tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60988800306890091822024-03-13T00:12:10.734-04:00The LadysmithsA group of female metalsmiths who get together monthly in Northern Virginia.stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-24030547275634037462015-12-08T20:52:00.000-05:002015-12-08T21:00:46.876-05:00Yet Another Enameling Workshop....!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So today we brave Ladysmith Warriors met at Dana's house to try our hand AGAIN at torch-fired enameling. Not for the faint of heart! Not many of us are very educated, so it was a bit of a blind-leading-blind exercise. We did have one member who led the way for us- thank you Ellen K.!!! Without you it would've been a total disaster!!!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ACWzouQ6_II/VmeLP8z-qhI/AAAAAAAABBc/5jNC0ZFRwyw/s1600/enameling-group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ACWzouQ6_II/VmeLP8z-qhI/AAAAAAAABBc/5jNC0ZFRwyw/s400/enameling-group.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We had an interest in trying our hand at using pre-printed enamel decals. We saw an article about it here that intrigued us:</div>
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<a href="http://cinnamonjewellery.blogspot.com/2014/09/enamel-decal-experimentsand-mistakes.html">http://cinnamonjewellery.blogspot.com/2014/09/enamel-decal-experimentsand-mistakes.html</a></div>
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So we ordered enamel decals from Delphi Glass (<a href="http://www.delphiglass.com/">http://www.delphiglass.com</a>) </div>
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Below is one of the sheets purchased:</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BejXAF4-fHA/VmeBib8qNHI/AAAAAAAAA_k/D4s6FB5tiRo/s400/enameling-1.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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These decals utilize a water-glide paper and are printed with enamel 'dyes'. Below- I traced and cut out heart-shaped pieces. I soaked the decals in water to release the top printed layer and placed them on top of the enameled hearts that I'd already enameled. I let them dry on a cup warmer for 15 minutes then torch-fired.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3iiH9mDZb84/VmeBkbCVwBI/AAAAAAAABAM/h1JXlDgsOOk/s1600/enameling-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3iiH9mDZb84/VmeBkbCVwBI/AAAAAAAABAM/h1JXlDgsOOk/s400/enameling-6.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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I topped them with a clear enamel layer and fired again to seal in the decal. Yay!! </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zS8YnvKhVHo/VmeBjig_35I/AAAAAAAABAA/F77Fi3Y7vY0/s1600/enameling-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zS8YnvKhVHo/VmeBjig_35I/AAAAAAAABAA/F77Fi3Y7vY0/s400/enameling-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Besides the pre-printed decals, we bought sheets of water-glide paper and printed our own decals. The success of this technique depends on the amount of iron present in your laser printer toner cartridge. Unfortunately, mine had little iron because in the 2 decals I attempted to fire, neither worked. You can see in the below example a dark area in the center where the decals were torched as well as a decal from the pre-printed ones we purchased, which obviously worked fine. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CDwmWGR1NCc/VmeBkdElzvI/AAAAAAAABAI/upI1ZVWgmo4/s1600/enameling-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CDwmWGR1NCc/VmeBkdElzvI/AAAAAAAABAI/upI1ZVWgmo4/s400/enameling-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We also bought white decals which we fired on top of pre-enameled pieces, but they weren't as good as the black decals.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nzfVzADJCRk/VmeBkJZnmpI/AAAAAAAABAE/tFJDjxcQU1g/s1600/enameling-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nzfVzADJCRk/VmeBkJZnmpI/AAAAAAAABAE/tFJDjxcQU1g/s400/enameling-4.jpg" width="390" /> </a></div>
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We also bought dichroic paper which we tried firing- here's an article about how to do it:</div>
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<a href="http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/add_dichroic_effect_to_your_enamels.htm">http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/add_dichroic_effect_to_your_enamels.htm </a></div>
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Here's what the scraps of dichro paper look like- we used punches to cut out shapes:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GMUnqszbTqY/VmeBj9g1oSI/AAAAAAAAA_8/TgEs_say9e4/s1600/enameling-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GMUnqszbTqY/VmeBj9g1oSI/AAAAAAAAA_8/TgEs_say9e4/s400/enameling-3.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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There is a color-shift to these that the camera can't capture. Below is a piece fired with some diamond-shaped pieces. A clear layer was fired over the dichro which adds to the permanence but diminishes the effect of the dichro color-shift.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cu1OluPSJZk/VmeBkuIBq3I/AAAAAAAABAQ/6NvDfSh7WIU/s1600/enameling-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cu1OluPSJZk/VmeBkuIBq3I/AAAAAAAABAQ/6NvDfSh7WIU/s400/enameling-7.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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Below are a series of pieces Bodil enameled and fired - she used all kinds of decals:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4ubM8Vf78H8/VmeBktuS_cI/AAAAAAAABAU/rHq2OIKJQ18/s1600/enameling-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4ubM8Vf78H8/VmeBktuS_cI/AAAAAAAABAU/rHq2OIKJQ18/s640/enameling-8.jpg" width="252" /> </a></div>
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Fun!!!</div>
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And of course we did some 'regular' torch-fired enameling. We had a number of first-time enamelers. Below is a piece of Ann's- she saw-cut the floral piece and enameled several layers of enamel.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kmej7OfZ9vQ/VmeBk_DJPUI/AAAAAAAABAY/jx1ly39vVHI/s1600/enameling-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kmej7OfZ9vQ/VmeBk_DJPUI/AAAAAAAABAY/jx1ly39vVHI/s400/enameling-9.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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Odaybea also tried enameling today- brought some discs and washers and tried a few techniques- layering and embedding wires, and sgraffito: </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nJ7XBXVows4/VmeBigbiZ4I/AAAAAAAAA_c/U7gcP8bldjc/s1600/enameling-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nJ7XBXVows4/VmeBigbiZ4I/AAAAAAAAA_c/U7gcP8bldjc/s400/enameling-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Karina also was a new enameler, and she brought some skull cut-outs to enamel. She left happy with these- they came out great:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OGd-KUUH4Cc/VmeBikzyp7I/AAAAAAAAA_g/wmPbb2lMDFI/s1600/enameling-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OGd-KUUH4Cc/VmeBikzyp7I/AAAAAAAAA_g/wmPbb2lMDFI/s400/enameling-12.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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Sonia had some fold-formed pieces and was playing with layering color:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jg21UJHa08k/VmeBjOwpfiI/AAAAAAAAA_o/YojxC-vnVLU/s1600/enameling-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jg21UJHa08k/VmeBjOwpfiI/AAAAAAAAA_o/YojxC-vnVLU/s400/enameling-13.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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Dana used stencils to sift patterns:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K5uDtsykZaE/VmeBjRXZg-I/AAAAAAAAA_w/6YvradKWD8c/s1600/enameling-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K5uDtsykZaE/VmeBjRXZg-I/AAAAAAAAA_w/6YvradKWD8c/s400/enameling-14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And Ellen K. used a wire to create a bezel to separate the heart color from the rest of the piece, using a wet technique to place enamel just where she wanted it:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-egjfMJEwCmk/VmeBje7nq2I/AAAAAAAAA_4/R1uhLXJepVc/s1600/enameling-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-egjfMJEwCmk/VmeBje7nq2I/AAAAAAAAA_4/R1uhLXJepVc/s400/enameling-15.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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We found that the hotter the torch, the better. Some pieces needed to be counter-enameled, and some were quite thick and formed enough not to require it. </div>
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We need to do this more frequently so we don't forget what we learned each time!!</div>
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Fun time and thanks all the ladies who came today!!!! </div>
<br />stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-84238543722744851152014-09-19T10:13:00.001-04:002014-09-19T10:13:25.607-04:00Ladysmith Link Exchange<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Yesterday 14 of us got together to exchange links- a project in the works since the Winter. It took place at Peggy's house, since she is the one who organized this whole production. Thanks, Peggy!!! Still a couple of people left to finish their links, but most made it on time!! Yahoo! Here's a brief description of each link:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Sharon: 'face' polymer clay cane of a 'Ladysmith'! Set in a s.s. frame which was formed, soldered, sawed-out.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Evie: silk dye on leather, sandwiched/riveted between 2 pieces of sawed-out s.s; all a bit different 'paintings'. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Ej: Filigree silver heart, soldered; all one-of-a-kind.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Jowita: square brass tubing cut and soldered; epoxy-filled with crushed Polish amber & fossilized wood (gagat) from the Georgia Republic.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Lucia: Mixed metal that's been roller-printed, hammered, and riveted.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Sandra: s.s. that's been corrugated, formed, dapped.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Caroline: s.s. boxes that have been roller-printed, etched, and hollow-formed; all a bit different patterns and etched images.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Dana: original was granulated Argentium, cast and lab opal inlay.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Peggy: 25 long metal tubes soldered together, sliced, and powder-coated red.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Mimi: reticulated silver and grommetted.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Cindy: CAD-designed, 3-D printed, cast, enameled; several color themes.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Bodil: cast s.s., seed bead micro-mosaic.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Odaybea: cast dragonfly soldered on a square wire, wired gemstones- amethyst, spinel, garnet and more.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Brenda: X/O reversable mixed-metal, hand-cut, riveted.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Ellen K: Fine silver etched, pierced and enameled; all a bit different.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Great job everyone! Can't wait to see the rest of the links!</span>stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-9745026548506063762014-06-06T20:31:00.003-04:002014-06-06T20:31:53.450-04:00Seed Bead Mosaics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This month the Ladysmiths met to see Bodil do a seed bead mosaic demo:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xymMK6f5I-Y/U5Ja7FmqCCI/AAAAAAAAA8o/cnEtYljZaew/s1600/mosaic1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xymMK6f5I-Y/U5Ja7FmqCCI/AAAAAAAAA8o/cnEtYljZaew/s1600/mosaic1.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Here she is demonstrating it's finer points...</div>
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And here is an instruction sheet if you couldn't make it to the meeting!!</div>
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Cindy brought her mosaic- this one, however, is not done with seed beads but with cut 'strings' of polymer clay in the technique that Cynthia Toops is known for. Cindy took a class from her a few years ago. Isn't it AMAZING! Here's Cynthia Toops' website:</div>
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We are lining up for our potluck lunch!</div>
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Thanks to Ellen K., Sherry C., Cindy, Vicki, Sonia, Sharon, Brenda, Ann and Bodil (for hosting!) and me, Dana- for coming!!</div>
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A bonus was to see the first 'print' from Cindy's new 3-D printer!! Our resident CAD mistress, she designed this earring and now the world is her oyster in terms of what she can create! Can't wait to see where this journey takes her!</div>
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See you all next time!</div>
<br />stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-3334269895864549572014-03-13T20:09:00.002-04:002014-03-14T08:25:57.764-04:00Adventures in Pen Plating! So today the ladies came to see how to use a 'pen' to selectively plate metal.<br />
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We had a big group: Jowita, Cindy, Ann D., Vicki, Sonia, Ej, Sharon, Odaybea, Ann C., Bodil, and Dana- 4 of which are new Ladysmiths!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Iw6JmVvKsW8/UyJBXvmGgcI/AAAAAAAAA7o/NlljkiIW140/s1600/platingrectifier.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Iw6JmVvKsW8/UyJBXvmGgcI/AAAAAAAAA7o/NlljkiIW140/s1600/platingrectifier.png" height="206" width="400" /></a><br />
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The first thing you need is a rectifier- there're several available on Rio Grande, or you can try Amazon, like I did. You need at a minimum a 3-amp machine. You could also use this to electroform as well as do a saltwater etch, so it really is a 3-in-1 tool! (like you need a reason to validate a tool purchase...)</div>
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You also need a pen for plating- this is 2 leads (red & black) to plug into your rectifier, plus a clamp, and the pen, with nibs included.</div>
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Lastly you need the material you want to plate onto with- there are lots available from many companies- Midas is the most well-known and comes in many types of gold, silver, rhodium, etc... I bought the one above.</div>
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It's a nasty and expensive mix, so be sure you don't spill it! It's acid (cyanide) based, and you don't want to get it on ANYTHING.</div>
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I got seduced into trying this process by watching Ann Davis' video below. And we were lucky to have her with us today to give us street cred (and lots of advice, which we needed). So PLEASE watch this video if you want to see the process in action!!!! It will explain how & where to clamp onto your piece, and much more. The container of gold actually says to use between 3-8 volts, so that's how you know how to set the voltage- small pieces 3-4, up to larger pieces 7-8. I had mine set too high for a small piece and I was 'burning' gold- it looked brown and ugly. Fortunately Ann was there to set me straight!</div>
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<a href="http://www.laruchedavis.com/lazy-metalsmith-videos.html">http://www.laruchedavis.com/lazy-metalsmith-videos.html</a></div>
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Here's a piece 'before'.</div>
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And here is the 'after'.</div>
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Nice!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5ciB-kkx9go/UyJDZZDIkQI/AAAAAAAAA78/TNfNOM9h4ZE/s1600/platingexample.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5ciB-kkx9go/UyJDZZDIkQI/AAAAAAAAA78/TNfNOM9h4ZE/s1600/platingexample.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's another few pieces I played with. Very fun, satifying... AND VERY THIN. Don't think about doing this with your piece UNTIL EVERYTHING ELSE HAS BEEN DONE. That means final finishing.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cEb3MJkdV1g/UyI-c93XNyI/AAAAAAAAA5s/eTSRWjKFnDc/s1600/plating4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cEb3MJkdV1g/UyI-c93XNyI/AAAAAAAAA5s/eTSRWjKFnDc/s1600/plating4.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Okay- on to some other stuff.... you can see in the background of the above picture that I used some jett sett to sink my bottle of gold into so it wouldn't spill (Ann's idea).</div>
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The above piece is Ej's and is a magnetic holder for burrs- they connect on magnetically right to the outer ring. Cool!</div>
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Now on to some RECENT WORK:</div>
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Jowita is taking a class on resin- these bracelets have different foils floating in them.</div>
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And here is a clasp that Jowita made, too- very modern.</div>
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Some pieces from Bodil's new line of jewelry with sapphires.</div>
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Ann C. is playing with some amazing piercing/sawing techniques.</div>
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Cindy's experimental piece- polymer clay base with outlines in metal clay, which were then pen-plated with gold.</div>
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Ann D.'s multi-level ring with enamel.</div>
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Ann's piece was made of cutouts of copper clay.</div>
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Sonia's earrings- very sculptual and with some really cool stones.</div>
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Recent pieces by Sharon- Koroit opal, variscite with fossil coral.</div>
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Ring by Vicki- one of her first soldering projects!</div>
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Another great piece by Vicki.</div>
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Sharon's 'pod' earrings.</div>
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Odaybea's piece was carved in wax and cast- a remembrance of her late father....</div>
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Thanks all- see you next time!!</div>
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<br />stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-82559393406799517292014-02-14T17:50:00.001-05:002014-02-14T17:50:15.201-05:00Saying Goodbye to Karen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Today we met at First Watch restaurant for brunch to say goodbye to Karen, who's moving to the 'other coast' tomorrow! Bah!</div>
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It was a snow day, but we still had a nice crowd: Bodil, Odaybea, Sonia, Sharon, Evie, Mimi, Karen, Jowita, and Ellen K.</div>
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Karen got all kinds of presents- links, earrings, food, etc... she seemed to enjoy every second of it and actually got a little verklempt here and there...</div>
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Because it was a snow day, we had a kids' table of possible future metalsmiths??</div>
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Ladysmiths Jr. had a very important meeting of their own.....</div>
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Ladysmiths Jr. was not always a very well-behaved group....</div>
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Karen got some good stuff! Earrings from Sharon, and links from Jowita, Mimi, Odaybea, Peggy, Sandra, Ellen Y., Bodil, and Dana.</div>
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Mimi showed us work from a recent workshop she took with Barbara Becker Simon. First she made polymer clay models of faces.</div>
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Then, she created molds using a new product...</div>
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This! Then, she used metal clay (and allowed for shrinkage)....</div>
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Pressed the clay into the molds, and fired into some awesome silver faces then made into rings!</div>
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Odaybea made these gorgeous dragonfly rings- wowzers! She casted the bodies and then soldered on etched wings (from our last etching workshop!) and set the stones.</div>
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She also used a kistka to create wax veining on a seed pod, which was then cast into this heart-shaped piece, just in time for today- Valentines' Day!!</div>
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And Evie created this (upside down) file caddy! She stitched an open pocket, then ran parallel lines down to hold mini hand-files. Brilliant!!</div>
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<br />stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-61689983966958547242013-09-26T17:05:00.001-04:002013-09-26T17:05:35.363-04:00Etching WorkshopThis is our 3rd or 4th etching workshop- always an adventure etching metal in acid!!<br />
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Thanks to Sharon, Bodil, Odaybea, Caroline, Ellen K., and Ej for coming out today (and me, Dana!)</div>
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We used 2 methods to attach PNP to the metal- irons and a laminator. We had mixed results with each. We joked there is no one method that works flawlessly. And that we should come up with a product that consistently attaches PNP and we'll get rich!!</div>
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Odaybea carved a dragonfly body into a ring shape out of wax. She then etched it's wings and will attach them once the body is cast. Very very cool! </div>
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Aren't Sharon's robots cool? She had success with both ironing and laminating- and failures with both.</div>
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Ellen's hamsas etched very well in nitric acid.</div>
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Bodil had no problems today and made a bunch of great pieces!</div>
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Ej's lion is almost completely etched in ferric chloride- took 40 minutes with Ellen's agitator!</div>
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Here's some of Dana's projects ready to etch... 5 minutes in nitric acid and they'll be ready to complete.</div>
<br />stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-24578614431467783212013-08-19T21:39:00.002-04:002013-08-19T21:49:40.217-04:00Etsy Shop Photo Shoot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Today the Etsy shop-building team met to have a photo-shoot. We set up light boxes with a variety of background papers and did some experimenting.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A7l0-AUe7FI/UhIvuHqn5UI/AAAAAAAAAxA/7E72h14fEgw/s1600/etsyphoto4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A7l0-AUe7FI/UhIvuHqn5UI/AAAAAAAAAxA/7E72h14fEgw/s400/etsyphoto4.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Thanks to Brenda for hosting, and to Karen, Caroline, Ellen Y., Karina and Sharon (and me, Dana!) for coming!!</div>
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First, some recent work. Here's a series of pics taken on Brenda's ottoman of the participants recent work that they wanted to photograph:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xAyXPRfKsqU/UhIvyZNpeWI/AAAAAAAAAxo/4RbkADi2dCU/s1600/etsyphoto2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xAyXPRfKsqU/UhIvyZNpeWI/AAAAAAAAAxo/4RbkADi2dCU/s400/etsyphoto2.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Karina's brass castings just came back and are amazing!!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BmXHg-Ehb9o/UhIvtXG7cLI/AAAAAAAAAww/ShTQc2Z0oOg/s1600/etsyphoto1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BmXHg-Ehb9o/UhIvtXG7cLI/AAAAAAAAAww/ShTQc2Z0oOg/s400/etsyphoto1.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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This is Ellen's beautiful piece.</div>
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Recent gorgeous work by Sharon!</div>
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Karen's fun skull earrings!</div>
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Okay, now onto the PHOTOSHOOT!!</div>
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These lovely earrings by Ellen were taken with her iphone!!!!</div>
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Caroline's necklace, also taken with her iphone, came out great! IMHO, the best photos came out on a mid-tone background. The pics taken with background papers white or black, suffered a bit from contrast issues and camera confusion!</div>
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Caroline's gorgeous earrings.</div>
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Caroline's necklace and earring set. A great composition and a nice shot WITH HER IPHONE.</div>
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In fact, many of the pics were taken with iphones, which surprisingly did very well! Look at Karen's comparison:</div>
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Karen did the above comparison... "It doesn't have the depth of field, but the iphone photo is pretty darn nice!"</div>
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The iphone also has a lens available, called the Olloclip (at Apple stores or at the Apple online store) that helped get closer to objects and still have them be in focus- it has a macro/wide angle lens, as well as a fisheye lens.</div>
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Here are some links:</div>
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<a href="http://store.tabletopstudio-store.com/12microezcube.html">EZcube 12"</a></div>
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Light box use was really important. Hard to count on natural light being available or convenient. Also, don't use incandescent lights- too yellow! Use these specialty bulbs made to mimic natural light:</div>
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<a href="http://store.tabletopstudio-store.com/lightbulbs.html">Daylight Balanced Bulbs</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Photography-Table-Studio-Lighting/dp/B002SOBPH8/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1297894176&sr=8-22">CowboyStudio Photography Table Top Photo Studio Lighting Kit - 2 Light Kit: Camera & Photo</a></div>
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Good pictures came not so much because of a good camera, but more because of the nice diffused light from the light box (even a handmade one by Karina!) either purchased or made. Mine was a structure of <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="1" id="omapiwsobj" width="1"><embed src="http://l.yimg.com/nq/ued/assets/flash/wsclient_53_21.swf" width="1" height="1" name="omapiwsobj" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></object>PVC piping (see earlier post) with a white sheet hung over it, then lights shone at it from either side. Here's directions:</div>
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<a href="http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/light_box_light_tent">Light Box / Light Tent Photo Gallery by Bill Huber at pbase.com</a></div>
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Karen used a clear Sterilite bin and draped a white lacy cloth over it to diffuse the lights on either side.</div>
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Background paper was also important. Most of us liked the grey to black gradated paper that you can get from this link:</div>
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<a href="http://www.photomediaoutlet.com/background/varitone-velour">Photo Media Outlet</a></div>
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stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-51499322746631182922013-06-06T16:29:00.000-04:002013-06-06T16:29:01.491-04:00Strathmore visit- Creative Crafts Council Show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Today we visited the Strathmore Mansion in Rockville, Maryland to see the Creative Crafts Council Show. Our own Sherry Terao has a piece in the show and won 1st prize for Metals!!! Congratulations, Sherry!!!!!</div>
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Here we are congregating, waiting for everyone to arrive... </div>
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A cool pic by Karen of the interior of the mansion....</div>
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Another cool pic by Karen- a marble frieze.</div>
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Inside the mansion- there were jewelry, quilts, glass, stained glass, fiber, art, and more... (Jowita, Brenda, Bodil & Karen)</div>
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Another view in the mansion...</div>
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Upstairs taking a breather- Bodil, Mimi, Sherry and Jowita. Pic by Karen.</div>
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Pic of the interior by Karen.</div>
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A badly taken pic (on my part!) of Sherry's winning piece!</div>
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Our group for lunch: Bodil, Dana, Odaybea, Jowita, Brenda, Mimi, Karen and Caroline. Sherry and Ej couldn't stay for lunch...</div>
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Look here for more information:</div>
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<a href="http://creativecraftscouncil.org/">http://creativecraftscouncil.org/</a></div>
stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-74999876227785159162013-05-10T15:21:00.002-04:002013-05-10T15:25:59.636-04:00Wax Meeting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Today's meeting was at Odaybea's house and we talked about all things wax!</div>
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Odaybea showed us her Matt Wax Gun (from Rio Grande and Metaliferous about $150). It looks like a glue gun and gets plugged in; will heat to 3 different temperature settings. It comes with 2 different-sized tips.</div>
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Also are available are these wax pellets- 3 different hardnesses are available. And yes, you load it like a glue gun...</div>
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Here she used the gun to wrap around a mandrel. It's ready to send off to the caster!</div>
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It can also be used in a tray of water- so the piece remains round ALL THE WAY AROUND. One can 'draw' with it, even making monogrammed names, for example, for custom name necklaces, etc... Of course, you can also 'draw' with it on your kitchen counter.. but the back will not stay round!</div>
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Here is Odaybea's famous 'Hand Ring'. Yes, it's famous. Sorry I forgot to shoot the silver version with it holding a pearl in the palm and seed beads creating a bracelet around the wrist...</div>
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Here are some pieces Karina is working on- very very cool! She's thinking she may want to hollow out the shapes lest they be too heavy and cost-prohibitive.</div>
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This is a kistka, or an electric wax pen. Pysanky is the art of polish egg decorating and this is the tool that's been used for generations- electrified. The old version would be held over a candle in order to melt the wax. I've been using it to create wax granulation. It has a smaller, finer tip than the Matt Wax Pen. I use the medium #2 tip. It's about $32. Here's a link:</div>
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<a href="http://www.bestpysanky.com/Medium-Tip-2-110-Volt-Electric-Kistka-p/ekmed.htm">http://www.bestpysanky.com/Medium-Tip-2-110-Volt-Electric-Kistka-p/ekmed.htm</a></div>
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You also need to buy wax to fill it with. I bought wax 'wire' strips and cut them 1/4" at a time and feed the tip that way.</div>
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I made this ring above by using a rod of pre-formed wax and attaching the ends with hot wax, then used the kistka to attach granules. Fun!!</div>
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You can also use it to create a nice surface texture without having large granules- these are more like bumps. You could also 'draw' with it to get a low-relief detail.</div>
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And here we all are- it was a lovely day so we sat outside- Nina, Lucia, Bodil, Karina, Caroline....</div>
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...Odaybea, Mimi, Brenda (who looks BEAUTIFUL by the way!), Sharon, Karen, and me (Dana) not pictured.</div>
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See you all next time!</div>
<br />stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-28502828832890274022013-05-05T09:24:00.004-04:002013-05-05T09:25:06.877-04:00Winners of the Ladysmiths RaffleA big THANK YOU to all the lovely customers who attended our show at the Ratner Museum last weekend. Here are the lucky winners who won a piece of jewelry in the raffle:<br />
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Debbie Oakley</div>
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Cheryl Alfred</div>
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Sally Dorsey</div>
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Jan Solomon</div>
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Vicky Guindi</div>
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Mary Prettyman</div>
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Mary Ellis</div>
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Emily Glazer</div>
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Kathy Sommerkamp</div>
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Trish Brooks</div>
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Dawn Sinsel</div>
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A big thanks from all of us to all of you! See you next year!!</div>
stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-60497832566441856722013-04-24T12:37:00.001-04:002013-04-24T12:37:38.720-04:00More Beautiful Items to be Raffled at The Ratner MuseumIn case you missed this, we're saying Thank You with an amazing Raffle at our our Ladysmith Show at The Ratner Museum, April 27-28. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-64314195095752339782013-04-15T11:55:00.000-04:002013-04-15T11:57:30.314-04:00Raffle Items for The Ladysmiths Art Jewelry Show at the Ratner MuseumHello Lovelies,<br />
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The weekend of our show is just around the corner. We are gathering some of our favorite items for you in a raffle we will be holding at the Ratner Museum.<br />
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(The details of the raffle will be defined for you soon...and there will be more items added the closer we get to the show)<br />
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<strong>The purpose is to give a huge ~Thank You~ sweet customers for supporting our second show!</strong><br />
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Here are a few of the items to be raffled-<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-74584997840296248302013-03-21T15:39:00.004-04:002013-03-21T15:39:35.979-04:00Fleur-de-lis Earrings by Dana Evans<br />
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Today I finished a pair of new earrings and I thought I'd give you all a sneak peak....</div>
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They include a pair of Australian opals I got in Tucson last month- I knew just how I wanted to use them!</div>
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The sketch on the left is of a pair of earrings I've been wanting to make for a while- this sketch is probably over a year old. Just didn't have the stones yet to make them. Here they are- I'm assembling the parts. The wire at the top is 16 ga. square Argentium silver that will have some balls fused to it. I already made the bezels for the stones, and took a while creating the paper template for the bottom fleur-de-lis shape. I fuss a lot on templates because I want to get it right. This was my 3rd or 4th one, and I still fussed to get it just right.</div>
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Here I fused the balls onto the square wire and traced/cut out the silver fleur de lis shapes at the bottom. I'm trying the stones out, but of course I remove them when I solder things together...</div>
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After this step, I needed to solder the bezels to a back plate.....</div>
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Which I did here.... I also cut out most of the backs of the stones (because they're transparent) but left a seat. Additionally I left little tabs on the tops and bottoms of each bezel so the fused wire and fleur-de-lis pieces could be soldered onto them and join all pieces together. Before I did this, however, I soldered an earwire to the back of each fused wire segment to be folded later on...</div>
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Here they are above ready for keum-boo. I cut a pattern of what shape I wanted, used that to transfer to the gold foil, and cut them out. I put them on my electric burner and burnished the foil so it 'stuck' to the silver. (see my earlier post on keum boo for more info!)</div>
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And here are the oxidized finished pair. I discovered that it was challenging to hammer/punch close these bezels because they had some of the elements soldered to them, which stiffened them quite a bit. In the future I will use thinner-walled bezels if I have elements soldered to them.</div>
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I'm not putting these in my Etsy store just yet- I'm keeping these for the Ratner show next month!!</div>
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You can see more at my website: DanaEvansStudio.com.</div>
stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-22786810345261852922013-03-18T19:42:00.000-04:002013-03-18T19:42:59.067-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A series I'm working on: leaf earrings- inspired by a cluster of leaves my daughter found in the parking lot at the new Denver Ikea. She held up the leaves and said, "Mommy! You should make earrings like this!" She's a great idea girl! She's since made me a list of 24 other inspiring things I can use to make earrings. 7 year-olds have some of the best ideas! (Be on the lookout for Candy Corn earrings soon!!) kareileenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18322098374111234422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-72289046138341558732013-03-18T09:23:00.002-04:002013-03-18T09:23:55.458-04:00Odaybea's most recent work: 925 silver ring with South Sea Pearl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-35kfNXm1zsM/UUcVQETAmoI/AAAAAAAAABI/ELz8gwjfknA/s1600/Hand+Ring_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-35kfNXm1zsM/UUcVQETAmoI/AAAAAAAAABI/ELz8gwjfknA/s320/Hand+Ring_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Odaybeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13014816902399072869noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-52400390967446740232013-03-17T12:19:00.002-04:002013-03-17T15:58:47.375-04:00Ratner Museum ShowThe Ladysmiths will be showing and selling their work at The Ratner Museum this April 27-28. Please see the postcard below. Click it for a larger image, it will open in a new window. Last year was such a huge success we are expecting this year to be even better. There are 12 of us this year. We are lucky gals to have this opportunity! If you live in the DC Metro Area please come by! If you are planning a visit to DC this would be a fantastic show for you! It's never too late to start holiday shopping. (and you won't find these items mass produced because they are all hand made)<br />
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Carolyn's latest work in progress </div>
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(these will be rings and pendants when finished)</div>
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We recently met to discuss marketing. Most of the focus was on Etsy, everyone had some great tips to offer, Evie brought an array of very forward-looking jewelry business cards from a recent show. Karen showed us some creative marketing books, Bodil shared what it's like to sell from B&Ms (brick and mortar stores). Sharon was very up on all the Etsy changes for sellers and buyers. Let's just say we <strong>all </strong>couldn't stop talking!</div>
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(Carolyn hosted this time around) </div>
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Also, some of the ladies have been taking a wax carving class at The Art League in Alexandria, VA. I'm sure there will be some great results to post here.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-43423154499987378112013-01-17T17:01:00.002-05:002013-01-17T17:02:51.001-05:00Enameling Workshop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Well this month's meeting was actually an enameling workshop. We had to unfortunately put a limit on attendees because we had so much interest, and not enough room in Mimi's basement!! It was a snug fit but we had a great time... had some successes and failures, but not the epic fail we ALL had at our last enameling workshop!</div>
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This was our kick-off meeting before getting to work- over coffee and treats: (l to r) Ellen, Bodil, Sharon, Karen, Sandra, Mimi. Evie also came and I was taking pics (Dana).</div>
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Karen's pieces turned out nicely- counterenamel on the back (blue color) with the fronts a nice autumn-y orange. My bad, I put the transparent enamels in the area Karen was working, and she didn't realize that, so she used them for copper, which is not a good idea- everything comes out muddy. Transparents are for silver and gold. Or for copper, if you layer a piece of silver foil on top of the copper first.<br />
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These are Dana's... they are hydraulic-formed and cut-out, then sprinkled with different colors on them. You can't really blend colors of enamel- it just looks dotty. But these were my successes of the day! I didn't counterenamel them, so we'll see if they last without cracking (currently in the possession of fellow-Ladysmith Carolyn, who's wearing them! Hopefully!)</div>
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These are Dana's copper beads. It was a disaster to initially sift and fire, but then I did Barbara Lewis' trick of heating and dipping in enamel, and it worked well! I did melt the plastic containers of enamel accidently, but next time I'll know to use glass containers if I do this technique again...</div>
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One thing I was disappointed about was the lack of vibrancy in the enameling colors once fired. But one of the experienced Ladysmiths reminded me later that the act of torch-firing can add carbon and some unexpected and hence dimmer results. Thanks, Brenda!!</div>
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Lesson: heat the metal to melt the enamel, don't heat the enamel!! So, when we fired from below, then switched to above once fusing began, we had success! Item on left was fired from above- ouch!</div>
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Hope we remember all this for next time!!</div>
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<br />stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-43086667719731759332012-11-17T11:52:00.001-05:002013-02-15T14:18:24.917-05:00What's Your Story??<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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This week 8 of us met with the intention of presenting our work to the group for feedback. It was inspired by the need to have a 'story' which is both personal and marketable, in order to better focus our work and move it into a direction that's both satisfying personally and professionally. So, this week's post is a collage of each participant's reaction to the get-together, with an emphasis on what each got out of the meeting in terms of feedback. So first we start with Caroline:</div>
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An earlier pic of Caroline's work in progress, above, and some stones, below, she wants to encorporate into her work.</div>
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From Caroline: "Fabulous meeting regarding each jeweler’s body of work. It
was a non-judgmental combination of quick impressions, thoughtful evaluations.
and brainstorming ideas of how to move off stumbling blocks in our work
process, find our own niche, connect with potential buyers, and create ways to
present our work. The end result for me was seeing a path I want to be on this
year. Before going, I wondered if I would be a bit down after seeing the
progress everyone had made in the last year or so. It did the opposite and I’m
now raring to get going again – hello hollow boxes. Thank you everyone. The
cupcakes were worth the trip—extra special thanks to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ellen."<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bodil's work:</div>
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Bodil's sea glass bracelet (in progress) above, and custom gold bangle, below.</div>
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Bodil's jellyfish pendants, above, and silver nugget bracelet, below.</div>
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Bodil's sea glass earrings, above, and sand necklace, below.</div>
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From Bodil: "I brought about 30 photos and found that the pieces that I adore is what people associate with me. Basically I have two main styles. Heart (emotion) three dimensional pieces using naturally occurring shapes. And head (intellect) a more symmetrical flat style. Similar look but as much feeling. </div>
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I create small works of art to wear from what is found, and my style is also expressed in the materials used</div>
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Rather than use seed beads for my framed bezels I will try using crushed shells and tiny pebbles - again found materials to create small mosaics"</div>
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The 3 pendants below are all by Lucia:</div>
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: garamond, 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 19px;">From Lucia: "Our meeting today was most helpful in many ways.....providing us with ideas on identity, image, definition or clarification of our goals, promotion, presentation etc. Hearing how each member reacted to my work was both reassuring and productive. I was very grateful for the input about the photography on my website...I actually had not really considered whether or not it could be improved or in what way. Hearing the constructive criticism of each members' work made me reflect on my own and question how well I was handling the same aspect. Time management suggestions were also very helpful as we all struggle to use our creative time to the best advantage. I look forward to more group critiques because they provide a terrific way to gauge how our customers and clients may be reacting to what we offer. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: garamond, 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 19px;">Let's continue this type of meeting....perhaps twice a year so we can track our improvements and discoveries. "</span></div>
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Sharon's work:</div>
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Sharon's tin/button ring, above, and assorted pieces, below.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From Sharon: "I thought I had a good idea of my style, brand and story before our meeting. But the Ladies helped me solidify the idea of tying my old career path -- journalism -- into my new one. Using newspaper or print in my packaging, describing my spare design in terms like "edited" and "concise," and maintaining a line of black & white pieces are just a few of the ways I can keep this theme running through my work. Time to get these ideas into circulation!"</span></div>
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Ellen's work:</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From Ellen: "I learned how really important it is to have a cohesive look, and to listen to my "vision" for my work - not to people who may not like or appreciate it. I was not surprised to hear that my influences are Celtic/moorish/Middle Eastern. I need to build confidence in my price points, and believe that the right customers are out there. Now, to find them :)!"</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Karen's work:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Go to that awesome GF bakery and Get. More. Cupcakes. (GF= Gluten Free)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. repeat 1.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. then, Get In My Studio!!!!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. What I got out of today:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was LOVELY to see bodies of work from our other members- How lovely to get a better idea of what they work on, struggle with, have questions about! And- being relatively new to the Metalsmithing arena, to know that what I thought were "beginner questions" aren't really all that beginner after all. ;) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My work: first, refer to number 3. ;) More working will help me define better what I like, how I like to work, and also important (!) what I can sustain. Finding a theme that will hold my attention is important. I made a few pages of sketches of "potential future jewelry lines" and... while some were interesting, some were less so as I kept drawing. huh! I had figured the more I kept working on a theme, and the more potential I saw in it, the more interesting it would become? Maybe not so oddly- the themes I haven't "finished" are the ones I'm most interested in playing with first... Is there a lesson there about burning out before you begin? belaboring a point? or... is the sheer (potential!) volume of work ahead the wall that stops even my first step? (resistance! ahhh run!!)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One great question asked on me today after I showed my pile of (seemingly) disparate printouts, photos, design stuff, printed cards and whatnot, "What would you MOST want to work on Right Now, if you could go work on your jewelry?"<br />At the moment I said- ooh the etched copper cuffs. And I have one in the start-up phase already (hooray!) and- items with a story- historical, mythical, personal...<br /><br />Now that I've had a moment- ask me now? CHAINS! love em. love love love love em.<br /><br />That was a lovely clarifier. I need to remember that question more often. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My goals? Make More Stuff. Sell It. Make More Stuff. Bask in the Awesomeness!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What Am I best at? So far the design concept part. Still building skillsets. (10,000 hours, here I come!)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How can I stand out? By making sure I use MY brain in MY creations. Only I have this brain and this combination of experiences. Only -I- can show these. Anyone else trying to do it for me or like me will just get it wrong. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am a talented thinker. I can (I can! I can!) come up with interesting ideas, that aren't Just Like what is already out there. I consciously make that part of my directive.</span></div>
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Boxed-out/hollow pieces, above, and chased/repousee pieces, below.</div>
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Granulated pieces, above, and keum-boo pieces, below.</div>
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From Dana: "I was struggling with the feeling I should focus in more with my work- for example, right now I'm doing Argentium granulation, mostly with opals. Should I focus on doing that and only that? Should I combine techniques in order to be different and stand out? The ladies thought my work was pretty uniform in style and thought I should instead focus on my background in architecture and improve my PR. "Houses for stones" is what one lady said. The suggestion was to change my lapidary shop (on Etsy) from StoneCabCrazy to StoneAddict, and change my jewelry shop (also on Etsy) from StoneAddict to something more like StoneMason or Homes for Stones, etc... something that accentuates my architecture background- that I'm building structures for my stones. Also, big suggestion was to build my own website for credibility, visibility, etc... and have a 'Shop' button that leads to my Etsy shop. So, I'm very excited and have a lot to think about and a lot of work ahead of me!"</div>
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The comments/blurbs above were only a small portion of the discussions we had. Not only was it valuable for each participant, it was a great way to help train ourselves to 'talk' about our work and art in general- that's hard to do for some of us. Looking forward to doing this twice a year- was a great help to all!!</div>
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Today we met at my house (Dana) so I could show everyone my new toy:</div>
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It's a Silhouette Cameo, and you can get one from SilhouetteAmerica.com. It's an electronic cutter, developed for the scrapbooker, but there are other uses...</div>
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Here it is cutting some CopprClay, during a class I took this summer.</div>
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There's a whole library of images to buy (most only $.99) like this one for a card. Note the cool scalloped edge. It even perforated the fold edge for easy-folding!</div>
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You can even buy some adhesive vinyl and make your own glass etchings!</div>
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Here I made a multi-layered sticker for my daughter's journal out of self-adhesive foam sheets. This was also a bought pattern.</div>
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These hearts started as a bought image, but I modified them to add the loop at the top. They're Shrink Plastic!! Imagine the possibilities...</div>
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Here's a fun Halloween image I bought.</div>
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Oh, that's right... we're metalsmiths... </div>
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Okay, these images I created myself using the software (upgrade to the Designer Edition- you'll be able to do more...) and then ran the cut paper through the rolling mill. The images elongate due to the rolling mill's action so you need to take that into account when designing. You could use it for creating PNP images, if you didn't have a laser printer. Thoughts about using it for gold foil/Keum Boo were also thrown around. So many uses....</div>
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Thanks to everyone who came today: Karen, Ann, Sharon, Mimi, Bodil, Deb, Caroline, Ellen Y., Ellen K., & Odaybea. We also did a bit of Argentium fusing. Sorry I wasn't better at taking any group shots! See you all next time!</div>
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<br />stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-4606139273233956942012-10-11T14:50:00.002-04:002012-10-11T14:50:36.464-04:00Opal Pendant on Pink Sapphire Necklace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here is my latest one-of-a-kind necklace. It's a genuine opal hand polished by Dana Evans. I love the pink streaks in the center of the stone, and think the bright pink sapphire beads ties it together well. I added a simple black metal magnetic clasp for fun. On the back it says BODIL in braille.<br />
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I think I'll keep this one for myself.....Bodil Lund Jewelry Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778932145564667779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-88208753896070703882012-09-05T15:23:00.001-04:002012-09-05T15:23:24.109-04:00Harrison Casting CompanyHello Ladies,<br />
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I had such good luck with a new casting company I started using (thanks to a referral from Dana Evans) that I thought I'd share this with you.<br />
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Bill Harrison of Harrison Casting Company in Rhode Island<br />
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Their prices are much cheaper than the company I had been using.<br />
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$15 per mold <br />
10 cents per piece for basic finishing<br />
they use 100% recycled silver<br />
will accept your old scrap gold for a casting<br />
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<a href="mailto:harrisoncastingco@yahoo.com">harrisoncastingco@yahoo.com</a><br />
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Always good to save money, AND get a quality product.<br />
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Bodil Lund<br />
Bodil Lund Jewelry Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778932145564667779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-49798115974978695482012-06-14T14:24:00.000-04:002012-06-14T14:36:37.417-04:00Laser Cut Informational Meeting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Today's meeting was at Karina's lovely home and she shared information about laser cutting materials she uses for jewelry-making.</div>
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Thanks to: Karina, Dana (me!), Mimi, Ellen, Jowita, E. J., Caroline (and friend Jeannie), Karen (and friend Ann), Sharon, and Bodil for coming!<br />
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This is Karina's 7"x7" piece of acrylic that she had lasercut into a bunch of skulls (some have been removed) from <b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://Ponoko.com/">Ponoko.com</a></span></u></b>. They are a firm in New Zealand and their website is designed for people who have Illustrator (vector) files ready to go. Their website is very easy to use and all you have to do is upload one of their templates- they have 3 sizes to choose from- and insert your Illustrator drawings. They also have free downloadable software (if you don't have Illustrator) to create your vector file(s). They cut paper, felt, cardboard, wood, rubber, leather, aluminum, stainless steel and more.<br />
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Another option is to use Rodney Shimogawa's company on etsy- <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><u><a href="http://customplastic.etsy.com/">customplastic.etsy.com</a></u></span></b>. For a fee, he will take any drawing (even if it's drawn on a napkin!) and will convert it to a vector file for a small labor charge, then will lasercut plastic, rubber or thin wood. His prices are very good but he is more limited on what he can cut. He cut some 8-1/2"x11" templates for me for stonecutting (see pic above) that were only $8 per sheet. Karina thinks she paid Ponoko $32 or so for her skull sheet. It all depends on how intricate the design is. Karina also uses TAP's Acrylic Cement to glue her pieces together.<br />
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Another option is to go to a vector website like <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><u><b><a href="http://vectorstock.com/">vectorstock.com</a></b></u></span> and pay for a vector drawing (there are many that are copyright-free) and then send that to either company to cut. Any modifications to the drawing will still have to be done in Illustrator or similar vector software.<br />
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This is a great addition to our "tool kit" as designers! Otherwise, it's hunkering down with a jewelry saw, and we all know that gets old fast!!<br />
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Hope to see you all over the summer! Enjoy!<br />
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<br />stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-40015180886212307022012-05-17T14:39:00.000-04:002012-05-17T14:39:02.421-04:00Polymer Clay Workshop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Always such a nice group of ladies: Mimi, Carolyn, Bodil, Karen, Karina, Lucia, Ellen, Odaybea and Dana (me) at Odaybea's beautiful home in Oakton.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My pictures didn't turn out so well this time- all the ones I took of recent work came out blurry, except for this one below of the polymer clay canes and works-in-progress by Odaybea:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of us had never worked with it before, some had. A fun hands-on session. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See you all in June- last meeting before summer break!</span>stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-1747091854880742552012-04-14T09:06:00.002-04:002012-04-14T10:44:52.720-04:00Please Come By and Visit UsWe'll be showing our work this weekend at the Ratner Museum located in Bethesda, MD<br />
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Visit our invite page on Facebook<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/events/301570053237158/" target="_blank">The Ladysmiths Art Exhibit at The Ratner Museum Facebook page</a><br />
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Just a few of the pieces that will be offered for sale:<br />
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Barley Crop Circle</div><div align="center">by, Bodil Lund</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Montana Agate and Opal Necklace</div><div style="text-align: center;">by Dana Evans</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.320694140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.320694140.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Various types of stacking rings</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">by Carolyn Miller</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bk3AYH0kt7k/T4l2Ihd97nI/AAAAAAAAEcY/XMm0O8VlEDI/s1600/AutumnLeavesJewelry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bk3AYH0kt7k/T4l2Ihd97nI/AAAAAAAAEcY/XMm0O8VlEDI/s320/AutumnLeavesJewelry.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pink Quartz and Sapphire Earrings</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">by Adaybea Morrow</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vI0OcxJL4ug/T4l9H_sfHNI/AAAAAAAAEcg/Xy40rZc3Cig/s1600/Ladysmiths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vI0OcxJL4ug/T4l9H_sfHNI/AAAAAAAAEcg/Xy40rZc3Cig/s320/Ladysmiths.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6098880030689009182.post-7800423466080516882012-03-05T12:35:00.000-05:002012-03-05T12:36:52.196-05:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RDZcRK6gJhs/T1T5n234uXI/AAAAAAAAAiA/a-TGyBiz9k4/s1600/ratnerpostcardseparate.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RDZcRK6gJhs/T1T5n234uXI/AAAAAAAAAiA/a-TGyBiz9k4/s400/ratnerpostcardseparate.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716468290180135282" /></a>Come see us!!<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Al76H_TWtL0/T1T5nbz5NeI/AAAAAAAAAh0/B-hbVoyM98A/s1600/ratnerpostcardseparate2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Al76H_TWtL0/T1T5nbz5NeI/AAAAAAAAAh0/B-hbVoyM98A/s400/ratnerpostcardseparate2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716468282915632610" /></a>stoneaddicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113359318985357144noreply@blogger.com0