Mind you, these sketches and scribbles arent created for beauty, but more to capture the blur of an idea and get it transferred onto paper before it disappears from my memory.
Some sketches are completed projects, like this lariat necklace that I created on a whim.
The finished piece turned out so well that I made a quick sketch of it, and along side of the sketch I detailed the materials that I used, so that if I wanted to create another one in the future, I had a written guide to what beads I used and in what sizes.
Most of what you will find in my jewelry design sketch book are quick sketches, what I think of as impressions of shapes, sizes, movements, sometimes little details. To some people they probably look like scribbles, but when I look at them, I know whats going on!
For example, the design above was the way the cables were installed on my basement wall. Funny, right? For some reason, the design of the cables and connectors just caught my eye, and I had to sketch them down. Who knows, maybe they will inspire a design sometime down the road!
The sketches above inspired the finished projects below...
Copper wire shawl pin. This is one of my very favorite pieces. Glorious simplicity!
Copper and turquoise earrings (unfinished)
Rabu, 30 Maret 2016
Treasure Hunting Thursdays Theres A Secret In These Spoons
Ive decided to devote Thursday blog posts to treasure hunting. If youre familiar with my blog you probably figured out right away that treasure hunting for me means thrift store shopping, flea markets, used book sales, the occasional auction or estate sale, and even eBay finds. Yay!
So from now on I am going to try to make it a point to reserve Thursday blog posts for sharing my most awesome finds and treasure hunting tips and adventures. Of course, not all treasure hunting days are a win, but theres always something good in every day; interesting and funny things I find along the way, so I will share those things here. And I want to hear about your own treasure hunting travels too! So please be sure to leave comments after the post, and do share with us your best and most interesting treasure hunting finds. More about the spoons pictured above in a little bit...but first...
This past weekend we had our first snow storm of winter (finally!) We got over 30 inches of snow!
This was the view looking into my front yard during the storm. It looks like powdered sugar!
I had my daughters for the weekend and we planned to cook and bake lots of great things. These were what everyone wanted: Elephant Ear Cookies! I hadnt make them for a long time and I think they disappeared instantly! Ill post the recipe in the next day or two. If youve never had them youre missing out, because they are an amazing combination of cinnamon and sugar mixed with a yeast dough pastry, and the texture is just out of this world! So get a pack of yeast and some parchment paper for baking and check back in a day or two for the recipe. (find it here)
During the storm I found Sam asleep on top of a tall bookcase in my workshop. My cats follow me around all day and love to hang out with me when Im working in my workshop. I just love how he covers his face with his paw when he sleeps :)
Now back to those spoons...
Here they are. Five of them. Ornate handles. Perfect for making into jewelry. Or are they?
I bought these spoons in an eBay auction that was a box lot of maybe 15-20 pieces of various patterned silverplated spoons and forks for about $10.00. I bought them a long time ago and stashed them away. Then later pulled them out to maybe make them into some jewelry. But on closer inspection...
I found they were solid sterling silver! Wow! I had no idea, and apparently neither did the person who sold them to me. Im guessing they didnt bother to check the marks on the backs of the spoons.
They are marked "International Sterling". "International" is the manufacturer name, and "Sterling" is well, sterling silver. Flatware cannot be marked "sterling" unless it is solid sterling silver. Any other flatware is silver plated, coin silver, or if its modern, is most likely stainless steel. Also, just for a bit of trivia, there is no such thing as "sterling silver plated" because something cannot be marked sterling unless it is sold sterling silver through and through.
The value of these five spoons? Around $200.00!
Lesson for the day: if youre selling something, always check first to make sure it not a valuable antique. Same goes for if you are going to use something that is old as a craft material!
Do you have a treasure story to tell?
Please share it with us by leaving a comment below!
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Love, Laura
Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs!
Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!
My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns
Selasa, 29 Maret 2016
Treasure Hunting Thursdays The Odd The Unexpected
Hi friends! This week my daughter had an early dismissal from school so I got to take her along with me when I hit the thrift stores. I usually go alone, so it was nice to have some company this time around. I like to go during the day because I find that in the evenings the stores were I shop tend to be more crowded and more picked through after 5pm.
I wrote my list of things I was hoping to find and out the door we went. The first shop we went to had half price off of bric-brac (aka dust collectors) which I usually never buy unless I am looking for something for a specific project, such as a mosaic. Here are a few things we came across...
This ram creamer kind of weirded me out so I took a picture of it. I guess if you are an Aries or collect rams it would make you happy.
Ahhh this was a find. The moment that I spotted this, the entire trip was instantly worthwhile. My very first vintage glass electrical insulator! Yay! I finally found one at a thrift store! I had seen them in antique shops but had never found one at a thrift shop before. It was a really pretty shade of emerald green. For $2 I had to have it. It looks great on my window sill...
Just yesterday I updated my blog post about upcycling vintage glass insulators, so if you havent read that blog post, you should check it out! (Creative Ways To Upcycle Vintage Glass Insulators) If youve never seen one of these before, these were used to insulate telephone poles from the electrical wires. See the grooves on the sides of it? The electrical wires would rest against those grooves. The bottom is open and the inside is hollowed out. That is where it would fit on a peg on the wooden pole.
Like I said earlier, Im usually not one for bric brac but I had to have these elephants. Vintage with iridescent pink finish and half price (I paid only $2) they make a neat addition to my studio. I just may add a piece of copper wire to them and turn them into an incense holder. Right on.
We stopped at a second thrift store on our way home and when my daughter found this plate she was beside herself. Presidents! She is currently obsessed with American history and politics and is considering majoring in Political Science in college (which is four+ years away!) Of course, she wants me to make her jewelry out of it...hehe. Half-price, so she got it for $2.00.
Lesson for the day: Even if you bring along a list, you never know what youre going to walk out of a thrift shop with, so always go with an open mind. Its treasure hunting at its best.
Do you have a treasure story to tell?
Please share it with us by leaving a comment below!
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Love, Laura
Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs!
Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!
My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns
