The Ladysmiths

Fold-forming Meeting

2012-01-27T19:44:00.000-05:00

Today's meeting was at Sandra's lovely basement studio- she showed us fold-forming! Thanks to all the amazing ladies who came out on a wet rainy muddy day!

What a nutball! Jowita puts on her "copper lips" made from fold forming 24 ga. copper.

And look what those copper lips became- gorgeous earrings! Lips in the morning, earrings in the afternoon...

Sandra starts the demo by randomly cutting a shape of 24 ga. copper.

After folding, she hammers nice and tight. Pictured l to r: Jowita, Sandra, Bodil, Carolyn, Caroline, Sharon, Ellen and Karen (and me, Dana!)

Confirming the edge with a hammer helps to make the fold's crease stand out once opened up.

Anneal the copper to restore softness, to allow opening up, or to create more folds, or to planish for formwork.

The vise is a nice tool, but not necessary.

This is Sandra's demo piece after folding, confirming, annealing, planishing, and opening.

Jowita's piece in process.

Working on opening a piece- use a knifeblade or steel burnisher.

Ellen's simple but elegant leaf form. To be continued..?

One of Sandra's experimental forms- so elegant and abstract- a bird??

Some of Sandra's silver pieces ready for opening!

An accordion fold done last night by Sandra as an example.

Charles Lewton-Brain has a book called Fold Forming that's amazing- treat yourself to a copy.

Need copper? Try going to the Roofing Center in Alexandria: 5900 Farrington Ave. Contact: Joe Lemen, phone (703)941-6400. Their 12" wide roofing copper (which is 24 ga.) is about $5 a linear foot.

Thanks to all who came, and a big thank you to Sandra!!

Etching Workshop

2011-11-18T22:19:00.003-05:00

Today was an awesome etching workshop at Caroline's studio in Falls Church:

Thanks to (l to r): Sharon, Ellen, Caroline, Sandra and Odaybea for coming!! (and me, Dana!)

Odaybea etched her sterling silver cuff using a couple of PNP images which she ironed on, then she painted on a layer using an oil-based paint pen, and carved out some text. A scribe or the end of a file work great for carving out the resist.

Here is a progress shot of Odaybea's cuff.

Sandra created a sheet of images, with several layers of etched images- here 1/2 is done, 1/2 is in progress. Nail polish also makes a great resist. She used Rio Grande's new silver/brass bimetal- also known as silver filled. The possibility exists to etch through one side, revealing the alternate material. Gotta try that!

Ellen's etched pieces were created with PNP paper with the exception of the bottom right starburst which was created with a paint pen resist.

Ellen's Greek Gods turned out awesome.

Sharon's pieces were created with PNP paper. Can't you see some soldered-on stone settings in their future??

Dana's top right piece was created by utilizing nail stamps, bottom. The above left piece is a work-in-progress.

Dana's pieces using nail stamps and PNP paper.

Some recent work came in too! Here's a peek at Ellen's beautiful pieces- some still in progress.

Sharon's recent pieces are about to make their debut appearance in her NEW etsy shop- best of luck Sharon!!

I missed taking Caroline's etchings! Maybe we'll post them once they're all done- everyone send me photos of these pieces once you've used/finished them!!

Meeting at the Ratner Museum

2011-09-22T19:36:00.002-04:00

This is a pic of the Ratner Museum in Bethesda Maryland. Very nice! Ellen K's family owns this beautiful gem and we were lucky to get an "inside" tour!

Here we are in front: Mimi, Sharon, Bodil, Sandra, Karen, and Ellen K. (plus me, Dana)

Another great shot of us!

Ellen treated us to a overview of dentistry tools she uses in her profession but also in her metalsmithing!

Here we are meeting in the carriage house of the Ratner Museum.

The first floor of the Ratner Museum. A large square area that showcases 4 artists per month. The upper level is the work of Phillip Ratner.

June Meeting; Calendar Ideas

2011-06-10T12:39:00.004-04:00

Dana, Ellen Y., and Jowita, with calendar pics all over the floor! (this and next 4 pics by Karen)

Caroline, Ellen, Sharon, Bodil and Dana.

Thanks so much to Karen for offering up her lovely home so we could gather, chat, eat and discuss ideas!Ellen K., Karen, Caroline, Ellen Y., Jowita, Bodil and Sharon (and me, Dana!) chatting and comparing jewelry pics...

Laying out photos of our work to see what we got.

Discussing monthly "themes" for our first calendar. Hopefully not our last! (Karen, Caroline, and Ellen K.)

Ellen Y. and Jowita.

Sharon and Bodil.

Jewelry as an excuse

2011-05-31T14:15:00.006-04:00

When I'm not making jewelry (or raising a child or doing chores or hiding behind a book), I like to go antiquing. It's a bit of a sickness, actually. I feel antsy if I haven't done it in awhile. Pathetic, right? So I decided to come up with a good excuse to go out antiquing every now and then: using antiques in jewelry. I specifically like old signs, graphics and advertisements, so I'm often drawn to old packaging and tins. I have a decent stash of items now, including these guys:

Currently, I'm figuring out how to use them in my work. I obviously mean for most of these pieces to be fun and tongue-in-cheek -- anti-midge cream! -- but I think it's possible for jewelry that incorporates these tins to be lovely. Exhibit A:

I found two old orange juice cans that have wonderful color and graphics. I've already cut one apart and started marking it up with my Sharpie. I have a rectangle and oval or two in there, but as you can see I've mostly marked circles. Yes, that means the dapping block is coming out. I saw a pair of earrings that gave me my first idea on how to use the cut-up juice tins, dapped to a concave shape, in a "pretty" way. I'll post them when I finish.

Do any of you marry another love with metalsmithing? I'd like to hear about it. Especially since I'm already plotting how to involve yet another love of mine: letterpress printing.

Sharon

On the "Drawing Board"- What's on Yours??

2011-05-24T13:03:00.003-04:00

This week I'm trying to make a couple of things, since I went to the gem show this weekend and bought some new goodies. I have a lot of stones. I don't need anymore for a while. But, it's nice to have new things.This will be a pair of post earrings featuring a matched set of amazonite stones and the last of some square fire opal. I love using things up and thus clearing out space for something new in my stone box. Square stones are killer when it comes to creating bezels- not my favorite. Probably that's why I've had them for a few years! But if I get all the bezels made today, then tomorrow I can solder, set and polish. We'll see....!

And here are the finished earrings:

What's on your "drawing board?"

May Meeting

2011-05-20T20:31:00.002-04:00

Here we all are in our gorgeousness (l to r): Karen, Ellen, Sharon, Mimi, Jovita, and Bodil (and me, Dana, taking the pic!)

Today's meeting was great- sitting around the kitchen table at Bodil's house eating, drinking and chatting! AND looking at everyone's jewelry! We talked about creating a calendar for us Ladysmiths of our work- a portfolio of sorts, and it will be created for our own use or to give away. Fun!

See everyone next time!

Next Get-Together

2011-05-13T19:51:00.002-04:00

See everyone at Bodil's house next Friday for a meeting to chat, look at recent work, and hang out. Hope you can make it! Email me for more info...

Mokume Gane Ring

2011-05-04T21:22:00.004-04:00

This is a ring I made today for my mom, to give to her on Sunday for Mother's Day. Her birthstone is sapphire, and this is a 7 mm stone I'd bought last year for this purpose. She likes jewelry that is small and delicate, whereas I prefer bolder jewelry. I hope mom will like it! This was as small and delicate as I like to go!

The construction was straightforward, but since I was using a piece of 20 ga. mokume gane ("woodgrain" in Korean) of silver and copper, I was sure to make a template of my piece in copper first to make sure of the pattern I wanted. Mokume gane is a bit pricey, but you use small amounts of it at a time so it's not so bad. After sawing out the shape, I soldered the ends of the ring together. This is where things got funky! When I began soldering the seam closed, the seam actually opened up the hotter it got. Then when it cooled back down, the seam came together again. WEIRD! I figured it was part of the properties of this mixed metal. I actually had to use 2 sets of tweezers to hold the seam together, with the torch free-standing and the solder snippet carefully balanced on top of the seam. That "seamed" to work and when I soldered on the setting for the stone, nothing unusual happened.

I used liver of sulfur (LOS) to give the piece a patina. The problem with LOS is that it also darkens the silver. There is a solution called Baldwin's Patina (sold by Rio) that I need to buy! It only reacts with the copper and darkens that part. Once my mom tries it on, I will see if I need to re-size it, and if so then I will bang the back on a mandrel to stretch out the metal. I will also re-patina it with Baldwin's. That will really bring out the pattern and it will not look so funky as it does now.

Poor Man's Julie Shaw

2011-04-29T11:17:00.002-04:00

This is a necklace I put together this week using a pendant I'd made. I've always liked the way opals and peacock grey pearls look together. I made an s-clasp and put on a length of chain so it could be adjustable.

It was inspired by a ring by Julie Shaw (see below right). I love how she uses the mixture of stones, gold, and liver of sulfur on silver, to bring out the most amazing colors. You could say mine is a poor man's version! I used a silver-copper sandwich slice instead of gold, and textured the other side of the setting with punches, much as she does. I did use liver of sulfur, but I dulled it a bit because I didn't want it to blend in too much with the color of the pearls.

You can find more of her beautiful designs at JulieShawDesigns.com.

Student Work

2011-04-23T20:54:00.002-04:00

This was a project completed by one of my students, Barbara, at the Lorton Workhouse. She is an artist-type, dabbling in this 'n that. She thought she'd try traditional metalsmithing, as she had just taken an enjoyable seminar or two with Carol Hamilton, also at the Workhouse, learning about metal clay.

She started to lose her hearing in her 30's, and hence now wears hearing aids. She wanted to create a pair of hearing aid guards, so when she went outside on windy days, her aids would not be howling from the onslaught of wind and air. They were to be functional, but also beautiful. She worked on creating templates of the earpiece, and then cut out, filed, sanded, and domed the sheet silver. Next she created coils in silver twist-wire, and after many soldering operations, soldered on these coils to the sheet silver. They are reminiscent of the ear, aren't they? She used a brass brush (leftover from her silver clay class) to burnish them, and then folded the wire around her ear; one left long enough to attach back up the front of the earguard.

Here's a picture of Barbara modeling her hearing aid guards. I was so struck by how elegant, personal and meaningful this project was to her. This was not an easy project- it took her many hours of forming, soldering, melting (oops) re-doing, etc... before she "got it", but she didn't give up. They're so chic, industrial, organic, and eye-catching, aren't they??

More tips on photographing work

2011-04-19T17:48:00.003-04:00

I like to flip through Metal Clay Artist Magazine -- despite never having worked in metal clay -- because I get some good ideas from it. The current issue (Vol. 2, Issue #2) has an extra goody, a long article on jewelry photography. It made me realize that depth of field might be the cause of my focus issues. The article's not just about the camera; it gets into jewelry placement, backgrounds and props, etc. It's worth checking out if a bookstore near you carries it.

Sharon

New Technique

2011-04-15T14:27:00.002-04:00

I got this pretty oval-shaped Mexican opal from the Tucson shows this year- it's quite high and I was brainstorming what to do about the setting. I decided to make a masonite die for my newish hydraulic press by using a jeweler's saw to cut out appropriate sized-ovals. The interior oval needed to remain flat and large enough in order to have the stone's bezel soldered to it. The outer oval I sized aesthetically and then glued the pieces of 1/2" masonite to a larger thinner piece of masonite with epoxy. I let it cure overnight. I pressed the form in silver, cut it out, and then soldered a plain bezel around it to create the look of it being thick; in reality it's hollow with another piece of sheet at the bottom. I soldered on the stone bezel, and the ring shank, and did a lot of hand finishing and then shined it up on my electric polishing arbor with tripoli. I need to do some experimenting with polishing compounds, but that's another post... I think it has a bit of an old Mexican vintage feel to it- perfect with the opal. I'm going to try some more pieces using handmade dies in the press- it was exciting to try something new.

Big benefits from social networking

2011-04-13T17:23:00.003-04:00

I know, I know --the phrase "social networking" sets your teeth on edge. But before you dismiss this post, hear me out. I'm a semi-Luddite. I own a little pay-as-you-go cell phone that gets turned on maybe once a week. I'm typing this on a computer that only has a dual 512K processor. I don't embrace technology unless it REALLY does something for me. But over the past two weeks, I've gotten two commissions and made two sales via Facebook. Considering that I don't have an Etsy store (or even an actual business) to advertise yet, I think that's pretty good.

So why am I on Facebook? In my pre-child life, I was a newspaper editor. Journalists tend to move a lot and be friends mostly with other journalists (thanks to weird hours), so I have friends scattered all over the world. We've found that Facebook is the best way to stay in touch -- everyone knows what revolution you've been sent to cover with one quick post. And we share all the other life news there, too. So as I learned metalsmithing last year, I posted pictures there. I'd get positive comments with each picture. But this year, something changed. Maybe it's my skill level, maybe people are feeling more secure financially, but suddenly requests are coming at me. High school friends, former colleagues, old friends of my husband that I've never met -- all have requested or bought jewelry from me this year.

I'm pleased with the advertising my Facebook page has been doing for me. I'm no longer worried that my Etsy store will just sit there, ignored, when I do open it. The one problem I have is that I'm not getting to said store because I'm doing so much request work. Which I'm OK with right now -- at least Facebook isn't charging me for each post and sale. So if you aren't on Facebook -- or Flickr, or Ibibo, or whatever else has cropped up in the last two minutes -- I recommend it. It's one more way to get your work out there. (And feel free to friend me on Facebook, fellow Ladysmiths: I'm Sharon Olson Moores in Woodbridge.)

Sharon

Was in my Studio Zone today

2011-04-11T14:31:00.000-04:00

Made these two rings both from start to finish...it felt great to work so hard and enjoy the sun while taking photos...

Call for Entries

2011-04-06T21:13:00.001-04:00

Call for entries- non-precious materials- check it out:

http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive/201104/msg00001.htm

Started and finished today...more ring action

2011-04-06T13:12:00.000-04:00

Poppy Ring in Sterling Silver with 18k Yellow Gold granules

I started this from scratch this morning and really zoned out of all of my stress and into the beauty of creating this ring.

(yes Sandra, I used LOS, I can't go to the gym unless I shower!)

I took around 100 photos and am happy with the few I chose for my etsy shop display.

What's everyone up to? (I think this weather is crazy...almost as crazy as congress!)

it's me...Care--- Hi!!!!

Trickier than it looks

2011-04-05T21:28:00.014-04:00

I finally finished a new piece -- a massive lava stone ring. It looks like a very simple setting, but I decided to jazz it up two ways. First, I perforated the ring band to mimic the lava. I thought it'd be easy, but it took some work to make sure several of the holes didn't look like perfect circles. Second, I decided to cut out part of the backplate so you can see through some of the lava holes. However, I needed to leave enough support for the wide shank. After thinking it through a little, I ended up with a speedometer-shaped cutout. That shape allowed me to expose the best through-holes, but also left room for the shank.

Left picture shows the shank and cutout; right one shows how the cutout works with the holes:

I love making work more difficult for myself! :-)

Sharon

Work In Progress

2011-04-04T10:19:00.000-04:00

I'm getting my Latin on...feeling my muse...
(it's me, Care)HI!!!

Photoshop Get-Together

2011-03-31T19:12:00.003-04:00

This was our small group gathered today for a Photoshop free-for-all: l to r: Ellen, Mimi, Peggy and Ellen. (and myself as photographer, Dana) (and yes, I did photoshop this image....)

We met in Ellen's GORGEOUS art-filled home and were treated to juice, coffee, bagels and gingerbread cake. Yum. We went over the basics of Adobe Photoshop- just the basics: cropping, color balance, sharpening, eyedropper/fill to eliminate support pieces or background noise. Feel free to download a copy for free, for 30 days, from Adobe.com.

See everyone next time! Thanks again, Ellen!

2011-03-28T09:46:00.002-04:00

Hope everyone can come to the meeting on Thursday at Ellen's house in Alexandria (directions will be sent later today....)

Be sure to email me some photos to get "photoshopped"!!

:) Dana

Working on photography

2011-03-21T16:54:00.013-04:00

Yesterday, my husband showed me how to use the goodies -- timer, manual settings -- on our point-and-shoot. I decided to play with it and the lightbox today to see if I took better pictures after his tutorial and our last meeting. Based on my old photos, there's improvement. I don't have Photoshop or the like, so these pictures haven't been manipulated.

Old necklace photo on left; new necklace photo on right:

I obviously still need to work on glare, but I successfully cut down on it in the new photo. The silver isn't blown out this time. I also need to work on focusing better. It looks like the granulation at the bottom of the opal pendant is a bit blurry in the new picture. Focus also is an issue in the next series:

Old ring photo on left; new ring photo on right:

Better focus, but not perfect. So I'll work on that. (Do I need to pull back some? Am I abusing the macro setting?) I seem to have tamed the glare much better in the new photo. I have to admit I'm not sure what exactly I did with the lights. I was constantly fiddling with them -- moving them, tilting them, draping things over them to diffuse the light more. Taking notes after every single picture seemed laborious and I didn't do it. However, maybe I should reconsider until I have the process down.

Photography is a complete mystery to me, so I'm glad I see progress. Getting tools like a lightbox has helped. I need to learn more about the camera itself to deal with some of my issues. But I'm pleased so far. I wouldn't be embarrassed to post these new photos on Etsy, and that's my main photographic goal.

Sharon

Experimental Ring

2011-03-18T21:30:00.002-04:00

Busy week again- only got this one project done. I did get some stones cut and polished this week, though. Early in the week I cut/polished this Australian opal from rough I have had around for a while. It has some pretty green-ish fiery stripes. I fabricated the round tube it sits on, plus soldered in a round wire seat. I also soldered on a back plate to make soldering the mesh shank on easier.

The experimental part was the "prongs". I had made a sandwich of 24 gauge copper and sterling silver sheet a number of years ago. I sawed a slice of it, cut that in half, and soldered each piece to each side of the setting. Then I tightly clamped them down to hold the stone. The stone was still a bit loose, so I rotated it a bit and that did the trick. Experimental because I don't know how it will age and wear. Only 2 prongs, but they are wide. I didn't want to use any glue.

I don't have a lot of experience with prong settings- I much prefer bezels. Anyone out there who has a lot of experience with prongs and knows what they're doing?

The Fastest Shortcut of All

2011-03-18T11:35:00.002-04:00

This is a exerpt from the latest WGG newsletter. I like it so much that I keep it on my desk to read on a daily basis.

"The fastest way to do anything is to do it right the first time. Building jewelry should not be a race against time, but a journey toward quality. So slow down, check your work right from the start and all along the way, and remember: What is most important is that every piece you make represents your very best efforts." -Alan Revere

New Ring

2011-03-09T09:56:00.000-05:00

I had my grandmother in mind when I designed this. I wear her old pendant often (she wore it so many days). I just need to finish up a little work on it before I list it but I was so excited to get some photos of the new next to the old. I was thinking of keeping it and luckily it doesn't fit my largest finger. Little more bezel refining and shining up and then I'll list it. This has taken about 2 sittings to complete, so I guess it will take 3 sittings considering it's not done to my satisfaction yet :-)

I miss my grandmother all the time, she was so lovely. (hi it's me Care)

Mosaic Earrings done this week

2011-03-06T16:09:00.002-05:00

This was a busy week and I only managed to get these one pair of earrings made. I started by randomly cutting a length of 14 gauge square wire, then I measured it carefully and cut it exactly in half. I then soldered the ends of each together, and started forming one loop into this modified-teardrop shape. I really didn't know what I'd get until I started working on it. Everything was design-as-you-go. After I was happy with one shape, I manipulated the other one to exactly mirror the first. I finished up the soldering by soldering on a backplate, trimming it, then soldered on the back a wire which had 3 loops in the bottom and extended past the top and became the earwire. I knew I wanted to dangle some beads, not sure which, but it turned out to be a large teardrop so I knew I didn't want to add any bezel-set stones, because of the size and weight limitations earrings impose. I then decided on the rubies and decided on a color scheme by grouping containers of seed beads together until I liked the combination of colors. Then I dove in and created the border of the mosaic, then filled it in, one line at a time, one earring after the other, until it was filled. I decided on a brown grout, and wired the beads on, and it was done. Pretty random, but I'm happy with how they turned out. Sometimes when I make things, I have a plan, sometimes I leave it up to do-it-as-you-go.

How do the rest of you design a piece?

Made Another Piece This Week

2011-03-04T09:24:00.002-05:00

This was originally going to be a pair of earrings, but the stones seemed too heavy and large...so I came up with a very simple high seated stone ring.
This is Sugilite, has anyone else worked wih it? I love it. Just did a little research on Wikipedia and found out the G is pronounced silent, named after a Japanese man who discovered this stone in the 1940's

Here's my ring (it's me Care!)

Lovely Earrings

2011-03-03T08:24:00.000-05:00

These were made 2 days ago, and finished this morning at around 3am when I couldn't go back to sleep. I'm falling hard for these agate cabachons lately. These are from Turkey...the wait for delivery was well worth it. I gave them a simple setting, they are not exactly the same, I imagine they were hard to cut to get the same exact edging? Either way I love them. The cabs were sold and bought as a pair and I did manage to pull them off as earrings. I love the depth of plume and colors inside each. (it's me, Care, hi!)

Keum Boo Earrings

2011-02-27T20:28:00.002-05:00

I made these earrings (a tad under 1" wide) in part to demonstrate keum-boo to my students at the Lorton Workhouse. They loved the technique and I liked how the earrings came out. The ovals were traced onto sterling sheet from a plastic template (of which I have a dozen or more- very helpful for getting 2 earrings EXACTLY the same size) and then I edged them in brass square wire (to pick up the gold color from the keum-boo foil) and with a sterling round wire inset. I like the detail this framing gives them. I used some small but fiery opals- one cracked as I set it because it was so thin- yikes! Fortunately I had more! I like the earwire attachments, and they oxidized in liver of sulfur nicely too. The earring on the left I screwed up a bit on- I layered 3 triangles of gold foil in the center, but one got misplaced as I set it and stuck instantly as the earring was already laying on the hot plate (note to self- set the foil BEFORE setting piece on hot plate). So you can see especially on the bottom how there are 2 points. Ah well- handmade, right? ;) Dana

Gold Bangle for Customer

2011-02-25T10:20:00.003-05:00

Just finished this custom piece. Melted old gold and shaped into 12 gauge wire (that took a long time), made the bezels, and set the pink tourmalines. I'm pleased with the look and know my customer will be also. She is very specific about what she wants and is a great designer. I've made about 6 other pieces for her during the past couple of years. A fun and challenging project!

Staying Busy

2011-02-22T08:35:00.000-05:00

and keeping the color alive in my home studio during these cold days...these are all at different areas of progression...
(it's me Care)

I'm enjoying the feel of the saw as it easily makes its way through metal, and around bends and curves...must be a tactile thing.

New Earrings Done

2011-02-18T15:57:00.002-05:00

These long earrings took me 3 sessions to complete. I got the idea from some curtains in my house! I like how they turned out. I had to re-do one of the prehnite bezels because when I was soldering on the goldfilled hook, the bezel melted- oops! The bezels for the opals took a while to make and put some gouges in my fingertips- so small! I like the small detailed work against the smooth expanse of the stones. I also like the mixed-metal look. They're long- 2-1/4" without earwire, and weigh 8 grams each (a nickel is 5 grams). I'd had the stones for over a year and finally thought of a way to put them to good use.

Earring Challenge

2011-02-17T15:43:00.010-05:00

I am loving these design challenges! here's the latest:

Each of us was given an 8" strip of off-white, 1" wide aluminum (e.g. Levelor) window blinds. Like the second of the above photos.

The assignment: make a pair of earrings, using all of the material. Other metals, plastic, and color were permissible additions but nothing else. I decided to add sterling silver spacers and earwires but no color (I could use some white earrings) and no plastic. The first photo (above) is what I came up with.

Made this Yesterday

2011-02-17T13:37:00.000-05:00

it's funny how life gets in the way of work, just getting photos of it this morning and listing it later...what do you ladies think of it sitting atop a druzy which is on a vintage map? I think it might be too much...(yes real opinions please) Going to list it, but not on the druzy, but oh if you could hold and see how brilliant the purple druzy is you'd put a fresh made ring on top too! (I think you would) Lately I've been craving color, so I've been making more stone set items and less kinetic ones.
(it's me, Care) :-)

Inexpensive tabletop lights

2011-02-16T17:15:00.004-05:00

I've been trolling around the Internet looking for inexpensive lights like the ones Dana brought to the Ladysmiths meeting last week. She has a nice set of tabletop tripod lamps with wide shades that accommodate daylight-balance fluorescent trumpet bulbs, but she couldn't remember where she got them. I found a good source: CowboyStudio. Their products get good reviews and their prices are terrific. You can go to their website, but the prices there are more expensive than the prices at their Amazon store. I just ordered a 2-light kit (2 30-watt 5000K daylight CFL bulbs, 2 mini light stands, and 2 aluminum reflectors with sockets) for $39.49 plus $7.99 shipping (on their site, $49.63 plus shipping). At that price, it's a great accessory for your homemade light box.

http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Photography-Table-Studio-Lighting/dp/B002SOBPH8/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1297894176&sr=8-22

Sharon

Lightbox/Photography Get-Together

2011-02-13T12:17:00.006-05:00

February's meeting was at Caroline's house and we started by laying some pictures of our work on a table and talking briefly about some issues we were currently having with photography. We then moved right in to setting up a prototype PVC lightbox frame and making a bunch of them at our own desired sizes.

This was the prototype I constructed at home and brought to the meeting. (See link for instructions to make your own PVC lightbox) I bought a cheap pillowcase and cut it so it opened to be a long skinny piece of fabric to diffuse the lights. ** Make sure you use daylight spectrum bulbs. Incandescent bulbs are too yellow. Lights should be positioned in front and on the sides of the object. A third light could be used on top. Photographing silver can be problematic due to it's inherent mirror-like quality. Sometimes using less light is better! Opals can also be tricky- I've found less light is best, with a smaller less-intense light in the front to bring out the fire.

In order to hang earrings on a rod, use 2 equal lengths of chain hung on the frame and then insert a dowel (I painted it black in the center with a Sharpie!) between them. Voila! To hang a necklace, adapt this to possibly include clips or some other attachment/hanging device.

This ring was photographed in the PVC lightbox, above. Any camera with a macro lens will work. Odaybea's camera was SO NICE (see last posting) and took much better pictures than my cheapie camera! But good results can be had with any camera! See link for background paper sources. The smaller graduated paper can be used for a smaller lightbox. Larger pieces for larger lightboxes- ideal for large necklaces that need to be laid out. This background paper (grey to black) is very matte and absorbs light, so there's no distracting reflections. Be on the lookout for dust.

This is Sandra's lightbox frame (upside down) after cutting pipe lengths and inserting connectors. Notice the T-shaped connectors are all facing inwards, then the corner connectors attach into the ends of the T's. It's best to construct it upside down, doing the top first, before adding the legs.

This is a close-up of Sharon's ring taken in the lightbox at Caroline's house with my cheapie camera. Good detail and diffused light quality. Sometimes placing your hand in an appropriate position can help eliminate "hot-spots" (as seen on upper right of ring). Using a camera tripod can free up your hands to do the appropriate amount of "blocking" necessary.

Sandra's fold-formed leaf earrings hung on a dowel rod in the lightbox.

Next meeting- how to get from photo shoot to Photoshop!

Trumpet light bulbs

2011-02-12T11:21:00.001-05:00

Here is a link to where you can buy the trumpet light bulbs... www.store.tabletopstudio-store.com/spiral.html

Photos from Friday

2011-02-12T10:29:00.008-05:00

It was wonderful to meet all of you! As promised, here are the photos I took...

"Secret" scone recipe

2011-02-12T09:22:00.002-05:00

Good Morning,

I had a really nice morning with all of you at Carolyn's yesterday...and as always..learned a lot of great new stuff!! Several of you mentioned that you enjoyed the scones and requested the recipe. As I had said they were "semi-homemade"....aka: I baked them...I will share with you all my secret resource for delicious baked goods made quick > Sticky Fingers Bakery > they are all natural mixes, no preservatives, artificial anything or trans fat. I have made both the Apple-cinnamon (we had yesterday) and the pumpkin-cranberry is delicious as well. I purchase at Tastefully Yours in Occoquan town, but you can purchase from this site as well. They are good to keep in the pantry :) http://www.stickyfingersbakeries.com/

Hope to see you all again next month!

~Monique

Fun with Enamel

2011-02-11T12:35:00.003-05:00

I'm taking Abby's Enameling class at the Art League this term, and have been having a blast. We're learning cloisonne techniques which is really interesting, but I'm also just having fun and laying some color down on metal to see what happens. Even the simplest things are making me giddy, and every week I have to fight down the urge to order a KILN!

I have done torch fired enameling from time to time, which is really fun and easy -- with the added benefit of instant gratification. I've always had in my mind a picture of a series of enamel tiles like quilt squares, and I took this class as the opportunity to explore this concept.

I started with a simple sketch of how I might want my finished piece to look. I chose a pinwheel pattern, which is also the first kind of quilt (and ONLY kind of quilt!) I've ever made. Next up, blank copper piece, cleaned it well and drilled in holes for easy hanging as a pendant later. Then I laid down a base color on both sides.

Next, I cut my thin fine silver cloisonne wires and laid them in the pattern. I didn't bother any measuring, so my pendant is not nearly so rigidly squarish -- already going astray from my sketch, which was fine by me!

Then I started laying in the colored enamels. The red is opaque, and I just piled it in willy nilly. The other areas, in between the reds are transparents - gray near the middle, bluish turquoise near the outside. These I brushed on little by little, firing in between each application.

This is how far my pendant has come - I'll be working on it some more next week!

I've also been fiddling around a lot - just playing and experimenting.

I can't remember the name for this, but it is a really cool word. A layer of enamel goes down (usually counter, or leftover enamel because the color doesn't matter). Then you pile on some scrap silver, and fire the heck out of it all. As far as I understand (and I may be getting this all wrong) the oxides from the base copper come up through the enamel, the sterling mixes with the oxides and the enamel, and it all turns into this lovely messy disorganized awesomeness. Seriously, it looks like the terrain of a strange new planet. After it does it's magic in the kiln, it needs a quick buff with a brass wheel to bring out the gloss and green tinge.

I've also just been laying down some color - opaque and transparent alike.

This piece started as a dark blue torch fired enamel copper circle. I pulled it out of my little sample bin and started painting more enamel on top. I was thinking of the upcoming spring equinox as I played. The spring equinox (which will be on march 20th this year) marks when the sun comes directly over the equator and there will be equal daylight hours and nighttime hours -- which means the daylight hours will start to become longer as we head out of winter (YAY).

That's it for me - I'll post again with the rest of my enameling progress, so stay tuned :)

Amy from rainestudios.net

New Project In Progress

2011-02-11T11:09:00.002-05:00

Here is one of my latest projects: a Sea Glass Bracelet. At this point all thirteen pieces have bezels ready. Now I need to solder little loops on each one so they can be joined. This will be a gift for a good friend of mine, who collected every piece from beaches on Martha's Vineyard.

Art A Day

2011-02-10T11:33:00.000-05:00

This has me inspired to finsih them...pickle is heating and I've got my lil vintage apron on, slippers, and jammie bottoms rolled up :-) (it's me Care, can't wait till tomorrow)

Yesterday

2011-02-09T09:22:00.000-05:00

I made and finished these...(it's me Care)

here's the missing picture.

2011-02-07T18:40:00.002-05:00

So I'm an idiot. Couldn't figure out how to edit the earlier post to include this. here it is.

First Projects with New Stones from Tucson

2011-02-07T11:44:00.003-05:00

I couldn't wait to create some new things from my new collection of cabs bought at Tucson:

I bought a few heart-shaped turquoise cabs (just in time for Valentines' Day...) and set one into a ring with rope trim (took forever to form perfectly around the heart) and flexible mesh band. I love all the texture.

I used half-round trim around the edges of these earrings. I like them but I wish I'd gotten the trim a bit tighter to the bezel. Off to start my next project....

Another Design Challenge

2011-02-07T08:57:00.005-05:00

This is Gretchen Raber's latest challenge: make a necklace out of a manilla file folder, use all the material and make it 3D. Here's my solution. done in a big rush last night and so very imprecise and definitely WEIRD but I think it has possibilities! (what if I could afford to do it in high karat gold??)

Back from Tucson

2011-02-05T16:53:00.002-05:00

Hi Ladies! I don't mean to invoke jealous rages, but I just returned from Tucson and the gem shows and THOROUGHLY enjoyed myself! Of course, spending lots of money will do that! I bought lots of cabochons and some rough for cabbing, but my FAVORITE purchase were these small faceted opal beads from a dealer direct from Australia. I only paid $200, which I thought was a deal, considering Opex Opal was selling something similar for 5 times that price.

They're pretty small, but they have great color and I am looking forward to wearing them! Maybe I'll wear these for a while, sell them in the Fall and then buy myself a BIGGER strand next year??

I'm not spending ANY more money on gems- at least this year! :) Dana

Progress

2011-02-04T10:27:00.002-05:00

Hi, all. I've only been metalsmithing for a year. I've learned a lot in that time, thanks to Dana's classes and the rest of you in Ladysmiths. Yesterday I finished a ring that my mother-in-law requested -- a copy of the very first ring I made, finished in February 2010. I was amused by the results and took pictures of the two side by side. My mother-in-law's ring is the one on the left; my original ring is the one on the right.

The rings are simple, and perhaps the differences are simple, too. But it made me happy to notice the improvements in the new ring: The cuts and filing are cleaner, the design's shapes are more consistent, and the width is one that will allow the wearer to close her fingers (not easy to do with the original ring). So, yeah, I'm still a novice -- the ring on the left is the second attempt, since I made a sawing mistake on the original sheet of metal and had to put it aside. But it was nice to see a "carbon copy" of my work and literally see that I'm getting cleaner and better. Thanks to all you ladies for inspiring me!

(And, as you can see, I'm eagerly awaiting photographing tips on the 11th. See you then.)

Sharon

In The Pickle and Out of the Pickle

2011-02-03T10:34:00.001-05:00

and I'm using vinegar this time around, and boy does it stink to high heaven! Maybe I should be diluting it with water?

Got a window open and it's not TOO cold out today...

Started these this morning, taking a little break and praying the other bezel is doing fine in the pickle, no surprises when I remove it, (ya'll know what I mean) (it's me Care...)

Finished product (where isss everyone?)

I Made This Today

2011-02-02T13:54:00.001-05:00

What are you ladies doing? (really digging using vintage atlas pages for my background, I like it SO much more than the red I've been using for the past few years...(it's me Care, from AutumnLeavesJewelry) hi hi HI

Fresh Start

2011-01-31T16:48:00.000-05:00

Thought I'd show my goodies I just received via Rio...I'm going to use vinegar sans the other stuff to keep my home studio a little more green...

oh and I can't wait to dive into that big round heavy leather forming bag...

hope this inspires you to want to restart, finish or work on something :-)
(it's me Care)

Colored Bud Vases

2011-01-30T14:59:00.004-05:00

Today, in furtherance of the colored pencil on copper idea, I completed this set of three bud vases. I made these from some old beat up copper tubing I found kicked into a corner in the back room of Metalliferous some months ago. I was intrigued by the weird pear-shaped profile and knew I'd eventually come up with a use for them and here it is. Each vase has 3 sections to hold 3 stems. They can be used individually or grouped all together to hold 9 stems. What do you think?

Custom Order

2011-01-28T13:33:00.000-05:00

I'm really loving using my saw...

The meaning behind these pieces is soooo moving! Ready to mail...anyone else??? (smithing today?)

Another try at the logo

2011-01-26T17:57:00.001-05:00

Well, this doesn't always translate well into a .jpg from Illustrator, so it looks a bit washed out, but what do you think of this iteration?

A New Solder Area

2011-01-25T10:26:00.001-05:00

I did it, have ordered and am ready for a clean new solder area, this time around I knew exactly what I wanted/needed...hubby put a new cover on the old bench he made...(sharing my progress) Today I'm in my studio facing all the clutter, wow, it's harder than I thought...hard to let go of things I really don't need...

anyone else ever do a re-do of their studio?

New Logo Exploration

2011-01-25T09:55:00.003-05:00

I've decided to "up the ante" and take an Illustrator class given through ACE- Fairfax County's Adult Community Education. Illustrator is a vector graphic software program designed by Adobe. Last night I took a stab at re-creating my Stone Addict logo. Below you see what I came up with last night, and below that is my "old" logo. I'm going to work on some more iterations before I decide on one. But I could use some critiques on what you think?

Below is my current or "old" logo; above is the re-worked version. Anyone care to lend me some suggestions? (I know you do!)

Thanks! :) Dana

What's your sign?

2011-01-21T18:59:00.001-05:00

I finally got myself a disc cutter... and for some reason i thought it would be easier... in any case i managed to do 5 of the 12 zodiac signs... not sure if i'll actually do the other 7 ;)
Love that everyone is posting... thanks for sharing and allowing me to share as well. Fun!

Little Critter Series

2011-01-21T08:51:00.000-05:00

these are helping add some color and take the winter blahs away...saw saw saw...
by CarolynArtist

butterfly effect

2011-01-20T20:32:00.004-05:00

Ladysmiths art a day project:
This is a pair of earrings that I started today using a piece of metal that I etched a while back. It is etched on both sides. The back is a geometric collage that I put together and then transferred with pnp paper. The butterflies I handpainted using asphaltum. I've had it for a while wondering when I was going to do something with it. Then it just hit me. What am I waiting for? It's not like it's this rare commodity. I can etch copper whenever I want. Also, the metal itself stands alone as a design element, so whatever I do with it can be simple. I played around with beads either above or below the main rectangle. Didn't like that. I also considered curving the elements slightly, but I think that I'll leave them alone.
My plan is to solder half links vertically on to the backs and then connect with round links leaving some space between the links so that the round connecting link (that will be in the back) is visible in the front. I thought of doing that in gold but why? It's the butterflies that I want to highlight. I'll (prisma) color the butterflies. The half link that I use for the top links will continue up to be the earwire. That way I'll have only one solder for the back.

"Creative" Problem Solving

2011-01-19T18:21:00.003-05:00

These are two examples of my "coffee bean" bracelet. The one on the left is the original, made a long time ago, which is still the bracelet I personally wear most. I've made it a number of times over the years for others, always with the simple hook-and-loop clasp you see here.

But when I made one for an old friend recently, she had trouble working the clasp and sent it back. After my adjustments were still not enough to enable her to wear the bracelet, she sent it back again. This time, I decided to cut a big hole in the last "bean" and created a toggle on a short chain to go through it. Here it is on the right. Much easier to manipulate and I think it looks better, too!

Unfinished

2011-01-19T09:29:00.000-05:00

Clearly there is something inside of myself that doesn't want to set a stone...sort of like looking at an MRI or Xray of bones and the things that live underneath all we find to be pretty. These are pieces I've started and abandoned, and pulled out to the bench to ponder over. There's a part of me that dares to want to make and finish pieces meant to look unfinished...

this was snapped this morning with the pretty light streaming into my studio. Even the little ink drawing is not finished...

posted by CarolynArtist

art-a-day project found and fabricated

2011-01-18T20:16:00.007-05:00

For a while now I've been creating componets and collecting others that I love with the idea that they would eventually find their place together. This is the first of what I expect will be many in a series of found and fabricated pieces.

Ring Challenge

2011-01-18T17:54:00.004-05:00

In Gretchen Raber's classes at the Art League School, she often hands out some weird random "thing" and challenges each of us to make a particular item out of it. Past challenges have included: making a necklace out of a sheet of window screen, a necklace out of a pencil, earrings out of a piece of gray packing foam, etc. This week's challenge was to make a ring out of 2 popsicle sticks, using all of the popsicle stick material and adding only glue, metal and paint.

Here's what I came up with. I could say it was inspired by all the ruins I saw on my visit to Rome earlier this month, but the truth is it just came together this way. Not fabulous, but it is a ring and it does fit!

Elements-Cloud and Rain Necklace

2011-01-18T08:57:00.001-05:00

by CarolynArtist...I made this piece from beginning to end on Sunday. I purposely chose a piece where none of the components required solder. I also chose not to use liver of sulfur in my home studio on such a frigid day out where windows would need to be open. The rivets on the top part of the cloud where the chain is attached were satisfying to hammer. This started from a sketch the night before. It's been very cloudy lately, eh? So cloudy my studio has barely enough light to get a proper pic, so I chose this one for our site. (there's only so much a gal can do with a bag of frozen peas on the knee and a little loopy from Vicodin...) Hope this helps to inspire :-)

The Ladysmiths Art-A-Day Project

2011-01-16T08:36:00.000-05:00

The idea is to take a moment every day to share something creative that relates to the creation of a form of art.

What have you created today? Is it tangible? Is it a ring, a poem, a painting, a sketch or a motivating thought? Are you re-imagining over and over a finished piece as you move around in your day? Is it a work in progress? Something you’re thinking about creating? Or what have you seen (or heard) that sparks a creative idea?

By making sure we think and act creatively each day, we challenge ourselves to step out of a comfort zone and into a lovely area where anything is possible.

Through this process we will encourage each other on a daily basis.

Blog posting guidelines:

Post a photograph of your piece or concept on the Ladysmiths blog.
Identify each posting as part of the “Ladysmiths Art-A-Day Project” both in the blog area and in the Label area of the blog post
Describe what this image means for you today. What process did you go through and how did it make you feel? Are you pleased with your results? Are you looking forward to moving to the next step of your unfinished piece? If your image is not something you’ve made, explain what about it intrigues you.

Post something new every day – or as often as you can!

December Meeting and Copper Coloring Workshop

2010-12-16T21:26:00.000-05:00

On this first snowy day of the season, eight of us gathered at Peggy’s house to talk about various methods of putting color on metal, and to try out one of those methods – colored pencil on copper. Thanks to – Caroline, Lucia Briggs, Sandra, Bodil, Naomi, new member Molly, and Ellen Kreiger, for braving the elements.

Peggy, who is also quite new at this, showed 10 of her first experimental samples. All begin with roughing up the metal to give it some tooth – using super coarse sandpaper, a mizzie wheel on a flex shaft, a steel wire “Matting Brush” on a bench lathe, a roller printed or hammered texture. This step is followed by a liver of sulfur dip and/or a coat or two of white or black gesso – or neither! Then comes the fun part: applying the colored pencils! At the end of the process the pieces were sprayed with matte acrylic to fix the colors.

Peggy also showed her first finished projects: napkin rings and earrings:

Before we began coloring our metal, Naomi and Sandra showed us some examples of other metal coloring techniques they’ve used: Heat-coloring, liver of sulfur coloring and the ever-popular ammonia and cat litter method! (No laughing, it produces beautiful results!):

This next piece is by nationally-known artist Deb Karash. She is known for this technique:

Finally, the rest of the group gave it a shot –and got some very interesting results – proving to us all that there are many roads to explore with this. I think we all are excited to do more. This is a wonderfully spontaneous way to get color into our work. Very liberating!!

See you all next time!

November Meeting and Torch-Fired Enameling Workshop

2010-11-04T19:29:00.001-04:00

Thanks so much to Mimi (hostest with the mostest), Amy, Lucia, Ellen, Sandra, Karen, Peggy, Caroline and Dana (me!) for coming to today's get-together. It was so fun to chat and create together!!

Our enameling setup: after spraying pieces with Klyr-Fire, we sifted enamel onto our copper pieces. Sifters were handmade. Buy a length of 3/4"-1" diameter polycarbonate tubing and cut into 3/4" long sections. Glue gun one end/edge to 40-mesh steel screening and cut away excess screening. Glue gun 4" long dowel (any diameter will do- I used 3/16") for a handle and you're good to go!

Pieces cooling by Sandra, Lucia, Peggy and Ellen. Great vibrant colors! We used opaque enamels on copper due to firescale caused by heating. Another option is to use opaque white (or another color) as a base firing and then add layers of transparent enamel on top. When using fine sterling as a base metal, transparents or opaques may be used. Sterling silver needs to be depletion gilded before using. The trivet is key for counterenameling- firing with enamel on both sides.

Some work by Peggy- a new member. Gorgeous use of casted components!

Lucia and her loyal companion watch Ellen try "painting" with wet enamels.

Top pieces by Lucia- she used a variety of colors sifted onto her copper cut-out charms. Bottom piece by Dana using sgraffito. Forming the metal (doming, bending) adds strength which helps reduce cracking of enamel. Many of the pieces made were counterenameled.

More charms made by Lucia.

Varigated acorn charm made by Karen using multiple colors and firings. Magnifique!

More work by Karen- earring daggers also using a mixture of colors. Stages of firing include sugar-fire, orange-peel, and full fuse.

Peggy's piece heating up directly on trivet from underneath.

Dana embedded wire loops and seed beads with a second enamel color into the base color.

Some "leftover" pieces by Ellen. How industrial chic!!

Pooped out from a morning of enameling! Thanks all who came - such a fun morning!!

First Fall Meeting- Bead Mosaics and Recent Work

2010-10-02T15:15:00.000-04:00

This month's meeting was at Caroline's spacious studio- thanks so much Caroline! (The gingerbread was delicious....) We all played around with bead mosaics. Feel free to email Dana for a .pdf of instructions if you're interested.

These are some of the pieces we created with ready-made bezels/frames and freshly grouted (so a bit dark).

Caroline's piece as a work-in-progress. It takes patience and good eyesight to place each bead!

Mimi's piece in progress. Instruction sheets are available. Such fun with colors!

Some of the group working (the other part of the group was eating and hardly working....)

Art in progress...

Now for the fun part- recent work! Karen's acid-etched cuff is not quite done, but it looks pretty good to me!

Sharon's boulder opal pendant (with hand-made chain!) encorporates a partial bezel and decorative granulation.

This is Caroline's work in progress- trying to find a method of encapsulating ribbon accents under a silver leaf-bezel and maintaining it's texture/tooth.

Amy's impressive collection of chain mail creations- some complete, others works-in-progress.

This is Sharon's silver cuff completed over the summer- so modern!

Ellen's pendant with gems is pretty far-out.

These were some of the charms completed over the summer for Patti- one of our own who's fighting brain cancer.

Some of us got together over the summer for a resin workshop (poured into silly putty as a form).

See everyone next month!! Thanks so much for all that you share!

Crop Circle Bracelet

2010-07-06T15:32:00.001-04:00

My latest inspirations: Crop Circles. This is titled BarleyUK0605 and is made using fine silver with 23K gold keum-boo. The design continues all the way around and I used a fairly rough mop to get the texture of barley on the surface.

Constellation Cuff Bracelet

2010-07-06T15:25:00.000-04:00

And here is my first cuff bracelet of constellations; a gift for my good friend who has three boys. One zodiac sign for each son. Again, I added a 14K ball to represent the brightest stars in each of the signs.

Constellation Cuff Bracelet

2010-07-06T15:21:00.000-04:00

Constellation Series

2010-07-06T15:13:00.002-04:00

I thought one day.....what would be better than to wear star constellations? So I created zodiac earrings with 14K gold balls representing the brightest stars in the constellation. In this case: Aries for myself, and Capricorn for my dear daughter.

2010-06-16T16:27:00.001-04:00

June "Swap Meet" Our faithful few: Lucia, Sharon (hostess w/the mostest), Bodil (and Dana taking shot)

We had a great time chatting and swapping!

Bodil's new necklace- acid-etched shell design, faceted gem, soldered frame/bail combo- very inventive!

Bodil balled up silver and patiently drilled through them to make beads. She then made 2 special gold beads the same way, and fabricated a gold clasp. We thought they were pearls at first- but once you feel it you know they're metal! Very cool...

Dana's final spiral stitch (thanks for teaching us this, Mimi!) with hand-made end caps and toggle with grouted seed-bead mosaic.

Hopefully we'll see each other again before the Fall. Have a great summer!

2010-05-11T14:21:00.000-04:00

Fun meeting at Mimi's! She demo'd a spiral bead stitch- it was hard! We all gave it a try. Pictured: (l to r) Sharon, Karen, Bodil, Ellen, Mimi, Barb, and Jodi. (Dana taking shot)
Great meeting- talking, eating, looking at recent work, trying a new skill.

Ellen's little bowl- perfect size for rings at the end of the day.

Made of thick sterling with pierced and cut out designs, and tube-set gems.

Bodil used Deco oil-paint based paint pens (extra fine) as a resist and used nitric acid to acid-etch hearts and her daughter's name is this terrific pendant.

Bodil framed some Roman coins in gold for these cool earrings.

Sharon set this red jasper and handmade the chain and clasp.

Jodi's gorgeous enameled pendant.

Barb knows her way around the clays! Polymer clay framed by silver art clay.

Another gorgeous piece by Barb- polymer clay insert into silver clay.

Barb's large chain in nu-gold and bronze.

Karen's loop in loop balled chains in silver. One regular, one irregular.

Dana saw a penny chain in one of the magazines this month and had to try it. Pierced an sawed-out, every other link riveted. Even the clasp is made from a penny. (use them before 1982 for solid copper)

Great meeting- see everyone again!

Early Spring Meeting

2010-03-24T11:08:00.001-04:00

This get-together at Dana's house included some AWESOME show and tell and also a Viking Knit Demo! You won't believe what everyone's been working on:

This large starfish pendant was created by Patti, who JUST started taking an enameling class. Pretty amazing for a first project!

This is Mimi and her AMAZING metal paper-doll series- a work-in-progress created for an upcoming show. Mimi has a studio at Vis-Arts in Rockville, Maryland.

All of the drawings for this series were created by Mimi and then acid-etched using PNP paper onto brass, copper and silver. All will stand and have many outfits to choose from!

These are still being worked on, but you can see the amazing level of thought and design that went into each creation.

Each outfit is designed within an inch of it's life

Can't wait to see the finished project during the show!

Just too cute- a raincoat.

No body bothers me! (No body bothers me either!) (Omigosh I'm dating myself....an old commercial for martial arts....)

Finally, these spiral-stitch creations by Mimi are a hint at the next meeting- she's invited everyone over to learn how to do this- with #12 needles, Nymo thread and #11 seed beads. She has supplies so we can try it out! Looking forward to seeing everyone!

January Get-Together- Recent Work

2010-01-28T18:47:00.001-05:00

Today's get-together was the first of 2010. We hadn't seen each other for a while- everyone had some really interesting work! This is Bodil's experiment with Colores Resin (from Rio Grande) in Red. It looks like glass, doesn't it? It's very lightweight and framed with a fine silver bezel. She pushed an old Roman coin into Silly Putty, then poured the Resin into this mold for at least 24 hours and viola! An old Roman glass artifact! Great for earrings, too, because it's so lightweight.

Colores comes in MANY different colors. Another thing to experiment with and spend money on! (Great for kids, too??)

This is Patti's ring using a bead set in a cuttle-bone cast shank. Pretty cool!

These are Karen's cuttlebone castings. She carved the bone with dental tools after sawing the bone in half. Then she wired the 2 halves together and poured in the molten silver.

This is Bodil's fold ring. It was created by sawing a pattern in 16 ga. sheet. She then etched the sheet (top of ring around stone) and folded it to produce the shank. The only soldering was the gold bezel to the top.

This is Karen's fold ring- a work in progress. She, too, is cutting away from sheet and will also set the stone using the tabbed prongs.

Karen's been going chain-crazy! Various chain types made by fusing the ends of wire loops together, then using a mandrel to form, hammering, and folding.

Detail of one of Karen's 18 ga. chains. She uses a tumbler to polish.

Dana's viking knit chain. Using 26 ga. sterling wire with a rustic pendant to match.

These could all lead to workshops so we can learn from each other all these techniques and benefit from each other's experience. Fun! See you next month...

Keum-boo Workshop

2009-10-20T14:40:00.000-04:00

We had a great October get-together and workshop today. Keum-boo! Bodil demo'd, Sherry and Dana tried it, Christine, Mimi and Karen watched. Thanks to Bodil for the demo and instructions. Fun!

Thanks to all who came (l to r): Karen, Mimi, Sherry, Caroline, Christine, Bodil (and Dana, taking pic).

Caroline's studio in Falls Church worked perfectly for us- she recently returned from Italy and collected wonderful beach stones complete with fabulous graphic lines.

Caroline tried gold-leafing one of her stones and may drill a hole or bezel-set it. Nice experimentation!

Gorgeous Italian beach stones above.

Bodil demonstrating keum-boo.

Sherry's applying thin gold foil (keum-boo) on top of reticulated silver- full of texture.

Dana's ring after keum-boo. I like it!

Dana's ring after liver of sulfur patina (maybe a bit too long??) and with opal set temporarily. Love the colors! The technique seemed easy! If you're interested, order Celie Fago's book from Rio Grande or email Bodil for instructions!

Yesterday's show and tell

2009-09-18T13:07:00.000-04:00

I had a wonderful time meeting everone and hanging out at Mimi's wonderful home yesterday.

I just wanted to quickly post the cufflinks that I tested out with the new resin Mimi introduced us to. I love that it doesn't take hours to cure like the 2 part epoxy resin and is non toxic. I've just ordered some from the online store and look forward to playing with this some more.

Thanks again, and looking forward to meeting up again in October!

P.S. here's a li'l video i took of Mimi's cute bird...haha
had to share

Kick-Off Meeting for the New Year

2009-09-18T09:44:00.001-04:00

We started another season of get-togethers at Mimi's house. She treated us to fruit, cake and coffee and we also got to see results from the 5 classes she took at Bead Fest Phily this past summer. Thanks for hosting, Mimi!

These images are captured between 2 pieces of class and then soldered (stained glass technique) and loops were added.

This is a metal clay ring Mimi created and then added the resin "gem" in layers.

This copper flower was covered with Jax patina (from Metaliferous) and then colored with Prismacolor colored pencils. The class was held by Debra Weld- she's known for this technique. It will be finished when it's riveted to the metal clay base beneath, complete with loop for hanging.

These pieces were done in a resin class. The collages were covered over by a powder resin called Amazing Glaze and baked in a toaster oven at 275 until melted. We got to try this technique! The powder was like embossing powder, but non-toxic. All the resins were very safe to use. Feel free to contact Mimi for any and all information regarding resins, techniques, hand-outs, and other information.

This is the collage, set in a brass pre-made commercial bezel, covered over with Amazing Glaze.

Finished pieces cooling after being heated to 275.

Laura adding the powdered glaze to her piece.

(l to r) Bodil, Laura and Deana in Mimi's studio.

Lucia and Mimi in Mimi's studio.

Bodil applying a heat gun to the finished piece to remove any remaining air bubbles.

This was a fun get-together! We got to make stuff! Mimi's final word on these classes, specifically the resin workshop, was that it was a bit "crafty". But they're great for ornaments, keychains, etc... especially for the upcoming holidays. And it was fun to get some creative juices flowing.

See you next month at Caroline's studio on Oct. 20th for a keum boo workshop!

June Meeting- Drilling Rocks, Shells, Glass

2009-06-04T14:00:00.001-04:00

l to r: Laura, Mimi, Karen, Caroline drilling and chatting. Dana's taking picture!

Using a diamond bit l to r: core drill bit, 1/8" bit for hole and for carving.

These holes went thru like buddah.

June 3rd we met at my house (Dana) and hung out on my porch drilling rocks, shells and glass. How fun! Caroline, Karen, Laura and Mimi came and brought a TON of stuff to drill. We used diamond bits under water(slightly, so as not to electrocute ourselves) and had success with most everything except some really hard shells which will take quite a while to drill through.

Workshop - 5.23 - Openings!

2009-05-22T14:33:00.000-04:00

Loren Damewood is coming to teach in Ellicott City tomorrow - Saturday the 23rd of May.

There are still a few openings - if you are interested email me please:
janiceihg at hotmail dot com

If you are unfamiliar with Loren's work you can see it here:

http://www.golden-knots.com

We'll be working in some area of my house - low key - maybe in the garage or out on the deck - its cold work for the most part.

Hope some of you can make it!

Starfish Pendant

2009-05-22T12:16:00.000-04:00

Our mini PMC workshop was fun and informative. I made several pieces using different techniques, since this was my first time using metal clay. I found the process slightly stressful, but upon completion am in love with the silvery whiteness of the metal after finishing. This simple starfish pendant is one of my favorites.

Thanks Mimi and Dana and all the other ladies for your help and guidence during our class.

Metal Clay Workshop- March 2009

2009-03-26T10:27:00.001-04:00

Here's a sampling of our pieces drying on a heating pad.
Here's another view. It's amazing how little clay you get for mucho dinero!

These are Dana's pieces- the glass in the pendant piece cracked during firing- heat wasn't even enough!

Here's Sherry's finished piece- beautiful!

Sherry hard at work on her Trees at Twilight piece, above.

Sherry used metal clay paste to "paint" on small leaves, then dried and peeled them of to fire.

Mimi set us up such a nice area to work. Sherry's working hard, some of the rest of us are busy chatting! (l to r: Sherry, Ellen, Bodil, Mimi, Dana) Also not pictured- Karen, Caroline, Mary.

Mary's gorgeous shell pieces created with a hand-made mold.

One, two, three- action! Mary torch-fired then soldered on a bail. The possibilities are endless!

Stay tuned for the next post- more pics of pieces created in workshop and some finished jewelry pics!

A Bloom of Jellyfish

2009-03-03T11:17:00.000-05:00

While I was snowbound, I finished up a limited edition series of seaglass jellyfish pendants. Here is a sampling of a few of my favs. The found seaglass is bezel set in fine silver, and then I added a variety of gemstones to complement the color of the glass. The little gems swish and sway just like the tentacles of real jellies.

Can you all tell that I just adore the beach!

February Metalsmith Meeting

2009-02-10T15:25:00.001-05:00

Here's a shot of Mary's very compact and efficient workspace: Mary has an exquisite collection of chasing/repousee work- Wow:

Some paintings done by Mary Benton:

Our group: Some are not pictured (Dana-me and Karen) l to r: Mary, Sherry, Cari, Bodil, Ellen, Mimi.

Mary's display for craft shows- handmade from toy crates and hand-decorated trim, complete with hooks and lights:

What a great meeting today at Mary Benton's house! BIG thank you!

Etching Party!

2008-11-22T17:55:00.000-05:00

Boy, what a fun little at-home workshop! Here's some examples of our etching work: We're hooked!
Here we are: Dana, Mimi, Karen and Laurie. Smiling after good results.

Mimi, Karen and Laurie in Dana's basement studio. Smiling because we're high on fumes.

I have some copies of a magazine article on etching. And I have notes written on it- let me know if you want me to mail you a copy!

Recent Work by Cindy

2008-11-10T14:03:00.000-05:00

Above, a recent "Medusa" piece- chasing and repousee by Cindy. Below- look familiar? Her "Old Man" piece started during her demo! WOW!

Moving...moving...moved!

2008-09-04T20:29:00.000-04:00

What does this picture have to do with metalsmithing? Well, I've FINALLY moved and the need to unpack so that I'm not living with a family of brown boxes has kept me away from my studio! What studio? It's still in boxes! Well, this is our lovely new fish pond and thought I'd share it with you. Look forward to hearing from me about our first Fall meeting soon!

:) Dana

What's in a name?

2008-08-06T11:11:00.000-04:00

What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet....

So says Juliet according to Shakespeare.

But in our society - names do matter. Both personally and professionally. Many parents agonize over what to name their children and we even obsess over what to name our pets!

As I was looking into registering a new domain I began thinking about business names, add that to a great discussion by some of my friends as one gal was attempting to formulate her jewelry business name.....and it left me with a lot of meat to chew on.

One thing that I came across in my travles online looking at names which I thought would be pertinent to this group in particular was the idea of gender associated with business. Since we are all "ladies" I wondered if using our given name as our business name (which is recommended by a lot of people) would have particular pros or cons. I know a few women jewelers who use their two first initials followed by last name and I wondered if it was intentional due to gender.

Are women generally accepted in the industry? As much as a man? More so? Less?

So this post is really asking several questions:

What is your business name and how did you decide on it?

Do you believe the jewelry industry is gender biased?

Please use the comments to offer your thoughts.

~Janice

July Meeting- Chasing/Repousee Demo

2008-07-20T09:56:00.000-04:00

Cindy in action...

Have pitch pot and feet- will travel!

Cindy demonstrates chasing/repousee for (l to r) Bodil, Luisa, and Ellen (I'm taking pic)

Pitch pot with copper sheet and tools.

Thanks to all who came to yesterday's meeting at Cindy's house in Arlington. Thanks a ton to Cindy for hosting such a fun and informative meeting! Great food, great chat, great demo! It inspired all of us to pick up some quality pitch and hammers...

Artscape!

2008-07-17T13:46:00.000-04:00

Hello! Just a reminder for those of you in Baltimore- Artscape is this weekend!! Friday through Sunday. This year they have made quite a few changes and it will be chock full of great artists and metalsmiths. They have added new sections by closing Charles St as well as adding an organic market. I'll be there in the new D.I.Y. section. Since I never seem to be able to make it to the meetings- come stop by and say Hi! Have a great Weekend!

Invite - Synchroblog

2008-07-17T11:40:00.000-04:00

I wanted to pass along an invite to a jewelry artist synchroblog.

A synchroblog is when a group of people opt to 'synchronize' their blogging on a set schedule and cover one topic. The jewelry artist synchroblog is scheduled to run monthly and you can opt in and opt out for any month. Topic suggestions are always welcome.

We are doing the first one in July - we are running a bit late - and the topic is 'art and economy' and can be approached from ANY angle at all. There are two blog posts linked so far and I know a few more will be coming.

Anyone interested can read more about it here. And you can find info on July's topic here.

Upcoming Virginia Meeting

2008-07-17T10:02:00.000-04:00

Hello Ladies,

Hope you can all come to Cindy's house on Saturday July 19th for a repousee and chasing demo! She'll also have some tools for sale! Email me for more information: danaevans@verizon.net. Thanks! -Dana

For Creative people ;)

2008-07-09T13:39:00.000-04:00

My husband recently made a post on his blog that i really appreciate as a "creative person" plus i love the show This American Life and Ira Glass....
anyways i thought some of you might get a kick out of this if not appreciate his advice and experience on the topic. ;)

originally from justinhamilton.org/blog by Justin

Chasing and Repousse

2008-07-06T14:41:00.000-04:00

Here are a few samples of Chasing and Repousse I have done. I hope you find them intriguing enough to want to come to the July meeting in Virginia

Process:
Image #1, The deer was chased and repoussed in sterling silver sheet; working in the flat, and then bent round to a bracelet.

Image #2, The Rams Head Drinking vessel started out as a flat sheet of sterling and was hand raised to cup form. Then the ram's features were hammered out using a snaring iron and chasing tools.

Image #3, The shell shape is chased and repoussed in the flat and then embellished with electroformed copper stripes and surface set with white sapphires.

Baltimore Meeting

2008-07-02T19:31:00.000-04:00

This month's Baltimore meeting was at the home of Courtney Legenhausen. She and her husband, Eric, work full-time making jewelry and are living the dream of supporting themselves (very well!) with their craft. Thanks Courtney! Courtney's husband Eric demonstrates his mastery of Computer Aided Design.

These are some waxes that Eric designed and milled himself.

This is the CAD machine busy milling out a wax.

A close-up shot of the CAD layout screen.

Courtney shows me (Dana- taking pic), Robin and Julie how to tube-set.

Courtney's work table (she cleaned up for us, too!)

What a fun and eye-opening meeting- hope more of you can come next time!

A "Sea" Pendant

2008-07-01T12:41:00.001-04:00

Here's a pic of my "sea" pendant- 2-3/4" diameter sterling silver etched in metal from an original drawing, and a 20" chain of coral beads. Fun to make- so many ideas; it took a long time to get to simple! :) Dana

A couple of my "The Sea" pieces

2008-06-23T09:58:00.000-04:00

I loved Dana's idea of being creative with "The Sea" theme. The beach has always been my favorite place on earth, and after spending a week in Kauai this spring, I jumped at the chance of trying out some new techniques.

I found these two pieces of Red SeaGlass on a beach and texturized pink 14K gold to look like sand, and wire wrapped the glass to make small dangle earrings.

While on Kauai we found a beach, where the sand was mixed with tiny pieces of glass which sparkled in the sunlight. I made a fine silver shadowbox and added this sand to resin, to create my version of the island to wear on a chain.

June Ladysmith's Meeting

2008-06-22T08:13:00.000-04:00

This was the attractive group of chicks at yesterday's meeting- enjoying Mimi's outdoor lounge area and some great snacks. L to R: Bodil, Laura, Mimi, Diane, Ana, & Cindy. (I was taking the picture)

Mimi demonstrating us her hydraulic press.

Mimi's studio- what a great set-up- she has 2 spaces to work in and tons of storage. Thanks, Mimi!

Still Sketching....

2008-06-10T13:51:00.000-04:00

Hello All,

Still thinking about schemes for "the Sea". Maybe I'll actually have one decided on by the next meeting??!! One pic of jewelry by David and Roberta Williamson- love them. But, I don't necessarily like to copy someone else's style- have any of you done that?