'don't walk in front of me; i may not follow.
don't walk behind me; i may not lead.
just walk beside me & be my friend.'
- albert camus
and to friends i am always most grateful!
'magic lives in curves, not angles.'
- mason cooley
was able to make some earrings with the etched charms i posted about... 'where magic resides' features copper wirework & antique looking czech glass...
when my daughter was little, we called dandelions gone to seed 'blowies'... and they have always brought us such delight... what other flower can offer you a wish each time you pick it? i decided to wrap a link with ivory embroidery floss because seed parachutes always look so silky to me... & i am going to work on fraying them a bit more... the copper links are handmade by cindy at cindy's art & soul... she does beautiful copper work...
some beautiful beads arrived from mika at pinocean today and the teal was perfect for another pair of awareness earrings... our local kaleidoscope of hope walk is on the 26th and it is always such a meaningful day... survivors, family members, friends & remembrances of those who died are all present - the energy is palpable... i guess that is inevitable with the level of emotion and commitment that is present there...
and finally a more controlled study into etching... vintaj will etch, but loses its finish... it also did not seem to oxidize in los... the difference in copper (18 ga) discs between about 1.5 hours and 2 hours has to do with deeper relief and sharper edges... a pretty significant amount of metal comes off in that 1/2 hour... i tried writing on one with a sharpie marker... that was fun... and it opens up the door to so many opportunities - another way to get words into my work!
and so it is friday ~ enjoy!
lovely earrings, love the etched dangles, can you have too many earrings? I don't think so ; ) Let the magic flow . Always a pleasure to stop by your shop!
ReplyDeleteLovely earrings! As for the Vintaj - that is brass, which is an alloy, so the etchant is probably eating away the copper and the remaining metal probably does not react with the LOS...
ReplyDeleteHeat the Vintaj brass is a gas flame and you will get a dark oxidised finish. Its not the same but looks great anyway.
ReplyDeleteMaire - Thanks for the etching examples. I know you'll have a lot of fun using these. The earrings are fab and I especially like the "blowies" -- and the story!
ReplyDeleteMJ, it is great to see your etchings in earings. You have such a way with earings and these are all beautiful. I am especially touched by your love/hope earings. We recently lost a dear friend to ovarian cancer. She was one of the first women I met when we moved here. She would have loved those earings. She was a 20+ year survivor, so she had a very good outcome and survived on love and hope right up to the very end.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks so much for the etching update. It is very good of you to share this information!
I love your newest creations! You always have such strong and wonderful meanings and feelings behind the pieces you make.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to try some etching myself as soon as I can find the etching material.
laura -thanks! and it is so easy to get on an earring 'roll'!
ReplyDeleterenate - thanks for remind me about the alloy...
greer - thank you! will try that...
barbara - just picked up my propane torch at hardware store...
leann - i am glad you connect with the love/hope earrings... a dear friend of mine lost her sister last year and a mom in our elementary school died from it... that broke my heart, thinking of small children left with no mom...
judy - try radio shack, and if the one you call says they don't have it, call another one - they do carry it! good luck -
MJ-Love that first pair of earrings. I just really started playing with making links of my own...too much fun. Thanks for sharing the results of your etching. I have had LOS stay on Vintaj, but I haven't etched it first. Maybe that is the difference. I also keep my LOS in a small crock pot that keeps it consistently hot...that might be a trick. I am eager to try the etching again, but those chemicals...ugh...I have a tutorial on using saltwater to etch...if I can get the "Bee Whisperer" to help me puzzle that one out (and eradicate the little buzzers in my studio) I will keep you posted! Enjoy the day!
ReplyDeleteErin
Glad my little tip worked for you. Along with rusty metal I like burning things too
ReplyDeletecheers
Thank you, Maire, for the lovely comment on my blog. I genuinely appreciated it! I'm loving your earrings. I especially love the first set in this post!
ReplyDeleteThis post was beautiful and informative! I love all the earrings...very creative...and I appreciate the etching notation. Thank you!
ReplyDelete