by Barbara | Jan 1, 2016 | An Aside, Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, At the Bench
I’m ringing in the New Year with a resolution. It’s time to get serious about starting a fitness routine. In my mind I’m 39, but chronologically I’m almost a septuagenarian and I’ve developed many of the maladies that accompany old age…bone...
by Barbara | Dec 29, 2015 | An Aside, At the Bench
It has finally arrived. Beautiful and pristine, it is coating the birdhouse and the branches and stems of what’s left of our prairie. The snow-covered pastureland across the river in Iowa is black and white resembling an Ansel Adams photograph. It would be a...
by Barbara | Dec 14, 2015 | An Aside, Art Jewelry, At the Bench, Beads and Materials, Components, Handmade, One-of-a-Kind, Polymer Clay, Techniques, Tools
You can probably tell from my messy work table that I’ve been busy creating beads and sculptural components for necklaces and bracelets. With all these distractingly colorful elements, it’s becoming difficult to locate anything I’m looking for amidst...
by Barbara | Nov 23, 2015 | An Aside, Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, At the Bench, Components, Earrings, Handmade, Inspiration
Shutterfly has come through again with speedy service, excellent quality, and great pricing (I had a coupon for a free 8” x 8” 20-page book…shipping was extra and $1 per extra page over twenty). “Jewerly Inspired by Medieval Muses” is the fourth book I’ve...
by Barbara | Nov 4, 2015 | Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, At the Bench, Beading, Beads and Materials, Bracelets, Earrings, Gemstones, Handmade, One-of-a-Kind
I’m in the process of creating several more pairs of earrings. They have become my favorite “go to” jewelry of late and there are several reasons for that. I had always favored bracelets, but discovered they have been responsible for snagging my fine knit...
by Barbara | Oct 16, 2015 | An Aside, Art to Wear, At the Bench, Beads and Materials, Bracelets, Bronze, Cabochons and Gemstones, Components, Delica beads, Embellishments, Handmade, One-of-a-Kind, Seed Beads, Sterling Silver, Techniques
Miyuki of Japan manufactures Delica beads, which I have used extensively in my geometric beaded creations. But Miyuki also makes wonderful beads in many shapes and sizes…bugles, tilas, triangles, square, etc., and of course, seed beads in many sizes. I especially like...
by Barbara | Oct 4, 2015 | An Aside, At the Bench, Found Objects, Handmade, Inspiration, One-of-a-Kind, Painted Furniture, Techniques
At the moment I have several projects in various states of completion…a bead embroidered cuff that I started last February, a pair of heart earrings, and some beaded beads to name a few. But for the past few days, I’ve been working on the mirror that attaches to the...
by Barbara | Oct 1, 2015 | An Aside, Art to Wear, At the Bench, Classes, One-of-a-Kind, Sterling Silver
Utilitarian items have been on my bench over the years as well…a series of small brass picture frames for one. Then there was the beautiful tiny sterling silver hors’ d’oeuvre spoon capped with a matte onyx bezel-set finial…unfortunately, someone helping with...
by Barbara | Sep 13, 2015 | An Aside, At the Bench, One-of-a-Kind, Tools, Tutorials
Summer heat is transitioning into warm days and cool nights with the onset of autumn. The green leaves of summer have begun their transformation to intense shades of gold, red, and rust. Even the air seems to have a different scent…a crispness that is sometimes...
by Barbara | Aug 29, 2015 | Art Jewelry, At the Bench, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Techniques, Tools
I had lusted after one of these for some time, but a set of shaped cutters are a bit of an investment so I waited and when I saw that Otto Frei was offering a discount on them, I nabbed one! The stars range in size from 15mm x 15mm up to 23mm x 23mm. Granted, I have...
