The Art of Jewelry - Paper Jewelry
Posted by Leah on Oct 13, 2008
The Art of Jewelry: Paper Jewelry by Marthe Le Van
Some of the projects use paper as the primary material, while others combine it with more traditional jewelry materials such as precious metals and beads. Many reinforce the paper by coating it with lacquer or making paper mache, or decoupaging the paper to a sturdier material. Some projects look like they would wear well, while others designs may not stand up to repeated wear. Some projects transform paper so you’d never know what it was, and others are more literal and obviously paper jewels. One designer even spins paper into yarn, then knits with it.
I really enjoyed this book. As someone who enjoys experimenting with non-traditional materials, I found the variety of projects and gallery images inspiring. I got some new ideas on how to possibly use paper in my own work. Thus far, my only use of paper has been to embed it under resin, such as when I make photo pendants or pendants with prints of my husband’s paintings in them, and my recent experiments with decoupage and making resin collages. Reading this book made me want to play with other methods of incorporating paper into my work, particularly the projects that mixed paper with wire structures - a very cool effect with lots of potential uses in jewelry making.
Black Pearl Ring on Etsy
Posted by Leah on Oct 12, 2008
Remember my black pearl ring? It’s for sale in the Michon etsy shop…if you wear a 6 or 6 1/2 ring, this could be for you!
Fun Crochet Bracelet Tutorial
Posted by Leah on Oct 12, 2008
Found this fun crocheted bracelet tutorial via craftypod.com (it’s by Sister Diane, the host of Craftypod).
I don’t think I’m going to make a bracelet, but this looks like an easy way to make all kinds of cute crocheted accessories.
Crafting a Business
Posted by Leah on Oct 11, 2008
Crafting a Business
My guess is most people start their crafty businesses in much the way I started mine. Friends and family compliment your work, and you realize that you’ve spent so much time and money on your craft that maybe you should figure out a way to earn a little of that money back, so you look into selling your work. Maybe you apply to sell at a local craft fair, or find a consignment shop willing to display your wares, or make an account on a site like etsy.com to sell online.
And then you start learning about what it means to run a business.
And you make loads of mistakes, especially when it comes to managing money, figuring out how much to charge, and how to market your new business.
A better way to start a craft business: read books on how to run a successful business, write up a detailed business plan, and consult with experts to make sure you are doing the legal stuff correctly. Crafting a Business is a book I should have read before starting my business, because it emphasizes doing these things, and doing them right.
It doesn’t cover everything, by any means, but there is a lot of good information, and the profiles of successful craft business owners are very inspirational. After reading this book, I felt inspired to work harder on the business aspects of my business, and encouraged by the success stories.
Mini Pearl Ring
Posted by Leah on Oct 10, 2008
This fun pearl ring was an experiment I did in making rings with thinner wire for the bands. I love how it turned out.
Mini Pearl Ring
I made it pretty small, actually about a size smaller than I intended, so it’s now a lovely pinky ring for me. Sometimes slight errors mean I get to keep a piece of jewelry for myself!
Ring, on Model
It is made from argentium silver wire and cultured freshwater pearls.
A FAM BnR Treasury
Posted by Leah on Oct 9, 2008
FAM BnR Treasury
This treasury, curated by Chamberry Cherry, is a BnR (buy-and-replace) treasury featuring members of the FAM etsy team. If you buy from one of the featured shops, an item from your shop replaces the one from theirs. See the blank space next to my bracelet? That means someone already bought an item and theirs will soon take its place in the treasury. It’s a fun game, and I like to participate in these if I need to buy birthday or holiday gifts, because you get a little bit of free promotion along with your purchase.
Clicking on the image above will take you directly to the treasury until it expires (after 2-3 days in general).
Black Pearl Ring
Posted by Leah on Oct 9, 2008
I love this new silver-and-pearl ring I made, so much I’m tempted to keep it for myself, except that I need about one size smaller to wear it on my ring finger.
Black Pearl Ring
This ring is made from argentium silver wire with cultured freshwater pearls that have been color treated to look like black Tahitian pearls. I do my wirework freehand, so each ring has slight variations that make it unique even when I make two in the same style. I love the look of black pearls, and these two are beautifully colored, one more purple-gray, and one with green undertones. This ring looks great on:
Black Pearl Ring - On a Model
New Works In Progress
Posted by Leah on Oct 8, 2008
Thought I’d share some progress photos from the new jewelry series I’m working on…the finished pieces may or may not resemble these photos at all! It’s a very experimental series for me and I’m having a blast working out the process.
In Progress Pendant
This first one (above) is closest to being finished. It is made from fine silver, which is 99.9% pure silver.
Another In Progress Pendant
The next one (above) is a combination of argentium and fine silver. Interesting things happen when fusing metals with different melting points, I discovered.
Not sure what this one will be
The third piece is fine silver, fused a bit more than the first one. I’ll be adding more metal and probably some pearls to this piece.
Not sure this is even usable, but I like the texture
And the last one, fine silver and argentium silver. It looks kind of cool, but as you can see, I didn’t do much shaping with it, and that’s because I’m not sure I can. In experimenting with fusing two different types of silver, the results aren’t as predictable as when I use all argentium or all fine silver. In this case, some areas became hollow (and I think I even have a geeky explanation for why it happened, but that’s a whole other long post) and the resulting shell is very fragile.
Hopefully I’ll have time to work on this series more in the next week or so, and I’ll post any pieces that I’m happy with.
Business Planning - An Odd Source of Inspiration
Posted by Leah on Oct 7, 2008
Now that my son is getting into a somewhat regular nap and bedtime schedule, I’m finding a bit more time to make jewelry - 30 minutes here and there where I can be reasonably sure I won’t be interrupted - and I realized it’s been a while since I sat down and thought about where my business is headed, what my goals are as an artist/crafter, and all that stuff that affects what I make, what I sell, and whether or not it’s profitable.
The other night after my son went to sleep, I sat down with a glass of wine and my journal and did some freewriting about what my ideal business would be like.
I helped clarify a few things for me: namely, that I’m in this business because I love making jewelry, so I should focus on making jewelry that I love above all else. Sometimes when I worry about the bottom line, I get trapped into thinking about what I make in terms of whether or not it will sell, or whether I can make multiples of it. And that can be very stifling, creatively speaking.
So, about halfway through my glass of wine, I decided no more making things that bore me just because I need a sale. No more worrying about the end result when I’m designing, since I can always take jewelry apart and use the parts in another way if it doesn’t turn out as fabulous as I envisioned.
And for some reason, all that daydreaming about the perfect jewelry business gave me a really interesting idea for a new series of jewelry, and I started sketching and freewriting about my design ideas. It was one of my most productive on-paper design sessions in…well, at least a year I guess. I got so excited about trying out my new ideas that I got out some wire and tools right there on my bed and started working on a few prototype pieces. They looked primitive, freeform, unique, exactly what I had envisioned. I was so excited I had to watch TV for an hour to get tired enough to go to sleep - something that hasn’t often happened since I became a mother!
Who would have thought a half hour of brainstorming about my business would inspire the best new design idea I’ve had in ages?
This is exactly why I have a hard time answering when people ask where my inspiration comes from. I really never know where the next idea will come from. But I’m thinking I should do some more business planning sessions if it leads to ideas I can be so excited about!
Stay tuned for photos from the new series! They aren’t done yet, but a few are close…
Wear What You Love
Posted by Leah on Oct 6, 2008
I just read a great post over at The Beaded Lily’s blog about how people are sometimes afraid to wear jewelry that stands out. So sad! There is so much gorgeous art jewelry out there, and many people apparently love it but are afraid it’s too bold to actually wear.
I say, if you love it, wear it - don’t be afraid to show your personality.
