Harvest Moon

I'm having a hard time finding much time for jewelry right now:( I get distracted when the chore list gets too long and seemingly out of control.

I have gotten some paper work done and a few home repairs struck off the list. But, you don't want to see pictures of that do you? ;)

On Sunday I was able to focus long enough to make two moons. I really enjoy the moon design series and feel a strong sense of connection to them while I work.

For months now I have attempted to come up with a mix of brass and sterling that I hoped would give a look of 'old world' to a design. I've tried different sorts of finishes and have been unhappy with results so far. This brass and sterling moon brooch seems to have finally gotten the finish results I was wanting. I'm not sure I like it enough to do a whole series with this look, but I would like to see it again with some amethyst in the mix.

Since I've been listening to Neil Young in my car this week, I titled the brooch "Harvest Moon".

This little pendant just whipped itself up in a breeze. I was really happy that it looks so unique and intricate for such a simple project.

Free Tutorial!

Nancy has a free tutorial on her Wickwire Blog! Be sure not to miss it!!

http://wickwirejewelry.blogspot.com/2010/03/free-tutorial-woven-wire-earrings.html

She implied she would put more up too;)

I'm having a very unfocused week. Very flighty with 4 different jewelry projects partly begun. It's been hard to commit to any one thing and finish it.

I don't think I can even write a blog post that wasn't going off in a million different directions, so I will keep it short.

I did get one project completed. This design has been in my sketch book for several months. I knew it was well within my current abilities and it would not make me stretch very much. I think that is why it got done;)

Just labradorite and sterling. That's it. I like it's ethnic feel and textures.

Rest

I worked so hard in the last 3 weeks. 40 hours spent on one design, 16+ hours spent on the sterling fruit design. Plus more hours spent on various components and half baked ideas. I find myself to be dog tired and worn out and needing refreshment. So excuse me while I slow down a bit and get my taxes done and my driver's license renewed.

My work space is a mess with various components, either experimental creations or supplies not put away. I've started cleaning it up, and I decided to make some simpler designs from some of the components.

This woven pendant was only meant to be experimental, but I thought he was cute enough to not be thrown into the graveyard

Copper, kyanite, moonstone and pearl.

I've decided that my heart definitely lies in making challenging and experimental type designs, rather than more simpler designs - but it does take a lot more out of me.

Spring has come to LA, the flowers are blooming, the hills are green, the sun is warm. Me and the cat are thinking about sitting in the patio for a bit doing nothing at all;)

Fruit

Like I've been saying in my blog recently, I have been doing a lot of cool new designs with basketweaving. This pendant started out meaning to be a simple wire bead with a chic bead cap on each end. It was supposed to be chic and elegant, but it rebelled and forced me to make this cute thing that reminds me of a strawberry!

The large wire bead is the basketweaving (for real basket weavers, the technique is called 'coiling'), woven over top of an onyx bead. The pendant is a little bit big, just over 2 inches high. Next time I do this I will choose a smaller bead to work with. Also, smaller bead will mean less hours to weave next time;)

For those who follow my blog regularly, I hope this makes up for the fact that I never showed you my other project; the one I turned in to Copper Wire Jeweler's magazine.

Beads_Perles Blog

There is a spanish blog that often interviews jewelry artists and they invited me to be interviewed. Most interviews are written in both spanish and english, so scroll down if you don't see english right away.
I was so pleased and honored that they invited me, and today they published the interview.
http://beads-perles.blogspot.com/
You can get lost on that site for several hours as you read the different artists and surf to their websites!

A Bone Only

My monster project is coming along. Many design changes occurred during it's making. One change required me to unexpectedly heat up the end of a copper wire into a ball to finish the wire. Than I carelessly tossed the component into the pickle to remove the black fire scale, which destroyed half a strand of the most beautiful gemstone quality rhodochrosite I have ever seen.

I had to use up the other half strand to make an entirely new component, however, more design changes ensued and the new component turned out even better than the first one.

Putting that many hours into one project makes me worry about losing site of the original idea. Sometimes I did not know if I was making a hideous monster from hell, or something cool and new.

It's almost done now and I have decided that I like it and that it is more 'cool and new' than monster like. It's interesting if nothing else. I also decided that I will submit this copper project to the Copper Wire Jeweler's magazine for possible use in their second issue. http://copperwirejewelers.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=3516845%3ABlogPost%3A4795

The deadline for submission is March 8 (you still have time if you want to submit something) and I will be done by then. Than I decided that I would give the honor of being the first to publish this piece to the magazine if it is accepted.

Now I feel a bit guilty to my blog readers for talking about this piece and than holding out on you all. I will tell you that it has a ton of basketweaving in it! And of course if they don't want it, I will post it here for all to see.

So for now I only have a bone to throw to my blog readers. I dug up this picture from 2008. It is the second design I ever did using this same basketweaving. I gave it to my daughter for her birthday that year.