Learning is So Much Fun!

Well, as I said at the beginning of the year.....I'm determined to learn a lot of new things this year. And I'm doing it!!!

This week I started lampwork bead lessons with Joyce Horn of Joyous Creations. It took me quite a while to find someone who gave lessons at a location near me, and I was fortunate enough to meet Joyce on a social/art site called Artists in Wonderland.  She lives about 40 minutes away, definitely doable and is quite a find!

So Monday I plugged her address into my trusty GPS and off I went! Brooksville, where Joyce lives is a little out in the country, and the setting is woodsy and peaceful. Her house is lovingly decorated with all kinds of art, and it's fun just looking around. Her husband built her studio away from the house, and she has a cozy set up with lots of work stations, a kitchen (yay for coffee- always on!) and a large table and chair set up for discussion, lunch and other things we girls do when together. (talk, talk, talk...)

I was a little intimidated by the sight of all the tools, torches, glass rods, etc. but determined to learn as much as I could. After demonstrating basic techniques she let me get at the torch. I've always been facinated by the physical properties of all things when heat is applied, one of the reasons I took up metalsmithing in the first place, so it was a wonder to watch glass melt! Layering and watching what happens to the colors was so cool. I was chomping at the bit to see how my beads turned out...but of course they needed to be annealed in the kiln..so I didn't get to see them that day.

On Wednesday I went back....and Joyce had taken my beads out of the kiln for me to see! Joila! Beads!
Well....sort of. Since it was my first actual experience, with the exception of a short time at the torch during the torch time at the Gathering in July, making perfectly shaped beads was not something I could easily do. But for a newbie, I guess they didn't turn out too bad. And it's certainly nothing that practice, practice and more practice can't fix!

Here are some pictures we took. I'm certainly not finished with the lessons....I'm ready my book - Passing the Flame, by Corina Tettinger - and I'll go back to Joyce next week. She's such a warm, bubbly person, I'd look forward to seeing her, even without the lessons!

Joyce, smiling as usual!

I'm really concentrating here!

The final product!

Aw...ok...not great, but I'm proud of them!

I really look forward to next week!

That's it for now,

Toodles,



Working with Brass

Well, one of my new year resolutions was to actually read some of the wonderful art books I've been collecting all these years! I started out with Practical Joining, by Tim McCreight. And lo and behold! I learned the solution to a problem I've had for a long time when working with brass.


If you work with brass then you've probably had the problem of winding up with a coppery color after soldering and pickeling. Now I have to tell you that I've spent hours trying to get rid of this annoying characteristic of brass, and never really new why I was having this problem. But I sanded and sanded until I could sand no more! Been there? Done that?

Well, in Tim's book (pardon the familiarity, Tim, but I feel like I know you so well) he identified the problem as the use of Sparex in my pickle. Most of us use it for our silver, and I never gave much thought to how it affected brass. In his book, he provided a formula using Hydrogen Peroxide that removes the pinkish color. Geez - it really pays to actually read these books!!!!

Anyway, make the pickle with Sparex, using hydrogen peroxide instead of water - about 1 tablespoon of Sparex to a cup of peroxide. Warm the piece and dip it into the solution. The rosey color will dissolve in 10 -20 minutes. He does warn, however, that if you leave the piece in the solution more than that, it will become etched and turn black. The black can be removed, the etching can't. Thankfully, I have a trusty old egg timer, and I did watch the piece carefully, so I didn't have this particular experience.

This really does work, and I have learned how to save myself precious hours of sanding by using this solution. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you!

Notice the pink around it? I finally oxidized it with a brass oxidizer to bring out the detail and cover some of the pink. I like the affect, but now I don't have to do that anymore!

That's all for now,
Toodles, 

New Year, New Adventures!

Well, I know it's February, but happy New Year everyone! We had our usual New Years Eve party and a good time was had by all!

Now that we're well into the start of new year, it's time for reflection - again. I've made a few significant changes in my life, after much consideration, both personal and professional. Most of them have to do with reducing the stress that I seemed to be living with for the past year.

From a professional perspective, this is a wonderful thing. I'm spending less time on the computer and more time in the studio - withdrawal ain't easy! And I'm getting ready to take my art in a new direction.
Though I will continue to make designs for my shop on Etsy, I'm going to be taking some classes and learning new things.

This coming week, I'm going to start lampwork beadmaking class. This is actually something I've wanted to do for quite a while, but just never could find the time. Before another year passes by - and each year seems to go by faster than the year before - I am determined to learn this new skill. I'm also going to learn enameling - finally. Those of you who know me well, know that I've always wanted to do a suite of designs as an ode to Kandinsky. His use of geometric forms and brilliant colors has always attracted and inspired me. I'm hoping that with the use of lampwork and enameling, I will be able to add the colors I see as part of my designs. I will probably make some pieces wearable, but I'm actually leaning toward larger pieces, more sculpture like. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, I did make some designs that are now in my store. Take a look and let me know what you think.

That's all for now!

Toodles,

A New Take on Felt!

Well, here I am in Pennsylvania visiting my son...and freezing my buns off! Very cold for this Florida gal!

Cold weather makes me think of warm things, and since the winter promises to be long and frigid, I thought I'd share a few found items on Etsy that I truly love and would own in a hearbeat, all things (like my wallet!) being equal. Today it's felt. A long time ago, someone gave me a couple of bars of felted soap. Never having seen that before, I was never sure what to do with it.

Before that, I'd never really thought much about felt, except that I could put it on the bottom of things that I didn't want to scratch tabletops. When my partner, Patty Lakinsmith, and I were designing the last piece for the ISGB Convergence exhibit, she suggested lining the back of the piece with felt, which she was willing to make herself. After ordering the materials and instructions on Etsy, I think she thought it was quite a bit of work for such a small piece. It turned out beautifully, and I think we both gained respect for the felt artist.

So while I'm looking for warm things, here's some felted designs I've fallen in love with!

 Of course here's some of the felted soap...I confess I am now actually using the one I was gifted and am enjoying the benefits of having my own built in "scrubby"!

These are by SoFino 





Here are some gorgeous fashion items....I'd really love to own! Santa are you listening????



Cutie Olive earrings by 3Fun



Gorgeous felted scarf by Rudman

I could go on, but you get the idea! I now have a tremendous amount of respect for felt artists, and I've added learning how to do this on my long "bucket list"!

That's all for now....
Toodles,







        





Girls' Cruise!

87 girls on a cruise ship!


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Well I finally did it! My friend, Marie, has been asking me to go on one of her girls cruises for a couple of years. This year, along with my YaYa sisters, Audrey and Judy, I finally went.

These gals have been doing this for 13 years! And it was such fun, it's no wonder they keep doing it year after year. On this trip there were 87 of us, all organized by Heidi, friend and travel agent, and she didn't miss a thing.

First of all, we all wore hot pink Tshirts so we could identify one another. Everywhere you looked - hot pink! Hot pink Tshirts, boas, beads, hats....you name it.

The famous YaYa sisters!

A sea of pink shirts!

Audrey, Judy and I shared a deluxe cabin. This is my only complaint...it was the smallest cabin I've ever seen. When we entered, we all had one thought....how in the heck would three grown women survive 5 days in such a small space???? It's a good thing we've known each other for years, and have shared living space before. Frankly, there was absolutely no problem! Partly because we were hardly ever in the cabin...and partly because none of us are slobs!

The cabin had a couch that opened into a bed, and a double bed, and...get this...a murphy type bunk bed that dropped from the wall over the double bed.
I picked that one....and it was like having my own private space! I loved it!

Ggggggood nite, folks!

Always laughing!

We even had a guest one night!

I think the most fun I had was when Audrey and I would trip into the cabin around 2 or 2:30 a.m ..(after playing in the casino and seeing shows) trying to be quiet and not wake up Judy. Every single time, she'd get up and the three of us would sit out on the balcony, overlooking the gorgeous ocean, with our drinks, and laugh until the really wee hours! Then room service would arrive with our morning coffee at 7:30 a.m. !!!! Yikes! We sure didn't get much sleep, did we girls?

I celebrated my birthday while on the cruise, and every day Heidi and Marie would put something on the door for me...kind of a countdown! It was really cute....and a fun way to celebrate!

I don't know that I've ever laughed as hard and as long as I did these 5 days! My sides actually ached at the end of the trip.

Now it's back to real life....but it was sure fun while it lasted!

Toodles,

Fun at the ISGB conference!

Well, I finally have some time to catch up here! I've been pretty busy since returning from the ISGB conference in Rochester, NY.  But I really do want to share some of the fun I had while there.

First of all, Rochester was a wonderful city. Patty and I got to see some of the cute shops and bistros in the SUNY section of town. Lively and lots to offer. But the real attraction, for me, was meeting all the wonderful glass beaders and seeing their fantastic work. Such extraordinary talent! It's hard not to be around all of them and not catch the bug! And I did get to try my hand at making a bead or two at the open torch sessions in the evening, thanks to Marcy Lamberson from Atlanta, and my partner in crime, Patty.

You can tell I'm concentrating very hard! It's not as easy as it looks, I soon discovered! Not that I want to switch from metal to glass, but I do want to learn more about it and will actually be taking lessons this month.

Another highlight was taking the gallery tour and getting to see our piece that we made for the Convergence exhibit. The piece is actually touring with the exhibit for about a year before we'll catch up with it again, so this was a treat.

Of course, yours truly has her eyes closed! But that's our piece on display in the background. And, in case you don't already know, that's my partner, Patty, with me.
Here's a close up of the piece -

The Bone Goddess

I'll add some more of the highlights in another post! It was such an enjoyable experience - my first time at the ISGB - and I took tons of pictures I want to show off!

Toodles,

Musings

I'm in the final throws of preparing for the Gathering in New York at the end of this month. I'm never sure if I'll have enough pieces for the booth I'm sharing with Patty Lakinsmith, my partner in crime, but I just keep plugging away and  hope for the best.

In my efforts to make my life a little easier, I ordered some tools from various supply companies that I had hoped would help speed up the process. Now I'm going to whine a little here, so bear with me. I was so excited to get my new tools and hounded the UPS tracking site until they arrived. There's no greater feeling than opening up boxes that have been delivered! Here's the problem: NO INSTRUCTIONS!!! Now in most cases, the tools are pretty basic and no instructions are needed. But this time I ordered the Swanstrom link forming pliers, complete with jigs and pegs that I saw in a trade magazine. (they were highly recommended) There are so many parts and no instructions on how to assemble the tool for it's various uses.

Why on earth would a manufacturer not include instructions.....even pictures...or something???? I contacted Rio Grande and asked them to send me a tutorial or instructions and they said they'd get back to me. That was a couple of weeks ago, and still nothing. I find all this very frustrating. The tool was not cheap and it's just going to sit on my bench until I have the time and patience to try to figure it out.

I confess, I'm a tool junkie and have collected, over the years, quite an array of assorted dodads. Some I find very helpful and time saving.....like my guillotine cutter.....nothing better than quick clean cuts on sheet metal, and my jumpring maker....I can make dozens of well formed, well cut, jump rings in just minutes.
But some, which were fun to use at the start, become more troublesome than need be, and I wind up back at the bench using old fashion hammers, pliers and files, and the new thingamajig just sits there.  But I would like to at least try the new tool before making a decision about it and with the new tools I just got, I won't even have that opportunity for a while. FRUSTRATING!!!!

On another, brighter note, I had the opportunity to teach a basic metalsmithing class to my gals in my Altered Minds group. I put together kits so they could make basic earrings using metal squares and beads of their choosing. They learned to texture, file and sand, and patina their pieces, punch holes and add beads and earwires. They learned to bend wire to form loops to attach everything and then they were turned loose to create. I have to add that this group is very creative as a whole....they are painters, quilters, papermakers, photographers, beaders, doll makers, artists of varying degrees, etc. and I learn from them every month. This month was my turn to tutor them. I was amazed at the beautiful earrings they created!  Here's some pictures of the group at work and some of the results.

That's all for now.
Toodles,