I know it's been months since I posted...

"You gain strength,

courage

 and confidence

by every

 experience

 in which you

really stop

 to look fear

 in the face." 

~Eleanor Roosevelt

I know I haven't posted in months, and I feel really bad and somewhat guilty about it.  I have always tried to use my blog to focus strictly on posting about what I have been creating in my studio; I really didn't want to get into my personal life on it.  But the New Year rang in a lot more than I ever bargained for.

As a result, the chain of events started in motion...no mojo equaled no creating.  No creating equaled no blogging.  And no blogging equaled guilt at no creating.

I did make a wonderful pendant to honor my mom and dad last month, and I wear it often. But other than that and a few pair of earrings...that's about it.  I felt a burst of inspiration today, so I made this collage of my sister and myself.

So now I feel a little less guilty because I did finally post something, even though it isn't very much.

I Got Some New Stuff!!!

 I know, I know...... I go from not posting in almost a year to posting twice in one day!  

UPS left a package at the door for me today from Otto Frei.  I've got a birthday coming up in a few weeks, so Mike told me that I should order some tools that I want as a birthday present.  I am a tool junkie, and always have a wish list of things that I'd like, so I went to the Otto Frei website and honed in on the Fretz hammers and stake sets.

I got the Fretz Miniature Stake Set, along with the Fretz Double Ended Insert Hammer with 9 different tips.  I also recently got both of Bill Fretz's DVD's: "Metalsmith Essentials: Basic Jewelry Hammering and Forming, Vol. 1," and "Metalsmith Essentials: Hammering and Forming Jewelry, Volume 2."   I watched a good portion of the first

DVD already, and can't wait to start working with the different stakes.  Hmm...he makes forming  cuffs look so easy on the dvd's....  I also got a round bracelet mandrel.  I already had an oval one, but from what I've viewed on the dvd so far, he always uses a round one.  And finally, I got another barrette file.  This one is a little coarser than the other barrette files that I always use.  Guess you can never have too many files...

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!!!!