Necklace and pendant from Tutankhamun’s tomb, 18th dynasty
When I was in junior high and high school there was a store I loooooooved to go to because of the jewelry they sold. I think it was really a music store - lots of records and cassette tapes - but on the walls lining the tiny store there were rows and rows of hammered metal jewelry behind glass doors. I don't remember seeing that type of jewelry before and I felt a strong connection to almost all of it. There was a lot of silver, copper, and brass involved, most of it hammered. When I had money that's where I would get my jewelry. One of my most beloved items was a neck cuff made out of hammered brass. I can't quite pin down the timeframe of when those neck cuffs were really popular, but I'm thinking mid 1980s? I did a couple of searches online and didn't find much like the cuffs I remember. I found this picture of Joan Collins and had to pin it to my inspiration board on Pinterest because it's such an extreme neck cuff (she wasn't alone...I guess if you are on the red carpet or a stage your jewelry has to be GIANT). I knew I wanted to make a couple. But for a person going to the office or the grocery store or out with friends, not someone walking the red carpet. I started out with a really slim copper cuff. I bent copper tubing around my neck mandrel and added a hammered texture. Here it is after sanding and polishing: Then I made another out of wide copper sheet and folded it randomly. This one is more "me" and the one I would wear if I had to pick between them - I love that it's not perfectly symmetrical. The Artists Synchroblog is a group of bloggers who post every other month on the same topic, sharing our experience or perspective. On alternate months we undertake a Pinterest Project where we each take inspiration from a Pinterest picture, create something (art, a meal, a DIY project, etc) and then post about it. You can read more about the Artists Synchroblog here. Don't forget to visit the other bloggers involved in the Artists Synchroblog to see what projects they made from their Pinterest inspirations: http://amyestellemetalworks.blogspot.com/ http://www.islandgirlsinsights.blogspot.ca/ http://www.wrapturewirejewellery.on.ca/blog www.elenorbuffington.blogspot.com http://doxallodesigns.blogspot.com/ http://www.journeyinjewelry.com/blog/My-Journey-in-Jewelry http://simpledesignjewelry.blogspot.com/ http://designsbylynnea.blogspot.com/ http://marikach.blogspot.com/ www.createrecklessly.com http://design.kcjewelbox.com/ www.allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com http://shaktipajdesigns.com/blog/ www.beadsbythebay.blogspot.com
I am still on vacation (and loving it), but I have been doing a lot of pondering at the end of this year. One of my resolutions for 2010 is to spend more time with my journal. I am able to understand myself and keep track of the status of my heart when I take the time to write it down. Etsy has some beautiful journals that I have had my eyes on. I hope to finish up the one I have been using this year and start a brand new one soon. Consider either starting a journal or making more visits to it's pages with the new year on it's way. Twigs, Leather Journal, Notebook by Kreativlink Leather Lambskin Journal or Sketchbook Includes Shipping to U.S. and Canada by Karleigh Jae Hard Cover 1/2 Leather Journal with Silk Screen and Leather Tie by Nico Papergoods Leif Journal - Leather in Light Green and Antique Black by Moxie and Oliver Retro Style Hardcover Graph Paper Journal - Project Planner by Java Girls A journal with a monogram is a great idea too! Burgundy Leather Journal Envelope Style with Free Monogramming by Julie Boyles Books Have a happy new year celebration! I wish you a fantastic 2010!
Keirsten Giles has once again written up a fantastic blog post about her studio adventures and explorations. Hopefully you are as inspired as I am by the peek into her journey of creating a tulip shape in metal. Make sure you click on the link about coins and hammer embossing. You will love it. -Jen --------------------------------------- I love metal beads and other three-dimensional metal shapes; unfortunately it is difficult to find such ready-made items in a finish that matches my own metalwork, and I don’t do any casting, or work with metal clay so I can’t easily make my own. I decided to try achieving a 3D shape with simple cuts and curves. My inspiration was tulip blossoms: Photo by John O’Neill courtesy Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jjron) I just love this shape. I used a tulip-shaped vintage brass beadcap for a starting point, picturing it spread flat in my mind (I still thought I might use it so I didn’t want to actually smash it flat). From Calliope’s Attic on Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/listing/109318905/medium-tulip-bead-cap-raw-brass?) I sketched out a couple of large shapes that I thought might work, with four petals. I eventually bit the bullet and just smashed the beadcap I had, thinking, “Well, I’m going to make a bunch of these from copper, so what do I really need it for?” I scanned it, and then made several different sizes on the computer and printed them onto card stock to make templates from: the actual template is included at the bottom of this post for you to save and use Then using my new templates I cut out several sizes from various gauges of copper sheet—22 gauge for the very large ones, and 24 and 26 gauge for the smaller ones. I etched the 22- and 24-gauge shapes, and embossed the 26-gauge sheets with coins and a hammer . I punched center holes with my Beadsmith hole punch pliers, and then annealed all the textured shapes to make them easier to work with. Just for fun I made holes in the edges of the petals on one pair. I began by using my doming set to produce slightly cupped shapes on the petals. Then I domed the center of each shape, first resting the doming punch in the center of the shape and pressing the petals against the ball with my fingers, and then hammering the punch gently into the cap. Et voila! I’ve used one of the small embossed pair for earrings, with clear quartz: I made the largest ones from 22 gauge sheet. These required a little more man-handling—I had to curve the edges of the petals inward a bit with my pliers. The large ones may be part of necklaces eventually, and maybe I will use a pair of the larger ones for a lariat. I have to say I preferred the three-petal bud to the four-petal. I may rework the four-petaled ones a little bit to give them a rounder shape. All in all, it was fun! -Keirsten Giles The Cerebral Dilettante Lune Artisan Jewelry on Etsy Lune Artisan Jewelry on Facebook ------------------------------------------------- If you would like to experiment with your own tulip shapes, Keirsten is very generously sharing her template with you. First, click it to open the image, then right click to save it to your computer. Print it out, and use it. Make sure you share your results!
ワークショップにご参加される方の中には「もったいないから」と、白樺かごを作った際の切れ端をお持ち帰りになる方が多くいらっしゃいます。 はるばるス...
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