Learning new skills

Copper coil earrings
Originally uploaded by Zoeowyn

I am using my participation in Ring a week (RAW) and Thing a Week (THaW) as a concerted effort to build skills. One of the ways I am doing this is to actually follow some project how-to instructions from magazines. I certainly have enough magazines!

This week I ended up practicing book/magazine instructions for both RAW and THaW

This week's Thing is a pair of coiled earrings using copper wire.
I had intended on making a chain bracelet, but I did not have enough of this spool of wire. I did have enough to finish the spool up and have some earrings.
I made this pair of earrings following directions from:
The Best of Step by Step Wire jewelry 2010. Egyptian Chandeliers by Jeanette Ryan.
After following the directions I modified a tad because the directions in the magazine included crystal drops -I just used swirls, and the way the two middle pieces hung, they fell off and did not lock onto the main ring.
I ended up putting one on facing the other direction. Visually you can't tell a difference, structurally it keeps the dbl spirals hanging and not falling off.

Check out the other amazing jewelry pieces being created for THaW 2011

I need to practice making coils, and my needle nose pliers are crap, they torque out of position with a simple twist, not good, will replace.

This week's RAW was "Hi I'm Bob"
Bob- big obnoxious bling, named so by my daughter after I created my first ring using this rhino head mold. We came up with a bunch of silly ring titles for a series, as if they were 1960's movie title "Bob" "Return of Bob," "Son of Bob" and so forth.
This one is is "Hi, I'm Bob" inspired by the blob-type character Bob from Monsters vs Aliens.
Hes a little too textured to be transparent, but that was the goal.

Wire wrapping techniques from Dale Armstrong's book, I combined the cocktail ring base and prong set the head.

Yes I prong set a resin rhino head!

Check out the other fabulous ring creations at the RAW flickr pool

my things a ring of pure green

a ring of pure green
Originally uploaded by Zoeowyn

I wrapped this weeks RAW and THaW projects up into one. Oh, and yes its from a jewelry magazine "how to."

The how-to was Belle Amoire Jewelry Dec/ Jan 2010 "Ring Creatures by Orna Willis.

It was fun, and a tad more obnoxious than the magazine directions.

Lessons learned:
mostly skill practice
making jewelry is my happy place
clustering the bead groups then placing onto the ring loops seems to help maintain that full look

So far I like doing this. This practicing projects out of magazines, this making sure I will make artistic jewelry every week, this making and building my ring skills.

Thing a week and practice techniques--all in one

bracelet-wire techniques practice
Originally uploaded by Zoeowyn

I have joined the flickr THaW jewelry challenge. Inspired by Ring a week- RAW, its a jewelry thing a week. My THaW is going to serve double duty. One of the things I want to try to do is justify my obsessive purchasing of jewelry making magazines. I decided I needed to actually start doing some of the projects in them.

Wire frame bracelet based on Curlicue Cuff by Sally Stevens from BeadUnique fall 2010.

This makes a pretty good frame, and I think I would like to try it with a wire wrapped center piece. A little more planning, and a base ball bat so I have something large enough and round to use as an anvil. (or start off with slightly harder wire).

Lessons learned:
--these projects are always written for a set of specific products, make sure you understand what you are doing before trying to modify it
--even though I managed to bead up the end of a piece of fine silver using the gas burners on the stove, it does not work on 14 gauge copper
--the epoxy/plastic coating most craft wire does not smoke or burst into flames, it just burns in color
--oh yeah I found out the wire I was using was coated
--read all the steps of the article before you begin, this was designed to use 24 inches of wire to make a 6 inch cuff. I have an 8 inch wrist, I didn't get the big groovy curly cues
--adjust sizes accordingly and don't be afraid to cut more wire