The Total Package

It has been awhile since I made a post. School is killing me this year. We have tons of changes...new classroom software, semester conversion, evaluations, assessments, grant, new course. It seems to be sucking the life out of me right now. Creative time has been fleeting, but I have managed to get a little bit of time in. I go crazy if I can't make something after awhile.

Since I'm getting very little creative time right now, I am doing my best to maximize the time I do get. I have been working really hard lately on stretching my creative abilities, going outside of the box, and trying to look at the total package. I think it has been a worthwhile exercise for me. I can see more growth and skill in the pieces I have made lately. I have never been one to achieve a goal and be perfectly satisfied with it. I am constantly driven to get better and to learn new things (this could explain why school is sucking up so much of my time as well).

Since my glass and wire wrapping skills have been getting better, I have been trying to stretch myself in the design area by looking at the total package of a necklace. I haven't been satisfied lately by putting my pendants on a cord. I have felt the need to make more dramatic pieces. So, I have been experimenting and testing my creativity in how I create the necklace portion of each piece. I've had some successes and some failures, but I am definitely learning a lot. These pictures are some of the recent pieces I've worked on.

I hope everyone likes the new pieces because I am having a thoroughly good time with this learning process.

For all of you who are having craft show withdrawals since the holidays are over, the Appalachian Artisans Guild Cabin Fever show will be coming up in March at the South Campus of Southern State Community College. I'll post more information on this later.

Metalhead!

Yes, I do like metal music (after all I am a product of the 80s), however in this case I am talking actual metal. As much as I have grown to love working with glass, I have also grown to love working with all different types of metal.

Copper is one of my favorites. I love how it can be bright and shiny or warm with a nice dark patina. I have found that some people are avid lovers of copper jewelry and others don't care for it at all. If you are one of those that love copper then you probably have a preference between bright, shiny copper and copper with a warm patina.

Either way it is important to take care of your copper jewelry properly to keep it beautiful. I have researched the best ways to take care of your copper, and here is some of what I have come up with.

To clean your copper run some warm water and add a small amount of mild soap. Use a soft cloth dipped in the water to wipe down your jewelry to remove any dirt and the body oils that accumulate on it from wear. Make sure to rinse and dry your piece thoroughly.



If you prefer shiny copper over the patina that copper gets, the best way to store your copper jewelry is in an air tight plastic bag with a zipper. Air is what causes the copper to patina and storing it this way will slow that process down.

To bring a patinaed piece back to that bright copper shine, pour some lemon juice in a bowl and add a little salt. Dip the piece in the lemon juice and set it up to dry. Ketchup is another home made polish you can use to bring the shine of your copper back. I have polished copper both ways and they both work. It is the acid content in the lemons and the ketchup. Do remember that some jewelry artists use different patinas on the pieces they make to give the copper different colors. If you have a piece you bought this way, don't use either of these methods to polish it because they will remove that patina.

Some people are afraid to wear copper because they have had a bad experience with copper changing their skin colors. This generally happens when the piece is dirty, tarnished and has accumulated skin oils from wear. Just clean the piece and wash the discoloration off of your skin. A clean piece generally won't change your skin color.

Make Your Own Jewelry Party!

Last weekend was the Appalachian Mountain Artisans Festival that I have talked about before. It was long and it was tiring. It was my first multiple day festival that I have done. But, I did enjoy the experience. The thing that I enjoyed the most was the wire wrapping classes I taught. I just can't get away from the teaching thing. I guess since I come from a family of public school teachers, and I have been teaching computer science for almost 20 years and fused glass for 7 or 8...you could say it is in my blood.

 Anyway, as I was saying, I really enjoyed the wire wrapping classes I taught last weekend. I had a mom bring her two daughters and a grandmother bring her two granddaughters, plus several other lovely ladies who joined us.

We made some bead and wire pendants with some accent beads and a little flourish of the wire. It was fantastic. They were all really happy with the pendants they made. It really is fun for me to see everyone's reaction and to see how happy they were with the pendant they made on their own and got to take with them. There really is no right or wrong way to do it, and each and everyone is beautiful in its own way. Everyone has their own style, and the twists and turns of the wires makes each piece unique and very personal. I guess that is why I like doing this so much. Each time I finish one, I know there will never be another one like it.

So, with all the fun I had teaching these classes over the weekend, it has given me a new idea. I have been thinking about some mini-classes. These would be projects that could be completed in a short time frame, anywhere from half an hour to an hour. I could travel to meet groups and teach a mini-class. These classes could be done for different types of groups and occasions. Birthday party for a friend, ladies auxiliary group, girls night to get together...a perfect setting to do a short workshop and make a piece of jewelry.

I am working on some ideas for projects for earrings, pendants, etc. I am also trying to figure out a fee schedule. Since I will be doing the traveling I will
have to come up with some different rates depending on how far away I have to travel. Once I get this all figured out I will make a new blog page to explain it.

If anyone has any ideas that they would like to see me incorporate into any of the mini-classes, please let me know. This is all in the beginning planning stages and I am wide open to suggestions. All input is highly desirable, and welcome...as always, I am just flying by the seat of my pants. Lol.