Updates!!!

WOW!  It has been a long time since my last post.  Trust me, I have not been lazy or slacking in keeping busy...

Short updates with pics:

-- one of my beautiful daughters, Anna, is now married to a wonderful guy, Nick!  Anna has gained a big welcoming family - my head was swimming when I was introduced to Nick's whole family.  A lovely wedding with few tears... wedding bands FIT, whew!   Weather cooperated, it was hot but no rain.   Wedding pics to come later.

Beautiful Anna!

Handsome Nick (with my other beautiful daughter, Maureen)

Groom's happy parents, Mike and Hepsie!

Bride and groom wedding bands

Bride's wedding ring set

-- another metalsmith skill under my belt, lost wax casting @ William Holland - love it but right now don't have all the equipment to do the actual casting... will need to work out that detail.

Cast pieces in fine silver, sterling and gold!

-- working on lining up more fall and holiday art shows... so far, I'm in for the FestiFall (Chapel Hill) Pagan Pride Festival (Raleigh Fairgrounds) and Cooke Street Festival (Raleigh).

-- opened a fabric stash shop on CraftCafe.co - will be closing the fabric shop on Etsy at the end of this month.  I love my new shop banner (created by Graphic Designs by Tara) - what do you think of it?

And, I am going to try something I've not done before... have a weekly blog post to help promote others on CraftCafe (and myself, too, of course!). 

New Skill - Lampwork Glass Beads

 

 

I keep taking classes and workshops to enhance or update my jewelry making skills.  The latest course I took was in a totally new area - making beautiful beads, melting glass rods with a torch!  I took a week long class at William Holland School of Lapidary.  My friends in the Jewelry Artists Retreat (JAR) group turned me on to this great learning resource.

Lampwork beads may soon be my newest passion!

Check out more photos of my first beads on my Facebook photo album.

Classes, Workshops Galore!

I am on a fast-track to expand my metal fabrication skills.  If you follow me on Facebook, you may have noticed that I am like the energizer bunny - getting more and more techniques under my belt!  I am so thankful that I have so many local resources available to me!


This year I made a point to do fewer arts and crafts shows to focus on learning and to find out what technique or techniques are a good fit.  It's been a year and half since I took my first class in metal fabrication at Pullen Arts Center in Raleigh.

My first fabricated pendant

Back of pendant

My first pair of earrings

Since then I have learned:

• how to use of the torch, solder, sawing, filing, and bezel setting with Megan Clark at Pullen Arts
• how to use the hydraulic press to create dimensional forms with Betty McKim - made a locket with rivets
• how to embellishment metals with Kathryn Osgood - etching on brass to make embossing plates to transfer designs to metal and using keum boo to add a pop of gold to silver
• about various casting techniques (broom stick, water, rock salt, cuttlebone) from a group of wonderful women at the Jewelry Artists Retreat (JAR) @ Lake Gaston, NC
• how to flush set faceted stones, again with Megan Clark
• how to make rings with tim lazure - completed 2 rings that I really, really love
• how to add alternate colors on metal with Kathryn Osgood - including patinas and colored resin
• how to tube set a faceted stone and fold form copper at a spring mini-retreat in the NC mountains with Debora (member of JAR) and Kimberly
• how to chase & repousse on copper and silver with the Italian artist Davide Bigazzi, Menlo Park, CA
• how to fuse enameling to copper with Julie Brooks

Next week I will be at William Holland School of Lapidary to learn how to make lampwork glass beads.  It was actually my 3rd choice since my 1st (Silver II: Forging) and 2nd (Enameling) choices were at maximum!  Four other members of JAR will be there, too - we are going to have a blast!