What's on the bench?

I really haven't taken the time to clean off my work space and dive back into metal clay like I had hoped. But thats ok.
I started playing with these talisman/amulet "Juju" collection pieces.

These pieces are fun because I can play with my collection I mean stash of supplies, I can toss in some wire work, and include charms I make.

By the time I got to the last one of this bunch, I think I had the swirls on the large frame figured out.

These will make their debute at the Alabama Renaissance Festival this weekend October 26-27, and then they will make their way over to my Etsy store, with a few other I have assembled (well actually these will sell this weekend and I will have new and different ones in my Etsy store!--the power of positive thinking!)

This talisman collection features a carved jade fluke, an amethyst point, a ceramic sphere, a bronze tentacle, and a faceted amber bead.

This collection has a large fluorite bead, a buffalo tooth, a metal hand holding a ring, and a carved coral skull.

This was my first collection. it features a large hamsa and has raw amber beads, a raw garnet, a green glass bead and a silver drop with a wood bead from central Asia.

Hinges

I've been playing with hinges based on the online class by Wanaree Tanner from CraftCast, and I cannot recommend it enough!

I've modified the concept a bit, but I'm not making anything dramatically uniquely me (these are still obviously based on Wanaree's book design model), I am learning and practicing a technique and seeing where I can go with it. Im rather loving hinges.

Im also rather loving this whole CraftCast thing. Its a lovely conglomerate of my love and my studies. You see, I've spent the past 2 years becoming an "expert" in online distance education. I am 2/3 of the way through a Masters in DE program (I've received two graduate certificate in DE, and currently am "done" with the school bit). And of course crafting. I love teaching craft classes, better students, after all they want to be there.

Alison Lee is brilliant having gotten into online hybrid delivery of course materials. Hybrid, thats the mix of synchronous, being there when the class is recorded, and then asynchronous, being able to download and access the course at any time. Makes me wish I had thought of it.

I haven't signed up for any more classes, but that is a function of having to finish finals and write papers, more than anything else.
I have my eyes on the classes by Michael DeMeng -I love his book Secrets of Rusty Things.
And improving my resin with the glowing effects presented by Patrik Kusek

Im excited I have chosen to stop pursuing one education (the MDE) for another (improved jewelry making skills and marketing).

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

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