Weekend Slump - (sort of)

Well, I didn't do very much this weekend.  I was lazy.  I did do a few more earrings.  I read (in a blog or in one of my numerous jewelry magazines I buy ~ I should have stock in their companies by now!) about using items you can find in your local tool store, such as copper piping, and went to Lowe's a few weeks ago.  I've been playing with the copper pipes I bought ever since.  Got a new Dremel for Christmas (yes, copper gets hot when being drilled; no, you should not hold it with your bare fingers!) and stole a pipe cutter from my dad. (I guess I should say "borrowed", but he knows he's never getting it back ~ heeee! ~)  One of the pair of earrings I made are these and I liked 'em SO much that I decided to keep them. Selfish!  Oh, well, I'll make more pairs with the tubes and beads this week (and break the table top studio back out... yes, it's repaired but, as mentioned earlier, I was SO lazy this weekend!)  Oh, ALso!  I made this necklace last week.  I took an idea from Linda over at Objects & Elements and went a slightly different way with it. (see? this is what I love about stalki...er... following all you creative ladies! you can get great ideas from the crafts of others)

AND! I got to make the inner Pyro happy!  I used flame to darken the copper in the necklace.  I'm going to have to break down and buy a small hand-held torch.  Those candle lighter lighters don't do a great job (tho', if you're patient, and heat from underneath or aim the flame inside the tube, it works better... prettier colors... just sayin')

1"  long copper tubes that have been pounded
by the peen on my craft hammer. Winter blue
beads and a lighter blue crystal bead as accents.



Closer look ~ can you see the hammer marks?
What they say is true, even if it's not pounding,
it's still theraputic to beat on something! :)



MY version of the necklace Linda created.
I'm also not as good with the metal as her...
yet!  Some day... Still liking this, tho'!



A closer look at the flowers I made. Yellow
crystals added to blue plastic flower forms
and all hooked to a jump ring and hooked
onto the end of the wire.

New Year, New Work

Okay, I've been working this last week on some more jewelry for my store and was finally able to take pictures.  Happily, I was able to use my new Canon Rebel camera for the pics and they look pretty good. Semi-happily I was able to set the items up in my table top studio. Sadly, only part of the studio was in working order (one of the lights refuses to work which means we're going to need to take it back and get a new one... which may need to be ordered... which means I won't get to use my studio for a while longer... sigh)

Oh, well.  It'll get here eventually.  Until then, here are some of the pics I took.  I'll work on some more this weekend and see what I can set up outside, around the house, etc.  You never know! :)

I kept these, but I'm going to make
another pair to go into my store.
Cute, eh?

~Earth Metal~
Now in my Etsy store

My first attempt to play with copper
tubing and some wire I had. Debating
whether to put this in the store or wait
until I've made a few more attempts at
any kind of wire/metal work.



~Forest Wisdom~
Again with the Autumn colors. This
is the necklace I restrung with the
cute little hooty-owl. Going into my
Etsy store soon, too.



I bought these from Lima Beads. I tho't
they made cuter earrings than they
did necklace or bracelet embellishments.

Set 2, this time with a
little blue dangle used from
Michelle Mach's snowflake
challenge box. Cute, eh?

Pearl Fans - simple pair
of earrings made with gray
and charcoal pearls.