Nov22

Jeweler’s Block

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Jeweler’s Block

I like writing. I’ve never really had a deadline, like someone who writes for a living might have. Unless you count Blog hops, or even further back in history-writing assignments for school. But those aren’t for a living. I have just always kind of written whenever I felt like it, whenever thoughts came to mind that I felt I needed to preserve, to reflect upon at a later date, or to share amongst family and friends. This is a very similar method I take in which to create jewelry. I get a feeling, a thought, an inspiration, and I run to my Craft Room to turn the thought into a tangible piece of evidence that I do have a creative mind. I browse through my inventory and supplies, pairing up and combining colors, until I have a plan formulated. And then, I freeze. What if nobody likes my idea? What if I “waste” these beads, pairing it with that focal, stringing it with that wire, matching them to those beads?!
Yes, I actually use the word “waste”. It’s a curious word to use, but I can’t think of a word that better describes how I view a piece of jewelry that is unappealing to the eye, or that has been created when there is obviously a much better use for those particular beads.

I freeze. And I sit there, staring at my little pile of supplies and I toy with them, moving them about my desk, laying them out, lining them up. And that goes on for what seems like hours, until my time in my Craft Room is up, and I must go attend to some day to day life chore. I have a small stock pile pf luscious, semi-precious, amazingly gorgeous beads and rocks and oh my! But lately, every time I sit down, my mind goes blank. Please tell me that I am not the only person on earth who gets Jeweler’s Block!

I currently have three pieces on my desk, and hopefully I will be satisfied with the results enough to share them and send them along to their rightful owners. I promise I will make sure I take the time to let my Creative Muse run wild and free for awhile just to see what She can come up with all on her own. To see if what She creates something my customers would love to own. And hopefully, She will stay for tea. =^..^=

Nov20

Berries and Leaves!

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Berries and Leaves!

What good timing Artisan Whimsy had!  Announcing the November Challenge “Berries and Leaves”, I immediately thought to submit my Autumn Harvest II necklace that I created recently. But the question arose-do I post it to the finished jewelry section, or the component section? Since I created the leaf pendant myself, I decided I’d post in both!
My oak leaf is sawn from 22 gauge copper sheet. Annealed, hammered to shape, filed, sanded smooth, etched to create the veins on the leaf, and finally, oxidized with liver of sulfur to create the fantastic swirling of colors you see. I lightly buffed it, and added the carnelian “berries” and copper charm, and created a necklace with dyed magnesite and orange aventurine just before the hand-forged clasp to complete.

I included multiple pictures so you can see how the colors change according to the angle the leaf is seen. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you liked my necklace! =^..^=

 

 

Nov1

Kalmbach Bead Soup Party

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Kalmbach Bead Soup Party

Again? Why yes, yes I did! Kalmbach Publishing Co. was so impressed with the incredible work done by Lori Anderson of PrettyThingsBlog in her role as hostess to the world’s biggest Bead Soup Blog Party ever, that they decided to host one themselves. Bead shops and suppliers all across the US sent in Bead Soups that were then distributed to participants who signed up! I was so excited when I received a Soup from Patti Mullard, Ph.D., of Wired Up Beads!!

Since a silver clasp was included, I felt the dire need to use silver wire on the necklace I was to create. I struggled a bit, as I really wanted desperately to incorporate a lot of wire work, since that is one of my favorite techniques. These sat on my desk for weeks and weeks, and every once in awhile, I’d pick up the focal, wrap it, hate it and cut all the wires off. Finally, I came up with something I truly liked, and was then able to move forward on how to turn it into a necklace! I tried stringing the beads, but they were sad….they complained loudly about not getting individual attention as the focal did, so I took it all apart, and decided to use one of my absolute favorite chain-making techniques:

Once I had them all wrapped and pampered, I began playing with the order in which they would be connected, and decided this was to be a two-strand necklace. After much tweaking and playing, I declared this necklace Done. As you can see, I ended up NOT using every since bead sent, and did not use every single wire-wrapped section!

There is voting involved on the Kalmbach Jewelry Books Facebook page starting November 12th and prizes to be had, but really, I am appreciative of the opportunity to participate, regardless of the outcome!
Thanks for visiting, and stay tuned for more fun from Mama’s Craft Room! =^..^=

Oct28

October Fest!! ~Revised, after realizing much of it did not post!!

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October Fest!! ~Revised, after realizing much of it did not post!!

First, a very happy birthday to our gracious hostess, Rita of Toltec Jewels!!! October birthdays are so fun! Just ask my little boy:

He turned two with a whirlwind of cake, balloons (that still float above his highchair) and joyous squeals. Rita, I hope your birthday makes you grin and giggle with the same enthusiasm and excitement!

Fall has always been my favorite season with October being my favorite month as it is in October that Autumn unfurls and blazes forth in all its colorful glory! The sights and smells and the feeling of the crisper air insights within me a frantic twitterpation that I only feel at this time of year. It is my most productive month, filled with crafts, day trips, baking, “fall cleaning” and ending with a bang by attending the Texas Renaissance Festival for All Hallow’s Eve.

Among the crafts I worked on this month was my Autumn Harvest necklace. I love it so much, I made another!!

I created the leaf myself, sawn from copper sheet, then hammered, formed, filed, etches, buffed and oxidized with LOS, creating the incredible swirling of colors not only on the leaf, but on the clasp I made, and the links and everything in between! Have I mentioned I totally love it?! I miss the colors of fall and at this time of year, I try desperately to round them up and surround myself with them in any way, shape or form I can think of!

Living now in the south, I tend to shy away from my oven for about six months out of the year. It’s just too darn hot! So when you catch a whiff of my infamous Banana-Craisan Chocolate chip muffins, you know it must be October and Autumn has arrived!!

It’s also a time I get all excited about fibers again. Crocheting and knitting have a long rooted history in my life, and I have always loved the wide variety of colors, textures and even smells of various yarns. It’s no surprise to anyone who knows me that I have taken up spinning, first on a spindle that the Muscle made me (and I continue to use) and now on a spinning wheel. Here is my latest favorite, a very earthy, all natural color tweed-looking ply I made:

Very rustic and soft, I think it would make a great little button down sweater jacket with wood buttons and square pockets on the front. Maybe some felted flowers in muted blues, greens and burgundy? Time will tell!

Here are a few more things that I absolutely love about October and Autumn:

The first leaf to change on my flowering pear tree..

the amazing changes in sunrises…

and sunsets..

sweet baby boots…

and cat naps on chilly days..

We always end our month of October at the Renaissance Festival. We live out in the country, so this is a time our little ones get to use their imagination to dress up, act silly, and beg random strangers for candy. I can’t help but feel a little sad every Halloween, knowing yet another great October has come to an end. But the sights we enjoy at faire are priceless and always find a way to make me smile!

Post Script…
When I returned home, I found that half the post did not upload, as I wanted to add pictures from Faire from Saturday, so I do apologize for having an incomplete post. I should have known better than to trust my not so smartphone to do that job right! Though it seemed it had all uploaded, indeed it did not. So, there is the rest of the post, if any happen to stumble upon it, and thank you again Rita, for including me in your birthday celebratory hop! =^..^=

 

 

Host Toltec Jewels          http://www.JewelSchoolFriends.com
Heather Otto                   http://www.thecrafthopper.com <—————————you are here!!
Mischelle Fanucchi         http://www.micheladasmusings.blogspot.com
Marlene Cupo                  http://amazingdesigns-marlene.blogspot.com
Shaiha Williams              http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com
Shelly Graham Turner      http://shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com/
Shelly Joyce                   http://www.aujourlejour-shelly.blogspot.com/
Charlie Jacka                  http://clay-space.com/blog/
Pam Sears                     http://crazycreativecorner.blogspot.com/
Margareta Saari              http://magsinhelmet.blogspot.com/
Marita Suominen             http://momentofjewelry.blogspot.fi/
Lisa Posthumus              https://www.facebook.com/lisa.posthumusharper
Jeannie Dukic                 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jewelry-by-Jeannie/242288933007
Cheri Reed                     http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com/
Arlene Dean                   http://aglassbash.blogspot.com/
Duffy Blevins                  http://bubbasjewels1.blogspot.com/
Susan Kennedy             http://suebeads.blogspot.com/
Dita Basu                      http://www.alankarshilpa.blogspot.com/
Sonya Ann Stille            http://dreaminofbeads.blogspot.com/
Audrey Allen                  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wrapped-Up-In-Magic/145456948869148
Kashmira Patel               http://sadafulee.blogspot.com/
Kathy Lindemer              http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/
Kris Mattingly                 https://www.facebook.com/kris.h.mattingly
Lennis Carrier                 http://www.windbent.net/
Shannon Hicks               http://uptwnsh-fallingintothesky.blogspot.com/
Paula Hisel                    http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com
Karin Slaton                   http://backstorybeads.blogspot.com/
Shirley Moore                 http://www.beadsandbread.blogspot.com/
Alicia Marinache             http://www.allprettythings.ca/
Valeria G. Rome             http://fancysphynxdesigns.blogspot.com/
Lo                                  http://thecreativeklutz.blogspot.com/
Zoe Marcin                     http://beadsteaandsweets.blogspot.com/
Carolyn Lawson              http://carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com
Kimberly Booth               http://thepinkmartiniboutique.blogspot.com/
Sherri Stokey                  http://www.knotjustmacrame.com
Tanya McGuire                http://www.tanyamcguire.blogspot.com/
Debbie Rasmussen          http://kepirasmussen.blogspot.com/
Christine Stonefield          http://sweetgirldesign.blogspot.com/
Sandra McGriff                 http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.com/
Renetha Stanziano           http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com/
Evelyn Shelby                  http://raindropcreationsbyevelyn.blogspot.com/

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Oct11

PDa With Shelley Graham Turner!!

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PDa With Shelley Graham Turner!!

What am I rambling about NOW?? I’m talking about a great idea that Shelley Graham Turner of Tori Sophia had, to help fill the downtime between other Blog Hops and Parties! Having seen the awesome hand made charms, focals and jewelry that Shelley has created, I knew I was in for a treat!

Shelley sent this nifty Bead Soup to play with, and she has an identical soup. The fun, we each create something with the same exact soup, and see what our Creative Muses come up with! It’s been really interesting so far reading Shelley’s blog and seeing the first two PDa’s she has already hosted, and seeing what strikingly different pieces are created using the same exact main components. I can’t wait to see what Shelley has made and hope I have done her fantastic beads justice with my creations!

Grinds My Gears.. I loved the gears Shelley incorporated into this sweet focal beads, and felt they needed to be joined in such a way that suggests they work together to serve a function. I created my pendant using the three gears and two little glass beads Shelley included in the mix. The chain is made with more beads from the Soup, and a few wavy copper disks I had on hand. I used a figure eight/infinity on either end of the bead clusters to add a little length and more pattern, repeating the motion gears usually take-around and around! The rest of the chain is made up of jump rings and S connectors, ending in a hand made crook clasp.

I wanted to use the rest of the soup that Shelley sent, but didn’t feel the necklace needed them. So I made a pair of earrings!

UnaLeaf.. Ever since I saw those little glass leaves, I knew I wanted to wrap them briolette style at the end of a long wire! I used the little unakite, shell and glass beads from Shelley, creating the pins they all hang on, put them on a jump ring and attached them to ear wires I made. I had a heck of a time photographing them (and the necklace, for some reason-I think my poor Nikon D40 may have been dropped one too many times) and feel the pictures do NOT do justice to either the necklace or the earrings! The earrings are ADORABLE! They have a nice movement to them, yet hang ever so nicely, the beads moving politely out of the way of each other while simultaneously highlighting themselves. I left the copper bare in both because I felt the color-the natural *pinkness* found copper- complimented and coordinated perfectly with the entire bead set.
I will take new pics over the weekend with the Muscle’s D7000 and change these pics-he takes that thing everywhere, or I’d have used it!!

This was a fun Hop! Thank you for letting me participate, Shelley! I look forward to joining you in many future endeavors!  =^..^=

Check out what Shelley made, here: