A Thousand Dreams

Moving the Blog Back

2010-02-20T13:56:00.002-06:00

I'm trying to decide if I should move my blog back here, and then just link to my other pages. There are some things (ease of use is a biggie) that I really like here at blogger. The other is the ability to have followers. One drawback is I can't get on this one at work, as Blogger is blocked. I would like the ability to write an entry during my lunch hour at work. Gotta re-think this and either stick with my decision to move or move it on back. Hmmmmm.

I have moved the blog

2009-12-02T20:21:00.004-06:00

to my own site, where I can have more pages, galleries, etc..... it is a work in progress, but the blog is there and all moved ....

www.thousanddreams.com

2009-12-02T20:21:00.001-06:00

Moving!

2009-11-29T21:48:00.001-06:00

I am going to move my blog to a self hosted blog with WordPress software and will from now on (if all works out) be found

HERE

Soon, the address www.thousanddreams.com will go there, too, instead of here. I will leave it here for a while until I make sure I want to stay with the new digs....

and more work!

2009-11-22T06:30:00.007-06:00

It is amazing what goes into putting together a display for a show when it comes down to actually doing it. I have been happily puttering with my jewelry for several years, doing a custom job now and again, and more recently, posting on Etsy and making some sales there. Now I am preparing for my first show and sale. I was invited with about 5 weeks leeway, and kicked it into gear. But, I had to rethink packaging and still must think about pricing and display. There is an amazing web site that I'm sure anyone searching for packaging and display ideas could find with a google search by Rena Klingenberg at http://jewelrydisplayideas.com/ that has been helpful.

For packaging, I was using a fairly time consuming process with a (not sure what to call it....) puffy box that I was cutting, scoring and folding myself, then wrapping with a paper ribbon and sticking my card in it. Looked good, but not doable for a show, especially when I am not the one doing the packaging - the show has a central check out station.

So.... I bought some kraft boxes and I am circling the cover only with the paper strip. I also got some sticker paper, and printed up my name and email to stick on the cover of each box.

Display - have a table, but no cover. I bought a large black 'wedding' table cloth on ebay to cover the table. More to do and think about, but I will have to do that later in the week.

Earring cards and display - designed some earring cards (pictured, except the background image of the tree is fainter) , and will need to come up with a display hanger. Have an idea for using picture frames.

It's been a while

2009-11-21T19:01:00.005-06:00

since I've sold anything on Etsy, but I sold a pair of copper earrings yesterday. I have been busy getting new inventory ready for the Holiday sale and have not posted new items or done any pr to attract buyers.

My living room is overtaken by trays of jewelry parts, wires, beads, threats, tools and you name it. Thank goodness dh is unfazed.

And in other news, the mild weather continues to hold. 50's in November is a treat. The deer hunting season started today, and puts a dent in the outdoor activities I feel comfortable doing. No walking in the woods for me. I don't even like running by woods at this time of year.

oh, and new earring design!

2009-11-20T07:29:00.004-06:00

not a good photo - just snapped a quick one so I could remember the design after I sell the earrings. These particular pairs won't be going on Etsy. I won't be posting on Etsy until after this Holiday sale, so if there are requests, please make them as custom order requests.

Plugging away

2009-11-20T07:24:00.002-06:00

at getting enough stuff ready for my first sale .... Holiday Art Show at the Cafe Wren. It is exhausting to work full time at the 'day' job and then try to do jewelry work at night. And the weather has been so blasted NICE! No, that's not really a complaint - it's just that it's so hard to stay inside to work all day on the weekends when it is so unseasonably warm. Another two weeks and I can let down a little. I think!

Holiday Art Sale

2009-11-08T07:54:00.003-06:00

coming up at the Cafe Wren in Luck, WI. A great place to get much of your shopping done, the show will run for two weekends. 25 area artists are participating. Wares include jewelry, stained glass, aromatherapy lotions and soaps, framed art, pottery and more!

I will be posting photos of some of what I will have there soon.

Join us and spread the word!

Girl in Hyacinth Blue

2009-11-07T06:50:00.007-06:00

In my daily job as a reading teacher, I teach the kid's to ask themselves two questions while reading to check understanding: who? and what? So, to ask these questions of Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland. Who? A painting.

A painting? The who in the book is a painting? A reading teacher may suspect a problem with comprehension. We usually expect the book to be about something living - a person, or animal, perhaps. Or maybe even about a place.

In Girl in Hyacinth Blue, the main 'character' , so to speak, is indeed, a painting. A painting that may or may not be a Vermeer. There are only 35 known Vermeers in existence, and the fictional painting in this novel, is suggesting it may be the 36th. The painting evokes strong emotions and reactions from nearly all who view it.

And to ask "What?" Through a series of engaging stories that trace the history of the painting by beginning in the 21st century and working back through time, the painting changes hands and circumstances throughout the years. We meet a introspective man who is obsessed by the painting, while being haunted by what he knows of how is father obtained it during war time in Amsterdam and a struggling farm family where the wife tries to resist her husband's wish to selling the painting for a pittance although her children need food and warm clothes. The painting sits sentry over the memories of a first love, watches as a marriage unravels and provides the only warmth and light in a home no more than a hovel.

The last story answers some of the mystery that surrounds the artwork through the years. But many of the questions linger. What is the true value of a work of art? Is it monetary or is it the feeling and emotions it provokes? How can an inanimate object inspire such extremes of emotion? And finally, the question posed by the artist himself, "Why does the world need another painting of a woman alone in a room? Or a hundred more paintings?"

I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of books I have finished and then turned back to the first page and started reading again. This is one of them.

(Note: This book review will run on Tuesday in the Wisconsin Etsy Seller's Moo Crew Blog, with a chance to win a copy of the book. Here is a link to that entry with the details about your chance to win at the end of the entry.)

Pendant class worked out better

2009-11-06T19:27:00.007-06:00

than the photos of the work! I did remember to bring my camera this time, but the florescent lighting in the school art room did nothing for the pieces. Well, you can get the idea. The students did great work. All pieces were a success! I think the participants went home happy. I know they went home wearing their pendants.

a surprise for me

2009-11-04T06:00:00.002-06:00

this morning ... my set of fine silver stacked rings in featured in a treasury on Etsy, right here. The theme is a selection of Christmas gift ideas from Wisconsin artists, and titles, I'm Dreaming of a WI Christmas." Treasuries with lots of views and comments get moved towards the front pages of the treasury listings, so if you read this,take a peek at the treasury and make a comment if you wish.

Ornament Swap with the MooCrew

2009-11-02T19:53:00.004-06:00

I wish I would have looked at the pictures I took before I sent the ornament, cuz I didn't get a good one. It looks better in real life, as things often do. But, it's off in the mail to the recipient - mailed it a day late, but got 'er done!

I will have to take a picture of the one I received, too. ... it is very unique and beautiful, of cloth, I think, almost in a glued patchwork style, and shiny!

Earth Arts - Fall Salon 2009 Wrap-Up

2009-10-23T06:11:00.002-05:00

Earth Arts - Fall Salon 2009 Wrap-Up

Enjoy this slide show showing some of the art works and participants.
Posted using ShareThis

Texture Tests, over n over

2009-10-22T20:07:00.005-05:00

YAYYY!!!! I think.

I have been trying for months now to get a texturing technique for PMC known as 'tear away' to work for me. It originated, as far as I can tell, by Celie Fargo and her directions can be found if you Google "PMC Tear Away Technique." The technique involves using black and white art that you cop7 with a toner based copier, then burnishing that to a sheet of polymer clay with heat to create a paper that is used to texture metal clay. I have had limited - wait, that's NO success - until perhaps tonight.

Here's some of what I think went wrong. If you are trying this yourself, then read on.

1. Age ain't always better. Don't use Sculpey III (the recommended brand) that you bought off ebay, and then later read the package and find out it expired in 1999. Too old and crumbly.

2. Scupley III is recommended over original Sculpey for a reason. Even though WalMart only carries original Scupley. At least around here. Too soft and mushy.

3. If you have a double oven and the top oven is small, then the paper and clay will be close to the heating elements, and everything will burn. Even if the oven is set to the correct temp. Use your lower oven. Trust me on this one.

4. Burnishing with a heat gun for just a few seconds instead of leaving it under a light bulb for up to 30 minutes, does not work. It burns up the paper and hardens the clay under it.

This is what is working now (I think. It's in the oven as I write.)

1. I used Super Firm Sculpey not expired, in a grey color.

2. Hand burnish the paper to the clay for about 90 seconds, then using a light bulb 7 inches from the set-up and let sit for 10 minutes. Then burnish for another minute or two (you should start to see the design from the wrong side of the paper) and let it sit for another 10 minutes and pull the paper from the clay.

3. I baked the paper and the clay in the lower oven at 250 degrees for 20 mins.

I just took them out of the oven and I have a sheet of paper that I think will texture my clay. And a plate that could be used to roll clay out on, with the inverse texture.

Will try it on the clay soon, and post the results.

Yah!

Earth Arts Fall Salon

2009-10-18T21:18:00.004-05:00

reception on Friday night at the Cafe Wren in Luck was so much fun. Lots of unique and talented interpretations of the kaleidoscope theme. Here is the other bracelet I entered. This one is fine silver and polymer clay. The copper and polymer clay was pictured in my last blog entry.

October, 5 pm

2009-10-12T18:09:00.003-05:00

reminds me of the colors of fall towards the end of the day. I made this piece for an art show where the theme is Kaleidoscope. The bracelet is made from copper metal clay and the inlays are of polymer clay.

The show will be held at the Cafe Wren this coming weekend, with a reception on Friday evening from 5 until 8. Come if you are near Luck, Wi!

Class was a success!

2009-10-11T17:36:00.003-05:00

The students in my metal clay workshop created some very, very cool pieces. I was so impressed. At left is a photo of their pendants before they were fired.

Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera to the second class, when everyone finished their pendants and took them home.

Lots of Firsts!

2009-09-28T18:41:00.003-05:00

I am teaching my first workshop tomorrow night - a PMC Pendant through Amery Community Education. Enough are registered for the class to be a go. So, go it will. Hope it's a sucess! Still one more class scheduled through Unity Community Ed in Balsam Lake. Here is the link to the original blog entry with the information on the class.

Earth Arts Fall Show - Theme is Kaleidoscope

2009-09-26T07:52:00.001-05:00

I am excited to have two pieces entered into the Earth Arts Fall Salon!

2009 Fall Salon - October 16-18, 2009
The 2nd annual EA Fall Salon art exhibition will be held on October 16-18, 2009 in the community room at Café Wren in Luck, WI. Potters, painters, sculptors, jewelers and glass artists are some of the many artists and artisans who will showcase their work created around this year's theme, "Kaleidescope"

A gala reception will be held on Friday evening from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. Come meet the artists, enjoy complimentary refreshments and cast your vote for the People's Choice Award. Two other awards will also be given on Friday evening, the Exhibitors' Award and the Juror's Award which will be selected by Anastasia Shartin of The Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, WI.

Mixed results with copper clay

2009-09-13T17:22:00.002-05:00

I am going to have to keep track of WHERE in the pan I put the pieces - maybe make a little map as I load them. This latest batch of copper clay elements was more than half successful - and the rest of the pieces either broke easily, or as in the case of a toggle bar, seemed like it was never fired.

Firing schedule was 1650, full ramp, with a hold time of 3.5 hours. None of the pieces was over six cards thick, total, except for the toggle. I thought the 3.5 hours would be fine.

HMMMMMM.

Spinach Salad with Apples, Pecans and Feta

2009-09-13T12:26:00.003-05:00

In an effort to get back to healthier eating with more fruits, veggies and fresh foods, I finally went to the grocery store yesterday. Here's what I put together for today's lunch and it was fantastic! It looks pretty, too - reds, greens and white.

Use any amounts you like, depending on how big you want your salad to be.

spinach leaves
apple, tomato , red pepper and red onion, cut into bite sized pieces

Mix together, and drizzle with Newman's Own Light Rasperry and Walnut salad dressing

Sprinkle with pecans and feta cheese.

Announcing Give Away Winner

2009-07-30T06:25:00.002-05:00

Xanthe, of the Etsy business oddstuffbyXanthe, is the winner of the Fine Silver Focal bead from the give away contest offered in my Wist-Etsy Moo Crew blog feature in July.

Congratulations!!

Give Away Update!

2009-07-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

It just got a lot easier - I am closing my shop for vacation, and I didn't realize you would not be able to see my items.... so just leave a comment on the WIST Etsy Moo Crew Blog, under my feature. Winner will be randomly drawn. Way easier! Good luck.

Silver Focal Bead Give Away to WIST Etsy Moo Crew Readers

2009-07-22T10:34:00.007-05:00

Ok, so here's the deal. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to the WIST-Etsy's Moo Crew Blog and read the Tuesday, July 21 Feature Interview ... featuring me! If you arrived here from there, and want to enter the free bead drawing, then go on. Time to jump through a few hoops. Gotta make you work a little for something free!

1. Visit my shop on Etsy, (you can get there from the ETSY mini on this page) and decide which is your favorite item. I would really appreciate the feedback to help me decide what people like! You can include anything from the sold items section, too.

2. Visit my Thousand Dreams Designs Facebook Fan page, here, and leave a comment telling me which of my items is your favorite and why. Become a fan, too, if you like, but this is not required.

and

3. To get entered into the drawing, go back to the Moo Crew Blog and post a comment, making sure to leave your name. A name will be randomly drawn from those who have completed the contest rules! Good luck!

Your prize will be mailed in mid-August .... as I am going on vacation until then.

Add an ETSY Mini to your blog!

2009-07-21T12:00:00.002-05:00

(I wrote this blog entry for the WIST-Etsy Seller's Moo Crew blog where it will be running today. I am also posting it here.)

To help let people who read my blog know about my Etsy site, I have been loading my pictures in from Flickr, and putting a link to my Etsy site from the sidebar of my blog. The problem with this is that the photos don't accurately reflect what is actually for sale on my site. I started noticing that other people have an actual square of images that show items that are currently for sale on their sites. So I decided .... time to learn about how they do this. I thought I would follow my quest for our latest Tutorial Tuesday.

Whenever I want to learn something new now, I start with a search on Google. I found out that I am looking to add what's called an Etsy Mini to my blog. The search first returned some utube how-to videos, but my style of learning just isn't into videos ... and they always take longer to load than I have patience for. The other results were from the Etsy knowledge base, so I decided to go there. (At this point, I think about not needing to do this tutorial, but a few steps into the process I find they don't explain the whole process. You can find out here how to set up the mini, but not how to make it show up in your blog.)

So... I go to Etsy Storque (the place where you learn how to do all things Etsy) .... and they have.... a video. The purpose then for this tutorial is to help someone learn how to do an Etsy Mini without having to watch a video how-to. I guess I probably will have to watch the video first though, in order to find out how to do this. The video is by Timothy Adams. If you think that watching a video is the best way for you to learn, then simply click here, and go to Timothy's video...

If you'd rather read and do, then continue on.

Step I.: Log into your Etsy, then click on Your Etsy.

Step 2: Scroll down, and on the bottem left, click on Etsy Mini, at the bottom.

Step 3: Time to build your own Etsy Mini. This is fairly self-explanatory, if you follow the directions. If you are a seller, you can showcase from your own shop. If you are an Etsy user, you can showcase from your favorites from any Etsy sellers. So check your preference here. For this Tutorial, we are checking Items from my Shop.

Step 4: Next, choose your layout ... how many columns and rows you would like. I chose to two columns (for a blog, this is probably your choice. Three columns don't fit.) and three rows.

Step 5: After you approve of your layout, you need to scroll a little further down the page and choose the appropriate box to check for where you will be posting your mini. I am going to add my Etsy to my blog, so I will use box number 1. Box number 2 is for MySpace and social networking sites. I am assuming that means Facebook as well, but for this tutorial, I am only testing usage for blogs. So, go to Box number 1, and using your computer commands (on Mac, it is Command, C) copy the code. Just copy what is inside the white box, but make sure you get it all!

Step 6: You need to go to your blog now. (I, like manym use Blogger, and from hereon in, these directions are specific for Blogger. For a different Blog Host, look for the similar functions.) From your tab choices in Blogger, choose the Layout tab.

Step 7: Once, in Layout, on the right hand side, go to Add A Gadget.

Once you get into this area, then look for the section labeled HTML/JavaScript , and click on the blue plus sign.

Add a title. I simply titled mine, Visit my Etsy Shop, and then paste the code into the white box.
SAVE. And that's it .... go to your blog, and you should see your Etsy shop items! To see how it looks, you can visit my blog here. Look on the right, at the top!

New Firing

2009-07-20T21:48:00.002-05:00

for the copper. This time I fired it at 1650 for 3.5 hours - well, actually three hours and 50 minutes - I set up the kiln outside in bright light, and it is hard to read. Luckily, it was only twenty minutes longer than I intended and I think no harm was done.

The copper was still pitted. I fired the pieces vertically this time, thinking that if the carbon didn't sit right on top of the surface, then maybe.... still happened. No better, no worse.

So .... I need two mirror surfaces on at least two of these lotus leave pendants. Time to find out how deep the pits are. Hand sanding, even with rough paper didn't have much of an impact. Now I'm trying to grind of off with an attachment I found for my rotary tool, which if anyone is intersted, I can post a picture of it. I don't know what it is called. Seems to be working, or at least much improved. The photo posted here is after several passes with this, and I now I have to do some hand sanding and finishing.

Copper Clay is the Pits!

2009-07-19T19:13:00.005-05:00

Just kidding. I love it ... but I did have a problem today, twofold with a batch of lotus leave pendants that I fired.

First problem, all of the bails fell off! I think I know why. I fired the copper at the schedule for up to six cards thick, with a hold of two hours, because they were only 4 cards thick. But .... I forgot that the bail is another 3 cards, folded in half, so six cards in and of itself. Added to the pendant, makes .. 10 cards thick. So I should have used the longer firing schedule, with a hold of 3.5 hours.

Also the surfaces were pitted. I took such pains when rolling the clay to get it smooth - with no air bubbles. After the clay was dry, I sanded the surface to a very smooth polish, before firing, with no blemishes. But after firing ... pit marks that can't be sanded out, as they are too deep. The pieces pictured have already been worked on somewhat - that's why so shiny (see photo at left. The one in the center, on right has carved lined in it that I put there before firing, but on all the others, the pit marks are still there. Hmmmm. Not sure what to do about that. The marks seems to be on both sides, so it won't work to just flip the piece over. It obviously has to do with the charcoal on the surface of the clay as it fires. I can't think of any way not to have this happen.

I did a search on line. Didn't find any helpful info yet.

Help! If you can, I'm listening.

Back to it!

2009-07-12T20:54:00.004-05:00

I need to Get Back to work! Tomorrow! Studio hours 8-12 = then I can go play. I have been playing daily for the last couple of weeks, like I am on vacation or something. Time to get motivated!!!! And, a real Vacation IS coming up in two weeks.

Not been totally sitting on my butt - ran a 10K Saturday, we got our entryway tiled, and took a 25 mile bike ride today.

Reading lots .... presently half through a great book, Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Biafra's struggle to establish independence from Nigeria in the 1960's is told through the lives and interactions of several interconnected characters with differing nationalities, lifestyles and stations in life.

Before that, Little Bee, by Chris Cleave, told mostly through the eyes of Little Bee, a Nigerian refugee, who lands into the house of a British woman with whom she had a shared experience on a beach in Nigeria while the woman was on holiday with her now deceased husband.

Try it! Artist Trading Cards to stimulate creativity...

2009-07-07T08:14:00.003-05:00

Inspiration. Tapping hidden creativity. Getting over an artistic block. Try creating some Artist Trading Cards (ATCs). I became interested in this idea and I wanted to find out more. I decided to learn about them for this week's tutorial and to gather links to further information, photos and galleries. Come along for the artistic fun of it!

I recently bought a book that caught my eye in a thrift store. I picked it purely for inspirational purposes because I liked it and - ok, it was cheap.. The book (also sold by some of Amzaon's used book sellers), Kaleidoscope: Ideas and Projects to Stimulate Creatvity by Suzanne Simanatis mentions mailing art to friends and even to yourself. It reminded of Artist Trading Cards that I had seen in other articles and so I decided to go to the web to find out a little more.

I visited a site called Artist Trading Cards where I learned that Artist Trading Cards are essentially a version of the traditional trading cards that many of us first remember as sport cards. I certainly remember my brother's collecting baseball cards when we were kids, and my own kids collected basketball cards. I noticed school kids in recent years collecting Pokemon and such.

Artist trading cards, however, are not mass produced, but each is an original work of art. Some artists created with one media, and other use mixed media. The basic concept behind cards for many people is to trade the cards. Trades can be made in person by finding an event or by mail. And this being the 21st century, some trading is done electronically. You can find groups on Yahoo by doing a search. I did a search and came up with 335 choices, including a group called Artist Trading Card World.

So, on to creating theATC.

Step 1: The SIZE of the card is what makes it a trading card. It must - and according to many sources, this is the ONLY rule, conform to the size of 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches ( on 64 by 89 mm.) Any other decisions are to be made by the artist. The card can be made of any material, but the artist wants to consider the effect of the choice, as well as the eventual thickness of the card.

Step 2: Gather and set out any materials you may want to use. If you are using one media, that's easy. Or, go on search mission after you get your card cut and ready. Round up some magazines, papers, glues, scissors, stickers, photographs, and whatever else comes into mind or view while gathering. Then sit down and have a go. You do need to think about where to leave room for the address.

Step 3: The good news is next: there are no steps to follow, because that's the whole purpose ... let go and let your mind wander. Create. Try something new. Experiment.

Step 4: Decide what to do with your card. You may decide to post it somewhere you can see it. Or tape it into your design notebook or journal. Put it on your mirror so you see your card each time you see yourself. Maybe you want to mail it to yourself. Or perhaps you'll decide to get involved in an ATC group and trade cards with another artist. The rule (so I guess this makes two rules!) is that they are never to be sold.

I challenged myself to try this for this entry. My first attempt at a card is shown at left. The other two colorful cards shown, the elephant and the butterfly, were created by one of our Wist-Etsy Moo'ers Jamie Gamache, owner of Etsy Store JLW Products.

Give it a try yourself! For more information and inspiration visit the following web sites:

http://www.artist-trading-cards.ch/
http://www.artist-trading-cards.ch/gallery.html
http://www.cedarseed.com/air/atc.html Cedar Seed
http://www.atcsforall.com/
http://www.moderngypsy.com/atc/ Artist site of Artist Trading Cards
http://www.mailartist.com/kiyotei/ATC.html Mailart
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ATC_World/ Email discussion group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alteredbooks/ Email discussion group
http://www.nitaleland.com Nita Leland Website

This article was written by me for the Tutorial Tuesday feature of the Wisconsin Street Team's The Moo Crew Blog and it also appears there today. The Wisconsin Street Team is a group of Wisconsin sellers on Etsy.com. Thanks to Jamie Gamache, of JLW Products, for contributing cards.

Book Review: Pure Silver Metal Clay Beads

2009-06-30T11:35:00.003-05:00

by Linda Kaye-Moses. This book is just out, and I received my copy today. Although I was offered a discount from some of the metal clay organizations, I found the best price at Amazon (surprise, surpise). First impression: nice color photos of the beads and projects, some cool looking beads along with some unique (perhaps odd, but that's not a bad thing!) ones. Stay tuned for a more complete opinion when I've had a chance to read it over.

That's enough to inspire me!

2009-06-24T22:50:00.003-05:00

It's pretty cool that I was featured in Lynn's Artist Motivation blog! You can visit the entry and Lynn's blog at the link here. Lynn does some nice work helping to give artists ideas for inspiration. Just having my work featured in her blog is inspiring to me! She featured a couple of my bracelets, one of which was a work in progress when I emailed her, and has since been finished. The finished photo is pictured here.

This was fun!

2009-06-16T11:25:00.002-05:00

I started with texturing sheets of bronze and copper clays, then just treating them like any sheet metal to put them together into this necklace, which also uses found objects .... some rubber and metal washers, etc. The spiral bead at the top is of silver metal clay, and the cord is brown leather, finished with a hand-done bronze wire S clasp.

PMC Pendant - Silver Metal Clay - Two Classes Scheduled

2009-06-15T09:41:00.014-05:00

Class 1: Tuesdays September 29 and October 6, 2009, 6:30-9:30 at Amery School, Amery, WI
&
Class 2: Tuesdays October 27 and November 3, 2009, 6:30 - 9:30 pm at Unity School, Balsam Lake, WI

Description: A great idea for gift-giving! Learn how to create a pendant of fine silver (.999 silver) using precious metal clay which can be molded and shaped almost like regular clay and is kiln-fired to become hardened fine silver. On night one, you will learn how to texture and shape your pendant, create a roll-over bail and set a stone into the clay. I will fire your pendant between classes. On night two, you will learn to sand, burnish and polish the silver, add a patina, and make a cord with a sterling silver hook and eye clasp.

This class is being offered through the Unity and Amery Schools' Community Education programs. For the class at Amery, contact Tracy Hendrickson at 715-268-9771 ext. 220 or email at hendricksont@amerysd.k12.wi.us. For the class at Unity, call or email Tanna Worrell at 715-825-2101, ext 1560 or tworrell@unity.k12.wi.us for further information or to reserve your spot!

(Note: the classes are the same class being offered twice. You could take both classes and make different pendants.....)

Carribean Blues! New Bracelet

2009-06-14T07:53:00.005-05:00

I often get inspiration from photos I've taken where I've been privileged to witness nature's truly wonderful gifts. This photo taken on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John, and the blues of the water inspire this beach-themed summer charm bracelet. The shell and starfish charms were hand-made by me of fine silver - using a mold I made of a real clam shell for the shell charm, and sculpting the starfish freehand. The other charms were constructed of a beautiful blue faceted Amazonite gem stone, small white freshwater coin pearls, beach glass, swarovski crystals and sterling silver. I am pleased with the look of this bracelet, and as is so often the case, it is hard to capture it's essence in a photo. I've tried under several light conditions and with a few different backgrounds. The picture above was taken outside in natural light and seemed to be about the best I could do. The blues are not showing up as beautiful as they really are, the silver not as shiny and the pearls have a opalescent luster in real life. Trust me on this one!

Nice Message

2009-06-14T07:48:00.005-05:00

We rest here while we can, but we hear the ocean calling in our dreams,
And we know by the morning, the wind will fill our sails to test the seams.
The calm is on the water and part of us would linger by the shore.
For ships are safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.

— Song "Ships" by Tom Kimmel & Michael Lille

Summer Beauty inspires Big Time!

2009-06-12T10:47:00.005-05:00

Wow. Maybe summer should be slow in coming - it helps you appreciate the fine weather when you FINALLY get it. Yesterday was a warm day, after many days of cold, drizzle, rain and clouds. And if it seems I am going on and on about a trivial topic, the point is .... I loved the warmth and

sun and lo and behold, look what showed up bathed in the sun's spotlight! See photos. The Iris is a wild iris that grows along the wet shorelines of Wisconsin Lakes, and the other plant I had to look up. It is called a Pitcher Plant, grows in boggy soil (true - it was very spongy where I disembarked my kayak to take the photos!) and it's carnivorous. It seems I may have saved the lives of the bugs I moved to get buggy-free photos!

The Moo Crew

2009-06-09T21:26:00.004-05:00

The Moo Crew is the blog of the WistEtsy group - a group of Wisconsin Artists who sell on Etsy. I am the volunteer editor of one of the blog features called Tutorial Tuesdays, which runs every other Tuesday. For the first tutorials, I wrote a two part entry on using Color as a design too. Part I ran on May 26, and can be found here. Part II ran on June 9, and can be found here. Color - it can make all the difference!

The blog also features show information, give-aways, interviews with the artists and more.... visit The Moo Crew at http://wist-etsy.blogspot.com/

BACK - Inspired and Tired!

2009-06-09T07:50:00.004-05:00

The Bead and Button Show was an awesome experience! Talk about inspiration, ideas, and BEADS!! Wow. I was busy almost every second for four days - took four workshops and absorbed new ideas and techniques. I am so happy it is summer vacation now so I will actually have time to try some things out.

The brief version - I took classes on soldering metal, copper electroforming, bronzclay and wirewrapping. I will get back to these as I try out some of the new ideas over the next few weeks.

I fired a new batch of bronzclay yesterday, and I am continually amazed at how it looks after firing. In the same firing, there are several variations and colors. I did notice that placement in the container did seem to have an effect. I fired two layers in the pan. The bottom layer had more orange tones, and the top layer was browner. You can see this by looking at the pieces. See photo - the top pieces were actually the bottom layer, and those on the bottom were the top layer.
I used the bottom pieces to make my newest bracelet (pictured at left.) I attached the links with bronze wire links, which I soldered, and used a toggle clasp, which I also constructed from the clay.

Going to the B & B Show!

2009-05-31T07:27:00.004-05:00

I'm going to the Bead and Button show! I have wanted to go to this show for years, and it always falls during the last week of school. This year, I found that I would end the year without using any of my precious personal leave days, and that just wouldn't do - they don't carry over from one year to the next. A day not used, is a day lost. Hmmmmmm..... my chance to take off a few days during the show. I'll be in Milwaukee Monday through late Thursday night, then head in for one day (the last of the year!) to work.

Today, pack. Gotta clean out my car, then stuff if full of tools and stuff I'll need for workshops each day - oh, and my toothbrush and a few clothes, I guess, too!

I will post some pictures from the show and classes this week.

Discovery!!

2009-05-25T22:02:00.005-05:00

I found a very cool bead shop only about 20 miles from my house, in Taylor's Falls, MN, today. I had no idea it was there until last week when a co-worker asked me if I'd ever been there. I do most of my buying online, and don't get to Taylor's Falls too often - it's a touristy town near my favorite State Park, Interstate Park (the Wisconsin side is where the best part of the park is). Until now, the only thing that had attracted me to the actual town was that it has some sport bars for watching games, and since MN is non-smoking, I would drive there before I would sit in a smoky WI bar.

But now .... an awesome bead store. I thought of it when I ended up in a bind this weekend, being unable to find my 1mm black leather cord, and needing it to finish an order. The store is called The Non Necessities of Life, and they have no phone and no web site.... but it is a very well stocked store, with good prices and a nice selection. I ended up spending an hour there and could have stayed longer, when I only meant to quickly run in for my leather cord.

I'm all the colors of the world...

2009-05-18T15:03:00.002-05:00

I love the Color Song by Kira Wiley. And I was going to do my next blog on color schemes and some of the tools I've found fun and useful, but I am now the Tutorial Tuesday editor for the WistEsty Blog Wisconsin Street Team - "The Moo Crew". I've decided to turn that idea into a tutorial that will run next Tuesday, since I will now need to find tutorials to run every other Tuesday.

Let's see - I think I am purple today - bright and happy like a butterfly!

Today I will notice ...

2009-05-08T06:39:00.003-05:00

shades of spring green.

I'm a little bit stuck creatively, due to time constraints of my educational work, which gets more of my time than my artistic work. Whew. I just read a tip at a great post on motivation that I love and I'm copying it here with a link to it:

"...try and find the pattern between things, and connect the dots between random things just for fun when stuck in a rut. Like when I see the color yellow, and I start to focus on finding yellow things — stuff that I didn’t notice before will show themselves to me. I’m heightening my sense of awareness because I’m narrowing my focus to one thing."

This is something easy to do and it plays into creativity.... Lately I have been noticing color. I found some great color tools, too, that I'll share in my next post.

So, on with the day.

Reading rules

2009-05-04T22:10:00.004-05:00

Today I learned that 1st grade readers will apply the rules to unknown words when you don't want them to. Big Al, a large and ugly fish with no friends, decided to wrap himself in seaweed as a disguise and thereby get other fish to talk to him. But alas, in this reading, it seems that poor Al was raped in the seaweed. Silent 'w', then followed by a misuse of the consonant-vowel-consonant-e (cvce) rule that makes the vowel long (they haven't heard of the doubling the final consonant yet, so it was just ignored) and you - or Big Al - gets raped instead of wrapped.

So, I get home from all that and find my energy lacking. Creativity, for me, takes time and definitely take energy. I'm looking forward to summer and that time I need.

Mother Daughter Pendants

2009-04-28T20:15:00.003-05:00

I had a custom request for Mother-Daughter Heart Pendants for Mother's Day and just got those shipped off. I did a couple of others while I was doing these (pictured), and will get them onto Etsy .... great last minute Mother's Day gift!

Word

2009-04-27T21:54:00.003-05:00

Learn something new every day. Great advice. I'm wondering right now what I learned today.

Let's see.... I learned you can re-attach a metal clay bail if it didn't adhere well during the first firing. Not as neat, but it seems secure and strong now. Whew.

I also learned that RoadRunners really do run like in the cartoons. They can run on the ground up to 19 miles per hour, and two of them can kill a rattlesnake. They grow up to two feet tall and live in the temperate and tropical areas of North America. Not in Wisconsin. I'm kinda glad.

Etsy Showcase

2009-04-26T13:14:00.009-05:00

I'm going to try my first Etsy showcase. I just came here to talk about it and then to get to work on organizing my showcase for TOMORROW....then when I checked on it, I found out it was TODAY. So shoot, then I had to get some things organized and get enough in there to use the showcase. So, I sorta blew it. Should have been more organized and with it. Here's a link to the showcase - I don't think I can do a direct link to the Pendants Showcase. Got to the showcase, then to the Jewelry, Pendants category.

Happy Earth Day

2009-04-22T21:30:00.004-05:00

This is a great book to read on Earth Day. Beautifully illustrated. Root for the trees! Yaaaaaay!!

Inspiration

2009-04-20T06:12:00.003-05:00

Inspire: a verb, meaning 'to breathe,' or according to most sources, in the archaic form, 'to breathe life into.' That's what we have going on in Northwestern Wisconsin right now with the almost indescribable green of the new buds on shrubs, shoots bursting from from the recently frozen ground and the swell of people that have left their cold weather cocoons and once again walk the sidewalks and parks of the area.

Somehow I never put the literal meaning of the word (taking in breath) to the more artistic meaning, to get inspiration for new work. It's perfect, though, as these things mostly are, whether or not I've thought about them. Sometimes I eventually get around to appreciating the nuances of meaning in our language as they apply to me.

I harvested a few more pieces from the kiln yesterday: some small charms, a flower pendant that will have a post-firing cz placed into it, some hollow hearts made over cork form (a technique learned from Sherri Haab's book on metal clay - I'll add the title in her later when I look at it) and some scallop shell pendants using a mold made from the actual shell. Will be working these into shape, and posting soon!

No Growing Season

2009-04-19T08:50:00.005-05:00

in Wisconsin in April .... the food items that are in season now and are shown on the map at this link has got that right. I hear that many artists draw inspiration from the natural world around them, and this is true for me as well. Winter has certain appealing forms and ideas, but when nature erupts into bloom, the possibilities expand exponentially. Along with more ideas to draw from, we also have more to bring to the table.

If you click on your state, you get information about what's in season for you ... with links to more information and recipes. Buying in season is moore economical and eco-friendly. I'm waiting for the Wisconsin growing season to buy something. Looks like dormant season ends in May, and I can get asparagus (yum), rubarhb (yum), nettles (um, better click on some recipes here), and sorrels (um, better click on the more info link).

Bring it on!!! Inspiration, new artistic forms and food! I'm ready!!!!

2009-04-17T21:49:00.001-05:00

WIST-Etsy
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Creating Vibrancy

2009-04-15T07:30:00.003-05:00

"Our thoughts and feelings can determine the frequency at which we vibrate, and our vibration goes out into the world and attracts to us energy moving at a similar frequency"

I am going to try an Etsy showcase, for the first time. I had looked into it, but the slots had always been filled. To that end, I need to create some additional pendants within the next week or so. I would like the pendants to radiate vibrancy. The showcase should be in time to attract some Mother's Day sales. To me, the word and concept of 'mother' is deserving of intense vibrancy.

Images: bright green, ivy (Celtic), mountains, branches, heart, sun, stars, strong lines, color, pink

Pasta-ronis off!

2009-04-13T09:43:00.003-05:00

The pasta beads are complete, patina and all, and are being mailed out today. Reference early March tags noodles, pasta, etc. to see experiments regarding this. I never succeeded with the wagon wheel. I tried painting it on, and firing, but the pieces all broke. I tried making a rubber mold, but it was too deep to get the clay, both wet and bone dry, out of the mold in any shape that could be repaired or saved. A metal mold, with molten metal would probably be need here, but that's not what PMC is all about!

The rest of the shapes, including the bow ties, worked fine. The entire process was an excellent learning experience.

It was a workday

2009-04-12T21:03:00.003-05:00

but a good work day. Did not cook dinner until 7pm and it was easy, and watched the Celtics lose, and got to work on the Nancy Botwin. Something seems a little off-kilter thinking about Nancy .... and the meanings behind the lotus leaf .... it seems more meditative and serene. Oh, well, here it is, pictured.

Nancy Botwin Necklace

2009-04-12T07:25:00.003-05:00

Ah, a fellow weeds enthusiast has commissioned me to make a necklace 'like the one Nancy Botwin wore on the DVD cover of Season 1 of Weeds.' In collaboration and searching, we found a concave lotus leaf shape that seems to be very close to that necklace, pictured.

The customer wants just the inside and plans to hang a few of her own gemstones from the bail. I'm posting this photo for my own reference as it shows they curved shape better than the one she found.

I like it with both pieces. Very simple, classy.

Bronzclay Bracelet Finished!

2009-04-11T17:43:00.004-05:00

The bronze spiral bracelet is complete. Looks like an ancient piece unearthed. The look is clunky, but the bracelet is not heavy. Learned about hinges and more about using the bronzclay. I did have one piece that broke, and I had to remake it. I tried to repair, but the repair did not hold after firing. Perhaps did not use enough new clay - I used some slip, and didn't really pile it on.

Spirals Bronzclay Bracelet right from the Kiln

2009-04-10T08:15:00.005-05:00

Last time I forgot to photo how the bronzclay comes from the kiln - it's very interesting looking. I was struck at how variable the colors are. The bracelet links are similar, while the earring blocks are way different. I wonder if it is because I handled the spiral links a lot more ... adding the hinge pie ces, filing edges for bracelet, while the other two pieces I mostly left alone. Hmmmm.

I used the following firing schedule:
Ramp the kiln at 25o per hour, to 1490 degrees, then hold for 2 hours. Fired in a stainless container, with coconut shell as the activated material. Let cool in the kiln overnight, then removed.

New Pendant - Bronze River Rapids

2009-04-09T19:21:00.005-05:00

Inspired directly from the Little Falls rapids and rocks, just a short kayak trip down the Apple River outside my house.

Studio Update

2009-04-09T09:54:00.005-05:00

I have the day off work today, so time to work on some projects. Bronzclay again today - finishing up a spirals bracelet and it's going into the kiln. The client wants spiral squares, but not big spaces between each square. I thought to do this with elastic cord, but it's not one of favorite techniques and the buyer did not want this. So I designed hinges to go between each .... only problem right now is I don't know how I am going to attach the hinges. Hmmmmm.

Pictures are the pieces before firing. Don't look like much, huh.

Also putting together a pendant from my last bronzclay firing.

gotta be an idea here....

2009-04-09T09:47:00.003-05:00

I love the names of full moons. This month (April) is the Full Pink Moon, after the pink phlox flower that spreads over the landscape in spring. Other names are Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time the shad swam upstream to spawn.

Spring is creativity! Think of the pink moon....

2009-04-07T22:05:00.004-05:00

We rest here while we can, but we hear the ocean calling in our dreams, And we know by the morning, the wind will fill our sails to test the seams. The calm is on the water and part of us would linger by the shore. For ships are safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.

— Song "Ships" by Tom Kimmel & Michael Lille

Ahhhhhh

2009-04-04T08:12:00.004-05:00

Saturday. A day to work on my jewelry, go for a long bike ride, walk or run with the dog, bake some cookies and enjoy a more leisurely paced life than the 8-4 work week day. Maybe leisurely is not the word, but certainly filled with more variety and things I enjoy.

Right now I am sitting with coffee, uploading pictures for a vintage-style ring with an amber colored stone to Etsy. I've sold several items recently (yay!) and need to get some more substance to my listings.

Motivation

2009-04-01T06:34:00.002-05:00

Another Wisconsin beader, from Green Bay, recently began a 'motivation' blog'. Motivation does ebb and flow - and it's something that I often struggle with. I begin with high enthusiasm, get tired, get discouraged, get whatever and find myself blocked. Many times it begins with simply being tired. It's difficult for me to work creatively when I am tired from the day at work. Inside, I thought it was more of a 'just me' problem than something that others struggle with. It may help to know that others face similiar challenges and to check in with this blog periodically.

Some finished bronze pieces

2009-03-29T20:21:00.003-05:00

Got a couple of them shined up, relatively and ready to move on. It's interesting stuff - not as easy as the silver clay, but a lot cheaper. Has quite a bit of character. I like it.

Some finished bronze pieces

2009-03-28T10:30:00.006-05:00

I forgot to take a photo of the pieces right out of the kiln - next time. The same pieces that were shown ready to fire in my previous entry are shown below - shined up a bit, and with some embellishment added to one of the pendants. They are almost the same color as the rock surrounding the crystal at the top of the photo!

Bronzclay dried and kiln ready

2009-03-26T15:10:00.007-05:00

I realized I know nothing about Bronze - except that it is a metal and it often looks old. In deciding to learn a little more, so I looked on the History for Kids website. I learned that it is actually a combination of two metals - copper and tin. Copper must lend to it's beautiful color and the tin adds strength. Copper by itself is very soft, and tin by itself is brittle.

It's very cool that it is so easy to make bronze look old because it actually dates back to 4000 bc and actually has an 'age' named after it. With age, it attains the lovely 'green' patina. I love looking at the bronze artifacts in museums. I read somewhere, too, that it comes out of the kiln with some unusual colors as well, and that remains to be seen!

The first photo shows what the bronzclay looks like after it is dried, but not yet fired. The second show it ready for the kiln. It is being fired in a stainless container, covered with coconut shell media.

I took my bronzclay out to play!

2009-03-20T20:51:00.004-05:00

Bronze Clay! Cool! I opened my 100 gram package of bronzclay tonight. I was tired after work and I plan to do more tomorrow and I I didn't do anything specific with it tonight - just took it out and kneaded it, rolled it, and played with it a little bit. It has a different feel to it than the silver clay - it feels softer and more delicate. I did try rolling it around a cork form I'd previously dried - a round shape - and it folded around it well. When I tried to seal the seams with a wet brush, everything kind of started tearing and ripping and I tore it all off. Tomorrow.....!!!

Just finished

2009-03-18T20:54:00.006-05:00

this bracelet using one of my favorite techniques - free form peyote. Free form is all about the journey, as the beads ebb and flow onto the thread. There is no plan or design. I think the most important consideration is the colors used and that a variety of sizes of beads make up the piece. Here's the latest, called Spring Flowers Pizazz!

Good Luck!

2009-03-15T17:19:00.004-05:00

Amulet

There seems to be some dispute about the Western origin of the word. It is most oftenly attributed to the Latin amuletum. Most definitions attribute powers to the amulet, such as ability to ward off evil, protection and good luck.

I think amulets bring good omens. I feel a special attachment to each amulet I've created and I hope the good vibes continue on with each to wherever it ends up as home.

13, 13, 13

2009-03-13T06:46:00.000-05:00

Three Fridays this year have the distinction of being the 13th day of the month. There was Friday, February 13th, today and there will be Friday, November 13th. This happens every 11 years. Maybe I should wear my St. Paddy's Day earrings early - for good luck!

No work today - that's lucky! I plan to work on the pasta beads and a few other projects I have going.

Spinning off to the Netherlands

2009-03-09T06:29:00.000-05:00

The small world the internet has helped us create still amazes me. I can create a custom order for a person in the Netherlands, and off it goes - and I've never left my little mid-western town. I can't take that for granted!

The spinning pendant came out great. There was an issue with the stone - it discolored when fired. It was supposed to be blue - tanzanite cubic zirconia - but it turned more of a yellowy amber. I found that the blue is the least heat tolerant of the czs, but had used blue successfully before, so that was a bit disappointing. The customer was great, saying , "The color chose me," which is a nice way to look at it!

PMC Pasta experiment #2

2009-03-07T09:12:00.000-06:00

Part defeat, part success.

The defeat: I think I know what is happening. The clay needs to shrink, and there is no where for it to go, so it bursts. This must happend before the pasta burns out of the core. So .... I could coat the pasta with a cushion. I have heard that people do this with a coat of white glue. But, then I have less to work with as far as the crispness of the pasta design on the clay. A number of coats starts blurring the unique impression of the noodle.

The success: I tried another where I impressed the pasta, then rolled the shape over a dowel, then fired it. That one looks good. This limits the options for the the shapes, though.

I hate defeat! If anyone out there has any ideas, I'm listening.

I am going to try one b y making a simple mold. I will try one more with a coat of glue and see how the impression holds up. And another more 'free hand' shape. After that I will have to call it quits or go with what we get.

um

2009-03-06T17:46:00.000-06:00

Not so pretty. The beads collapsed. Brainstorming for possible reasons ....

need a support under the pasta
fired for too long or at too high temp
ramped the kiln too quickly
too much or too little clay on the form
the pasta burst and wrecked the form as it heated

Things to try:

stuff the pasta with cork clay for support
use PMC3 and fire lower
let the kiln ramp at a lower rate

Poetry in the ordinary

2009-03-05T20:23:00.001-06:00

Usually pasta in progress involves a pot of boiling water.

I've got seven coats of the silver clay brushed onto these. A couple of more should do it. I should be able to fire them tomorrow night and then we'll see if this is gonna work.

I did some research on patina today. The gold color is the first stage when developing patina with liver of supher. Tips included using with cool water instead of warm or hot (which hastens the darkening process) and to be ready to scoop them right out and rinse before they get too dark.

Hopefully the next pictures I post will be a bit more attractive!

Options for a Noodle Necklace

2009-03-04T06:36:00.001-06:00

Here is the cheapest .... it's virtual. And makes a stupid noise when you add the pasta to the cord.

Then you could go the traditional route and have your kid make you one at camp or day care. You could even make a colored one. Warning: the end result may have future sentimental value.

My new custom order is actually from a woman who, inspired by a crumbling necklace her son made several years ago, would like to have an upgrade - something attractive and indestructible. She saw one where the noodles are cast in gold and it is beautiful ... and high end. Yeah, the price you see - that's for one piece of golden pasta.

So, my challenge. Make a silver noodle necklace, preferably that sorta looks like gold (chance to experiment with patina) and make it affordable.

Stay tuned!

Dangley Jangle

2009-02-28T15:25:00.001-06:00

Here's the bracelet with the first silver beads I made, and my first photo in my new light box. Hey!

Light box for photos

2009-02-28T11:52:00.001-06:00

I've been working on my photos. A search on line for how to take better photos of jewelry suggests a lightbox. I found a tutorial, a box, some sissors and tape and an old pillow case, and I'm in business. Here is a link the the tutorial, to give credit where credit is due.

On another note, I'm not sure one should wake up to -12 on the last day of February! It's got to get warmer soon. It's GOT to!!

An Etsy bit at a time....

2009-02-28T07:18:00.000-06:00

I've wanted an outlet for some of my work for some time now. I don't want to go to a ton of craft shows to sell. Been working on an e-commerce site, but it takes tons of time, and I don't have that much to sell right now anyway, seeing as the real world work takes up a whole lotta time. I did get an Etsy shop set up, which makes it easier. You can visit my shop from this blog by clicking the link on the right side of page.

I've already got a custom job lined up, cool on several levels. It's fun to meet people virtually, and I get to design a pendant. The customer is from Amsterdam, but grew up in Wisconsin near Fond du Lac. She is into spinning, and that's the theme she wants for her pendant.

I've sent her some ideas, and will be working on this this week, as soon as I get a new shipment of pmc delivered.

With all my extra time

2009-02-27T22:35:00.000-06:00

No more reading classes! I have my reading license for real now after working for the previous three years with an emergency license. So .... more free time. Plus Bob has been in St. John for the last five weeks. Lotsa free time!

I decided to dig into PMC, or precious metal clay and to learn more about that as an added complement to by beaded jewelry. To that effect, I spent three days with a great instructor, Ann from the Twin Cities area, and earned my certification as a PMC artisan. Here's my certificate!