!

We'll see you next time!

A Quick Tutorial on Adding Patina to a Copper Ball Chain

I love the warmth of raw copper, it’s very similar to Rose Gold probably because Rose Gold picks up it’s rosiness from Copper :) and with todays  Gold prices copper is VERY affordable. Put a little patina on it and it takes on a calm earthy feel, put a lot of color on it and it takes on the appearance of a relic.  

Today’s blog post shows you how I added a little depth to the copper ball chain I used in last weeks Year of Jewelry post “Charmed I’m Sure”

1: Liver of Sulphur works best if warmed first so I always start by warming some water in the microwave.

2: The metal will take the color faster if it’s clean and warm too so before I add the LOS I drop the chain in the hot water while getting everything ready.

3: Pull the chain out of the water and add a drop or two of the LOS gel.

4: Give it a quick mix and drop your chain back in the LOS mixture. 

It won’t take long at all for the color to appear. 

5: Pull it out to check the color and dunk a time or two, or until you’re happy with it.

6: Rinse it off and buff back the high spots with a little steel wool - I’m using an SOS pad, but you can also use ScotchBrite or 3M products.

If you take it too far back, give it another dunk or two and and start again. Sometimes the color comes up first try and sometimes it takes a couple rounds until you’ve got the depth you’re looking for. 

That’s all there is to it, it’s really very simple. You can play with it some and get a rainbow of colors. I’ve found if you heat your metal and make a weak solution the colors are easier to manage, make sure you seal them once you’re happy though as the patina will continue to darken naturally otherwise.

Week 7 of Year of Jewelry: 

Still on a feather kick with a simple wrap bracelet this week. Turquoise from my favorite purveyor of turquoise MagPie Gemstones, more from my BFF  Moonie, and Coral from House of Gems. Silver hearts and feathers are repurposed from an estate sale find and are most likely plated or “toned”,  vintage seeds (I can verify their age as I bought them new lol) as well as new. A sweet look for an easy on easy off wrap.

Thanks for stopping by!

Dana

B’Sue’s Build a Line Challenge Hop 3 of 3 The Reveal!

The day has finally come. I’ve worked on this line of mine for the past few months. Designing, sketching, refining and creating. I’ve enjoyed myself immensely and finally let go of others imposing philosophies and allowed myself to just play. Creating from the heart has always been what I do best and it was about time I got back to it.

I believe jewelry is meant to be loved, to be made with love,  given with love, and received with love. 

It is my honor and joy to present to you from my heart and hands Mucha’s Musings.  

  ~ A muse as you all know is the whisper in your ear full of joyful inspiration and Mucha’s Muse definitely had some things to say!

Without further ado,  Mucha’s Musings, 

the Mother Nature Collection:

Mucha's Musings: Mother Nature Collection

This collection revolves around the bronzed bust of nature. 

It features a resined pendant of Nature herself with a sterling silver crown bezeling. ($45.oo)

Lever back earrings inspired by the pair she wears, available in three colors and two finishes, brass ox and silver ($19.oo ea).
A matching sterling silver crown ring ($19.oo), a brass open filigree ring with vintage faux pearl ($15.oo), and a brass filigreed band with rhinestone ($18.oo). 

Also in this collection a layered gemstone pendant in mixed metals ($55.oo), a gorgeous statement cuff featuring another vintage faux pearl ($55.oo)and stud earrings in a beautiful lacey filigree complimenting the cuff and rings($19.oo).

the Champagne Collection in Pink:

Mucha's Musings: Champagne Collection in Pink

This collection centers around the champagne ad for Moet & Chandon, pulling its soft colors and florals throughout. 

Featuring a resined pendant of the ad in mixed metals on a fine patterned ball chain.($45.oo)

Copper stacking rings with pink crystal accents ($35.oo).

Rose ox copper flower earrings with matching crystals. ($15.oo)

A gorgeous layered brooch featuring a large vintage faux pearl and crystal pearl drop with a floral porcelain bead in pinks and browns. ($40.oo)

A pink cameo in brass ox with a sweet faux pearl drop. ($40.oo)

Two bracelets, one in silver plate layers featuring a gorgeous vintage faux pearl($39.oo), the other a layered stacker in a mix of glass, crystal and crystal pearls in shades of pink and cream with silver plated accents.($28.oo)

Finally a pair of long swingy earrings in silver plate featuring more of those beautiful pink crystals and pearls for loads of delicate sparkle ($29.oo).

the Champagne Collection in Brown:

Mucha's Musings:  Champagne Collection in Brown

While technically not Mucha I couldn't not be inspired by this champagne ad as well! Again pulling form and color from the ad this collection features the chocolate browns, diamonds and rounds, flourishes and florals.

The mixed metal cameo was given a softly aged artisan patina and features the same vintage faux pearl you've seen repeated in the other collections. ($40.oo)

A second layered pendant features a glass focal and drop. ($48.oo)

The stackable bracelet echoes the color of the glass and softens it with crystal pearls and copper accents. ($25.oo)

Two pair of earrings, one pair of big bold statement earrings in a beautiful rusty black finish that shows of the curves of the flourish beautifully. ($35.oo)

The second pair of earrings are a simple pair of Iris in the same gorgeous finish. ($15.oo)

the Chocolate Collection:

Mucha's Musings: the Chocolate Collection

This wonderful ad for Mexican Chocolates was the inspirational focus of this collection.

It features a mixed metal pendant that is a layered and resined copy of the ad itself. ($48.oo)

A layered bolo tie for him ($42.oo) and a long feather pendant for her ($38.oo) both in silver plate and on rich chocolate brown leather.

A second necklace in gorgeous jaspers dyed in the softest sea greens and turquoise, paired with leather, wood and copper, just gorgeous with that rusty black finish on the leaves. ($55.oo)

A pair of earrings in the perfect blend of sea green and turquoise chalcedony, all dressed up in brass ox. ($30.oo)

Finally a pair of ear vines in silver plate showing off blooms of vintage faux pearl and turquoise colored beads, hand wrapped and secured in place.($28.oo) Vines feature studs with stability discs and may be gently formed to your ear for a perfect fit. 

This collection is still whispering sweet nothings in my ear, don't be surprised if you see it expand in the future!

the Arts Collection; Music:

Mucha's Musings: The Arts Collection; Music

Based on the Four Arts series by Mucha, this collection focuses on Music. 

Featuring my favorite pendant of the line, a mixed metal layered beauty hung from a beautiful leather cording. ($55.oo)

A sweet heart  of a bangle in copper, completely stackable (25.oo)!

A pair of gorgeous filigree hoop earrings. ($24.oo)

A set of stacked copper rings ($35.oo).

And finally a hand forged clef note lapel pin in copper. ($24.oo)

Admittedly the smallest of my collections it too is still whispering sweet nothings in my ear. Music it seems would like me to recreate several of my sold pieces to round out the collection - so as with the Chocolate Collection do not be surprised if she gets her way! 

As I noted in hop number two all my collections were designed with mix and match in mind. The ability to mix and match with each other and with my existing inventory at Wind Dancer Studios. I'm thrilled to be able to introduce this line to my shop in the coming days. Please look for it soon!

Until then I've uploaded all the pics to my Flick'r if you'd like to see them individually.

Brenda has assembled 55 of us for this Challenge. She’s worked hard keeping us on track and on task. Reminding us of what is important and what is not so much. I could go on and on but this is a Hop and hop we must. I do thank you for stopping by and celebrating my new line with me! And I thank Brenda for pushing me back out of my comfort zone and reminding me what art is all about. Now, lets go see what the others have created. The past two hops have hinted at some wonderful lines and I can’t wait to see them myself!

Our Tireless Hostess 
Brenda Sue Lansdowne, B'sue Boutiques
Jewelry Making Outside the Box

Marcia Tuzzolino
Aurora Designs

Jann Tague
Clever Designs by Jann

Judy King
Apt to Wander Studio

Linzi Alford
Magpie in the Sky, Spoil Heap Tales

Cynthia Wainscott
Exotic Peru

Carole Carlson
Beadsophisticate

Lynn Stinten
Dragonzwench

Marica Zammit
Bead Lovelies

Catherine Shattuck
VRBrose

Michaele Collie
The Vintage Gem

Mary Craig
Jewelry Alchemy

Lee Koopman
Strega Jewelry

Erin Whitacre
Shattered Time Jewelry

Monica Casady
MJCasady Copper Works

Leila West
Leila Nicole Designs

Cindy Peterson
Howling Dog Jewelry    

Leila Belcher
Leila Bee Designs

Gloria Allen
Wings and Beads

Pamela Anger
Novegatti Designs

Tammy Adams
Paisley Lizard

Lynda O'Mara
LOmara Creative

Elizabeth Hildreth
MadScientistsDesigns

~*~*~*~*YOU ARE HERE!!~*~*~*~*
Dana Hickey  waves HI!!
Wind Dancer Studios

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Janet Calardo
Jan Lea Designs

Maria Clark
Sweet Willow Designs

Lori Beekman
B. Accessorized

Jennifer Kroeger
Relic Charm

Amy Jorgensen
Hoarder's Corner

Robin Reed
Artistry: Handcrafted Bead Designs

Ingrid Anderson
Lilis Gems

Louise O'Shields
Desire Divine Jewels

Susan Killam
Killam Creative

Mary Katherine Deis
The Rose Sword: Artisan and Vintage Collectible Jewelry

Nike Bottalico
Nike Bottalico

Susan Bowerman
Woodside Wireworks

Kristy Le
Kristy Le Trendy Jewelry Designs

Jan Peters
Stylized Vintage

Mitzie Crider
Needful Luxuries Occasional Blog

Gina Hockett
Freestyle Elements

Linda Anderson
From the Bead Board

Alexandra Sefton
Imaginary Jewelry and Altered Art

Melida Boman
The Journey of Pens and Things

Teresa Shurter
TreeZ's Treasurs

Melissa Latimer
Smithed Up

Renee Hong
Fine and Dandy Jewelry and Art

Nadine Edris
Moondance Jewelry

Lori Meyer
Parisienne Girl

Jennifer Merrill Williams
Artists of All Stripes

Denise Lussier Poirier
Jewelry by Denise

Renee Allen
Small Stuff Design 

Autumn Adams
Autumn Dawns

Elizabeth Owens
1996 Shabby Lane

Kat BarronMiller
Midnight Kat Productions Art Jewelry

Sandra Ballard
Mama San's Mojo

Coral Law
ab:coraldesign

A Little Bit of This A Little Bit of That

I've had the flu so it wasn't until just now that I realized I had no blog post! Yikes! Time to stock up on some posts again, I like having backups for just this kind of occasion.

She WON and Sold it!

News On the Home Front:

This weekend the kiddo was in her first Art Show outside of the University. She almost didn't enter as several of her friends whom she thinks are incredibly talented had entered and she thought she didn't have a chance. Good Mom that I am told her to knock it off, she is talented and she will never know until she tries just how talented she is. Well, kiddo took third! Yup she WON.  Insert Puffed Chest here, I am one Proud Mama! and may I say, the kiddo suddenly feels a little more talented, a lot more like a REAL artist (her words) and quite validated. Oh, the vase she entered also sold! Yup! Her goals for this semester are to make enough money to buy her own kiln, I'd say she's off to a great start!

Oh and on a completely sweet note.... kiddos BFF is getting ready to bring her little man into the world and welcome him into her arms. We're wishing her all the love in the world.

On the Desk:

I've been working away on the Year of Jewelry meeting my weekly deadlines. Some pieces I'm thrilled with, others are a learning experience. so all in all a good thing so far. This last week I doubled up, YoJ theme was squares and my first finished piece for B'Sue's Build a Line just happened to fit the bill. I like this piece a lot. I think it fits well with my existing stock and adds to my line beautifully.

Double Duty Squares and B'Sue Build a Line

speaking of  B'Sues Build a Line:

As you just read I've been working away. Lots of new goodies finding their way into the light of day. I'm excited about this new line. I love the style, I love the lines, I love how well it meshes with my shop and I'm excited for the cohesion and polish I believe it will bring with it. Two months is a long time to wait for unveiling but it gives ME lots of time to fine tune and write wonderful copy to go with.

In the Works:

I think it's time to have some professionally printed cards made up. I've been printing at home as needed and that has worked well but the computers update wasn't compatible with the software and the timing is serendipitous. I'm pretty sure I mentioned I've joined the Artisan Group. I'd like to have memorable cards to go along with that nice cohesive shop. New cards are officially on the To Do list.

Til Next time!
Thanks for stoppin by!

Playing with Fire and Leather

It's been a bit busy around here this last week and as a result I missed my blog post. Busy is a good thing around here though and I am not complaining!

I played a bit last week. Picking up scraps of this and that, little bits of things I twisted up, sawed off, and bought. Put flame to some and wire to others. All in all a productive week and I enjoyed myself to boot!

Originally I had thought I might just play with an idea I got from this tutorial over on the House of Gems Pinterest board. I had two pieces of leftover copper I had sawn off another project and I thought it might be fun to dangle some chain from them.

Since I was playing, I thought why not emboss them? They're a slightly heavier gauge metal so I knew I'd have to anneal first. I lit the torch and thought.... why not play a bit with fire painting, I have to torch it to anneal it anyway. (You're getting a real good look at how my brain works here) So I torch and get some really pretty purples YAY! And I emboss and get great matching imprints for a pair of earrings. Next up we'll drill holes to hang the chain from. Zip zip zip and done woohoo.

I'm really liking the iridescence of the purples.............. I think I have some daggers with that color.
Yup! Then I notice a little piece of wire I had looped up and it fit so nicely into the arc of the shield, so I made another and I really liked it. At this point no matter how I played with that chain I just didn't like it. Too bad too, I had planned on suspending the whole thing from that chain....hmmmm

I really like the rib bone chain I made for my Dia de los Muertos piece and the bars Dana sent for bead soup... I could make some bars to hang these from! So I did....  I played a little too long before sealing so I lost a bit of the deeper shades but they're still really pretty!

Flame Painted Shields

Next up I decided to play with my leather scraps. Rebeka Payne of Tree Wings Studio has these leather feathers that I absolutely adore, I though I might play some and make my own feathers. I even got the kiddo in on it and gave him a piece of leather to play with while I cut and designed a few things. He LOVED it!  and I loved it.

The color of the first feathers I made were the exact shade of the stone I've been playing with the woven bezel for the last couple weeks and I just happened to have one wire left I had no idea what to do with, and tadaaa!

Copper and Leather Wrapped and Woven

Alex claimed this one just as fast as I was able to get those feathers on it.
I've made up several more feathers and have many more ideas for them already. 

Thanks for stopping by!

We'll see you next time!

Less Than Wordy

I try to post on Tuesdays. I even have the monthly Birthstone posts to make sure I always have a topic, but sometimes there just are no words to write.

It's not that I'm not feeling creative, I've been busy working away. I just finished up a necklace I'm hoping Stringing Magazine will like. I'm just not feeling terribly wordy.

So...... um.....let's see, something worthy of posting about.... I hosted this month's giveaway in the forum. Or basically in our group on FB. Since about.com changed everything up AGAIN the forum has pretty much been dealt its death blow. Sad, it used to be a hopping place. You could barely keep up with all the posting, now crickets, crickets dropping pins.  Anyway, I used random.org very cool little website I let it pick a number based on the entries and then listed all the entries and had it randomize those and ..... Anne won!  I'll be sending her these little beauties. Pendant made by moi - that little tree of life kick I was telling you about :) A pair of agate hearts, some freshwater pearls, and some moonstone, in grays and peach. Not a huge prize package but enough to get a little inspiration going and I'm sure Anne will make something beautiful with it.

Maybe a kitty post next week or birthstones, who knows?

Thanks for stoppin by!

We'll see ya next time!

The Only Thing I Melted This Week....

was something I meant to! Yay Me!! I finally got my earrings finished, plan B came along quite nicely. Good thing too, melting those earrings really hurt my feelings and my confidence. I didn't realize how much until I finally finished them. Thankfully Plan B actually came out much cuter than the original.

I've always thought of these types of happenings to be fortuitous. If I hadn't melted the first pair, they might not have been quite as cute. I really do prefer the copper background over the brass. But it sure can make you feel a little "less than" and cause a little struggle while you push through. But persist, you must, in the end it's always worth it.

Commissioned Tree of Life Earrings

A jewelry acquaintance of mine Heidi Kingman decided it was time to declutter her supplies. A little make room for more of what I want kind of thing. She had quite a few really pretty stones up for grabs and I managed to pick up a couple. 

My son was sitting at the table as I opened the package. He picks up one of the stones, holds it for a moment, turns it over and holds it again. Finally stating, this one is mine. When the stone speaks to you in this house, you listen lol

Last night I sat down and turned that stone into a little something for him. Now, I'm a Virgo and I really like nice and neat and symmetrical, it is hard for me to leave a wonky wrap or an unbalanced anything. I wince and cringe when I notice something in a photo that you will not see in the hand. 

I had created these nice, neat, wonderfully matched little loops as I netted around that stone. Then my fingers started cramping and it got hard to hold the stone as I worked. I flipped it and dropped it, muttered something under my breath. Stretched my fingers, straightened the netting and started again. 

Again my fingers cramped up and then locked, the stone went flying through the air and I smashed the netted bezel in my hand. Flustered I might have muttered something a little stronger this time. 

I stretched the netting back around the stone. I stretched my fingers. I started again, one more time. I felt my fingers start to cramp, stopped before they locked. I thought that might save the stone but no, fingers locked and stone flew.

I only needed two more loops to finish the round and I'm fighting back the tears of frustration. Stretch my fingers, make two loops, bind off. Stretch the bezel around the stone, it's not as neat as it was - BUT it looks appropriate. It looks as if I planned it. It's asymmetrical and organic and somehow looks so much better than those neat little rows of perfect loops. Whats more, I like it! My hands hurt too much to do anymore though so I put it aside until this morning.

Alex's Feathered Stone

This morning I cut a piece of copper into a feather and fused some fine silver into it for the finishing touch. He's quite happy with it and already has it hanging up next to the dagger pendant and his cross.

I'm this month's host for our small group giveaway so I'd better get busy choosing a prize. Considering making a pendant if my fingers will let me o_O if not I'll take a peek into that stash of glass and rocks I have right over there.

Thanks for taking a peek and for visiting with me!

We'll see you next time!

I've gone Toothless!

Really I have! No, no, I still have all the teeth in my head that I had yesterday..... My pliers have lost their teeth! Yup they've grown up!

The yellow pair were my very first pair of pliers. When I was 16 and had just gotten my drivers license, the very first thing I did was drive to the mall. No surprise, I was 16. But I didn't drive to the local mall, no I drove to Sun Valley Mall. They had a bead store, Bead something, it's been so long now I forget the name but I loved that store it was pure joy. Chain, beads, findings, tools....happy sigh. I don't have a bead store local to me now either sigh, I do have a Hobby Lobby and a Wal Mart, but it is just NOT the same. I bought those first pliers on that first solo trip to the mall along with some beads and chain, I still have some of those too, but will save that post for another day.

As you can see in the close up those little yellow pliers were toothed. Toothed pliers are what I learned on all those years ago. I had egg shaped loops quite consistently and some scarring of metal on a regular basis too - death grip will do that.

The red and black pair my hubs picked up for me at the hardware store some 10-12 years ago.  I was making some wire baskets from fencing and needed a better grip. At that time I was just starting to work with wire as a primary component rather than purchased head and eye pins. As you can see they too are toothed. But by this point I was making round loops pretty consistently :) though an egg does sneak in from time to time and scarring does occur if I get frustrated and grip too tightly. Thankfully, those are rare occurrences these days too.

Death grip is the main cause of scarring metals, as you can see I've used toothed pliers exclusively for a lot of years and I don't have a lot of scarring in my pieces. On those rare occasions I do, I file and buff them out but that does take time too and eliminating the teeth would go a long way in eliminating those last bits of scarring. So I made the decision to buy toothless pliers, not going to lie, that was a scary decision. I've been using toothed pliers for a very long time and I wasn't entirely sure I'd like going toothless.

Rather than plunking down $50 or more for Lindstrom, Tronex, or Swanstrom I went middle of the road. I have never heard a bad word about Wubbers, in fact it's been all good and trusted I would have the same experience.

Sadly, this last week has been crunch time for taxes and I've been dealing with new software and trying to hunt down missing categories..... ahem can we say operator error, I really need to delete unused categories so things don't keep going awol...... as you can see that meant no real time to play with my new toy. I did however, pick up a piece of wire and squeezed the life out of it - um it flattened, and then it made a very pretty round loop..... no scars, none. NONE!

I think i'm going to like having gone toothless, I think, I'm going to like it ALOT! I am really looking forward to having some playtime this week!!

Thanks for stoppin' by!
We'll see you next time!

Torn and Tattered

I’ll let you in on a little secret. I don’t have TV. Well, I have a TV but I don’t have cable or satellite. I have a pair of rabbit ears and I live in a pretty rural area surrounded by mountains so reception is iffy at best. Signals going digital actually killed the reception I had. Before they went digital I could pick up nearly as many channels as our local cable company offered so when I got fed up with paying money for a lack of service there was very little pain involved. We watched more movies than TV anyway so when the signals themselves went kaput that wasn’t even a big loss. Then I installed NetFlix, originally for the movies but soon learned we could catch up on those shows we actually missed. Shortly after discovered one or two new ones. Followed by the realization the ones we really liked that still air can be viewed online!

I WAS working on one of my UFOs, I had coiled up some brass to make up some jump rings and my blade got dull while I was cutting them. Thrilled I had dulled a blade before breaking it I put a new one on the saw. Then applied way too much pressure. The old blade was very dull and I didn’t realize how much pressure I had been using to get it to cut the rings… and then the saw slipped and found my fingertip. Ouch! After a second time and actually managing to draw blood I knew I needed to take a break. I only had a couple rings left to cut so I used my cutters to finish off the coil and decided to watch a little SuperNatural while I closed all those rings I just cut. The angels have fallen to Earth so the opening credits now feature some very tattered wings, the graphics of which I find beautiful.

Once I finished closing up all those rings and had them in the tumbler the kiddo and I had a Once Upon a Time mini marathon - I promised I wouldn’t watch without her and she’s been busy so we had a couple episodes to catch up on. Thoroughly in a fantasy set of mind after all that and a saw just sitting there with a brand new blade in it I quickly sketched up a tattered feather. Pulling a piece of scrap from the jar I got to work using my sketch as a reference. One of these days I may actually lay a pattern on the metal itself :) but so far I like free handing and I’m starting to get a good feel for the saw and what it can do.

This is the result, one tattered and torched feather. I loved the coloring I achieved when I annealed the quill to make the self bale so I left it and just burnished the edges so they wouldn’t be sharp. Measuring 2 inches tip to tip and just 1/2 inch at its widest, I’m pretty happy with it.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
We'll see you next time!

PS First image belongs to the photographer Philip Bonneau
and can be purchased here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/97495704/heroesvillains-issue-1-print-1

Of Family and Soldering…

and how simple changes can make a world of difference.

I want to to make stacking rings so badly that even though I have struggled and struggled to master soldering, I keep trying and trying and trying. For several years I’ve tried. I’ve struggled with the right torch, the right flame, enough solder, too much solder. I have adjusted every little detail I could think of save one.

This weekend I thought I would give it yet another try. Several hours and complete frustration later I was ready to give up. I didn’t though. I marched myself over to you tube and found my friend Melissa Muir’s videos. Melissa goes into great detail when she makes a video. She explains the what and the why right alongside of the how. Being left handed I need that as mentally I have to flip all I see in my head in order to mirror the actions and there are no classes local to me where I can just be told I’m doing something wrong and how to fix it.

I found a video that uses soldering and clicked. It hadn’t played for very long before I hear, you can’t just use any flux…. What? The solder won’t flow properly ….. serious? The ONE thing I never once considered.



Found a quickie how to make a boric acid flux and voila! I CAN solder! Happy Dance! I still need practice, obviously, but I am now wearing two copper stacking rings and am planning several more. This one seemingly small detail has made a world of difference for me and opens up another avenue of jewelry making I’m excited to explore!

As I mentioned in an earlier post my Grandma was gravely ill. They had decided it was time to send her home to hospice care and allow her to die in her own bed. I was heartbroken to say the least. But before my Mom could bring her home another Dr stepped in. He studied her charts and her file. Talked to my Mom and Uncle, actually listened and then made a simple change in her medication. This made such a huge difference he decided to take an xray of her chest and found a pocket of fluid pressing against her lung. She wasn’t suffering from congestive heart failure at all. Her recovery has been nothing short of miraculous! She’s currently in an assisted living center for physical therapy. She will be coming home, not to die but to live!

Never underestimate the power of small changes and persistence. They can pay off in very big ways!

oh and Yes! I am still going to donate my hair. I’m thinking another 12 inches is in order this go around. That leaves me enough to make another donation in the future.

Thanks for stopping by!
See ya next time!

October is… Pink

This has been a rough week. It's October and that makes it Breast Cancer Awareness month. My Mom's birthday was last week, she is a survivor. Go mom! Today (the 15th as I write this) would have been my Dad's birthday, he died of lung cancer when I was in my early twenties. Sometime this week my Grandma comes home to hospice care. At 90 she has been diagnosed with breast and colon cancer. The surgery went well, but the recovery has proven to be too much for her body. First the incision blew, then the pain meds gave her hallucinations and a devastating fall breaking her hip. More meds, more hospitalization and her heart just can't take any more, she's developed congestive heart problems. They are sending her home to die in her own bed. This was a very large part of my tumultuous August, the initial diagnosis and surgery. I had truly hoped the recovery would be much smoother than it ultimately was and am heartbroken to say the least.

Back in August or sometime in September, I'm not really sure at this point. Heather Powers issued a design challenge on Art Bead Scene She had posted a photo of a painting Tres Personajes by Rufino Tamayo Its reds and purples, greys and golds were very striking and as I loved the jewel tones I thought to design a little something to play along. But with everything going on at the time all I could see was Day of the Dead. So I sketched but my heart wasn't in it.

Last week I had a little downtime and as Day of the Dead is approaching I pulled out my sketch and played a little. I first embossed a piece of copper and gave it a dark patina. Then I dapped an oval to support my sugar skull and pulled out the clay. I hadn't sculpted anything in ages and it was a very nice change of pace. I sculpted the skull in layers of black and grey and added a crown of flowers. I had originally planned on using the vibrant colors of the painting but opted instead at this point to go with the traditional colors of Marigolds. I remembered the wonderful leaf charms Jennifer sent during bead soup and knew they'd be perfect to balance her crown, I even tucked in a couple vintage leaves I received in an order from a sweet little shop on Etsy.



The chain took an evolutionary turn as I wasn't entirely happy with the size or style that I had been working on and decided instead to rivet larger links. The links slight arcs reminded me of ribs and they just seemed to fall into place perfectly, the original chain I had worked up balanced it well and I finished it off with one of my hand crafted clasps.



Once it was finished and I thought of the celebratory nature of it all it seemed it might be the perfect cathartic release. A celebration and remembrance of the lives of my family by love and by blood. The people who were and are closest to me and are most responsible for who I am today.

I found the challenge if you're interested in seeing the results - gorgeous colors!
http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/2013/08/august-monthly-blog-tour.html

Thanks for stopping by!
We'll see you next time!

Birthday Toys and Mozart

Last month's emotional roller coaster left me tired and feeling a little drained and not much in the mood to do anything creative. So I thought I'd turn my focus into a little house cleaning in those areas that were bugging me - the dust bunnies hiding under the couch, the dust accumulating on the front edge of the ceiling fan, the clutter on the kitchen counter tops. Something physical enough to get me up and moving but inside (summer woke up from its nap!) Unfortunately I had already used up those newly written back up posts so I missed last weeks post during my need to clean - oops!

While I was sipping my coffee this morning the e-mail brought a nice little note from Pandora radio. It said "Your next favorite song is waiting on Mozart Radio" Well why not? I'm in the mood for a little Mozart. Once upon a time I played violin and Mozart is as soothing to my soul as working with my hands is. One quick click later and my foot is keeping time and the stress is melting, just that quick.

I sat reading the rest of my e-mail, foot still keeping time, and checking in on Etsy. Quiet save for the violins, not even any chatter in my brain. A smile. Then a flash of a little something and a need to grab the sketchbook. A little time with the pencils and the need spilled over to my new toys. (My birthday was last week and I got some new toys to play with) With Mozart and friends still playing in the background I played a little. Cut, embossed, patina'd and buffed. I even dapped a couple. Not quite sure what I plan on doing with them yet. There really wasn't any plan for them to begin with, but I like them and since I'm waiting on beads to arrive what better way to entertain myself!



”Every artist dips his brush in his own soul and paints his own nature into his pictures.” -- Henry Ward Beecher.

My bead from Erin should be here any time now and the beads from Bead and Button should be here by the end of the week so together should be enough to keep me creatively happy for a little while. If I forget to pop my head up I apologize in advance - I see more Mozart in my near future!

Thanks for stopping by!
We'll see you next time!

One Finished UFO and the last of my babies has Graduated HS

I mentioned earlier one of my very first on the desk postings included a UFO of an embroidered piece. A recent Art Jewelry Elements blog posting issued a challenge - FINISH A UFO! oooh game on!! So I choose that embroidered piece to finish. I had planned on it anyway so it was serendipitous timing lol

I've had this design in my head since the moment I saw the beads Kateri (and most awesome nephew) had offered up for the months drawing. But once I had the beads in my hands, they were soooo pretty, I was immediately intimidated. I had to do them justice, but could I? Then I won the beads from John (I was on a roll) , the gold stone daggers were perfect for the design :) but I was still not quite there. So I bought some turquoise and some bronze delicas ......I was almost there I could feel it.
I've been playing with stamped filigree lately and it hit me as I was cleaning off my desk THAT was the missing ingredient to the design in my minds eye. And Finally it all came together.

My Copper Sunrise
Mt first embroidered piece. Gold stone, red tigers eye, turquoise, wood and seeds, stamped brass and acrylic leaves. Twisted Copper wire borders the embroidery and plain solid copper wire makes up the chain and connectors. The earrings sport forged copper paddles, turquoise and also feature leather.









I'll be wearing them tonight (Friday night) at my son's graduation. I'm prescheduling this post so I don't forget :) Busy couple of days coming up!! I'm so very proud of him, that sweet little boy who hid behind my legs has grown to become such a fine young man.

I'm going before I make myself cry :) Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting...
We'll see you next time!

It's Finals Week Next Week....

Sooo I have very limited time on Paige's computer until finals are over and done with. Term papers! On the bright side, the job we've been waiting on to get started has FINALLY started!!! Yay! Hopefully this means I'll be getting my new computer sooner rather than later!

As prom was this last weekend I thought you might like to see the finished corsage.





Don't they look good together?

Unfortunately he was exhausted, getting very little sleep the night before and ducked out on after prom JUST BEFORE they called his name to win an iPad! awww, and he could use a new computer too. Such is the way.

The school year is winding down, finals and award ceremonies are gearing up, Graduation for my baby is in just a couple weeks. Time to buy stock in Kleenex people! I was plenty teary eyed when he got his drivers license! lol

Thanks so much for stopping by! I have gorgeous Iris' in bloom in the garden today. Here's to an equal amount of beauty in your life today as well.
See ya next time!

It's Prom Time Once Again

and it's our last one to boot. My baby is a Senior in High School this year. He would like the corsage to be special.

Roses to match her dress.

She would like his boutonniere to match her corsage.

So I get to make both this year. The original idea was to bead Roses in the same way I did the Stargazer for his date several years ago. While I think that will be beautiful for her, it might be just the tiniest bit feminine for him, even with the woven copper edging. What to do?

What most of you don't know is way back in December I decided I would write a tutorial for you, my blog readers. Then I was asked to write a tutorial for a magazine. I was so excited I of course said yes! and promptly gave them the one I had planned for the blog. It still hasn't published - but, if I scaled it up just a bit it would be perfect for a boutonniere..... and that is what I did!



Now we have a rose delicate enough for her and masculine enough for him! Her corsage will feature the beaded rose with woven edging and have smaller copper buds. His will feature a copper rose and beaded babies breath to match hers. Problem solved!

Now, the big dilemma. I haven't mastered a pretty seam when it comes to soldering yet. Do I chance a messy weld on the stem? I could hide any blotchiness with a ribbon, or by plating. But do I want to? I have time to think on that one a bit. I have a beaded rose to finish, babies breath to make up, and some ribboning to do still while I wait on some gorgeous Bead Caps from Fusion Beads to show up, I thought they looked just right for the base of the rose! Which is another option for hiding any messiness, hmmm

In case you were wondering.... Alex's rose is one inch in diameter, one and three quarter tall, and is made of one single piece of copper. Jade's rose is one inch and made of three pieces. The leaves vary in size with the longest being two inches.

While I'm beading and pondering my garden is waking up. I take my leave while giving you a pic of a real flower....



Thanks for stopping by!
See ya next time!

A Little PlayTime Before I Finish

My new toys arrived and I played very happily until I realized it wasn't going to work for what I had in mind. Never one to be deterred for too long I found another method to use and I think I'm going to be very happy it turned out the way it did!

While I was playing I learned several new techniques! Yay me! While annealing a piece of metal I quite by accident turned it some oh so very pretty colors! Then I HAD to do it AGAIN, just to see if I could.... oooh even prettier the second time! I can paint copper with fire! Golds, blues, reds, and oranges! WOOT! Controlling the pattern is going to take some time but the fact I can do it makes me a happy camper!

I have been able to emboss since at least Junior High. I have a pair of Copper horses my Dad framed with horse shoes from one of my horses. I've since shrunk the designs and made pendants but I knew there was another way. Raising they call it. Playing around I was able to raise a heart using the hammer and an edge of the anvil. It's rather rustic, even more so once I added a little texture and some patina, oh what fun! Look for that to make an appearance in the shop soon!

Continuing on the theme of changing the surface of metal, today I set up a salt water etch. This is quite a bit like Science in the name of Art and I felt every bit like a kid watching the water bubble and the metal swirling around. The results were plain fun and I have a wealth of design ideas running through my head!



Here are some simple tutorials on electrolytic etching using a salt water bath.
http://copperheartdesigns.blogspot.com/2010/01/electrolytic-copper-etching.html

http://mistyridgedesigns.blogspot.com/2009/08/eureka-i-figured-it-out-tutorial-for.html

They are basically the same way I did it. With a little help AND encouragement from my friend Cheryl of Get Your Bead On. She shared hers and gladly answered questions, even going so far as to write up how she did it too. I used a battery charger and a nail, Cheryl used the D batteries and a scrap piece of copper. Both ways work beautifully!

Count down to Reveal has begun be sure to check back in on the 30th! or sooner if you like!

Thanks for stopping by!
We'll see you next time!

The Soup has begun to Simmer!

Our soups have made their way to each of us and I must say my partner Jennifer was very generous!



I think this was payback for sending Jean all those packages last soup hop lol But I have to say, I think it's the way to go. You don't have to send a lot, but packaged up is just so FUN!! Makes me feel guilty all over again. I felt guilty when I sent it to Jean, but now I feel guilty I didn't send it to Jennifer.

Even the card she sent was super cute!



I don't have a lot of greens in my stash it's something I've tried to remedy but I just seem to be drawn to the other colors more often. So it's really cool that greens are the color she chose to send. The lamp worked pieces she made are just beautiful and I'm proud to have them.

Source: flickr.com via Dana on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Dana on Pinterest

The beads are very earthy green, just soft and mystical. Paired with the copper and brass they have a very woodland feel to them.

Source: flickr.com via Dana on Pinterest

A fairy like feel to them. And so my Faerie Folk and Fantasy Inspiration Board on Pinterest was born.

I'm really looking forward to playing with these beads, the inspiration is flowing and I have several ideas perking. :)

Now that Jennifer has received her soup I can show you what I sent. Since Jennifer owns a bead store I didn't want to send a bunch of beads she could just pick up from any of her shelves, I took it on as a challenge to make all the components I sent so they would be new and unique to her. I feel a little guilty I didn't send more but no one else will have the pieces I sent to her :)

Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon, I'll be designing with these beauties, getting ready for the reveal on Mar 30th!
See ya next time!

Alex's Crosses

My son Alex, my best repeat customer!

Every year he has me make several crosses for him to give as gifts. He designs them, draws up a sketch and has me create and fine tune the piece.

Not this year.

Oh, he designed and drew up sketches. But, he wanted to be the one making. So, he asked if I would teach him how to weave, and I did gladly!

So here's my proud Mama moment, My Son Made These!
I hammered out the frames for him and he did the weaving, and wrapping.


Brass with a bead filled base - I helped a little more with this one, he wanted to learn wire weaving not bead weaving lol


He wasn't content to just weave the cross for this one he also wrapped chain around the halo and wrapped beads to the chain, paying special attention to the sizes of the beads to create a pattern for a scalloped edge. I almost forgot to add, he even LOS'd it!!


This one is my personal fav. Again, I did the bead work for him - I love that detail!


This one started out a very simple cross with a couple beads in her favorite color. By the time he had finished with the others he started to feel a little badly that they were ornate and this one wasn't. Back to the design table, he dressed it up a little bit, adding swags of chain. The beads free sliding on the chain are mood beads. All week they were a pretty bluish green, I set the cross on the anvil while I snapped some quick pics and this is what I got lol Please don't hold the color change against him :)

Thanks for stopping by, taking a peek at our hand crafted Christmas goodness, and sharing in my proud Mama moment!
See you next time!
Dana