Rags 2014

For the past several years, I have made it a must to attend the Rags Wearable Art Show in Tacoma.  The goal of the show is to raise funds for the YWCA Woman's abuse shelter. Last year they made their $1,00,000 mark for this very worthy charity.
    I have my favorite artists, so I visit their tables first.  Every year it gets harder to decide which OOAK piece to take home with me.  This year was no exception, as my faves have expanded their lines and have been experimenting with new techniques to tempt me.
   I have made it a point to purchase a pair of enameled earrings from Debbie Jackson every year.  This year she had new color choices that made it hard to decide.  I finally went with these light green beauties.

 I was excited to see some new jewelery designs at her table.  "You've gotten into etching" said I.  "No, I didn't etch, due to the chemicals involved.  I discovered the rolling mill." was her reply.
Believe it or not, she embossed metals for these earrings on a rolling mill using cardboard templates. I would never have thought that cardboard would be sturdy enough to indent metal, but here you go ... proof in these two earring sets:

Another favorite artist is Pamela Bellesen aka The Wide Mouth Frog.  She only does one show a year, and doesn't sell on line. She is featured in numerous galleries around the country, but locally the only way to buy her work is at Rags or her store in Poulsbo, Wa.
   She has expanded her work to include origami papers and embossed metals.

I was very excited to hear that she is offering classes at her studio in Poulsbo, not just in metal work, but other artistic pursuits. Hopefully, I will be able work some classes into my schedule. Poulsbo is a bit of a jaunt from the Emerald City, but it can include a ferry ride and that is always fun in good weather.

I bought from a new (for me) artist this year.  Darcy Thompson upcycles china and ceramics into unique jewelery pieces with the use of colorful grout.  I fell in love with the necklace, and even tho the piece of china it originated from did not include any pieces small enough to make earrings, Darcy was able to find a pair in her stash that matched pretty closely.
 

And last, but certainly not least, I came across Michele Rancy and her Enaminals. She had the most beautiful enameled penguin, but as I had already spent my allotment for the day, I had to pass on it. Fortunately, she also had this copper penguin that was the same design only without the color.  

My totem ... of course he had to go home with me.

WHEEEEEEE !!!!!

If I only had a Heart

Wait a minute ..... I DO have a heart.
I saw these hearts at Michael's (or Joanne's - sorry can't remember for sure where) and thought they just cried out to be altered.

Out came the Vintaj Patina and a while later they were transformed into earrings I have aptly named "Tin Woodman's Desire".

I hear a beat ..... how sweet!

Twigs Revisited

I really like the Square Twig earrings I made a few weeks ago for the 52 earring project.  So when my latest shipment of round metal blanks arrived from Bello Modo, I just had to repeat the design.  This time I made a few changes.

Again I used Pebeo Vitrea to simulate an enameled look.  This time, in order to get a more pronounced color on the painted portion, I used my sanding block and lighted the brass.  That got me thinking about the back of the disc.  What would happen if I used the sander on it?

As you can see, it produced a really nice effect.  I almost like this side better than the front.  They look good coming and going.  In order to preserved the highlighted color, I glazed them using the Vintaj metal glaze. It is supposed to protect the metal from oxidizing.

Front and back 

To UTEE or not to UTEE...

I told you last week that I had ordered some of the new Vintaj Patina metal paints from Bello Modo.  Well, they arrived and I finally had a bit of free time to try them out.  I am impressed. I really like the color choices and the blendable aspect of the paint. The only downside is that they dry a little too fast.  I am not as quick with the brush as I used to be.  In the past, I probably could have done both blanks at the same time. Now just one at a time.
   I had gone on line and watched a couple of the YouTube videos showcasing this product.  On one of them, the demonstrator finished her pieces of using a melting pot and UTEE.  I have had a melting pot for years and never used it! (I KNEW I would have a used for it some day... ).  So after little digging around in the cupboard, I brought it out into the light of day.
   I am not sure I like using UTEE for this application.  My first blanks were a disaster.  I put on too much and the UTEE flowed over the edges of the blanks and got on the back and made a big mess.  I am not even going to show that - too ashamed.

  I got the hang of it better on the second set.  I did have a bit of a problem with the pre-made holes. The UTEE kept filling them.  Had to rim and remelt 3 or 4 times before the holes would stay open. This is the same folder design I used for the Twig earrings last week.

This set went a bit better.  I found there is a slight slant to the melting pot even after I propped it up on the lid .  I found this could be advantageous with controlling the flow of the melting UTEE around the hole.

 

Then I wondered how UTEE would work with alcohol inks.  It is interesting.  I *think* the inks are still dispersing under the UTEE. Take a look at the picture above.  See the tendrils of blue ink that are laying across the raised part of the embossed swirls near the sides of the discs?  I could swear they were not there when I finished them, but were there when I took the picture the next day.  And I just looked at them again - the tendrils are more pronounced and in more places.  I think this is because I failed to seal the ink before applying the UTEE.  I also noticed that UTEE scratches VERY easily. That is OK for me, as I can just pop them back in the pot and remelt to smooth the scratches out, but I could never sell them.
  I have ordered some Glaze especially made for this product so will wait till it gets here before trying more experiments with the Patina's.

Twig Earrings

I belong to several online Yahoo Polymer groups.  They are fonts of information.  I have learned so much from the discussions that take place there. Recently, there was a thread about a paint that simulates enamel on metal.  Pebeo vitrea is the name and when I discovered it was available at Michael's, I hurried out and bought a few colors.  After applying the paint to the metal (I found it takes several thin coats rather than one thick one for best results) ... you bake at 325 F for 40 minutes. I have only had the time to experiment with a couple of washers, end caps and these earrings.

The theme for week 13 of the 52 earrings in a year is Twigs.  I tried several designs in Polymer, but they just didn't satisfy. So out came the embosser and another chance to try the vitrea.  I found the green to be a bit translucent on the brass blank.
   I have an order into Bello Modo for the new Vintaj Patina metal inks. The video on the Vintaj website shows some beautiful pieces that were made using these inks. They should arrive later today or tomorrow. I can't wait to try them out.

Gift for a good friend

Today is a bittersweet one.  My supervisor and good friend is leaving for a new job.  While I will miss her greatly, I am very happy for the advance in her career.  She is leaving the clinical side of laboratory medicine for the computer side, and will be come certified to help set up laboratory computer systems.  Quite a change but an exciting time for her.  It is not really goodbye, as we are close outside work and will be seeing each other on weekends. 

One of the things about her new job, she is updating her wardrobe from scrubs to office clothes.  And she needs jewelery updates too. So to start things off, I made another pair of earrings using the same technique I used for the last pair.   This time though I used a smaller blank, so did not tap it into a concave shape and I colored both sides so they look good coming and going.  She wants me to design and make her jewelry and of course, I am delighted to help my friend out.

Earrings view from the front

Earrings view from front and the flip side

Not everything is Polymer

Autumn Wind

My latest earrings are NOT Polymer... can you believe it?

 I saw the technique on line earlier this summer and finally got around to trying it out.  Don't think they turned out too bad considering this is my first attempt. 

Opps, I was reminded that I forgot to let people in on how these were made (thanks Davina).  If you are interested, the instructions are at Bello Modo's site.  Here is the link to the page with the video (it's near the bottom).  Check out the rest of the site too while you are there.

https://www.bellomodo.com/index.php

JuLee