Delayed Spring and The Redeemer

The first day of spring break.

I am feeling an exhausted sense of deja vu. Will this winter ever end?  

Will I ever feel the thawing of cold bones and a hardened heart?

Wait....

What's that? Could it be?

Oh yeeeeeeeeees.

A real live, hot-blooded MAN.

And I didn't even have to pay him.

Yep.

Shanny has a new friend and he's super helpful.

(¯`v´¯)
`•.¸.•´

Sigh.

Here is what I've been working on while I wait for a delayed order of sterling;

Sorting through scraps of chain to either use in projects or sell to other designers. Some of them are only a few inches long and I'm not sure any one would want to buy them, but they do make for a nice pop of grungy color in pieces designed with some other artists work like

Birgitta's eco-friendly ceramic plaques;

You can purchase Birgitta's work here;

Angel Whisperer

What I find interesting is that if you were to type Angel Whisperer into etsy's search bar her shop doesn't come up, instead a few pieces from another designer that  mentions Birgitta's name is shown instead (which are beautiful and I loved seeing them, but it was irrelevant to my search as a potential buyer). Now I do not know when this change occurred in etsy, but I imagine that it has resulted in a few lost sales as I did not know to change HOW I searched, I only remembered Birgitta's shop name from months and months ago when I was collaborating with a few artists friends to post design ideas on Art Bead Scene.

To find her shop, I ended up going to facebook and searching her wall until I found a link to product in her store. Huh. It took too long and I imagine that an interested buyer would have given up, but I couldn't publish my post without properly crediting the artist that inspired the piece.  

Very, very interesting and no doubt a greedy attempt to push sellers towards paid for "ads" available on etsy, which seems to be the ONLY way to show up in any search on the site now days.

So anyway, here is what I would love to purchase from this talented lady who is based in Sweden.

Feminine Bracelet Focal

Twilight Face Pendant

Leafy Collar Focal

Each of these pieces give me a mysterious feeling and I would love to see them paired with patina chain and leather, as if I were some wood nymph from an ancient time that could survive in the forest with just jewelry and a bow n arrow.

What? It could happen, I'm learning a lot of survival skills from Cody Lundin on Dual Survival Show.

It just couldn't happen in this kind of snow. I would be dead within mere minutes.

Peace and Prosperity,

Shannon 

Cooled Lava with Genea Crivello-Knable

Cooled Lava

  I used a mix of metal for this design, including antiqued copper, raw brass and sterling silver. I feel that the antiquing on all the metals allowed for a blended look in their accent to the matte black of the tourmaline and the etched lamp work. I also deliberately did not list brands or suppliers except for Genea’s gorgeous focal bead so that you have the freedom to sort through what you already have to pull this piece together. The strand of black tourmaline came in a more crystalline form but I found it uncomfortable to wear so I threw it into my kids plastic rock tumbler with some sand for about 3 hours to round off the beads and create that matte black color texture that brings to mind cooled lava.

Materials

Long faceted quartz briolette in yellow and smoke

12 inches antiqued 24 gauge wire

3 inch piece 20 gauge wire

Lamp work glass focal by Genea

2 Bead caps

Bead Cord Black ( griffin's no.6 is a sturdy cord for these heavy beads)

2 bead tips

1 std Raw Free Form Tumbled Black Tourmaline available through Kandu beads

16 or more pieces of 5mm mixed brass and sterling heshi

2 - 4mm connecting jump rings – these jumps need to fit into your bead tips and into the chain you have chosen

12 to 16 inches dark chain cut into 4 – 3” to 4” pieces – the chain shown is 4mm closed copper patinated in black and brown

Hook clasp with open jumps

Tools

Ruler/bead board

Scissors

Jewelers cement

Awl

Chain nose pliers

Flush cutters

Round nose pliers

Fine steel wool

 Step 1.  Using the 12 inch piece of antiqued sterling silver, wrap the long faceted briolette quartz into a doubled wire loop, trimming away the extra and tucking the ends into the spiral wrapping.  

 Step 2. Create a hanging loop at one end of the 3 inch piece of sterling wire and slide on one of the bead caps, metal discs or heishi to make sure the large hole in the lamp work does not slide down over your loop. Slide on the lamp work focal and add another bead cap or disc before creating the top loop above the bead. Assemble the faceted brio to the bottom loop of the lamp work glass. Set aside to have ready for stringing.

 Step 3. Remove the beading cord from its card completely and tie an over hand knot at the opposite end of the needle approximately 2 inches from the end. Slide on 1 bead tip before stringing alternately; 1 heishi and 1 tumbled tourmaline bead until you have a set of 4 on the cord. After the 5th piece of heshi, slide on the previously assembled focal of Genea’s lamp work and faceted brio. Continue on with the heshi and black tourmaline until you have a front center piece that measures approximately 6.5”. If you need a longer center piece, continue stringing a few more tourmaline until you reach a measurement that you like. I held my piece up to my own neck in front of a mirror as I strung beads until I liked the mid neck point the beads stopped at, all the while keeping the focal drop off to the side asymmetrically.

 Step 4. End your strand of beads with the second bead tip and tie off the bead cord with another over hand knot. Use your awl tip inside the knot to bring the knot close to the bead tip so there are no gaps in your strand of beads. Add a drop of jewelers cement to both knots inside the bead tips and press the bead tips closed with your chain nose pliers.

Step 5. Add the small open jumps to the bead tips and the end links of the 3” cut piece of dark chain, close up the jump rings carefully so there are no gaps in the seam where the fine chain and bead tips can come out. Repeat this for the opposite side of the necklace.

 Step 6. Check your measurement before adding the clasp. The clasp shown measures approximately 1 inch and brought my Cooled Lava necklace to a total measurement of 14.5”. This measurement can be adjusted by adding an extender of more chain and jump rings. Assemble the clasp by opening and closing the clasps open jumps onto the end chain pieces with your chain nose pliers.

 Step 7. Brush a bit of steel wool over the antiqued metal findings to bring up their high lights. 

Cooling.

Judy

I do not know why such good people are taken so soon, while others are given chance after chance to show the love, inspiration, support and kindness that seemed to come naturally from Judy.

I keep this by my bead table to remind me of the 

beautiful soul that reached out to me during health crisis's in my family while she struggled in a fight for her own life.

I want to be more like her.

I miss you, Judy.

I hope your family is making it okay without you here.

Shan

I am totally impressed with Jewelry Affaire's new PR & Social Media Manager; Yili Ma

I knew a project of mine was going into a future issue, I just wasn't sure when. That makes it really hard to help promote the magazine and my work with scheduled blog posts, shows and give-away's.

But Yili Ma sent a professional, timely email informing me of when to expect the magazine and what to do if it does not arrive.

She also included a pretty badge for the blog that links directly to the issue;

(instructions on how to use it!!! Thank you!)

and an offer to link to any shows promoting being a published author in their magazine.

"Hello Borders."

 I stride in flipping my long black cashmere cape over my shoulder and tossing my gloves and hat to the nearest sales representative.

"I'm here for my author signing." 

"You there, behind the counter, may I please have a caramel macchiato waiting at my table for me. And make sure the crowd stays behind the velvet rope. I'm agoraphobic and prone to spells."

I flounce to the back of the store feeling important and needed.

Ready to talk jewelry....

Anyway, I found all this so amazingly organized and easy, there was no way I could over look an important article that features another one of my favorite metal art clay artists;

Jennifer Tough.

The article includes instructions on adding a bit of color to the flowers that Jen makes and assembling them to inexpensive brass chain in dramatic but simple ways. I hope you have fun adding the technique to your Spring line up!

To celebrate my article being published in a more humble manner than the imaginary book signing, I am giving away this adorable Grungy Heart necklace. Oh yes! She makes hearts too!

 Please leave a comment in, er, um, comments if you would like to be entered in to win the Grungy Heart Necklace and I will draw a name a few days after I remember that I forgot to draw next Sat.

Thank you to the magazine Jewelry Affaire for letting me share my passion with their readers and to Jennifer Tough for sharing her talent with other jewelry designers.

Peace and Prosperity,

Shannon