Progress

Last night was my metal clay jewelry class. I felt a bit of accomplishment since I was able to turn in my dry constructed box. Well turn in isn't really the correct way to put that, I gave it to the instructor to be fired. I spent a good deal of time sanding the edges to get them smooth and try to make it look seamless, but I don't think I was successful in the seamless part. So far I'm very happy with it.

I am now working on my shell ring. I drilled a small hole through the shell and the ring in order to put a fine silver wire through it. A half drilled pearl will go on that wire. I'll post pictures of it a little later today.

I am told that Hobby Lobby has a rubber tipped tool to use for pushing the clay around with, so I'm going to head over there in a little while. You use this tool in place of your finger for tight areas. I find that I am constantly looking for new tools and new stamps to use as patterns or shapes for my clay designs.

OK, so this has nothing to do with jewelry or anything, but my dog Tasha wants to be close so she is under my desk. There is no room for an 80 lb. dog, but she doesn't appear to notice or care. And yes those are cords to my computer and monitor and printer and all the things that it would be very bad for me if she yanked on with her huge head or front paws.

Still Frustrated but getting somewhere

Well here I am, still working on the same box. I ended up redoing all the pieces of the box. After my last post I had 2 sides left. On second look at one, it was the backwards one and then looking at the last one a little while later, it was not flat. It is just easier to make a new flat one. I hope.

So I will not have finished sides, filed even, and beveled for tomorrow's class. It's better to have perfect clay then to be on schedule with less than perfect and not be happy. If I'm going to be good at this, I have to be patient, take my time to do it right.

It's difficult to see, white on white, but these are the 6 sides of my box.

The clay slabs needs to dry on white single ply tissue paper. I have to keep flipping them over to make sure they are flat and push them down if they curve up at all. It is very difficult to notice if they curve. These look flat to me. Currently I am happy with them.

Patients, patients, patients. Keep telling myself that.

Frustrated with dry construction box

Yesterday in class we started our dry construction box. First I noticed that I made one of the 6 walls the wrong pattern. The pattern I used was a dot pattern and 5 were inies and the last, the 6th was an outy. I decided it would be fine. The pattern is so small no one would notice. Then I noticed the slabs were not straight and they need to be to go together and be square. You can't have wobbly walls. I brought my 6 "walls" home and moistened them and laid a book on top to flatten, but I also had them on tissue paper. They stuck to the paper. Oy, frustration. 2 were fine and the rest... Well I'm going to make my box a little wider so I need to redo the front, back and the top and bottom. This just gave me the excuse to go for it and just do it.

Dry clay slab for box.

The idea is to have each project done by the following class and be ready to start the next project. But if that doesn't happen, it's ok, we can bring her the finished piece whenever and she'll fire it for us. If it takes us past the last class, we can just drop off at her house. So here I am at 8:30 on a work night, about to start working on this dry construction box. Keep your fingers crossed it goes well and I don't crumble up another bit of clay and start over again.

You can see the tissue paper still on the clay. It will burn off in the kiln so it should be ok.

Silver Metal Clay Class

Tonight I had my silver metal clay class. The class is 2 days a week for 4 weeks. For the first class we started on a hollow bead and I finished mine at home. I made a puffy square. I attached a picture of the first hollow bead I made, a small ball, in a previous class.


Tonight in class we started on a dry construction bead. For the hollow bead we used a mold. We picked a shape and after rolling the clay out flat, filled the mold twice to make both sides. Once the clay was dry, we put the 2 sides neatly together. For a dry construction bead, you decide on shape and size, roll the clay flat and thin, cut out the shape and put it together once the clay is dry. Unfortunately my slabs did not dry flat. Now I have to moisten them and put a book on top to flatten and then continue with my construction. Hopefully I will be able to finish tomorrow so I can bring it back to class on Thursday.

Hollow Bead from previous class.

Display struggles and insights

I am in the process of designing my booth display. I found this wonderful website/blog http://www.jewelry-display-ideas.com, I'm not sure which. Blog I think. Anyway, I love the authors display idea. It is small and she can set the entire display up by herself in about 30 minutes. It is perfect for me since I will usually be by myself. I need light and easy.

This is actually the display I'm copying, I hope she's OK with that. I'll still make it my own. http://www.jewelry-display-ideas.com/jewelry-booth-display.html. I have most of what I need. I still need easel backs for the necklaces and risers. I was finally able to find where to buy them. I'm sure desperation was the motivation to discovering the needed Google search terms which without you can't find anything.

I did a small show this past weekend at a local senior home and realized I still had issues to resolve. First I need to be able to display on one table as easily as on two. The plate stands I bought for the necklaces did not work, necklaces kept falling over. I also need a way to display earrings. I have a big metal turny earring display, but I feel it is too big. It's really not soo big, but it holds so much and I find it overwhelming. Orna suggested rice as a display element. I've been mulling that over and maybe a bowl with rice can hold a business card upright with the earrings on it.

Then I saw this http://www.jewelry-display-ideas.com/handmade-picture-frame-earring-display.html and I want it. I thought maybe I could build it myself. Really not sure how well that would work out. I do want it to actually be square and stand. Then I remembered I have a Dad who builds furniture. I'll let you know what he says. I might go there for Thanksgiving and can bring it back, or it's light enough to mail.

My booth at Senior home festival on October 15, 2010

Where to begin

This past weekend I went to Market in The Meadow Fall Holiday Show with a friend. Afterward,  we were discussing ways I could promote my jewelry. She wondered if when I posted a new item on Etsy couldn't I send an email letting people know. Nope, Etsy does not have this feature yet, but I do post on Facebook I said hopefully and then realizing she does not have Facebook got a little discouraged. What else could I do I wondered? She suggested a blog. A blog? Me? Write about what? She was full of ideas, and if I can remember what they were, I might just have something to write about.

So welcome to my first blog and I'll try to be interesting.