Jewelry Summer Camp and Preparing for Fall

Tags

Artists for Animals Auction, Fluttering Wings Summer Camp, Ginger Davis Allman, Heather Powers, Heather Powers Art, Humblebeads, Miss Fickle Media, The Blue Bottle Tree, The Muse

Whenever I feel inspired to work on things for the Artists for Animals Auction, I go for it. I don’t like doing things at the last minute, so it feels good to have some items ready. The next auction is in the fall sometime, and I’ve already made three – possibly four – sets of earrings.

First up, pink cornflake pearl earrings. 

I fell in love with these pink cornflake pearl earring dangles when I saw them in the Miss Fickle Media shop. I’ve been trying to use them ever since, and have never made anything work quite right. I think I’ve finally found their design.

Next are olive citrine earrings.

I love long kidney wires. I think they are so elegant. One beautiful bead hanging there, and your earrings are made. Here are two views: one that shows the citrine better and one that shows the beautiful handmade balled headpins. I’ve been hoarding those for a long time. Love these!

My third pair is made with beautiful, large coin pearls.

The second photo is so you get a better look at the finding they are on. I really love these large coin pearls and therefore these earrings.

I recently read an article by Ginger Davis Allman of The Blue Bottle Tree. She was saying that it is a myth that people with sensitive pierced ears can use surgical steel, sterling silver and other metals. She recommended niobium as what works. I used to feel naked without earrings. Then my ears became sensitive and no metal worked – including sterling silver and 14 KT gold. I thought that meant there was no hope, and I haven’t worn earrings in years. I don’t remember trying niobium at that time, even though I know about them now. So I’m going to order a few pair and see if I can wear them. How great that would be!

I got that tip from Ginger’s The Muse newsletter. It’s a thrice weekly email newsletter that has great short bits and tricks, so it’s easy to read but always really valuable. I recommend it!

The reason I said possibly four pair of earrings is that I’m not sure how much I like these. I love the reverse painted scruffy cat on these beads. However, they are large hole and so swing around on the wire a bit. I put some seed beads inside, but it’s always hard to get the exact right size to keep beads steady. Maybe it’s not a problem. Scruffy cat has a cute backside too! I show them both here.

The other part of this post is an exciting creative and educational opportunity I’ve gifted myself. Heather Powers of Humblebeads is offering a wonderful online course called Fluttering Wings Summer Camp. The learning includes techniques in polymer clay, copper etching and metal work, silk ribbon beads, ear wires, and finished jewelry tutorials. I’ve taken three days off work to use it as a little creative staycation for myself and make sure I get things done. However, it’s an online class you’ll get lifetime access to, so you can do it any time. If you are able, check it out. I think it is going to be a lot of fun and teach me some great techniques.

 

 

You’ve Come a Long Way

Tags

Deryn Mentock, Erin Prais-Hintz, Ginger Davis Allman, Lorelei Eurto, The Muse, Tracy Statler

More than five years ago, I wrote a blog post with a list of 25 things I wanted to learn, practice or improve. It can be easy to think we aren’t learning or progressing very much because those things sometimes go slowly. However, this previous post came to mind because my mom suggested we look at old blog posts. I’m glad she did. When I read these items, I was surprised how many I had done or how many had changed and were no longer relevant.

1)  Make a beaded bead.

2)  Get a jewelry design published. – This is no longer a goal. So many jewelry magazines are gone, and a kind blog reader pointed out that every time I publish a blog post with a photo of my jewelry, it is being published (thanks, Anne W!) I realized that’s enough for me, and I don’t want to go to the work to get published in a magazine. Limiting the “work” of my hobby keeps it fun and stress free.

3)  Make my own clasp. – Yes, I’ve done this! I’d like to do it more.

4)  Put up a pegboard system in my craft room. – This is no longer a goal because I have put many more organizational systems in place so that I don’t need that specific thing. One is this wonderful way of hanging chain that I got from a peek into Erin Prais-Hintz’s studio. 

5)  Organize craft room into usability. – I consider this done. Although it regularly needs a good clean up, and I’d like to be one of those folks who cleans up after each making session, it is basically organized. It wouldn’t take much time to clean up the mess from my last making session or two.

6)  Make a decent “messy” wire wrap. – I’ve done this to my satisfaction more than once. It doesn’t always turn out the way I’d like, but I know how to make it work.

7)  Make a decent briolette wrap. – I have also done this. There are so many wonderful tutorials available on the web. Thanks to all the artists who share their knowledge.

8)  Make a decent wire wrapped link from the Deryn Mentock tutorial. – I really don’t need to do this anymore. I’m happy to get a variety of similar items from SagaHus Components .

9)  Make a decent leather infinity link from the Tracy Statler tutorial.

10)  Make my own tin bead caps from the Lorelei Eurto tutorial. – I’ve done this. It was so fun!

11)  Learn to rivet. – Done.

12)  Do some metal stamping. – Done.

13)  Learn to take better pictures of my jewelry. – I have learned a lot about this. There often isn’t good light where I live, but I sometimes surprise myself with pictures that are better than I think.

14)  Take a glass bead making class.

15)  Work with color patinas. – I’ve had a blast doing this and wrote a couple of blog posts about it.

16)  Oxidize my wire. – Done.

17)  Improve my knotting. – Knotting is now my main stringing technique.

18)  Use a variety of leather and fiber ends. – Done.

19)  Become comfortable making multi-strand pieces. – I’ve done this. While I prefer single strands, if I had a multi-strand design in mind, I’d go with it.

20)  Use chakra charms in something fabulous.

21)  Re-make a necklace. – Done.

22)  Re-make a bracelet. – Done.

23)  Re-make a pair of earrings. – Done

24)  Finish Jade Scott earrings. – I no longer wear earrings, so I didn’t finish this project. (The thing holding me up was wire wrapping, which wouldn’t be a problem now.)

25)  Make another wrap bracelet.

I’ve done (or changed/don’t need to do) 20 out of 25 of these goals. That’s 80%. Pretty good! Some more of these things are no longer a priority; I don’t think I’d like making glass beads, so I doubt I would take a class. I would take a different class, so I can possibly look for one I would like to take. I won’t make a new list like this, but I will keep in mind that progress is happening whether we think it is or not and also that goals change.

I subscribe to Ginger Davis Allman’s The Muse thrice weekly email newsletter. It is a series of short tips and thoughts that aren’t long enough for a full article, but still worth sharing. A recent email talked about how sometimes we don’t read or attend to things because we think we already know it. But attending to “old” or “basic” information can sometimes help us see things in a different way than when we first saw or learned it. I’m a different jewelry maker than I was five years ago. My style has evolved as has what I want to focus on. This list probably helped me to do that. It was fun to see how far I’ve come not only in how many of these things I’ve accomplished, but in how many are no longer relevant.