by Barbara | Jun 30, 2015 | An Aside, Art to Wear, At the Bench, Components, Embellishments, Handmade, Inspiration, Metal Clay, One-of-a-Kind, Polymer Clay, Tools
I’ve already sold out of the collections of fine silver metal clay Ammonite components I listed several days ago so it’s time to make more! I’ve also made several collections of Flower Disk embellishments, which I’ll be listing in my Etsy shop soon. The work shown...
by Barbara | Jun 27, 2015 | Components, Embellishments, Found Objects, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, Metal Clay, One-of-a-Kind
Why? Because it is so expensive! When the price of silver skyrocketed several years ago, a lot of jewelry artists started to use bronze and copper in wire and sheet form instead of silver. Thankfully, the price of silver has recently come down making it more...
by Barbara | Jun 24, 2015 | Art to Wear, At the Bench, Equipment, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Techniques, Tools, Tutorials
Look at the goodies that just arrived from Potter USA. I can hardly wait to play with these! There are two flower-shaped pancake dies, a spiral impression die, a bracelet mandrel and bender, urethane pads and 2” x 2” contained urethane with a pusher, and...
by Barbara | Jun 21, 2015 | Art to Wear, Faux Bone™, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, Mixed Media, One-of-a-Kind, Polymer Clay, Techniques, Tools
Amazing what you can do with things that didn’t quite turn out as planned. I hadn’t used my hydraulic press in some time and I forgot how much force a 20-ton press expends. My copper heart was pressed in a ½” thick die just a bit too much resulting in a lengthwise...
by Barbara | Jun 18, 2015 | Beading, Beads and Materials, Delica beads, Handmade, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind
My last order of Delica beads was placed several months ago. I thought I was well stocked, but noticed that I was running low on colors needed to fill beading kits. When pricing Delicas online, I was amazed at the increase in the cost of these teeny round beads!...
by Barbara | Jun 18, 2015 | Beading, Designer Patterns, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Seed Beads, Tutorials
Repairs are something I truly loathe to do! I was going to wear this piece today and it wasn’t until I pulled it out of the jewelry box that I noticed this large gaping hole! Beadwoven jewelry is fragile by nature and the edges of beads tend to wear through...
by Barbara | Jun 15, 2015 | An Aside, Classes, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Techniques, Tools
The scope of what can be done with metal is vast and even though I have been a metalsmith for well over twenty-five years, I’m always learning new techniques and discovering time-saving tips. Having been primarily self-taught, I have relied heavily on...
by Barbara | Jun 12, 2015 | Art to Wear, At the Bench, Beads and Materials, Components, Embellishments, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Polymer Clay, Techniques
And that may be for the best. My “Petal Drop” pendant is a result of serendipity. I had originally planned to surround the center bezel with a donut shaped jasper. All was going well…I had sawed out the bronze flower shape and soldered the bezel to the...
by Barbara | Jun 9, 2015 | An Aside, Art to Wear, Beading, Beads and Materials, Components, Designer Patterns, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, Metal Clay, One-of-a-Kind, Seed Beads
I just came across the needed bronze clasp and disk embellishing components required for the “Op Art” Cuff beading kit…I was sure I had completely depleted my supply, but there was enough for one kit. I haven’t worked with metal clay in some...
by Barbara | Jun 6, 2015 | Art to Wear, Beads and Materials, Components, Embellishments, Found Objects, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, Metal Clay, Mixed Media, One-of-a-Kind, Techniques, Tools
I’ve just finished a somewhat ambitious project…a very large pendant measuring 65mm in width by 130mm in length. The substantial disk swings from a length of forged 12 gauge sterling silver wire on a matching neck ring. A spiral of textured silver wire on...