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...feed your soul with art & creativity!
Showing posts with label wire wrapping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wire wrapping. Show all posts

Monday, July 2, 2012

Twisted in a Good Way...

As I mentioned last week, I took a wire wrapping class this weekend at the Bead Strand in Ocala with Miranda Turner of Wishful Wire (she does not yet have a website--sorry).  I had been practicing my wire wrapping for several weeks before taking the class and had made a few beaded pendants and some rings that I like very much...


(c) SZing Wire wrapped black swarovsky beaded ring (sz. 8)  $20
(c) SZing Wire wrapped black and dark pink swarovsky beaded ring (sz.6)  $20
(c) SZing Wire wrapped green/purple irridescent swarovsky beaded ring (sz. 7)  $20

So far, I've made about a dozen rings to sell (and kept three--a shiny silver beaded one, one of the black beaded ones, and a dark purple beaded one).  I'm selling these for $20 a piece (if you want one, email me and we can make arrangements.)  I'm going to be posting some of these at Bohemianartcafe on Etsy and maybe also see how they do on Ebay.  I'm going to work this week on making some of these rings using sea glass beads and will post the results when I have some completed.

I worked on a couple of beaded pendants but they are incomplete--I need to add bails and want to do some additional embellishment, I think.  This is what they look like thus far:


(c) SZing Work in progress wire wrapped beaded pendant. 

(c) SZing Work in progress wire wrapped beaded pendant.

I had such a great time at the wire wrapping class--there were only four of us, so it was the perfect size class--if one of us got stuck, none of us got too far behind while Miranda helped out.  She is a very good instructor with fairly clear directions and easy to follow along.  I specifically decided to take this class because fine soldered silver working 1) takes me a long time and 2) is getting quite costly, but I have a great many fused glass cabochons I have made over the past few years and wanted to find a way to incorporate them better into some jewelry.  This seems to be a perfect solution!!

I used an oval piece of black glass with two pieces of dichroic fused into the cabochon as my class practice piece. I was very pleased with the result.... I have already gotten several lovely remarks about it when I wore it to the grocery store and church.

(c) SZing Wire wrapped fused glass cabochon pendant (NFS)

Of course, Saturday evening and Sunday, since it was scorching hot and humid, we stayed indoors and had a movie festival.  I used my "breakfast in bed" serving tray to lay out jewelry making materials while I watched tv and worked on several other pendants.

(c) SZing Forest stone wire wrapped pendant. 
This is a square stone bead I've had for a while, not glass.
The "copper" color wire is plastic covered over wire and
will not leave the green residue regular copper wire normally does. 
Approximately 1 1/4" l x 1" w.   $35.

 (c) SZing Wire wrapped red sea glass pendant. 
Approximately 2" l x 1 1/4" w,
$40.

(c) SZing Wire wrapped pink and gold stone pendant.
Approximately 1 3/4" l x 1 1/2" w. NFS.

Since my studio is not quite up and running, it is AWESOME to have a creative outlet.  I do have to say that my resolution to "not make anything new until I sold all my existing inventory" really didn't last long.  I just can't not create! (sorry for the double negative there, but it is the only way I can adequately describe this drive to create.)  It is truly a passion within me driving me to express my creativity.

Not only was the wire wrapping class a delight, but I was asked by the owner of The Bead Strand if I would like to hold a trunk show at the shop in the winter and we scheduled it for November 2nd/3rd.  Very exciting.  I am going to see about finding some other venues where I might be able to do similar trunk shows in and around the Florida area.  Things are moving along despite not having an "open to the public studio."  Happy Day.  Now on to the excitement of starting to load some items to Bohemianartcafe on Etsy.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Unpackingness and the Virtual Move


(c) SZing  An enhanced photo of my keyboard....

As if I don't have enough going on, I've initiated the transfer of my domain from one service provider to a new one that has easier access to manipulate my website...so, for anyone trying to reach me, all of bohemianartcafe.com emails will be down for anywhere from 7 to 10 days.  Hopefully much less.  During the months of July and August, my website will be receiving a facelift.  I suppose it is what one might call a "virtual move"...like the real thing hasn't been enough for me, eh? Makes me want to sing a ditty revised from Finding Nemo..."just keep unpacking, unpacking unpacking unpacking...." and it begs the question...will it ever end?  Well, I have decided that I must always say I am working on unpacking because inevitably the moment I finish unpacking and love the way my studio is set up, the Universe conspires to move me on to the next great adventure...so no, it will never end.  I'm going to be unpacking forevermore...and the website is just one more manifestation of that unpackingness (yes, it IS TOO A WORD!)

Pretending these are "Flying Hands" working diligently to unpack my studio while I sleep.
(c) SZing "Flying Hands"


So, one might wonder what an artist does while one's studio is discombobulated (also a WORD, I swear it!)...this artist works on making background pages for journaling, practice doodling (it's astounding that anyone actually thinks they NEED practice at doodling!), cutting out favorite images, articles and words from magazines and sorting them into their appropriate new homes (my inspirations binder, my wisdom binder, and the word bin for collaging, respectively.  HAH!  Talk about your organizational skills...)  Also working on teaching proposals--just got one accepted for weekly classes during the "season" (October through April) and seeking out venues for selling one's work--have a line on at least 4 locations and now need to do the follow up/footwork.  And tomorrow, I'm indulging in a wire wrapping jewelry class so that I can make some different looks with my glass cabochons.  I've been experimenting with wire wrapping and will soon reveal some new rings I'll have available for sale....and reading art related books "Orbiting the Giant Hairball" by Gorden MacKenzie and The Guerilla Art Kit by Smith. So, no, just because the studio isn't up and functional, does not mean one must starve for artistic outlets.  If all else fails, I can work on painting the cats and dog or at the least, gel-ling their fur into interesting configurations. 

Have a happy weekend.  Find a creative outlet.  Be.