The Bench of Chaos

The picture says it all....I've been busy.  This bench was clean on Friday.  This is what is looks like after two days.  What a mess.  I need to clean it up because tomorrow night I'm going some metal clay work. 
.

Happy Bastille Day!!

I'd like to take this opportunity to say Happy Bastille Day!!  And to put up pictures of some of France's most treasured monuments.

Beautiful fireworks around the Eiffel Tower

The Arc de Triomph displaying the French flag

and half-naked French Firemen!!!....Let the party begin baby!!!



.

The rest of the stash

OK.  Now I have the time to show you the rest of the stash.  One of these days you will see me on an episode of Hoarders.  They won't be able to get in the door because of all the strands of beads I'll have hanging from the ceiling.  They will find me unconscious in my studio under a pile of Gary Wilson cabochons.  Whatever happens....don't let them take my beads!!!

Thai beads from The Bead Goes On 

 Rough emerald from Jewelry by Kia.  Unfortunately she doesn't have a website.  If you ever see her at a bead show... stop and talk to her.  She's very interesting and has some great gemstones.

 Amethyst from Kia.  These look like dinosaur teeth.

Heliodor from Kia.  These came out of Namibia.  I found a website that says Heliodor in Greek means gift from the sun.  The site also said the stone is used as a talisman for people named Hugh....go figure. 

 Leland Green from Gary Wilson.  It is slag glass that was dumped into Lake Michigan from the iron ore refineries in the 1800s.  Over the 4th I picked up bunch of stones from Lake Erie that look like they might be blue slag.

Ammonites from Gary

More slag.  These were drilled as beads and are so primitive

Kyanite from Soft Flex...Yum.  These are so pretty. 

Viking beads from my friend Karen Elmquist.  These are so rustic and primitive.  They go great with bronze.

Petrified palmwood, Sonoran sunrise and dalmation jasper from Joe Jelks of Horizon Mineral.  I picked these up at the PMC Conference.  

So much stash and so little time.  I need some very, very rich bazillionaire to support me in my quest to use up all my stash making jewelry.  Someone like Bill Gates.  Hey...Bill...don't you want to help support a lovely, young woman in her quest? 

OK, OK...maybe not so young.  OK, OK...maybe not so lovely.  How about an average looking middle aged women who is sick of working a day job and wants to spend the rest of her life exploring the depths of creativity.  I just need a couple million...a drop in the bucket for you Bill.  Bill...Bill...??

.



Bead and Button Stash

Still trying to catch up on blogging.  Bead and Button was a whirlwind of activity, not the least of which was shopping.  So let the hoarding begin.....

From my favorite bead store...Bead Paradise...

Dutch made milky glass African trade beads from the 1700's

Very old amazonite...I looked at this strand all week long...then finally bought them.  The strand is amazing. Check out the large beads at the center of the strand.

Amulets and beads from India

Vintage Hindu God amulets from India

Tibetan prayer tubes

It's late.  I'll post more tomorrow.
.

Bead and Button Classes -Post Show

I haven't had a chance to post about Bead and Button.  After the show I went right back to work and then 9 days later went to the PMC Conference.  It was a very hectic month of June. 

The classes went really well.  Cris and I taught 4 classes.  The first etching class had 19 people in it.  Big class.  And it was held on the show room floor which didn't make for ideal conditions.  We could hear all the booths being set up for the vendors exhibit so we had to overcome the noise.  But it was a great class.  Everyone got a couple of pieces etched and tried both the PNP paper and drawing on the metal using a Sharpie marker as the resist. 

Our second class was also on the show floor and this time it was our class making the noise....it was a riveting class. It was fun to see women who had never rivetted before come out of class with that skill.  I remember the first time I had to rivet. I didn't think I would every be able to do it.  I've found that there are many things in metalsmithing that might seem daunting....come easily with practice and a good teacher.

The students in the Mixed Metal Layered Pendant Class got to learn both etching and riveting while making a pendant....or earrings...or a ring.  They all made great pieces. 

We ended Sunday by teaching another etching class.

It was a fantastic experience and a bit surreal.  Cris and I met at Bead and Button in a class.  Over the past 5-6 years we have scheduled most of our classes together.  And here we were....teaching...at a national conference. 

My partner in "crime" ...and all other things that are fun....

Boston Mills

Lou and I went down to the Boston Mills Artfest today.  It's always hot at Boston Mills and this year was no exception....94 degrees.  It's a local ski resort so there are no trees for shade, but they do have most of the artists in massive tents which provides some break from the heat.  I thought I would miss doing summer shows.  I do miss the camraderie with the other artists but I don't miss the heat. 

Afterwards we always go into Penninsula to the Winking Lizard for lunch.  Did you ever notice that in most of the pictures I have of Lou....he's holding up a beer??

The Artfest is two weekends so there will be another show next weekend with all new artists!!

Master Class with Tim McCreight

The first three days of Bead and Button were spent in Tim McCreight's master class on forging.  The man is AMAZING.  He managed to handle a room of 25 women....with hammers.  But seriously...he is a wonderful teacher.  If you ever have a chance to take a class with him....do it.  He is generous with his time and knowledge and has a great sense of humor.  Three days handling a 12 oz. hammer seemed to fly by. 

We had a very well equipped room at MATC in Milwaukee.

The first day we played with 6 gauge copper and brass wire to get a feel for what the hammer could do.  We made a plane change and practiced fanning out the metal and played with 1/4" copper rod.

Cris hard a work filing.

The man himself.  I learned a lot just by watching him strike with the hammer.  While my hammer bounced all over the place, his strikes were true and powerful.  By the end of three days I was much better.

 

The second day we took a small ingot of brass...about and 1-1/2" by 1/2" and forged a small spoon.  It was a lesson in patience and we honed our skills even further.  About one hour in... I had so mangled the ingot that I thought I would never finish the project.  But by the end of the day I had a spoon.  It may not look like much to you but that spoon is a miracle to me.  It was made entirely by hammering and just a little clipping of excess metal and a lot of hand polishing.

 

One the third day we poured ingots with Tim's help.  Using an acetyline and oxygen torch we melted down our scrap and had the chance to pour it. My ingot wasn't so great but it had a great texture on it and I want to captures in polymer.

We also had the chance to make some jewelry.  I made a bracelet from 6 gauge brass wire.  Cris helped me with the twist.

On Tuesday night there was a graduation dinner for all the master classes.  Cris ate her desert with her spoon :))