Red Velvet, If You Please

Hammers pounding, drills buzzing, and torches ablaze with fire! That's how I'd describe my studio these past few weeks. Winter is bringing on a productive mode of being. The above pendant is a design from my favorite Japanese design book . These designs are so pretty I could probably make jewelry from this book for a very long time and never tire of them. I etched this particular design onto a plate of brass and then transferred it to sterling silver via the rolling mill. I lightly domed it and then soldered it onto a flat back piece before adding patina and polish.



Thinking it was about time to add some earrings to my collection, I came up with the design above. It's a cross between something I saw in a sundance catalog and a book on ancient jewelry. After cutting out the basic shapes, I added a bit of texture by chasing some designs along the bottom edge before adding the ear wires. I want to make them again, but this time edge each piece entirely in in sterling silver wire which will form the loops on each side, to which the ear wire can be attached. If successful, I'll post them here.

Tired of Smoothies? Try Energy Soup!

One of the things my teacher, Julia Woodman, is famous for (besides her master skills as a silversmith) is her Energy Soup. She whips it up and has it for lunch every day (truly, every day). I think it must be doing good things for her because she appears to have an abundance of energy and a zest for life.

I finally took the time yesterday to buy what was needed at Whole Foods. It's a wild concoction of ingredients that you simply can't imagine tasting good...but it DOES taste good!

If you don't have every single ingredient, it's okay. Just make sure you use a gluten-free soy sauce instead of the one listed below if you are gluten-free. Julia likes to add her leftover salad ingredients from the previous evening to her Energy Soup bowl before lunch, so I guess this is one of those recipes you can do whatever you want with, but the recipe below seems to have the just the right amounts of everything to balance the assortment of flavors and ingredients.  



Energy Soup

1 avocado
1 apple
1 medium Vidalia, or sweet onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 inch of ginger root (peeled)
1 three ounce container of Vonnie's sunflower sprouts
1 three ounce container of Vonnie's buckwheat lettuce
1 whole cucumber
1 peeled stack of broccoli
1 bunch of washed spinach OR 4 collard green leaves
1 large swiss chard leaf
2 tablespoons almond butter OR 2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons sweet miso
1 tablespoon of grade B maple syrup
1 tablespoon of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Nama Shoyu organic unpasteurized soy sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
1 3/4 cups filtered water
Several sprigs parsley, a little dill weed.

Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Large leaves may be bunched together and cut across into 1 1/2 inch segments and pushed through the top of the food processor. I would suggest using the pulse command so it doesn't get too soupy. You want it to have a nice, somewhat chunky consistency.

Yields 4 generous servings. Freezes well. Will be okay in refrigerator for 2 days.  

Mina Rakkaus Sinu, Aiti

This past summer I met a woman at the Wildacres Retreat where I learned enameling from Jean Stark. This woman's name was Katri, and I found out she was 100% Finnish. My mother is 100% Finnish, as well, and once we started talking, I felt an immediate kinship with her. She knew everything about the Finnish people in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and was even familiar with my mother's family homestead, which has turned into a museum of sorts.

At the last meal we all had together, she wrote these words on a napkin and handed it to me: "Mina Rakkaus Sinu, Aiti." She said, "It means 'I love you mother' in Finnish." How sweet of her! My mother's 82nd birthday is coming up this month, so I made her this necklace with those words stamped on silver tags. I just knew I would eventually figure out a way to incorporate them into some form of jewelry for her. I even added a super big clasp so that she will be able to take it on and off herself. I hope she likes it.





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This is a new chain I whipped up last week. Can you tell autumn has finally arrived in my back yard?


This is my favorite time of year. It's so beautiful out there right now!



Until next time!

:)

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

I haven't been blogging much recently due to being gone for 2 weeks helping out with the Music at the Crossroads first American tour. We picked them all up in Boston over 2 weeks ago with a Uhaul trailer and 2 extra cars, and then drove to Concord, New Hampshire. This was their first ever performance in the United States, so everyone was both excited and nervous at the same time. I knew after the first song the audience loved them. Clapping, hooting, foot stamping and a standing ovation! It was great!


The next day we drove to Woodstock, Vermont (gorgeous little town) and set up for that evening's show. Again, the audience was thrilled by their performance. Here's a little snippet from one of their shows.



After Vermont, it was a long drive with a couple of stops along the way before we got to Lousiville, Kentucky for a Performing Arts Exchange Conference. They played 12 times in 3 days. People were coming up to me saying that the word on the street was that this was the group to see! It was all quite exciting  and tons of fun. These musicians and dancers are the BEST!!! They're not only super talented, they're simply a great bunch of people - kind, sweet, funny and a joy to be with.

Sara Smile

I love making simple jewelry...and I especially love making it for others. I gave this to my friend, Sara, for her birthday and she seemed so happy to receive something I actually made for her. I tried to think of words to describe her and came up with beautiful, loving, friend, Sara. Yep, that's a pretty good description of her. A freshwater pearl and leather chain finished it up.

Step by Step Wire Jewelry Magazine

My article is finally out! The magazine just hit the stands today, and if you see it at Barnes and Noble, pick it up and flip to page 35 (I think that's where it is) and you'll see how to make the sterling silver bookmarks I made for my book club friends last December. Since this is the first time I've ever submitted anything whatsoever to be published, I'm pretty darn excited. The article is called "Bookmarks for Bookworms." I hope you have a chance to see it.

I spent an entire day etching this past weekend. It's truly a day-long process. First I found the designs I wanted, then copied them onto blue "P&P" paper. I then transferred the design onto brass (this was the hard part) before putting them into the etching solution for about an hour...sometimes more.

Here is one of the pendants I then made from one of my etchings. You can also find it on my new Etsy site.



After all the time it took getting the brass plate prepared and etched, it's a thrill to simply roll the metal through the rolling mill against the plate and have the designed transferred to the silver. I'm planning on making more with all the fun designs I have now.

:)

Feelin' Crafty

It was just by chance that I found out a neighbor of mine makes jewelry. So while walking the pups last week, I saw her outside and immediately went over to introduce myself. I said, "I heard you make jewelry...so do I!" She said she does make jewelry and she also sews. "So do I," I replied. We continued talking, got on the subject of our book clubs and she said she makes her book club friends bookmarks every year. Is this person living my life? I told her about the article I wrote for Wire Wrap Jewelry Magazine about how to make sterling silver bookmarks (on stands September 11th) and she told me she made some cute ones from old photographs and fabrics. I couldn't wait to see them.





On Wednesday she came by and I've been a busy little bee ever since. Yes, it's terribly early to be thinking of Christmas gifts already, but I don't enjoy being rushed during the holidays. By making gifts now, I'm enjoying the whole process... sifting through the fabrics, the photos and the quotes...scanning, printing, cutting and sewing. I'm wondering if I should add some embellishments. Perhaps a little ribbon, or buttons or a charm or two. Haven't decided yet about that...but hey, I've got plenty of time. These are just two of the six I've made so far.

;)

Hallo von Deutchland!

What a gorgeous place I've come upon here in Germany. We're at a hotel called the Sofitel Tegernsee which is not too far from Munich in an area called Bavaria, and I feel like I've been transported back in time. The women here still wear the traditional clothing (not all of them - mainly on special occasions) -- and often one can see men wearing the shorts and suspenders, as well. Just picture "The Sound of Music" and you'll know what I'm talking about. Most of the buildings have flower boxes hanging from the balconies, overflowing with flowers.



Stepping out the front of hotel I am greeted with the gorgeous view shown below. It's peaceful and is populated mainly with Germans. I'm wondering if this might be a well kept secret from the rest of the world. Very few people speak English, so that has been a bit of a problem. Today I was trying to order some chocolate ice cream and a coke and the woman thought I wanted her to put the coke on top of the ice cream. :)


I've never seen a cemetery like this before. It's located on the outside grounds of a church right here in town and each grave has a elaborate headstone, as well as a little space for flowers. Quite lovely.



Last night we had a crazy evening at a Bavarian Bierhaus. The waitress was...well...let's just say a little rude. Everyone was starving and she wouldn't let anyone order a dinner until we were finished with our appetizers. She said, "I'm the boss!" Hmmmm...perhaps a cultural difference? We're all laughing about it now, but no one was laughing at the time. Of course, they had no gluten-free beer...not even any wine. She would say, "NO WINE! THIS IS A BIERHAUS!" Um...okay, sorry. Lemonade will be fine, thanks. :) I didn't dare ask her if anything contained flour. Just had a nibble of this and a nibble of that and hoped for the best.

Here's Amy and I, I hugging our new friend upon returning from that memorable evening.



Tomorrow we're off to Salzburg.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Plays with Dogs

Jess left today, but not after a parting photo shoot with Bella & Hannah. I think Hannah wanted to leave with her. Jess and Hannah have always had a special bond, ever since Jess let Hannah sleep with her when she was a wee pup of only 6 or 7 weeks old. She still gets crazy excited when Jess comes for a visit and is always a bit sad when she leaves.

Check out the gorgeous necklace Jess is wearing! We went to a bead shop and she chose the lovely stones for her necklace. I taught her how to put it all together...and then I taught her how to string pearls. She's always been such a good student. :)

Summertime, continued...

Once the frame was formed, the next task was to either solder or fuse it to the thin metal sheet (33 gauge). I chose to solder.



Jean then taught me how to twist wire by hand, which is far easier to control than when twisting in a flex shaft. I carefully laid the wire around the form and soldered. It was finally time to begin placing the enamel into the cells. The fun part begins!



I had tried a lot of different combinations of red transparent enamel, ruby transparent enamel and flux, and chose this color as my favorite. I also added some blue for contrast. Once I had fired on about 4 or 5 coats of enamel into the cells, it was time to sand (yucky part). When I was finished, we gold plated it in 24 karat gold. This is how it all came out:



As soon as I returned home, I ordered more enamels and cannot wait to get started on another project. It's an entirely different medium to work in and I'm lovin' it (except for the sanding part). I can't wait to return to Wildacres next year!

Hot Fun in the Summertime

Here I am up in Wildacres in Little Switzerland, North Carolina...just a short drive from Asheville, NC. On the left is a photo of some of the pieces my teacher, Jean Stark, has done in the past, and what we are trying to duplicate in this class by using fine silver and enamels.

This place is heavenly. The mornings and evenings are cool and the days are pleasantly warm. We wake up to a bell ringing somewhere on the grounds at 7:30. Breakfast is served family style between 8 and 9:00. Everyone then heads off to their workshops. We have an engraving class going on, a writer's workshop (science fiction writers), a form-folding workshop with John Cogswell, Intarsia, Wax Forming and even a beginning metalsmithing class. We work until the bell rings to let us know it's time to head to the dining area for lunch at noon. Then we're back to work until the dinner bell rings. After dinner, we usually go BACK to our studios and are free to work until 10:00 pm, which we all do! We're loving it. No phones ringing, no television, no interruptions. In fact, to get phone coverage, I have to walk into the woods and find a place where my phone suddenly picks up a Cingular signal and I can't budge from that spot to call home.



The pic on the left is my "sample" of different kinds of red that I made. The pic on the right is the beginning form of what I am beginning to make in this class. I am learning SO MUCH and really loving it here. Just hanging out with all these people who love doing the same thing I do is a great experience. And I got super lucky with my roommate! She's from Michigan and I couldn't ask for a nicer person to room with. Here are a couple of my classmates - Robert (Rowbear) and Karen.



More later! I'll be home soon and will show you the finished piece as soon as I can.

The Matrix Opal

Here is my recently finished earthy-looking pendant and chain I had started ohhhhh soooo very long ago. The lower stone was purchased when I first began metalsmithing and now I can't remember what it's called, but I think it's a form of jasper. I made the bezel (which is textured, but you can't see it in this photo), and then put the whole thing aside for a couple of years. Recently I purchased the upper stone, which is called a Matrix Opal (from Mexico), and did not realize what a perfect match it was with the bottom stone until I brought it home and placed it in my collection of stones. I wish you could see the iridescent quality of the Mexical Opal - it looks like an alien eyeball.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but if you have an interest in making handmade chains, I highly recommend Jean Stark's book called "Classical Loop in Loop Chains." You would definitely have to know some basic metalsmithing skills...like how to use a torch, how to fuse silver, etc, before you begin.

I have to miss my last two classes with Julia Woodman because of a trip back home (need to visit the folks), and I will truly miss her and my friends in the class. I believe it is helpful to be among one's peers...people who enjoy doing the same things you enjoy...to help spur one's creative juices in whatever area one is interested in. Sometimes taking a few months off can be good, as well. Either way, it's all good.

Shiny Toys

Ta-Daaaaaa! My copper bowl is finished. Okay, you're probably saying, "So what?" Well, if this was as big as my round copper stew pot from William's Sonoma, you would surely be impressed. But we all have to start somewhere, right?

It's hard to believe this little bowl (which is holding dog treats now on the kitchen counter) took so long to make. It started from a flat sheet of copper. With all the hammering on that innocent piece of metal, I thought I'd kill it...or at least form a hole in it with all the banging necessary to make a bowl shape. But it just kept on changing and warping as I went along. Once the bowl was formed into the shape I was happy with, I continued to finish with a forging hammer over and over and over, around and around and around, until it was as smooth as it can possibly be. Phew! I hope I have some new muscles from this. :)

In the pendant below (more forging and forming), I used what I learned in the John Cogswell workshop to form it. It's rather plain and simplistic, but the twist in the metal gives it a little personality. It also holds my sunglasses quite nicely. :)

Hammer Time

I just spent a great week in a John Cogswell Forging Workshop. John is one of the nicest and most knowledgeable teachers I've ever had. He was open for every question (no matter how silly) and treated each person there with respect and encouragement. For five days, we learned how to stretch and form metal with a hammer and an anvil. He taught us how metal moves and what we need to do to make it move the way we want it to. Easier said than done! Well, it was easy for John, but a challenge for the rest of us. Here he is demonstrating for a couple of ladies in the class.



This copper necklace was our second class project. John whipped this one out from a piece of round copper wire in about an hour. It took the rest of us an entire day...some of us it took two days.



This is how people keep their forging hammers safe from getting marked up accidentally. Hmmmm...could this be Jessica's next knitting project? Hammer socks?




If anyone reading this has an opportunity to take one of John's workshops, don't hesitate. He's excellent.

Haaaaang on Loopy, loopy hang on

This past week I decided to make a chain I had never attempted before for a pendant I recently started. Because I'm supposed to be writing an article for a jewelry magazine in the next few months with photographs of each step, I decided to do a photographic practice session while making this chain. This has enabled me to see where the photographs are going to need more light, better backgrounds, etc. Meanwhile, I'll share with you all how I made the chain, just in case anyone out there might be interested in making one.

I used 14 gauge fine silver round wire and first wrapped it around an approximately 8 mm circular metal cylinder (wood would work just as well), then gently slipped off the loops while holding them tightly. The loops were cut with Joyce Chen Scissors (these are made for cutting chickens, but they're excellent for cutting metal). I cut 20 total (10 for each side).












I closed the loops so the ends were touching and fused them shut before putting them through the rolling mill to flatten just a bit.


The next step was texturing these 20 loops. I took a tool with a straight edge and pounded lines all the way around each loop, both on the front and the back.










Continuing along, I made 22 more loops (11 for each side of the chain) out of the fine silver (same size), but left these smooth. I opened one, slipped on two textured loops, then soldered the smooth one closed (the reason I decided to use an easy solder to close these loops is because I was losing too many loops by trying to fuse them). I then added a smooth one to the last textured loop, added one textured loop to that and soldered it closed, and so on, until the chain was complete. Each side ended up with 11 smooth loops and 10 textured loops.



At this point I was able to attached the ends of the two sides of the chain to the two sides of the pendant. I added a handmade toggle clasp, and then plopped the whole thing in a glass of JAX to darken and make it look "older." The very last thing I did was set the two stones made from Pietersite, and polished it up with a bit of ZAM.


I would have been glad to have given you a tutorial on making this bezel, but had already made this piece when the idea came to me to photograph the steps. Perhaps next time...

Silver and Opals and Chains, Oh My!

I'm happy to report I found some filigree solder online, so here is the result from my first experiments with the new concoction . It worked quite well, but it's different from the handmade solder I learned to cook up previously using silver, copper, bronze and zinc. Far less of the purchased solder is needed to fuse the filigree to the frame, so I overloaded it every so often, but it burned away nicely.

I am in love with this stone. I purchased it from our friendly "Opal Guy" (Gene) who mines the opals in Australia and brings them to our school for us to choose from. When he shows up and lays all all of his gorgeous stones on the table, no one can get any work done. We obviously buy a substantial amount from him because he keeps coming back...and that's a good thing!

Now I need to get to work on my copper bowl. In the new class I started this week, we are learning how to turn a flat piece of metal (copper first, then sterling silver) and pound it, little by little, into the shape of a bowl. The teacher, Julia Woodman, is wonderful. She's kindhearted, patient and considerate. I can tell already I am going to thorougly enjoy learning from her.

You Can Leave Your Mittens On

What was my absolutely most favorite Christmas present of all this year? My new mittens lovingly knitted by my daughter, Jess, otherwise known as Yarnmonster. Aren't they great? She also made her brother a pair of black socks with the scull and cross bones design on each one in white (he's a pirate at heart), and whipped her dad up a gorgeous soft, green scarf! I'm amazed by her knitting ability. I look at the intricate designs and really have no idea how she does it.

Now all we need is a little cold weather over here so I can wear them! :)

Oh Come all Ye Bookworms

My book club friends LOVED their sterling silver bookmarks, by the way. I had placed them in their napkins so they found them as they sat down to a dinner of "Almost No Chopping Black Bean and Salsa Soup," accompanied by a salad with butter lettuce, avocado, fresh spices and gluten free cornbread. What a wonderful evening. We sat and talked about anything and everything under the sun (except for books, of course, since this was the one time of year we allow ourselves to simply have a party and not be serious about a book). We'll discuss "Thirteen Moons" by Charles Frazier next month, but it does seem everyone is enjoying it.



My somewhat new neighborhood had a girl-gathering as well. I've been here around four years, but it's only recently that we've all started getting to know each other. This was called the "First Annual Ornament Exchange." Wow! Lots of women drinking champagne and having a happy good time.


Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas in case I'm not back with another post before the first of January! Enjoy the holidays!

:)

All Tied Up in Celtic Knots

I am skipping my last Repousse class this evening because I have finished the two projects I started in that class and need a short break from all the pounding. It can be a bit rough on the neck and shoulder if one doesn't sit properly, something I need to work on. I do enjoy it, though, and find it somewhat meditative. Time flies by quickly as I sit in front of my bowl of red pitch, tapping away until the desired height and shape is achieved. Above is the celtic knot design, the first thing I made in class. Below is the bracelet, project #2.



I have learned a lot from doing this cuff bracelet. I discovered that by using 20 gauge silver, one is virtually guaranteed of never pounding hard enough to cut through the metal, but it does require a heavy hand to make the impressions. I realized too late that the tool I was using to line everything was too thick. Next time I'll know better.

When it was completely done, I formed it into a bracelet on a bracelet mandrel. Then I polished it up and it's now on my arm as I type! :) Next time I'll try doing another cuff bracelet with more variations of height in the design.

Can't Judge a Book by it's Cover

A few years back I decided to give all my book club friends a handmade bookmark at our December holiday gathering. If my memory serves me correctly, that first year I made embossed cards using red and green paper, rubber stamps and embossing powder. I remember Elaine saying, "I can't believe you MADE these." Little did they all know then how much much time I spend "making things."

This year I decided to create sterling silver bookmarks with pretty little beads and charms dangling from the top. I added a rectangular piece of silver on which I stamped each of their names.



I'll give the instructions here in case anyone would like to make some for their friends. Basic metalsmithing tools are required.

1. Cut 10 gauge round sterling silver wire into approximately 4 or 5 inch pieces. Gently
shape into a long, stretched out "S" shape.
2. Roll each piece through a rolling mill until desired flatness is reached. Lightly file the
top and bottom to remove rough edges.
3. With a chasing hammer (round end), pound on each side of the wire, making chasing marks. (Don't forget to stamp your bookmark with a "sterling" stamp.
4. Drill a hole through the top.
5. Add a good sized jump ring and solder it closed (soldering is optional, but recommended).
6. Put them in the tumber and tumble to make shiny (about 30 minutes or more).
7. Add your beads.
8. To make name tags, simply stamp the names into 24 gauge silver and cut out with
Joyce Chen scissors or use a jeweler's saw. Flatten tag on steel block if it's warped at all. Drill a hole at top. File the edges to remove sharpness. If there are scratches in the silver, sand them out with sandpaper (First 220, then 320, then 400 and last 600 grit - coarse to fine). Tumble in tumbler about 30 minutes. Attach to bookmark with a jump ring.

I hope the girls like them. :)