Pendulum

First off... a HUGE thanks to those that left inspiration comments for me yesterday. They did just what I'd hoped they would. I have some more sketches of the ideas you all sparked and I already started on the beads to bring some of them to life. I wouldn't say I officially found my groove again. But I think I am getting closer to it. Keep the comments coming though! I love hearing what you like to see.

Now, a mini book review. Actually, it isn't a review, just an I-bought-this-book report. In 2007, when I went to the big Bead & Button Show, you might remember that I took a class with Susan Lenart Kazmer. During class she talked about the book she was having published later that year. Turns out it wasn't available until this past Spring. I finally broke down and ordered a copy of it on Amazon last week. It's called Making Connections: A Book Of Cold Joins For Jewelers And Mixed Media Artists. The thing is positively gorgeous. It is a heavy hard cover book with shiny glossy pages that are full color with really cool illustrations.

I have skimmed through it and read a few bits here and there. From class, I remember Susan saying that she intended this to be a reference book not a how to project book and it definitely has that feel. I thought there would be more about other artists working in the same medium, and there are a few shown, but I really would have liked to see more. It is interesting to read the background behind some of her pieces. Like the "Energy Talisman" and how she felt the energy that her son's 2nd grade class put into their learning, so she had them save their pencil stubs for the piece. Kind of made me wonder if I am really a shallow artist that should put more "thought" into why I make the things I do. Then I reminded myself that each artist is different and I put a different kind of thought into my pieces. I put in pride of design, perfectionist craftsmanship, and a heart of color into each piece I make.

Anywho... as I flipped through the book, I stopped at a design she called "a trapeze". I was instantly drawn to it. I knew I wanted to see a hollow swinging in a similar design. I had to modify it quite a bit. Although the book is about "cold joins" meaning no soldering, you still use a torch to "draw a bead" for some of the techniques. I won't bring a torch that close to a glass bead after it has been annealed. So, it was great to set my mind to figuring out the new construction for it. I also wanted to keep with my bright, crisp, and clean style of jewelry too.


I am thrilled with the way it turned out. I like the size, I like the shape, I like the look of it... there isn't a think I don't like. Well, except that it is being a pain in the behind to photograph. I am calling it a "Pendulum" pendant. And I even have ideas stirring for other ways to use this technique... hmmm. The bead is one I have been saving for a few weeks waiting for just the right project. It is a hollow (duh, Kerry, we can see that) and while I worked those dots on the surface, an air bubble popped out of it. I didn't want to scrap it... for 1) I rarely get orange to strike as evenly and beautiful as it has in this hollow... and 2) I kinda like the little hic-up of a hole in it.

Try as I might, I couldn't get the color balanced right for the photo. It is NOT that obnoxious an orange. And when I went to take a picture of it on, Lauren said "Momma... not with that shirt." (Gotta love my 5 year old fashionista!) It'll just have to be one that is loved and admired in person. *sigh*

My Secret Revealed

For weeks now... nay, months now... I have been hinting that I was working on something extra special that I didn't want to share until the time was right. Okay, the time is right... and I hope it was worth the build up. This is "Icing On the Cake".

I first started having the ideas stir for this necklace back in Oct/Nov when I was working on the bridal piece I did for my cousin. I didn't want to jump right into making the necklace without playing with the design first. And that is where "The Cup Cake Bangle" started. (I know I told you it started with something from something on Beading Daily, and it did... but it is all intertwined.)

One random day, I got an email reminding me about The Bead&Button Show 2008. And in it was a blurb about the Bead Dreams Competition. I got to see the winners from last year in person when I was at the show. It was too cool. There is some wild stuff in this competition. At some point, I got it in my head that I had to bring this necklace to life, and I had to enter it in Bead Dream.

Under any other circumstances, I would have shared the whole process with you. Trials, errors, bad beads, good beads... but for some reason, I got very protective, and very paranoid. I didn't want any secret blog stalkers suddenly deciding they were "inspired" by my piece and that they were going to enter their knock off too. Since today is the last day to enter... and beads take hours to cool in the kiln, and this piece takes days to wire up... I feel safe that there won't be any "copies" entered. (At least I think it is safe at this point, lol). I was going to wait until I hear if I place or not to share it, but I don't have any beads to show... so here ya go.

If I am remembering correctly, the "status of acceptance" comes out by April 25th (ooohh, that is the same day I have to sell my house by... freaky). Finalists are selected, then you mail your piece in to go on display, then right before the start of the show judges pick 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each category... plus there is a Best in Show winner and runner up. I don't really care if I place, I just want to at least be a finalist. I want this in the big glass display case and people walking by to say... "look at that one, isn't that cool".

You can see photos of last year's entries HERE. Let me know if you think this will stand up to this kind of competition!!

Bead & Button Show ~ Part 1

Da Classes ~

I have lots to say about my trip to the big, huge, gigantic, Bead & Button Show. So, I figured I would break it up into a couple of different posts. Part One today is all about my classes. But before I jump into all that... I am home, I am safe, I am sound and I am totally filled to the brim with new ideas!! I think it is going to be a really cool couple of weeks coming up. I can't wait to share all that I come up with as the mad dash to the Corn Hill Arts Festival approaches.

Now... B&B!

Does anyone remember way back to last summer when I announced that I was going to go to B&B? Okay, I am guessing not. But maybe a few of you remember back in January when I told you about the classes I would take. Check that post out HERE if you wanna refresh your memory.



My first class was Exploration of Resins with Susan Lenart Kazmer. There is a link to Susan's site in my last post, scroll down to check it out again. You know, it has taken the past few days for me to really let that class sink in. I signed up for it because my roommate was really psyched to take it. I didn't know anything about resins and one of the reasons I wanted to go to B&B was to expand my knowledge. So, I figured "sure, why not... I'll learn something totally out of my elements". What I didn't count on is my roommate not getting in the class. It sold out so fast, she missed a spot! She ended up signing up for a different class with Susan called Filling the Hollow Form.

For those of you that follow my blog and know my creative process, you might already know what I am gonna say next... I didn't have a plan going in to the class so pretty much every thing I did I think is crap!! LOL. When I don't really think through what I want to make, I tend to go blank and not know what to make. I sort had ideas, I knew I needed "found objects" and I knew I was going to set things "in" resin but other then that... heck if I knew what I was gonna do.

I have to say... I DID learn a lot. Even though I think most everything I made in the class belongs in the trash. I do think that I got a lot of interesting new techniques out of the class. And I am hoping to translate a few of those things to my own designs. One of my favorite new techniques is resining papers. There is a process by which you wipe papers (like newspaper or tissue paper) with resin. Tissue paper will become slightly transparent and plasticised. I think it would make really cool additions to my "Fling Earrings".

The image above is of one of the pendants I made in the class. I used a bottle cap I found on the beach in Cape Cod, set a bunch of "things" in it (a glass ring, a scrap of satin cording, a sterling disc and some wire). I poured the cavitiy with resin and allowed it to cure. It is hard as a rock now and ready to be strung on a piece of cording. Totally NOT my style but it is nice to work out of my box once in a while to get the juices flowing.

Speaking of "out of the box" work... I have to say, I am pretty proud of this bracelet. Susan has a kit for a "Talisman" bracelet available during class. It was the only one she had, as far as I saw. And I snatched it up. When looking in the catalog, this was the "Susan" class I really wanted to take. Come to find out through chatting with Susan, the class itself was more about working with metals then building a talisman, so the kit was really a good way to go, for me. A talisman is a really special thing, or so I have found out since starting my special project. You have to put "yourself" into it and it is thought to be a piece of protection. So the "Self" I put into it are my glass beads you see floating through it. And a few extra things that were added after this photo (this photo was taken in the window of my hotel on a sheet of white paper, believe it or not!!). I worked on it all week!! I kept adding more and more. I gave myself a challenge and didn't let myself trim a single headpin. They are all twisted this was and that. The bracelet is actaully surprisingly comforatable to wear. I love it. With all the "extras" I have put into it, it has really become a special keepsake from my first experience at this big ol' event.

My second class was Rio Grande's: Exploring PMC class with CeCe Wire. I don't know if I have ever told you all my special relationship with Precious Metal Clay. It has been a bit of a torid affair. Very hate-love. I convinced myself that I could teach myself PMC a year or so ago. I never bought a book, never researched a thing, I just bought the "kit" from www.firemountaingems.com. I thought, hey... it's clay, you flash it in a torch... it's silver, tada!! MAN WAS I SO WRONG!! I hated every minute of working with the stuff. It was dry, it was cracking. I just hated it and swore it off. I returned everything I bought and said I wouldn't do it again. Then came B&B... I thought that maybe with some proper instruction I would learn the secrets to this stuff everyone raves about and finally learn to love it.

It worked!! CeCe, even with an aweful stomach bug and turning green, was a great teacher and now I am excited to reorder that PMC kit, work with the stuff the RIGHT way and finally start adding it to my work. I can't wait to get started!! CeCe's class couldn't have been more different then the class with Susan. Their teaching styles were polar opposites. Susan's room was a free for all most of the time and we were let to run wild creating to our hearts' content. CeCe was much more structured with handouts, tutorials and set projects.



I can't tell you all that I got out of this class. I could probably fill a week worth of blog posts with what I learned. Just look at all the stuff I made!! I did buck the system a little bit, how could I not? This is the kinda class environment I really enjoy... the "supposed to" projects were a real spring board for ideas. The piece in the top center is my version of an African mask. I went for more of a Picasso Elephant. I love that little guy. I finished him fast enough to get to play with my left over clay and I got about a dozen shiny discie spacer thingies made. They will ROCK in earrings and bracelets!!

That pendant to the left strung on cording is my twist the "Stamped Pendant" we were supposed to do. What I love about this one is the patina. I learned something really cool... I have only ever thrown a piece of silver into Liver of Sulfur to turn it black. BUT!! If you dip it once then dip it in cool water... it goes gold... dip it again... it goes green... dip it again... it goes blue... you can even get magenta and pinks too. Who knew?!?! I can't wait to play with the patina in my silver wire designs!!

I wasn't alone in my class!! Holly, my roommate took it too. :) Check out the cool stuff she created.

See the patina on the earring pair at the top there... see what I am talking about?!? Very pinkish don't ya think?

So... all in all... the class experience at B&B was fantastic. I love that I picked things I never thought I would do in my "real" jewelry life. And out of both of those things, I got amazing new skills out that I think will help me grow as an artist.

Now, I think I might have left my special usb cable for my digital camera in my hotel room... so the pics from the second half of my trip are trapped on my camera until I can get a new cable. All that means is that I will spread these B&B reports out over a few days. And in between, I'll give you updates on other stuff I got going on around here!!

Update From The Show!

I am here, I am safe and sound, I even took my first class already!! This place is insanely huge. I can't even describe how big it is. I am rather intimidated by what my roommate and I are going to see tomorrow when you go to the marketplace (the vendor area). I peaked in the door yesterday morning before class and GIGANTIC is the best word to explain the magnatude of what we are going to walk into. Intimidating but overwhelmingly exciting. I have a list of the vendors I wanna see and things I wanna purchase.

My first class yesterday was with Susan Lenart Kazmer. I have lots to tell you about it but you are gonna have to wait cause I need to hop in the shower quick, run to Starbucks and get to my second class that starts at 8am. It's Rio Grande's Introduction to PMC.

Gonna O.D. on B&B

I have so much nervous excited energy and anxiety about the big B&B Show that I could vomit!! Not the best blog opening sentence ever, I realize that, lol. But my nerves and excitement are bubbling over. I am like a kid on Christmas Eve (before you found out Santa was your parents). I can't wait!!

I checked out the website for the hotel we are staying at and they have wireless internet service so I will be bringing my laptop and letting you know all about the trip. So stay tuned!!