Wrap Up

 

The year is nearly finished.  This one has passed with lightning speed!  It's hard to believe we pared down our belongings, sold our house, moved several states away...and we'll likely get to do it again in six months!  In the meantime, though, I'm plenty busy with family and my crafting mania.

My Etsy shop went online recently and my thoughtful husband and kids gifted me this book by Timothy Adam:
How to Make Money Using Etsy on Amazon.com

I've just begun reading it and it has plenty of concrete tasks I can get working on!  Most of them don't have anything to do with creating fabulous and inexpensive jewelry, either...Surprise!  There is some serious info in here on internet search engines and optimization and social networking for more than just fun!

I don't have any new shop listings to promote today.  All of my recent creating has been for the joy of giving!  My sweet sister, Sabra, is getting married to equally sweet Todd tomorrow afternoon in northern Minnesota and I can't be there.  But, she'll be wearing some very dangly and twinkly earrings to remind her that my heart is right there with her in a little country church.  (And I didn't take a photo before sending them off???  Well, if you knew my sis, you wouldn't worry about a shortage of pictures!)  My mom, my daughters' friends, my hubby, and a good friend of mine have all received or will receive some of my other recent projects.

On my bead tray right now is a little number that will probably be for ME!  I frequent the blog referenced below the photo of this "inspirational" piece!  The author/artist is prolific and I am so appreciative.  She makes jewelry, publishes tutorials, reviews books, features artists AND blogs more regularly that most others!  I can always find something of interest here.

Hathor Pendant by Mortira

Inspirational Beading

I was drawn-in by her color palette, but I also loved how she took a beaded rope stitch and gave it a great, curvy shape.  It is both elegant and simple.  My version of this pendant is not completely thought-out yet, but I have begun stitching my herringbone chains in Toho Dark Cobalt Blue Transparent Matte and White Opaque Rainbow and will figure out my focal beads later!

So, my friends, I thank you for reading and would love to hear from you.  Comments are always welcome!  Happy New Year!

Updates in Etsy Shop

http://www.etsy.com/shop/enolafrost

I have added some additional listings to my Etsy shop this afternoon!  Here's a preview:

Old Promise

A long, long time ago in a jewelry workshop far, far away (really...it was in Minnesota and I'm in Colorado!) I promised I would post when I made these experimental charms "cute."  Because they weren't.  

Finally, I have one ready to share.  (OK, I got distracted.)  As usual, pictures don't do it justice.  Here you see the charm quite well, but the larger beads in the wire-wrapped strap don't have the effect that they do in person.  I believe they are quartz and they are a beautiful, creamy yellow!  The other thing I like is that I feel like I successfully integrated brass into a design with another metal!  I added a heat patina to it which softened it enough for my tastes (I don't go for the bright gold tones.)  Furthermore, the aging effect of the patina on the brass made it look better with the rustic, tinned charm.

Laptop in the Shop!

My DD broke the screen on my laptop a while back and I have not blogged since then.  Well, the repairs are taking FOR-EVER, so I pulled out my old laptop with the missing backspace key, the duct tape over the power cord and the iffy left-click button.

The occasion?  I finally opened an Etsy shop so that you can buy pieces that I have made.  Yay!  Why have these lovelies been hanging in a closet or sitting in a box all this time???  People have asked me...are you selling?  Uh, well, I should...I guess.  And now I am!

It took me a couple of years to decide to do this.  I'm not sure what my big hesitation was, but I know how the idea finally won me over.  While I was taking Deryn Mentock's class, "Alchemy of Objects," there were quite a few items that I could not find locally.  We were working with "found objects" like coin purses and chandelier crystals.  My problem was that I could not FIND my found objects.  I was really making an effort, too, haunting the local antique malls.  So, my new definition of a found object is now, "anything I purchase on Etsy after midnight."  Etsy has been very good to me as a customer, so I'm anxious to see how I rate as a vendor.

Come visit =)  Come buy =)  http://www.etsy.com/shop/enolafrost

*FAIL*

 At some point, it is o.k. to give up.  My point was about an hour ago.  I had plans to add some vintage rhinestones and a small skeleton key.  When I picked up the piece, my finger landed in the still-squishy-after-ten-hours resin.  That's just not right.  So, my intel on pouring Ice Resin over the top of incorrectly mixed resin was not accurate.  Unless... it is possible that this whole fiasco has a chemical explanation.

The texture I was going for was "rusty."  I was turned on to these cool products by Modern Masters here: http://katalinajewelry.blogspot.com/2012/07/an-experiment-in-rust.html?showComment=1348075963991#c8839654030760877309  I have painted up a variety of items with this two-step process.  Works like a charm!  This was the first time I have ever tried to add resin to the mix.  Later, I might test this hypothesis, but I've spent too much time on this project for now.  Grrrrr.

And my iPhone pictures are blurry.  (I can't find my real camera.)
And I didn't notice my graphics issue (Black text on top of my red text) until I had already uploaded the picture.

Finally, I said I would talk about my hospitality theme.  Since the necklace is a forfeit, I'll tell you that God has put the practice of hospitality on my heart.  It is not my strong suit.  I get to be a nervous wreck preparing for guests.  The cleaning overwhelms me.  So much can go wrong with the food.  My house is so little.  And so on.  Before we moved, though, we were shown such rich hospitality by a number of people and I heard God's voice.  Kris, it may not be your gifting, but you can still be a blessing.  When the mother-of-pearl pineapple turned up in a lot of vintage jewelry I purchased, I thought it would make a lovely statement!  This locket was to flesh out the idea...music, good food, comfort, a favorite Mexican saying (my house is your house.)  At the end of it all, I am satisfied that the idea was wonderful and the execution was pitiful.  But, there's another saying in Spanish for that...que sera, sera.

Alchemy of Objects-Weekly Challenge 3 (texture)

Some challenges are, let's say, more "challenging" than others.  Integrating rich texture into a jewelry design is turning out to be very difficult.

For one thing, I am straying from the "grungy romantic" style that is the norm in our class.  It has been the norm because our teacher, Deryn Boyd Mentock, does it sooooo beautifully.  If the others are like me, attempted imitation has been our form of flattery.  Also, it makes sense to try the techniques she teaches on components similar to the ones she employs.

 

For another, I hate Ice Resin.  O.K., I love-hate Ice Resin.  My bright design idea was to create a locket-type focal from a mini Altoids tin.  Inside the tin, I knew I would use the jewelry resin to affix components and highlight them.  Oh, are there a lot of pitfalls in using resin!  Usually, I fight the tiny bubbles.  I was armed with toothpicks and a flame.  So, instead of bubbles, this time I don't mix the parts in the correct proportions and my resin doesn't set up.  Fortunately, if you pour (or even brush) additional resin on your project, it is enough if the top layer has cured correctly.  Crisis averted.  In the meantime, though, I leave fingerprints, let resin drip from the holes I punched for the wire wraps, miss sealing the edges of my vintage papers, etc.  The frustration is only quieted when you achieve some fabulous, shiny miracle.  And that happens just often enough to keep you reaching!


Since I'm not ready to photograph my efforts, I thought I would show you some inspiration and clip art that I'm using in my piece.  My theme is "hospitality," but I'll elaborate on that with the finished product.  I found this farmhouse clipart at www.karenswhimsy.com.  I like the color values and the fact that it reminds me of time spent on my grandparents' farm.  Next time I post, I'll introduce you to my "junky country" style.

Alchemy of Objects-Week 2 Challenge (Asymmetrical Design)

Amazon Rain

Beaded bezel

Hand-made sterling silver toggle clasp

This design features amazonite and blue tiger-eye drops along with Swarovski pearls, fire-polished Czech beads, and matte glass ovals.  It includes a variety of wire, but the hand-made toggle clasp is sterling silver.

FOR SALE:  $50.00  Contact me at krischristiansen@comcast.net