Week 42

I made this at 1am on New Year's Morning. It isn't perfect, but I spent the whole day conceptualizing what it would be in my head, knowing that I had a very small window to make it in (I have to work all day today starting at 11am, so this was really my last chance to make something this week). It isn't perfect- one of the hazards of putting things together at 1am- and I wisely convinced myself to stop trying to fix it before I could melt it into a lump of amorphous silver, but I like the design, and feel like there may be some more ornate versions in the future- will have to consult my dwindling gemstone collection. lol.

Off to bed now... Happy New Year!

Week 41

It's Xmas eve, and I honestly considered taking a week off for xmas, but...you know...i have RULES and all ;p so I threw together a quick simple piece for the week. It's a hair comb, made of soldered nickel and silver, swarovski beads, and a feather.

As you can see, it's pink. Umm...that was unintentional...and could be fixed...if i wanted to fix it. In college, I worked with nickel a lot (which is what the comb I bought is made of) because it's silver in color and relatively cheap. Nickel really isn't recommended for jewelry, because a lot of people have sensitivities to it. Anywhoooooo, there are a few things about nickel that i forgot in our time apart (since i switched to silver). The first is that it gives off a really horrible smelling fume when you heat it for soldering- the kind that makes you think TOXIC...the second, and more important- is that every piece I have ever made containing both nickel and silver has resulted in the whole thing plating pink in the pickle pot (pickle is a citric acid used for removing the tarnish/heat patina created during soldering or heat forming). A similar thing happens with steel, but i don't work with steel...

Just for fun, here's a picture of our xmas tree:

There are only 4 indigo flourescent bulbs on the whole tree, but boy do they stand out in this picture...

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Week 40

This week was earrings. There's a few different ones: green glass to match the bracelet I did last week, silver spirals in a smaller gauge as a gift for someone, and a set made out of some swarovski bead I forgot I bought for my birthday.

Week 39

This week I'm working on glass jewelry (seaglass, broken glass that's been smoothed by sand and water). I've tried a few times in the past and haven't really been happy with it, but I like this go at it. Bob wants me to make a piece of seaglass jewelry for his mom because we both share a love of picking up seaglass- though all of mine is from the Caribbean and all of hers is from Lake Michigan. I'm not sure that this will be the gift piece, but it's a good mock-up/practice run for a gift piece.

On a side note, my clumsy streak has struck again. This piece took me two days to complete, because when I went looking for the length of chain (the chain part is purchased chain) to make this, I fell down my stairs. My mom was just over this week and commented on how my stairs really ought to have a railing too. I know I'm lucky- I didn't break anything- but I have a big bruise on my thigh and I wrenched my shoulder pretty badly (I'm gonna give it a week before I really worry though. It hurts/pinches, but I'm pretty sure that if I'd torn anything it would be excrutiating). I only skinned a fingertip and an elbow so I'm lucky for that as well. The Xarata Project lesson of the week? Always wear the socks with the grippy dots on the bottom.

Week 38

I have a cold. I would like to veg out on my couch until I am better- unfortunately, i still work. LAME. I just did commissioned orders this week. The different thing about all of these is that I used a pattern (a printed picture behind the glass) for all of them.

The first was just to personalize a set of glasses I already had painted. These were purchased on my etsy site by someone who picked up my card at the wine show- read as NOT my family or friends- which is kind of exciting. They chose Lucida Handwriting font (which was my pattern)-  it's not necessarily what i would have picked, but it's cute.

The second was those tribal shotglasses I was telling you about:

And the last wasn't really commissioned- it's a coffee glass I've been trying to paint for Bob for awhile. I've painted it several times actually and never been happy with it so i keep washing the paint off while i still can. I decided i liked the tribal design so i made it smaller and then painted a chain of the design around the top of the glass.