Simple Sampler

At Sand Fibers, I have always tried to "Keep it simple, Silly!" Give me a choice between using ten colors in a design and using two, I will almost always (remember: never say never!) go with using two.   Life is complicated and challenging; I don't need my beading to be either to enjoy it.

When I was planning my book (which I have since unplanned, so don't go asking for a publication date), one of the points I wanted to illustrate was that one pattern could result in many different outcomes.  To that end, I designed my "Blackwork Sampler," inspired by some of the simpler motifs in blackwork embroidery.

This is simple, basic stuff, mind you...but look what happens when you bead up the same pattern in different-sized beads.  The original was done in size 10 Delica beads.  The one on the left was executed in size 11 Delica beads  (which is my "default" bead type and size) and the one on the right was beaded with size 8 Delica beads.

I would have beaded this up in size 15 Delica beads to further illustrate my point, but I can't locate my rather small stash of these super small beads. sigh.

With the sampler pattern as my guide, I was then able to bead up some soft bangles, using 8/o round Japanese seed beads.  (And yes, I have worn the whole bunch together.)

The possibilities for this sampler pattern are endless, limited only by the imagination and bead stash. Think of gold and jewel tones. Matte black with neon accents.  Do you see the possible flower pattern in the bangle on the right?  My book was going to be titled Pattern, Palette, Possibilities. I think I will just make that my motto now. ;)

Be well and get going!
Carol Dean

boot camp - button & fiber closures

mary jane dodd

button closures are often used with fibers, where you create your loop on one end and secure the button on the other using overhand knots.

sounds simple and is.

but there are things to think about.

consider the fibers or materials you are using - 

will they hold up to the wear of passing a button through it over and over?

i tend to use non-metal buttons with fibers,

but feel perfectly comfortable using metals with leather or heavier cotton cording (2mm or so). 

look for strands that can catch or make closing your piece of jewelry difficult. threads and fibers can fray and split. 

i find that wrapping the loop with a finer thread (think embroidery floss weight) adds strength and durability. waxed irish linen thread is particularly durable. 

create a loop that is neither too loose nor too tight. 

you want your button to pass through relatively easily but without so much play that it will slip out of the loop.

i often use e-6000 adhesive to secure knots.

i will also opt for braiding the section of fibers that serve as my loop. again, adding strength but also compacting the fibers to reduce the risk of catching and fraying. 

buttons can add a really beautiful bit of detailing to your work. and the choices are great - vintage, natural materials and handmade abound on etsy. 

long necklaces are quite popular, but it is nice to have the option of adjusting them. i wanted to share a video with you that teaches how to make a secure sliding knot by kate drew-wilkinson. i use this knot with leathers and cotton cording as well.

thank you for joining us here at love my art jewelry - 

we're looking forward to seeing what you teach us in this boot camp!

Walking Through the Art....

MaryAnn Carroll

Summer is a crazy time for me. It is inevitable that I try to fit too much in the 10 weeks that I have free from teaching. I've refinished some furniture, finished some unfinished furniture, made beads and lots of jewelry and plan on painting the house! Ughh! I hope I can get to it. 

This weekend we have been doing an art show in Syracuse, NY.  Today is the last day and I am hoping that it is a little more productive. There was so much going on in Syracuse besides the show, that I think it brought in many people who were passing the time before the Jazz Fest started. Such is life..... Today will be cool with a chance of rain. I am hoping the rain waits until 6pm after we have torn down.

I thought I would share another weekend event that is weather worry free. It is the First Friday Art Walk started by our own Marsha Neal. The event involves the many artists who are part of this Etsy team (all Etsy artists are free to join) and many will be offering sales. I will not be able to partake this time, since I will be in Michigan spending time with my sister.

Although, I cannot say these artists will have sales going on this weekend, I would like to share some handmade beads from some of the First Friday Art Walk Artists.

suebeads

maryhardingjewelry

balelaceramics

marshanealstudio

joanmillerporcelain

jeralunadesigns

genea

  
Do you love shopping for art? There is just something very different when you use art beads in your designs. A new friend of mine, who is also new to jewelry making, came to visit with a necklace that she just made with her own handmade beads and components. I was blown away! It was gorgeous with her turquoise raku beads and hammered copper tubes. She always reminds me that I was her influence :o)

What or who was your influence to create or buy handmade with handmade? If you have or have not started using handmade in your designs, check out some of the art work that I have shared. Who knows, maybe one of them will be your influence.

For updates about the First Friday Art Walk, please visit their blog.

I am sure you will find updates if you follow us on Facebook as well.  If you have not followed us on Facebook yet, click below and please do :o)

Like us!

Thank-you for supporting artists who create handmade with handmade,

MaryAnn

Memories...Like the Corners of My Nose...

Ahhhh, Summer. If you've been following the blog lately, you have no doubt noticed that many of us are in and out of full-on vacation mode, dropping posts between bursts of travel and wonderful summertime fun. For those of us living in or visiting the northeast, we know that these days are fleeting, and have to be grabbed by the handful between May and August. Especially so for those with family and school schedules to factor in.

So, excuse us for our brief or erratic posts, as our brains have turned into potato salad and barbecue for the time being.

 

I have just returned from Northern Michigan, and four blissful days of eating, drinking and sunning on the shores of Glen Lake with two of my sisters and a dear friend. A girls weekend in paradise.

What a wonderful trip...my friend Maria supplied a floaty the size of
my living room (sat six...seriously...with built in COOLERS). 
I now can't imagine living without one...

By the way, re-entry to "real life " sucks, for lack of a better term.

Anyhoo, I'm back home, organizing my memories of the getaway as best I can to better savor them the longest. Photos are wonderful, but I began thinking about what else triggers memory--scent. If I were to make a smell that best encapsulates the very essence of my summer memories it would be a bouquet of campfire smoke with hints of Off Bug Spray, undertones of the breeze off a freshwater lake, a shot of fresh mowed grass, and a layer of sun-warmed skin covered in cocoa butter. Are you listening, Glade?

This in turn reminded me of when I created a line of jewelry meant to carry scent. Years ago I played around with clay, and created some kiln-fired glazed beads. I am one of those people that can't wear perfume. My skin is too acidic or something, and no matter how spectacular the perfume or essential oil, 10 minutes on my skin and it smells like cat pee....Seriously. FOR REAL. So, I tried to design beads and pendants that could carry scent without coming in direct contact with skin. I left a recessed, unglazed window in the bead or pendant where you could apply drops of perfume or oil. The clay absorbed the liquid and held the scent, the glaze protected the scent from my skin. They worked well and I liked them, but you could not change the scent and I got frustrated with the complexities of creating, glazing and firing because, well, I am incredibly impatient and schizophrenic in my jewelry designs. I wanted something that could be used over and over again, with different scents whenever the wearer wanted.

That's when I hit on a metal vessel-based pendant design that has a removable, ventilated front. Inside, the wearer can place a bit of sponge or cloth soaked in their favorite scent, or even dried aromatic herbs and flowers (dried lavender is PERFECT for this). DING DING DING! We have a winner! Easy to create from just about any small, non porous tin or constructed bezel, as long as the front cover has tiny holes and can be removed and replaced. Simply empty and rinse with unscented soap and water before changing scents. I seal the interior of the pendant and back of the cover with clear acrylic so the oils and perfumes won't react with whatever metals I use. These work really well, especially if the pendant is worn directly touching your skin. Your body temperature warms the pendant and really releases whatever scent you have inside. Kewl! No more eu de cat pee!

I had to climb into the way-back machine of my computer to find this
image from 2010.  One of the first metal vessel pendants I made for scent.

When I got home, I created the pendant you see below, inspired by my recent time-out in the beautiful "Up North". I brought home a pocketful of Petoskey stones and a heart full of love and warm memories.  Now that is the makings of a spectacular design. A drilled Petoskey stone sits on top, found on a rock picking excursion in Leland. Below that, silver and brass wire form gentle waves, like those on Glen Lake. A tiny rectangular tin box is riveted in place (the pendant base is textured aluminum), the top drilled and decorated with one of MaryAnn Carroll's beautiful enamel copper discs in a gorgeous liquid blue, almost as gorgeous as the color of the lakes I just visited. A tiny brass dragonfly wing accents. Finally, a fiery red glass headpin by Kimberly Rogers reminds me of the nightly campfire we had to toast our marshmallows for salted caramel dark chocolate s'mores.....Heaven. Not sure what scent I will place in the box...probably dried lavender like the bundles we buried our faces in while wandering around Leland. I think I might finish it with a map fragment on the back pinpointing where we stayed. Yes, that ought to do it...

So, until next time, I hope you all have a wonderful Summer and collect an endless supply of memories touching all the senses--and I hope you savor them for years to come. Enjoy!!!

Twisted, Crusty Toggle

                                                                               by Kelli Pope

 Looking for a new twist on a toggle?    

I started with a copper disc 

and and a patinated copper sheet. 

Cut a strip from the sheet.   (Obviously, you could patina after, also, as I did with the disc)  File down the copper strip until its nice and smooth, with no rough edges. 

 Punch a hole in the disc. 

Wrap the copper strip around your pliers, so it twists and lengthens, sort of into a cone.   

Punch a hole in the tube.  

 Run a headpin through the hole, and wrap a loop.   Add jump rings, or chain.  

               And there you have it.....





Twisted and crusty.... just the way I like it!!!!

A Good Day To Thank Your Hands

I got to thinking about my hands when there the subject of clasps came up for the Boot Camp.

Because I really haven't made many of my own clasps or toggles my mind sort of wandered off as I sat out on the swinging chair on a gorgeous and warm Alaskan summer day. 

I thought to myself that I really ought to thank my hands for all they have done and what they do for me every day. I massaged them and thanked them finger by finger, so grateful for what they've allowed me to manifest creatively.

They are rather pained these days so I think about them more.

History of Claddagh Ring 

This is one of the images that sprang to my mind when thinking about art jewelry and hands.  I got it from the blog I have linked  here so I hope you go have a visit and learn about the history of the Claddagh ring that the author Elizabeth Barrett has thoughtfully written up.

The image reminds me of the exercise that I was taught by my chiropractor to stretch my cramped hands. I can only show you half of the exercise since I can't take a picture of both of my own hands!

Brave woman of a certain age shows her hand on blog!

You press your hands in this position with thumb splayed as far as possible from the rest of your fingers, touching thumb and forefinger with the thumb and forefinger of the other hand ( like a mirror image) Press down on the surface while pressing the top halves of your forefingers and pads of the thumbs giving a good stretch and count to 30. It's recommended to do this exercise once in awhile before  during or after  doing fine motor work with your hands.

I am grateful that the hands that held the crayons that did this have carried me over 50 years to today.

My mind and hands didn't quite connect then, I had the hardest time doing hair.

This made a bit more sense, A fur ruff.

I must have had a premonition that I would end up in Alaska!

XO Kim

Dreaming of Fall

Blog by Genea C-K

Hello friends!

I don't know about you, but I am dreaming of fall! I am not really into this hot weather crap. I love the crisp cool days, the changing leaves, wearing hoodies and jeans. I also love the earthy fall color palette. 

Color Palettes by Design Seeds.

"City Color"

"Color Yarn"

"Nature Tones"

It's no wonder I fell in love with my birthday gift from Karen and Nellie!  I just love the dreamy pastels and earth tones together. It's like a blend of spring and fall.

Here are a few of my favorite picks: Coffee Light and Sweet Sari Silk , Ceramic Discs, Large Hollow Pie Bead,  Interlocking Hammered Copper Chain.

For a little inspiration here are some GORGEOUS earrings on of my customers, Lisa Cone created. I just love everything about them! They remind me of finding treasures in the forest.

Are you dreaming of fall? What are you favorite fall beads?

xo Genea

It's a Snap!

I am ashamed to admit it, but when I first started beading, I made several "Well, I would never!" pronouncements. I distinctly recall that "Well, I would never use fishing line in my jewelry!" was one of those.  Guess what? I use that (in the form of Fireline) almost exclusively now.  Another one of those statements had to do with ABSOLUTELY NEVER using sew-on snaps in a piece of jewelry.

Remember the piece I showed you earlier in the month, Where There's Smoke There's Fire?

Several of you asked me if I would reveal the secret to its rather understated clasp:

Well, I did take one (rather fuzzy, my apologies) photograph of the inner workings before it sold.

Yes, I used two sew on snaps. Your eyes do not deceive you.  Never say never!  They were the absolute perfect solution for this piece. Not only did the snaps provide a simple yet secure closure, using them allowed me to echo the design and thickness of the two substantial "end caps" I had created for the kumihimo braids in this piece, enhancing rather than detracting from the overall design. 

Just last week, I completed a bracelet for a client with arthritis, who has difficulty using my peyote toggles.  This Ancient Architecture cuff will be easy for her to put on and take off, and should wear much like a bangle, just tighter fitting, which is what she wants.

The other convenient (read:  super cool!) thing about these snaps is that, while designed to be sewn on to a surface, the flat backed (male?) half can also be attached to a solid surface with E6000!!!!  Yes. Another one of my never's:  GLUE.  

Okay, Carol Dean, why would you need to use a snap as a closure when you're already using a button? Couldn't you just bead a loop for the darned thing? Yes, I could...but large buttons require large loops or button holes ... which can add considerable length to a piece and make a snug fit almost impossible. Here are two recent examples of my use of Lisa Peters Art buttons and snaps.

Lesson Learned:  Never say Never!

Be well and get going!
Carol Dean

Copper Tube Clasp - Boot Camp Tutorial

MaryAnn Carroll

I don't know about you, but making the right clasp for the right design can be challenging. My dream is that one day I will invent a very cool clasp that is easy to make, looks great in all designs and holds up well.

In the meantime, my favorites are the ones that I always fall back on .... the basic clasp. Staci did a wire clasp post about that a couple of weeks back. I use the same type, but the "look" that fits right in with her designs does not work in mine. My biggest issue is this..... I want something that I can use in bracelets that will not take up any more space than a lobster clasp would, but would be completely handmade AND look good without taking away from the design. Bracelets tend to be my biggest issue. I decided that I am going to make bracelets that are simple and accentuate my beads. I do admire people who can put different beads together and make it look so effortless. That is not me. I may evolve into that one day, but right now, I am not there. So, I want something simple that is functional, looks good and will not fall off.

I've made my share of toggles, but sometimes they just are too much for me. I don't know why, but I've learned to just go with whatever works for me. I can create a lot more with that attitude. So, let me share with you my simple little invention that works for me.....

The great thing about this clasp is that you can go right to Lowes, Home Depot or other hardware store and purchase everything you need (except the jewelry tools, of course). I get lots of wire from hardware stores too.

Here is an older version. The obvious problem here is that if I have the clasp tight enough to not fall off, I risk the wire (even though it has been hammered and hardened) to separate. Yes, it has happened :o(

 

Head on over and get yourself an inexpensive box of soft copper tubing (1/4"). I will sometimes use a little larger tube, but I prefer the smaller for a more discreet, chunky look.

 

Drag out the tools. The Ridgid tube cutter and the yellow burr remover can both be purchased at said hardware stores for not too much money. I did invest in a slightly more expensive tube cutter for $16 or $17, but you can get them for less than $10. Make sure that the store carries replacement blades for the cutter that you choose. The wire purchased is 16 gauge and was cut from a HUGE roll of wire.

You will need a hammer (I use my chasing hammer), a block and metal sandpaper. I just bought the sandpaper for metal recently and love it! It has a stronger back and does not rip like the regular sandpaper does. Also pictured, is my new block! It is an antique iron. I got it for $3 at a barn sale (one of my favorite things to do on weekends) and it is soooooooooooo much quieter than the one that I purchased online for 6 times more. Bill appreciates that is is quieter too, since I have been known to hammer while he is watching TV!

Here is a side view. It was really rusty, but Bill took it to the workshop and gave it a nice sanding right when we got home. What a great husband :o)

Here we go....  Let me introduce the Tube Clasp!

1. Insert your copper tube from this side. If you need more detail on cutting tubes, check out the tube cutting tutorial that I did awhile back.

2. This little thing is a burr cleaner. You will need to clean out the burrs from each cut. It only takes a half minute. It simply rotates inside the tube. These can be found where the tube cutters and copper are sold. I believe it was less than $10.

3. Here is a side view. Once the tube is in place snuggly, you rotate the cutter around the tube until you feel it loosen. Each time it loosens, tighten it slightly and continue the process until you have cut completely through.
 

4. This is what will be your ring for the clasp.

5. Using you hammer and block, hammer the ring flat, flipping it over so that each side is getting hammered evenly. I usually flip it every ten taps or so.

 

6. Here it is hammered.

7. Now it is time for your 16 gauge wire. I use a stronger wire if I am making a larger clasp, but for one that I want this small, 14 gauge is the most I can bend and make it work.

8. I use the very tip of my pliers because my goal is to make this as small as possible, yet functional at the same time.

9. I also form my second loop as small as I can get it without making it too small.

10. Snip the wire so that it is a little longer than the top of the first loop made.

11. Here is is cut. If this is too large or two long, adjust accordingly.

12. Hammer a little for hardness. This can also be done in the tumbler if you own one.

13. Stretch the wire out so that you do not hammer your fingers for this next part. I hammer about 1/4" of the tip until I get it to the size that I want. The purpose is to have it grab slightly when hooked on the tube so that it does not fall off while wearing.

14. Use you sandpaper and sand until it is rounded and smooth.

15. Here you have it ready to add a patina if that is a look that you like. You could tumble it to smooth it out, but I don't typically do that.

Here are some complete and some waiting for a little liver of sulfer to darken them.

As you can see, the clasps are fairly small. Personally, I would still like them somewhat smaller, but that will take a little more practice. These hands of mine are not always up to doing LOTS of metal bending for days on end!

So, here is yet another way to add that one of a kind clasp to your designs. Have you been experimenting with clasps? If so, what has worked out great and what hasn't?

We would love to hear from you :o)

And..... as always....

Thank-you for supporting artists who created handmade with handmade.

MaryAnn