spiralling.

... but not out of control!  i've been experimenting a little with my wishbone style earrings and came up with these lovelies!  sculptural, linear, almost like a line drawing come to life.  there's a "spiral jetty" (r.i.p. robert smithson) kind of feel to them, but they're still feminine while being deliciously modern.  while i do love working with solder and flame, there is something quite straightforward and simple about cold forging wire.  sigh.

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giving up on the wax.



the boys at milwaukee precision casting

so my jewelry making book came and i read up on the whole lost wax casting technique.  and for now, i think i am going to have to shelf the idea.  not only is it a complicated process, but i would need access to equipment that i not only cannot afford (unless i win the lottery or find some sort of sugar daddy) but that is also quite dangerous.  pouring hot molten metal into a tiny mold will probably result in massive injuries for accident-prone me, especially if i do it on my own.  i am one of those people who rushes through a process to get to the end product - usually with not very good results.  so i'm looking into a good wax casting course, if i can find one.  that way, i can make sure i learn properly, and don't kill myself along the way. 

i am reading up on a lot of more complex cold forging techniques - riveting, stapling, embossing - which not only is a little safer, but also a little more accessible.  but i think i'll get to where i'd like to be someday in this whole jewelry fabrication thing.  someday.

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lucky. horseshoe.

so the lovely j.r. wanted to see what i wasted so much wire on yesterday.  i've been mulling over the idea of a horseshoe hinged earring design - where the lower part of the hoop is made up of substantial hammered wire and then the loop that goes through the ear is thinner but still sturdy.  i wanted movement but chunky - does that even make sense?  i have to admit that i am not the best at making wire loops (damn carpal tunnel!) but i've been trying. 
the main design issue for me is making sure that the loops on the larger part of the earring are roomy enough for the smaller wire loops to move so that the earrings have some swing to them.  i also need to use a thinner gauge wire for the part that goes through the ear - 18 gauge is a little too thick, i fear.

here are the workable "prototypes" of the lucky horseshoe earrings that i finished last night.  the larger one is in copper (which i probably should have started with in the first place instead of wasting all that sterling) and the smaller in silver.  "lucky" is an appropriate name since it was probably not a good idea to have worked on them after having a drink - i was pretty lucky that i didn't hammer my fingers off.  (i did get my thumb once though.  #$%#$^.)

thoughts?

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I've Got a Hammer... and Some Lip Balm... and a NEW Car!!!!!

i'm now obsessed... i've been dying to take the Jewelry 101 course that they were offering at my local bead store, but of course, once i had saved up for it, they haven't run it since! *insert lots of swear words here* so, like i usually do, i totally just took stock of what i had, scoured the internet, got some books off ebay and jumped into the world of cold forging!!!!


after slamming my fingers with my chasing hammer quite a few times, and actually smashing my knee once with it, i'm in love with metal and the wondrous things you can do with it! the earrings i made above were hand formed and cold forged by little old me! can you believe it? i almost cried when i finished them because i was so proud of myself! and now, i have tons of ideas in my head and not enough time to do it all... i'm going to try sawing and piecing and soldering next... so wish me luck!!!!


i've also been experimenting in the bath and body realm... my dream is to make my own lip balm! i don't know if you're like me, but i have hundreds of lip balms. seriously. i have a big mouth and am constantly applying and reapplying... it's driving me crazy and making me broke!




so i did a little research, and tried making lip balm for the first time. i was actually scared that i'd end up burning my eyebrows off, but i didn't! and i am totally thrilled with the results! oh, the miracle of beeswax... this lip balm is super fantastic, not too sticky, totally minty fresh and really moisturizing! it's really similar to burt's bees (sorry to them, i don't have to buy anymore, LOL) but less "grainy" and the minty feeling lasts longer!!!! YIPPEEEEE! i've given "tester" tubes to the gals at work and i've gotten the thumbs up. so hopefully, once i work out the packaging details, i'll be able to sell some in my etsy shop. seriously. i'm thrilled.

i think i'm going to tackle soap next. maybe even this weekend. hee hee! then i'll really burn my eyebrows off!

oh yes, and about the car...

when i had leased my little sporty Honda Civic three years ago, i thought that i couldn't and wouldn't ever fall in love again with a vehicle. however, my sister gave my mom her sweet Audi when her husband came home and told her that he'd just bought a new Volvo SUV (yeah, my sister married for money, i married for love, go figure), so my mom, in turn, offered the husband her old Mazda. well, he was all over that like white on rice.


long story short, we traded in both of our cars. but it was really hard on me because i loved loved loved loved my little Civic! that car can go FASSSSSSTTTTTTTTTT - i felt like Danica Patrick or at least Ricky Bobby everytime i drove that sweet little car. and yes, i had gotten quite a few speeding tickets in it.

because we were into TWO leases - yeah, don't even get me started - we had to trade up a little in order to get out of them both! so... the husband got my mom's Mazda, and i got this!!!!!

i totally feel like a traitor saying this, but i LOVE this car and barely even miss the little Civic at all. it's lovely to drive and since i don't work far from home, it's not too bad in regards to filling it up with gas! (yes, the mileage isn't as great, but oh well.) and we're saving on having TWO car payments, which totally, totally rocks. i do feel guilty about driving an SUV in this era of high fuel prices, but it certainly evens out when i have to move furniture for work!

hopefully soon we'll have tons of babies to fill up the backseat!! (hopefully REALLY soon!)

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