Showing posts with label art jewelry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art jewelry. Show all posts

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Wire that Wows!

As any jewelry lovin' artsy craftsy gal knows, there's about a million ways to make jewelry - metal clay, beads, shrink plastic, polymer clay, soldered glass, fused glass, metalsmithing, nuts and bolts & bubble gum. OK. Maybe not the gum, but you get the idea that there's lotsa ways to make bling.

Just about all of the aforementioned methods for making jewelry call for incorporating some form of wire work on occasion, either to enhance the appearance or for function. It may be as simple as making a loopy bail, earring hooks or wrapping a stone, but wire has always been an important element of jewelry making. Wire even stands on it's own as a primary jewelry making medium. Take a look around your local craft store and you will find there are many kinds of wire and tools to make it do something funky.

OK. I do about every craft known to woman so why have I not got in to wire more? Well, because a lot of what I have been exposed to in craft and bead stores, while fun, is also semi gaudy or seems to be geared towards kids or casual looks that's just not me. However, I have stumbled on some truly inspiring wire work from a fellow Etsy artist that is elegant and creative. I just have to share some of this awesome work with you.

Here are some pieces from juliadesigns. Please visit her online store to be wowed further. She even offers tutorials so you can create some pieces for yourself:


Posted by Kamera Kat at 6:07 AM 0 comments
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Saturday, November 8, 2008

Steampunk? What the Heck is That?

All over Etsy there are shops selling steampunk jewelry and fashions and there are pictures on flickr with groups just for steamy stuff. All of the sudden I started seeing this "steampunk" term every where and I had no idea what it meant, but it seemed artsy so I wanted to know!

Wikipedia says, "Steampunk is a sub genre of fantasy and speculative that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. "



Well, I guess we've all seen fantasy/sci-fi movies seem to take place in the past but with modern tools and fictional modes of transportation at hand. For example, here are some recent movies in the steampunk genre ... Sleepy Hollow, Wild Wild West, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, Around the World in 80 Days, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Lemony Snicket, Van Helsing.

As I researched steampunk, I found there is a subculture of people who are really into it as a lifestyle with role playing, magazines, etc. It's sort of like how trekkies, renaissance faire lovers and S.C.A. members have their own little parallel world where just for a moment, they can be someone else living in a different time and place.

OK. So how does that translate to fashion, art and jewelry? Well, pretty interestingly actually. Gears, cogs, clock parts, Victorian lace, old leather bomber jackets, aviator goggles, monocles, antique brass filigree, corsets, computer parts, etc. are brought together to make things that are a mix of old and new with a semi-dark whimsy.

Here's an example of steampunk jewerly I saw on Etsy that got me interested in finding out what it was all about... See Mad Art Jewelry


Also see Mad Art Jewelry on flickr and check out 19 Moons on flickr too. (Note: The Winged necklace at the top of the page is by this artist)

There are many Etsy (and Ebay) sellers who specialize in the steampunk look too like COGnitive Creations, E.D.M. designs, Ruby Ann Designs, 19Moons, etc.

If you are interested in making some of your own steampunk jewerly, just search on 'steampunk' or cogs on Ebay. Also check Etsy Suppliers. Earthenwood Studio offers ceramic steamy stuff. Brass filigree seems to be a key component too and there are many sources. Vintaj is kind of pricey but they have aweseome stuff. Try Trinity Brass Co. Go to Search Etsy & Ebay Stores like B'Sue Boutique too. Ooo... And pretty blogs are all around for inspiration. Look at this post from Star of the East and Earthenwood Studios.

In the end, I don't think the steampunk look or lifestyle is for me personally, but it is visually interesting and so creative. I am in awe of the wearable art the featured designers have made.

Posted by Kamera Kat at 10:46 AM 1 comments
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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Do My Soldered Glass Tape Measure Earrings Measure Up?

Today I was honored to have another piece of jewelry featured in someone's Treasury collection on Etsy. It's a fun treasury featuring art made from rulers, tape measures and the like. Thanks 5erg for selecting my soldered glass earrings titled "Merry Measure". To see the actual Treasury full size, click the title of this post. Note, it will only be available until 10/18/08.
Posted by Kamera Kat at 9:22 PM 0 comments
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Feelin' Fine about Fall! Inspired to create!

OK. Now I feel it. It's really here... The crisp fall air. The scent of winter just around the corner. The last bits of sun fight to peak through the clouds. It is Fall. I love it. I think it is the time of year when God breaks out his giant box of Crayolas (Deluxe box with 64 colors) and has a blast coloring leaves and skies. His creativity has once again inspired me to create too. Here's a few new pieces I just added to my shop. Happy Fall ya'll!

Posted by Kamera Kat at 12:59 PM 2 comments
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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Precious Metal Clay and Polymer - A new line is born

Today I released the first few pieces of the new "Rustic Roots" collection which combines fine silver metal clay bezels and hand carved faux bone & ivory polymer clay centers. They are nice an neutral and can be dressed up or down. A little bit whimsical. A little bit folksy. A little bit different than I have seen out there. I had fun creating them and will be doing more soon.
Posted by Kamera Kat at 1:58 PM 0 comments
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Friday, August 15, 2008

OK - Diamonds [glaze] are NOT this girls best friend

So I finally got the diamond glaze via mail order and tried it out. Um.... I'm not liking the diamond glaze I was so excited about in my previous post. Everyone recommends this stuff? Really? Maybe its me?

I made 3 pendants with papers from diff manufactures. I popped all the gazillions of bubbles caused by a bad applicator design. However the next day after it was dry there were a million bubbles that appeared overnight. Grrrrr.

The next day after that the glaze interacted with the metal of the bezel and the embedded charm and much of the glaze turned teal green. The metal did not... just the glaze. A couple of days later the entire surface of all 3 charms had tiny ripples & checks in it. Today I took another look and the glaze is yellow and cloudy. Not happy!!

I think I will stick with what I have always used. Crystal 3-D glaze or Rangers Glossy Accents. The later is much thicker than the diamond glaze and I never have ANY bubbles with the better tip design. Also, the tip does not clog. AND I have yet to see it discolor or react with anything.




The other thing I use is Easy Cast Resin if the well of the bezel is very deep. Good stuff.

Disappointed... I am SO glad I did not sell these pendants to someone. I almost did and I would have felt terrible.
Posted by Kamera Kat at 12:10 PM 0 comments
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Monday, June 16, 2008

Introducing our new line of vintage inspired jewelry!!

Hello, Well it has been too long since I have blogged (again I neglect you my poor ol' blog) but I have another good excuse... I have been busy working on a new line of jewelry for TreeBySea.com. Until now we have only carried fine silver jewelry. (http://www.treebysea.etsy.com/).

Just yesterday I launched a second store featuring soldered glass slide pendants, collaged ephemera pendants, and romantic victorian jewelry with swarovski crystals and antique metal.

Please visit the new store on Etsy!! http://www.treebysea2.etsy.com/. Thanks for visiting! Wish me luck!

Posted by Kamera Kat at 12:32 PM 0 comments
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Saturday, May 17, 2008

How to Create Soldered Glass Slide Jewelry, Part 3


OK. Well, I FINALLY am going to wrap up my blogging 3-parter on soldering glass for jewelry, and with some good news! I thought I was solder challenged but it turns out I just had bum supplies. I am the proud new owner of a functioning soldering system now and armed with some real live class instruction from Lisa Blum of Simply Swank. "SS" offers a full line of soldering products and a book. I purchased the kit and several packets of glass shapes to have some fun creating beyond the 1x3 slide. Check out their website http://www.simplyswank.net/. They teach classes all over the country so look for them in a location near you in the U.S.. I recommend the class. It was very fun and had a nice relaxed "you can do this" atmosphere.

Turns out soldering is really pretty doggone easy with their kit that functions well together. In addition to the kit, I recommend the "third hand" clamp tool they sell on their site and the heat resistant surface sheet. I also got some of the wavy foil. I really like the way it looks. Something to note about foiling... use one continuous piece if possible & burnish it to the glass well or it may lift from the heat during soldering.

After wraping your glass edges in copper foil tape & burnishing it, plug in your iron. On the iron stand in the kit, there is a sponge that you should wet too. The iron gets hot pretty fast. Don't leave it sitting idol and cooking away for a long time. When it's hot and sizzles on the wet sponge, go for it. The first time you use it the blue protective coating will burn of the tip. Wipe it off on the sponge. Then roll out a few inches of solder and touch the end to the tip of the iron on both sides until a tiny bit melts to cover the tip, then wipe a few times on the sponge, leaving just a thin silver layer on the tip. This is like "seasoning" the iron. Do it every time you start it up and again before you put it away.

Put your glass in a clamp so it can sit hands free on your heat resist surface with a foiled edge up. (I recommend starting with a square piece of glass the first time as it is a bit easier.) Brush flux just on the foiled edge pointing up. Now place your iron just slightly above the far left corner of the foiled edge and press the tip of the solder on to the top side of the flat tip until a bead forms and rolls off the tip and on to the foil. Now use the tip of the iron top smoothly "paint" the solder blob from left to right with the tip just barely touching. Don't press hard or you can burn through the foil. The solder should flow like melting butter over the fluxed area. Use tweezers to reposition the glass in the clamp, flux the next side, and do the same process with the solder. Continue until all sides are soldered. You may choose to go over it again to build up a thicker bead of solder.

When you are done, you will probably want to add a bail at the top center to put a necklace through. You can use a jump ring or a metal bead with a large hole. (Note, pewter and aluminum will not work.) Don't flux this time. Just make a mound or blob of solder on the top center and let it cool. Grab the bail with plyers and position just over the top of the mound. Now touch the tip of the iron to the top of the mound. As soon as you feel it give way/melt, move the iron and push the bail into the molten solder and hold it there until the solder sets (a few seconds). If it's crooked, melt it off with the iron and start over.

You can now use a fingernail file & sand paper to smooth the solder. Then use solder polish to bring it to a shine or patina to change it to black or copper. Polish is available through "SS". Patina is available from stained glass suppliers. (Note, the patinas are pretty harsh chemicals so not for the faint of heart. Use caution.)
Pretty simple & fun stuff! Granted, to get a really nice plump and smooth bead takes practice, but you can make a perfectly wearable piece of art jewelry on your first try with the right tools and instructions! Go for it!
Posted by Kamera Kat at 7:29 AM 2 comments
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Sunday, March 23, 2008

How to Make Jewelry from Glass Microscope Slides & Solder

If you are into handcrafted jewelry, then you may have already seen or heard of jewelry made by using 2 glass microscope slides to sandwich flat items, which are then soldered around the edge to make a solid piece. Loops are soldered to the top and/or bottom to act as connection points. These are mini framed pieces of art that are as much fun (with practice) to make as they are to look at and wear.

Sample pic is from flickr user "Ashe-villain" who allowed the blogging option (thanks). Visit her store.

What do you need to create this fun art you can wear?
Microscope Slides or other polished edge small uniformly shaped glass piece
Glass cutting tools (optional - only if you want to do a size other than your pre-cut glass)
Stuff for inside the "glass sandwich"
1/8" Copper tape - the type used for stained glass
Burnishing tool
Shiny silver jewelry grade Lead-free solder and compatible flux that matches temp of soldering iron
Small disposable non-plastic paint brush to apply flux
Wire or jump rings
Pliers
Damp Sponge
Glass cleaner and lint free towel
Soldering Iron & sturdy stand
High heat resistant work surface
Well ventilated space
Clamps or "third hand" tool to hold the slide in place while soldering
Safety goggles
Instructions

What can you put inside the slide sandwich?
The possibilities for what you can put inside is limited only by the fact that it must be pretty thin flat, and able to stand the heat of the soldering iron near it. I have seen paper collage, feathers, lace, photos, pressed flowers, glitter, confetti, snips of hair, poems, postage stamps, fabric & fiber, food labels, sheet music, on and on... One thing to note, make sure objects do not contain any moisture, as in wet glue, when you solder. The heat may cause steam to get trapped in side and will ruin your project. Don't get anything that melts or burns easy close to the edge of the project so the heat will not harm it.

End of Part 1.

Go start collecting stuff to put in your slide sandwich and check back here soon for part 2!! Part two will feature more instructions, samples and resources for where you can get the supplies mentioned above.



Posted by Kamera Kat at 9:38 PM 3 comments
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