New Year...New Stuff!

Hello, everyone. I've taken last year off to rethink a few things. Then, life started happening. I had a pretty bad year and I'm still trying to get over it.

I dabbled a little with this and that in jewelry making. I've come to the conclusion that I really like making chain maille jewelry. It is so relaxing to sit down and watch something beautiful come together. I also played with copper wire. I like how it looks with stones and other stuff I throw at it.

I'll be getting some pictures of items I'm making for my next show. I hope to have my next show in March or April. It should be really interesting. I'm working on having an 'economic crisis' show to make my jewelry more affordable during these trying economic times. I've got a few ideas down solid. I've got a few more to think of. I'm trying out a few 'guy' items to see if they work.

Oh! I've got a commission for a man's necklace to go with an earring I made. I'll have pics of this soon as I'm nearly finished with it.

I've also talked to a few people who make jewelry, too. I need to get to know them a little better because they have interesting techniques.

I'll be back with you later.

Take care. Happy jewelry making!

Necklace Pics

Hello everyone. I finally took my pics to attach to this blog. This is the commissioned piece that I was asked to do. It was a necklace and bracelet set in silver plate. Mind you, the photo was a rush and I didn't take the time to set it up beautifully, so please bear with me.



I also made a pair of earrings to match in case she wanted a pair. If not, they are for my next show...maybe myself ;)



As best as you can see, what do you think? I love doing chain maille. It is such a chunky look and is different than anything on the market. There are so many options and there are actually a lot of people who do chain maille. A lot of them are those who participate in Renaissance Faires and such. It's hard to buy chain maille off the rack to go under your suits of armor these days. So, you make it yourself.

I plan to buy stainless steel links to start adding glass and stones to the finished product. Stainless won't tarnish like sterling and copper. I feel most compelled to create these kinds of items. I'll keep you posted on the outcome of that.

So, for now, take care. Happy jewelry making!

Michelle

It's Cold Outside!

I hope all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving had a really nice day! We had relatives over to our house. We ate too much and have lots of leftover turkey. I'm sure you can relate to that! We also fired up the Wii and had a bunch of laughs watching everyone play it. I really enjoy hosting the annual Thanksgiving dinner.

Even though we live in a temperate area called 'The Low Country' of South Carolina, we are getting some cold weather. It is frosty out in the morning and chilly throughout the day. I can't complain because there's no snow to tackle. That's one reason we moved from Pittsburgh, PA to SC. It is really nice here.

Over our long Thanksgiving holiday, I've been trying out new stuff. Sorry. Not jewelry. I made my first batch of soap EVER! I love cooking and it is as technical as that but a bit more dangerous. I have a really nice bar of soap curing in my laundry room. The batch made 2-1/2 pounds. I was able to try it out because of the process I used to make it. It still needs to rest a while in order to dry to a harder bar.

Yesterday, I had another jewelry commission requested. I LOVE commissions! Especially when I get to see how people respond to the finished product. This is a copy of the chain maille bracelet below. However it will be a bracelet and necklace. This is a really nice chunk of chain and it really gets noticed. I hope the recipient enjoys it. I will try to remember to take pictures and post it. It should be a day or two by the time I finish. I only have a couple of hours a night to work on it by the time I get home from work. I finished about 8 inches of chain last night. I may be able to finish the necklace tonight. I still need the measurements from the recipient so I know what length she wants.

Well...it's time for me to get ready for work. Take care and, for those of you who do it, happy mailleing.