It is finally my favorite season!!

Fall!  Actually, my favorite season is winter.  But, Fall will do!  Although in my neck of the woods, Northern Virginia, the maples have not turned quite as red as I like, it is still full of color...and inspiration!

I purchased a tutorial on Etsy a few weeks ago from Linda Aspenson Bergstrom on how to make leaves from copper.   I sat down at the bench on Saturday and played with some copper sheet - 22 gauge to be specific.  

These are pendant size- oh my, I had so much fun!  After fabricating, I tossed these in a bath of liver of sulfur, buffed, and tumbled.  The copper was gloriously shiny!  But then I added just a touch of golden gilder's paste - I wanted them to resemble the falling leaves in my backyard.

After showing these to my mother, she said those would be pretty smaller, as earrings.  So, back to the bench...

But this time, I skipped the Liver of sulfur.  I colored with the flame from my torch and added the tiniest amount of gilder's paste.  Most of these have the color on just the edges.  I am still experimenting.

The picture above shows the size comparison.  I added a few coats of Permalac to seal in the color.  I have actually made two pairs of earrings already, but the ear wires have to take a tumble before final assembly.

In the meantime, I wanted to use one of the leaves.  So, I whipped up this necklace using ....you guessed it...another link from Cindy Wimmer's new book, The Missing Link!  I was going for whimsical here...not sure if I achieved that exactly, but I still like this chain!

This is a very cool link - looks just like a light bulb!  Cindy had a tutorial  a while back in one of the wire magazines - it was either Step by Step Wire or Easy Wire - for the light bulb clasp.  I have actually used made these clasps before, but it has been awhile.  I couldn't find the tutorial (my magazine collection grows like my bead collection...ugh...I cannot find anything when I want it!).  So, I just followed the link design, but made the clasp in a heavier gauge - 14 gauge.

I wanted to use a copper leaf as a charm, so I made one of the light bulb links in 14 gauge, and strung a sweet little ceramic leaf charm by Karen Totten of Starry Road Studio, and the CUTEST  bronze squirrel charm!  This charm is very special, as it was made by LeAnn Weih of Summers Studio.  LeAnn has been learning the art of Lost Wax Casting - and this is one of her first charms!   I cannot explain this artform and give it justice - suffice it to say it is arduous!  I was - and am - extremely honored to have received this little beauty, which I think completes pendant...don't you?  Thank you again, LeAnn!!

Isn't he adorable!  I strung some tiny little jasper rounds on top of my copper leaf....I believe that little squirrel thinks those are food related!

Yes - again, I stood on a chair with a photography lamp in my left hand, camera in my right, and I am so proud that I did fall off that chair!  (There has GOT to be a better way to take pics of Lolita wearing necklaces...I just do not know what that is yet)!

That was my weekend.  I hope yours was just as wonderful!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

xo

Patti

Thank you to Jeannie Dukic!

Another wonderful artist has yet again donated to me some gorgeous handmade beads!  These beads will be hopefully finding their way into one of my jewelry pieces, and proceeds from the sales will be donated to Miracle Horse Rescue.

Artist Jeannie Dukic contacted me last week and offered to send me some beads.  Heck yeah!! Jeannie  makes the most incredible polymer clay beads. Peeled paint, faux stoneware, faux basha beads, charms, pendants - the famous gin blossom - and now, her newest creations which she has entitled Polarity.

These babies will fool your eye for sure - they look just like lampwork!  

Look at the incredible depths of color and the shine!

I am a sucker for blue and green!

I just love the texture on the pendant above!

Look at the gorgeous metallic finish on the Eternity Charms above!  You would swear they were a copper bead that had a liver of sulfur bath and went through the buffing and tumbling process to achieve that gorgeous color!

I actually finished one piece of jewelry already, as I could not wait to see these beads in a necklace!

I generally do not sketch - I cannot even read my own grocery lists, much less draw out a design.  I usually just sit down at the bench with my beads of choice (that is half the battle, as my stash is huge and I want to use every bead RIGHT NOW!!) and start bending wire.  I could not do that with these beads, as I tend to add patina to my wire AFTER my design is complete. I did not want to ruin the polymer, obviously, so.. I sketched! Kinda.  Then, I made my links, jump rings, lengths of wire, etc., gave them a bath in liver of sulfur, buffed until my hands were black...I even tumbled the wire prior to final construction.  Then I prayed.  

Why yes, that happens to be a link from Cindy Wimmer's new book, The Missing Link.  That is one piece of wire all swirled into one link.  Very cool link, Cindy!!  It looks delicate, but that's 18 gauge wire and once it is tumbled and hardened, that baby keeps it shape!  I love that link!

The best part about this necklace is how lightweight if feels when worn!  I made it choker length - so it could peak out from the collar or lay right atop the neckline.

I dragged Lolita outside for her model shot late this afternoon, as there was still a bit of sunshine.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Jeannie, for your generous contribution for my efforts to raise funds for Miracle Horse Rescue!  The equines thank you, too!

Please be sure to visit Jeannie's shop and grab some of these beauties - you will NOT be disappointed!  Her shop can be found by clicking here. 

Thanks for stopping by today - have a wonderful weekend!

xo 

Patti

Bubbilicious and More

I have made another small dent in the goodies gifted to me from Jan Onipenco of Molten Mayhem. Jan donated these beads to support my efforts for my fundraiser for Miracle Horse Rescue!  First up, these deliciously colorful beads.  I named that focal Bubbilicious - I still cannot believe that is one piece of glass!

I sat down at my bench with Cindy Wimmer's new book, The Missing Link.  I made 7 different links that I thought might work with the focal bead.  Here is a bad IPad picture of 5 of them.  

I love each of the links, but did not feel they would be substantial enough to work with the focal.  So, I ended up with these.

I made a small bail to mimic the marquis- shaped beads.  The focal is wired onto heavy, 14 gauge wire.

Lots of time was spent buffing the patina on this baby!  My hands were black! But, well worth it - I love how this turned out!

I still have not found the perfect location for Lolita - my model.  This picture was taken in my basement - Lolita is standing in front of a white backdrop with 3 photo lamps, one of which is in my left hand, while the camera is in my right - and I am standing on a chair!

Matching Earrings too!  I am really loving the colors in these beads!

Next, I pulled out this beautiful bead.

I lost count on how many colors were swirled together!  I thought about combining some gemstones to make a necklace...but, I ended up with a "simple" chain.

The focal "bail" is a soldered ring of 14 gauge copper.  After soldering, I took two lengths of 20 gauge copper and balled the ends in the flame, and coiled them on opposite sides.  

Sidenote: I have tried copper solder in the recent past and it was an epic fail!  I had made 20 soldered rings and when I went to texture the rings, every single one split at the join.  I now have a 15 pound coil of copper solder that is going to be sitting in a draw unused!  This particular copper solder claims to be a better color match to the copper-it isn't!  Due to the metal content, the copper solder has a slightly gray color after soldering and pickling. I tried electro-plating the piece (adding a piece of steel to the pickle), but it was not working.  Two-toned metal rings is not the look I was going for.  So, my solution is these little coils to disguise the join.   I know...TMI!

I made a bead cap for this beauty, and wired it to the ring.  

I added some smaller soldered rings throughout the chain, to match the focal, and yes, there is another link from Cindy's book - Curlicue!   Love this link!

This one looks awesome when worn - well, except on Lolita!  Anyway, the drape is beautiful, even if my picture is not!

These creations will be in my Etsy shop - all proceeds will be donated to Miracle Horse Rescue.

Thank you again, Jan, for the beautiful beads, and Cindy for the wire inspiration!  I have six more sets of Jan's beautiful beads to go!  

Hope you all have a great day - thank you for stopping by!

xo

Patti

Winner!

My last post stated that I would be picking a winner BY Thursday....so the winner of this bracelet, with the gorgeous lampwork beads by LyndasLampwork, and the Stitched Infinity Link design inspired by Cindy Wimmer from her new book, The Missing Link....

is.....

Sherry Stokey!!

Sherry, please send me your mailing address (pattivan@comcast.net) and I will get this out to you pronto!

Please check out Linda Cogbill's Etsy shop here - it is full of gorgeous handmade beads!  

Many thanks to everyone who has shared my posts, "liked" my pics on Facebook, and purchased from my Etsy shop. My 20% off sale continues through Halloween - October 31, 2013.  All proceeds from sales in my shop will be donated to Miracle Horse Rescue! Oh, and the equine residents of Miracle Horse Rescue thank you, too!

Have a lovely day, and thank you for stopping by!!

xo

Patti

A big THANK YOU to Jan Onipenco of Molten Mayhem and another GIVEAWAY!

WARNING - This is a long post - but there is a giveaway at the end!!

I have been having a fundraiser, donating all proceeds from my Etsy shop to Miracle Horse Rescue through October 31, 2013  To date, I have donated $2,278.  There is still  about 2 weeks left, and I have a 20% sale going on in my shop through October 31.  Please stop by if you can!

I received a message on Facebook from Jan Onipenco of Molten Mayhem last week.  She wanted to know if I would accept a donation of some of her lovely lampwork beads and if I could "make something with them", with all proceeds donated to Miracle Horse Rescue.  First of all - I was flabbergasted at her generosity....but then Friday, the mail carrier brought me these:

(Click on the picture for a larger view of these gorgeous beads)!

There are 10 sets of beads here!!! Do you see the fish beads?  They are two sides of absolute awesomeness with incredible details!  Also - that large focal bead - upper right corner....I immediately self-titled that baby "Bubblicious" because, well, it is!  The use of all the wonderful colors in these beads immediately had mind racing!  I could not wait to get started...so I did!

Lately, I have been obsessed with Cindy Wimmer's new book - The Missing Link.  I have been photo-bombing Facebook with my new creations made with these fabulous links.  Since my mind is still in this book (which is where it will be for quite some time), I made these earrings with one set Jan's beads:

These colors are so intense and jewel toned!  The link design is Cindy's, which combines two hoops into one design, which in my eyes screams "Earrings!"  So, after seeing Kerry Bogert's design with these links in Cindy's book, I was convinced that these beautiful lampwork beads had to be on these double hoops! (Side note: Cindy and Kerry have been my two wire -idols for ages now - it is no wonder they are such good friends)! 

These earrings are what I would call "shoulder-dusters" (just showed MY age)!  They are 3 1/4" long and have the most fabulous dangle!  But they are incredibly lightweight!  Love them!!

Next up, I used this beautiful bead set of Jan's:

There is sparkle within those incredibly blue streaks of glass! And the base color is a deep burgundy - so pretty!

I used three of these links from Cindy's book - probably one of the most intriguing designs!  I first saw this link in person at ArtBliss (it was made in silver) and I was awestruck at the complex look of this link. (This bracelet has since SOLD - Thank you!!)

I patterned this bracelet off of Cindy's design in her book, which is my favorite.  

The earrings and the bracelet above will be listed in my shop later tonight.

I will continue to post my designs made with Jan's beautiful beads (her Etsy shop can be found here).   They will be available in my shop and all proceeds - whenever they sell - will be donated to Miracle Horse Rescue!  THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, JAN!

Jan is a fellow-animal lover, too.  I knew this from "talking" with her on Facebook.  I cried when she lost Angus, her best friend Rottie.  And I was overjoyed when she rescued Bubba.  But, I did not know she was a horse lover.  Below is a picture of Jan and her furbaby, Maximum Override (an awesome name!).  Jan had Max for 18 years...isn't this picture priceless?

Miracle Horse Rescue (MHR)

MHR is a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and welfare of abused, neglected, and unwanted domesticated horses of all types and conditions.  MHR is a very small organization - run by only 2 people who have dedicated their lives to helping these horses in need.  I want to continue to help as much as I can.  For more information, please visit and "Like" their Face book page.  

If you have a few minutes to spare, please take the time to watch this video of the horses at MHR.  They are thriving here!  I hope to see these furbabies in person again soon!

The Giveaway
Yes - a Cindy Wimmer link has been included in this bracelet giveaway!  Gorgeous organic turquoise glass beads by LyndasLampwork.  I have made this link a few times now - this time I made the Stitched Infinity Link with sterling silver with sterling silver "stitches", because, one can never have too much silver!!  This is an ADJUSTABLE bracelet, too!  Fits a wrist diameter of 6 1/2" all the way to 8" if necessary!  I added a sterling silver heart charm to the handmade chain section - and placed some "love knot" links made of jump rings in between the beads.  It seems fitting that I call this bracelet Love Until Infinity.

How to Enter

1.  Leave a comment on this blog post - Equals 1 entry

2.  Post a link to this blogpost on Facebook - Equals 1 entry

3.  Go to my shop on Etsy (link here) and PIN an item to your Pinterest Board - Equals 1 entry

For each task above, you must leave a separate comment on my blog!!  I will choose a winner via Random Organizer by next Thursday.   Lastly, make sure your contact email is "turned on" or leave me your email address so that I can contact the winner!!

Thank you for stopping by - and thank you for helping me to spread the word!

xo

Patti