It’s school time again and baby needs a new pair of shoes!  That’s right, and my financial crunch becomes your advantage… if you’re interested in scooping up seven jewelry making tutorials for aprox $1.50 each.   It’s my back to school sale.  I need to recover from the expense of school supplies, shoes, clothes, etc.   And now that you have more time on your hands with the kids back in school you can f inally get back to your jewelry bench – undisturbed.  This is a great time to learn a few new techniques / designs to prepare for all of those fall shows and christmas selling opportunities ahead.

Where can you find this great deal?  Only on ebay!  Check out my ebay items by clicking here:  Back to School Sale

   I fell into a time in my creative life where inspiration and motivation eluded me for a while. You know how it happens … Day to day life requires too much time and attention and the creative life suffers.

   I have dabbled lightly in my jewelry for the past year … however, I haven’t even kept a good record of the jewelry that I have made. I am a little disappointed in myself in this respect because I know the value of keeping a jewelry journal/blog. I often check back in on this blog only to feel like there’s such a huge gap it seems like an overwhelming task to get the blog going again. I struggle with the idea of trying to go back and fill in the ‘gaps’ before proceeding, but it seems impossible. Eventually I came to the realization getting it moving forward again is the priority and I knew that I had to just ‘jump back in’ and worry about back tracking as time allows. So, here we go … picking up in the present and moving forward.

Gifts for Green Corn 2009

   Greencorn just passed recently (for those of you who aren’t familiar with Greencorn see my post from June of last year). Mark (my unofficial brotherinlaw) comissioned me to make some special pendants for his family to be given as gifts at Green Corn. He sent the focal elements of the pendants to me in the mail. When the package arrived it was a mess of claws, fur, tendon and teeth. No joke. I had to strip each claw of any fur and remove the hard leathery tendon with my trusty dremel tool. Once they were clean (which it took me some time to motivate myself to do … ewww) I was able to begin the creative work.

   The items I was leastthrilled about having to wrap were the teeth. I just could not even begin to envision a way to wrap them so that they had balance. Interestingly enough, the teeth were my two favorite pendants out of the whole lot of 11 pendants. My number one favorite was for Mark’s wife, Rosialia. While I had a sense that Mark really wanted all the pendants to have a ‘tribal’ look, it just wasn’t right for Rosie. Rosie is a city girl, more comfortable in the bronx than in the middle of the woods. Something more refined suited Rosie and so i took to the task of making a simple tooth look refined, and this was the result:

Tooth pendants were once worn to ward off Evil Spirits and to protect children.

I instantly fell in love with this pendant, as did Rosalia! In fact, many people expressed a serious attraction to this pendant. Rosie was the envy of many women on the rez. Three rubies (her birthstone) adorn the front of the pendant … lovely!

The Emerald Tooth: Green Corn gift for Jim, the Patriarch of the Kaccv Clan.

The Emerald Tooth: for the Patriarch of the Clan

The Ruby Claw: Mark's Pendant

Black Moonstone Claw: Kristen's Pendant

     Many of you may already know that I ‘ve been in the process of a move.  It has been a good move, though exhausting.  My son started kindergarten three days into the move so I had to rapidly adjust to his schedule.  Seems that by the time I get him fed, bathed and in bed, I’ve been ready to pass out myself!  On top of it all, I had to prepare for a show this last weekend and worked friday, saturday and sunday.  It was a good show, for which I am thankful.  I was so busy, and when I wasn’t busy I was so exhausted, that I hardly made any new inventory for the show… but now that the show has passed, I have been more inspired than ever.  I’ve been working on a new pendant and just finished it up yesterday.  I really like the way it turned out.  It’s different than the work I’ve been doing, which I like.  I’m always pleased when I try something different and like the outcome.

Bridge to Nowhere

     I have been struggling to find a name for it, and the silver basketry work reminds me of bridges.  With the current election hot on everyones minds, of course ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ comes to mind.  Hence, that’s what I am calling it until a more suitable name comes along.  Suggestions are welcomed!

[see update on name below]

  It’s created with a beautiful watery (more sky) blue amazonite for the main focal with blue topaz and green peridot accents.  the peridot on the bottom of the wrap is my first experiment of setting a faceted stone in what is called a ’strip setting’.  I think it turned out pretty well, but it sure was a beast to manage!  Overall I am pleased with the outcome, however.

   I’ve also been working to get my new studio together.  It’s been so much fun digging out all my wonderful jewelry making tools and supplies that have been packed up for the past two years for lack of space.  I’ve rediscovered many treasures that had been long forgotten along the way.  I can’t wait to have my studio fully together again.  When it get it together I will share pictures of my new space.  Meanwhile, there’s still lots of unpacking and reorganizing yet to do … and so I am off to be productive.

UPDATE:  I posted this on the Year of Jewelry (hoping to start getting back on track) for this weeks entry.  I mentioned there that I was looking for a new name for the piece and Valarie of Valaries Jewels suggested “Stairway to Heaven” which I instantly fell in love with.  I am thankful for the new name!  I have been watching too much election coverage lately and I just couldn’t get that bridge to nowhere phrase out of my head!  LOL  Thanks for the new name, Valarie!

     It’s official.  The Summer Issue of Step by Step Wire magazine is finally out.  Included amid the various projects offered in this issue is my very own Needle Lace Caged Pendant tutorial.  I am excited to have my first tutorial in print media.  I am waiting eagerly for my copies to arrive in the mail.  Thanks go out to Denise Peck and Sarah Gram at Interweave Press for their help and patience!

     For those of you who subscribe, look for your copy in the mail box any day.   The rest of you can expect to find the Summer 2008 issue on new stands around August 5th. 

     I have two extra copies on the way that I am willing to part with for the cost of shipping.  The first two people to request a free copy via the comment box will be the lucky recipients!

     While I enjoy the challenge of doing very detailed work with intricate coiling and sculpting I also enjoy reaping the rewards of simplicity from time to time.  After working on the upcoming Rainbow Wrap tutorial I need a break from all of the coiling and weaving … it was time for something simple.  I also needed a creative fix void of the pressures of tutorial making.  I decided to play with my hammer and copper wire.

     Textured metal work has always appealed to me.  I even bought the tools to experiment with it a few years back (hurricane Ivan to be exact) and still I never really did much with it.  I decided now was the time …

After about thrity minutes of forming and hammering I had these two styles of simple earrings.  While I could appreciate the simplicity, they still needed dressing up to me.  They were just too lackluster.  I gave it some thought for a bit and then decided that a simple bead embellishment was the way to go.  To that end, I selected some 4mm facted carnelians and affixed them to the first pair of copper earrings.

You can really tell that these were the first ones I affixed the stones too.  One side is a bit messy.  From this pair I learned that I would prefer beads that were better rounded, so I searched my bead stash for some.  I found several varieties of perfect 4mm rounds that have not seen the light of day for some time.  I was glad that they were still there.  I made two pair of the smaller simple spiral earrings.  On the first ones I added lapis lazuli, which I really like against the copper.

 
On the second pair I added rose quartz.  I wasn’t sure if I would like the rose quartz with the copper, but as it turned out I did.

Overall, nothing grand, but I really liked the results.  Plus these are so easy to make that I can see myself creating some nice bread and butter items for my shows.  Something that I can price very reasonably that doesn’t take me a lot of time or material to produce but I can still net a decent profit on.  However, before I get too enthusiastic and make 25 pair of earrings or something, I think I’ll test them on the market first.

    I am still working on the Rainbow Wrap tutorial but it’s likely going to come out later than I originally anticipated, unfortunately.   I am preparing to move, a bit unexpectedly.  My landlords have put us on notice that they will not be renewing our lease because they have family who wish to move to the area in October whom they wish to rent the house to.  While this does present a bit of a challenge for us, we planned to move into a house with more room for our growing family after the first of the year anyway.  This simply moves up our plan a bit, which is fine with us. 

    We’ve been looking around a bit and as funny as it seems, a house just across the street has become available which seems to fit our criteria and then some.  I’m really excited about the detached studio that comes with this house too.  It’s sort of attached … by a covered walk way, but it is separate from the house making it not only great for a jewelry studio, but perfect for a musical studio for my other half as well.  The yard is a bit smaller, so we won’t be gardening on the same scale as we do here, but that’s a fair trade for a studio.  At least I think so.  So much of my jewelry making tools have  remained boxed up over the past two years.  I have a very nice Little Torch rig that has not been touched, a double barrel lortone tumbler, tons of metalsmithing accessories, my po-womans fordom unit (okay, it’s a dremel with tons of fun attachments and a drill press) a little metal clay kiln I’ve NEVER used and more!  All going to waste!  There’s just no room and no space appropriate for it in this house.  I have my bench set up, but it tends to serve more as a desk because I can’t stock it with my supplies and accessories because it’s accessible to my year and a half old baby girl, who is still in the ‘must taste everything’ stage. 
     The studio has a refrigerator and a small bar in one corner of it too – it will be awesome to truly have an ADULT zone again where children aren’t always under foot and getting into your projects.  I’m imagining the beauty of leaving a half finished project on the bench as is and being able to come back to it later to pick up where I left off!  Sounds like a little slice of heaven to me!  A studio space will be a welcomed change of pace indeed!  Oooohhh the things I could do! 
    While I’m not really over excited about having to move so unexpectedly I AM excited about the prospect of getting this new house complete with a studio.  And imagine all the gas we won’t burn in the move.  I admit, it will be a little odd just moving across the street (literally), but it would certainly have it’s advantages too.  Think of all the gas we won’t have to burn in the move – not to mention that we’ll be saving the rental fee for a moving truck.  We will no doubt be quite the spectacle in the neighborhood – shuttling furniture back and forth across the street.  I’m sure we’ll be the talk of the neighborhood coffee circles.  lol
     All of that aside, I had to take a break from the tedium of the new tutorial I’ve been working on and do something creative.  I decided to just play around in copper wire and I made several pairs of hammered and textured copper earrings embellished with various stones.  One pair has rose quartz, one carnelian and one lapis lazuli.  Just simple textured shapes, nothing fancy – but I was surprised that something so simple could look so appealing.  I’ll have to take some pictures of the earrings and post them later.  Just haven’t had the time lately for photography.  I’ll get to it though and get ‘em up before the weekend is gone.

Rainbow Wrap Tutorial

Time for a progress report on the Rainbow Wrap tutorial!  I am over half way done with taking pictures at this point.  Can you believe that I’ve already taken 183 pictures for this tutorial and I’m still not done.  Don’t panic …  the tutorial isn’t going to have 183 or more pictures.  It’s not THAT complicated.   I just take multiple pictures of multiple views of each step so that I can select the best one that best illustrates the step.  It’s really a lot of work to produce a tutorial.  So far, several days of my time have gone into taking photographs and I still have nearly as many to take.  After the pictures have been taken, then I have to crop and edit the pics.  Then and only then can I begin to work on the text for the tut.   After the text is completed, then there’s editing, re-editing and more editing to be done. 
     To give you an idea of where I’m at in the process, I am including an ‘ugly shot’ of the pendant in progress.  At this point, it gets complicated for me.  The technique is so organic that it’s nearly impossible to plan out in advance.  Much of it is trying decide what to do in the moment while attempting to predict where you might go with it in the next step – and the rest of it is rethinking and replanning the next step when you get there anyway!  Arrrgghh!  It’s also difficult for me because I have to maintain a course that others can follow.  For this reason I am attempting to keep the pendant simple … as simple as a rainbow wrap can be, at least.  There’s more than enough to get you started and to provide a jumping off point for your own experimentation.
     While all tutorials take a fair amount of time to produce, this tutorial in particular is a very time consuming project, but I am loving every minute of it.   The hardest part for me is slowing down to take the pictures!   I am shooting for completing it by July 20th or 21st – hopefully!  Whether or not that is feasible remains to be seen.  I am working on it!

I recently made this offer available on ebay and on my etsy Tutorialshop and I am spreading the word!

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This awesome Tutorial Package from Delia Stone offers ALL SEVEN of DELIA’S TUTORIALS for one awesome price! 

Included in the package is the Twist Ring, Needlelace Caged Pendant, Netted Bezel Pendant, Egyptian Coil Bracelet, Mosaic Eye Earrings, Wire Wrapped Toggle and the Hand Coiling Tutorial.  Individually, these tutorials would cost you $40 but you can get them in this package deal for only $24.99!

Tutorials are heavily illustrated with photos and detailed descriptions every step of the way.  Nothing is left to the imagination!

While higher level skills are taught in addition to beginner level skills BEGINNERS SHOULD NOT SHY AWAY!  A beginning wire worker is rewarded with an education on developing intermediate to advanced level skills.  Approach these tutorials as a course in taking your skills to the next level!  Should you encounter difficulty along the way you are not left on your own.  You will have direct access to your instructor, Delia Stone – one on one personalized assistance is guaranteed!

Take advantage of this great Tutorial Package today!

Please Note: You are purchasing digital files in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.  Adobe Acrobats PDF reader is available FREE online.  Files will be delivered to the email address associated to the paypal account through which you make payment.

     Okay, so this ISN’T the rainbow wrap tutorial yet … but it’s in the works!   I have started taking pictures in preparation, but I am not going to rush the Rainbow Wrap tutorial as I want the final product to be the best that it can.  The Rainbow technique is so involved that it will take some time to do a tutorial properly. 
     Meanwhile, I had a real need to get some sense of satisfaction today so I completed this short little tut and at last feel that I’ve accomplished something!  When I started the rainbow wrap tut, I realized I would be in for the long haul with this one and that it will be a week – maybe two – before I can complete it.  But something inside of me just needed to complete a tut today, even if it was just a little one.   So here it is … my little tut.

     This tut teaches the basic technique and talks about some variations on the technique and how it can be used to create more than just rings.  It’s a very straight forward and easy to follow tutorial suitable for a beginner.  It has 19 full color photographs to take you through every step of creating a  twist ring.  I am also working on a supplemental to this tut to show you how to create earrings and accents for your other pieces with this simple technique.  So stay tuned!

     I sell these rings at shows for about $15.  They make really great bread and butter items.  I make them in sterling, copper and in mixed metals.  The mixed metal rings are by far the most popular at shows.  And yes, the copper ones DO sell!  People often ask me if anyone buys the copper rings.  I sell them all day long as a matter of fact.  You can too - if you learn to make them.   With a little practice you can make these rings in 5 to 10 minutes tops.  With so little labor and so little material invested, they’re great little money makers with a nice profit margin that everyone can afford – even in this economy!

     Check out my website for more information on my tutorials: Delia Stone’s Studio

     Today I was bestowed the honor of receiving an  Arte y Pico (Peak of the art) award for my blog.  Thank you, Markia, for bestowing this award upon my humble blog. 

     Naturally, this leads the reader to ask ‘What is this award?”  The answer to this question follows;

     When your blog is bestowed the Arte Y Pico award, you are asked to pay it forward by bestowing the award to five other blogs whom you feel deserve some recognition for their interesting content.  The following rules apply:
The rules for passing the award on are (you can copy&paste):

1) You have to pick 5 blogs that you feel deserve this award for creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogging community, no matter of language.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award-winning blog has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has bestowed the award upon their site.

4) Both the site receiving the Award and the name of the person and their blog who has received and passed on the award on must show the link of “Arte y pico”blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5) Show these rules.

Given this criteria, I have selected the following five blogs to receive the Arte Y Pico award from me. 

Something Sublime (Deryn Mentock)
Pink Zinnias (Melissa Meman) 
Nomadic Creations (Stacie Florer)  
Dragonfly Enchantment (Dinah Powers)
God Drinks Beer (Jay Moody)

Thank you again, Markia, for the kind acknowledgement of my humble blog.  I am happy to pass the award on to five other deserving bloggers who share interesting content with us as well.

Delia Stone
DeliaStone.com