WOYWW - Sterling Stuff

Pliers, wires, and automobiles (well almost)

' morning WOYWW-ers.  I don't know about you, but someone is definitely taking hours out of the day.  I've been on holiday, come back, been to my mums come back and I am still struggling to find time to fit Wednesdays in.

Today I am working on the dining table (because the workbench is covered in 'stuff').  I have had a number of enquiries about my wirework jewellery requesting sterling silver.  I have resisted so far, simply because of the value of stock I would need to hold.  However I have decided the time has come....

So this week I have been making my designs in sterling silver, and costing them up.

snapshot

Here is a snapshot of a few things I have converted so far: the necklace is a variation of a Linda Jones design, the treble clef and locket are my own design pendants that go onto chains.

And somehow before next week I have an ATC to make - an ATC that woke me up on holiday with its design!

(This is a post for Whats on your workbench Wednesday, an opportunity to show just how messy a situation you can work in)

Handmade Monday - Treble clef earrings

Hello Handmade Monday - I'm back!  I'm sure you didn't miss me, but I missed you xxx

Well I just about survived last week, but only managed one day of my two day National Trust Craft Fair.  A migraine caught up with me on Saturday evening.  I don't suffer from stress migraines, I suffer from relief migraines!

(Yes I made it on time to every event on time, children suitably dressed (including allowing my son to drop off his sister at the ballet party dressed as lion, just because everyone else was dressed up), attended school plays, sent my cakes to the Christmas fair, and made enough wirework jewellery for the Craflwyn National Trust Christmas Fair, set up my stall on time, looked at my stall thought 'phew' and then the migraine saw its opportunity.)

Craft fairs are funny events, there you sit with all your wares on display and yet it always takes me by suprise when someone asks me 'is it handmade?'.  So I take my pliers and some wire.  It is also quite a liberating time, as I never have enough time and tools to make something from start to finish, so I fiddle, and fiddling with wire can have some interesting results.

Matching treble clef earrings!

On Saturday I set about making a treble clef earrings.  I managed the first treble clef with surprising ease, but it took most of the day before I managed a matching one!  I attached them to their earwires this morning.  Now to upload them to my shop, to match the treble clef necklace.  And then off for a trip round everyone else at HM.

Handmade Monday - wirework bracelets

Last Wednesday I showed off the jasper stone and wirework bracelet I had made, but I didn't currently have anything else on the bracelet bar so this week I have been paying attention to that.

First I fixed up a few beads to make a glass bead braclet design I have made before.

Next I tried out similar beads with a greek key design.  The greek key, needs to be smaller and neater in my opinion, but as a first attempt I am quite happy.

Greek key wirework - I think the technique needs some perfecting!

And with a few other designs that I shall keep under wraps for now, I suddenly had a full bar for the Christmas fair that my wirework jewellery attended without me on Friday.  (I don't know how the fair went, as I have yet to collect my stall).

Do you know why I take part in Handmade Monday?  Of course I enjoy your company, but it isn't that, its that I need a little discipline in my chaotic life and having a Monday deadline helps me remember the day of the week. Give it up for Monday whoaoooooo. (Please see Cbeebies if you need help with the tune!)

WOYWW - 101 Dalmation Jasper Beads

This is a tidy desk - for me at least

Well there it is in all its glory, my lovely, tidy desk.  The weekly cycle of my desk can, I'm sure be guessed. Tidy, messier, messy, chaos, blitz and begin again. And just at the moment, the tidy stage appears to be falling on a Wednesday!

I shouldn't really be working on these jasper beads, but once I spotted them in my bead drawer they just kept shouting at me.

The trouble is, now that I have finished that bracelet, I need to make a few new designs to fill my bracelet bar, else it won't get an outing to any craft fairs, so I've put them in my gift shop just in case.

So there we have it, another week of Whats on your workbench Wednesday (WOYWW) and another week of me trying to stay in control of my life and my workbench!  Pop over to Julia's and see who else is under a mountain of beads and wire, or paper piles and stamps.

N.B. I wrote the post then realised they weren't dalmation jasper beads, but I can't for the life of me remember what they are, so the title can stay!!

WOYWW - Very very little...

Fabric free zone, jewellery making to the fore!

Regular visitors will know that today (Wednesday) I take part in Whats on your workbench Wednesday, hosted by Julia at Stamping Ground .  What regular visitors also know is that my desk is always a mess.

Well, surprise! On Monday I cleared away my sewing machine and all its accessories (can fabric really be called an accessory? I think necessity is better term.), and found my workbench underneath.

a very empty bracelet bar

The reason for this sudden burst of tidiness, is that I need to get making more wirework jewellery.  I need to make up a few silver plated crucifixes.

Then I noticed my empty bracelet bar and began scheming about making a new dalmation jasper bracelet with a matching necklace.

Funny isn't it, sometimes I make a piece of hammered jewellery and it is a complete one off, sometimes I want to repeat it and then lots of times I just want to change a little bit here, and a little bit there.

Mango Pango, jewellery anvil, dalmation jasper

And finally, the eagle eyed of you, will have spotted Mango-Pango bear sat on the jewellery anvil.  I kept my promise and returned him to full fitness last night.  He seemed quite pleased until I tried to take him back to the children's room at which point he began shouting expletives at me.  Something about them not knowing how to treat a bear of his standing in the community.

Handmade Monday - trying something new

Well it is time again for Handmade Monday, the opportunity to see what great ideas other people in the crafting world have been having.

By contrast in this house we are still suffering a little from the lurgy - and the walk to the bottom of the garden at 7pm to make wirework jewellery seemed a very long one, so I settled down with a hot water bottle!

Despite my aversion to Halloween, I did buy a pumpkin this weekend which the children set about with relish. OH was tasked with carving the face and between them I think they did a very good job.

Pumpkin

 I allowed my children to use the pumpkin as a nightlight when they went to bed -I won't bore you with the H & S precautions I took, but I think they might have been noted, because within two minutes of leaving the bedroom, I was called back 'when will you blow it out?'
'when you are both asleep, oh, and your brother is already asleep',
I left the room, just sat down on the chair in the room next door
' mum, I'm asleep now'!
so I went in blew out the candle and I never heard another sound!

Alongside this I thought I should try a new recipe.  In my cookbook is a recipe for tomato and raisin loaf, sounds nice doesn't it?  Probably lovely warm with soup?  But oddly at the end at the end, it says, ' store in an airtight tin for 2-3 days, before slicing'.  This has been bugging me, and today it got the better of me, I just had to bake it.

Tomato and raisin loaf

Now I just have to wait until Wednesday to announce the results!

Handmade Monday Bucket Bag

Well what have I been up to this week?  Handmade Monday always helps me see what I have achieved each week - but in truth I'm beginning to realise I may have been on a work avoidance for the last few weeks.  You see I'm still playing with fabric when in truth I should be back at the jewellery drawing board by now!

So here is my final make with fabric.  I really wanted to make a bucket bag in minature, I think it is more of a flower pot bag!

just 20cm across and 15cm tall!

Or perhaps a cup cake shape.

My wirework jewellery along with my newly completed bags are at the RSPB Ynys-hir craft fair.  This runs for a fortnight in the Visitor Centre - you set up your table and then leave it for the staff to run. 

Way back in April or May I decided I couldn't do craft fairs and ensure childcare so I have only done a couple of events since then.  But what have I been missing out on?

Talk about a moral boost!  I couldn't set up my table as other crafters kept dismantling it to inspect things!  I eventually came away with a bag commission but on a very big high!


By Saturday morning my emotions came crashing back down to earth - I have lived in Wales since 1993, and I am mad on sport, so my Saturday morning was organised around THE GAME (rugby world cup semi-final to you disinterested others).

Fairbourne beach

However Saturday afternoon allowed me a reality check of what is really important in life, and I spent a wonderful hour at the beach with my OH, and two children, and reminded myself that it really was the 15th of October!

Handmade Monday no. 20

I want to highjack my Handmade Monday blogpost for a thank you post instead. (Sorry but it is really long too)!

Caroline (who I 'met' through Handmade Monday), over at Redneedle Sewing awarded me a Versatile Blogger award!  Now Caroline awarded this on the 6th of June, but I have sunk into survival mode for the last couple of weeks and I just didn't feel my acceptance speech would be at its best.
So I waited, and waited and here we are now on the 20th June, and I think I finally am ready.

Here is how my mind processed the news:
I was really chuffed and extremely flattered.
Firstly, someone really is reading my posts!
Secondly, I always read Caroline's blog, but if she is calling me versatile does that mean she reads mine? Hey hang on a minute, my blogs aren't versatile, are they?

Now my chosen specialist subject is wirework jewellery, so I do blog about making that.

Then of course, I do like to tinker with fabric, so when Dreamstar did a tutorial on flowers I had to give it a go.

Oh and then there was the occasion I managed to bring potty training into my blog.

One of my chickens has made an appearance too.

Hmm maybe I do skate about a bit then....

So back to the point.

•  In accepting my award I must place a link back to the person who awarded it
• Share 7 random things about myself (heaven help you)
• Award 7 recently discovered bloggers and contact them to let them know.

So my 7 random things:
1. I restored a Morris Minor pickup from the chassis up.
2. I can speak Welsh, but only only ever use it to speak to my 4 year old!
3. I set up a business when I was 14 called Holidays for pets (I think it only lasted 2 summers!).
4. I hold a motorcycle licence, but haven't riden one since I was 19.
5. My favourite flower is the sweetpea.
6. I am mad on pretty much every sport - and Wimbledon starts today.
7. Wednesday sees me attending my daughters first every ballet show - wish me luck!

And the 7 bloggers I wish to award are:

• Laughing Yaffle - because she appears to be mad.
• Hettiecraft - because she makes me laugh
• Bugs and fishes - she introduced me to World Wide knit outdoors week.
• With u in mind - anyone that can take on all the work for her own wedding is versatile in my mind
• It's an Alien Life - I particularly enjoy her take on the matchbox challenge.
• Tales from a cleaning cupboard - Patti lives near to me and I know how versatile she is as a person, the blog is just as wide ranging.
• mmmcrafts - an American lady, who I came across when I was looking for a sewing pattern

Its an all female list.  The majority of these people I have met through groups like Handmade Monday where like minded people share their ideas and their makes, so why not have a look at their sites and see if they inspire you too.

Handmade Monday no. 17

So its Handmade Monday time.  I had accepted that I needed to take a week off as I had nothing to show ...

This week I was planning to complete wirework pendants for my 2nd shelf (in the new shop that I'm always harping on about).  I have concentrated on established designs as they are quicker to make than fiddling with new designs. But I felt that you wouldn't want to see work you can see over at my Polly Polkadot shop.

... and then last night changed everything.  I got the children in bed and asleep by 7pm, we had all eaten, I had washed up and the OH had even hoovered the floor.  So there was nothing for it, but a trip to the studio at the bottom of the garden.

This the only pendant design I would class as finished from last night, the rest are 'designs in progress'!

But I had an excellent session, with lots of ideas to work on.  The following are snapshots taken this morning.

Tree

 I spent ages on the first pendant, but I just couldn't get it to lie how I wanted it, so I think that might go on the noticeboard until I come up with a new way to use it.

Chain of hearts

The second piece was a chain of hearts, I don't think I have the balance right yet, but it has potential.  In addition, I have discovered that I will be able to manage short pieces of wire for earring hearts.

The squiggle

Next I moved onto a squiggle.  I was pleased with the form of this.  I'm not confident with random design, but over all this doesn't look too symmetrical or contrived!











This pendant doesn't have enough curve to the tail, but it is a starting point.

Back again to the treble clef.  I have been intending to make a treble clef for some time, but never getting around to it. I was delighted with the result and this will definitely be in my online shop, and on the infamous second shelf!

OK, so now I must move onto the 3rd shelf, something a bit different just to hedge my bets on sales!

Toolbox Talk part 1

I'm not sure I am going to tell my blog anything in the future ... I said I would do a toolbox talk blog at the weekend, now I am concerned I will not full fill your expectations!  After all how do you make talking about pliers interesting?!!

Can you believe I still kept it?!

My interest in wirework jewellery came from spotting Linda Jones book in the local library.  I really fancied the Celtic cross brooch.  Unfortunately I had no understanding of wire, or physics of materials, or the patience to read the instructions.  Here is my first attempt, as you can imagine I stomped off and sulked.

Some time later I must have decided to give it another go, but I don't recall the length of the break.

So here is my guide to how to get it right first time (well have a better chance of getting it right).

The first and most essential piece of equipment for wireworking is pliers.  I struggled to find the right pliers and in the end bought a set of 8 pliers.  But in truth I only use 5.

The round nosed pliers are the starting point for so many pieces. Curling the wire around the pliers, get it wrong and you are making an oval shape, get it right and beautiful spiral begins to form.

The second pair of pliers is your flat nosed pliers.  These pliers can form sharp angles in your work, but they are also used to grip the wire as you curve spirals.  Unlike normal flat nosed pliers, the mouth is smooth, so that it doesn't mark the work.

The final pliers you need are wire cutters.  Ideally you need good sharp pliers, which allow you cut close to your work. 

If your interest in wirework jewellery making continues,  you will wish to add and improve on your pliers set.  Adding nylon coated pliers to avoid scratching the wire, notched round nosed pliers to mass produce jump rings, angled pliers for awkward pieces etc. etc.

Do I have all the pliers I want yet? Definately not.
Do I have favourite pliers? Definately
Do I think I could use someone elses pliers? Ooo, no, I'd feel guilty.

Pliers are all you need to start you on your journey into wirework jewellery, but below is a second toolbox talk, explaining about dowels and hammering your work.

Toolbox Talk - Part 2

can, pens,nozzle from a silicon cartridge gun.

To create some of the shapes you may wish to make, you'll need a collection of dowels.  Often ring mandrels are suggested because they offer you a variety of sizes. However so far I have not had to invest in any mandrels I simply wander around the house looking for pens, tubes, and pipes.  Felt tip pens offer a small size, marker pens another, and cans and then you probably have a full range.  My only complaint is that the pens keep wandering off my workbench, but I suspect that is me 'borrowing' them.

The final item you will need to get you started, is something to hammer on.  This was the item I found most challenging.  I discovered with my first piece that you can't hammer on wood, because it is too soft.  I hammered on tables, stones, and eventually I realised I could clamp a second hammer into a vice and hammer on that.

Obviously it didn't have sawdust on it when I used to use it!

Whatever you choose to hammer on will pattern your material, so ideally you are looking for a smooth surface - although I must admit that did discover some wonderful patterns by accident.

I do now own a tiny jewellery anvil. It only cost around £15 but it is not worth buying when you are just experimenting.  It offers me curves and angles to hammer on as well as a flat surface.  My jewellery anvil always cheers me up, because the novelty of such a silly sized tool has still not worn off!

Again you can spend plenty of time buying yourself a variety of nylon coated hammers, and patterned heads for the hammer, but in the early stages a normal domestic hammer is fine.

So that's it, that's all you need and if you are lucky all the items were lurking in your household toolbox anyway. Now go and give it ago!

WOYWW again

workbench or chaos?

My workbench has continued to be a hive of activity.  I have completed the pieces for the top shelf of my jewellery cabinet that I have rented in a shop (opening soon).

hmm, I can count 6 different pieces of jewellery in progress!

 A close up of the desk reveals that I don't work in an organised fashion at all.  On the tile lies a new hammered motif that didn't work the way I wanted it to, several flowers that were supposed to be made into earrings but I couldn't get a matching pair, a tear drop shape that I would like to put a bead in the centre but I don't have a bead the matches, two chains lacking in motif, several pens that I use as dowels and of course the potty training reward badge that is still in the studio!

display board.

I had planned to show you my layout of jewellery for the shelf.  Unfortunately that would involve clearing my workbench to take the photo, and it all sounded like too much effort, so you'll have to be pleased with a close up of the display board which will set at the back of the shelf.

The top set is a copy of a Linda Jones design, it is a personal favourite of mine, far too beautiful to be left in a book.  (Please note the little Miss Bossy mug in the background!).

So this week I will be working on shelf 2 - hammered wire pendants. 

At the weekend I'll do a 'toolbox talk' blog to show how accessible wirework can be.

Pop over and see how everyone else's workbenches are looking at stamping ground

Handmade Monday and blatant begging!

It is time for handmade Monday again, an opportunity for us all to show what we've been up to for the week.  Pop over to 1st unique gifts to see everyone else's hard work but not before you have taken a look at mine, as this week I have plenty to show!

Earrings that I have ensured I have enough of!- sorry for photo quality

Anyone who 'called by' for WOYWW, will know that I have had to have my nose to the grindstone.  I need to get my stock levels ready for a cabinet that I have rented in a new shop (opening soon).

This week I have been focusing on just one shelf.  I intend to place my wirework jewellery on the top shelf of my cabinet.  My hammered jewellery is heavily influenced by Linda Jones.  It was Linda's books that drew me away from strung beads and fixed me on my obsession with hammered wirework.  I'm afraid the earring and necklace set shown is a copy of Linda's, but I feel it is such a beautiful piece that it shouldn't be left in a book!

sorry for photo quality

I hope to complete my Art Nouveau bracelet in time for the shop opening, but I have yet to perfect the design.

The starting point of the design

Now to the blatant begging bit of the blog:  So I've rented a space in a shop - Any chance some of you lovely people would do some 'liking' on facebook?  I feel it would look better if I had more 'likes'!  Obviously favours will be returned if you write a link on my wall! Thanks.

Thanks for reading, I'm off to start on shelf 2 - wirework pendants.