May 2016 Blog Carnival - Creating Jewelry for Charity

Here we are again; time for the monthly Jewelry Artisans Community Blog Carnival.  As May comes to an end, I have realized that 2016 is nearly half over - where does the time go?  Our May topic is "Creating Jewelry for Charity".

I have donated jewelry to charitable groups in the past, mostly to fund raisers for the school I worked at before retiring and to an annual feed the hungry event but these were pieces that were already made and all I had to do was select one to donate.  There are two specific instances I can think of where I deliberately set out to create for charity.

The first was for the aftermath of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  Seeing the images of sick, injured and dead wildlife nearly broke my heart.  I felt such anger and sadness that this event had even happened in the first place and then that it took so long to cap the oil contaminating the gulf with millions of gallons of crude oil.  It also made me feel helpless; what could one person in California do really?  My first impulse was to donate money to one of the wildlife conservation groups that were involved in rescuing and rehabilitating the mammals, birds and marine life affected.

But, that seemed too easy.  I needed something that would make me feel more engaged and involved and that would help me deal with the emotions I was experiencing as I watched this environmental disaster unfold on the news day after day after day.  After thinking about it, it occurred to me that perhaps I could create a piece of jewelry that would represent the gulf and the spill and that it could be used to raise funds for the benefit of the wildlife that was suffering.

I set to work painting a pendant featuring the Louisiana brown pelican which is the official state bird of Louisiana.  Considering that Louisiana was one of the states most affected by the spill, their state bird seemed an appropriate subject for this project.

One one side of the pendant, I painted a beautiful, healthy brown pelican which represented the area's vibrant marine life before the oil spill.  The background was bright blue and symbolized the blue waters of the gulf pre-spill days:

The other side of the pendant depicted the same pelican after the oil spill.  His white neck and the rest of his body is now dingy brown and the expression in his eyes mirrors my feelings of deep sadness and anger.   A single drop of oil clings to the end of his beak.  The background is a dull brownish green which represents the fouled water of the Gulf of Mexico:

The pendant was suspended from a necklace of wood beads that were hand painted in the same blues, greens and browns that were found in the pendant.

This necklace eventually raised nearly $500 which was donated to the Louisiana Audubon Society specifically for the cleaning, medical treatment and care of marine life that was rescued and treated by their organization.  Being able to do this was a very special feeling indeed.

My latest foray into creating jewelry for charity involves elephants!  We traveled through southeast Asia for three months this past winter and one of the highlights of the trip was spending a day at the Elephant Nature Park near Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.  The ENP is a sanctuary for injured, neglected and rescued elephants that was founded by Sangduen "Lek" Chailert a member of one of the Hill Tribes in northern Thailand.  Lek grew up with elephants and as a small child formed a bond with them that lasted into adulthood.  It was this bond and love of elephants that inspired her to raise the funds to purchase 200+ acres and rescue elephants who will live out the rest of their lives in this peaceful place lavished with love and affection while they recover from their physical, mental and emotional injuries.

After we returned home, the Elephant Nature Park and the work being done there was never far from my mind.    This led me to make a decision to create a line of elephant themed jewelry and donate 15% of any sales from this line to the Elephant Nature Park.  I've just started this project and so far have only three items listed, but it is my plan to paint several miniatures of elephants using the 1200+ photos I took at the park and turn them into jewelry as part of the elephant line.  I also want to make elephant jewelry using special beads and charms that I find while searching for jewelry making components.

So far, I have these listed in my Etsy shop:

Hand Painted Elephant on Vintage Jewelry Component

Earrings Featuring Thailand Hill Tribes Elephant Beads

Wire Wrapped Ring Using Elephant Button as Focal

I very much hope this line is a success because I'd very much like to donate lots of money to the Elephant Nature Park!

As a small business owner who designs and sells jewelry, I would highly encourage other craftspeople to use their talents to create for their favorite charity(ies).  It's very rewarding realize that one can make a small difference for others through their art or craft whether it's donating actual items such as hand made pet blankets to an animal shelter or crochet preemie hats to a hospital or creating a work of art in order to raise funds by donating the item to a fund raiser.

To see what other members of the Jewelry Artisans Community have to say on the subject of Creating Jewelry for Charity, please click on the links below:

Violetmoon's Corner

Cat's Wire

April 2016 Blog Carnival - Repeating Designs vs One of a Kind

Another month has flown by and the Jewelry Artisans Community Community April Blog Carnival is upon us.  This month's topic is whether or not we prefer to repeat designs or create one of a kind jewelry.  My answer is:  Both!

When a designer comes up with a design that is pleasing to the eye, comfortable to wear and that can be made over and over again within a reasonable amount of time, it makes sense to create  more than one.  Those are what I think of as the "bread and butter" of a jewelry line.  People like them, they sell well and are profitable.   They can also be changed up by using different gemstones, bead colors or types of metal giving each one it's own look.

This is a repetitive design that can be changed by using different colors of leather and different bead colors.

This is a fun, repetitive design that I have made in many different colors of wire.

I also find that these kind of repetitive designs are very helpful when I find myself in a creative slump.  Just the act of sitting down and making a familiar design is often all it takes to awaken the sleeping muse, spark creativity and inspire new ideas.

However, let's not confuse repeating a design with assembly line production.  Nothing bores me faster than having to repeat the same thing over and over and over with no end in sight.  It's mind numbing.  But, to have some things that are "go to" popular designs - sure, why not?

My miniature paintings are one of a kind.  I rarely repeat the same subject and if I do, it's in a different setting or pose.  They take a long time to create and are labor intensive which also makes them among my most expensive items.  Creating them is something I enjoy immensely and I think one of the things that makes them special is that they are one of a kind.

Because I use my own original miniature paintings paired with unique vintage settings that are not readily available in mass quantities, the person wearing one of these designs can rest assured that they have the only one on earth.  That's a pretty powerful thought and one that the people who buy my painted pendants like.

While wire wrapping or weaving uses some standard techniques, it can also be one of a kind when using irregular stones which demand a one of a kind solution.  These are fun to create and I never know how they are going to turn out until they are finished.

Other times, a design turns out to be one of a kind because the designer only has one of the components used in the item.  I enjoy these types of projects.  They start out fun because finding the unique component is a bit like coming across treasure and creating the design is something you know won't be repeated.

In closing, I believe that repeated designs and one of a kind designs each have their own place in a jewelry designer's world.   There is a market for both, and for the designer, both of these things is what keeps their skills sharp and their ideas fresh.

To see what the other participants in this months blog carnival have to say on the subject, please click on the links below:

Violetmoon's Corner

Cat's Wire

Echoes of Ela

March 2016 Blog Carnival - My Favorite Jewelry

The Jewelry Artisans Community March Blog Carnival is about our favorite jewelry.  I have a lot of favorite jewelry pieces including items that belonged to my grandmother and mother, things that were made by other jewelry artists whom I admire and jewelry that brings back special memories.  In this case, though, I'm going to write about favorites that I have created as doing so is a journey of what I have learned, how much I've progressed and how my own tastes have changed over the years.

In my early days of jewelry making, painting wood beads and stringing them together was what held my interest.  This bracelet is a good example of the type of work I was doing and I so proud of the little dangle that was attached at the clasp.  While this one is listed in my shop, I have a very similar bracelet that I often wear.

From painted beads, I moved to painting miniatures that were turned into pendants.  This is one of the early works that quickly became a favorite because everything came together easily.  The painting just flowed out of the brush and the beads were a perfect match.  It was also one of my first sales and even now, all these years later, I sometimes wish I had kept it.

Wire work had always fascinated me and it didn't take long to realize that I was not a natural at this technique.  Even a simple wrapped loop was beyond me.   After hours and hours and hours of practice, the day came that I was able to make a loop that was actually round!  Determined not to be defeated by wire that seemed to have a mind of it's own, I persevered and eventually little successes were achieved.  I loved the idea that something beautiful could be made with nothing more than a few pieces of wire and some hand tools.

This Celtic style braided cuff is one of my favorites from that time:

These earrings will always be a favorite as they were the first sale from my Artfire shop.  I remember how excited, happy and relieved I was after six months of patiently waiting.  There were even a few tears involved.

This one represented feeling as though I mastered (although that is really not the right word as there is still much to learn) wire weaving.  I wanted to frame one of my pendants and after many failed attempts this was the result.  I also really liked that goofy seagull.  Apparently someone else did too as it sold within a week of listing.

A customer gave me this stunning shell and asked me to make something for her.  She and I both loved the end result.  To this day, I have never seen such a beautiful piece of abalone and often wish it could have stayed with me.  It will always be a favorite even if all I have is a photo.

While this one isn't the prettiest bracelet ever made, it has a ton of sentiment and meaning because it is made from the tags of all of the dogs that have been part of my life over the years and who have gone on to the Rainbow Bridge.  While I don't have any cats, the cat charm is something I found in a jar of change when my sister and I were cleaning my brother's apartment after he died.  He adored his two cats (no worries, we found them a wonderful home) so I added it to the bracelet in memory of him.  When I wear the bracelet, all of the tags jingle together and people often look around expecting to see dogs following me.

Moving ahead to present times, I have recently started working with resin and this is one of my first successfully completed designs.  It was listed in my Etsy shop for three days when I decided I just couldn't part with it, so now it is mine.  Definitely a good decision; it will always be a favorite.  I've shared this a few time in various blog posts and hope people don't get sick of seeing it!

This is another one that was listed in my shop and that I took down.  It never really grabbed people, but I just love everything about it and figured it should stay where it would be appreciated.  It is.

As I was writing this, I started thinking about what would be my favorite in the sense that it is worn a lot.  It came to me that I wear this bracelet more than any single piece of jewelry I own.  It's not a complicated design; simply some beads strung on beading wire, but the beads are so colorful and cheerful that it just cannot be ignored.  It always makes me happy to wear it whether I'm out and about or spending the day at home.

It's interesting to see all of these favorites together; all so different and treasured and special.   I'm sure I'm not alone in finding myself gravitating towards the same items over and over as I think all of us have our favorites that are very meaningful to each of us for a variety of reasons.

To see what the other participants of the March Blog Carnival have to say on the subject of favorites, please click on the links below:

Echoes of Ela

Cat's Wire

Violetmoon's Corner

February 2016 Blog Carnival - Shapes

Circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, diamonds, ovals and free forms - the Jewelry Artisans Community February Blog Carnival is about shapes this month.  Shapes are something we see every day often without even registering what the shape is.  They are made both by man and formed by nature.  As a child did you ever look up at the clouds and pick out shapes?

Artists often start a sketch or painting using shapes.  Heads are circles, torsos ovals and a triangle represents a pelvis.  Buildings start out as a square or rectangle, roofs are triangles,  wheels are circles and so on.  Using shapes helps artists keep their subjects in proportion and visualize what the final rendering will look like.

In jewelry, designers and the materials they choose to use determine the shape of a finished piece.   Shapes can convey strength, fluidity, movement and infinity as well as drawing the eye up (triangle) or down (inverted triangle).  Jewelry artists incorporate these characteristics into their jewelry to subtly influence how a piece is perceived by the eye.

As far as how the materials used can determine a shape, a round gemstone will require  a round setting, an irregularly shaped stone will be more of a free form shape.  Stones are cut into tear drops, squares, rectangles and often have facets as well.  Wire is a fluid material and the way the wire chooses to bend will play a part in the finished design.  Metal can be cut, heated and formed into whatever shape the jewelry artist envisions as part of their design.

In the case of the miniature pendants I paint, the subject matter has a lot to do with the shape of the pendant.  A tall narrow subject works best on a rectangular shape, while something that is more circular will be round or oval.

It's not always the subject of my paintings that decides what shape I will use.  Many times, I will have a bezel/component that I wish to use and have to find a shape that will fit, so I can't always have my heart set on a certain subject.

And, then there are shapes within shapes.  A designer may use a square shape to convey strength, while using a round shape for movement.  These kinds of works have a lot of visual interest.

When it comes to free form shapes, wire is a natural due to it's ability to curve, bend and spiral.

These are just some of examples of how jewelry artisans use shape to create and define their artistic visions.  Shapes are a very basic part of art and design and one that is taken for granted.  Next time you are out and about, look around and you will see just how important shapes are not just to the jewelry you wear, but to all aspects of daily life.

To see what the other participants of the February blog carnival have to say about shapes, please click on the links below:

Violetmoon's Corner

The Crafty Chimp

Cat's Wire

Echoes of Ela

January 2016 Blog Carnival - Project of my Dreams

Here it is a new year and the first Jewelry Artisans Community blog carnival of 2016.  This month we chose to write about the project of our dreams which seems fitting for a new year as this is usually a time of reflection, goal setting and new beginnings.

I don't have one specific project that is the project of my dreams; rather there are many projects bouncing around inside my head, however in order to bring these ideas to fruition, learning new skills will be required.  Last year, I started experimenting with using resin to seal my painted pendants and was quite happy with the results.  I knew I didn't want to use commercially made bezels for my pendants and started looking for something unique.  This led me to a little shop where I live that sells all sorts of odds and ends including broken vintage and antique jewelry.  I have found some amazing components that were just what I was looking for to use as bezels.

Some of them have needed modifications or repairs which I have been able to accomplish for the most part using my dremel's cutting, sanding and buffing tools.  But, there are some things that can only be accomplished with a torch.  To date, my only experience with a torch has been doing some form folding which was quite fun, actually.

 This is going to be the year that I learn to solder (I hope - see how I won't commit?), which will really open up some new creative areas to explore.  Not only do I want to be able to modify the parts I've purchased from my local supplier, but I want to try to make my own bezels to use with my paintings.  That would be the ultimate in hand made to me - pairing my original paintings and my original bezels.


Now I just have to figure out how to make that happen.  Do I try to self teach myself or take a class?  The problem with taking classes is that it would involve a three hour round trip which I'm not too keen about.  But, in the end it may be worth it to take that leap in order to learn proper techniques and to see what sort of tools are required and work best for my needs.  I see this leading to setting stones as well.  I'm not really interested in setting stones for making focal pieces, but I could see setting small stones as part of the design of the bezels I want to make.

Currently, I'm out of town but when I am back home my goal is to focus on turning my dream project into reality and take my jewelry to the next level.  Thinking about it is kind of scary and exciting all at the same time - I'm not even sure where to begin, but will break it down into baby steps until it's been figured out.  First step:  contact the local community college to see what they have to offer and then go from there.  Wouldn't it be awesome if this time next year, I could show you some bezels that were made with my own two hands?

To see what the other participants of this month's blog carnival have to say on the subject, please click on the links below:

Violetmoon's Corner

Echoes of Ela

Cat's Wire

JAC November Challenge - Fall Leaves

The monthly challenge at the Jewelry Artisans Community for November was "Fall Leaves" and our source of inspiration was this chromolithograph titled "Fall Leaves" by Olive Whitney.

I knew that given the wonderful colors of Autumn, we'd have some fabulous entries, but as always, this group of artists never fails to amaze with their creativity and talent.

Our first submission was from Gayle of 2FabFristers who treated us to these lovely fall leaves earrings featuring dangling leaf charms and beads in fall colors.

Next up was Carina of Violetmoon's Corner with this fantastic fall leaves bib necklace.  Carina hand stitched many of the individual leaves into place.

Cat of Cat's Wire gave us these beautiful leaf earrings that are bead loomed from different tones of red, amber and orange.  Cat added crystals, not only because she likes dangles, but also because they added the look of serrated leaves

My entry is a pendant that consists of a pair of wire woven copper leaves onto which a mosaic of beads in fall colors of cranberry fresh water pearls, copper colored fresh water pearls, golden glass beads, multi-colored jasper and green beads have been attached through additional wire weaving.

The fantastic submissions for this month's challenge remind me of why Autumn is my favorite season - who can resist these wonderful, vibrant colors?  Not me, that's for sure!