a few new projects

Here are some of my latest creations.  Top left and bottom right are mokume gane.  Top right is a stroppel cane.   Bottom left is also mokume gane, but with a skinner blend.

Fixed my Pasta Machine!

Due to impatience to get on to the "good stuff", I knew I was damaging the gears in my pasta machine by forcing too hard or too thick through it.  While kicking myself for doing that, I ran across this:  http://desiredcreations.com/howTo_TLAdvPQueenMaint.htm

Desiree describes the workings of the pasta machine and how to take it apart to fix it.  She made it look so easy, with step-by-step photos, that I decided to try it.  Much to my amazement, it worked!  I think on one of my machines the gears aren't meshing correctly, which I don't know how to fix (if it can be fixed), but it is much better.  I lubricated everything well, then put them back together.  And I didn't even have any leftover parts!

Thanks, Desiree, for the help.  Now...back to the "good stuff"!

Starting 2016 on the right foot

I see that I resolved, back in January 2015, to post more often.  And I see that I didn't do that!  Procrastination certainly played a part, but it is more than that.  I haven't been happy with my artistic direction over the past year or so.  Not that I didn't make some pretty things that I'm very happy with, of course.  But nothing has been particularly satisfying.

To try to figure out what would be satisfying, I took a wonderful course by Debora Mauser, http://www.deboramauserdesigns.com/2014/12/11/fqxbxykc4oymwvcwpfbe8sxwt27ui6.  It was held at Wild Acres, the Southeast Federation of Mineral Societies' retreat in the NC mountains.  Debora taught us cold connections and torch-fired enameling.  I enjoyed every single minute, and Debora certainly packed a lot of information and technique into every single minute!  I still can't believe how much she taught during the week.  I came home and applied the techniques, but that still wasn't it.  It did feed into my objective of learning a lot of techniques so that I can mix and match them as the creative urge requires.  Debora teaches a lot of workshops, so check out the link above.

The other thing I did was purchase a tutorial from one of my favorites, Eni Oken, https://www.facebook.com/EniOken/.  Not only is she talented in jewelry making skills, but she is one of the most entrepreneurial people I know.  I have purchased over the years all of her Creative Journals and her Think & Design series, so I knew when she came out with The Crossover Method it would be worthwhile.  It turns out that it is a great tool.  It is complex and a challenge and is not something you can get result from overnight.  I'm still working on it.

However, just this week I stumbled upon the Flickr site (https://www.flickr.com/photos/auntgriz/) of an artist that I have seen previously and admired.  She has numerous tutorials on her blog, http://knighttwork.blogspot.com/, that I have used.  I particularly like her border canes.  What I found recently was something I hadn't seen before, her combination of polymer clay and wirework.  These are 2 of my favorite mediums and it is a combo that I've been thinking about for several years but haven't quite wrapped my mind around.  I found her pieces very inspiring and have spent the last couple of days knee deep in polymer clay.  Next step is to see what I can do to make a finished product, hopefully with some wirework.

I'll post some photos of the polymer clay pieces I worked on in the past couple of days and will post those with wire when I have them done.

What have I been up to?

I have written my first tutorial.  Seems simple enough.  Just tell someone else how to do something you know about.  However, it wasn't quite that simple!  It is free, so take a look and let me know what you think. I hope it will be useful to work with polymer clay.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/117cxf-57YzNfjLACdQIAxIDaUOzMIxka3A8F2ccjkM0/edit?usp=sharing

A New Beginning

My resolution for the new year is to keep up my blog posting.  I'm always trying something new, some of which works and some not, but I should share both.  Either way, I'm having fun and you might get some new ideas!

Oops, forgot....please visit this site to see all the beautiful pieces created during this blog party!

http://www.prettythingsblog.com/2014/05/welcome-to-8th-bead-soup-blog-party.html

My Bead Soup Product!

Here's what I made with what Candi sent me.  Using the lovely copper handmade focal, I created a freeform peyote around it, incorporating some of the tiny copper charms and pretty Swarovski crystals Candi sent.  I love the facelted green opal beads she sent, so I made some copper coiled beads and strung them with the small and large green opal beads, as well as some of the copper spacers and more of the crystals to tie it together.  I used the lovely square copper toggle clasp she sent.  I'm happy with the way it turned out and will definitely wear it!  I wanted to make a second piece, but ran out of time.

what Candi sent me!

Here's what Candi sent me!  I love it.  How did she know I love copper and earthy colors?  The focal is handmade by an artist local to her, Glen Levent.  She picked out everything else at her local bead store.  Each type of component was in a little gauze bag and she included a label in each bag as to what the component is (see the little squares near the leather, front and back).  I've got a lot of ideas that I'm sketching out and plan to get started this week.

what I sent Candi

Here's the beautiful soup I sent to Candi.  I love all the purples and magentas!  She emailed that she loved it.  :)

pixilated view of the bead soup I'm sending Candi

Here's a pixilated view of the bead soup I'm sending Candi.  I love the colors and hope she can do something interesting with it.

Coral Springs Art Festival

Well, when it rains it pours, I guess.  The Bead Soup Blog Party has begun, plus I just got notice that I have been accepted into the Coral Springs Art Festival.  This is a big Howard Allen show about 2 hours south.  We actually used to live there, so I'm looking forward to checking it out after all this time.

my partner

The game is on...I've been assigned my partner, Candida Castleberry.  Check out her blog, https:spunsugarbeadworks.BlogSpot.com.  I've sent a message to her to confirm.

2014 Bead Soup Blog Party

This is a busy time of year for me, but this was so much fun last year and I learned a lot from the challenge, so I've signed up.  I'm already thinking about my bead collection I'll send my partner.  :)

my partner's reveal...

My partner, Amanda Tibbetts, has posted what she made with the bead stash I sent her.  She created a very pretty necklace that sets off the focal perfectly, and a charming bracelet which highlights the pretty clasp.  I think she did a lovely job.

You can see her pieces at:  http://www.amandamade.com/blog and you can find all of the participants of Bead Soup Blog Party by going here: http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/.

can I have a drum roll, please...

I finished my second piece on Wednesday!.  So here are both pieces, with close-ups for both.  I'm please with how they turned out, and I have so say they are definitely out of my normal comfort zone, which was my objective.

First Blog Party Piece Done

Well, I finished my first piece.  I tired to combine brass and copper in one piece, but it just never was right, so I went with all brass so I could use my pretty focal and links.  After working and reworking, I finally am satisfied with the way it turned out.  Now on to the next piece since I haven't used the copper clasp yet (the rules say I have to use the focal and clasp).  I already have some ideas...stay tuned.  My reveal date is April 14, I think.

Mt Dora Spring Show

Well, I'm back and recuperated from the weekend at the Mt Dora Spring Show in Mt Dora, FL.  It was a nice show and extremely well organized...the best I've seen yet.  Lots of people, although not as many as their fall show.  But, most of the people weren't buying jewelry.  Not just mine, but I think none of the jewelry artists did well.  And we got rained out around 2pm on Sunday.  I did meet some nice people, both visitors and other exhibitors, which is always good, and I was certainly happy with the sales I did make.

This is my last big show for the season, so I'm going to be dedicated toward making my bead soup party design.  I'm really looking forward to it!

Nice Comments from Amanda

My Blog Soup Party partner, Amanda, made some very nice comments on her blog--http://www.amandamade.com/blog.  She is a very talented artist herself!  I adore what she sent me and am especially pleased that she took the time to make the focal and other brass components herself.  I'm not sure how I'll use them yet, but I'm intrigued by the idea of combining the brass and copper in the same piece.  I really think I can do it so that it works!  I already have some ideas and plan to get started within the next couple of days. 

Photo of Amanda's Bead Soup for Me

Finally, my show this weekend is over.  I ended up doing pretty well, but I'm tired and way behind on so many things.  This is the primary item on my to-do list...posting what my partner, Amanda Tibbetts, sent me.  FYI, her blog is http://www.amandamade.com/blog.  She sent me a lovely collection, including nuggets and chips of lapis lazuli--what a deep, rich, beautiful blue!  She also sent gorgeous, iridescent moonstone and the prettiest aqua magnesite.  All my favorite colors!

Amanda also sent a couple of copper toggle clasps and some very intriguing copper teardrops...can't wait to come up with something good for those!

The very best part I saved for last.  Amanda took some extra time to hand make brass charms.  The focal is is a pretty round dome stamped with BEAUTY LIES WITHIN.  She stamped 6 smaller disks with a scrolled pattern and has punched them for use as links.  And the surprises keep coming!  She also stamped a smaller brass round dome and two little domes that I may use as earrings since she sent some nice earwires.  One is stamped with a butterfly and the other with my initial, C.

It is clear Amanda put a lot of thought into her contribution and I can't wait to get started.

My Soup!

I received my wonderful soup from Amanda today.  I love everything about it, especially the fact that she handmade the focal and some of the other pieces.  I don't have time to describe it right now, but I'll take a picture and list all the goodies, hopefully tomorrow.