carving, etching & prayer/peace flags

i started carving in rubber block - and love it... 


om, lotus, feathers and a bear totem... i thought i would be using them on fabric for the peace flags project... 

but it seems i cannot escape the jeweler/metal worker mindset... and i'm ok with that... the whole idea for the project was to be interpretive - to send wishes for peace free in your own way... 

my first set of flags are on the small side, copper om and lotus buds alternating... connected in such a way that movement in possible... highlighted with floss in the correct color arrangement... one wrapped lapis drop at the bottom... 

you can read more about the project (and join in if you like) here... 

my simple offering goes to....

#22 kalaya steede!


thanks to all who left a comment... i was really touched that 37 of you did... 

'lightly' 2012 

you had to know this word was coming... 

if you didn't and you wonder why

you can find out here... 

experimenting

i am sure i am not alone when i tell you that just when i need to get down to putting some things together that function as adornment (as opposed to the fun i have when i build the focals, etc...) 

i get pulled in another direction... 

but i was also on the phone (which i usually am not) - so i didn't want to make noise (because hammering isn't really polite - though i admit a slipped a couple of times)... and i saw this copper tubing hanging on my board... and etching is quiet... 

so what if?

'all life is an experiment.

the more experiments you make

the better.'

~ ralph waldo emerson

and thank you barbara, for reminding me of where the tired brain had gotten the inspiration from... your book and a takrut i recently used in a necklace i made... 

foliate love

'never say there is nothing beautiful 

in the world anymore.

there is always something to make you wonder

in the shape of a tree,

the trembling of a leaf.'

~ albert schweitzer

RAW7

'eventually you will come to understand

that love heals everything,

and love is all there is.'

~ gary zukav

give and receive freely...

stay open... 

RAW love

this year i am participating in a ring a week challenge... this one will be finished up today i hope - i have been working on it throughout the week... the rings are really quite incredible - they can be made of anything and are posted in this flickr group...


here is one of my recent favorites:

by iacua

and thank you to emily for taking this picture of a walking bridge over a lake near to us... i was struck by the graffiti heart's reflection in the water which was also reflecting the bright blue sky... last night, it occurred to me that it was a beautiful representation of how the heart can touch the sky... 

vibrant

'autumn turned brightly,

a running flame through the mountains,

a torch flung to the trees.'

~ faith baldwin

'vibrance' bracelet... like looking up through the fiery leaves into the crisp blue sky... 

'balancing act' earrings play upon the idea of fragile strength... soft, hand dyed fibers wrapped around fused, weathered and hammered copper rings... 

'the invariable mark of wisdom 

is to see the miraculous in the common.'

~ ralph waldo emerson

like wisdom buried in the depths of your being, yours to know if you lay down your fears and open yourself to it... earrings made from copper discs, hammered, textured, patina-ted and wrapped with sterling wire and pearls... 


don't forget to check the love my art jewelry blog on monday for our next giveaway...  

final step completed

it's all in the details... 


and what a difference this wax makes - 


shannon discusses the sealing phase in her patina tutorial and promotes a very specific wax... i understand why now... in articles i had previously read, minwax had been used... this is world's apart... 

my indigo isn't as vibrant as shannon's, so i know that i have lots to learn... but i am very happy with my first attempts at it on the bracelet... and it may turn into the first non-earring finished piece that i have made in a while!

taking on hang ups

i have a huge problem with waste - whether it be of the material sort or immaterial (like time)... when i want to work/am driven to work, i hope to optimize my time... you know, once you can finally bring a piece into that fuzzy focus which allows you to at least begin... 

'there is no such thing as a failed experiment,

only experiments with unexpected outcomes.'

~ richard buckminster fuller

but i realized yesterday that thinking interferes with practicing... i don't want to waste materials or the time that could be spent making something that counts... but it is holding me back  - because it is really all in how you define what counts... i had mentioned that i got a bracelet mandrel... i have no problem using things around the house to improvise with - some of my favorite round shapes come from them... or buying items from the hardware store... but usually you need the right tools for the job... (yes, i know that you guys know this)... it can be a matter of expense - i have been using some really basic tools from over a decade ago and hadn't thought about it... at a class i held a pair of ruth rae's and was taken aback by the difference... 


what also interferes with practicing is a fear of failure - so yesterday i fused copper... (doesn't this all sound stupid? i am almost embarrassed to be writing it - except that i know that you have things that hold you back too)... 

wishing you a week where you might break even one of  your own little taboos... 

simple

'everything should be made as simple as possible,

but not simpler.'

~ albert einstein

we had a family function this weekend and my mama needed jewelry... she is fair with red hair - i love her in copper... isn't it funny how you can do lots of things to a piece of metal and have it look so simple? 

decided here to put the color in the leather rather than the focal... 

and having just purchased a bracelet mandrel, i had to make something round... i wear a bracelet that i bought from barbara lewis that my mom has been eye-balling since i got it... so now she has one... have a feeling i will be playing with the mandrel for a while... see that gorgeous raku bead? that was made by mak of maku studio... 

we saw 2 movies last week - 'inception' and 'scott pilgrim vs. the world' at midnight... 

trying now to focus and settle my brain - i have entirely too many things swirling around and need to pick a place to start... 

fundametalist blog post #2

'i prefer to explore the most intimate moments,

the smaller, crystallized details we all

hinge our lives on.'

~rita dove

like those unsee-able moments when we venture forth, taking the steps from that which we solidly know, to that which is unsure... mica from fundametals has been cut to size, slightly larger than the metal sheet - stepping on to thin ice... with garnet for courage... you will be fine, just take a breath and believe... for you will undoubtedly grow... 

more fun with those washers that are carried on the site... this is a variation of the design i used in step by step wire... 

and resin - how i love ice resin... this medium constantly has me stepping out of my comfort zone... often to the point where i get frozen with doubt... and then that alter of mine issues the warning to get out of her way - and we begin...

july's abs entry wouldn't have been possible without it... 

on being a guest from home...

it's nice!

i was invited to be a guest of fundametals.net - as such, jeanette sent me some items to 'play' with... let's see if you can guess what one of them was - stop by their blog to read more... 

this design is based upon the egyptian shen ring... it is compromised of a circle for the cycles in life and a line across the bottom to represent the infinite... egyptians used lapis and turquoise in their adornment... lapis blue represented the heavens, water and the primeval flood... turquoise represented joy... 

'when we discover the truth is already in us

we are all at once our original selves.'

~ the dogen

we are complete as represented by the circle... but need to branch out and stretch to grow... winding fibers lead to faceted spectrolite which imparts strength and supports transformation... 

'(wo)man is harder than iron,

stronger than stone

and more fragile than a rose.'

~ turkish proverb

'fragile strength' earrings reiterate this point in numerous ways... etched metal appears delicate yet is sturdy... fibers made of silk... kyanite enhances tranquility and calm while quartz ensures grounding... 

work in progress... 

'a guest never forgets the host 

who has treated him kindly.'

~ homer

thank you jeanette for this opportunity... and i have other goodies to play with... so there will be another post about that!

visual diary

'painting is just another way of keeping a diary.'

~ picasso

i would take it a bit further for myself and say 'creating'... 

this week i have longed for respite into a world of elevating dreams, swirling colours... 

i had to concede to time after taking many pictures of this and not being wholly satisfied with my ability to capture the painterliness of the enamel (i now completely feel the name of barbara lewis' business)... not quite sure what i will do for etsy!

textural, aged, light... shakespeare's words float in the resin and are set off against layers of different colored enamels... 

'survivor' is defined in the 1877 dictionary that i used as 'one who outlives another'...  almost 130 yrs. later, our definition has greatly expanded... one can survive a natural disaster, a serious disease, a damaging relationship... i chose the colors of beige and red to allude to the root chakra... i think that often 'survivor' speaks to our self - the very core of who we are here and now... the root chakra acts as a grounding force - it empowers by allowing us to connect to the earth's energies... the faux shibuichi is rough - as trials can be...  

'remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness.

every act creates a ripple with no logical end.'

~ scott adams

a copper ball representing your act... set within the depths of resin... a three dimensional ring, allowing you to gaze upon the potential you carry within... 

it took the force of nature...

to get me centered ~
and that somehow feels so very right... 
the east coast is under siege from a nor'easter - snow and winds... they are calling for over a foot here, which doesn't happen often as we live near the beach - which often warms the air and keeps our snow accumulations down... which bums the kids out when the towns just west and north of us get snow days and they don't...
here is what we awoke to - (and i am hoping for some cool after pics)

more importantly for me - it took this storm to calm me down... it's like i got a pass today from going to the stores and rushing around... instead it will be spent in the house, decorating our tree and baking cookies... i really like the way snow can make you feel like you are in a cocoon... insulating and beautiful... 

'in the depth of my soul there is a wordless song.'

~ kahlil gibran

'in the depths' is a bezel created with the symbols of the lotus and om stamped into it... as if to infuse a calming energy... in the resin i set pieces of fiber and fabric... they flash from the depths when the light is right... like labradorite or opal... it's kind of magical...

'wise men speak because they have something to say;

fools because they have to say something.'

~ plato

'pearls of wisdom' bezel has pearls and amethyst set within resin... wisdom is garnered from experience, laced with the beauty of knowledge gained.... amethyst is known to be calming and protective, something needed while facing life's challenges...


hope this weather does you no harm and that you are able to enjoy the beauty and quietude it brings... 

playing with copper sheet

'at the center of your being you have the answer,

you know who you are

and you know what you want.'

~ lao tzu

copper sheet has been randomly stamped with om & lotus punches... hole at bottom is deliberately off center signifying the journey of working towards our center... faceted amethyst used for healing properties... a stone associated with calm, healing and peace... 

'all who wander are not lost.'

~ j.r.r. tolkien

a very favorite quote of mine... drifting, letting go, relaxing, going with the flow... the word 'drifting' has been stamped randomly along with leaves on the copper sheet to evoke the feeling of, well, drifting... like leaves being carried by a stream... lapis was chosen because of the properties it contains - balancing of yin-yang, bringing mental clarity... all things that occur when we let go and set our minds free...

'we all have our own life to pursue,

our own kind of dream to be weaving...

and we all have the power to make wishes come true,

as long as we keep believing.'

~ louisa may alcott

sheet metal here has been textured and punched in many places allowing for the weaving of fibers within it... a contrast in textures tied (no pun intended) together by the flowing line of each medium.. 

did you experiment today? 

i can save you money!

i cannot, it's a jest - but it is the best i can do with this ~


you know those beautiful texturizing hammers? the expensive ones? that we want? well, i was shown a way to get one without all of that cost... here's what you need - 


1 - a chasing hammer
2 - metal punches
3- a piece of practice sheet copper
4- a curious & bright child


i know you have this figured out already, but here's how it goes -
'look mom, i got the bird to stamp on the sheet!' 
me:  'that's great, let me come and looooooooooooooooooook. oh... great job hon, but how about next time you use the hammer that looks like the one that lives in the garage.'
breathe in & out...
ok, i have read that you should felt cover your hammer end anyway - it prevents any marking... so now i have this cool distressed looking effect - which i don't mind... who needs that raw silk texturing hammer? not me! :0)


onward and upward!


got 2 pairs of earrings made -

'what we think, we become.'

-the buddha 

dispelling the negative earrings made of turquoise and copper - naturals for healing and purifying... spiral represents the negative being drawn out, copper and sterling wires guide it away...

'life in abundance comes only through great love.'

- elbert hubbard

abundance earrings are made with a wheat sheaf motif... wheat being symbolic of abundance... beautiful green lampwork beads by mary ann at linden avenue designs are added because i thought of van gogh's wheat field paintings with cypress trees included in the composition... 

oh & p.s., i broke down and bought one the other day - when i was shocked at the shipping, i realized - i had ordered a HAMMER! i am very excited... 

winding

'winding'

'may your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.

may your mountains rise into and above the clouds.'

~ edward abbey

whether you agree with wishing this upon someone or not - the first part at least, i think we can agree that the most rewarding achievements and periods of growth come from times of difficulty... marsha neal's shard (this time) made me think of winding and movement... the subtle color changes on top of the chocolate clay flowed right into barbara lewis' enameled connector - both pieces had played with fire and come through it with great strength and beauty ... the ceramic and the metal, both with soft color, asked me to be joined... and so i acquiesced, because it really was such a great request! 

after manipulating a little metal myself, i had some etched copper rounds and findings... beautiful glass beads from mary ann at linden avenue designs and marie at bleu verre...

it became a bit elemental, greens, blues, ivory & browns... air, water, earth & fire all playing their role in the creation of each part... things that live & grow in the greens and spirals... masculine and feminine... 

all united in moving towards the most amazing view... 

here, there & everywhere ~

'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!

transformations

'when we quit thinking primarily about ourselves

and our own self-preservation,

we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness.'

~ joseph campbell 

change is in the air, confidence is growing and excitement is overwhelming at times... i decided it was time to stop wanting to try etching metal & to just do it after reading a blog the other day... these are small 18 ga. copper blanks... i used the book 'semi-precious salvage: creating found art jewelry' by stephanie lee as a guide... here i have used a rubber stamp & permanent ink to mark the blanks... they were allowed to completely dry... 

the book recommended leaving the metal in the etchant for a couple of hours... so i left them in for 2.5... i had a vintaj blank - that got eaten up, disintegrated... & a larger blank that didn't etch as much... but i didn't put it back in because i wasn't sure what it was supposed to look like... then i took the little guys out...  i really love the molten look they took on... very cool... but also very sharp in areas...

these are post oxidizing... i only had steel wool to work with and some small files... but i love the contrast... i do believe that i will need to get a dremel tool for brightening the raised areas and some sandpaper to help out with the smoothing...

when you want to grow, when you want to become 'more', it's a feeling that pulls at you... it can come into conflict with what you 'have' to do... but somehow it works out... and anytime you grow in one way, it seems to spill over into other ways... i thank lisa at lucid moon studio for so openly sharing her information and experimentation with this... it's always funny to me how the universe works... this was my next step, and as i was looking through the new posts this weekend, there it was! 

ooh - just remembered i have a buffing and sanding sponge... going to try that...

how and what are you transforming?