Week 7

Today was rather productive in my opinion. I put lots of flowers in the garden, made myself some cabbage soup and cucumber salad for lunch (i also had a hot dog, but you don't really "make" a hotdog), cleaned and redid the bathroom from charcoal and gold to charcoal and purple, switched the bedding from red to green, framed some photos, and most importantly: attempted my very first viking chain. Not bad if i do say so myself :)

I made a second one in copper wire. It doesn't have a clasp- i wired the ends together- not quite as perfectly as i would like but not bad either. It slips over my hand. The problem with trying to photograph metal in the dark is that the flash reflects off of everything and with my camera, if you need a flash and don't use a flash, it can come out blurry...

Week 6

This was a busy week so no stones, no convertibles- just filigree. I did start with something chunkier but i wasn't happy with the mockup.

Week 5

It's week 5. I'll admit, I wasn't really feeling the creative bug this week. I started reading a new book and would much rather have spent my whole weekend in bed reading, but there is the blog. That's why the blog exists- to hold myself accountable. It doesn't matter if people read it, it matters that there is an entry for "week 5" other than "well, i didn't feel like it..." So I put down my book and eased myself into it with a sundress. The dress is only half done, so no pictures of that yet. Another "convertible" piece this week. Silver and amethyst cabochons.

It didn't work quite as well as planned though I feel the idea behind it is sound. Normally I make the filigree tendrils in pairs, folding the wire in the middle and going back up and then putting all the folds together. Today, I made each piece individually and folded the end into a tight loop on the back, lining them all up when i soldered them. Unfortunately, the loops weren't quite accommodating for a standard hairpin- which is where i would like to get them to, because when you sometimes use a pin and sometimes don't, you're just asking to lose pieces. I will keep working on it in the future, but for this piece I made a pin.

I'm still considering making a chunkier piece with a clip on the back- like a money clip or metal bookmark, that could slide over a necklace or slide into hair, but i need to buy steelshot for my tumbler first so be able to harden a clip like that. I'll figure it out eventually!!!

just keep swimming...just keep swimming...

Week 4

It's spring! It's spring! The sun is shining...the birds are singing...and my workroom is cold! lol.

I'm trying to play with the idea of pieces that can be worn more than one way. I've seen earrings that can turn into a ring and I'm currently playing with pendants that can be worn as hair pieces. I still haven't figured out the best way to achieve that so I am currently just popping a bobbypin through the bale. I'm sure I'll come up with something better eventually...

I know the stones are brown, but i call the piece "peacock" anyway. I don't really have an idea in my head when i start sketching a piece, i just draw a curved line and go from there, and it becomes what i call filigree. Depending on my mood, the pieces could be completely different styles from one day to the next, but all of them reek of nature. I'm kind of thinking next week I want to play with fabric...

Week 3

So it's week 3, and I'd have to say I was productive with my day off (i say day because the first day is for resting and playing and the second is for being productive).

Earlier in the week our neighbor/landlord asked if i would fix a ring for him- it was a big chunky cast silver ring and the band had broken. Since i had very little fear of damaging it and was fairly certain i could fix it i said yes. I did burn myself on my torch (clumsy me- it wasn't even on, just hot), but it was fun taking his extremely tarnished and broken ring and giving it back with a solid band and a mirror-like polish. No pictures- i was too excited to give it back. I didn't ask to be paid for fixing it, but he gave me $20 anyway, and that's just a little exciting.

I always feel kind of awkward asking family/friends to pay me for making them something. I don't feel as awkward about pieces that are already made- i think maybe it's the fear that my work won't meet their standards, and i would hate to be paid for something they really weren't happy with. When the piece already exists, I know that they know what they're getting when they buy it.
I made the above pendant today- nothing special, it was a quick pendant with some wirework- what IS kind of special about it is that i added a stone, which i almost never do. It might be amethyst, it might be tanzanite- it's a deep indigo purple color that came in a lot of mixed gems.
I made this glass for my little sister. Her 21st birthday is on Easter Sunday and I like to give glassware for the big 21. It's painted with tree branches- a style I've done before and she happened to like. Ignore the smudge at the top of the glass- it's a soccer ball in the background.
Headbands! Okay, so headbands aren't really a big deal and I made these 4 for myself (which is part of why i made so many things this week- at least 1 has to be something i'd part with). I've made a few headbands for myself in the past, but this is the first time I bothered to sew the fabric (usually i just press the rough edges under and go), and I can totally see myself adding these to a store/my etsy shop. For roughly $.75 each, I can make a headband out of any fabric i think is pretty(see stripes at top of picture). I wear them a lot at work to keep my bangs out of my face. If/when I experiment with making them for sale, i will make a few with elastic- i currently tie them in a clever way and they're really one size fits all (about 45" long) and can double as a waist sash/belt. I don't mind tying them the way that i do, but I think other people might or just might find it difficult to get the hang of and would appreciate an elastic option.

Well...that's all for week 3 of the Xarata project- haven't lost my steam yet! 49 weeks to go!