Torch fired test earrings

Here is a photo of my torch fired earrings, not the best piece I have ever made but I was more interested in the colour then the standard of silver work. You can see the one on left is much better, it was the second one I fired.
So pleased with that fantastic red:)

Thanks again Joy.

Well what a nice surprise first thing in the morning:)

I had a lovely surprise first thing this morning,  Last July whilst in Chicago I sent another piece to the Masters Registry this was E9 threaded closure.

Well to be honest I had totally forgotten about my little bottle MARY

This is Mary photographed by Steve Rossman and my feedback sheet and as you can imagine I am thrilled to bits with every bit of it:)

If you fancy learning how to make a threaded closure, I am teaching an exclusive Master class for the Mid cornwall school of Jewellery on the 2nd and 3rd June.
I would love to share this technique with you.

FAM 2012 Jan

I have just added my first set of four for FAM 2012 on flickr. I used this set of beads to create a collection of four. I made the into two pairs of earrings a ring with a bead rivet in place and a long necklace with hammered textured square silver wire.

 

As promised my beads that I made!!!!!

I promise yesterday to upload photos of my beads that I made instead of my commission, that I really should have been cracking on with but didn't. OOOpppsss

So for those that are interested I am sharing a bowl that I made and a pendant as well, this has been fired in three steps. The first a full fuse then a tack fuse which has made the bamboo have a raised look and not melted in all the way, then finally its been slumped into an bowl mould.

I alos made a fun little pendant in much the same way apart from it wasn't slumped, I like it, its very cute.

And finally my beads that I really shouldn't have made!!!!! These will become my first multiples for FAM 2012 over on flickr. 

I made some last night to go with the collection and two have already been made into a pair of earrings.

The rest will become:

A ring, Long necklace which I will wear and  maybe a bracelet not sure just yet.

They are large barrels with fine silver melted into them.

I made other shapes as well. They are still on the mandrels.

If you want to see the multiples challenge then just click the flickr photostream link on my blog page then search in groups for Four a month.

Fun class

I had a one to one with one of my favourite students the other day, it was a real mixed up class.
Mandy asked how to make tube settings for small gem stones.

This is what we did, these rings are such fun to make a mix of metal clay and sterling silver.

The wide band ring is metal clay and the other ring has a
metal clay top on a sterling D band.
We had good fun:)

Glass Glass Glass

Oh dear, I think it was fatal me going to Warm Glass!!!!! I think I have another obsession.
Since coming home I have made some small panels to cut up to put in my bowls and had a go a drawing on glass which is really good fun, I am loving that technique.

The best thing I have made so far are my two bowls and I am still waiting for my stuff that I made at Warm glass to be sent.

These are parts that I will cut up to add to some bowl's

Here's a little look at all my first, go it alone projects, Guess what everyone is getting for christmas LOL

This is a couple of cabs that I made by drawing
directly onto the glass.

This is the second bowl I made
and I am very pleased with it.

This is my first ever bowl. Made on my own. I was really chuffed when I got this out of the kiln

This will be made into another bowl. I am
still choosing the back ground colours.

Now Back down the studio to make some more!!!!!!

Barbara Becker Simon workshop at Craftworx Beverely

Wow finally I got to meet one of the biggest names in the Metal clay world Barbara Becker Simon author of Metal Clay Beads and truly an inspiration to me.

The class was held by Tracey Spurgin at Craftworx.

Keith and I arrived at Tracey's a day early so we could see some of Beverley as I had been their before but had never had the chance to sight see.

Beverley is a small very beautiful little town.

Beverley

Whilst their Lynne Glazzard suggested going to the Treasury House as Jacqueline Stieger was displaying her work.
All of her jewellery was stored in draws so every time you opened one another little surprise popped out, her work is just stunning, the carvings are so intricate and she moves so freely between small components for jewellery to very large doors and garden sculptures.

Keith and I continued walking through beverley were we found a little arcade of antique shops full of so much stuff.
I found the silver cabinet, stuffed to the brim with spoons, forks, knives and tongs and couldn't resist. I purchased a very sweet silver, what can only be described as a mini fish knife, it is very pretty and I also purchased a gorgeous pair of tongs.

The fish knife will be a ring the tongs will be a bracelet, when I get time of course!!!!!

The next day was Barbara Becker Simon's class.

The class was great. Barbara live up to my expectations, we were shown step by step how to construct accurate hollow forms, as I myself had done this before, I found her technique very interesting, at first I thought why,what,when!!!! my brain was in over drive.

I did as I was told ( Yes I really did ) and thought this was a very clever way to build.

Since coming home I have tired to construct my way which was ok but not as accurate, I have also done it Barbara's way, it is so accurate every single time so thats how I will be making hollows from now on.

Thanks Barbara for sharing a fantastic technique.

Barbara's demo

This was my brain going at ninety miles an hour and Barbara saying
"no I don't think so" she was right :)

The two red heads