Sunday, April 29, 2012

Hot Sand and Cool Metal

Hello all,

I almost titled this post "Randomness" which as you will see, is entirely appropriate.
Because sometimes you just feel random.  Or is it scattered?  Naw, it's random.  :)

First, want to see something you didn't know you wanted to see?  Sure you do.  So here you are...




Yes, they are exactly what they look like!  Hand molds of those near and dear to me who live far away.

Then there's this...


My finished jewelry used to be all over the place in here 
but now......

It's all in here.


 Wanna see?  Sure you do cuz you're all so agreeable...




Keeping company with all of my show displays.
  I actually prefer it all out where I can appreciate it, but you know.  Not everyone shares the same design aesthetic.  grumble mumble.....
Notice the half mannequin?  The one with it's back to us that stands all by itself and doesn't have to be hanging from a hook to stand still for the camera?  The one I now get to texturize and paint?  woohoo!  What to do with it....what to do....?



Things to be listed, eventually......on a rainy day.....or a stormy night......or once upon a time....or when I simply have time.....


Are you ready for some pretty random now?


oooooh-awwwwww

how about some pretty random of a totally different kind?

For those of you who have been with this blog from the start, you'll remember the giveaway.  You'll also remember Joren the winner of prize #1.  Why do you remember her?  Cuz she's the one who has grandma's teeth in her curio.  And the way she wrote about it was so engaging, funny and endearing that even the other entrants were voting for her.  Yes, now it's all coming back to you, isn't it?
Well here she is...



She emailed me this picture of her holding the current issue of Jewelry Affaire, open to my article. Too sweet of you!
Love it!  Thank you Joren!  So nice to see the face that accompanies the wit, isn't it?


Where, you ask, is the hot sand and the cool metal?  It's coming.  Patience is a virtue........
and you know I'm gonna torture you with flower pictures cuz it's springtime and things are blooming, so you might as well try to enjoy them.
It's not after all, a doily collection.  (inside joke.  you know who you are, the one I'm threatening to compile a doily collection for so I can bequeath it to you.  yes, YOU!  Come to think of it, I might actually have a doily collection.  hahahahaha)



The mutant Colum-mums are doing just fine.
 (mutant columbines for those of you who missed it previously)


FINALLY

Here's some hot sand for you to feast your eyes on


CRIFFIES!  in Venetian blue or seafoam as Kim of
refers to them.  Aren't they pretty?

So I went a bit Numinosity crazy....

You will most likely never see the fiesta beads or the psychedelic nail for sale, cuz I have every intention of keeping those.  I know, what's up with me and these colors?!  Hey sometimes I use actual colors.

So then I sent Kim some keys and hardware to see if she wanted to play with them a bit. 
And she made a glass bleeding heart!
LOVE IT!


I thought she would keep some for herself, but nope, she sent every single wonderful thing back to me.


Aren't these amazing?  Each one is completely unique.



This is what can be done with hardware and glass in the right hands!


STUDNIKS! 
And ridgy I don't remember how she described this shape beads
with more gorgeous criffies!
They remind me of little girls twirling round and round so fast that their full skirts stand straight out.  Right before they fall down laughing.


the grand finale.....



So when we were done with my purchases and our trades, this is what I ended up with.  
A whole pile of Kim's fabulous lampworking.  Now that's some cool hot sand, Kim. 

But alas, they did not all live happily ever after...sniff sniff



Do not, I repeat, DO NOT drop your gorgeous criffies on a glass top table.  Cuz they don't like it. 
 Or to be more specific, don't be hurrying like crazy and moving the pile of glass goodies really fast so that one actually flies off of the pile, through the air, ending in an unfortunate hard landing on the glass table.  It was really quite sad.  But all is not lost cuz I bet I can grind that edge smooth or......

As if all of those beauties aren't enough Kimwonderful, this is her incredible collage work and packaging. 
Marcia, are you sitting down?



That's a paper lantern there on the left, and a bookmark tag in the front and a postcard in the back and the envelope it all came in.  Yes, those are aqua deer scampering all over the world!  (hmmm sounds a bit like the uber multi-talented Kim, doesn't it?)  It's like a delicious party in a bag. 



Scrumptious random, eh?


And now, here's some cool metal

Remember those low relief paper patterns from
that I shared with you a few posts back?
Finally, I had a chance to try them out....and discovered that they are amazing!
See for yourself



This is how it looks going in.

and this.....


is half way through......

while this....


ta-da! is the metal all roller printed






I used the pattern twice and got the same great results, even though they are sold as one use patterns.




Equally good results from a variety of patterns.



The depth of the design wasn't quite as deep in the copper as it was in the aluminum.  I'll have to experiment with copper a bit more.



Too much pressure eats the paper!



The paper sandwich even looks good. 

I love this product and heartily recommend these patterns.  For all of you metal clay artists, they are designed to work with metal clay as well. 


Oh you wanted to see jewelry?

O.K.


Sea Urchin Blade earrings



Waterfall


and now this...



Dark Blossom



More random coming up...



Many years ago a friend gave me a little box full of old Cracker Jack charms.
So I made a bracelet.


Aren't they fantastic?


Here's some more cool metal

from
FRANCE!

Most of you are familiar with the beautiful jewelry and hair ornaments from

Did you know that Lucie also has a vintage shop?


where I purchased these



LOVE THEM!

I'm thinking hand dyed silk ribbons and black (of course) beads and hmmm maybe some chain, minerals and metal all combined into delightfully dark and charming bracelets.

Lucie had no way of knowing this, but one of my dream vacations is spent leisurely scouring the Paris flea markets.  Hunting up the odd bits and pieces of European history that could be used to enrich my jewelry pieces.  Lucie made my dream come true, in part.  Look what she included with my order...





BEAUTIES!!


look at that rust! So yummy



so many possibilities



Merci beaucoup LUCIE!
I absolutely adore the beautiful delicacy of these pieces you so generously shared with me. 
Be still my heart.



 
UPDATE: I found the picture I mentioned previously, of the prismacolor technique done on reticulated copper.  I've added it to the Patina Recipes post, but here it is as well.





That's it folks!

Hoping that you all have a happy and peaceful week ahead of you.


Here's a little preview of what will be in my next post.....






Adieu (French)





27 comments:

  1. i love everything ! Your floral interludes are wonderful and I have the same pink colum-mum in my pocket garden, maybe the pink is a little paler.
    The beads from Numinosity are awesome, I've been lurking her shop for a while now, drooling over her beads, I think that would be my next treat with the little ball peen hammers :-D
    You're welcome for the little extras, I'm looking forward what you'll invent with them!
    and hoorray for these relief papers! Spectacular results with the aluminum!!! Have you tried with some sterling silver?
    ...and j'adore the sea urchin copper blades!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for the lovely comment, Lucie. Yes, you do have the same pink flower-I saw the pink colum-mum on your blog, along with your other beautiful flowers. You certainly live in a gorgeous spot. And your walking path is wonderful.
      No, I haven't tried sterling yet, but I plan to! Now that I know how well those patterns work.
      Thank you again for sharing your goodies. I'm looking forward to working with them! :)

      Delete
  2. You ARE a funny one aren't you ! I'll add it to my hankie collection.....
    I want a closer look at that Jewelry Affaire article. You pack so many goodies in one post it's boggling. Love it. Love it all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Pipn! Well since you have a theme going, you do need a doily collection. In fact you might need a fabric yo-yo collection as well.

      Delete
  3. Good Gracious Woman! That's a lot to take in on a foggy Monday morning! I love all the treasures you shared here, and your jewelry is just gorgeous! My favorites are--well, all of them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're such a sweetheart, Alice. Thanks so much. Really appreciate your kind words.

      Delete
  4. So much going on here... It's like 10 posts at once. Love the rolling thing wow what can be done with that ... Love Kim s keys... The great thing Janet is that you support everyone by buying their stuff ... How is your move going ? Love Lucie tool.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hahaha and I had to save some of it for my next post cuz it was getting too long! Doing better with the wordy but not so good with the shorter. That's an interesting segue. Buying stuff...moving stuff.... hahahahah. Still in the preliminary, getting everything organized stages. Thanks for asking. :)

      Delete
  5. What a great way to start my Monday! You've been up to things, girl! I love those flowers you've got as well, by the way. Holy cow I hope I can get mine going for the summer (I'm a Dahlia freak).
    xoxo Juliette

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well thank you! What a nice thing to hear er, I mean read! ooohhh dahlias are pretty. I bet your yard will be wonderful. You just moved, right? Hope there's already some landscaping for you to enjoy till you get your dahlias blooming.

      Delete
  6. Ok. First off...the hands. That might take a while to absorb.

    Always love Kim's stuff!

    You're killing me with the rolling mill. Must. Look. Away. I must work with what I have. No more tools for a while! But omg. I love what it's doing!!

    And the patina on those urchins is so yummy.

    Love the garden! Mine is on its own while I torch silver. I must get out there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hahaha yeah torch or dig in dirt. I would pick torching too, every time. Hmmm I wonder what it would do to metal if you buried it in dirt and hit it with a torch while buried? Let me know, will you?

      The rolling mill is amazing. I love it! Hope you'll be able to get your hands on one before too long.

      The one hand in the back on the right is a mold of my dad's hand. It even shows the detail of his skin and fingernails. So cool.

      Delete
  7. Sea Urchin blades= Love.
    So many chapters to your post, all deserving of commentary. rolling mills, Lucie's loot, hands of friends, flowers and published articles. (and uber- thanks for the mention and feature of the lamp-wonkiness)
    You never cease to amaze me.
    Cant's wait until we all get settled into our new respective places.
    Best of luck with the move. I ought to be sitting in my own living room by this evening.
    xoxo Kim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you thank you. You guys gave me alot fab stuff to showcase this post, so I hardly get the credit.
      So you're back up in the land of the midnight sun, in your own living room, eh? Hope you're enjoying every wonderful minute.

      Delete
  8. I really love the hand idea.

    Drooling over Numinosity's pretties, as always.

    That rolling thing. Ohmigosh. I was just telling myself today that I had lots of fun toys and many that I'm not even using these days and I certainly had enough to go on for awhile, and one post can just take that progress all away. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh, so sorry about that. let's back-pedal and I'll supply the subliminals...
      you do not need a rolling mill but you should have one anyway.....you do not need a rolling mill but you should have one anyway...you do not need.......
      oh wait...YES YOU DO!!!! :)

      Delete
  9. omg- as usual, your posts have enough for 6 posts! 1st- the hands look amazing displayed like that. what a cool idea.
    I want a closer look at that ovrflowing box of your jewelry! and the numinosity bead with the 3 nails!!! *faints* And the texture on those sea urchin earrings!!!!! *double faints*
    also... those patterns were made of PAPER? wtf? thats wacky. im so jealous of your rolling mill.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks fanci! I know, paper!! Paper does that to metal!!! Amazing!!!! (extra exclamations just for your benefit) Don't be jealous of my mill, go get yourself one. You won't regret it. And think about all the cool textures you can get without having to do chemical etching! You heard that right-no chemicals! woohoo

      hahaha a 3 nail faint! love that

      Delete
  10. Managed to snag some time to read all the detail. I'd love a rolling mill, I've heard you can use leather in them, let me know if you want some pieces to try. Jealous of your stashes from Numinosity and Lucie Tales, they're gonna result in some great work. Especially love the heart key. Nice Iris!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh thanks for reminding me about that! I forgot about putting leather through the mill.
      What a sweet offer. Thank you, but no, I have some leather scraps I can practice on. That scrumptious-soft-as-a-baby-behind-leather of yours would be a sad waste of fabulous leather if it didn't work out well. Last time I ran some leather through the mill, I used too much pressure and it chewed up the leather. Of course, I was using patterned brass for the pattern. Maybe I'll give it a go with the paper pattern. Will show the results if it turns out good. :)

      Delete
  11. Well, I have just drooled all over my computer!!! Now that I have it cleaned up I can comment!! The glass beads on the keys are outragous - love them. I am not familiar with Numinosity but will be checking her out next. Then the killer Sea Urchin Blade earrings - to die for. I thought that was enough and then you showed us all the goodies from Lucie who I will definitely be checking out also. I think I need to rest - heart palpatations you know!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you didn't sop it up with one of your quilts. I know, how cool is that?! Numinosity does this great finish on her beads that is all crusty and soft at the same time. Fantastic.
      Wait till you see Lucies hair pins. And earrings! She has an aluminum hoop pair listed in her etsy shop right now that really will give you heart palpitations, so be sitting down when you go for a look see. :)

      Delete
  12. Well, this is a step up from last time, when i couldn't even get to this page, but Damnation, I still can't see the pictures at all. I'll bet your sea urchin blades are beyond wonderful. Maybe horrible computer will allow me a glimpse of them in your shop, although even that pleasure has been denied to me of late as well. Apologies to everyone for my lack of everything lately - this is the reason behind it, and it's a wonder that my computer hasn't gone sailing out of the window!
    Aaaah, once again, a ludicrously fully stocked post, just bursting at the seams with all kind of wonderful!! In the midst of house packing too - extraordinary!!
    xoxoxoox

    ReplyDelete
  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ok let's try this again. What are we going to do with this computer that was supposed to make your online life so much easier? It is good to know, though that you've been mia due to computer woes and not some other misfortune. I had pictures of giant man eating mutant earthworms or something. Horrifying I tell you! So it's a relief to know that it's a computer that is soon to take flying lessons if it doesn't behave.
      Don't let the computer win!!

      Delete
  14. I love your jobs, i follow you now!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you and a warm welcome to you, Monica! I'm looking forward to reading your comments. :)

      Delete

I love to hear what you have to say. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.