Remember the Components I was Making?....

Remember that pile of components that I was making?  Well, I started turning them into jewelry pieces. 

I finished up these earrings last night.  They're made from fluted brass tubing, sterling silver wire, and brass drops.

My inspiration for these earrings came from Thomas Mann's "Big Links" workshop that I had taken a few years ago.  He showed us how to make components which are very similar to the structure of these earrings.

I wish I had a better torch to use when I solder metal...  I still haven't broken down and bought myself an oxy/acetylene torch yet.  For some reason, I have this inner fear about them.  I think I'm afraid that I'll burn down the house with it, or that I won't have it hooked up correctly.  So instead, I use either my propane torch or mapp gas torch, both of which were bought at Home Depot.

I've also been working on a ring, but I'm having a hard time deciding on the direction I want to go with its design, so it has been  just sitting on my workbench.   I pick up the parts for it that I have already made and stare at them for awhile, and then put them back down again.  I'd rather wait for inspiration rather than totally ruin what I've already gotten done with it.

I'm In Thomas Mann's New Book!!!

I just got my copy of Thomas Mann's new book, "Metal Artist's Workbench: Demystifying The Jeweler's Saw" in yesterday's mail, and I'm thrilled to say that I have a piece in it!!!

I was sooo honored that Tom asked me to create a piece to be included in his book. He told me to make something which involved a lot of piercing, so that's exactly what I did...

I wanted to make something really special for Tom's book, but I didn't want to make a piece of jewelry for it. So instead, I made this handbound book. I etched and cut the cover piece from brass sheet and gave it the title, "De Ligno Vitae," which means "Tree of Life." All of the intriquite piercing took me 20 hours to cut out with a jeweler's saw! After I was finished with that portion of the piece, I felt that the area on either side of the tree trunk needed something to finish it off. I spent hours searching for a quote which would tie the whole piece together. I finally came across a quote which I felt was perfect for the piece, "All are but parts of one stupendeous whole, Whose body nature is, and God soul" by Alexander Pope. I figured out how I would space the quote so it fit the spaces on either side of the trunk, and etched it onto copper sheet and layered it underneath the brass.

I then designed two closure clasps from brass, and handbound the book using heavy watercolor paper for the pages. The book is close to 2 inches thick.   I kept track of how many hours I put into this piece, and from start to finish it took me 40 hours!  I'm very proud of how it turned out.

This book is absolutely wonderful!  It is full of tips, techniques, wonderful projects, and pictures which will inspire you to start creating!!!!

A Beautiful Fall Afternoon at the Marsh

The weather has been so warm and sunny during the past week.  This really has been a beautiful Fall!  Yesterday afternoon, Mike and I went to the Sheboygan Marsh to enjoy the beautiful Fall colors before the trees lose their leaves.  This is the observation tower at the Marsh.  At 80 feet, it's the tallest observation tower in the state of Wisconsin.  Even though I'm afraid of heights, I had no problem climbing up the tower because the steps are all solid wood... you can't see through them.  I cannot climb up very high if I can look down at the ground below me through steps.  It makes my stomach do flip-flops and my legs turn to rubber!

The view from the top of the tower is spectacular!  You can see for miles and miles!  These are a few photographs I took while we were there.
I zoomed my camera in to take this picture.  I love how you can see the steeple of a church along with some farms that are nestled in among the beautiful fall colors.

And in this picture, you can get a better idea of what a breathtaking view you can see when you're on top of the tower.

Aren't the fall colors amazing??!!

A nice woman offered to take a picture of Mike and myself while we were at the top of the tower.  I'm glad we came here when we did, because I'm sure that by the upcoming weekend, many of the trees will be losing their leaves. The temperature is supposed to be a lot cooler too.

This was a wonderful way to spend our Sunday afternoon!!!

Making Components...

I got in the mood to make components this week.  I'm not sure what this pile is going to turn into yet, but I'm leaning toward a few necklaces.  I'll post pictures when I get this project finished.