~having fun enameling

made some earrings

a little at a time as i conquer the boards. 

xoxo

~valentines and aquarians

new today. the perfect gift.

wire woes 'til the copper explosion~

sterling silver wire~oxidized of course as i love the black. i can no longer afford it though. even traded in my handmade silver ear wires for personally transformed surgical steel as a result of the prices.

steel wire~started using it back when a friend showed me some squiggles he made with bailing wire. never worried about it 'til i bought a pair of earrings made from various sizes of steel wire and they rusted just from a small amount of moisture while hanging out in my car overnight (not me, the earrings). i then pulled everything i had made with steel wire and sealed them real well with wax or took them apart. now i only use the very thin wire to hold my silk in place on earrings and seal reallll good.

copper wire~spools of it! i brought some home the other day and oxidized it. what a mess! i have to wipe down the wire to remove some of the tarnish or else it transfers, but i love the look once i get the excess off! i recently decided on copper as i noticed more and more of the women i admire have been using it and i love the look. then a friend mentioned how inexpensive it was, so i made the leap. i think i can use the copper to hold the silk in place and i won't have any worries about rust.

well, here are my new attempts at prettiness using the copper wire~

copper wreath earrings~

kim and i gifted each other yumminess. here are some of her lovelies on my new lovely wire.

Sara~

these are me favs. enameled copper roofing material with vintage roses and vintage dress makers accents all on copper wire.

Trade~

matte chevrons and sterling silver with numinosity head pins. copper wire.

Charming~

labradorite, painted porcelain doll arms, little rosary connections from robyn and copper wire. i have a tiny stash of stones. not many mind you and i pretty much used them up (save some moonstones from kim) on these next three pieces. i usually stay away from wire connections as the silver was too expensive and the stones are not recycled, but i went for it and made sure to put something recycled with the stones.

inspired by robyn~

old belt buckles from uncanny artists and faceted garnet. definitely french circus inspired. oops, see a little copper tail, gotta go fix that! <3

lipstick love~

50's era metal lipstick case for your little treasures! double strand of orphaned stone beads with some accents ~antique metal button from fagins daughter, an italian coin from my buddy trent, a small charm from an old earring and a small spade charm from laura at uncanny artists~.
so, i say orphaned stones 'cause some of them are slightly chipped around the holes and most people wouldn't use them. i found them at a thrift store during the summer months and with the holes being so teenie, i had no idea what to do with them until the recent copper wire explosion!

hahaha funny life~uncanny artists is actually owned by laura from the recycled art show i do every year. i hadn't seen her there in the last two years and wondered what had happened. i love her stuff! doll parts, odd toys, tons of ephemera...  well, kim knew what happened! laura opened an online shop. funny, it took someone from far away to tell me someone close by had their own shop now. small world! visit her shop, ask her for specifics if something your looking for is not listed as she has thousands of items and not all are up in the shop. she is amazing. watch out kim, a ton of collage goodies are on their way!

cheers and happy new year everyone!

gifties, mercury glass & numinosity love~

happy holidays to one and all! met up with kim of numinosity fame. her fame. her glory. her smile and exuberant self. all here, all mine for one night. had a great din-din with family (her's and mine) then off to the cowgirl for drinks and some live music~didn't get to see much of the band, but certainly heard the excitement! i think she went back after tucking me in. <3

been playing with mercury glass from an old fifties garland that i scored through a vintage handmade shop on etsy.

not easy to work with. very fragile. i definitely smashed and chipped a few in the process of exploration.

these ones i really dig and will be gifted to a vintage loving friend for christmas. the little rosary components are from the paris carousel also of robyn paris and her french circus.

these ones have lovely little shell buttons from penny of fagins daughter and sparrow salvage fame

a departure for a moment. little discs and antique buttons also of fagins daughter. love the crisp blue of the tags. large holes allowed for the buttons shanks to pop through and nestle on the other side awaiting the ear wires. fun, fun.

now for gifties. my students spoiled me with cookies, chocolates, adornments and other goodies, but i wanted to share the handmade lovelies. shell heshi and turquoise. made by the mommy of a student.

malachite and assorted stone christmas trees made by the dad of one of my little bunnies.

a leather beaded cradle board neck piece with a little baby inside. wore this all day! made by the grandmother of an always-smiling little girl.

back to the mercury glass. forgot about these ones. by my hand and made for me for christmas eve. we have an open house every year with fire, fire, fire. a bonfire at the end of the drive. farolitos all over and a fiery hula-hoop dancing friend of mine. <3

 Cheers!