Incalesco

Time and Energy

2011-01-07T18:33:00.007+11:00

My jewellery has been very much neglected of late. I rarely have the time to work on jewellery, and if I do have some time, I NEVER have the energy.

Today is one of those rare days where all the elements aligned...

I had some inspiration, I have been working on the designs for these two pieces for a while so I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve and how I planned on doing it. Having a plan is great as no time is wasted, and by tag teaming two pieces I can spend every moment being productive.

More uncommonly, I had time! Fridays are normally a flurry of activity with play dates and errands, however today was a free day. Miss 10 months had a nice long sleep in mum and dad's bed (I don't know why but this little lady has the best sleeps in a queen sized bed). And my hubby had the day off too so he was about to keep Mr 3 busy.

And most rare of all, I had some energy! Just some mind you, once the afternoon heat really kicked in I had to call it a day, which is why these are works in progress rather than completed pieces. But I think seeing them come together will give me the energy to continue on.

I have a whole stash of stones ready and waiting, I hope this momentum continues ;)

Salvage Operation

2010-10-15T10:45:00.005+11:00

Things don't always go to plan, sometimes they melt or collapse or just aren't quite right.

Last year I was working on a ring with a princess cut amethyst, everything was going perfectly... until... late in the afternoon in a rush to get finished I was too impatient and cracked the stone while trying get it to drop into the setting.

Yes we have these setbacks, and while it is very disappointing, all is not lost. If you can still salvage the piece it is a wonderful thing. In this case the ring and setting were fine, so it was just a matter of waiting until I bought new stones and trying to source another stone to fit.

Fast forward to a year later and I had cause to place an order for gemstones. Luckily I remembered to check the princess cut stones of aproximately 5mm square.

So finally... the Knife Edge Ring gets to see the light of day, with a lovely princess cut peridot.

Techniques and Technicians - Wire Wrapping

2010-09-17T10:17:00.004+10:00

Wire wrapping is a technique that involves the use of tools such as pliers, mandrels, vices and hammers to bend, twist, bind and forge. The intricate patterns and shapes are achieved without the use of solder.

I am drawn to the rather romantic and ornate designs that people achieve with this technique. As with other jewellery techniques, people who practise wire wrapping develop their own distinctive styles achieving varied and unique results.

Three of my fellow jewellery artists on Etsy have kindly shared with me some info about their creative process using wire wrapping.

Angelene

I love wire wrapping. It's mesmerising. The feeling when a large piece has been completed is one of achievement (and sore fingers!). My wrapping style definitely reflects my personality - measured, careful and meticulous.

I first started wrapping unhammered wire for a pair of long drop earrings - because I hadn't hammered the wire first it was not hard enough and so after wrapping the whole length it bent, and ruined the pair of earrings. An expensive mistake that I haven't repeated! Gradually my wrapping has become more precise, and I can wrap in small spaces (such as the top of a loop of a wrapped briolette gem) which gives a neat but detailed finish to my work.

RiverGum Jewellery

I discovered beading one afternoon when my niece arrived from Perth with a few beads, headpins and ear wires. I then did a short two-hour course at the local bead shop learning how to shape eye pins and link beads together to form a necklace and earrings.

I was hooked right from the beginning. That was 7 years ago!

I actually don’t remember where I saw wire wrapping for the first time but I learnt my basic techniques from various tutorials on the net and in books and magazines. I soon left them behind as I developed my own style.

It took a long time to understand the wire itself – the descriptive words of gauge, hardness, square and half round etc, were like a foreign language to begin with.

And now it seems intuitive. First I choose a gemstone to work with and an idea begins to evolve. Instinctively I decide which wire to use – half hard or dead soft. I love the feel of the wire in my hands. It’s almost as if it forms itself rather than me deciding the look I want. I love the adrenalin rush as the piece begins to take shape and I wonder if it will come together in the end. Some of my best work has been when I needed to resurrect what I thought was a disaster!

And of course there is the joy at the end when a customer is drawn to a piece, reads about the particular gemstone and exclaims “that’s just what I need in my life right now!”

Realisation Creations

I loved using wire the minute I started experimenting with it. My first wire wrapped pieces were extremely simple, but as I started to push myself creatively, I started realising that instead of beads being the components, and the wire just being the connective material, that wire wrapped with beads could form an independent component.

I love the texture created when using wire - whether wrapping over another gauge of wire, or creating teensy charms - it's fascinating to me that such an industrial plain looking material can be converted to something so tactile!

I suppose my style of jewellery is quite Victoriana, and a little bit gothic. My love of Tim Burton, period dramas, and historical fiction certainly leads me in that direction! But I am a little like a hummingbird, flitting from genre to genre in search of inspiration.

This is not a cooking blog...

2010-09-10T17:03:00.008+10:00

But who would be able to resist sharing such cuteness? For his third birthday our son got some cooking utensils and silicon cake tins from his Aunty Relle and her In-Laws. I think he looks super gorgeous in his apron and hat!

And "Granny's little sister Aunty 'ron" (Veron) gave me a baking book that she had bought for herself, but thought might get a bit more use at my house. So today we made old fashioned gingerbread.

Mr 3 loved stirring and pouring and turning off my electric mixer. Turning it on however is a bit scarey ;)

He loved using his spoon and 'spatchla' to stir and scrape.

The recipe made quite a lot, in hindsight I should have halved it. As well as gingerbread men we made 12 gingerbread stars and a gingerbread bear.

I had to guess a bit with the timing as they were all different sizes, after 15 minutes instead of the documented 25 I thought everything looked about right.

Sadly the gingerbread bear fell apart when I was taking him out of his cake tin. So we ate him warm and he was delicious!

It's Shaun the Sheep!

2010-09-10T14:07:00.010+10:00

As you get older birthdays become less and less of a big deal. Luckily I have a couple of kids to live vicariously through ;)

Every year I look forward to J's birthday, normally selecting which cake I will make him well in advance. Now he is a bit older of course I have to let him have a say too.

This year I got the ABC Kids Cakebook from the bookclub at work, so for his third birthday (just before we went on holiday) we selected Shaun the Sheep.

It looked simple enough, get some soft icing and dye it black. Hmmm, seems it made me black long before it did the icing, oh well...

Finally the icing turned black, after about half a bottle of black food colouring and I was ready to shape my body parts.

The completed Shaun cake required 2 cakes so I decided to make one plain and one chocolate. Time to cut out the body.

As all big kids know, the icing is the best part of the cake. This cake requires meringue icing. Yummmmmmmmmmy!

As the meringue icing doesn't keep long I had to make it just before the party. Assembly always takes longer than expected, got him made just in time. Not a bad effort hey?

Shaun was a big hit and our "big" 3 year old was very pleased with him.

Sadly the problem with character cakes is you have to cut them up and eat them! Hmmm seems a bit wrong LOL....

Just under 6 months until A's first birthday, perhaps just a little too early to select her cake.

Mini Masterchef

2010-08-13T16:38:00.007+10:00

I got a call from Daycare the other day saying that as of next week they want to move my son to the pre-kinder room. While we were talking the carer mentioned that he had invited everyone to the blue house (our house) and when asked what they would do there he replied "Bake cookies".

Most fridays I bake something with my son, often it is for a playdate, but other times it's just because. I figure by making our own cookies I have more control over ingredients, additives (the dreaded numbers) and can hide other healthy bits and pieces in them too. And aside from all that, it's a fun activity for both of us!

Today we made oat and coconut crisps. We decided to be a bit decadent and put a dark chocolate bud on each one.

The end result, ok they look like eggs! But they taste delicious!

Chase the sun

2010-08-11T15:31:00.005+10:00

Last week I showed you my new frangipani earrings which were a precursor to a special order.

Today I am happy to be able to show you the main event so to speak.

I still find it incredibly difficult to capture the true beauty of such stones, I think they are much more fabulous in real life.

These frangipani earrings with claw set peony pink topaz are already on their way to a good home. But if you are interested in a custom creation of your own don't hesitate to contact me.

Techniques and Technicians - Enameling

2010-08-10T16:13:00.004+10:00

I have been nurturing an idea of a series of posts exploring some of my favourite jewellery techniques and technicians.

Techniques: A practical method or art applied to some particular task

Technicians: Someone known for high skill in some intellectual or artistic technique

As a lover of all things colourful I thought a nice place to start would be enameling. Enameling is the art of fusing glass to metal, used in combination with other jewellery techniques the possibilities of enamel seem limitless. One of my favourite books on enamling is The Art of Enameling by Linda Darty.

Three of my fellow jewellery artists on Etsy who also have a love of enamel have kindly shared with me some info about their creative process using enamel.

Jewelry by Natsuko

I began making jewelry over 10 years ago. From bead stringing to pearl knotting, wire wrapping… I tried many different techniques. But it was always with beads that I bought from somewhere. I wanted make beads and focal myself. I wanted my jewelry to be truly *ME* So I took polymer clay class at local art center.

While it was fun to make stuff with polymer clay, I felt it really wasn’t for me. It’s just so hard to make finished product look nice & professional. So I moved onto enameling class and I was hooked! Why? I’d have say that because enameling gives you an instant graphication. And possibility of color combinations is endless.

I never run out of new color combination that I want to try. And because enameling is applied over metal, I can enjoy the shapes & texture of the metal too! Although you can do many things with enameling, my focus is to make jewelry. And now I am taking a metal smith class to seek new ways to incorporate my enamel pieces into jewelry.

The Sour Hour

Inna Peck : The Sour Hour : Reversible Enamel Jewelry

I am from Ukraine, and have a BA in Printmaking and Fiber Art. Having a background in printmaking and an interest in Jewelry and metalworking, I took a screen printing enamel class and the teacher really set me up with a good understanding of how to utilize processes and layering techniques to achieve a range of effects.

I am really new to glass, so I I am still trying to learn its capabilities and limitation through taking flame working and fusing classes. With my jewelry I try to use and layer patterns that reference traditional folk art designs but have a contemporary simplicity. I recently received two separate scholarships, one in engraving , and one in glass. I imagine that both of them will significantly change and improve my approach in the near future.

Currently my work is primarily opaque glass, but in the near future I hope to incorporate more engraving, transparent enamels and more complex shapes.

RMD jewellery

I discovered jewellery making a few years ago when my daughter started school, initially I was self taught in beaded jewellery making with a desire to move into metalworking. In 2008 I started attending workshops and weekend classes on silver smithing. In 2009 I attended a Goldsmith School in Brisbane one night a week and am currently continuing that training one full day at a Goldsmith School in Sydney since we moved here in Dec.

I discovered enamelling in Dec last year when I was looking at ways to add colour to my jewellery without the cost of stones, I was and still am, fairly hesitant to buy and set expensive stones as a beginner. I came across an article on torch firing enamel and found a great Aussie site that sold enamels in small quantities, enough for a trial of torch firing. I spent nearly 4 months testing and trialling torch firing enamels before successfully creating a gorgeously simple pair of drop earrings and from there the obsession began. A few months ago I purchased a microwave kiln which mimics the behaviour of a larger kiln but on a small scale.

I love working with metal and adding colour. Watching the enamels glow when they melt and seeing the lovely effects that can be achieved, each piece is an enigma and no matter how many times you work with a design or a colour, enamels always surprise you with their results. I love that, makes each piece, even the repeated designs, unique in their own way.

Aussie readers can check out Rachel's newer work at Shop Handmade in Canberra and Incub8r in Brisbane.

Thanks to Natsuko, Inna and Rachel for taking the time to share their enamel experiences with me, so that I could share them with you...

The right light

2010-08-05T17:38:00.005+10:00

Since opening my Etsy store I have gradually improved my photo technique using my little Canon point-and-shoot, some indirect natural light and either a sheet of pearly white card left over from making our wedding invitations, or a piece of wood from our wood shed.

But sometimes the light is just not right for photos, and I am so very impatient.

For some time the photos of my orange daisy patch earrings have bugged me. Well forever in fact. I finished them too late on a Sunday, and I just wanted to get them photographed and listed, otherwise it would be days before I'd get another opportunity. However I don't think my haste really did me or my earrings any favours, in fact I think it made the earrings look quite terrible. This is the original listing here:

So last weekend while photographing some new earrings I decided to re-do the orange daisy patch earrings to show them in a "better light". I expected them to come up much better, but even I was shocked by how much a reshoot has improved the whole look of this listing:

Perhaps next time I'll be more patient... But I wouldn't bet on it ;)

Taste of the tropics

2010-08-01T15:57:00.008+10:00

I have a custom order for a pair of earrings. The brief was very broad, the customer chose the stones and said "make whatever you think will suit the stones". This sort of free reign is pretty rare, but I guess the reason she asked me to do this in the first place is because she likes my style of jewellery.

The stones in question are two beautiful vibrant peony pink topaz. The colours are warm and summery and made me think of my favourite flowers, the frangipani. So out came the sketch pad, and after a few scribbles a design began to emerge.

I transcribed my frangipani template onto the silver and started to pierce them out by hand. As you can see I am cutting out four frangipanis, two for my custom order and two as a pair of plain frangipanis to list in my store.

I left the 4 joined together at first as a larger piece is easier to work with. I punched guides which I would use for the drill holes, the guide marks guide the drill and stop it from skipping on the surface. As you can see from the photo where I am drilling, having the larger piece to work with is a much safer option, a small individual flower may come loose in my hand and spin up the drill bit or get thrown somewhere.

After drilling the holes I have to insert the saw blade individually into each hole of the template to cut out the inner sections. I am then ready to finish cutting each flower. Some imagination is still required here to envisage the finished earrings. I showed my son and asked if they looked like flowers and he said "nup!"

After smoothing up the edges and giving the surface an emery I stamped each earring 925 for sterling silver. At this point is was also important to invert two of the flowers in order to pair them up. Then I shaped the flowers by forging with a hammer and also tweaking with some tapered round pliers.

Finally it was time to insert the posts, which I had balled up the ends of and solder them in place. The the earrings were carefully cleanned up and annealed and rubbed back lightly with pumice a number of times to achieve a soft pearly white fine silver finish.

The frangipani studs are now available in my Etsy store.

Don't forget to come back next week to see the completed custom order frangipani earrings. And for my customer, I hope you enjoyed your sneak peak!

Look with your hands

2010-07-29T13:50:00.005+10:00

Today I'm thinking about texture. I have been watching my baby girl use her sense of touch to learn about the world around her. Things made for baby a very geared towards tactile sensations.

I'm a sucker for texture, we used to joke and say "look with your eyes, not with your hands". I'm one of those people that while admiring a colleagues new shirt I can't resist a quick feel of the fabric, luckily so far that has not seen me being hauled into HR for harrassment.

Who can resist the soft downy fuzz of a babies head? Or maybe you like the feeling of hands that often see a hard days work? What about the sleek coolness of a reptiles skin, or perhaps the cool crispy feeling of freshly mown grass. Back when I was at school and walking home in the summer there was one house in particular that as I walked past I'd always take off my shoes to feel the perfectly manicured lawn beneath my feet, the owner was an elderly ex-greenskeeper.

Texture is a big consideration when making jewellery too. Finishes are not just for the eyes, they evoke a mood or a feeling, lets call it a vibe!

I am working on a pair of frangipani earrings at the moment for a special order. Frangipanis are my favourite flower, I have been thinking about the soft, thick decadence of the petals and how to achieve that feeling from silver. If I get it right, no matter how dismal the day the wearer will have visions of the tropics.

Look what I made! A blast from the past

2010-07-22T16:13:00.007+10:00

I made a special discovery in the bottom of Amber's closet this afternoon, a discovery that resulted in me doing the strangest activity... Ironing! Anyone who knows me well will be amazed that I knew where to find the iron and remembered how to work it ;)

Over 15 years ago during HSC textiles and design at school I made a little girls sundress. I remember now that I had hung it in the cupboard before I had Jasper, it must have fallen from the hanger and lay forgotten in the bottom of the cupboard.

I was so pleased with this dress, I tie dyed the fabric, hand smocked the design, and even hand scalloped the hem (that was an insane task which took an immensely long time and resulted in many hand cramps). At the time I thought there was absolutely NO WAY I would ever let a child wear this after all the effort, for fear of it getting ruined.

But now I am looking forward to seeing my baby girl wear it. Would be a shame for all that effort to go unseen.

I think it is a size 3, so will be a while yet before she will fit into it. This time I will have to hang it more securely, otherwise next time I find it she may have outgrown it!

The earth whale

2010-07-16T16:44:00.003+10:00

One of the joys of having young children is being able to experience their "firsts" with them. Just this weekend our 4 month old daughter rolled over for the first time, and boy didn't she think she was clever.

Our son also had a first, while "helping" me weed the garden he found his first ever earth worm. He raced inside to show Dad, "Look, I found an earth whale!".

His enthusiasm and interest is so refreshing, and makes me look at the world from a whole new perspective. I wonder what we'll discover this weekend?

Fleur de Sel Caramel... With a Celtic twist

2010-07-01T14:38:00.007+10:00

We're a bit cup-caked out in this house, so this week I decided to try my hand at something special, Fleur de Sel Caramel.

Fleur de Sel, flower of salt, is a French sea salt. Here's where I cheated a little using an organic Celtic sea salt. Figured I should at least see if I could successfully make caramels before racing out to buy gourmet salt that I may never use again. And would anyone really be able to tell the difference?

My parents are partners in a catering equipment company so last week I got my mum to post me a candy thermometer. I also have honeycomb on my "to-do" list so I figured it will come in handy.

I have used the recipe I found here on epicurious, there was a lot of feedback so I figured it was well tried and tested.

I followed the recipe to the tee and hey presto, the result looked and smelled like caramel! A little taste test from the spoon I had used to stir the mixture also suggested I may have done alright. I sprinkled a little extra sea salt on top, to make it look pretty and for a bit more zing.

Next time however I'd use a smaller pan to get a deeper caramel. Nothing wrong with the thin caramels, just thought they'd be a nicer shape if they were thicker.

The required two hours for cooling is not quite complete, but hey I'm impatient, so it was taste test time.

Mmmmm, good.......

My creative space

2010-06-27T19:11:00.006+10:00

I gave my creative space (aka the workshop) an "I wish it was Spring" clean today. It is so much nicer to have my tools tidy and sorted, and much more efficient.

I also got a bit of work done on some copper earrings. The copper has been shaped in a swage block. I then marked out where I would cut and countersunk holes for the earring posts. Each earring was then cut using my hand saw and the sterling silver earring posts soldered in place.

I have then cleaned up the earrings and annealed 3 times as I intended to enamel them and wanted to ensure there was no movement left in the metal.

As I have three pairs I have decided on hunter green (which is a nice rich Kermit the Frog sort of green), grape (which is the same as the purple colour on my black forest ring)
and black.

I have started to enamel them, next weekend is cleanup time.

More for us...

2010-06-25T10:27:00.005+10:00

Sadly our regular Friday play date has been cancelled for the third week in a row. The "joy" of winter illnesses, rarely a week goes by where both families are illness free.

On the upside, I guess that means more Orange and Poppy Seed Cup Cakes for us!

Going....

Going....

Gone!

The next big thing... I mean ring

2010-06-24T15:39:00.006+10:00

My next big ring project is very big indeed, 6.3 carats in fact!

I actually started work on the setting for this gorgeous cushion cut purple and yellow Amatrine a couple of weeks ago. But the result was a bit too flimsy and not what I had envisaged for this fabulous stone.

So it was back to the drawing board, or in my case the sketch book, to better resolve the design.

The idea is still developing, so not sure if I will start on this one just yet or give the ideas another week to stew. Either way, I hope to have a fabulous extravagent cocktail ring featuring this gorgeous stone to show you in the not too distant future.

In the meantime I hope to make a couple of pairs of fun enamel studs this weekend. Looking at what colours are dominating my Etsy store right now, and in the interests of diversity, I'm thinking green and black this time. Or maybe black and white... What colours would you like to see more of?

The peppermint crisp journey

2010-06-20T17:28:00.007+10:00

It was all the way back in October 2009 that I first started work on the peppermint crisp ring.

It took me a long time to decide how I wanted to make the setting. I had in my head how I wanted it to look from above, but how to achieve that...?

So I went ahead and make the ring and the first half of the setting with the V shaped base. Then I tinkered, and I filed, and I uhmed and ahhed. I put it away and worked on other pieces. Then I'd take it out, look at it, and put it away again.

Then some time a few months ago I started to formulate an idea. I decided to drill through either side of the ring shank beside the V setting and push two pieces of wire through, these would support the stone from either side. I contemplated this idea for some time.

Last weekend I started work on a new piece. I was in such a hurry to finish something, anything! I rushed ahead without fully thinking through my design and the setting collapsed while I was soldering it. It was then I decided I had thought about the peppermint crisp for long enough. It was time for action!

The peppermint crisp ring is finished! And it is available now in my Etsy store.

WARNING - Do not lick your monitor!

2010-06-17T15:00:00.005+10:00

It's a miserable windy rainy day, the dishes are mounting, there is washing to be hung out, so what do I do? I bake! Carrot and Cardamom Cupcakes.... Mmmmmmm.....

My Aunty bought me a gorgeous little book called Cupcake Heaven by Susannah Blake. I love to flick through and drool over the recipes and decide which ones to make next, trying to limit myself to one batch per week!

Ok, I know you will be tempted to lick your monitor, and rightly so, these Carrot and Cardamom cupcakes are yummy!

Perhaps I should eat another one to check they all taste as good?

The Light in Winter

2010-06-14T17:32:00.009+10:00

Ever since I was little I have loved lights. My parents were regularly loading us into the car and driving up high hills to show me the city lights. May go some way to explaining my love of sparkly shiny things ;)

This weekend we decided to take the kids to Federation Square to see The Light in Winter. A month long event with different activites on daily.

On the way we got to take in a personal favourite of mine, the ferris wheel at Birrarung Marr which is lit up beautifully at night.

While we waited for the sun to set we enjoyed a hot chocolate and the little man did some exploring.

The centre piece of the Light in Winter is called Solar Equation, apparently people can use their iPhones or other iDevice to alter the patterns on the surface, we were content just to view it as other people did the techo stuff.

Last night there was also a Mexican Salute with music and dancing, however it was a bit hard to photgraph with our little cannon point and shoot.

It was a nice night out, and we were home in time to put the kids to bed by 8:30pm!

Autumn inspiration

2010-06-12T17:41:00.008+10:00

Ok, so technically it is winter now, but our beautiful little Japanese Maple in the backyard is still wearing it's autumn colours with pride.

It just looks so bright and happy, I never tire of looking at it.

To top it off it was a beautiful sunny day, and my mokume gane & fire opal ring is on its way to a new home in the USA.

And finally I got to spend a little time in the workshop. My peppermint crisp ring is very close to completion, I just need to finish the setting and then set the ring and polish it up. Here's a sneak peak with the stone just sitting in the incomplete setting.

My head is full of ideas for some new pieces, must get them into my sketch book as my baby brain means that those idea may float off to the ether again! Hopefully I will get a bit more time this weekend to do some more.

Amazing creation

2010-05-24T13:51:00.008+10:00

There has been a flurry of activity of late in our garage workshop, but it has been my hubby working out there instead of me. I have been on kid duty while hubby has been building them the most lovely and amazing toy box.

My contribution was to help upholster the seat (under the watchful eye of Mr 2 1/2), I have never done anything like this before but we were happy with the result.

And the finished result... The most wonderful and unique toy box a couple of kids could ever wish for:

Now that this is completed I am hoping to get a little workshop time myself. I have a lovely tourmaline ring that is about 90% finished and a head full of ideas just waiting to be realised.

Winter warmers

2010-04-27T09:08:00.006+10:00

The weather has started to cool and this time of year always finds me flicking through recipe books looking for yummy warm wintery foods.

This weekend while out pruning our garden I was inspired by our rosemary 'hedge' and decided to try my hand at some lamb and rosemary pies! YUM!!! I made one family sized pie for dinner and four individual pies, taking care of lunches today plus a couple in the freezer for later.

They are as delicious as they look, I think next time I might try my hand at some minty lamb pies.

With the leftover pastry I adapted an apple and rhubarb pie recipe and made a pear and fig pie, also delicious (even if I do say so myself). Mmmm winter foods, and it's still autumn... At this rate I'm going to be a blimp come spring ;)

It's a girl!

2010-03-05T18:01:00.005+11:00

Hi All, as many of you would already know we were expecting our second baby in late Feb. I am very pleased to announce the safe arrival of a baby girl, Amber Monique, on Fri 26th Feb 2010 at a healthy 8lbs 2oz and 49.5cm long.

Big brother Jasper is thrilled with his "Amber baby" and is being a good helper to Mummy.

Things will obviously be a bit quiet on the jewellery front for a while, I will just be working on orders and no new pieces while we enjoy this special time.

Raid the wood shed!

2010-02-02T20:06:00.005+11:00

I love using old logs as props, they have so much character and can really offset a silver piece of jewellery. This beautiful specimen was at the Tafe where I studied, I'd love to have something this spectacular at home.

I have some nice old logs in the wood shed that make good photography props.

My original favourite...

...got retired after the plumber spilt some blue goo over it.

Then I found a new one that had a nice little knot hole...

...but it met an untimely end at the hands of my hubby weilding an axe...

Alas the wood shed is probably not the best place for them. So the moral of my story is, if you do happen to find a nice log in the wood shed, perhaps you should move it somewhere safer! I'm off the examine the survivors to see if there's any 'talent'.

Come clean...

2010-01-28T08:53:00.003+11:00

It is time I come clean about my addiction...

Yep that's right, I am addicted to Inner Earth Soaps. I love opening my bathroom cupboard and doing a lucky dip to see what scent we'll be using next.

Honey Bee Mine Handmade Soap

New in store - Rain Drop Ring

2010-01-26T19:12:00.003+11:00

Just finished today, my Rain Drop ring is sterling silver with a tear drop shaped sapphire blue cubic zirconia.

Break the drought with the Rain Drop available now in my Etsy store.

While you were sleeping

2010-01-24T17:04:00.006+11:00

I made a rookie mistake today. I put Mr2 to bed, waited for silence to fall, and assumed he was asleep! By assumed I mean I listened at the door on more than one occasion, but I didn't pop my head in to check.

I was in and out of the house, making jewellery, cleaning jewellery, washing my hands, photgraphing jewellery... all the while silence from Mr2's room.

It was on one of my trips to wash my hands, coming from the ensuite in the master bedroom I noticed the strong scent of taboo perfume coming from Mr2's room across the hall. Pushing open the door this is what I found!

There was a gift pack of Taboo on the spare bed in his room, silly place for it of course, but it was waiting for Granny who will be down in Feb to help while I'm having bubba2. Having emptied the whole tube of body lotion over himself and the spare bed (silently!!!) all jewellery making activities had to stop and the cleanup had to begin.

On the upside, before discovering Mr2's mischief I did get one of the pieces I was working on completed.

The Lunar Pendant is now available in my Etsy store. Made from reticulated and fused sterling silver it is one of a kind, and very hard to photograph!

Mr2 is now bathed and in bed asleep - yes I am sure of it this time! Sounds like the washing machine has finished - I had better go hang out the doona cover.

I spied a spider.....

2010-01-17T18:17:00.003+11:00

Hubby was in the garage and picked up a paper bag of heat beads and found a lot more than he bargained for. The biggest female redback spider either of us had ever seen!

Well these ladies are about as Australian as Vegemite, but not something that I really encounter that often, thankfully!

Talk about a close encounter of the arachnid kind!

Place your bets!

2010-01-14T10:25:00.003+11:00

Only six weeks to go until we meet the newest member of our family. As per my previous pregnancy we have opted to have a 'surprise', so as the weeks pass I am getting more and more excited wondering what we will get.

Everyone has a theory, whether based on their own experience, an old wives tales or maybe intuition.

So join in the fun, get your thinking/guessing/betting caps on... place your bests and give me your prediction.

To help your analysis here are some 'facts' that people usually use when sharing their wisdom with me:

I am carrying pretty high and straight out to the front

I have put on about 7-8kgs

I had morning sickness for the first 3 months or so

I am what people consider to be very small or compact or "all baby" as I often hear

I have not had any food cravings or any specific aversions to foods

To me my pregnancy feels pretty much identical to my first (which was a boy)

My ob is predicting this baby will be just a bit smaller than my first - hmmm interesting... haha

What's your theory and why, and be sure to let me know if you need any more info ;)

Hot and bothered...

2010-01-12T15:08:00.006+11:00

I am not normally one to feel the heat, in fact I normally tell people I was a lizard in a past life, I love to bask in sunbeams! But this past weekend has pushed even me to the limit, we have had a number of 'stinking' hot days in a row... and a broken down air conditioner!

So now I join the Melbourne masses, eagerly awaiting the elusive cool change...

And while I wait I have been browsing Etsy for some cooling aussie listings by the talented artists of the Down Under Street Team (DUST). Here are some cooling items that have caught my eye today:

shore necklace - amazonite and silver by wing by sea

Soul of the Sea Wall Hanging by Bibliphilia

Ocean Breeze - Vintage Lucite and Vintaj Brass Earrings by michvanetta

Starfish bright soap by Splash Giggle

Summer time Triple Stack of Resin Bangles by bobishi

To find more items by the members of DUST search for 'dust_team'

The home straight

2010-01-04T11:40:00.002+11:00

Things have been a little quiet on the jewellery creation front of late, offset by the silly season. That is all past us now, while it would be nice to kick back and relax we are almost at the business end of pregnancy related things.

That's right, in less that 8 weeks we have "Peanut2".

Nursery ART Print - LIMITED EDITION - 'Counting Days' (8.3x11. 7'') by BadliBearART

So for now there is still quite a bit of preparation to be done at home, and no doubt a healthy dose of waiting.... waiting.... waiting....

Upsy Daisy

2009-12-05T22:25:00.002+11:00

As promised I have been busy working on some new daisy pieces and have three pretty new pairs of earrings to show you. All sterling silver with torch fired enamel.

Daisy Drop Earrings in buttercup yellow

Daisy Drop Earrings in flame red

Daisy Chain Earrings in white and transparent rose purple

I have many other enamel colours so if you would like similar errings in a different colour combination just drop me a line via my Etsy store.

Daytripper....

2009-12-02T20:12:00.008+11:00

This friday will mark 3 years since we purchased our house at auction. On the day it was about 42 degrees celcius and we had only found out that morning that I was pregnant with our first baby.

I love our house and our garden, so now is a great time to show off one of our most recent additions to our garden.

We ordered our Daylilies online when we got back from our holiday in August. They arrived with their heads chopped off wrapped in damp newspaper.

We planted them that weekend, and by the next weekend new green tips were showing through.

They quickly grew up into nice green leafy plants, but having planted them so close to the flowering season I had thought we may have missed flowering this year.

However we have been pleasently surprised to find that for all but two of the varieties they have gotten in early enough to flower.

They are probably a little shorter this year, and the blooms are a little few and far between. But we have been very happy with the new additions to our garden, and there are still two close to flowering that we haven't seen yet.

As I have mentioned before my garden is a great source of inspiration for me, and this weekend I will begin work on a new daisy inspired enamel range. So as always... Watch this space!

A moment in time....

2009-11-26T16:29:00.002+11:00

The countdown is on until we have our second child. There seems to be so much to do and so little time. I do wonder constantly about the impact that this will have on our son (currently 2yrs and 3months) and also my relationship with him.

Last night, he lifted my top to look at my tummy, pointed and said "baby girl in there". (Note we have not found out the sex of the new baby, but Mr2 just seems very set on this 'fact'). He gave my belly a kiss then said "Night, night. I love you!" while waving to his little sibling.

I think I have been grinning all day at the thought of it. Little children can say and do the most beautiful things! I think we're going to be just fine ;)

Incalesco is turning 1

2009-11-24T12:04:00.004+11:00

This Friday is Incalesco's first birthday. To celebrate I am offering 10% discount to you my blog readers.

To receive 10% discount off any item in my store simply enter the code "Blog Reader 10%" at the Etsy checkout in the Notes to Seller.

*You must follow my blog to receive the discount.
*Offer valid until 27th November.
*To receive the discount either wait for a revised paypal invoice, or pay the normal price upfront and I will refund the difference via paypal

Shhhh, please don't tell anyone....

2009-11-24T09:30:00.003+11:00

Erin from Inner Earth Soaps is currently running a giveaway of a 3 month soap subscription.

The fewer people who know the better chance I have of winning so please keep this to yourselves! It's probably best you don't bother entering, as the soaps are really destined to be mine!

But if you have read this far and are really determined to win MY soap subscription you can enter by following the instructions at Erin's blog.

Art Deco Inspired

2009-11-10T19:21:00.009+11:00

It has been on the backburner for a little while, but I have finally had the time (and the silver) to continue on with my Art Deco starburst/snowflake inspired Topaz pendant. I first introduced you to this pendant in September when I made the bezel setting.

I have now transferred the design which my hubby tidied up for me to the silver and saw pierced the design.

As much as hubby would like me to have stopped at this point, a sterling silver 'ninja star', I had other ideas!

The following image shows the components layered together and the scale, as you can see this is a pretty sizable piece, it will be a real statement piece of jewellery when completed.

After cutting down the bezel to the correct height it was time to place and solder it.

Due to the volume of silver in the piece it took a considerable amount of time to solder. If any part of the piece is allowed to cool the heat quickly dissipates preventing the solder from running.

Now it needs to be tidied up and the bail attached...

A grand unveiling - enamel ring #1

2009-11-08T14:57:00.010+11:00

Hooray, this weekend has been most productive (and we still have a few hours of sunlight!). I am very happy to be able to show you the first of my enamel pieces.

I have called this ring "Full Bloom" as it is reminiscent of the big bold roses in my front garden right now.

This ring involved a bit of experimentation, and a fair bit of luck ;) I started by first constructing the ring.

In some of my enamel test pieces I found the enamel was cracking. I had a theory that this was because I was allowing it to cool too quickly. As I had not yet perfected the torch fired enamelling and was moving on to trickier pieces with solder joins I did some extra reading. A tip that I picked up was to anneal and pickel the piece at least three times, this will prevent any potential movement left in the metal and also protect the solder from running again (hopefully!).

After annealing I cleaned the inner dome with a brass brush and let it air dry, this was to prevent any oils from my fingers contaminating the surface. I 'wet packed' the flame red enamel so that I could get it to sit up the walls of the dome.

After allowing the red enamel to dry for a couple of hours I added the dry buttercup yellow enamel.

Time then to cross my fingers and fire. I am really happy with the end result, it is available now on Etsy. Keep your eyes out in the coming weeks for some new enamel pieces in a fab range of colours.

Experimental Enamel

2009-10-25T15:36:00.012+11:00

As promised I got the opportunity to do some experimentation with torch firing enamel on the weekend. Previously I have only ever worked with kiln fired enamel. And while you can achieve some lovely effects a) you need a kiln! and b) it can be extremely time consuming.

So with a batch of flame red enamel I set about making some samples. I discussed 'wet packing' the enamel with the staff at my supplies shop, but they said that while it is possible the evaporation of the water can cause spitting which can be very dangerous. I opted for 'dry packing' which you can see below. Basically the enamel is sprinkled on in dust form then brushed into the area that I want to enamel.

They said to use a fairly gentle flame, which I did to start off, but my enamel instantly went black!

I had no idea if this was expected behaviour or not, the enamel was not turning molten, so clearly it should require more heat.

Anyway, I figured either way, this batch of enamel was already black so I couldn't damage it any more and continued on, finally it began to get molten.

It started to look red again, I had no idea if this was purely just because of the heat, or the pigment of the enamel.

I gave it a bit more heat until it was really nice and glassy.

When I stopped the flame it went black again.... But as it cooled it started to turn red!

Hooray, I didn't burn it after all!

I tried a few times to check the consistency of colour and experiment with different flames. Now knowing what to expect I found it was actually pretty easy. I was also able to try using flambe and flux on the back of the piece to assist with cleanup.

I'm pretty happy with my little samples, now I have to show my friend the colour swatches and see if this is the look she's after.

'Scent'sational Spring

2009-10-25T14:22:00.007+11:00

Despite the somewhat disappointing spring weather we have had this year our front garden is out in bloom at the moment. It is full of colour and life... and inspiration!

This weekend we have two new additions, they both look and smell divine.

While we were planting these two I noticed some gaps, maybe a few more roses will be making their way to our garden in the next few weeks ;)

Supplies Shopping

2009-10-23T14:16:00.008+11:00

Today I have gotten organised, I arranged with my in-laws to come and mind Mr 2 so that I could duck out for a couple of hours to the city where all the supplies shops are. This means I have been able to stock up on a few bits and pieces, some that have been on the shopping list for quite a while.

I have been altering some jewellery for a friend who would like some enamelled features. I do not have a kiln at home but have been waiting to get into the city and investigate enamel that can be torch fired. I was lucky that my regular supplies shop has in fact just got in some American Thompson enamel that is lead free and can be torch fired.

I will do some experiments first before I attack my friends jewellery, but I hope to have some test pieces to show you soon. I also got a nifty tripod, as when you torch fire enamel you have to heat from below. I have just got one colour to play with now, I'll see how much I enjoy torch firing before I race out and get any more colours.

I have also stocked up on some more Sterling Silver. This time coming home with 1mm plate, 0.6mm plate and 3mm round wire.

I checked out some of the things on my wish list too, unfortunately none of them were on super duper 75% off sale or anything that exciting. And none of them came in at under $280 so they all remain wishes for now ;)

I got home to find that Mr 2 was sound asleep, Nanna must have the magic touch ;) or Pa wore him out! Anyway, on that happy note I whipped up a pear and fig loaf which smells like it is almost cooked.... Mmmmmmmmm

At last, a finished piece!

2009-10-18T17:33:00.008+11:00

Finally, after weeks and weeks of work in progress, I have actually got a finished piece to show. And it is not one of the works in progress I have previously shown you!

I would like to introduce the Serpent Bracelet.

In 2006 while studying I did some snake scale inspired press forming. The pieces were put together in a glo-mesh style configuration. While I loved the look, the overall construction was flimsy. I decided to put my 'snake skin' into the partial box for later use.

The sample has been given new life as often happens. They sit in the 'partials' box waiting for inspiration to strike. The tabs have been removed and each scale is now joined with a jump ring.

The surface of the soldered bracelet has been brushed with a brass brush to give a soft finish. Then the whole piece has been very lightly oxidised, just enough to give the fabulous range of colour you can see pictured.

The Serpent Bracelet is available now in my Etsy store.

Peppermint Crisp - A new work in progress

2009-10-11T19:04:00.006+11:00

I had a couple of setbacks this weekend which has resulted in me putting aside the pieces I was currently working on and starting a brand new one. I generally like to have a few pieces on the go, but hopefully I may get to finish something before I start anything else!

The topaz pendant I had planned to work on this weekend will hopefully get back in motion next weekend, after I pick up some more silver. The piece I had planned to use was not quite big enough. Sadly the sqaure cut amethyst that was to go in the knife edge ring met an unfortunate end, I will need to put that one on hold until I order some new stones.

So on to the new piece! This one had a name from the moment I started, inspired by the gorgeous octagon cut 1 carat green tourmaline I am using.

It reminds me of those crispy mint pieces you get in some chocolate bars, mmm chocolate...

This one will be paired with a nice solid sterling silver ring with champhered edges reflecting the cut of the stone.

It will be set in a nice little basket which I am yet to make.

Hello Bella Moon!

2009-10-09T16:44:00.009+11:00

Today I have dropped off a number of pieces, including many of my one of a kind works at a gorgeous new store in Brunswick.

Bella Moon
Shop 2, 341 Sydney Road
Brunswick, Victoria, 3056

It was an absolute pleasure spending a couple of hours with Marti this afternoon getting the stock all setup nicely, she has given my work a wonderful position right in the middle of the front window. It was great to see people stop and look!

The shop is beautiful and bright and inviting, everything is presented beautifully. As well as jewellery Bella Moon sells other products like Handbags, scarves and hats. Marti also makes some of the jewellery herself. It's well worth a visit!

Outsourcing

2009-10-09T16:18:00.002+11:00

It has been a little while since I showed you the bezel settings I had been working on. Whilst I had the best of intentions the last few weeks ahave been somewhat hectic and I didn't get to spend any time at the bench.

Last weekend we were blessed with some fabulous spring weather, which would have been perfect to get some work done. Instead I pottered around the garden.

I also hit a small roadblock after sketching the design for the topaz pendant. After coming up with a design I was happy with I needed to convert this to a nice symmetrical and geometrically accurate design.... Hmmmm, grade 10 geometry, I don't remember any of it!!!

Luckily I was able to outsource this task to my wonderful hubby. Equipt with a compas and protractor and various other vaguely familiar looking implements he transferred my design to a usable template. And all it cost for his labour was a thankyou kiss!

Taking shape

2009-09-20T15:45:00.012+10:00

My mission for this weekend was to make two bezel settings, one for a round blue topaz which will go on a pendant and one for a square amethyst to go on a ring.

I started with the 'easy' round one, first bending up the bezel wire to the approximate diameter of the stone.

Once cut to the approximate size and shape I used my bezel mandrel to get a nice round form.

The bezel was not quite snug enough (you can see a gap at the left of the photo below), so I used my saw to carefully shave off 1-2mm at the join.

Ready to solder I used flambe (a mix of borax, boracic and methylated spirits) which gives the bezel the crusty white appearance and then some flux at the join. These will help keep away fire scale meaning less filing later.

Once soldered and into the pickel I began the square setting. To get nice crisp corners it is necessary to score the inner corner. This is done by first creating a shallow cut with the saw, then using a square needle file to make a 45 degree channel.

All bent into shape and soldered the square bezel was ready to go into the pickel for cleaning.

Back to the round bezel it was time to make the inner sleeve which the stone will sit on. The process is pretty much as per the outer sleeve, once it fit snugly I soldered it in.

The square bezel now clean from being pickeled can now have a light file.

At the moment it is a little tight for the stone to 'drop in', but I will use a burr later to help it in.

The square bezel is going onto a knife edged ring which I made earlier. I filed a groove so the bezel could drop down onto the ring for soldering.

Happy with todays progress, and developing a headache, it was time to call it a day. With any luck I may be able to complete both pieces, we'll see.....

They're back....

2009-09-13T17:18:00.007+10:00

Back in June I deactivated Etsy listings for a number of one-of-a-kind items so that I could put them in my cube at in.cube8r. Today I vacated my cube and picked up what was left over.

Some of these items will be destined to go on display in a new store in Brunswick in October (watch this space). So if there is anything that you are really in love with I suggest you grab it now while you can ;)

Some that have returned and are now available on etsy:

black seed pod earrings

trilogy pendant

gooseberry pendant

art deco opal ring

Four seasons in one day...

2009-09-11T13:37:00.008+10:00

Perhaps the very first 'wearable' piece of jewellery I made when I was studying is my "Winter Moon" pendant.

The winter moon pendant was hand carved in wax and cast using the lost wax method. Later in 2006 I made a matching ring which was sold at a fund raising auction for our graduate exhibition. My friend Tamara was noticed admiring the ring at the South Melbourne Market, and the wearer told her the story of how she bought it at auction and her name means tree. Tam laughed and said "my friend Erika made it!".

I have kept the winter moon pendant and always receive compliments when I wear it. Earlier this year I decided to build upon this concept making a range of seasonal jewelery based on winter moon.

First cabs off the rank are another winter moon pendant, and spring blossom ring featuring a rubellite blossom. I have purchased a number of tiny leaf shaped garnets for autumn leaves and leaf shaped sapphires for summer leaves. I also have a nice collection of tiny round tourmaline 'blossoms' for a spring pendant.

Sadly I no longer have access to casting equipment, so these will have to be professionally cast. I am hoping to have the first two done in the coming months.

Motivation...

2009-09-06T16:48:00.004+10:00

I have never much enjoyed going to the gym, however earlier this year our local gym was offering special when you enrolled a child in swim school. I had a 'trainer' who wrote up a program and I was supposed to go three times a week.

Whilst in theory 3 times a week is possible, I found it difficult to co-ordinate with work, home/toddler, hubbies gym nights etc. Very quickly I settled into the routine of going to Iyengar Yoga once a week.

As much as I LOVE yoga and the way I feel when I regularly attend, it becomes very easy to make excuses and negotaite with yourself. On a Wednesday night after work it would be I'm a bit tired, I'll go on Sunday instead. Of course on Sunday the excuse is I'm too busy, it's right in the middle of the day, I'll just go on Wednesday. Then of course with the morning sickness it became I'll go once I get to the second trimester, I'll feel better and have more energy then.

Finally today I went back to yoga (after checking with my Ob first that it was OK). There are certain poses that I cannot do, or have to do differently from the rest of the class. But the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment was wonderful. I have finally found my motivation!

And with that motivation still fresh I came home and finished the earrings I have been working on, the Bubbles Earrings

Now I just have to hang onto the motivation tight! Wish me luck.

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-09-02T10:29:00.002+10:00

Today a wish has come true. Hubby has been wanting to upgrade his 15 year old car and has decided to do a switch where he will take my car and I will get the new one...

He has ordered my new wheels this morning!

No more struggling to get our son into his car seat in the back of hubbies 2 door coupe every morning, a task that will only get trickier as my belly gets bigger.

Getting the Blues

2009-08-31T20:25:00.003+10:00

The DUST sale theme for September is "Blue" so there has never been a better time to get the "Blues".

For the month of September Incalesco has specials on Blue Jewellery ranging from 10-20% off the normal price, you can find these in the SALE section.

For other great Aussie handmade products take a look here

Big is Beautiful

2009-08-28T14:32:00.006+10:00

Especially when it comes to bling!

I am starting to feel a whole lot better, and as I do I am getting more and more excited about getting to work on some fabulous new jewellery.

Perfect for spring will be some big bright gem stone pieces. Here's a sneak peak at a few of the star attractions.

First up a pear shaped double rose cut amethyst with a vivid purple colour. This beauty is 3.809 carats. For this one I am seeing a pendant with a bit of a spin, to take full advantage of the double cut.

Next we have a beautiful round brilliant cut topaz in a pretty sky blue. For this 2.642 carat stunner I'm thinking a bit of an ice queen inspiration.

And last but not least (rest assured there are plenty more where these come from) a very pretty pair of round brilliant cut topaz in a vibrant peony colour. This pair weigh in at a respectable 4.501 carats and of course are destined to become some ear bling.

So there you have it, I'm looking forward to bringing you some glorious one of a kind spring creations soon.

Working on something very special

2009-08-24T12:11:00.003+10:00

In the past weeks most of my energy has been going towards a very special new creation, however this one is not jewellery. In fact since starting on this I have actually had little or no desire to make jewellery at all...

Yes, that's right, I'm pregnant! Our 2nd baby is due in Feb 2010. Our little work-in-progress is currently known as Peanut2 (no prize for guessing what our first was called).

At almost 14 weeks I am starting to feel less sick and maybe starting to get back a little energy. I have also started to think about some new jewellery pieces, so hopefully will be back at the bench soon.

So watch this space, we will have the grand unveiling of our new 'Masterpiece' early in the New Year!

Our baby is growing up

2009-08-19T10:13:00.003+10:00

Today we have reached a very special milestone. Our baby boy is two today, time really has flown by so quickly!

Happy 2nd Birthday my little darling, be kind to Mummy and Daddy, make two terrific rather than terrible!

Take me back to the tropics!

2009-08-16T17:30:00.004+10:00

Some of you may have noticed that I have been absent for a while. Today as the wind whips at my house and the rain falls I wonder why it is that we flew back to Melbourne yesterday. But alas the real world beckons and we have a living to earn, so now I just fondly reminisce about our trip to Far North Queensland and remember the lovely 29 degree celcius days.

I think I could get used to having a 'dry season' rather than winter, not so sure how I'd do in the wet though. This is the lovely 4 mile beach in Port Douglas.

Hmmmm... where to next? Definately time to start planning another holiday I think!

Wishlist Wednesday.... On Thursday!

2009-07-23T13:56:00.005+10:00

Hmmm, where has this week gone. Only as I was logging into blogger did I realise that today is Thursday, not Wednesday.

Not to worry... Here's my belated wishlist. So pretty and colourful.

Everywhere Light - 8x10 Fractal Art Print by diaspora

Soft Cotton Bracelet - Vegan by easternsky

The Tessa Ribbons of Color Woven Tea Trivet by abercot

Some Etsy Love

2009-07-10T11:33:00.005+10:00

Twice this week I have been lucky enough to find that overnight one of my pieces was featured on the Front Page of Etsy.

First it was my Cyclops Ring

Then last night my Pink Plumeria Earrings

Funnily enough these sort of things always happen when you least expect it. I have been feeling a little tired and run-down lately and decided to take a break from promoting my Etsy shop until I return from holiday in mid August. The universe works in mysterious ways!

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-07-08T09:24:00.003+10:00

This week I just wish I could fast forward the rest of July, as on the 1st August we go on two weeks holiday (hmmm, wish that was four weeks!). I can't wait to get away from these freezing cold winter mornings.

Image courtesy of cairns.com.au

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-07-01T09:22:00.007+10:00

Some bright fun felty finds for a cold winters day in Melbourne. Any of these would make great gifts for kids (or big kids at heart)...

Needle Felted Wool Playscape with Miniature Animals, Toadstool and Cave by asherjasper (I am very tempted by this one for my little mans 2nd birthday coming up soon!)

bird nesting kit by maddyandme

The Four Process ... Waldorf Math Gnome Set by julieblanchette

Pseudocode for jewellery

2009-06-29T18:14:00.010+10:00

One of the things I had drummed into me while studying was that you have to write pseudocode before you start programming. For the less nerdy of us, that is you basically write in sort of english the framework for your program before you start chipping away in the programming language.

This was something that never sat well with me. I would write myself comments for the major milestones and go straight to programming. For the sake of my assessments I would reverse engineer that into pseudocode afterwards. I am not a programmer now, but I do write SQL code, yet I never ever write pseudocode.

Fast forward a few years to when I was studying jewellery, the message that was driven home constantly was that you MUST MUST MUST document your design process. I have a confession that reading the previous paragraph wont surprise you, this is something that I am very lax at.

While I was studying my designs were well documented, they had to be. But I found now that I have slipped into my old ways of thinking through my designs in my head. This is not to say I get an idea in my head and just make it, that is not really designing per say. The design process involves starting with a concept and developing that over time, working through design and construction issues, "if I do this it will be too weak" or "after I attach that I can't do any more soldering" maybe "if I change that from a circle to an oval it may sit nicer" or "if I attach the stone on this angle it will catch the light better" etc.

I have had a wakeup call today. I am a member of a team on Etsy of jewellery artisans. Controversy arose when one member of the team accused another of copying designs. Now it is quite possible that these two people independently came up with the same design. But what is important is being able to show the process involved in the design. This is not a drawing of just the item itself, but they way in which you developed this idea. It can be accompanied by writing, descriptions, annotations or whatever. I used to do this and sign and date it when I did.

My exhibition pieces started from the same concept which I explored and developed over two years. The newer pieces in the same range stem from these. One of the big inspirations for some of my pieces was a method called paper tolle that my sister and I used as kids to make cards. In exploring these childhood activities further I had planned to make some paper chain people jewellery, however I did a search on Etsy and found that someone has already done exactly that. Although our interpretations would have been different I immediately disbanded that idea.

So today I make a mid-years resolution (it's close enough). I am going to be much more studious at documenting my designs. It will probably help me as a jeweller to further develop my skills, and if god forbid anyone calls my integrity into dispute, it will act as evidence that my designs are all my own.

The images throughout this blog post are pages from my journal documenting my art deco opal ring. Although a traditional styled ring you can see a lot of design development and technical design went into this piece.

Thankyou!

2009-06-26T12:49:00.006+10:00

Today I would like to say thankyou for some lovely goodies that have arrived in my mailbox. It is such a pleasant feeling to find something in the mail that is not a bill!

Firstly I received a beautiful, soft and snuggly bamboo baby blanket from the Styled Baby blog. I can't even recall the last time I won something, I think it may have been a raffle when I was about 6 years old and the prize was a yellow football that had been signed by some players, you can just imagine how *thrilled* a 6 year old girl would be with that

This time however I am really happy with my win, and we will put it to good use when we have our next baby.

The next pretty thing in my mail box was a package of 'Thankyou' tags from Anna of Koko Vanilla Designs as a gift for doing a blog feature on her earlier this month. I look forward to being able to send some special 'Thankyous' with these pretty tags.

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-06-24T10:05:00.006+10:00

I am always in awe of the beautiful items to be found in the ceramics and pottery section of Etsy.

Here are just selection of my favourites, there is such a vast range of colour, form and texture.... Ahhh still wishing.....

Cozy mug pair...with star in reversible sherbert by vesselsandwares

Lacy bird bowl in raspberry and cream by PrinceDesignUK

Four finger vases by catherinereece

Mokume Mead

2009-06-21T14:49:00.006+10:00

Last week I showed you a ring that I was working on, featuring mokume gane and silver sleeved shank with an oval cut brazilian fire opal. This weekend I have continued on with that and it is now completed.

I had left of with the ring assembled, the next steps were to:

cut out the section of shank below the setting
file away excess solder and emery
apply 925 stamp to the shank
polish and clean
finally set the stone and tidy up

The finished result, I think the 1.248 carat brazilian fire opal picks up the colouration of the mokume gane perfectly.

This ring will be available later this week in my cube it will be replacing the Spearmint Swirl ring that sold on Friday.

incalesco @ in.cube8r

2009-06-19T18:45:00.009+10:00

As of today you can now find incalesco jewellery at in.cube8r. I have delisted some of my one of a kind items on Etsy in order to put them in store.

I have been busy all week activating my ABN, registering my business name and making display materials.

As I had done a mock layout to test the number of pieces everything fitted in nicely. The location of my cube is great. I am in the second set of cubes back from the window, second from the top on the left.

I even made my first sale while I was setting up my cube. My Spearmint Swirl Ring found a lovely new owner. I hope this is a sign of things to come!

So if you are in Melbourne please drop in
in.cube8r gallery
321 smith street
fitzroy VIC 3065
(near johnston st)

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-06-17T09:39:00.004+10:00

I mentioned in a wishlist a few weeks ago that I would like a new handbag.

Well this is one wish that is coming true thanks to Kirrily from Plus 1 Design.

Kirrily makes lovely bags, keyfobs and purses like this beauty the Vintage du jour purse

But being a bit specific and set in my ways she is working with me to make me the perfect bag, who could wish for more!

So watch this space, I will be sure to show you my bag when it's done.

On the bench

2009-06-15T19:41:00.005+10:00

This weekend I have been busily working away on a ring that I have wanted to make for quite a while.

I have started with a piece of mokume gane that we made when I was at 'school'. Mokume gane is a japanese technique. Two or more diferent metals are layered and fired in a kiln until they fuse but don't melt. You then carefully forge and roll the metal. Finally you burr the surface to reveal the different layers and then continue to roll until the surface is flat, and beautiful woodgrain patterns have been revealed. My mokume gane is made of copper and brass.

I have made a ring with a sterling silver inner sleeve. I am teaming this with a bezel set beautiful honey yellow brazilian fire opal. I love the bright milky colour of this stone.

I started by carefully forming the outer bezel which I soldered with hard solder. The inner bezel has been tightly fit inside the outer bezel and was soldered in using medium solder. Finally the based of the bezel was cut down and filed into a curve to match the profile of the ring and soldered using easy solder. Due to the large surface area of the ring a tremendous amount of heat (and a lot of time and patience) was required to get the solder to run, but by using the different solders I could ensure that previous joins did not melt.

A little way to go yet, including cutting the shank out under the bezel and cleanup before the stone can bet set. But I am sure you can already imagine how nice this will look when completed.

Incubation Preparation

2009-06-13T17:44:00.007+10:00

This coming Friday 19th June Incalesco Jewellery will be taking up residence at in.cube8r gallery in Fitzroy. You setup and display your items in any way you like, rather than spending an exorbitant amount of money on commercial jewellery build ups and hangers I have decided to make my own. This is also very much in keeping with the handmade nature of my work.

It is freezing in Melbourne right now so I had to borrow the Hubby's flannel and go raid the woodshed. I have selected a lovely branch of the approximate diameter I was after. After clamping the branch in the vice I was able to quickly saw of a number of slices of varying height.

The next step is to mock up the arrangement that I will use in the 40cm cube to work out how I would like to lay everything out and which pieces I want to include.

Jewellery displays sorted so now I can concentrate on finishing off some pieces and taking care of some of the business admin side of things.

If you are in Melbourne be sure to drop in and see all the lovely goodies:

in.cube8r gallery
321 smith street
fitzroy VIC 3065
(near johnston st)

Koko Vanilla Designs

2009-06-12T17:21:00.009+10:00

Who doesn't love raiding the stationery cupboard at work? I love to go and stockpile all the prettiest colours of post-it notes! At my husbands work the stationery cupboard is locked and only certain people can get stuff out, so my fetish can't be that strange!

Imagine my delight browsing through a store like Koko Vanialla Designs, everything is so pretty, I covet it all!!! So it makes sense that I have had a chat with the lovely Anna from Koko Vanilla Designs to find out some more.

How long have you been crafting and what made you decide to turn it into a business?

I have always had a love of all things craft, but when I started having children is when I started to have more time to pursue crafts so say I have been Scrapbooking and Card Making for about 11 yrs now. I was attracted to papercrafts, with both scrapbooking because it gave me an opportunity to journal my children’s lives, something they can look back on and I love making cards that are special and personalised for people and its also a good way of using up all the scraps of papers that accumulate. Each time my child has a birthday the invitations are always handmade and beautiful and I usually make matching lolly bags or boxes for their friends. It seemed like a natural progression to turn it into a business.

I grew up in a family business my parents ran their own reception centre for 25 yrs so being your own boss and running your own show has always been high on my list. I’m very much a believer you should love what you do as a career choice so I am being the example I always encourage others to do. Having kids of course it is much easier to work from home than having a job with set hours and the fact that it’s something l love doing and know the industry so well is a bonus.

How did you come up with the name Koko Vanilla Designs?

The name is a hard one I agonised over this for months. I really didn’t want a name that identified with just scrapbooking or just cards for example I wanted a name that could incorporate anything if down the track I decided to design something different. So I just kept playing around with different words until something sounded right and a bit different. Koko Vanilla just came from there. There is no real meaning behind it other than pick a name that you love because you will be using it over and over and saying it all the time.

Do you start out with an idea or image in you mind and then find supplies to match or do you draw inspiration from the supplies you have available?

I definitely draw inspiration from everywhere. Sometimes its from the products I already have, and sometimes its from endless hours of surfing on the web (my biggest time waster I might add), to see how others do things is great for keeping the creative flow happening. However when I sit down and actually create its whatever comes to me, so even if I might have seen something that someone else has created and think I might make a card like that I end up putting my twist on it and it comes out completely different. I love doing one offs I am not a repetitive sort of artist I don’t mind doing a few of the one thing but then I get bored with it. I don’t have the discipline to do production line items I love to create differently each time I make something.

What is your workspace like?

My workspace for the most part is a bit disorganised. I have a whole room in which to create, so I am very lucky but at the moment the supplies overtake the space and it needs lots of organising. It is a gradual process trying to work out the best system for things so they can be easily seen and categorized and taken out to pack into an order or made to use on a project..

As for my desk well it’s great when a project is finished and is tidy but during the creative process let’s just say I don’t have that much space left to actually create on by the time the project is finishing. I am a get all my supplies out (stamps, inks, papers, tape, scissors, bling, flowers, ribbon etc etc) and don’t interrupt me because I am in my creative flow type of girl. My cooking is much the same. I do clean up afterwards though.

What do you most enjoy making, and do you have any favourites in your Etsy shop right now?

I love making anything and everything. I especially love making the jumbo scalloped tags and cards. I just made a cute cupcake set of scalloped tags and I really enjoyed making those they are so cute and bright rainbow colours they are my favourite at the moment. Each one is slightly different great for popping onto a gift.

My other favourite is a gorgeous style shabby chic pink and white wish card with a bird and lace and chipboard on the front. It is even more beautiful in real life. The card took me a while to make but I am happy with the result.

There are too many beautiful things to show you them all, so please stop in at Koko Vanilla Designs to see them for yourself.

Feeling the love

2009-06-12T09:25:00.006+10:00

I noticed this morning a sudden jump in the number of hearts my shop and many items had received and was happily surprised to find that my black seed pod earrings had been on the front page of Etsy overnight.

The front page treasury was curated by Michelle of michvanetta, another lovely Melbourne Jeweller.

Also this morning I have pieces in two new treasuries.

My new Rockpool Pendant is in 'Baking Hot Sand' by fionachapman

And my new Cyclops Ring is in 'Burnt Creamsilcle' by cooljewelrydesign

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-06-10T09:02:00.008+10:00

This weeks wishlist is all fabric and thread, I love the fantastic colours and textures used in these pieces.

Fyah by charsbeadcreations

Blue and green kanzashi chrysanthemum hair clip by Anbo

Sundance Earrings in Roses, with beads by Krystledawne

sea garden yo-yo necklace by cookoorikoo

Scratching the surface

2009-06-09T10:54:00.007+10:00

I love to add colour to my work and in the past have regularly introduced colour by the inclusion of stones, fabric and accents of metal. I have also used surface treatments such as oxidising and fine silver finishing.

Lately I have been experimenting with some interesting colourful surface treatments. While it is not necessary I have chosen in my work to apply the patina to a texturised surface, this way I can remove layers to reveal different colours and patterns.

In my store right now you can see brass that has a copper patina, this comes as a result of the heating and pickeling process.

Halo Earrings

Cherry Drops Earrings

New in store is some work I have been doing with verdigris, the fabulous aged blue/green layering you can see on old copper roofs such as Flinders Street Station in Melbourne. I have used amonia to get the verdigris on these pieces, this gives a vibrant cerulean blue colouration. I have also noticed that the age of the copper seems to have some impact on the colour, I am finding I get a better intensity from the recycled copper than from new copper sheet.

Reef Earrings

Rockpool Pendant

You can get varying shades of verdigris depending on what chemical treatment you use. I would love to hear about what you have tried and what colours you have achieved.

Treasure Hunt

2009-06-05T17:50:00.007+10:00

Today I have been very productive, I have nothing to show for it right now but hopefully I will have a few new pieces to show you by the end of the long weekend.

In the meantime I have been lucky enough to find my work in another five treasuries, I love seeing all the different and interssting themes. The selection of items is so diverse.

Spring Fling by claygrl

Woodland Creatures by beyondthethicket

Subtleties by jewelflyt

Metalmania by ReaganHayhurst

Cold As Ice by VanillaPixie

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-06-03T10:01:00.005+10:00

I will have to attribute this weeks wishlist to the fact I watched some 'Animal Planet' last night! Here are some animals I'd love to have at my house...

Verdigris Lion Mask...handmade original leather mask by Merimask

Bunny -Brooch by HeliS

Small Fabric Brooch - The horse and the fox by rubyjo

A quinella of treasuries

2009-05-31T14:46:00.007+10:00

Sometimes you can go for days or even weeks without having an item featured in a treasury. Today I am fortunate to be featured in not one, but five!

My Eclipse Earrings are in Hot Sizzling Nights by walrustusk

My Black Seed Pod Earrings are in a greener side of dust by plusonedesign

They are also in Hoo Boy by Studio Elan

My Cherry Drops Earrings are in you are looking fine today by ileaiye

And last but not least, my Gooseberry Pendant is in Contemplatability by drdjc

Thanks to all those who featured my work, it has given me a real buzz.

The wait is over...

2009-05-29T14:35:00.007+10:00

I first introduced you to my smokey quartz cocktail ring in April. We have had some upsets along the way, the most recent being that I chipped the stone last weekend when setting it.

I ordered a new stone and it was delivered this morning. This time I got it in without a scratch, I think it's worth the wait!

You will be able to find this ring in my Etsy store very soon.

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-05-27T09:27:00.006+10:00

I'm seeing red today, but since red is my favourite colour, that's a good thing!

Here are some fantastic shades of red from my favourites.

Red Tulip dress by larimeloom

red apple by tinctory

Creole Top Fuschia and orange by LesEnfantsSauvages

Treasure trove

2009-05-23T17:40:00.005+10:00

I just logged on to etsy to list my latest creation and found a convo saying that the treasury I curated the other night had been on the front page - woo hoo!

I have curated about 5 or 6 treasuries but this was the first to ever make it to the front page 'One day I'll fly away':

I also have items in two treasuries at the moment, my cherry drops earrings in 'faded elegance' by jewelflyt

and my effervesce ring in 'I Heart...' by vintageprincipessa

I also have an item as an alternate in this treasury, 'metal flowers' by CreationsbyCat :

The best laid plans

2009-05-22T12:23:00.010+10:00

I look forward to Friday, it is the start of my weekend! I get to spend the day playing, reading, dancing, and cuddling. Eventually all that activity wears out the little fella and he goes down for a sleep and I race out to the workshop and work on my jewellery.

This morning started well. I prepared a few earrings for an order and then set about working on my smokey quartz cocktail ring which I first showed you here in April. I have been working away at it in the background while producing some pieces that are quicker to make.

Now the hard work had all been done, the setting was finished and soldered onto the shank and it was time to cleanup. Due to the intricate nature of this ring I expected cleanup to be fiddly and time consuming.

The first step was to cut out the portion of the ring shank underneath the setting - done!

The next is to file... and file... and file....

But sometimes things just don't go according to plan. And a fracture on one of the claws means that they have to be removed, they have become brittle and overworked when soldering the setting to the ring.

Now for the god news, I resited the urge to take a hammer to it and relieve some frustration! To remove the claws I have re-run the solder.

I have to start over and reattach the setting and new claws. On that unfortunate note I have decided to call it a day.

It is a bit sad that I have come from being so close to finished to this point, but these things happen, this is not the first piece that I have had this sort of issue with, and it wont be the last. I might get started again on this ring over the weekend, or I might put it on the back burner and work on something else.

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-05-20T11:08:00.008+10:00

It's still some time off yet, but eventually our son is going to have to move from the 'nursery' into what is currently the spare bedroom. The room is intentionally neutral in colour and I have been thinking of how I will decorate it and make it his own special place.

I don't want a specific theme, I want it to be a place he can play and imagine and make happy memories....

Airplane Midi Mobile by BuggaLove

DayDreaming Red Blue and White Ribbon Mobile by Polkadotskies

Red Lizard Wall Decoration by halfanacre

Bunting / Flags / Pennant Strings - Pirate Stripes by giggleberry

From here to Eternity

2009-05-14T21:26:00.009+10:00

People have all sorts of different ideas about when is the 'right time' to give or receive an eternity ring. Some say 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, after the first child... For me it was 'whenever you make it'.

My hubby and I got married a little over 4 years ago, in April 2005. I had some pretty specific ideas about the aesthetic of our wedding. When it came to a dress I knew what I wanted didn't exist, so I found a dressmaker who would understand my vision and translate that into the perfect dress.

Aside from the fact that my dress HAD to be pink, I also wanted something that would convert to an evening dress. The gem encrusted waistband hid little hooks that would allow the chiffon overskirt to be attached and removed later. The overskirt was made of three layers; hot pink, pale pink and ivory. When the overskirt was removed the dress became a pink satin evening dress with silver lining. And the jewellery was made from the leftover crystals and pearls.

I also wanted to design and make our wedding rings. At the time I was still studying, and a very wonderful teacher allowed me to come in early and also work on the rings in our chain making class, giving me plenty of help at the same time. Both rings are 18 carat yellow gold, mine is knife edged with 12 diamonds, his has chamfered edges with 6 ceylon sapphires.

My eternity ring is currently a work in progress, it will tie together the features of both wedding rings, with 12 pink sapphires and it will feature champhered edges to match the profile of my husbands ring. I look forward to being able to show you the finished product. But for now, here's a sneak peak...

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-05-13T09:27:00.009+10:00

I have three friends expecting babies in the next couple of months and have been busiliy 'hearting' baby items. These are the first new bubs that I need to buy for since discovering Etsy and I am looking forward to buying them a lovely handmade present.

My selections today are biased towards girly gifts as I know for sure that one of the expected arrivals is a girl.

Tweet Birdcage Ruffle Pants by BettsyKingston Bright and Funky Colorful Snail Rattles by TidabellaMonkey

Meg the shaggy pink vintage chenille Scottie by leahkl

Sunset and Purple Woollen Baby Boots by kazzalblue

Snuggle Bug Cashmere Knitted Booties by bobishi

Birdie toy and reversible slipper set by bubala

Ok babies, I'm ready!!

8 things

2009-05-12T10:05:00.004+10:00

I have been tagged by Cath of chunkychooky to play 8 things, so here goes:

8 things I am looking forward to:
1. Our holiday in Cairns in August
2. The weekend, always looking forward to the weekend
3. My little sisters visit in June
4. A cube becoming available in the price range I want at inCube8r
5. Wearing my eternity ring, just as soon as I finish making it!
6. Friends new bubbas due very soon
7. Another coffee
8. Ditching my stupid Blackberry and going back to my faithful old Nokia

8 things I did yesterday:
1. Worried about getting a migraine, had eyeball issues!
2. Lovingly gift wrapped a pair of earrings for a friend, they are in the mail!
3. Drank too many coffees and not enough water
4. Had a lot of conversations about my new short hair, all the boys at work noticed so it was obviously a dramatic change.
5. Went for a long walk at lunch and clocked up a lot of steps
6. Laughed with the hubby about J's antics and ever expanding vobaculary
7. Got my Mothers Day present that J made me at daycare
8. Went to bed at 8pm! Due to #1

8 things I wish I could do:
1. Fly, it is always so fun in my dreams
2. Live in Broome during the Melbourne winter
3. Quit my day job and just make jewellery
4. Teleport so I could visit people more often, like interstate family members
5. Have more energy
6. Go to yoga more than once a week
7. Read novels - I used to read so many books before I had J, now all the books I read had thick cardboard pages ;)
8. Go on another overseas holiday, that one is probably a few years off for now

8 TV shows I watch:
1. LOST
2. Heroes
3. Supernatural
4. Ghost Whisperer
5. My name is Earl
6. Life on Mars
7. The cook and the chef
8. At the movies

8 people I am tagging:
1. Kirsty
2. Owlandfox
3. Finki
4. Jess
5. innerearthsoaps
6. finchbird
7. michvanetta
8. Tiges and Weince

I want a Red Suede Kitten!

2009-05-07T13:35:00.005+10:00

Normally the mere thought of a cat makes my eyes start to water and itch and I start reaching for a pack of sudafed. But the name RedSuedeKitten conjures up such warm and luxurius images I completely forget my allergies. Even more intriguing than the very cool name is the wonderful felt jewellery creations that Melita of RedSeudeKitten makes.

I love the bright colours and completely tactile nature of Melita's work, and I also LOVE the fact that she has taken some time out to answer some questions about her art.

Where does the name RedSuedeKitten come from?

I have a cat called Marcie, who is a black and white tuxedo cat. Her black fur reminds me of black velvet. One day I was commenting on my "black velvet cat" and for some reason the words "red suede kitten" just came into my head, as a variation of this phrase. I used the name as an internet ID for a while, but always thought it would be a great name for a craft business. When I started the business about a year and a half ago, I decided to use the name.

How long have you been felting, how did you get into it?

I've been felting for about two years now. I've been a knitter for about 5 years, so anything to do with wool and fibre excited me! I found out about wet felting on the Craftster forums and decided to give it a go. I tried simple felted beads at first, and then progressed to "sushi" felt, felted vessels and scarves.

Without giving away any 'trade secrets' can you explain the process of felting, you mention 'wet felting' in your listings but I don't really know what that means.

Felt is created from wool tops (also called roving). This is the fluffy, fairy-floss-textured wool fibre that yarn is spun from. You lay the tops out on a surface such as bubble wrap, or a sushi mat (something with texture), spreading the fibres out so that the layers are even. Often multiple layers are used and are laid out at right angles to each other. To these layers you add hot water, with dish detergent, by very gently sprinkling it onto the surface of the tops. There are little scales on each wool fibre that are like hooks, and these open up when the hot water and detergent is applied. The next step is to agitate the wet tops. This helps the little hooks in the fibres lock and shrink together, creating a matted finish. You agitate by rubbing very gently at first, and add more and more pressure gradually as the felt comes together and hardens. This is a time consuming process. You can also roll your felt piece in the bubble wrap or sushi mat, which helps to shrink and harden the piece further. Once it's quite strong, a cold-water rinse can help "shock" the fibres into a harder state, as can throwing the felt against a hard surface.

The colours you use are gorgeous and vibrant - do you also dye the wool?

No I don't dye the tops myself. I'm fortunate enough to have found two tops suppliers that have a gorgeous range of colours. Maybe one day I'll learn how to dye the wool, but I fear that it will become yet another craft obsession!

I have never seen anything like your cocoon pieces before, they are very cute! Are you very organised and structured when you design a creation like that or do you begin working and see what evolves?

I had to think and plan a fair bit to create the cocoons, but when it came to the execution, it was an experiment. Lucky for me, I somehow devised a technique that worked straight off. It was an intuitive process, working out how to mold and shape the cocoon, but it worked! As for putting objects inside the cocoons – that was not my original plan. The empty felt sphere seemed to invite this though, so I went with it.

My work is often rather intuitive. I'll come up with part of an idea before I start a piece, and then just put things together and see how they go. My Buckle Bug Brooches are all one of a kind – I design these as I go along, working out which colours, buckles and buttons work together, and how to cut and layer the wings. I find this intuitive process both liberating and challenging.

Do you have a favourite piece among your works?

Roger the Owl in his red felt cocoon. I really must make one for myself! However, I do have a few Felt Clouds that I wear often, and I also love the Buckle Bugs.

Thanks so much Melita for taking the time out to answer my questions. Don't forget to check out Melita's store and you can also stalk her on twitter!

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-05-06T14:33:00.003+10:00

This week my wishlist contains only one item. It is also a very practical item....

I wish for a Tumbler, I am getting by without one but it would sure make life a lot easier, especially when it comes to work hardening, and also for cleanup on some fiddly little pieces.

Perhaps if I wish hard enough I'll get one for Mothers Day?

Turning trash into treasure

2009-05-03T17:57:00.008+10:00

I have a rather ugly pile of scrap metal that my Dad has been collecting for me. Bent, broken and tarnished but briming with potential. This metal started out as gas fittings, strike plates, and who knows what else.

I have began giving this tired old metal scrap a new lease on life in a new range of jewellery featuring upcycled copper and brass. I seal the copper and brass to help retain the finish and protect from tarnishing. The first few pieces from this collection are available now in my Etsy Store.

Eclipse Earrings

Tunnel Earrings

Anchor Earrings

Wishlish Wednesday

2009-04-29T11:21:00.005+10:00

I have a handbag that was a Christmas gift from my little sister which I love to death, and that's the problem, it is getting worn out. I love it because it is bright and eclectic and suits me perfectly. It also seems to go with every outfit. Most important it is a messanger style bag, I have scrawny shoulders and a shoulder bag never ever sits right on me, just ends up giving me a sore shoulder.

I have been hunting and hunting for something to take its place, the contenders are:

Hootie the Owl Upcycled Wool Suitcoat Bag by Pineblossoms

Floral Lines --everyday purse, with an adjustable strap-- by banyanhippo

New Messenger - Every Day Bag in Tangerine Blossom with Adjustable Strap by lovejanice

Now that's one creative Mother

2009-04-28T18:54:00.004+10:00

With Mother's Day fast approaching I thought I would pay tribute to a Mother who is also a spectacular artist. She inspires artists the world over and never seems to suffer from a creative block.

Her ideas are weird and wonderful, her palate extensive. Her work can be seen all over the world, but I have put togther just a few of my favourites from Australia.

Mother Nature, you rock!

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-04-22T10:03:00.007+10:00

The change of season always brings an overwhelming desire for some retail therapy. I am almost bursting at the seams now with a desire to buy buy buy... I think one of these pretties will be in my mailbox very soon, now which one?

Tubeway Armies Arm Warmers - Grey, Red and Orange with Flowers by gayeabandon

White moon light in black by idea2lifestyle

Koi Wrap by Ahpeele

New in store and the one that got away

2009-04-19T16:45:00.006+10:00

Another fabulous weekend has almost come to an end, we still have sunday evening to mooch about in our PJs and watch a movie while eating comfort food, but tomorrow heralds the start of another working week.

This weekend, like most recent ones has been action packed. We had a fabulous outing to see Dralion by Cirque Du Soliel at Docklands followed by dinner at a Cambodian Restaurant called Bopha Devi. My parents came for the weekend to join us at the circus and our little man who is now 20 months was an absolute angel!

While the little fella was giving the grandparents some exercise I made a new piece for the store, the eclipse earrings, named by my hubby. These have been made from sterling silver earwires and recycled copper. I love the simple lines of them, what do you think?

Also this weekend while showing my mum all the bits and pieces I have on the go she laid claim to a ring in progress. I set about getting in finished so that she could take it home today. The ring is filed into a wedge shape thick at one side and thin at the other, then the oval stone set off centre. Lucky for Mum being in the right place at the right time meant I could make it exactly to size.

So, you wont be seeing this ring any time soon in my etsy store, although I may make it a sister in the future.

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-04-15T09:53:00.004+10:00

I love autumn, the crispy cool mornings and the warm sun on my hair during the day, there is always a sense of anticipation in the air. And still autumn mornings make me look to the skies for hot air balloons.

I haven't yet been lucky enough to go up in a balloon, we had an early morning flight booked last year at the Canberra Balloon Spectacular, but it got cancelled due to fog. They tried to fit us in the following morning but again there was too much fog.

I will get my hot air balloon ride one day, but until then I will gaze wistfully at these ones.

Balloon Festival Series 2 by Wanderling Images

Time to Rise by TimeAndMaterials

Stained Glass Hot Air Balloon Suncatcher in a Rainbow of Colors by livingglassart

What's cooking?

2009-04-13T15:27:00.009+10:00

I have been a busy little bee this week and all the work has been hot hot hot, quite literally! Most of the work I have done this weekend was soldering. I was very organised last weekend doing preparations so that I could so a whole stack of soldering this weekend. I find it easier that way as I can get into a groove.

Of course what that means is next weekend I will have to do an awful lot of finishing and cleaning up - the jewellery equivalent of house work!

As well as making a pair of my bird earrings and bird pendant, which I will need stock of when my work goes into a gallery next month, I am cooking up something new.

I have a fabulous hexagonal smokey quartz, I have made a faceted ring and am now working on the setting.

Once I cut down and prepare the setting I can solder it to the ring.

Right now everything is sitting pretty high and it looks a bit crazy, but once completed this will be some serious bling!

Black beauty

2009-04-12T21:26:00.004+10:00

I have been busy curating another treasury. This one I called 'Black Beauty' and all items have been chosen from members of the DUST (Down Under Street Team).

Featured are:

NOVELLA Dark Noir Gothic Filigree Earrings by LushPunk
Snowflake Obsidian and Silver Geometric Squares Bracelet by shazzabeth
Georgie Chicken Black and White - Pretapawte Ready to Wear Dog Collar by PretaPawte
Elegant Blossoms headband by begurple
Anatomical Print With Thread by artdecadence
Midnight - Brass Earrings featuring Beautiful Acrylic Leaves by elcecticmoi
Splatter Moth Tea Towel by TansleyandTansley
Lila Large Clutch by MSHandbags
encircled, concentric sterling silver earrings by finchbird
Eve in Her Underwear by WhimsiGals
Doll's Head Photo Release Print by Emma Kidd / Unique Piece by benconservato
Mag Leotard - Organic Bamboo Jersey by hopeless

The four alternates in case one of the featured items sells are:

Skull Shoes (6-12) by konstantkaos
Pebbles - Big Black Resin Necklace by michvanetta
BLACK WINTER DRESS available sizes xs,s,m,l,xl by lyptis
Hand cut papercut of rose - off white colour OOAK by tamaradesigns

On the front page

2009-04-11T21:27:00.004+10:00

I got a fabulous surprise this evening when I checked my email. I had a convo saying:

"Your work is WONDERFUL!!!I just found it on the front page of etsy, congratulations!!"

A quick check of heart-o-matic confirmed I had been getting a lot of love and views and I managed to find the front page in flikr

The front page was from a treasury created by Carley from VanillaPixie called "Plain is never boring", thanks Carley!

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-04-08T09:13:00.008+10:00

Today my wishlist is child's play, literally!

How much would my little boy love this gorgeous Flying Saucer Step Stool, although he has a fascinaton with water and would probably single-handedly deplete Melbourne's water supply if he could reach the hand basin himself!

What home is complete without at least one Princess Tower?

And if we have a princess tower we would of course require a dragon, maybe Felix Flammable

A minty treasury

2009-04-05T22:38:00.003+10:00

It was a case of being in the right place at the right time tonight and I managed to get an open treasury west slot. Hope you enjoy the calming mint hues as much as I did!

Better late than never... I hope!

2009-04-04T20:27:00.008+11:00

I have just completed my first alchemy order. A bird pendant on a necklace of jade rondells the customer had ordered to be sent directly to me.

The order was to match a pair of my bird earrings and an evening dress for a wedding on the 6th March. Unfortunately the jade did not get to me until the 13th March.

So I hope my very patient customer agrees, better late than never.

If you love the bird pendant it is available in store now on a beautiful sterling silver belcher chain.

A sad day for saw blades

2009-04-04T19:27:00.007+11:00

There is almost an audible sigh from my saw blades whenever I start on a piece in my geometry range. While these pieces are quite visually striking complete, on the bench they can be pretty painful, especially to my blades as I go through a mountain load.

Although I have many hours of saw piercing under my belt and some days the blades go through the silver like butter (and could slice off a finger before you have a chance to notice), today was not one of those days. The constant removal and retightening of the blades into each little cell that I have pre-drilled with either a 0.6mm or 0.8mm drill bit puts a lot of strain on the saw blades and the more I rush the more I break them!

Currently my geometry range consists of my Trilogy Pendant

And my Labyrinth Ring

Today I am happy to unveil my latest addition, the Triangulum Earrings

I think they look and feel absolutely fabulous and they have just the right weight and movement.

I'm very happy with them, I hope you love them as much as I do.

We have a winner

2009-04-03T14:44:00.003+11:00

Thankyou to all who took part in my first giveaway, a fabulous e-book courtesy of Kirsty at Filmless Photos.

The lucky winner selected at random is....

Julie-Ann of Julie's Jewels, congratulations Julie-Ann!

Thanks to everyone who participated, Julie-Ann your prize will be on it's way to you very soon.

Wishlist Wednesday

2009-04-01T12:04:00.008+11:00

I want... I want....

A nice bag to carry goodies like lunch and sensible shoes to work so I can stop getting about with ugly Coles green bags.

Robot Black Dance Machine Future Style Schematic Messenger / Field Bag Poppy Pink Red by Happy Family

For no reason other than I love it, this gorgeous KikiZeal Singlet Tank Top (small) Orange apricot black jungle by MindCargo

For my autumn/winter work wardrobe which is full of lots of simple wool jumpers I NEED a funky Carpe Noctem necklace by Untamed Menagerie for some dramatic flair.