Subscribe to my Crafty newsletter

https://www.artsybohemian.com/

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

My latest journal class and students work



I taught a journal class at Peicemakers this past Sunday and my students LOVED their journal creations. They learned two paper surface techniques using dry brushing and ink pads that are super easy and fast AND pretty. This laid the foundation to embellish to their hearts delight. We also explored rubber stamp techniques, adhesives, tassels, 3-D embellishment, ribbon flowers and composition. Their journals came out so pretty and all so different. Thanks for taking my class!

HENNA

I'll be doing a gig Friday and had to sample my henna to make sure it was okay. I took the picture outside of my house with my newly blooming hydrangea. Those big leaves sure make a nice back drop.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

NEW JEWELRY












I first started making wire jewelry about 10 years ago. I loved the antique look of dousing the pristine shiny silver into liver of sulphur, making it charcoal grey, buffing it then finally polishing it. By doing this it picks up the light on the parts where the patina has been lifted and polished and leaves the black patina in the crevasse's and twists. I love this look but because I was trying to sell my jewelry to the "main" stream, I stopped because it seemed most people didn't like the antique look. Well....I'm over that and have come full circle! I have always said, make what YOU like not what other people like and I wasn't doing that anymore. There are some pieces of jewelry that don't require the antiquing and I will still work on those pieces, but my roots and love of everything kinda grungy in so much that it looks like it has been just dug out of the earth is my first impulse. Just for the record, it takes twice as much work to make the jewelry look that way plus as my teacher Lynne Merchant says (I'm paraphrasing) the more you work a piece of jewelry by polishing and handling it the more of your energy will transfer into it and consequently (inevitably) this gives your piece energy and vibrancy, almost like it's alive! I think that to be true in all our endeavors. Don't you?

One other thing...if you like these pieces and want to buy any or want a custom piece, by all means contact me! The asymmetrical earrings are one of a kind (as most all my pieces are) and start at $45, the charm bracelets start at $135, other bracelets start at $45, soldered pendants start at $13, the soldered bevel glass pendants pictured here are my own collages and are $25 with ball chain, most other necklaces vary in price. I have soooo many more pieces...
peace

Saturday, March 1, 2008

New links....

hola, como estas? muy bien y tu?
Yes, well I will be adding new links as I find them and one of late is my first wire teacher who I never thought would have a web site. She has been out of the teaching circuit for a couple years and I missed her and was soooo excited to see she has a web site. Check out lynnemerchant.com. LYnne is THE wire queen!!! No one comes close to her emmaculate shaping, imagination and manipulation of wire. I believe she was the catalyst for the whole wire jewelry craze we see now but has some how been forgotten and not thanked. If you are a wire jewelry artist and have never taken a class with Lynne, chances are your teacher learned from her with out you knowing it. She has been twisting silver since the 70's and teaching for I don't know how long. Any way, this is my way of saying thanks to Lynne and I always tell any one I show how to bend that I learned from Lynne. It's always good karma and just the right thing to do to acknowledge your teachers. Some of the best wire jewelry books out there right now have some of her work in them including Susan Lenart Kazmers new booK: Making Connections. I HIGHLY reccomend this book. SO awesome! Okay Karen, I think I have fulfilled my blog entry obligation. he,he...I will be uploading some new jewelry photos soon too!!