by Barbara | May 25, 2015 | Art to Wear, Found Objects, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, Mixed Media, One-of-a-Kind, Polymer Clay, Resin, Techniques, Tools
She’s dancing the Tarantella, turning cartwheels, rushing to and fro, bombarding me with ideas for new jewelry pieces. Lately, my mind is swirling like a whirlpool in a never-ending spiral and I’m loving this newfound flow of energy! Having cleaned my...
by Barbara | May 13, 2015 | Art to Wear, Found Objects, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, Metal Clay, Mixed Media, One-of-a-Kind, Techniques
Several posts ago (Upcycling Bicycle Chain), I showed a bead woven pendant dangling from a bicycle gear chain that I had found some time ago. I really like the way the chain fits and find that it is extremely comfortable to wear! It is also sturdy and versatile as I...
by Barbara | May 10, 2015 | An Aside, Beads and Materials, Components, Found Objects, Handmade, Inspiration, One-of-a-Kind
As I have time, I’m assembling collections that will contain many elements! Game pieces, dominoes, dice, drilled shell beads, wire cages, shell casings, chain, beads, bottle caps, and more compose the above collection. I’m offering this collection packed inside...
by Barbara | May 7, 2015 | Art to Wear, Components, Embellishments, Found Objects, Handmade, Inspiration, One-of-a-Kind, Techniques, Tools
Remember all those cast twigs, silver wire, drilled pebbles and pyrite nuggets shown in my previous post? Here’s the finished piece! I’ve titled it “Rockabye”, inspired by the lullaby, but it’s also a play on the granite pebble and...
by Barbara | May 4, 2015 | An Aside, Art to Wear, At the Bench, Beads and Materials, Components, Found Objects, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, Mixed Media, One-of-a-Kind, Techniques
Fine silver cast twigs, sterling silver wire, drilled pebbles and nuggets of pyrite…I’m sorting through and selecting the pieces that will comprise my next pendant. I envision the piece I want to make…engineering it is the next step. I know I could...
by Barbara | Apr 8, 2015 | An Aside, Beads and Materials, Components, Embellishments, Found Objects, Handmade, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind
I can’t believe the “treasures” I’m rediscovering. while cleaning my metals studio. I’ve already sorted through the Delicas, seed, and novelty beads in my beading studio, but I didn’t realize I had so accumulated so much more! You know the saying, “Out of...
by Barbara | Apr 6, 2015 | An Aside, At the Bench, Found Objects, One-of-a-Kind, Tools
I’m tackling the task of cleaning and reorganizing my metals studio. I have the TV rolled up to the door so I can listen and occasionally look up to see what Bill Fretz is teaching on an instructional DVD. A fire screen is pushed up against the door to prevent the...
by Barbara | Mar 25, 2015 | An Aside, Art to Wear, Found Objects, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, Mixed Media, One-of-a-Kind, Resin, Techniques, Tutorials
LJJA is short for Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine and my “Sea Flower” pin/pendant is in the April 2015 issue…pages 30 through 34 show instructions for making it! I’ve used a resin “Cosmic Cabochon” in this piece…I...
by Barbara | Jan 23, 2015 | An Aside, Art to Wear, Components, Embellishments, Found Objects, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, Mixed Media, One-of-a-Kind, Resin, Techniques
I recently sent this piece off to the photographer who does work for Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. My step-by-step project for the “Sea Flower” Pin/Pendant has been accepted for publication and features the following techniques: making a resin cabochon,...
by Barbara | Jan 15, 2015 | An Aside, Bead Embroidery, Beading, Beads and Materials, Components, Delica beads, Embellishments, Found Objects, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Seed Beads, Techniques, Tutorials
When I go on vacation, it’s imperative that I have a project to work on. I get so bored if I’m just passing time…I am a maker and I have to create! I’m not one for a lot of sight-seeing and we tend to vacation in the same locales so they are...