Jewelry by Janelle's Blog

Impressions By Heidi, Featured HAF Artist

2011-02-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

Meet Heidi, she is a self taught artist from Summerville, S.C., so in a respect, she is a neighbor of mine! Heidi loves working in copper, and it shows in her lovely creations...here, take a peek at some of her stuff in her Etsy Shop, Impressions by Artisian Jewelry by Heidi. The following pictures are some of my favorites of hers...

Heidi even uses her copper medium combined with her peruvian threding technique, which makes for gorgeous earrings...see just above.

Heidi's blog, full of good reads, and I love her wordless Wednesday posts, is full of good reads and pictures of her recent works or art. I am going to use her "wordless" thene to finish off my post with only pictures. Make sure you visit her shop, there is plenty more where this came from!

TRusk4U, Featured HAF Artist

2011-01-30T12:49:00.000-08:00

I am here with yet another featured HAF Artist, Teresa Rusk, owner and operator of Hollyhocks, LLC., her brinck and mortar store in Hillsborough, NC.. She was born and raised in the upper Michigan peninsula, and now resides in North Carolina with her hubby. Teresa has 2 grown children who are on their own and live elsewhere, and a rescue dog who is just the cutest pup you ever did see. Teresa has an Etsy shop that is full of gorgeous beaded and wire worked or wrapped jewelry. and beautiful tote bags in yummy spring florals and colors. Her blog is interesting reading, where she features artists, her favorite recipes and reads. Treat yourself and visit her shops, and browse her blog. Here are some pics of her lovely jewelry from her Etsy Shop:

Trusk4U blog: http://www.trusk4u.blogspot.com/

Trusk4U on Etsy: http://www.trusk4u.etsy.com/

Trusk4U on Handmade Artists Shop: http://handmadeartistsshop.com/trusk4u.html

And the last three pictures are from her Handmade Artisit Shop, T.Rusk4U

Great Gaboon Ebony Bangle Giveaway

2011-01-14T00:36:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are, and as I have promised, when my blog following reached 50, I would give away one of my gorgeous exotic wood cuffs. I thought about which wood to use, and a favorite Bible verse came to mind, when a man asks for your cloak, give him your coat also. My interpretation of this is if you are going to give something away, give the best, not the worst you've got. So, since I love working ebony wood, this is my first choice. It is glamorous, showy, sensual, earthy, ethnic, and sexy all wrapped up into one, but best of all, it polishes like glass! Absolutely none other like it, in my mind. And here is the bangle you will receive if you are the lucky winner:

These are the requirements that will count towards how many times you are entered into the drawing to win:

Please post all in the comments below, the more you can help to promote me, the more chances for you to win. Each separate action counts as one more time your name will go into the pot.

1. You must be already following or follow my blog, and post your blogger id in the comments below.

2. You must follow or like my Jewelry by Janelle Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jewelrybyjanelle50-at-Etsycom/101935135915?__a=1

3. You must post a link to your favorite item in my Etsy shop, and tell me why you like it. http://www.etsy.com/shop/jewelrybyjanelle50

4. You must follow me on Twitter, I am exoticsjanelle http://twitter.com/exoticsjanelle . Please post your handle on Twitter below so I know who you are.

5. Writing a blog post about me and my exotic wood jewelry isn't a must, but gets 3x your name in the pot. If you do this, be sure to post your blog link below.

6. You must Twitter this givewaway blog post with the link to my blog at least once, and post a link to it below.

7. You must promote this at least once on your Facebook page, and post the link to it below.

7 Big chances to win! Spead the word to your friends and family. Be sure and post your email in the first post you make, so that I can notify you if you are the lucky winner. The drawing will take place on January 31, 2011, and winner will be notified by email for contact and shipping information.

Best of luck, and most of all, have fun!

Artist Spotlight Part 5- Meet Briskmama

2011-01-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

This week, hailing from Croatia, is a multi-talented artist named Briskmama. Sewing is almost a lost art, as well as embroidery, but she defines them both well, as you can see in her grocery bags, double sewn on the seams. Get rid of those pesky plastic bags that seem to pile up everywhere.!

They are made of what looks like white sackcloth, and one is lined with vintage style fabric, and the other is beautifully embroidered in the old redwork style, gorgeous...just see for yourself...

Briskmama also makes hand appliqued ornaments...

and reusable gift bags...

All of these handmade pretties can be purchased in her Etsy Shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/briskmamma.

:et's not forget her prints, which are hand drawn and colored by her, then made into prints, wow...here are a couple or three of my favorites...since I am a chocoholic, lol

And then there is this one. For some strange reason, it makes me think of that nutty, disco freak who sang,"I'm Too Sexy For My Shirt" song, and it makes me laugh out loud.

Way too cute though...LOL!

Now go check out Briskmamas blog for some yummie looking recipes. Anything I have ever eaten that was Croatian baked was waaayyyy too good for words.

http://www.briskmamma.blogspot.com/

Happy reading and baking!

Artist Spotlight Part 4 Meet Eye Candy

2010-12-28T14:04:00.000-08:00

Eye Candy has recently left the mean world of Corporate America to seek her fortune as a small indie business owner! The next step in the process – setting up shop. She's recently moved Eye Candey into a new home to serve as the office/showroom for our products. Scary…yes, exciting…yes, easy….hell no! After spending the past few weeks getting licenses, insurance, fixtures and waving wistfully at her old friend sleep she's thrown open the doors and she'soff!

Her new address: 12225 N. 56th Street, Suite A, Tampa FL 33617. Gonna be in the area? If you are local, drop in – now you can order your custom t-shirts, place an order for custom fabric, wall decals, and stretched canvas art, as well as ordering your custom edible frosting sheets right in the shop. Bring in your pictures and she’ll scan them and get started with your custom order, or bring your digital camera, or flash drive and we’ll download them right there! Of course you can also e-mail your pics as well. Not sure exactly what you want? Take a look at their wall of designs and see if you find something you like. Shee can change the colors of any of these images, or add text or pictures to them as well and make them into any one of theirr products!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/eyecandey Visit her Etsy shop if you're not local, you can still get the same great services! And her blog is always good reading at http://eyecandey.com/blog/.

Artist Spotlight Part 3-Dalish Knits

2010-12-21T22:18:00.000-08:00

My next featured artist is Dahlish, of Dahlish Knits on Etsy. She knits clutching toys, puppets, and faceless dolls that she calls Waldorfish. Most of these are made in gorgeous pastel baby colors, also bright jewel tones, and of cotton so they are washable.

This is one of her puppets,

This is one of here waldorf clutching toys

But I think the dolls have to be my favorites, the don"t have any loose or small parts that a small child could choke on, and come in some fabulous colors...

Don't you just love the whimsy and colors of the mermaid doll? You can check out all of her work, and reasonably priced, too, in her Etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/dahlish?ref=seller_info. She always has something going on at her blog too, so be sure to check it out! http://www.dahlishknits.blogspot.com/

Artist Spotlight Part 3-Twiddletoes

2010-12-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

Have you ever made something because what was already available wasn't working? Stacey did, and it was socks. It made her cringe each time she would see a family member cram their feet into a pair of flip flops, wearing a regular pair of socks. She calls this line of socks her 'tabi socks'.

Now doesn't this make MUCH more sense? And just as warm, as Stacey hand knits these wonderful socks from wool, cashmere, and alpaca.

Stacey opened her Etsy Shop to make these warm socks available to everyone, visit her shop here http://www.etsy.com/shop/twiddletoes.

You can see some of Stacey's fabulous knittings on her Flicker photo site http://www.flickr.com/photos/37786550@N06/

And you can read about what she has been up to on her blog http://www.twiddletoes.com/blog.html.

Oh, I almost forgot, Stacey has had her socks featured on the front page of Etsy, you go girl!

Artist Spotlight Part 2-Meet Sandi-"Iknitquiltsew"!

2010-11-27T23:33:00.000-08:00

Have you, as a grown up, seen a child's toy that was just irresistible, I mean, you just had to pick it up and love on it? Well, if I could reach it, this would be the one for me.

Sandi, of Iknitquiltsew, makes these adorable bears in different colors, and all look cuddly and lovable. She makes the cutest dolls too. Here is one of my favorites.

This is Emma, and isn't she just precious???

Sandi is very, and I mean very talented, not only does she sew these marvelous playmates, but she hand sews quilts, for baby cribs, wall hangings, and childrens rooms. Some are appliqued and some are made to look like vintage quilts. Whatever your favorite may be, they are sure to please!

And for the sweetest baby clothing, see Sandi again, pictures say alot more than I can.

You can see or purchase more of Sandi's work in one of her two online shops, the Handmade Artist Shop, http://handmadeartistsshop.com/iKnitQuiltSew.html, her Etsy Shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/iKnitQuiltSew, and visit her blog and Facebook pages here.

http://www.iknitquiltsew.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/iKnitQuiltSew.

Artist Spotlight Part 1-Larissa and Eric Symbouras-Soapers, Candlemakers, and Facepainters

2010-11-22T12:14:00.000-08:00

Meet a charming and talented couple, Larissa and Eric Symbouras, who hail from New Jersey.

See? Aren't they the cutest thing you've seen in a long time? This dynamic duo are soapers and just more recently, candle makers! They have a site called Reef Botanicals, where you can get just about anything you need for bath and body needs. I can personally vouch for the fizzy bath bars as being fabulous. You can get all your facial scrubs, hair care products, lips balm, soaps, even a men's line of products here at http://www.reefbotanicals.com/store/. Best yet, everything is all natural!

These are one of the three scented, fabulous fizzy bath bombs I mentioned earlier...

And of course, the chocolate decadence candles, which are a recent addition to their product line. Healing Tea and Ocean scents are also available.

Larissa is also a face painter and body artist, and a really good one, as you can see from this sweet little girls face! You can view more of her work at her sites, http://www.njfacepainter.com/ and http://www.njbodyart.blogspot.com/. Her Reef Botanicals blog is here, where you can keep up with new products! http://www.reefbotanicals.blogspot.com/. And of course, her personal blog is here http://www.larissasymbouras.blogspot.com/

Larissa and Eric also have a shop in the Handmade Artists Shop, where you can get their prodicts too! www.handmadeartistsshop.com/Larissa.html

Keep up with them on Facebook and Twitter too!

www.facebook.com/ReefBotanicals

www.twitter.com/ReefBotanicals

Meet Merluvlee, My Gift From Brenda Miller

2010-10-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

Brenda Miller is not your ordinary gal. Her sister's birthday was on Sept. 13th, and to celebrate her sister's birthday, Brenda decided to do a gift exchange giveaway, which was a fabulous idea. Each person who signed up for the giveaway was, in turn, to send a piece best representative of their own work, along with shop urls, contact information that was all placed into a booklet, to the next person on the list. Each person involved sent as well as received a gift (Brenda's siter being the last to receive the gift and booklet), and that is how I became the proud owner of this wonderful painted lady named Merluvlee.

When I asked Brenda to tell a little about the process of making this gorgeous piece of wearable art, this is what she said:

"The creation of Merluvlee....The process is lengthy, first I cut the glass, top and bottom, to the desired size and shape. I use Bullseye 90 COE art glass. It is then fused together which takes about 1 1/2 hours. Then it is allowed to cool. With this piece I added a piece of Dichroic Glass for the crystal ball. Then comes the fun part, painting. I use special glass enamel paints for my painted ladies. Many of the colors are hand mixed for my desired color. After the painting is completed it goes into the kiln again for about 3 -4 more hours and allowed to completely cool again. It's a long process but when they come out of the kiln it is always a surprise. This is a wonderful mini work of art with lots of personality and detail and each piece is signed and dated. The hardest part of the process is naming the ladies. Sometimes the name just comes to me and other times it's a struggle. Still waiting for the one that will talk to me and give me the lottery numbers!"

If you like my Merluvlee, or would be interested in viewing or purchasing some of Brenda's other works of art, you can visit her website at http://atouchofglassjewelry.com/. I guarantee you will be delighted with everything you see!

Beadweaving-A New Love

2010-08-27T12:57:00.000-07:00

Copper Crystals Beaded Bracelet

While I was visitng/vacationing in Arizona over the past summer, I picked up a new love, working with seed beads. This is a relatively simple weave, but it took me some time to learn it, and get my tension right. It is made with 11/0 transparent and sparkling beige and brown seed beads, topped with small, copper colored glass crystals. It measures 7", and fastens with a gold plated toggle clasp. If you like this, it is available in my HAF Shop: http://handmadeartistsshop.com/ixxocart/products/Copper_Crystals_and_Beaded_Bracelet-1496-1.html

New Start on Blog Ring-1st Featured Artist is Nala!

2010-05-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

A new blog ring starts out featuring one of my favorite artists, Nala, of Chicago, IL. From her blog, a short excerp: "The creative side of my brain is definitely dominant, and my math skills back me up on that! I'm just a natural born crafter. Jewelry making is not my first venture into the world of crafting, but it is definitely my favorite." Let me say that is shows in her designs and materials she chooses for her lovely jewelry.

I have just picked a few of my favorites to showcase here, and if you think these are great, go visit her Esty shop,
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Jewelrybynala to see more beautiful jewelry items!

I can personally vouch for great customer service, very nice packaging, and extra goodies in with your purchases, as I purchased the last necklace on this blog feature. I love it, it is of superior quality, and I guarantee that your shopping experience with Nala with be as pleasant as mine!

Nala's blog is packed with pictures of her creations, treasuries she has created and much more! Go here to read, http://jewelrybynala.blogspot.com/.

You may also want to follow her on the Handmade Artists Forum, her comments are witty, positive, encouraging, and full of good natured ribbing! You will love her like I do!

Pink Ivory-Once Said to Be Rarer Than Diamonds

2010-04-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

As quoted from the Exotic Wood Group, Pictures of Cuff by JewelrybyJanelle Procuring Pink Ivory wood (Rhamnus zeyheri) these days is a lot easier than it used to be. Known as the "royal wood" of the Zulus, only full-fledged members of the Zulu Kingdom's royal family were officially allowed to possess it back in the 1800s. To drive home the idea of this exclusivity — as well as to increase demand abroad — some unknown, 19th-century marketing guru spread the rumor that any non-royal entity (foreigners included) found in possession of Pink Ivory would face the death penalty. Naturally, the wood has been highly sought after by woodworkers around the world ever since. (Nothing sells like the threat of capital punishment!) Very likely, this is why this wood was once said to be rarer than diamonds. Pink Ivory is especially favored nowadays by wood carvers and turners, and is typically used to make smaller-sized items such as jewelry pieces, bowls, pool cue butts, chess pieces, golf putters, knife handles, and game calls; it is also popular for inlay and marquetry work. Pink Ivory blanks are usually on the narrower side because the trees — found predominantly in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique — rarely produce trunks wider than a foot in diameter (the trees reach heights of about 20 to 40 feet). Special permits are required to harvest the wood.
	The startling color of Pink Ivory is produced by bands of tissue in the wood's growth rings. The heartwood ranges in color from a faint, light pink to a vibrant, almost red. The sapwood is yellowish. Pink Ivory blanks are divided into three categories — Regular, Select, and Premium — based on the richness of the color. It should be noted that, like many beautiful things in life, the attractiveness of Pink Ivory can be somewhat fleeting. Over time, the pink color tends to become a duller, brownish shade. How long this process takes depends on the particular piece of wood and how much it's exposed to sunlight. Pink Ivory wood is very hard and dense, with an average specific gravity of about 0.90. It carves and turns well, although sharp tools are essential. The wood also polishes nicely. These cuffs are labor and material intensive, which is all figured into the cost of my cuffs, as well as the cost of the wood. I do not yet know how to use a lathe, so they are shaped on a belt sander using four different grits of sandpaper, 80, 120, 150, and 180. I then hand sand, with even finer grits of 220, 400, and sometimes as fine as 600 grit, depending on the density of the particular wood I am working. For the finish, I use only oils, usually Danish or Teak, manufactured by Watco, (a highly recommended oil that runs about $9 per pint). depending largely on the coloring of the wood. This one was finished in Danish oil, which doesn't darken the coloring of the wood, in fact, quite the opposite, it makes the color pop and the figure just jump out at you. The cuff has to soak for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes, and the wood soaks up its share of the oil. Then I allow it to cure for at least 24 hours. An oil finish serves to harden the wood for durability, and appearance when buffing. The oil gives the finish, when buffed, a satiny up to a high, glossy, glassy shine, whichever is preferred.

Specializing in Pique Assiette or Broken Plate Style Mosaics

2010-04-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

This Handmade Artists Forum member is so talented that I went picture CRAZY to show you only a part of what she does. This is Christine, of MemoriesInMosaics, who resides in central Florida with her husband. Christine does some fabulous mosaics out of a little of everyuthing, but mainly broken dishes. She includes lots of interesting extras, such as tiny flip flops, jewelry pieces, rocks, shells, just whatever she thinks will add visual interest. Christine shares a love with me for the color blue, as is seen in alot of her work. Some of Christine's work include small patio tables, shelves with hooks for hanging coats or hats, tabletop picture frames, mirrors for any wall in your home, and she even restored an old table awhile back in her blog, for which I looked and looked to feature but could not find.

Do you have a treasured piece that you thought was lost forever due to it being broken? Not necessarily so, according to Chris, as she can place those broken pieces of your treasured item into your very own mosaic, just convo her on Etsy, and ask her the details! She is simply amazing!

Visit Chris' Etsy shop and show her some love, http://www.etsy.com/shop/memoriesinmosaics.

Chris also has a wonderful blog chalk full of informative stories and pictures of what she is doing lately, along with fanily and friends at http://www.cbcrafter.blogspot.com/.

Haf Artist MewesMountainArts

2010-04-11T10:42:00.000-07:00

Meet HAF Artist Jennifer Mewes, who, with her hubby, resides in Decker, Colorado. She is a woman of faith, and it shows, both in her blog posts, and in her wonderful jewelry creations. Just behind their house is their self-proclaimed Mewes Mountain. The beauty out in the foothills of the Rockies and the love of Jesus Christ are the inspiration for the start of Mewes Mountain Arts and Crafts. Jennifer is excited to see what God has in store for this adventure.

I have simply included three photos of my favorite items of Jennfer's from her shops at Etsy and Handmade Artist shop, but there is lots more lovlies to see. Go take a look and show Jenn some love! Etsy shop is here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MewesMountainArts, and her Handmade Artists Shop is here, http://handmadeartistsshop.com/MewesMountainArts.html.

And last but most cetainly not least, go to her blog for spiritual reading that is uplifting as well as soul filling. If you should ever find yourself feeling like you have a big gaping hole in your life, these readings are sure to fill it. http://mewesmountainartsandcrafts.blogspot.com/.

Scenting the World-Meet Candlemaker Jenn~HAF Atrtist

2010-04-04T12:17:00.000-07:00

Another talented HAF artist for you to meet is Jenn, of Jennuine Candles, setting out to scent the world, one candle at a time. She is an occupational therapist by day, and if that isn't stressful enough, she takes on the challenge of candle making in her spare time. The scents are anything you can imagine, from edible scents to fruity to earthy, she has them all covered. Just check out these fabulous wedding candles.

Jenn's candles have been made famous through treasuries on Etsy to making the front page on Esty, as these cute love "Hugs and Kisses" was tart candles did!

Jennuine candles come in all shapes and sizes, and of course scents. Her shops are a "must check out" thing to do. Her shop on Etsy is here, http://www.etsy.com/shop/jennuinecandles, Her Artfire shop is here, http://www.artfire.com/users/jennuinecandles, and of course, her blog with all sorts of interesting reading, is here, http://jennuinecandles09.blogspot.com/.

Oh, and one more thing I thought was interesting! If you are a smoker, or live with a smoker in the house, she has candles that eliminate smoke odors too, worth checking out! Show Jenn some love, and visit her shops and links.

Meet Kimberly K., Multi-Talented Master of Everything

2010-03-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

If you EVER thought you were busy, you need to take a look at Kimberly K,,. the better half (just kidding Andrew) of a creative husband and wife team that live and work in New Jersey. Kim not only tends to her family needs with two half grown boys, she just finished her college degree, she and Andrew founded and moderate the Handmade Artist Forum for which our Etsy Street Team members were named. They didn't stop at that, Kim and Andrew founded our new Handmade Artist Shop, a place for all of our forum members and friends alike to sell their handmade goods.

The preceding paragraph is only a prelude to an amazing array of talents about to be displayed. As the title of this post implies, Kim is a master artisan and craftsperson, and it shows in every aspect of her work. Let's start with her hand painted glassware in a fantastic array of colors and patterns.

These are only three pictures of many, a few favorite picks from me. I am sure there will be others you like as well.

I absolutely love to tease Kim about being to blame for my new addiction, chainmaille jewelry. Actually, drooling over Kim's and other select HAF artists lead me to try my hand at chainmaille. Kim carries her pliers and rings on her at all times and is ready to continue or start a new chainmaille piece. Here are some fine examples of some of her work:

See now why I tease her about being the cause of my new addiction?? LOL!

I did a blog post awhile back about her seaglass jewelry, scroll WAY down to see the pictures of their collection of sea glass hand picked from the Jersey shores. Here are a few of her examples of her Sea glass creations.

Kim also makes jewelry from sterling silver wire , this is her newest piece,

And from Swarovski crystals, although not too often.

And last but not least, what I call her altered art items, Kim's Book Art. Pictures say much more than words, so here are a couple.

Be sure to show Kim some love by visiting her blog, http://makinthebestofit.com/category/blog/,

her shops http://makinthebestofit.com/ and her sister shop http://chainmaillebymboi.com/, and her Handmade Artist Shop http://www.handmadeartistsshop.com/MakinTheBestOfIt.html. Come join us at the Handmade Artisits Forum, a team of talented, encouraging, and supportive artisians who all love and support handmade. Tkae a look here, there's lots to see. http://handmadeartistsforum.com/forum/index.php

Haf Artist Creative Minds

2010-03-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

Meet HAF artist Creative Minds, who lives in VT and has been making jewelry for 5 years, and has been adding other crafts over the last few years. They enjoy crafts so much that they have decided to make a business out of it. They came up with their business name, Creative Minds, while working on one of their many creations. They also greatly enjoy kids, and hope to one day be able to open a craft store, both selling a wide range of craft supplies and a place for kids to do crafts, and kids craft classes. They consistently support handmade artists by promoting other shops and blogs. Show them some love, and visit their website, http://creative-minds.biz/Home.html, their blog, http://www.creativemindscrafts.blogspot.com/, and their Esty shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/creativeminds2009 to see all of their fantastic creations, and to find some great reads!

HAF Artist Trusk4U

2010-03-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hi, my friends! I am here with yet another featured HAF Artist, Teresa Rusk. She was born and raised in the upper Michigan peninsula, and now resides in North Carolina with her hubby. Teresa has 2 grown children who are on their own and live elsewhere, and 2 rescue dogs who are just the cutest pups you ever did see. Teresa has an Etsy shop that is full of gorgeous beaded and wire worked or wrapped jewelry. She also has a shop at Winkelf.com, in which you can find more of her lovely jewelry, and beautiful tote bags in yummy spring florals and colors. Her blog is interesting reading, where she features artists, her favorite recipes and reads. Treat yourself and visit her shops, and browse her blog.

Trusk4U blog: http://www.trusk4u.blogspot.com/

Trusk4U on Etsy: http://www.trusk4u.etsy.com/

Trusk4U on WInkelf: http://www.trusk4u.winkelf.com/

Introducing Pleasant Pheasantry, HAF Artist

2010-03-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

Pleasant Pheasantry are a husband and wife team of artists who have experimented with many different mediums over the years. A few of the things the hubby half has done are woodwork, ceramics, sketching, sewing, painting, and graphic arts. Some of the things the wife has tried include paper making, macrame, beadwork, shrink plastic, web design, wood burning, book binding, sewing, sketching, and writing. Take note of the creative handle on the pottery jug pictured above, combined with the blue glaze makes for a stunning display piece or a voase for spring blooms. Don't you just love these macramed barefoot sandals? It makes me LONG for summer. She also does macrame jewelry such as chokers and bracelets. Her latest endeavor is paper/book binding, which you can read about on her blog, http://thecraftjournals.blogspot.com/, along with all kinds of other interesting reading! She consisteently participates in HAFteams Spread the Love Campaign, and now the HAF blog ring, which both promote our many talented artists on the HAFteam. Please take a look around at their Etsy shop, and show them some love, won't you? http://www.etsy.com/shop/PleasantPeasantry

Haf Artist CJGrand

2010-02-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

This weeks featured Handmade Artist is CJGrand, of Ontario, Canada. CJ makes some of the most stunning altered art jewelry I have ever seen. She waits, actually hunts, to find just the right parts to complete her exquisite pieces. She is also a sci-fi costumer from way back, and also does steampunk costuming. She is a member of the SRA, and has two shops, one on Artfire, http://www.artfire.com/users/cjgrand, one on Etsy, http://www.etsy.com/shop/cjgrand, and you can follow her blog, http://cjgrand.blogspot.com/, where there is all sorts of interesting reading. She is consistently promoting her fellow HAF Artists in what she calls her Handmade Tweets, which you can also find on her blog. CJ loves swaps, as she just joined Swap Bot. She is a member of Etsy Canada as well. This is not a slacking woman, to have time for everything she does or is involved in. I was truly undecided about whether or not I even liked steampunk, but it won me over and this woman has inspired me to try my own hand at it. The two pictures above are only two of my favorite pieces of hers, and I highly recommend that you stop into both of her above linked shops for many more views of some real eye candy.

Lather UP with Reef Botanicals!

2010-02-15T23:00:00.000-08:00

Larissa and Eric are the husband and wife team who run Reef Botanicals and hand-make every batch of soap, every candle, lip balm, gift baskets and every other item they sell. I wasn't familiar with alot of handmade soaps, shampoos, etc., until recently. They are very creamy, lather up beautifully, and don't leave your skin dry and itchy like commercial soaps can and do. Best of all, they also offer bar shampoos, so they are an eco friendly business because there are no bottles to toss in the landfills. Reef Botanicals, because of their commitment to handcrafting only all-natural products, has qualified for a listing on Green People,the world's largest directory of eco-friendly and holistic health products!

Larissa and Eric have a blog where you can keep up with their latest adventures and products, and and their own website where you can purchase any product, Reef Botanicals.com. They offer a nice men's line as well as products for women. One of my must haves is some of her fizzy bath bars. I can tell you right now, sweetheart or no, I will NOT be sharing my bath fizzies with anyone, no, no, no, going to be stingy, LOL.

Some of the bars of soap (Dead Sea Spa Bar) look so appetizing that the pictures (ABOVE) make you want to take a bite out of them. I wouldn't advise it, of course, but I would advise you to treat yourself to some of their great products, spoil yourself or gift someone special!

Haf Artist Haffina-A Down Under Wonder

2010-02-11T07:52:00.000-08:00

Haffina is my featured HAF artist for this week. She lives and works in Australia, and uses a variety of mediums for her fantastic creations. Haffina does incredibly beautiful things with gemstones, polymer clay, beads, jewelry, in a variety of bright colors, some of which were inspired by her children. She also works in chainmaille, a complicated and intricate process of weaving tiny jumprings into amazing wearable works of art. What I didn't know about Haffina is that she is incredibly talented with a pair of knitting needles, you have to see some of her fabulous scarves. You may visit Haffina on her blog to keep up with everything she is doing. Haffina also has two Artfire shops, Haffina Creations and Haffina's Beads, in which you could spend all day drooling over her creations. Haffina has a shop on Etsy as well, Haffina Again, along with Zibbet, also named Haffina Again, and a shop on Made It!. Her Handmade Artists Shop, Haffina Creations is another venue to find her lovely works of art.

Haffina is celebrating her birthday month of February by giving discounts in all of her shops, the prices already reflect the discount. So go by her shops, and see what you can treat yourself to today!

HAF Artist Twas Brillig

2010-02-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

Another of our many talented artists from the Handmade Artists Forum is Nancy Rawlinson, of Twas Brillig, who lives and works in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Nancy is a visual artist as well as a jewelry artist, and the purple cow picture I have posted is my absolute favorite painting of hers, and the bracelet is also a favorite. You just have to love a gal who will paint a purple cow, and sell it at that. She IS after all, adorable as she can be. Her Alice in Wonderland series of paintings are well executed, playful, whimsical and refreshing, not something you see every day. I have followed Nancy on Twitter and Facebook since I first met her, due largely to a sense of humor I dearly love. Not to mention that she loves to "kidnap" me on Facebook, LOL! Nancy's jewelry is just as beautiful as her paintings, a more wearble art form, which is stylish and gorgeous. You can follow Nancy's Twas Brillig Blog to view more artworks in progress, such as Myrtle the Turtle. Be sure also to visit her Etsy shop, The Tulgey Wood, to treat yourself to one of her beautiful jewelry creations!

Zebrawood Donut Necklace with Sheer Ribbons

2010-01-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

I have shown you in a previous post what a Zebrawood bracelet looks like both in the rough and finished. Well, here is the finished product of the smaller donut rings, and didn't they turn out beautiful? I call them my donut necklaces largely due to their shape, and this time, I have them hung on 24" very sheer ribbon in a choice of brown or black. I think that the contrast between the mass of hard wood and the soft femininity of the ribbon blend well. I finished them in danish oil, then buffed them to a high shine with paste wax. You can find the black ribboned one in my Etsy shop, and the brown one in my Handmade Artists Shop!

HAF Artist NaLa, a Classy Lassy

2010-01-27T00:08:00.000-08:00

Nancy Landry isn't a member of my blog ring, but I couldn't resist featuring her, not only because she is a HAF artist, but because her delicate, feminine, and definitely classy jewelry appeals to me. She works in differents mediums, sterling silver, antiqued brass, Swarovski crystals, and pearls to come up with some stunningly beautiful jewelry pieces. Stylishly created pieces by Nancy can be seen in her Etsy shop. Stop by and treat yourself to one of her wearble art pieces today!

HAF Artisit Kitzbitz Glass, Jolene Wolfe

2010-01-26T23:03:00.000-08:00

Another of our fine Handmade Artists team members is glass artist Jolene Wolfe, of Kitzbitz Art Glass. Jolene lives and works in the UK, and is fabulous at what she does. As well as designing her own beads, she also teaches lampworking, and sells supplies to make them in her various shops. I hope I have enticed you with the photos above to check out Jolene's blog at http://www.kitzbitzartglass.blogspot.com/. Sorry, I couldn't get the hyperlink to work for me this time. She also has some fabulous examples of her work for sale in her Etsy and Artfire shops, see her blog for links to those. Jolene also has some gorgeous pictures of her work on Flicker, acccessible again through her blog. I strongly advise you to treat yourself to some eye candy, as these are some of the finest lampworked beads I have ever seen!

HAF Artisit Suzedabloozed, Jewelry Queen of UK

2010-01-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

Two queens of England, you say? Yes, make no mistake, there are, and Susan Morrow of Lynnwood Jewelry is the queen of jewelrymaking in the UK. Her very unique and original designs are very much inspired and influenced by her love of the sciences, math, behavoral, astonomy, and various others. You can very much see this in the above picture of one of my favorite pieces of hers. It is obviously not just a favorite of mine when another artist will ask permission to paint one of Suz's necklaces, also above, in one of her works, see it here in her Folksy shop. I thought this was way cool, and in my opinion, the highest and most sincere form of flattery.!

Suz's lovely, high end jewelry pieces are expertly handcrafted from 925 sterling silver. You can see them as well in her Handmade Artists Forum Shop, also in her Etsy shop, Lynnwood Jewelry.

Meet Heather!

2010-01-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

The next of our Handmade Artists Forum's talented and original artists is Heather Goheen, of Heathers Haven. I would call Heather a "jack-of-all-trades" because she does a little bit of everything. She is a wife, a Mom, a jewelry maker, works outside the home, and best of all are her beaded works of art. Her ethnic beaded dolls are influenced by cultures, her eco friendly 11 year old, all her children actually, history, and some of her other interests. My favorite doll of hers is "Girl Put Your Records On" because I am musically motivated and love the song it was named after! Her three featured items in her ETSY shop are my absolute favorites because they are blue themed! She does truly stunning, and the most amazing beadworked jewelry I have ever seen. Check out her new storefront at The Handmade Artists Shop, Heathers Haven for more of her exquisite works of art.

Besides all of the above, Heather is full of positive energy, and constantly promotes her "Spread The Love Campaign" for the Handmade Artists Forum Etsy Street Team." While you are spreading the love, spread some of that energy too, would ya girlfriend? LOL!

My Friend Sharon

2010-01-08T06:07:00.000-08:00

The Handmade Artists Forum has started what is called a "blog ring" which is right up my alley because it helps to feature and promote our many talented artists. The first of which is one of my very favorite members, Sharon Paradiso of Seedlings Jewelry Because.

Sharon is a very talented and original artist using eco friendly materials, argentum silver, copper is one of her favorites, shell, pearl, hemp, wool, and glass. She regularly donates 20% of her sales to Heifer International, a group that takes the "teach a person to fish and feed them for a lifetime" just a bit further with gifts of animals, bees, etc. for families around the world including the United States. She also supports The Prostrate Cancer Foundation. If you wish to help this great cause, be sure to purchase on of her beautiful hammered copper moustache necklaces.

Sharon has a positive outlook, is helpful with the forum in different ways, and has been more than generous with me in a time of need, for which I thank her from the bottom of my heart. She is a homegirl originally from Kansas City, as am I, and we have transplanted to the south. I am proud to call her my friend, and to promote her blog and her amazing handmade jewelry. Check out her Etsy Shop, and her Handmade Artists Shop, Seedlings Jewelry Because for beautiful personal or gift items.

Zebrawood-Finished and In The Rough

2009-12-28T14:53:00.000-08:00

I just thought you may be interested in seeing what my bangle bracelets and donut necklaces look like in the rough, before I shape and finish them. So, here is my latest bangle bracelet in Zebrawood, both finished and in the rough. I made it more like a cuff since the wood was one inch thick to start with, and the cuffs are more to my liking than the others, though I like them too. It finished at 7/8" wide, and is a little thinner than my other style of bangles. There will be donut necklaces soon to follow! Also, here are some interesting facts I found on the internet about Zebrawood that I feel make for interesting reading. Enjoy!

Botanical Name: Microberlinia brazzavillensis
Other Names: Zebrano, Amouk, Zingana, Allen ele, African Zebrawood
Species Distribution: Western Africa - mainly Cameroon and Gabon
Endangered?: Yes
Tree
Characteristics: Trees tend to grow large with trunk diameters of 48"-60" and a thick bark. Zebrawood tends to grow near river banks.
Wood
Characteristics: Moderately coarse texture, close defined grain.
Color: Yellow brown heartwood, light sapwood with a dark contrasting grain which gives this wood its Zebra-like appearance.
Workability: Fair - Veneers are fragile. Grain can tend to tear when planing. Good gluing properties.
Finishing Qualities: Fair
Durability: Grain tend to be prone to wear. Veneer tends to be fragile and can break easily. Resistant to termites
Drying: Difficult - unpleasant odor disappears after drying.
Kiln Schedules: T2-C2 (4/4) - T2-C1 (8/4) US
Stability: Zebrawood tends to shrink quite a bit. It can be unsuitable for some furniture.
Uses: Turnings, veneers, furniture, tool handles, pens.
Comments: In the United States Zebrawood is most commonly available as a veneer due to the high shipping costs.
Price: Expensive

Spread the Love, This Week's Shops

2009-12-13T13:44:00.001-08:00

This is our last full week before the holidays! And we have another wonderful array of artist to support and promote!

Monday, December 14, http://beadlady5.etsy.com/
Tuesday, December 15, http://stanislava.etsy.com/
Wednesday, December 16, http://zurdesigns.etsy.com/
Thursday, December 17, http://redfoxjewelry.etsy.com/
Friday, December 18, http://haffinaagain.etsy.com/
Saturday, December 19, http://debthuman.etsy.com/
Sunday, December 20, http://ambientgirldesigns.etsy.com/

This Weeks Contestants

2009-12-07T22:13:00.000-08:00

Here we go with another wonderful mix of talentd artists!

Monday, December 7, http://seedlingsjewelry.etsy.com/
Tuesday, December 8, http://jennuinecandles.etsy.com/
Wednesday, December 9, http://celticcrossing.etsy.com/
Thursday, December 10, http://dbvictoria.etsy.com/
Friday, December 11, http://feronia.etsy.com/
Saturday, December 12, http://laneescrochet.etsy.com/
Sunday, December 13, http://flyingcheesetoastie.etsy.com/

Be sure to check out these great shops, and remember, buy handmade!

Gemalicious Bead Giveaway

2009-12-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

She is absolutely right, who doesn't like beads? Go enter to win, what have you got to lose? Alot of beautiful beads, that's what!

Gemalicious Beads

Spread The Love Shops For Coming Week

2009-11-30T01:46:00.000-08:00

Here are the shops for the next week in our Hafteam spread the love promotion. Feel free to check them out!

Monday, November 30, http://deber50.etsy.com/
Tuesday, December 1, http://tamsytrends.etsy.com/
Wednesday, December 2, http://shabbychicshreds.etsy.com/
Thursday, December 3, http://melaniemiljan.etsy.com/
Friday, December 4, http://thetulgeywood.etsy.com/
Saturday, December 5, http://genevive.etsy.com/
Sunday, December 6, http://knitsbywlsm12.etsy.com/

Templates for My Bangle Bracelets

2009-11-29T19:26:00.000-08:00

A happy, well satisfied customer is a repeat customer. I am a perfectionist, as most of you who know me already know, and it bugged me that a bangle I had made for a customer wasn't sized just right. I asked her to return it, postage paid, so I could make the proper fit. In order to help me fit her properly, the customer sent along measurements in the form of outlining her hand, both flat and cupped. She also outlined the inside diameter of a previously purchased bracelet that was too large, and the one I had just made for her, in order to help with the sizing. Having like minds, the customer and I both thought that splitting the difference in the two inside diameters would do the trick. It worked wonderfully, and I now have a template to go by that will fit her perfectly each time she decides to re-order.

I think I will do that for all my bangle customers, hence the picture of the template cut-out. I used luan instead of my original thought of cardboard because it won't bend, as cardboard might. I have another lady to whom I am going to gift one because of her helpfulness to me in a time of need, you know, sort of a thank you. She has a rather large hand, and to avoid making the mistake of guessing, I will first send her a template to try on for size.

I wrote this short little blurb in hopes of giving you an idea of maybe how to tackle a similar problem you might be having in getting the right fit. Hopefully, I will soon have a small file box FULL of templates of all sizes!

Handmade Artists Forum Team Shops of the Week

2009-11-23T01:39:00.000-08:00

I am a proud member of the Handmade Artists Forum Team. We, as a team of handmade artists, love to "spread the love" amongst our collective shops. This is something new for my blog, but every Sunday evening late, I am going to try and post them here to help promote sales for my fellow HAFteam members. Here are the links to the members shops we are promoting this week:

Monday, November 23, http://mairzydozy.etsy.com/
Tuesday, November 24, http://yaffa.etsy.com/
Wednesday, November 25, http://unatiaespecial.etsy.com/
Thursday, November 26, http://alexshardesigns.etsy.com/
Friday, November 27, http://dutchfeltart.etsy.com/
Saturday, November 28, http://mickstonedesigns.etsy.com/
Sunday, November 29, http://bitsysgreetings.etsy.com/

Be sure to check these shops and other HAFteam members for great items and holiday prices.

A Slice of Delight Soap Contest Winner!

2009-11-21T14:03:00.000-08:00

I entered a blog contest offering handmade soap. I was hopeful, you know, sorta like entering a sweepstakes, not expecting to win, but hopeful. I posted my favorite soap as the Slice of Lime, as I like a citrus scent, and that is what she sent me. I also ordered an extra soap, as I was curious as to how it would compare to the OLD handmade soaps which were full of lye, and left you dry and itchy. Not so in this case...

When I received the package, I could smell the soap before I even opened the package. It was delightful, but a little strong. And I say strong because I was worried about coming out of the shower smelling like a fruit, and not being able to wear my favorite scents with it due to clashing. (It will smell GREAT in your soap dish.) Not so in this case either...

I took the soap out of the nice packaging, and immediately felt its creaminess. It lathers up beautifully with a nice, light, CLEAN fruity smell, and it rinsed well. This won't matter to you who like to slather on the lotion after showering, but it is a non-drying soap leaving your skin feeling clean, creamy, and VERY lightly scented.

You can try these wonderful soaps and judge for yourself at asliceofdelight. Tell her I sent you!

Some New Earrings

2009-11-18T23:13:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I take a break from doing my exotic wood jewelry designs, and work with other mediums. I found these gorgeous lucite bell flowers, and paired them with leafy bead caps, small silver or copper beads, small pearls, and Czech glass faceted beads. I think they turned out great! I had been wanting to do something with pearls as well, and I found these lovely pearls in www.etsy.com/ashleyspearl. I adorned them with small silver bead caps and strung them on chain to form a hanging cluster. All three pair turned out beautifully, and would make great gift giving for Christmas. They are listed in my Etsy shop, see my Etsy widget to go there.

Lagging Behind

2009-11-15T02:39:00.000-08:00

So sorry for not having kept up my blog. It just seems like something always comes up to keep me from it. I have made so many new pieces, and sold some too, custom orders, that it seems like all my creativity time is already taken up. Anyone else feel that way too? Tell me about it....

New posts will be coming soon!

When My Followers Reach 50-Giveaway time!

2009-11-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

I will be doing a giveaway of one of my spectacular bangle bracelets when my followers reach 50. Tell all of your friends!

Purpleheart Bangle Bracelet

2009-09-14T10:12:00.001-07:00

This is another one of my favorite woods because, as the name implies, the heartwood of purpleheart is a rich, exotic purple, and I absolutely love it. When first harvested, it is a dark brown but quickly changes to the beautiful dark purple it is popular for. Further exposure to light will return it to a more brown color, although the purple will still be quite evident, giving it a mixture of the two colors. Purpleheart’s unusual natural coloring makes it highly sought after for specialty uses, some of which include wood sculptures and carvings, billiard accessories, and of course, my bangles and other jewelry.

The Amazon Rainforest produces much of the purpleheart used today, although it can be found in Central America’s tropical regions. This wood is straight grained, dense, very hard, and difficult to work, as it is easy to burn if not careful when sanding. Purpleheart takes a beautiful finish, water based finishes are best for retaining the color, but for wearing against the skin, I chose to use a teak oil for the above bracelet. I think it is a better alternative in combination with skin oils and PH's. Please feel free to comment, comments are always welcome.

Honduran Rosewood Bangle Bracelet

2009-09-13T22:27:00.001-07:00

Of all of the bracelets I have made to date, this is, by and far, my favorite one. It is made of Honduran Rosewood, which comes from Central America, particularly Belize and Honduras. Honduran Rosewood heartwood varies from pinkish to purple-brown with irregular black markings independent of growth rings. Grain is straight to slightly roey or wavy. Texture is medium to fine. It is difficult to work, and very dense and heavy. Depending on the oiliness of the piece, it can prove difficult in gluing or finishing. I used a teak oil on this bracelet. It is 1" wide, and sports more of a cuff look than my other bangles. Above even the beautiful markings and coloring of this cuff, I love how when angled in the light, it boasts a glowing luminescense, in turn giving out a gorgeous shimmer.

Burled Claro Walnut Bangle Bracelet OOAK

2009-09-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

Why leave the beauty of this fabulous wood to automobile dashes and furniture when you can wear it? This beautiful bangle was carefully handcrafted from quartersawn burled claro walnut, and finished with a gloss lacquer, buffed to a high shine. This gorgeous bangle is a one of a kind bracelet. Although I may make another of this same wood, the patterns on it will never be the same. I went through the exact same process to make this one as I did the spalted maple in an earlier posting.

Burl describes the presence of dormant buds in a live tree. These dormant buds create a sunburst effect in the wood when the wood is quarter sawn. Dormant buds contain all the genetic information to grow new wood tissue. Why they are created by the tree and remain dormant is a mystery. Some experts believe they are formed due to injury or disease, while others believe it has to due with genetics. One thing is for certain, the effect these dormant buds have on the appearance of the wood after it has been sawn is truly a thing of beauty. For centuries burl wood has been considered a prized possession. Trees are like oysters, not every oyster produces a pearl and not every tree produces a burl. The greatest demand for burls in the wood market today is for use as veneer. These veneers adorn many of today's most expensive automobiles and are also used in the production of fine furniture, but why not jewelry as well?

Birthday Plans

2009-08-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

Well, today is my birthday. I don't feel any older than usual. Nothing special planned to do, except maybe to go out into the shop and play with some jewelry ideas I have floating around in my head. Maybe I will finish the bangle below, and another ebony piece I have been working on. Sounds good to me! See you soon!

Spalted Maple Bangle Bracelet

2009-08-28T18:32:00.001-07:00

I have made necklaces and earrings out of various exotic woods already, and I was tossing around an idea for bracelets in the form of bangles. I figured they would be more sturdy and less likely to break, like smaller pieces of wood might be. I used a cheap, pine 2x4 to start out practicing on. Using a 4" hole saw, attached to a drill press, I cut out the outside circle first. I then changed to a smaller 2 1/2" hole saw, and with original circle wedged in place, I cut the center out of what will be the bangle. I then changed out the hole saw for a sanding drum to sand the inside of the bangle smooth, and to get the right fit for my hand. I kept sanding from center outward until I had a snug fit. My hand, slightly cupped, measures from thumb knuckle to pinky knuckle 3 1/4". The inside diameter then measured 2 3/4", which will most likely be the standard inside diameter size I use. On to the belt sander, where I most always start with 80 grit and work to finer grit to shape the square outer edges into round. I use the softest part of the sander, as it gives me a more flexible sanding surface as I round the edges. After I get it nice and rounded to my satisfaction, I use a hand held sanding pad to take out any undesirable spots, and make the outer surface even smoother. The sanding pad is equal to around a 320 grit, which is really fine, but then I take it a step further to a sanding wheel, which is like 400 grit. It sands things so fine that they almost look polished. In the pictures, this is where I have left off, just after the sanding wheel. I haven't finished it yet, but will use a clear coat of something to bring out the figure in the wood. If you look closely at the pictures, you can see all different colors, like greys, different shades of brown, and the natural light colors of the maple itself, which give it a sort of "curly" look. The different shades of the wood are actually the levels of spalting the wood has reached. Spalted maple is maple hardwood with dark veins caused by a pattern of rot or bacteria in the wood. Once stabilized, this wood is very decorative as it often looks like a pen and ink drawing through the wood. Spalted maple can be found most anywhere in the United Sates. To me, the heavier the spalting, the more striking the piece. I will post again when I get a finish on this lovely piece of jewelry.

The new pictures of the finished bracelet have been uploaded. I chamfered (bevelled) the inside edge for your wearing comfort. It was finished with a high gloss lacquer, followed by a coat of paste wax, and buffed to a high shine.

Geometry in Rosewood-My Love Affair with Kingwood Rosewood

2009-08-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

My love affair with Kingwood Rosewood started when I was too young to really know what it was, or what it looked like. I only knew that I loved the rich, dark, polished beauty of it. My grandmother had a small secretary made of it, and I can remember sitting at it, tracing my fingers along the lines of the grain in it, in complete and utter awe. I do not know whatever became of that secretary, but it stirred something in me that was to last a lifetime.

Then, many years later, I married a woodworker. He was obsessed with wood, of all types and varieties, but especially exotics, and bought what he could when we could afford it. He was on Ebay one day, and found some Kingwood up for auction. This Kingwood was found in a now defunct factory in south Florida from the 1920's. Obviously cut during pre-ban times, he felt he was obligated (of course) to have some of it, and he had it shipped to the house. The flame was kindled again, with me. I fingered and admired it, and proclaimed that I wanted him to construct a jewelry box from some of it for me. Little did I know that years later, I would be shaping exquisite jewelry pieces with some of the scrap Kingwood he had leftover from his heirloom quality boxes.

I started with thin 1/2" wide strips, which I cut on my jig into one inch pieces. I then took them to the drill press, and drilled vertically through probably 20 or better pieces. There were enough to make a 20" chain, which was my ultimate goal. I wanted a break in the chain to add a little interest, so I drew two circles onto a larger piece, cut them with a hand saw into squares around the circles, and I used a grinder to round off the corners. I learned the hard way to drill the holes through the pieces BEFORE sanding to round, lol. I took those circles to the sanding belt, and used the softest part of the belt to take the square edges off of the circles. Using 80 grit all the way down to 150 grit sand paper, I kept at it until I had the right circumference I wanted, and they looked like discs, pictured. All the while, I had been thinking that I was making geometrical shaped pieces, and I needed a focal piece for the center of the necklace. I had a fair sized piece of Kingwood left over, so I measured and squared it, allowing enough room to angle off the edges into >'s. I did this on the belt sander as well, making certain that all sides were evenly sanded, and it ended up measuring about 60mm, from top point to bottom point on the diamond shape I chose. When I had all the pieces cut, shaped and sanded to avoid splintering, I then took them to the sanding wheel, which will sand the pieces so finely as to make them look polished.

The finishing process was simple for this necklace, as the Kingwood polishes and takes a finish extremely well. The sanding wheel polished it so finely that all I really needed was a simple paste wax to finish bringing out the natural beauty and color of the wood. I used Johnson's Paste Wax, applied three separate coats to each piece, allowing time to dry and polish inbetween each coat.

Now for the assembly. I couldn't decide whether to string these pieces together, or to use head pins and make it sorta like a rosary type chain. The focal piece, not having been drilled yet, decided that for me, as I was in a quandry as to how to attach the focal to the would-be chain. I had some large goldtoned jumprings that would work in getting them through the thickness of the focal, so I took the diamond shape back out to the shop, drilled two holes through opposite corners of the diamond, sanded off any roughness, then applied another coat of paste wax in case of any removal during this process. This started what would soon be a trademark rosary type chain for me and my jewelry pieces. The jumprings enabled me to attach a string of looped 20 gauge headpins (they add strength) and rectangular shaped Kingwood pieces, forming the chain. I attached, if I remember correctly, a goldtoned hook and eye closure, and voila! There I had a beautiful, wearable piece of artwork.

I have included some interesting facts on Kingwood Rosewood for your reading pleasure. Kingwood is a member of the rosewood family. Throughout the world there are hundreds of different species of Rosewoods, including Bolivian Rosewood, Brazilian Rosewood, Cocobola, East Indian Rosewood, Honduras Rosewood, Kingwood, Nicaraquan Rosewood, Brazilian Tulipwood & Santos Rosewood. The heartwood has variegated colors with a background of rich violet-brown, shading almost to a black with streaks of violet-brown, dark violet and black, sometimes with golden yellow, presenting an unmistakable appearance. Usually straight grained, uniformly fine textured and lustrous. It is stable, easy to work, and has a pleasant smell when being sanded. No wonder Kingwood Rosewood was such a popular choice among French and European kings for their furniture pieces in the 1700's.

Please feel free to post a comment, they are always welcome!

Playlist

2009-07-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

If you do not wish to listen to the music while you read, simply press the pause button. The music will stop playing. Thanks for visiting!

Exotic Wood Jewelry From Scrap to Scrumptious Part II

2009-07-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

I started out with 1" long pieces of the purpleheart and bloodwood, enough of them to make a 20" length of chain. I used a jig and cut them on a table saw. Then I drilled holes through them all at the drill press. Next came the sanding on a belt sander. Each piece was sanded smooth, the sides and ends rounded to make sort of a flat but rounded barrel type bead, using 80 grit down to 150 grit. I sometimes hand sand these with an even finer grit, but I skipped this step, and instead, used a fine sanding wheel inserted into the drill press. This sands them till they almost look polished.

The laminated piece was constructed from glued up strips of purpleheart, bloodwood, mahogany, walnut, and maple, and not necessarily in that order. I just arranged them so they were asthetically pleasing. I took the long strip to the chop saw and squared off one end, and measured, then cut out a square. The square went to the table saw jig and was cut in half at a 45 degree angle (one piece for the pendant), and the other half was halved again for the earrings. I sanded both sides and ends on the belt sander until smooth as glass, rounding the edges of the 3 sides so as not to snag or splinter. It then went to the sanding wheel as well.

Next and final step, and the most difficult for me as a beginning woodworker, was the finishing of these pieces. I chose to use a spray spar varnish by Cabot, which is simply a UV resistant finish. It helps to protect the vibrant colors in the exotic woods from darkening as quickly as say a glossy lacquer. Being the newbie that I am, I didn't know when too much was too much, and in trying to cover all sides, I got the first coat too thick. It seemed like it took forever to dry, and I was fighting rain and high humidity as well. Talk about a test of your patience! My instructor said that the heavy coating like that may peel on a customer at a later date, and I didn't want this to happen. So I took a piece of extremely fine grit wet/dry sandpaper, and with his help, wet sanded the finish down to the level it should be for a first coat. The buffing wheel was next, not sure why, as this wasn't explained to me. He did one of the triangles to show me how, and then I tried it. I got into the buffing wheel too hard (heavy handed) with my piece, and it smeared the red coloring of the bloodwood into the finish, ALL OVER THE REST OF THE PIECE!!!! I thought it was ruined, oh my GOD! I was ready to cry, I even had the lip quiver thing going on, LOL! After all that time of preparation and work! Seeing the tears well up, my instructor quickly came to my aid, and showed me how it wasn't ruined, and that I could take some fine grit sandpaper and take that awful red color that wasn't supposed to be there out of the finish. I sanded it out, and then back to the buffer with a MUCH lighter hand. I sprayed the second coat on all of the pieces then, and left to dry, this time the weather was cooperating, WHEW! The third coat went on without a hitch, thank God. Finishing wood is a pain in the pahtootie, but well worth taking your time in the long run.

It was finally time to put all the pieces together. I alternated the purpleheart and bloodwood to make the chain, using 20 gauge headpins to connect them, sorta like a rosary style chain. I used 10mm goldplated jump rings to attach the chain to the longest side of the triangular shaped pendant, as well as attaching the earring pieces to the leverback findings. And voila! After many hours of painstaking labor and love, I have created a wonderful, wearable art form.

Some factual information on the exotics that were used in creating this piece.

Purpleheart-Harvested from Central and South America. It is a very heavy and hard wood with a straight grain and a fine, even texture. It is sometimes difficult to work due to it's hardness and tendency to tear and splinter. It is a vibrant purple color, that with time and exposure to light, turns to a beautiful darker purplish brown. It glues easily, and polishes wonderfully, with no stain needed. Be careful when cutting or sanding though, as overheating the wood will cause it to burn, causing blackening or extreme darkening of the wood. Extremely hard to photograph and get the color right. Even though the wood is heavy, it is extremely lightweight in smaller pieces like I have used to make the jewelry, and very comfortable to wear.

Bloodwood-Native to South America, harvested mainly out of Brazil, but can be found in Peru, Panama, and French Guiana as well. It is known also as Satine or Cardinal wood, due to its red color variances from brownish to reddish pink. It is a very hard, heavy, strong wood, with a straight grain. It glues easily, finishes beautifully, polishes to a very good finish. Even though the wood is heavy, it is extremely lightweight in smaller pieces like I have used to make the jewelry, and very comfortable to wear.

Please feel free to comment, tell me what you think!

Exotic Wood Jewelry Scrap to Scrumptious

2009-07-10T02:40:00.000-07:00

Learning how to woodwork? Who, me??? I would have never thought it. As I was standing at the drill press one evening, I was thinking that very thought aloud to the person who was teaching me. His reply was simply, "Well, what is it that you are making?" Enough said.

It began simply enough many years ago, when I was watching my ex-husband build his heirloom quality jewelry boxes from some of the most beautiful, hand picked and figured exotic woods I had ever seen. There were some thin flat pieces of colorful scraps that I thought would be really pretty glued up. I didn't know then that laminated was the terminology I should use. While he was busily working, I grabbed a bottle of wood glue, and began to place these pieces asthetically together, one by one. When I was finished "playing", I showed it to my ex, beaming like I actually did something. He showed me how to clamp them together so they'd dry tightly, how to clean off the glue that squeezed out, and I let it be, for the time being. I have the attention span of a gnat sometimes, so after a couple of days, the laminate piece was forgotten about.

Many years later, I was back out in that same woodshop. I had been seriously working on pieces of a madrone burled wood necklace in the making, when that laminated piece appeared out of what seemed like nowhere. It actually startled me when I spied it, and it seemed to be calling me, calling my name. I was already in the middle of my next necklace when images started forming in my mind of what I could do with that piece of laminate. The two pieces of purpleheart and bloodwood, pictured above, were only two of the colors used in the laminate, but were my choices for the parts to form the chain. Part II later...

A Mermaid's Tail-Wire Wrapped Sea Glass

2009-06-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

The craze for sea glass has only just begun. The top pictured wire wrapped "Mermaid's Tail" pendant created by artist Kimberly, of Makinthebestofit.com, has captured the beauty of it quite well. The wrap itself is very fitting and appropriate of a piece of tossed and tumbled glass from the sea. The great irony about it is, when she created it, she stated that she never noticed that her style of wrapping this piece resembled a mermaids tail, hence, the name was born.

I am quoting either Kim, or her husband, Andrew when I say that the funny thing about this whole sea glass craze is when you think about it, we are really talking about ocean garbage. Sea glass/Beach glass started its lowly life as an unwanted piece of trash. Long ago, before environmentalists began, people would dump their unwanted trash into the sea. The lovely old colored bottles would be battered by rocks, waves, sand and salt water until they were broken up into smaller pieces (some no bigger than a shard). These pieces would be naturally tumbled until they are smooth and frosted. Fast forward, jewelry artists and avid collectors comb the beaches of the shore looking for these recycled treasures that have washed up on the sand. Some put them in jars for display, some hoard them like misers, some sell their pieces, and others create beautiful art with them. Brown and white are the most common colors to find with green being next on the list. Then you have the prizes...blue, red, yellow, orange, and purple are treasures to find. Most sea glass is odd shaped so it means that each is a one of a kind.

All of the above pictured collection of sea glass has come from their excursions along the Jersey shoreline.

Kim has taken these treasures from the beaches along the Jersey Shore and hand wrapped them in sterling silver to create wearable art. Each treasure is unique to itself. For earrings, she can often find pieces that are close in color, size and shape; but they will not be exact matches. Pendants are absolutely unique so when a piece is sold it is gone forever. Kim will be selling these gorgeous works of art soon at http://makinthebestofit.com/sea-glass-jewelrycoming-soon/.

Nature at It's Finest

2009-06-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

I wasn't doing much of anything today, except exchanging personal messages. I happened to wander outside, into the garage, and low and behold, I saw one of natures finest works in action. I do not have garage doors installed yet on my home, so it is open most times. I find a couple of bird' nests built into the crevices here every now and again. I do not disturb them, because I believe Mother Nature should be allowed to take Her course. I knew that a mother bird was nesting, because I had seen her fly in and out, to do whatever it is that she does. Today, I witnessed about eight, tiny little baby birds trying to leave the nest, trying out their new wings, learning how to fly. How cute they were, these tiny creatures, spreading their wings for the first time learning how to fly. It was fascinating to see them hopping some, then flying a bit. Just a short bit, but nevertheless, trying out their tiny wings. I could hear a tiny little "peep-peep" every so often, coming from the attic rafters, and I wondered if the tiny thing would be ok there, since it gets so terribly humid and hot in the attic here in North Florida. Then I heard a much stronger chirping, and knew that Mama birdie was coming to the rescue. It was simply so heartwarming to me to see these tiny creatures do what they were meant to do. Please, take a moment, to look around you, smell deep, and watch carefully. Living in the country certainly has it's advantages!

Quality vs. Cost-It Does Matter

2009-06-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

In creating my jewelry items, I want them to have both the look and the feel of quality merchandise. As my journey progresses into this creative and artistic adventure, I am finding that buying quality merchandise requires some research and asking alot of seemingly but not so dumb questions. I will share one of my recent discoveries so that you don't have to sit in the head chair at the table of hard knocks, as I have.

If you buy cheap, you are generally going to get cheap, inferior products. Sure, you have to think about your budget, especially if you are like me, unemployed, and every penny counts. I recently made a purchase that "seemed" like a good deal to me, because I thought I was getting a more than fair quantity for the price. Upon receipt of the supplies, I got to working with them only to be disappointed with how they soooooo did NOT work. I had to pull them apart before I could open them from side to side, and upon closing them, they formed lopsided, ovular rings, not the desired round and pretty shape I had hoped for. If you should happen to notice in the pictures that a jumpring has overlapping ends, don't walk, RUN the other way. I did not know, however, to ask about this.

Buy from a reputable dealer. Preferably, one that deals in specifically what you are looking for. Had I listened to some friends of mine who suggested a dealer in jumprings, I would have most likely avoided the previously mentioned buying blunder, and gotten the nice, quality rings I originally wanted. The Blue Buddah Boutique and The Ringlords are the two dealers that were recommended to me.

I would like to think that most people are honest, but I am finding that some are not. This includes how a seller writes up their listing. This is one reason why leaving proper feedback is so crucial. If you are not happy in any way with a purchase, SAY SO. Just because a seller happens to have a large number of positive feedback doesn't mean that he/she isn't just getting by because the buyer didn't state what they honestly felt about the entire transaction.

All I can say is caveat emptor, and ask questions. If you don't know what to ask, just pop in on the Handmade Artists Forum link I have provided to the side of this blog. Someone there will most likely be able to answer your questions, or help you figure out just what it is that you need. If I think of anything else I wanted to say, I will post it later.

Beading and Jewelry Supply Storage

2009-05-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

http://cuttheclutter.blogspot.com/

I found this blog fascinating, as I cannot imagine EVER having that many beads that I would have to store. My crafting/beading space is cluttered chaos, to say the least. I have some things organized in all of the mess, to where I can immediately go and put my hands on something within minutes, so I guess I'm not doing too bad, LOL.

I also use those 3 tiered organizer boxes from Wal-Mart. They are clear so I can easily see what is inside, and is within quick reach. I store all of my paints in one of those 3-drawer rolling boxes, as well as my sewing patterns, trims, and ribbons. As long as I can get an idea of where the item I need is, I can find it almost instantly.

I wish I had enough beads to warrant a storage need like the picture in above link. One of my friends gave me for Christmas last year a fishing tackle box, with a large, open compartment on the top that I use for storing my pliers, tools, tape, wire, etc. The front drops down to reveal four tiers of plastic boxes with separator inserts to store small stuff. I found that my findings stash was getting much larger than my bead stash, so three of those four drawers are now full of findings. I went to a wholesale outlet in my small town where I found a "womans" tackle box. It is very much like the one described above, but comes in a black trimmed with pink nylon carry case with a shoulder strap, and has more and larger compartment spaces. I find that both of these boxes are very portable, and lightweight, and I love the fact that I can carry my tools and supplies with me to the shows, and make on demand from the supplies that are chosen by the customer. It works for me, and I hope you can use this as well!

I Need To Know Who Is My Target Audience

2009-05-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

I design jewelry, using all sorts of mediums, gemstones, glass beads, crystals, and exotic woods. I am wanting to take a poll to find out exactly WHO my target audience is. I have an Etsy.com shop, where you can view my items. If you were to purchase something from me, what item(s) would it be and tell me why. Please include these things about yourself:
age
gender
your favorite item(s)
what appeals to you about it
disposable income
luxury item or impulse buy
your location in US, or abroad
Rate my pricing-Good, fair, or poor

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7000502