Wrapping it Up - Balled Head Pins

by Staci Smith

This is our last week to focus on balled head pins before switching gears.  Look here next week for a new Boot Camp.  Perhaps you will learn a new technique, or just have a chance to show off what you do with a technique you already use.  We love having this chance to interact with you all and see your creativity in action.

If you are new to Love my Art Jewelry, you can read about Boot Camp Here.

We are just wrapping up a Boot Camp that taught how to make balled head pins.  You can see that tutorial here.  (we also have a menu to the top left of the blog where you can find a link to all the tutorials we've posted here in LMAJ)

If you haven't had a chance, you can click here to go to the blog hop we had.  Everyone dug deep and did some really creative things with head pins.

 

 

 I liked this design by Lynda Carson.

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed our first Boot Camp and hope it is something you all join us in through the year.  I know we had a blast.

 

 

I also wanted to give a reminder that our Art bead Love Chain is still going strong.  If you want to read about it, click the tab to the right labeled Art Bead Love Tour that looks like this.

 

 

 

 

If you would like a chance to participate, click the "Follow the Love Chain" tab that is above it.

 

Thanks again for making our firt Boot Camp a Success.  Have a creative week!

texturing metal - no chemicals, no heat required

mary jane dodd

we keep at something long enough and as we experiment, we learn... 

while i love etching and using the torch - perhaps one of my favorite things to do is texture the metal i work with... and i did quite a bit of that this week making bits for my components shop on etsy... 

one of the first tools i used for texture was the round head on the chasing hammer... 

i became aware of texture hammers (but will admit i bought only one... they are a bit expensive and i like to try to use things where i can that are less expensive...)

a basic economy stamp set has lots of design options in it - o's, x's

and u's

a center punch from your local craft store

can do this -

these texture sheets have lots of uses... people use them in rolling mills or use them as sheet metal for example... metalclay supply has a nice assortment... 

but i like to  hammer small areas of them for a hint of texture... 

go to your local hardware store and look at the small tools - there i found this chisel... 

look in your home with new eyes, see what you already have and give it a try... 

i used 24 gauge sheet metal in all of these examples...

and remember - 

the art bead love tour is currently at my life under the bus - stop by for your chance to have this strand of handmade beads come to you... where you take what you like and add what you can ... then send it along!

The Art Bead Love Tour

By Staci L. Smith

We here at Love My Art Jewelry are always trying to think of new ways to spread the love of handmade, and the message to create handmade with handmade.  So we put our brains together and came up with this idea, the Art Bead Love Tour. 

The Art Bead Love Tour is an ongoing project to spread the love of handmade to new and exciting places.  It’s a way to reach people who may have never stumbled upon our blog on their own, and give them a chance to share the love of handmade.  We chose to use a chain to link beads as a symbol of  how this project links us all together~ in our unity to stand behind handmade.

We have filled one and a half feet of chain with handmade beads, charms and pendants, donated by our own Love My Art Jewelry Group.  There are 60 beads on this chain, worth approximately $450.  It includes ceramic, glass, polymer, various metals and metal clay beads.  It’s a true tribute to handmade in all its beady glory!  These beads are ready to go on tour…….the Art Bead Love Tour!  This tour is basically an art bead swap, which will go on and on and on. 

Here is how it works. 

PLEASE.......

....please read the entire post before entering).

We will have a giveaway for this chain (how to enter is explained at the end of the post)

The Details:

1.    The winner of the chain will be allowed to take up to 30 beads from this chain.  They will then replace each bead they took, with another handmade bead, charm or pendant of equal quality.  It is so important that the quality of the beads be maintained, so that we can keep the Art Bead Love Tour alive.  We want to share consistent quality with the next winner.  If you make your own handmade beads or components, it’s a great way to get your beads into the world for people to try them out, or, if you hoard  collect art beads, it’s a great way to share your collection and get some new additions as well.  (Art Beads should be handmade by an artist, and not mass produced, such as Hill Tribes Silver beads or others like them).  Remember the focus is on creating handmade with handmade and beads/components taken should be replaced with beads/components that are made by an individual not an organization. 

2.    The winner will post pictures of what was taken and what was added, in order to keep an account of the chains progress and to keep our followers drooling.  Please be sure to give credit to the bead artists as well.

3.    The winner will then have a giveaway, just like this one, to keep passing the chain on and on.  Rules can be copied and pasted from here.

4.    When you repost your giveaway (remember you can copy and paste from here)-a list should be added to show where the chain has gone, with links to each previous blog.  Ultimately, this will end up being a very long list!

For example: 

Look where the chain has been……

www.lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.com

www.yourblog.blogspot.com

www.thenextpersonsblog.blogspot.com

5.    Chain must be shipped to its new home via Priority Small Flat Rate box with delivery confirmation.  Please package it carefully.

6.    There will be a button on the Love My Art Jewelry Website that links to the current blog and giveaway- so if you have the chain, it will link to your blog, that way our followers can have another chance to win it.

7.    You MUST exchange your beads and have your giveaway completed within two weeks of receiving the chain.

(Please please please, if you can not adhere to the above rules, do not enter the giveaway at this time.  It will go on and on and you can always enter at a later date.)  There will be a button on the side bar of our blog so that you can track where the chain currently is.

OK- How to Enter:

1.     You must have a blog to enter.

2.     Leave a comment below (make sure your email is linked to your blog or leave it in the comment.  Entries without emails will not qualify)

3.    Share on Facebook, Twitter or your blog for extra chances to win.  Leave a comment for each way you share, with a link if possible.

4.    Winner will pay shipping and will be billed through paypal-small priority flat rate box with delivery confirmation $6.00. 

5.    Open only to our readers in the United States- due to problems with tracking and shipping overseas (sorry).  Please note- I am having a small giveaway on my blog for our international friends only!!!  So hop over to enter.

6.    Check back here on November 30^th to see if you’ve won.

7.    Good luck and share the love of handmade!

Please, if you have any questions, you can email me directly at staci.louise@hotmail.com

Check it out and see why we call it the Art Bead LOVE Tour……………………..

<-------donated by Izzy

donated by Kelli------->

<--------Donated by LeAnn

Donated by MaryAnn------->

<----donated by D'arsie (who has since left the group due to other obligations, but was so kind to donate to this great project)

donated by MaryJane------------->

<-----Donated by Patty

donated by me (staci)------------->

Here are some pictures of the finished chain......