Sunday, August 14, 2011

LMAJ Giveaway....

by MaryAnn Carroll

This is a little clip from Izzy's post on August 3rd.....

This first patina was done with saw dust (which I had plenty of with our deck build) and vinegar. I mixed in enough vinegar to moisten the saw dust and put the concoction in a plastic container. I then buried the earrings in the saw dust, covered the container and let it sit for a few days. It looks a bit like cork, doesn't it? Notice the tiny black specks? I LOVE this patina. (One of these might, just maybe, could be in an upcoming giveaway...)


Well....Izzy was NOT kidding.....

The gorgeous set of earrings below can be yours by answering the question at the end of this post....


 If you don't want to wait to see if you might be the lucky winner...or even if you do want to join in the giveaway fun and possibly own two pairs, check out Izzy's shop Under A Copper Sky for similar earrings and/or other matching jewelry.  I can assure you.... what you get from Izzy will be a quality buy...  I know...  I own a fabulous necklace that I'm in love with!!!!

So, you are wondering what the question is....  I know you are ;o)

Not without a little sharing first....

Persistence....

I DEFINITELY was born with my share of it....

When things don't come easy to me, I usually find some sort of challenge in it.  I want to improve....  I want to learn.....  I want to make it better....  I want it to be the best ...

Izzy inspired me to package up some jewelry that I made a few years ago. I wrote about that in last week's post.

Since I have a personal connection with the domestic violence organization near me, I thought that maybe I could do something to show my appreciation for all that I received from the various services that they offer.  Many people think of organizations like this as "shelters" for women that are in abusive situations.  It's true that shelters are a part of these organizations, but so much more is offered beyond that.  Many women involved with organizations like Vera House never see the inside of a shelter because it never got to that point.  I was so fortunate to have a wonderful contact person there that I still stay connected with and decided that I wanted to give back in a different way as well.  I thought, "maybe I can make some purple ribbons from the enamels that I purchased from Barbara Lewis and create earrings."  They can sell them in their office and keep the money from each sale. I don't always have the money to donate, but I could do something like this in its place.

So..... Did I mention I've got a little of the impulse bug too?   I grabbed my wire, cut, hammered and put it under the torch, dipped it in the enamel, put in under the torch, dipped, torched, dipped again....until I felt I was done...

Here are a few of the first ones that I finished....  I know....


not good.....

maybe I will try again, wrap some wire around the centers and add some ear wire.....


still not working......

I give up....

I'll go to the local chain store and buy some purple colored wire.... 
Maybe that will be the answer...


Nope..... too cheesy....

I think I'll give it some time....
or maybe.....
I'll email Barbara and ask for her advice... DUH!

Why didn't I think about that in the first place?

Thanks Barbara!!!  The color choice fox glove was perfect!

Then, another brilliant thought popped in my head....


Yes.....I was on a roll......

...I have a sheet of copper in my studio.... 

maybe that will be more "ribbon-like" and I can avoid destroying my 51 year old elbows and ears hammering.....

 
A little wide, but much better.....

I think I'll cut that width in half..... 

Maybe then it will work with a matching ceramic bead.....


And there you have it.....

PERSISTENCE.....

I'm still going to work on perfecting this process more.....but I'm well on my way.....

Now, for the question that you have been waiting for to win these beauties...


"What do you do when at first you fail at something that you really have your heart set on doing?"

In addition to answering the question above, if you want to be entered more than once, share this post on facebook, twitter, yahoo groups, your blog, etc. and come back EACH time and tell us that you did.  Your answer to the question will count once each time you let us know where you posted.  Please include a link to that post.  If you add all of those places in one comment, then that will only count one time.  The more times you enter.....
.....well....
.....you know the rest....

So, be persistent and perhaps those fab earrings by Izzy will be yours.

As always....

~Thanks for reading~

MaryAnn

26 comments:

Green Shoot Jewellery Designs said...

Wow they look fantastic, well worth the persistence and effort you put in! Gorgeous lilac colour too.
Deb x

Barbara Lewis said...

Mary Ann, These are perfect! OMG! Your persistence paid off! We sent sample packets in case one of the other colors looks like a better match for you. I sent Iris, Mauve and Foxglove. Not only is the enameling perfect, but the earring design is wonderful.

You'll be a lot happier using the copper sheet. The wires are persnickety and the enamel can crack off quite easily. Girl, you don't need any advice. You've got it goin' on! When you decide on the color you're going to use, let me know and I'll send you 3 oz. :-) The foxglove looks like it might be the one.

Alice said...

When making jewelry, I'll often leave unfinished pieces laying around on my table because I feel the are not quite to my liking. Every day I'll sit down and try to get the piece just perfect. Hubby comes in and says that it looks great right now, but I know it can look better.

Your ribbon earrings are lovely! How nice that you can help this charity make money.

KayzKreationz said...

Your persisitence paid off. Those last ones look great.
When I don't get something right the first time, I start reading, researching, googling for ideas, until I come up with other ways to try. I also mull on it while I'm trying to go to sleep at night. That's usually when I come up with my best ideas for something. The problem with that is, I usually don't get up to write them down and sometimes forget by the next morning. LOL

KayzKreationz said...

Just tweeted about your giveaway and persisitence.

http://twitter.com/KayzKreationz

Artisan Beads Plus said...

Thanks, Barbara! That means so much coming from the pro! Foxglove is the winner and I'll be meeting with my friend Ann this week to have lunch, give her all the jewelry and get the contact for the person who coordinates donations. I'm excited about it and thank-you so much for your generous contribution for this cause :o) MaryAnn

Christine said...

Your ribbon earrings are beautiful & what a wonderful way to make a contribution!
Persistence - I've always believed in "....try, try again". If I'm struggling with a task, sometimes I have to walk away from it for a few minutes (or days) to clear my head, get it together, then tackle it!

SummersStudio said...

Love those earings, Mary Ann. Such a great idea for a great organisation. It's just lovely that you can give back in a very meaningful way.

moonlitfantaseas said...

if its some thing I really want and have my heart set on getting it right, like you I just keep plugging along, and researching till I get it right!

mairedodd said...

generous all around... thank you izzy for offering the earrings as a giveaway... and your earrings will be appreciated mary ann... your persistence definitely paid off - there was much learned... it really does depend upon the situation... i sometimes have to just walk away and leave something alone... it simmers a while and then reveals itself... and sometimes i just keep at it - of course, the approach is also determined by the presence or lack of a deadline...

Shannon Chomanczuk said...

I love the earrings and to answer your question. If it is something I really want to learn/tackle I will get more knowledge and do some research and then try again.
I love the patina, I can't believe that's from sawdust!

Unknown said...

Fantastic!

Nancy Markosky said...

I loved seeing the progression of your idea. I often have "failures" but I think I learn from them and keep trying different things until I get the look that I have in my mind. I liked your thicker ribbons but your finished ones are perfect. Thanks for the great post!

rosebud101 said...

Sometimes, I walk away and take a break. Sometimes, I just keep at it until I get it. Sometimes, I wait for months before going back. It's amazing how much better I've become when I do that!

Cheryl K Roe said...

If I try something and it doesn't work, I will give a rest and study on it. Then try again until I get it. Patience really is not one of my strong suits.

Anonymous said...

Like Beadroe (see comment above), well, sadly patience and I aren't friends. I do work hard on this as I get older, but patience and I haven't been friends for 42 years now so it's hard. I admire folks who are persistent and I admire you for sticking to the idea and being rewarded with the final outcome! Nice earrings!

Erin S said...

well, this happens to me all the time. I get a fabulous idea and I start working on it and it either totally sucks or it doesn't work the way I thought it would. If it totally sucks I just let it go, sadder, but wiser. If it comes out different, or lacking a certain "something", I find the best thing I can do is NOTHING. I let it gel. sometimes for a day. sometimes for a month. I just set it aside and come back to it with fresh eyes. I find that completely different solution often presents itself. I just need to give myself time to think of it.

Erin S

CraftyHope said...

I love those copper earrings. They really DO look like cork. . .how interesting.
All of your attempts with the enameled ribbon were great, but I really do like the final one the best.

Me persistence?? Hmmmmm. . .Usually if I really do have my heart set on it I keep trying or I figure out another way to make it work. If after a while it still isn't working, I file that project away until I learn a new technique or inspiration hits. If all that fails, I turn to my dear husband who gives me the encouragement to continue trying. (but you should see the piles of failed attempts 'filed away") ;)

Alice Howe said...

I understand the desire to get postings on various social media, but this requirement eliminated those of us who do not Facebook or Twitter or have a blog. Many of us are dedicated readers, who would like a chance to participate as well, but cannot fulfill the requirements.
Thanks for listening.
Alice

Artisan Beads Plus said...

Hi Alice, You make a good point. I'm just trying to get the word spread to bring more interest in the blog. Answering the question that I ask with each giveaway is the main way to participate so that everyone can enter at least once. I don't mean to exclude anyone, just encourage more traffic. I will try to come up with some different options in addition to the question asked for those who don't have blogs, twitter, facebook, etc. to be able to enter more than once. Thanks so much for being a dedicated reader of our blog. MaryAnn

KayzKreationz said...

Don't know if this giveaway is still going on. I tweeted about your giveaway yesterday, but didn't post it because wasn't sure if giveaway stil active. Thanks

KayzKreationz said...

Tweeted again today about your giveaway. Hope it's still current. Would love to win these earrings. Thanks
http://twitter.com/KayzKreationz

CraftyHope said...

I posted about the giveaway on my blog if that counts!!

ciaolucia said...

Izzy, awesome earrings! Mary Ann I love your final earrings. What a great contribution for a wonderful cause.

Persistence, well, I like to step back and look at the situation in a different way, rethink it and the end, pray then go back and try again.

Juliette said...

Your final earrings really are beautiful - well done!

Persistence is such a great lesson to learn, (I am quite impatient) and jewelry making is becoming a way to learn it (for me). When something is just not working, I put it aside for as long as I can - sometimes it just takes some time away from the project to clear my head. :)

Gerry said...

Great finish on these.........persistence.....oh, yes,let's see....I tend to keep on keeping on until I get what I want!!!!

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