Uh, oh to OH!

Every once in a while life throws a curve ball. When I opened the cabinet where I store my chain, I noticed an interesting development. 

See the empty space on the bottom right section of the shelf? That is where I stored oxidizing solutions - liver of sulfur gel and Novacan. Mind you, these containers were triple-bagged in sealed zip lock bags. Bet you guessed the next thing I will say. The spool of silver-plated chain had tarnished in spots, which was easily removed with a brush of steel wool.

Now, here's the interesting thing. I never really liked the bright silver of this rolo chain; I always wanted antiqued silver. However, the supplier of this chain did not carry antiqued silver chain.  So I dipped some of the chain in a liver of sulfur bath, and here is what resulted.

I realize that all this did was remove the plating to expose the copper beneath. I didn't think LOS would oxidize plated metals.

However, I kinda like the vintagy look of it after a brushing of steel wool and a swipe through some polish pads. 

I'll try these sections of chain in a couple of leather cuffs and see what I think of it. 

 

If I end up not liking this look, my backup plan is to paint them with Vintaj patina.

All of this is in preparation for a jewelry-making demo at the Tillamook Cork & Brew tomorrow night. I plan to make some leather and chain cuffs, which don't require schlepping around a bunch of materials. Maybe I'll throw in some hemp and beads for some beach bracelets.

Update:

I made three bracelets during my demo (pictured below):

We're All Ears :: June Reveal

Tide pools was this month's theme, chosen by our blog hostess Erin, who posted the following illustration as inspiration for this challenge.

The Inspiration

Living here on the beautiful Oregon coast, tide pools are a constant inspiration for me. To really do this right, my husband and I decided to have an adventure in Oceanside, a beach south of where we live.  Though it was 90 degrees in Portland on this day, it was foggy, cool, and windy on the beach.  Since there was a minus tide, we could hike to remote parts of the beach usually inaccessible. For example, waves usually crash up on this rock outcropping (below). On this day, however, we could just walk around it. Cool!

This is a view of the sea stacks, with countless tide pools. 

The tide pools are full of fascinating life - barnacles, mussels, urchins, starfish, anemones, and kelp. 

The sand is home to so many treasures - agates, jasper, shells, and sand diollars - that we had to remind ourselves to look up. When we did, we were dwarfed by the sea stacks towering above us.

We made quite a nice haul of shells and rocks. Lots of beautiful agates.

The creative process for me: chaos. Always.

The Earrings

* This month's experiment in photography staging involved some new locations and props - a piece of driftwood, sand, and shells on the beach.

I was on fire these past two weeks!  So many earrings to share. I'll limit my text and let the photos do the talking.

I was determined to make something organic and asymmetrical. Took some thought but very satisfying when it works.

Tiny pieces of beach driftwood wrapped in oxidized copper wire.

 Beach agates caged in gunmetal wire.  

  Beach agates caged in oxidized copper wire.

(This picture below better captures the color of these earrings. Looking at it now, I realize that one of the caged pieces is a shell, and the other is an agate.)

These links were repurposed from one of my mom's necklaces. 

The soft blues in the sky and water and the greens of anemones. Matte amazonite is one of my favorite gemstones.

Last, some brass starfish charms I picked up in a local vintage shop and patinated. Cute and whimsical.

Thanks for joining me on this trip to the beach, and, as always, thank you Erin for the best inspiration ever. To see the tide pool earrings created by other jewelry artists, Click Here.

We're All Ears :: May Reveal

This month's inspiration is dance, specifically a music video for an addicting song called 'Skyscrapers' 

by the band OK Go. (Check out their website. Innovative stuff! I remember seeing and enjoying their treadmill dance video a long time ago.)

Here is a collage of still photos, the dancers set against a backdrop of shifting video of colorful buildings in Los Angeles.

I found myself drawn to these vibrant colors and the movement of the tango, particularly the dancers' legs. I knew these earrings would be dangly and full of movement. Initially, I was going to focus on a monochromatic color palette, but once all the beads were on my studio table, I just couldn't limit myself to one color. 

LET'S DANCE!

The curved gunmetal connector and wire-wrapped orange aqua terra jasper bead reminded me of the dancers' legs and the way they intertwined and fit together in those tango steps. Two dangles represent the dancing couple.  I had gunmetal connectors, jump rings, and head pins in my stash but no 20 gague gunmetal wire for earwires. Once again, Vintaj patina to the rescue (onyx). 

As I was photographing these earrings on my front porch, I noticed the same colors in the flower pots sitting on my potting bench. I love the warm and cheerful color palette here. So summer!

TWO TO TANGO

Again, echoing the partnership of the dance with one person in a firm stance (the tin) and the other swaying and spiraling around (the chained briolette), this next pair of earrings continues the play with color. The movement of the pattern on this tin caught my eye, as it resembles the movement of the dance. I love that the reverse side of the tin was lime-colored; it influenced my bead choice instantly. I suffered for my art on this pair, cutting my finger while filing the edges of the tin. (Filing is one of my least favorite jewelry-making tasks.)

I just had to keep playing with that tin, and this bracelet crashed the earring party. 

CALYPSO

No big story on this last pair. Just playing around with wild colors. Indonesian glass, spiny oyster, riveted deerskin leather, patinated copper washers, copper wire, and waxed linen. 

NOT JUST JEWELRY

This color palette leaked into places other than just jewelry. The rusted metal garden art that has been languishing unnoticed in my yard just received an update. Once the cans of spray paint were in my hands, nothing was safe from the nozzle. My husband had to stop me from searching for more metal things to spruce up. (Honey, what would you think of a mint-colored BBQ grill with coral handles and periwinkle legs?)

During recent trips to local plant sales and nurseries, I just couldn't resist the explosion of colorful blooming flowers. I think I am becoming the "crazy plant lady" of our neighborhood. 

Thank you, Erin, for yet another fabulous earring inspiration. Let's see what other artists created by visiting the Earrings Everyday Reveal post. 

Clearing My Head

Ok, this post might not appear jewelry-related, but there is actually a connection. Today was the most glorious day at the beach.  When life gets weird, I head to the beach to clear my head and get perspective. The recent theft of three bracelets from a shop (where I am consigning my jewelry) has put my head in a funk. I fluctuate between rage and resignation; it's difficult to keep my head straight about  the whole thing. On minute I console myself with the thought that somebody at least liked my jewelry enough to steal it and that karma will just get her. In the next moment, I am thinking that, if I see the bitch, I will grab her and yank my lovelies off her damn wrist. 

So . . . you see, I really needed this retreat to sort things out.

Neskowin Beach, Oregon

Proposal Rock 

A wind-protected cove and warm sun. Bare feet in the sand. 

Did some tai chi on the sand while waves washed over my feet. Nothing like frigid water, warm sun, envigorating breezes, and a cloudless blue sky to spin some positive energy. That feeling of being connected to the sky and the earth. Powerful. 

After regrouping, I was able to problem solve the situation. Drooling over some lovely antique locking display cases in a Lincoln City antique mall that were all NFS, I discovered how impossible they are to find. Then, I fell in love with this beauty from IKEA and can totally see my jewelry safely living there. 

Shoplifter, you will not defeat me! (And I hope you discover you have a severe metal allergy while wearing my bracelets. So there!)