The Crazy Creative Corner

So, this weekend (starting with Friday afternoon) I got out more of my copper and played with it.  If you want to see the post I did about my first-ever headpins, go here.  If you want to see the post I did for pickle (for cleaning fire-scale from your pins), go here.  I had previously gone to Target and found the cutest little 2qt crock pot for $11.00 and bought it for making my pickle.  Just like you need a dedicated oven with Poly-clay, you need a dedicated pot for your metal pickle.  You never want to use something you would ever consider using at a later date for food.  Always keep these tools separate. 

isn't it just adorbs!?

I also have a pair of long, flat-nosed pliers that I use specifically for firing my copper. 

Look close at the tips, near the arrow, you can see the fire-scale on the tips. Kobalt is an excellent brand for working with jewelry. I have two pairs of these pliers, one for fire work and one for wire work. Available at Lowe's.

I used the 1:1 ratio (1 cup vinegar to 1 tbsp salt, I used Kosher... no reason, just chose it) and heated the crock pot on "High" until it was warmed up then turned it to "Low."  Be aware, this is a sharp smell whenever you open the lid! Once I had balled up several pins and dropped them in the water to cool off, I popped 'em in the pickle for about 15 mintues.  Here's what I got back:

Nice, almost completely clean copper.  What little fire-scale is left came off easily with my sponge file (which you can get from you local beauty supply store)

I also got brave and made a few double-ended headpins:

awesome!

then I heated up some bits of copper I had plans to use in making earrings:

The fire-scale is almost completely gone! Only a little elbow grease with my sponge file and they were ready to be turned into earring components! by the way, you can look at the blue arrow in the upper right and see the pickle solution being absorbed by the paper towel.  It's been used a few times and is already changing color.  Cool!

My next problem was to turn the rectangles into some sort of earring component. I am determined to make more of my own components. After cleaning the remaining fire-scale, I pounded the rectangles randomly with the peen end of my hammer, with another instrument that I don't remember what it's called but it can be used to make small, round marks/divots in metal and with a .22 shell casing.

Next, I covered over both sides with black permanent marker and, once it dried, sanded it off so only the marks left in the metal were darkened.  Then I punched four holes in them, one at the top and three at the bottom and hung beads and headpins.  Here's the final results:

SQUEE!  I plan to keep these as they're my first ever pair! aweSOME!

Here are several others I made this weekend, too:

Fishes & Loaves in rustic red: this pair is just under 2" in length

less rustic & in white: also just about 2" in length... going to make more pairs on this smaller scale as well as the 2 1/2-3" length earrings

all together, now.....

snow crystals

ruby zoisite ~ rough

So... that's been my weekend. What about yours?

Again I say, this is why I don't (normally) work my beads on a week night. I was creating some earrings and a commissioned lanyard Monday night (which sold, btw, in spite of the lousy pic she was shown... stoopid lighting!) and was up until midnight with my playing around.  So, I determined I would set myself a time limit for Tuesday night.
Right.
SO didn't work!
Started by making a bunch more earrings. (I'm getting very good at those! ~haha!~) and then thought, why not make a chain for holding my readers when I have to take them off so I don't lay them down and then waste five minutes (or more) looking for them!  Inspiration!
Because I didn't want them to be heavy and drag my glasses off my face, I turned to my wooden beads.  Now, I don't have a lot of those BUT!  I found some really cute ones at Michael's one day and bought them out.  They had a dragonfly etched into them!  (yes, I am the dragonfly queen around here!)  Then, I looked next to them and saw daisies!!  Saner Sister LOVES daisies so I had to buy a bunch of those!  But... they've been sitting forlornly in my stash for weeks and weeks, now, without me having any inspiration for their use.
Until Tuesday!
They would be PERFECT for my glasses chain!  Cute as a bug (get it? get it!?) and light as a daisy! (aw, c'mon, help me out here, folks!)  Anyway, just as this inspiration struck, I looked at the clock and realised it was 9:00pm! 
Okay (I tho't to myself), I can do this.  Get the design laid out and, maybe, wire up a few beads before shutting down for the night.
Did that work?
Oooohhh, noooo! 
You parents know that whine you get from your kids on a school morning when you're trying to roust them out of bed?  "Just a few more minutes, Mom!"  Yeah, that one.  It was sort of like that. 
Glance at the clock - 9:30... okay, I've done the design, I can do a few beads and then I'll quit.
Glance at the clock - 9:45... well, just a few more. I'll quit at 10:00 for sure!
Glance at the clock - 10:30... glance at the beads. Well, I'm 1/2 way done, might as well wire up all the beads!
I'll say this, I did manage to get the beads done and everything put away by 11:00, but still.... Oh, well.  Here's the chain as is right now.  I'm going to make a few changes; for one, I'm going to alternate daisy beads every other one and, for two, I'm going to make a pendent so that I can take the part that holds the chain to the glasses off and wear it as a necklace if I choose!  But, here's a few pics of what it is for the moment:

Mellisaover at Chinook Jewelry is doing a Wednesday challenge each week.  She's putting up a pic of one of the focal beads she's made and asked us to show her the beads, chain, cord, etc., that we'd use with it.  It's hard for me, not because I can't find anything, but because I want to go in SO many directions at once.  Having to narrow it down so the bead pics don't look like a TOTAL mess is hard.  But, okay.  Here are my choices.  It was harder to decide what to use for the focal to hang from, I had three items I was looking at (all will be pictured) but I think I'd end up going with the chain. 
This is Mellisa's pendent:

Cute, huh?

My choice of beads are:


These aren't as yellow as the beads on the right imply, they are a lighter color that go well with the creamy yellow in the pendant and would bring that color out, I think.

 

I decided these glass teal beads would be a good accent so the creamy yellow wouldn't be overwhelming.



These are creamier in color than the monitor shows (it's also possible the background washed out some of it and made them whiter than they are)  I like them for added interest and to off-set the yellow glass beads juuuust a bit.

  

I liked the richness of this color ribbon for the pendent to depend from, but....



....I also like this velvet cord (it's much richer than the monitor shows)  Again, buuuut......

 

...I finally settled on this as what I would use to hang the pendant. Love the brushed look and the way the chain echoes the shape of the pendent.

So, these are the beads and findings I envision to go with Mellisa's pendent bead. I went for simplicity because I want the beauty of the pendent to shine through.  I also think I'd make it a long necklace... maybe 12" to 14" in total.
So, what's your vision?

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEAL!

Santa brought me not only a brand new Canon Rebel T2i EOS 550D (digital) camera, he brought me an RPS Studio Pro Style Desktop Studio ("take pictures like a Pro!")  Now, nothing against my iPhone3GS, it's taken some pretty darn good pics for me to post, but I am so STOKED about getting to use my new camera and new Studio set up for my photos I can hardly stand it! (~does the Happy Hamster Giggle-Shimmy~)

Speaking of pics, and iPhones and such, I have a new necklace that will be going into my Etsy store as soon as I can set this studio up and get off some shots (hopefully, tomorrow night... depending...)  Anyway, the necklace is made from two clasps I bought from Melinda Orr over at Melinda Orr Designs with the copper one being the closing clasp and the metal & stone one becoming the focal piece.  I paired them with some GORgeous handmade beads I bought from Pam at Ferrariorginalbeads on Etsy.  Here's the iPhone version and I should have it posted on Etsy by (as I said/hoped) Thursday night.

Hope everyone else had a great Christmas and plan on having a Happy New Year.

I was over at Lima Beads and decided I needed to put together some "Fresh Picks" to design some more necklaces from.  I want to really get my Spina Bifida Awareness line going on my Etsy store and decided I really like a lot (I do mean a LOT!) of the beads they have on Lima.  You can click here to view the choices I made.  I think you'll like 'em (I know I drooled!)



Grace Lampwork Whispering Peach Heart Focal 27x38-41mm



Black & Blue Agate Flat Oval Pendant 35x55mm