Inspired By Reading ~ The Fault In Our Stars

I'll admit it - I over-extended myself with way too many events in April and May. It was great to step back and travel in June and scale back even more in July. This has given me the chance to read and dive back into the Inspired By Reading book club started by Andrew Thornton.

For July, we read The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, a poignant story of two teenagers battling cancer. I hope to see the movie someday.

Hazel, a main character, finds parallels in her life and the life of the main character in her favorite book. That character's mother fell in love with a "Dutch Tulip Man".

I was inspired to create tulips - 2 ways, on copper ovals cut in the hydraulic press with Potter USA's spoon shaped pancake die.

First I etched a flower design that I colored with alcohol inks.
I kept this design simple with a dangling carnelian bead and copper chain.

My next tulip is enameled on copper. I mixed the powdered enamel with Thompson's A-3 Holding Agent to create a liquid I could paint with.




Originally, I had planned to hang the pendant from a simple mixed seed bead necklace, but it needed something more. I love the way the little carnelian dangles on the silver chain tie the piece together.

Finally - a pair of sterling silver earrings with stamped stars.

Thanks for visiting!

Honey Do Challenge - Reflecting Pool

When Sarajo Wentling posted her reveal for the June “Honey Do” Challenge, I realized I never even saw the intro..

Where did the time go???

I overwhelmed myself in April and May – scheduling events every weekend for 6 or 7 weeks. The business side of me took over and creativity took second place.

(to be honest, so did  family- not a good thing)

Memorial Day weekend was the turning point – We drove from NC to Colorado to celebrate our “nephew”, Ryan’s graduation from the US Air Force Academy. It was such an amazing two weeks. 

Then for the last two weeks of June I traveled back to Long Island and The Hamptons for a working vacation. It was great to see former colleagues at retirement parties and catch up with friends and clients at The Sag Harbor Arts and Crafts Fair and the Southampton Farmers Market. Of course, I cherish the time spent with my daughter.

Now that I’m back in NC, my creative side is beginning to emerge again. I’m ready to take on the challenges that fell by the wayside.

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I was excited when I saw the photo Eric Wentling chose for the June challenge. I loved the blue palette and was pretty sure I had a piece started that fit perfectly. 

I used a die from Potter USA to cut a rectangle from textured copper in my hydraulic press.

I put the rectangular pendant together when I was experimenting with my powdered enamels. I started with a transparent blue base on textured copper. Then attempted to follow the swirl pattern with white base coat and a third firing with the same transparent blue.

Blue agate rondelles were wire wrapped onto sterling silver chain to complete the necklace.

Visit Sarajo's blog to see who else has played along.

Earring Monday ~ again

When I began this challenge back in January, I had every intention of keeping up with it. I really do want more exposure for my blog.
I have to say I am impressed that Sarajo is able to keep up with posting, even with her travels.
So after a few months hiatus, I'm ready to give it a try again.

Recently, I've been experimenting with enamels and hotter torches. I found my trusty butane torch doesn't work that great with larger pieces or multiple firings.
I raided my husband's tool box and pulled out his "plumber's" torches - with his blessings, of course.
He had both mapp and propane hidden in there!

For this batch, I used the mapp torch. I definitely need to get used to the heat because there are a few "crispy" edges.

These first two actually have  the same color enamel - transparent copper green.  The teardrop has a white base, while the oval was enameled on bare copper. I love the color variations!
Hover, you can see where there was too much heat on the first pair - that brown is not supposed to be there. And if I didn't tell you, some of you would have thought I did it on purpose.
There I go giving away trade secrets again.

stump gray

love this color - aquamarine green
It's tricky because different amounts of heat will change the color

This last pair was my test run for the buzzard pendant I created in response to Swamplandia. It took three firings with several differnt colors.
You can check out that post here.

In case you're wondering, I used Kevin Potter's pancaked dies to cut my shapes. Then I added dimension with my oval, wood dapping block from Contenti.

Don't forget to  Sarajo Wentling's blog to see who else is playing along this week.




I'll do my best to be back in two weeks with more earrings !

Swamplandia – another edition of the Inspired By Reading Book Club

I was disappointed to miss last month. I was traveling once again ~ busy on Long Island attending retirement parties, family events and participating in the Sag Harbor Arts and Crafts Fair. In case you’re wondering (and even if you’re not), in spite of the pouring rain, I had a good show, with follow up opportunities.

I enjoyed Swamplandia, by Karen Russell. The story follows a family of alligator wrestlers who run an ailing tourist attraction in the Florida Everglades. Chief Big Tree and his children struggle to keep Swamplandia open after their mother, the main attraction, succumbs to cancer. They also have to contend with competition from “The World of Darkness”, the new high tech amusement park on the mainland.

It wouldn’t be a book club selection if there wasn’t a bit of the supernatural or weirdness involved in the story.  Sixteen year old Ossie considers herself to be a spiritualist and believes that she has relationships with ghosts. After finding a ghost ship (really a dredge from the 1930’s), Ossie imagines herself in love with a young man who perished in an explosion and decides to run off and marry him.

The obvious inspiration for this book would be alligators. So, as I read, I checked my stash and a few suppliers – no alligators. Then Ossie and Ava stumble upon the decrepit ship with a swarm of buzzards overhead. There was my inspiration! Somehow, someway, I was determined to create a buzzard. Luckily, Kevin Potter has a great bird pancake die and it was on sale when I wanted it. I headed out to the hydraulic press with some 20 gauge sheet copper. The next challenge was how to make it look like a buzzard…

After an internet search for buzzard images, a trip to Ornamentea in Raleigh for Thomson enamels, and four torch firings of different layers and colors, I’m pretty excited with the result.

I don't always counter-enamel, but felt this piece needed it  

I've added a bail and chain, maybe I'll add some beads, but haven’t decided if I prefer copper or silver chain. 

What do you think?

Please visit book club leader, Andrew Thornton's blog here to learn more about our group

and visit other participants listed below...

Sarajo Spurgeon Wentling

Allison Herrington

Mary K McGraw

Ann Schroeder

New Earrings 2015 ~ Weeks 9, 10

Isn't it great to take a class and get excited about what you learned?
That's what happened in Tucson this year. I fell in love with die cutting shapes and enameling. Last time you saw the enameled earrings I made at the workshop.  This time I took it a step further.



Since I don't yet have a hydraulic press, I dug out and oiled my disc cutter. I actually had to punch out 3 to get two that match.  No worries, no waste - the third will become a toggle clasp or pendant.
After doming with my dapping set, I torch enameled with Thompson's "opaque aquamarine green". (yes, it does look somewhat turquoise).  I was so happy to find a nice selection of Thomson's enamels at Ornamentea in Raleigh.






This pair started with the purple trillion shapes I enameled in Tucson, but they needed something more.
Remember - No Waste?  I enameled the small circle left from the first pair (Thomson opaque bitter green)







Of course, I had to revisit silversmithing. The next two pair were forged from 20 gauge sterling silver wire... soldered, hammered and textured. Both sets of rings were actually formed on the same size mandrel.

I'm excited to say that all of these earrings are now for sale at Ollie's in Downtown Wake Forest, NC. (as of yesterday!) 

And I'm even more excited to say one of my necklaces has already been sold!

Ollie's is a great little coffee shop/gallery/gift shop. Denise offers unique items from local artisans.

Thank you, again, to Sarajo Spurgeon Wentling for hosting this challenge. 

Please click here to visit her blog to see what the other talented designers have created.

And check back soon to see what else I've been up to!

Earring Monday ~ Weeks 5, 6, 7, 8

Yep - I missed a deadline while in Tucson - so - here I am catching up with 4 weeks of earrings...



First up ~ I also participate in Andrew Thornton's Allegory Gallery Design Challenges. About a month ago, we had the Desert Sands Challenge .Here's my post for that. I finally put together a pair of earrings with some great teardrops from that kit.





I love to take classes and learn new techniques when I visit Tucson for the gem shows. This year was no different. I took a torch enameling class from Joni Kisro at her studio.

We learned how to use Kevin Potter's hydraulic press and pancaked dies to shape earring components before enameling. I am in love with big tools!!!
I love the idea of transforming metal and adding color.
We were able to press out shapes for 12 pairs of earrings. Each pair could have an enameled shape and a back plate.

After "flame painting" these, I decided the colors were too pretty to hide behind anything!











I absolutely love these elongated hearts! One of the dangers of torching outside is that nature sometimes does unexpected things.  Can you find the the fried fly wing?


I know there's definitely more enameling in my future!

This last pair I designed for a friend who asked for something simple to go with her royal blue Mother of the Bride gown. Understated and elegant...

Thanks so much, Sarajo Wentling for encouraging me to take on this challenge.
Please visit her blog for the other participants!

See you in two weeks with more earrings!