The Cuff

by Patti Vanderbloemen

Okay...there are lots of reasons for my lack of jewelry making and "radio silence" on the blog here - and other social media.  In my last post, I directed you to the Love My Art Jewelry blog spot (link here, if you feel like reading it) , where I talked about an online class that I began on December 26.

The class, entitled Boho Cuff, is a series of online videos by Leslie Kail Villareal.  I had taken her class in the Fall for the Boho Saddle ring and fell in love with her teaching style.

This is a picture of Leslie's absolutely stunning cuff:

Source: Leslie Kail Villarreal

The techniques involved in making this cuff were almost all new to me:  etching on sterling silver, setting a faceted stone in a hand-cut cone style setting (hint:  there is math involved, geometry to be specific!), filigree work, and granulation (that's those tiny silver balls you see in the picture).

Well, here is my completed cuff:

The only true "Oh my gosh - I cannot finish this" moment(s) occurred when I was attempting to solder the tiny balls (granulation) inside the filigree. (I can also assure you that Oh My Gosh were not the words I used)! Every single time the flame hit the metal - those little balls went flying. I kept thinking of popcorn kernels in a kettle of grease. Yes - it was just like that!  

I managed to get the granulation soldered to one side of the cuff.

But the other side resulted in reticulated filigree (translation: the filigree melted and bubbled...just a tad!) You can see the beginning of the reticulation of the wire in the photo below. I even attempted to remove the filigree and start over - but that wire had other ideas and decided to stay put for the rest of its life.  So, I buffed the metal as much as I could, and I called it a day.

I am so tickled pink with this cuff!  I cannot believe I actually completed this baby - it was days - and I mean days - of work and so many soldering operations.  But - an immense learning process!  I see so many opportunities for additional projects using these new-to-me techniques!

Forever grateful to Leslie's vision and the opportunity to be involved in this process. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today - hoping you all enjoy your weekend!

xo

Patti

Wow..it's been a while!

by Patti Vanderbloemen

Cannot believe I have not blogged since November 2015 - and here it is, 2016!!

I basically took most of December "off".  But, I eased back into jewelry making and managed to make a few things, and listed them in my shop.

I truly love these earrings. Hand case, lead free pewter tear drop charms from Inviciti.  I have seen some beautiful creations on "the web" made with Vincent's charm - really colorful creations.  After several attempts, I decided to keep it simple.

A pair of earrings and a bracelet made with gorgeous beads by Judith Billig.  She named the beads "Delphi Relics" and her technique in acquiring that "just found in an archaeological dig" look is spot on!

These beads - also from Judith - remind me of the desert sky.  Beautiful color combination!

The last pair of earrings with Judith's beads - I swear, the photo of the Grand Canyon truly captures the beautiful colors in these beads!

The bracelet below was made with gorgeous translucent beads by Susan Kennedy - I cannot capture the swirl of amethyst in my photos - but they are truly beautiful!  I added some handmade beads caps, a handmade toggle and hollow bead, and two recycled silver beads - sandwiched together to make a single link in the chain.

Things kicked up a bit in late December.  I am currently enrolled in an on-line class with Leslie Kail Villareal (link here).  I blogged about this at Love My Art Jewelry.  If you are interested in seeing my progress, just click here.   The picture below Leslie's example of the sterling silver cuff that I am attempting to complete. 

Source: Leslie Kail Villareal

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!  Thanks so much for stopping by today!

xo

Patti

Black Friday / Small Business Saturday / Cyber Monday

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving!!  I, for one, am in need of an all-day nap! :)

If you are out and about shopping the Black Friday/Small Saturday sales - please stay safe!  Last sale of the year is happening now in my shop.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo
Patti

And the winner is...

by Patti Vanderbloemen

Thank you for all of the lovely comments on my last post!  I truly appreciate each and every one - so THANK YOU!

I had several people comment that they cannot believe I have been making jewelry for only 4 years...I feel the need clarify, as my writing was a bit misleading/unclear (self-editing one's work - whether writing a sentence or checking the length of ear wires on a pair of earrings- can be hard sometimes)! I have been creating jewelry since late 2008/ early 2009. I jumped on the bandwagon and started SELLING my jewelry in November 2011...I just felt the need to clarify!

Anyway.... to choose the the winner of my little package of loot....

I used the Random Number Generator, which selected...

Ms. Julie Burgard!  Julie is the artist behind Outwest Beads her (shop is here)- utterly beautiful lampwork beads that I have been using in my creations for years now!  They are earthy, rustic, colorful, - always symmetrical in size - and she makes the BEST DISCS! When I picked her name, I went through my archive of designs just to see what I have made with her beads, and came up with just a few....

Jewelry made with Outwest Beads

Again - many thanks to everyone!  Thanks for stopping by today!

xo

Patti

Anniversary and my biggest Giveaway!

by Patti Vanderbloemen

This November marks four (4) years since I have opened up an online shop.  Do you sell your jewelry online as well?  Was it as scary for you as it was for me?  Did you drag your feet....like I did?!

So much has happened in these past four years.  I have gone from simply stringing jewelry, to LOTS of wire wrapping, and I now incorporate metalsmithing into many of my designs.  My love of artbeads has only grown deeper, and I will never tire of gemstones! I still enjoy doing this gig - so I am going to "keep on keeping on".  The greatest pleasure I have is the ability to donate my proceeds to charity - Miracle Horse Rescue.  So, I am truly grateful for every single sale!

Just to show you all how grateful I am to continue on this path, I have come up with a few items to giveaway.

First up, I FINALLY use this mixed metal cone I made a while ago - AND - I paired it with an amazingly drop dead gorgeous lampwork bead by Sarah Moran of ZBeads.  I dug through my stash and found a beautiful, coordinating "sugared" lampwork bead by Susan Kennedy of SueBeads, added some fringe in the form of copper chain with sterling silver beads, and an 18" sterling silver rope chain...It was done!

I couldn't stop at the necklace, so I made a pair of mixed metal earrings - again, using pretty lampwork beads by Susan Kennedy.  The earrings hang on hand forged, sterling silver ear wires.

I thought...necklace, earrings...you have to add bracelets...so I did!  Two bangles, forged, soldered from 10 gauge solid copper and solid sterling silver - textured, of course - and shaped into a slight oval.

I did not stop there either!  I have been making lots of tiny posts lately, so I paired these little gems with gorgeous lampwork by Maryse of GlassBeadArt.  These clear beads remind me of Winter Ice - - and, they are made from recycled glass!  In fact, almost the entire earring is recycled (except for the posts, which I purchased).  I melted down the silver, flattened the tiny little balls into discs, stamped, added a "bail" from sterling wire...and tada!

Absolutely terrible pictures - these look so awesome in person, as the bead shape is very unique!

While the earrings were in the tumbler for their final polish, I was perusing the latest issue of WireWork Magazine and came across a very simple tutorial to make a ring in 5 steps.  (Original design by Gabby Guest).  I changed the design up just a bit - I added some coiling to strengthen the shank, and multiple coils in the center of the bead.  This simple little ring, with a gorgeous lampwork flower disc by Susan Kennedy - is so comfortable - and so CUTE!

So there you have it - the goods for the Giveaway - all for one winner!

Some for the winner to keep for themselves, perhaps to give as a gift to a friend or loved one (I think there is a big holiday coming up next month...).

How to Enter

What do you need to do the win the whole thing?  (I will ship international - in case there is a question!)

1) Leave a comment on this blog post - PLEASE BE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS SO I CAN GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU! (Sorry for the yelling in All Caps...but...it needed to be said!)

2)  For a second chance to win, Share my blogpost link on Facebook, then come back to this blog post and leave a second comment, advising me that you shared! 

That's it!  I will pick a winner in a week or so!

Many thanks for hanging in there until the end of this long post! I am grateful to every person who has ever stopped by, and left a comment...or not!  So, thank you for stopping by today...here is to four more years?!

xo

Patti