A Breathe of Fresh Air

by Staci Louise Smith

I have been really busy the last couple months, and I had hoped to have a tutorial sort of post today, but alas, I barely got unpacked from Bead Fest (you can read about that here), and it was time for School and then Labor Day at the shore with the kids.  

And I still have not unpacked from that.

So........................

I thought I would share a little bit of my vacation.  I love the shore- even if it is stormy, which it was- the ocean was rough and the winds were harsh at times over the holiday due to a hurricane off the coast.  We still managed to take in the wind (fresh sea air) and walk the beach.  We had one good beach day and were able to swim, and another sunny day we got to spend in the bay since the beach was closed.  

If you know my work, it should come as no surprise that my pieces are often inspired by the sea, sea creatures and finds / treasures left on the shore.

Here are some pictures that inspire me from the weekend, whether its the colors, textures or the shells I have found.  I even included a couple of shot of how I display these things around my home to keep the inspiration going.

So I am ready to clean up tomorrow and get into the list of things I need to get done in the studio.  My juices are itchin to play though, because I am always inspired when I come home from the shore.

Do you have one place that seems to inspire you more then somewhere else?

October at the Beach and a Sea Glass Wire Tutorial

by Staci L. Smith

Every fall the hubs and I get away for weekend, to make our way to LBI NJ for a weekend away from the kids.  We go to Chowderfest, and I used to a sea glass festival there too.  However, I have since let the show go to spend the time with the hubs.  Well this year, a Nor -Easter with flooding canceled Chowderfest and plagued the island with HIGH winds and flooding.  We had rented a house, and decided to go anyhow.  It was fun and he and I enjoyed watching the ocean rage and being rained in.  It was sort of peaceful (except for the ever present wind howling).

(here is a video of the winds and sea, turn down the volume, its howling)

Because of the weather, we decided to go the next weekend as well and take the kids (this is the life of two self employed individuals- we can't plan anything and do last minute stuff all the time).  The weather was calling to be wonderful and we didn't do a week vacation this year, only a couple day trips to the beach.  Now, I love the beach.  To say my kids also love the beach is an understatement. 

(same beach a week later, huge difference, right?)

 I am so thrilled that they share of our love of beach combing, and just relaxing in the beauty of the shore.  We have come to love that little island, and October is my favorite month to go.  The beach is cooler, but the water is still warm.  NO crowds on the beach, and people are there fishing with cars on the beach, walking dogs or sitting with coolers of beer and watching the waves.  The entire vibe is different and everything slows down.

We had two days with the kids and it was wonderful.  Saturday we hit one end of the island, Holgate (both ends of the island are the BEST for beach combing you know!)  While beach combing with the family, I loved seeing the different things they each though of as treasure.  My youngest son, he finds the odd things- knife handles, pieces of old tools, plastic army men..........and each one holds some sort of story to him.  For instance, he found some sort of crank handle and swore it was part of a harpoon.  How could we tell him it wasn't !  (they made swords to play with from old fence and grasses)

My sweet daughter has a bleeding heart for all the broken shells.  Ever since she was a toddler, her beach pile contained all the broken ones.  I think she is sad no one loves them and so she takes them home with her.  

(art on the beach with her broken shells- it spells "sea")

My eldest, he looks for fossils, sea glass and stones.  He is constant competition with me for the most or best sea glass!!!!
  

(he got the "find of the day" award for this old bottle neck)

(this beach was pure beachcombing joy and we found lots of amazing treasures here)
Below is just some of the loot we scored from the beach at the other end of the island- Barnagat Light-  this weekend.

(horse jaw?)

As we all walked the beach, shrieking for joy at the odd things we found, I looked around, and thought- man these guys are my heart, and this place holds it.  

:sigh: ok, enough sappy stuff (they grow so fast, I am really feeling it these days).  All this beach combing, and visiting the sea glass festival got me to thinking about sea glass again.  So, I want to share with you a short wire wrapping tutorial on sea glass.  I have seen A LOT of them out there, and so many have you wrap it real fancy or pretty, but if you pull on it, your sea glass will fall right out.  And take it from a fellow beachcomber, losing a dear found treasure is NOT what you want.
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Here is how I wrap.  Each piece is totally different, so, it will vary, but the concept is the same for all of them.

1.  I used 18g copper wire for this.  I like to use the thickest gauge I can manage without blocking out the sea glass.  18g is definitely my go to size.  I also chose a square piece of sea glass, because for me, they were the most challenging.  Since you have to capture each side so it can't move, it is a bit harder then with triangular pieces, with have points you can wrap the wire around to hold it tight.

2.  I always start with the bail, and there is  GOOD reason for that.  Make a wire wrapped loop and close it 

3.  Hold the bail where it will go, and bring the long wire down the center of the back

4.  Bring the wire back up the center to the bail, and wrap it tightly around once.  Make sure the wire is tight to the glass the entire time. 

5.  Now you need to capture the sides so the glass can't fall out.  First I go around a corner and then halfway down, pull the wire to the back of the sea glass.  Then holding it tight, I wrap it up and around the bail again.  Wrapping the wire around the bail each time secures that it can't move or shift, and you won't be able to pull it apart when you are done. 

6.  Now come from the back again, to the other side, so down to the bottom and then back up the back side, and wrap around the bail again.  If your wire feels tight, and the sea glass can't be moved within your cage, you are done.

7. Wrap around the bail again and tuck your end in.  File any sharp edges of the wire if needed.  this shows the back side 

8.  This shows the front

Here are some other samples of my wire wrapped sea glass.  You can see how each one is going to be very unique.

If you really want to have some fun, you can drill the sea glass and then use wire to attach them (as seen below)

I have a free sea glass drilling tutorial here

along with a video.  I will be adding some sea glass kits (drill bits and genuine sea glass pieces) to the shop next week if anyone is interested, check back then (here).

I leave you with one of my newest pieces, inspired by our trips this weekend with a piece of wrapped sea glass, an ammonite, fossil bones and other goodies!  It will be at the Crafts in the Meadow with me, for sale this weekend.

Have fun with your beach finds!  I know I do!!!!

Boot Camp: Hoops and Negative Space

by Staci L. Smith

I was going to do a little tutorial on soldering hoops, but MaryAnne posted this great video that did all the work for me!  Thanks MaryAnne!

 

So it allows me to talk today about why I love using hoops / loops in my designs and some ideas of how to use them. 

 

 

 

 

 

I have always been drawn to hoops, whether in the form of wire or a donut bead.  They offer endless possibilities in design.  They can be a focal piece or an accent.  The can be connectors, or made into chain.  The form of the hoop, can give you an array designs and styles to chose from.

 

I personally like the negative space it creates.

Negative space is a space that is not occupied, or taken up by a focal piece.  It is used in great paintings, to push your eye to the main focal point of the picture, or to keep your eye moving around the piece. 

 

I find that water color artists often are the masters of negative space in paintings.  Below is a good example.  See how the negative space between the trees allows you to focus on the trees themselves? 

 

 

Painting by Pat Howard of the Painted Prism

http://thepaintedprism.blogspot.com/2012/05/watercolor-workshop-negative-painting.html

 

In jewelry, not only does a hoop provide negative space, but it can also lighten up a large piece of jewelry by occupying more area, using less material.  Using heavy stones, ceramic and glass can weigh a piece of jewelry down.  Especially if you like your jewelry large like I do.  Hoops allow me to make the pieces more wearable.

 

Creating a large focal using hoops, like this piece, allows you have a large piece that is very light, both in actuality and to the visually.

 

 

 

Adding negative space can also break up a flow of solid chunkiness, to give the eye a break from the heaviness, and since its a hoop, it carries the eye through the piece, without creating a break that is unappealing.

 

 

 

In fact, I am so drawn to negative space, I even started adding it to my beads, as in these skeleton hearts I created in polymer clay.

 

 

 

I have used hoops this year, to allow me to make some simpler pieces, that can still be funky.  In this piece, I used a simple loop to hang a bead I loved from.  That way, the focus is the paisley bead (by Diana of Suburban Girl Studio).  A very simple design, that is light and chunky at the same time.

 

 



Here I soldered some loops together and gave them a verdigris patina, and they have become the focal point.  I made it asymmetrical, so it could still be funky, yet it is light and simple at the same time.

 

 

Hoops don't have to be empty though, and I have also used them to frame beads that I want to accent, like in this piece with a fancy Joan Miller Bead

 

 

I hope you enjoyed a little trip through my mind, and how and why I love the shape of the hoop.  I also hope its inspired you to use them in jewelry creations.  Hoops span all styles of jewelry.  It is the most basic form.  It can be simple or complex.

 

Please share you hoop /loop creations in our Flickr group this month for the current Boot Camp.  I also hope you will join us on

 

October  14th for the blog hop, and show off what you have been making with hoops!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Symbolism in Jewelry : Cairns

by Staci L. Smith

We took a family trip to north to the mountains of PA this past weekend.  Now, if you follow me at all, you know I love the sea side, but, I could

 love it in green hills with rolling creeks too. It would be perfect to have a home in both places.  Perhaps someday.............. 

 

If you want to, you can read about the trip here on my personal blog.  It was fantastic.

Anyhow, while we were there, we collected rocks.  Being right by Pine Creek was pretty awesome, and not only were there billions of perfect river stones, but fossils too.  Tons and tons of small marine fossils in the shale, sandstone and limestone rocks. 

You should know that my love of beads and jewelry started as a love for rocks.

 

Here is a peek at the hoard I brought home.



I plan to bezel the fossil rocks that are small enough, like the one above.  However, the rivers stones were going to be drilled, so that I could use them in jewelry and even sell some sets too.

Where does the symbolism come in?  Read on..................

As soon as we started rock collecting in the mountains, my mom suggested we build some cairns'.  I have always loved the look of cairns- or stacked rocks.  You can read more about them here.  They are often used as trail markers or memorials. 

Here is where the symbols come in.  As you know, I use a lot of spirals in my jewelry, because I just love spirals!  And spirals often symbolize a journey.  I instantly knew that I would make Journey Cairns or journey markers for necklaces using stacked rocks and spirals.

So I got to drilling, ripped out my leather, and make a couple of these.  They are reminiscent of my sea glass stacks that I have made in the past.  The difference is, these have meaning to them. 

 

 

What a nice souvenir- and I even added a little fossil stone at the bottom!  I think there will be more to come!

 

 I may do some with sea glass and river stones, for those who love the water like me, from its origins in the mountains to its journeys end at the sea.  Or even add some turquoise, since it has often been known as a stone of protection....just to add some more meaning to each piece.  Do you use symbols in your jewelry? 



 

Free Your Mind for Free form Wire Work

by Staci L. Smith

Since this months Boot Camp is all about wire and what you can do with it, I thought we'd talk a little bit about my history of crazy free form wire work.

 

I do not read instructions.  I do not follow rules.  Typical wire wrapping is Greek to me, and I never tried it because I hate to have to measure anything (yes, I am kinda lazy that way).  For me, the free form wire work comes very natural, so it all worked out.  However, I realize that it is not so for everyone.  Some people are very intimidated to just dive right in and play.  I will not lie, there is a learning curve, lots of unwrapping and re-wrapping or wrapping too much, until you can get that balance of function and design....but you can do it.

 

When I started- I basically learned so I could capture sea glass in wire.

 

 

Staci Louise Originals the early days.....lol

 

 

 

I never took a class to wrap stones or sea glass (obviously) so there was a lot of trial and error.  The most important thing to me at first was to learn to capture the glass securely, so it couldn't be pulled apart.  There is nothing worse then wrapping something up really nice and then it pulls apart off one side, and your sea glass falls out.

 

Then I learned to drill sea glass, so the wire wrapping was able to become more decorative and less functional.

 

 

(this was all sterling silver mind you, back when it was $8-$12 an oz!!!!)

 

 

 

Then I tried this style below, the loop with beads wrapped around the outside, and only made a couple....it just wasn't me

 

 

However, trying this allowed me to think about making a wire frame and attaching beads to it.  So, of course, I took this technique and ran with it- and made it bigger...................

 

my tide line design in sea glass

 

AND BIGGER...................

 

 

 

 

Then I added wire as charms and adornments to my beaded pieces

 

 

 

and that is about it. 

 

 

Free form wire work- just try it, and be bold and have fun!  You won't discover anything amazing if you don't try!

 

I hope seeing my early work has inspired you to just jump in and try.  And remember- post your progress, experiments and success's in our flickr group (for the current Boot Camp Only)! 

 

have fun!