A Little Chocolate, Please

A widget over there on the right sidebar of my blog generated this random "Cheeky Quote" today, which I feel is perfect for today (and everyday!!)

More chocolate! Now!!

This again?

I was cruising the web Saturday morning, reading news items, and found myself on the Atlantic Wire's page - reading about the yummy John Stamos.

As I scrolled down the article, the word "Facebook" in blaring red font catches my eye, so I glance over, to find this:

I can't really articulate why this bothers me so much, but it centers around my total lack of interest in my "friends'" web activities PLUS the fact that I don't feel like anyone else needs to know what I'm reading.. Good grief.

Girls' Night Out

Have y'all seen this feisty gal in my Etsy shop?

Her body is a polymer clay bead, her "feet" are a Swarovski crystal, her arms are 16g sterling silver wire, her head is a polymer clay bead (yay! Red curls just like me!), she wears a sterling silver daisy necklace, and she is hoisting a strawberry margarita. She is my idea of Girls' Night Out!!

Bright Red Shiny Metal Heart

This is yet another piece I created in the metal studio on our playdate last Sunday - I guess I had a really productive day - there are still some earrings I haven't even shown you yet!

This copper heart was cut using a template (I have no drawing abilities whatsoever, sadly); I sanded and smoothed all the edges, sawed a smaller heart in the middle, and then started enameling. One side was enameled bright shiny red, and the other side took 2 coats of clear enamel, revealing the beautiful natural copper color. I then freehand painted some red squigglies on that side, trying for a paisley look. Only you can be the judge of how successful I was, but I like the result!

The pendant hangs on bright red satin cording, with a lobster claw clasp.

I know it is a little late for Valentine's Day, but I love hearts, and think they are perfect year round!

And this one is now available in my Etsy shop!

New Copper and Swarovski Pendant

This is another piece I created in the metal studio last Sunday:

 Here is how the copper looked after all the cutting, drilling, and sanding, in preparation for adding the frame and crystals:

This pendant actually was inspired by a distressed, rust-colored frame that I found in the scrapbooking section of Michael's. Love the scrapbooking section! So many inspiring objects and fascinating tools and ingredients there!

I noticed how the frame matched a 20 mm Red Magma Swarovski Cosmic Square I had, both in color and in shape, and started designing the pendant on paper. Once everything fit and worked on the paper model, I cut the copper and did all the smoothing, sawing, and drilling.

Next, I textured the bail, then annealed it and rolled it into placed, then grommeted it to secure it. (The rivet is hidden in the front by the frame.)

Next, I placed the Swarovski Cosmic Square in the center, and then I attached the frame to the pendant. My initial plan had been to rivet the frame to the pendant, but the frame itself was way to thick for me to pierce, so I decided to do a little free-form wiring instead, adding Swarovski crystals (in Crystal Padparadscha) as I went. I love a little bling with my pendants!

So this is the back of the finished pendant, everything all tucked away and smooth!

And the pendant is available in my Etsy shop!

"Raku" Copper Earrings

A few days ago we had our monthly metal studio playdate, where I experimented with an enameling technique which simulates raku.

I initially wound up with 5 pairs of similar earrings, even though I had used 4 different colors of enamel and left the 5th pair with NO color - just clear:

I love the way these turned out - but I learned that the process of exposure to the flaming, smoldering paper basically negates any efforts to add color to the copper, as the 5 different colors that went into the kiln all came out the same. I love what came out, but it would have been interesting to be able to influence the colors somewhat.

So, since I didn't really want 5 basically identical pairs of earrings, I decided to take 3 pairs and re-treat them with enamels, using a very light coating of a different color of transparent green on each pair:

It's subtle, but the pair on the left was colored with beryl green, the middle pair with turquoise, and the right side pair with sea green.

These are not bad, but I still like the original-flavor raku coloration the best:

I have 2 pairs of these, and so I stashed one away from myself, and will be offering the other up on Etsy later this week. Gotta take Etsy-worthy photos, you know. I'll slip back in here and drop the link when I get them listed.

So there are my raku earrings - lots of fun!

Worktable Wednesday

Here's what's on the workbench today:

This is the peyote bracelet I started last week. It is slowly progressing; I have lots of stuff pop up that interrupts me, and I decided not to take it home last weekend, so I have only spent a couple of days on it since last week. It is now just over halfway stitched. Patterns like this involve lots of counting, so I tend to take frequent breaks - it tires my poor old eyes out!
I hope to finish the stitching of the bracelet itself by tomorrow, and then start stitching the clasp. Fingers crossed! Unless the shop gets real busy - which would be terrific, too!

This is a custom necklace I need to work on today; a customer who frequently requests custom work brought in 2 of her necklaces, and a brass pendant from a 3rd necklace, and asked me to combine all these pieces and beads into one necklace. There's some coral, some onyx, and some brass beads to play with here.

This is custom job #2 I need to complete today - these freshwater pearl crosses belong to a new customer, who'd like them made into 2 bracelets (one white, one brown).

So, once I complete the 2 custom orders, I can move on to my peyote bracelet! Gonna eat some breakfast, and some yummy Diet Coke, first though!

And BTW, I put earwires in all those earrings yesterday, so I'll post pics of the completed pairs tomorrow.