WIP, rafflage

Some WIP, pre-oxidizing.

I had a mess of key rings which some geodes and bits from Uruguay had come on. I had no use for them but before tossing it occurred to me that I'd been looking around for ring things with all the lariats I've been making. Lightbulb moment: I soldered them.

Some I just wire wrapped (top), some I wrapped with stones (right, with steel wire- it's solderable!) and some I went full solderbonkers on. The key is trying to apply the solder in balls, not peaks. I'm still not 100% sure how to manage it. I know the solder, iron and surface need to be super clean. I think the surface needs to be non-molten so the solder doesn't just blend right in. If anyone knows more, help a sister out in the comments.

(Solder.)

I've also been having some serious fun making chain. It's always easier than I expect and I wonder why I don't do it more. But here too I struggled a bit to get solder globs instead of peaks and had to sand some sharp bits away.

Here this cuff needed buttons for a closure, so I made some with antique African cocowood discs, leafed tin, Roman glass and soldered pin. This is one piece of wire that connects on the underside. I need to get some stretchy fabric/cord/lace (?) for the loops now.

Some caged baby the original way, just cuz.

I'm working on a triple wrap bracelet and a lot of the links here are soldered. I have a very minutely stitched strap to finish this. But then I wore it today and realized that the mop hearts with arrow are going to have to be cut in half because they simply don't curve enough. I hate bracelets that have long flat elements, I find them unacceptable.

The bail kept popping off this heart. I tried several different epoxies before I realized I'd have to solder hammered copper there after sanding the top of the heart til I got to bare metal. So now I guess I have to retake all those damned pictures just for this bit! I can be grateful it didn't pop off after being in the hands of a buyer though.

As I've mentioned, I'm all about the lariats at the mo. That and my exercise classes.

The other day I was in spinning class and I was up in the standingish position, checking myself out in the wall o' mirrors and thinking, "Damn, I look just like one of those badass people that do the ... thing that I'm doing right now (!!!)... OMG am I one of those badass-- no wait, calm down." Like, I'm not but I'm super getting there. What was I talking about?
Here's this amazing treasury Pricilla of yesdearsister (previously readbetweenlines) made for Wildthorne:

And Theresa of thoughtfulhands shared her awesome results from my tute:

Aren't they awesome? 

OK, finally here's today's raffle for these babies:

And the winner is: Cindy's Wicked Good Beads! Etsy convo me to give me your address, etc.
How did this turn into such a long post? I'll save the gifs for next time.

First Raffle Pick

Hello my lovlies- so far we have raised $232 for Wildthorne! Thank you so much, lets keep it up. Today I'll do the first drawing for these one-of-a-kind speckled polymer beads.
Anonymous asked if she could pick her prize but if people pick their prizes they'll pick all the big stuff first and then there'll only be little things to win and I'm trying to raise some moola here, ya see?
Anywho, the winner is: Lori Ackerman!!! Please convo me here.
I've removed the one name from the pile, the rest of the name slips stay, including any other entries by someone who already won. So you could win more than once. Everyone else would probly be pissed, but it could happen.
I've been making my own chain, the process of which is in no way related to this entrancing gif I wanted to share:

It's on a page showing how all kinds of things are made.
See you in a couple days for the next drawing and another gif!

Studio time!

Finally some time in the studio to get down with some makages.

Like this my latest giant lariat. It's all about lariats, ladies!

Don't know what to do with a bunch of components? Make a lariat! Don't know what to do about your employment status? Make a lariat. Don't know what to do with your unwanted pregnancy? Make a .... oh god. Oh, no, no, abort that thought. Ugh, unwanted mental image, more like. Just, don't make a lariat with your unwanted... ugh, I'm gonna just shut up now.

Phew, back on track. Here's another giant thing I never finished or listed full of Patroness beads.

Like these huge antique African Bauxite tubes.

Check this guy out. I love graduated sizes! You can actually see a lot of that in my lariat dangles as well. This guy is all about the graduation. Plus it incorporates some huge faux ancient polys that I didn't know what to do with.

As well as this cool-ass leather button from Uruguay. For this piece I wanted a really thick leather cord, but I didn't have anything like that so I just fucking made my own!!! I know! Just wrapped cord around other cord and used wire and also a bit of quick dry epoxy resin to keep everything in place on the inside. 

You know what's kind of amazing though? This was all this stuff I had just sitting around, including way too much leather cord. When you're inspired to make, it sure is different.

Even simple things are so fun and satisfying. Check out that sexy graduation.

So inspired to make was I that I didn't even mind going in and making a zillion of these designs that I have plenty of supplies for and sell well for me, which I think of as production work, as they call it in the art jewelry sphere.

Order and Harmony. (Some of these are listed, some not yet.)

 Like these little plaque guys.

 They're all a little different, with lots of beads from my Kathyhaul. (OMG I just realized Kathyhaul was over a year ago guys. Time is freaky.)

Order and Harmony. 

 And ear wires I fashioned from matte black eye pins that I hammered for strength.

 I'm even trying some out with these fatter plaques, see how they do.

Added some carved bone from Kathyhaul and such.

Djenné. 

Some caged babies without the soldering, cuz why make more work for yourself if you don't have to? Like have you ever poked your nose into a jewelry making book and they always start out with showing you how to make jumprings? Even though you can get a thousand of them for a dollar? What is that? Time is energy people. Like, prioritize.

 

Many Moons.

Some baroque pearl ones which I grunged up with gilder's and acrylic, since these beads were overly pristine.

Pair of starry shard babies.

The Lightless Sector. 

Someone recently asked me if I ever have trouble photographing iridescent things, trying to capture the iridescence of something. What I do is I increase the saturation on the iridescent part until it conveys how it really looks in my hand. I end up having to decrease the saturation in the stuff around it though. 

Suton. 

 Though usually I have to drastically decrease the saturation, as my camera and photoshop conspire to make my subtle pictures more interesting.

The Silent Figure.  

 Here's some tin cones using my own polybabies, which I've really been enjoying now that I've destashed some and can look around a bit. As I pick these back up I'm like, "Damn straight I made these. They rock."

And finally these. OMG I suffered trying to find shit to put turquoise-and-red beads on to after buying a handful of these a while ago. Finally used them all up thank friggin god. Who came up with this damned combo? Of course, people who lived in subtle natural landscapes and so were drawn to bright colors that pop. 

A Light from the Past.

.And yeah, I've been using these faux amberish polys in everything. It's like I recently discovered the red/brown/gold range of colors and everything works beautifully. 

I wanna thank you all for making the launch of my tiuute super awesome. As in the past, I turned off the 10% coupon after 48 hours, though in the past I gave a warning. This time I was keeping you on your toes? But the commenter coupons are still open. 

  Let us celebrate with cat gifs.

 

Oh also this thing because it made me laugh for 10 years:

It's Here! It's Queer...? Go buy it...

  

Holy Moley it's finally done! My sixth tutorial! Holy Jeebus! Here it is. OMG. My babies are eating tonight! (And by "babies eating" I mean "I won't have to feel guilty about not having a real job because tutes make some amount of money unlike everything else I do.") 

OK, here's the listing description for ya:

My latest tutorial teaches you everything you need to know to make these enchanting charms.
• Detailed step-by-step instructions with over 160 large color photos.
• Supply sources and prices, including possible alternative supplies
• Variations- specifically, step-b step instructions for using paper ephemera instead of iridescent flakes for an entirely different look. 
• Basic soldering skills required, but if you're rusty or unsure, I go over my process in detail including tips and tricks, and my preferred supplies. 
• Oxidizing and sealing the pieces after soldering.
• Step-by-step instructions with pictures on finishing these into dramatic necklaces as well as a gallery of finished items to inspire your creativity.
The PDF file will ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE for you to see, print, download via this link. I will happily give you the link again if ever you loose it. I will always be available for any questions/ comments you care to share. If you want a critique or clarification, please don't be shy to convo me!

And you know I love my blog bitches so I have a special coupon just for those who read along here. Enter code TENPERCENT by clicking "Apply coupon code" in your shopping cart right under "How you'll pay" to get 10% off this tute (and ONLY THIS TUTE, you sneakies).
But wait. There's more. If you're one of the people who wrote one of the last 100 comments I've received you get a special secret code for 25% off as a thanks for all the encouragement. Cuz I feel bad not answering each of you directly cuz I'm too disorganized to do that. So! I'm slowly making my way through the list, sending y'all the codes. If I haven't gotten to you, or if your username doesn't link to anywhere I can contact you, please feel free to shoot me an etsy convo for it. Cuz I love you dummies.

I think I contacted everyone for the special coupon, even if just to leave a note on a possibly-abandoned blog saying to convo me for it. The following people I wasn't able to contact at all:

Cindy L       Aneenomouse            maria                big mamabird             M Sand

Cecile Nichols              tempest in a teapot                dawn

So y'all need to etsy convo me for it. If you want. Or anyone who thinks I missed you, can't hurt to ask. 

Cuz I love you dummies.

My Anaconda Don't!

I got that song stuck in my head y'all. But actually the bluegrass version.

Escape.
While busy writing my tute, I found myself sneaking in some making time.

In fact, these three lariats here all include sea glass charms I made as samples of the decoupage variation in the tute.

Wild Once.

I'm really loving the idea of lariats lately. They come together so effortlessly while evading the sort of pitfalls of regular ol' necklace shapes.

Maybe not pitfalls, I just bore easily. Why I'm always having to come up with something different- short attention span.

Latibule.
So I took a break from tooting and listed these today. Wait. That's my idea of a break? What's wrong with me?

Little Uruguayan charms and bits. Even the macrame cord was from a street artisan I met in Tacuarembo, the town my dad's family lives in. People there have a very well-deserved reputation for thinking their little village is the center of the universe.
Suton.
The tin above I got in Montevideo, but it's from a box of Chinese tea so it's traveled the world. Isn't that amazing though?
I cut out these teeny bits of old Meyercord waterslide decals I got from TeapotsandTelephones. Thing is when I sealed it with Varathane, the pattern of the tin sort of revived and became much more visible. So Imna have to experiment more with that stuff on old tin, on chain, on everything.

Order and Harmony.
As you can see I got a zillion of these little plaques so I'm keeping on making these earrings as long as they keep on selling. In fact I've been enjoying very steady sales lately, for which I'm so appreciative. Humbled. Between that and the exercise I can almost convince myself I'm a normal, functional human being. I went to a cycling class on Monday!!! My poor butt.

Now lookit:

Happy pumpkin month everybody.