PangaeaDesigns

The Beauty of Spring

2010-03-19T16:45:00.005-05:00

Spring has indeed sprung. Literally. Cause when I haul my sorry self out of bed in the morning to walk 2 miles with the dogs before work, then by george it's spring no matter what! Also doesn't hurt that it's sunny, beautiful, and will probably be around 70 degrees this afternoon. Daffodils and forsythia are blooming, red buds are peeking out, and for a brief shining moment spring sparkles in the air. And then the pollen falls. And falls. For weeks it coats everything with a yellow-green Dust of Death. So much for the Beauty of Spring, at least in Memphis. The dogwoods will look really pretty when they bloom though. That is, if you remember to hose off the windshield!

Luckily, my Beauty of Spring design project reflects more happy moments with pots full of pretty blooming flowers and a satisfying day of digging in the dirt. (Yes, I still remember doing that.)

So here's the finished product.

I started with a 4mm rolo chain and a 7x13mm Infinity Clasp--my favorite for this kind of bracelet. It attaches directly to the chain making the bracelet adjustable. Oh, and it's also lovely! I just add a charm or crystal or gem to the end of the chain for a counterbalance. In this case it's the pink channel drop. My original plan was to wire the clasp to the chain with a wrapped rondelle, but it ended up making the bracelet too long. So I used a heavy locking jump ring instead.

I decided to go with the pink/gray flowers instead of the pink opal because they looked better with the green luster.

The only thing I'm not really happy with is the bead caps on the lampwork bead.

For one thing, because they're rhodium-plated pewter they aren't as bright as the sterling. That's to be expected. But I'm just not pleased with the way it goes together. I just don't think that the Radiant style was the best choice. I'm gonna do some searching for a different option. Hopefully I can find something I like better in sterling. It has to have the big holes to fit on the bead bar though.

These photos weren't taken in the best of light and I hope to get some better ones over the weekend. Cause right now it's that inconvenient time of year (especially after the time change!) where the light just isn't quite right either before I leave for work or after I get home. Perhaps tomorrow, late morning. But in the meantime, I almost feel inspired to go out and dig in the garden! Well, almost.

I received these products from Artbeads free of charge. I have honestly reviewed the products and have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received.

Spring Has Sprung--The Beginning

2010-03-19T06:44:00.002-05:00

Well actually the real beginning was when I first picked out these components and put them into my Illustrator layout. Anyway...here's the swag from Artbeads for my "Spring Has Sprung Charm Bracelet". In all its awesomeness. (And yes, I know it's not a very original name, but darn it, I like it!)

In case you haven't noticed, this bracelet has a gardening theme. I thought it might help to remind me of the days when I actually got out and gardened. Those were the days before I started making and selling jewelry. And doing dog agility. Now I have other things to do. I love the clever little sterling charms--flower pots, trowel, etc. The only thing I didn't get at Artbeads was the watering can. I thought that the watering can they had was too big for this particular piece.

As in previous blog reviews, I like to take advantage by trying something different and using components I don't normally use. A good way of getting outside my own personal little box. Which tends to be very constrained these days! One thing that I haven't tried before is lampwork beads. It's not that I don't like them, I just haven't made the investment to try them. I was particularly drawn to this bead, and based the colors of the bracelet on it.

Get it here

I just love pink and green and few things say Spring to me better! In order to hang this from a bracelet, I'm using a TierraCast Rhodium Bead Bar with TierraCast Rhodium Radiant Bead Caps. (I need to look and see if these are made in sterling. Rhodium is okay but I prefer to use all sterling if possible.)

I also chose some other components that were new to me. First, Swarovski Rivoli crystals. I thought that then Vitrail Light would go nicely with the color scheme.

To hang the Rivoli crystals I picked up a couple of TierraCast Rhodium Rivoli setting charms. (Wonder if these come in sterling too?)

These can be easily glued together with E6000 glue.

I just picked up new tube yesterday and I love the narrow opening. It used to have this big honkin' hole and I always got too much glue. This offers a bit more precision.

I also got some Swarovski silver-plated channel drops, which I've never tried before. (Again, sterling would be better, but they are very nice and inexpensive too.) These colors are Light Rose and Chrysolite.

Makes me wanna try the channel links sometime. Maybe on a bracelet.

Lastly, I pulled some Czech glass small bellflowers in Pale Green Luster and Pink Opal out of my stash. Although I'm starting to have doubts and may switch the pink flowers to the pink/gray, which really don't have as much gray as shown. I think the pink/gray might go better with the green luster. We'll see.

I'll make up my mind when I'm putting it together.

Oh, and as I was setting up these links, I noticed that an awful lot of the components I'm using are out of stock. I guess a lot of people like the same things I do. Good thing I had a stash of the green luster flowers!

Next, the finished piece.

I received these products from Artbeads free of charge. I have honestly reviewed the products and have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received.

Bad blogger! Bad!

2010-03-17T17:00:00.007-05:00

Boy, life has really gotten in the way lately. First my illness in January and then extended traveling this month. And as usual, I'm behind on blogging. I'm just a bad bad blogger, that's what I am! :)

Anyhoo, I really am working on my current Artbeads Design Partner assignment, The Beauty of Spring. Which is a good thing cause I haven't seen much spring beauty around here yet! And because of the lack of spring sunshine, I don't have photos of the components yet. Some sunshine would be a nice thing cause I have tons of photos to take!

But what I have done is a layout of the bracelet I'm making using Adobe Illustrator. It's so handy for charm bracelets and allows me to move things around without having to re-open jump rings or waste headpins on something that I wired directly to the chain.

Also, it's really helpful when figuring what looks good together, what will fit in the space allowed, and what to order. And if I'm fortunate and need to make another, I have a permanent record of the layout. This works for me on so many levels that I find it to be well worth the effort of saving images of components, setting to scale, etc. Oh, and it's helpful for custom orders too because the customer has a better vision of what the finished project will look like.

So this is an approximation of what my Spring Has Sprung Charm Bracelet will look like. When I get it done. Tonight I'll glue the Rivoli crystals (5th from right and left end). I've never worked with those before but I think I'll be using them again! So pretty and sparkly. Had to pick up some E6000 today because my last tube has gotten kind of dry.

Maybe the sun will come out so I can get some good photos!

Artbeads Review Series --Sterling Silver Stamping Charms - Part 2

2010-03-13T07:00:00.010-06:00

NOTE TO READERS:
It has been brought to my attention that not everyone's life revolves around dog competition and that most people don't have a clue what a MACH or OTCH or ADCH is and they're probably baffled as to why anyone would want it on a piece of jewelry. These (and others) are champion titles earned in competition at sanctioned events of various venues and require years of training and competing. So they're well worth a brag. Sort of like "cookies" for the handlers. After all, we need rewards to perform our best too! A great deal of my jewelry is geared toward celebrating these awesome achievements. I also have a booth of my jewelry at agility trials where I'm currently competing with Nelson.

Well it sure has taken me a long time to this second installment done. Where was I, anyway? Oh yeah, I was reviewing some of Artbeads sterling silver stamping charms! I really love the SS-TAG12, a sweet little rectangle tag that measures 20.5mm by 5mm.

I've found so many uses for this handy tag! Used alone, it makes a great little necklace for agility and/or obedience titles, either alone or clustered.

Listed here

But I think I like them best for my "Little MACH Earrings".

Listed here

Small, sweet, and lightweight, these have already shown to be popular at agility and obedience trials.

I've found so many uses for these versatile and affordable tags. But one tip--buy them while you can because they're often out of stock. I guess others like them a lot too!

I received this product from Artbeads free of charge. I have honestly reviewed the product and have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to the product received.

Artbeads Review Series --Sterling Silver Stamping Charms - Part 1

2010-01-19T07:11:00.005-06:00

As a member of the Artbeads blogging team, I am offered the opportunity from time to time to review items available at Artbeads.com. For my most recent assignment I am reviewing an assortment of their sterling silver stamping charms.

Even though I have a disc cutter and a saw, I sure don't want to have to cut every single piece of silver that I use! Especially the little stuff. And what I really like about tags is that they have a loop with the hole. For one thing, I don't have to pierce the hole and the other is that it leaves a little more area available for stamping.This is especially handy with the small round and square tags.

So with Valentine's Day in the near future, I'll start with SS-TAG11 (bottom left of photo above). This is a sterling silver heart charm that measures 20.5x20mm, IOW ~3/4 inches. I've already found lots of uses for these! One of the first designs I used the heart was for a Remembrance Car Charm. Previously I've used a 5/8" washer for the "in my heart 4evR" charm, but someone wanted something a little different because her friend had one with the washer. And this tag fit the bill nicely!

And then going with a similar theme I made one for myself with my husband's initial and put it on a simple chain.(Cause I'm a simple gal.)

This heart is really sweet as a bangle on a bracelet too!

Posy

Listed here

I like the charm bracelet so much I think I'll start a series:

Flower Girl

Listed here

Party Princess
Listed here

The heart is also great to dangle from a front-closing toggle, like in my Three Dog Mom Necklace. I hung the charm to a Hill Tribe Silver Toggle that is attached to a 4mm rolo chain.

Three Dog Mom Necklace
Listed here

I'm so glad I gave these a try! They've already become a important staple in my stamping supplies. And even better, right now they're on sale! (until 1/28/10)

Next review with be the SS-TAG12.

I received this product from Artbeads free of charge. I have honestly reviewed the product and have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to the product received.

Ah, what a year!

2009-12-31T14:43:00.002-06:00

The end of the year is always a time to reflect our accomplishments. And this year has certainly been full of them! I taught myself metal stamping and started developing new skills in metal work, like sawing. I began creating designs with dog agility themes and by the middle of the year had a successful booth at agility trials. I set up a website to promote my dog-themed items and allowed myself to be talked into starting this blog for product review. I learned to use Twitter and found out that I liked it. I learned to use Facebook and found out that I hated it! I set up a newsletter and have actually sent out a few. I set up a workbench and claimed the front of house for it, along with a work table, shipping table, and photo table. (My husband lovingly refers to this area as the Sweat Shop.)

But what I find the most important is the relationships that have been built through vending at trials and designing online custom orders. I've met so many wonderful people and dogs who I otherwise never would have known. And because of the Remembrance Car Charms, I've also shared in more losses than I care to. I guess that's part of the business too. I've shed many a tear for a dog I've never met.

And as things tend to go, a new year tends to bring new goals. Here are a few of mine for 2010:

Complete metalsmith class
Add shopping cart to website
Add more items for obedience, rally, and other dog sport venues
Improve newsletter campaign
Get organized better (Ha! I say that every year. About every thing. Good luck with that one, schweetheart.)

Guess that'll keep me out of trouble!

Here's wishing all a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year!

Metalwork and dog training

2009-12-09T06:59:00.006-06:00

Funny how I can always seem to take just about any subject and make it about dogs! This is about using classical conditioning to help Nelson deal with loud hammering. I know of at least one other artisan with a dog who is aversive to hammering and perhaps it can help others.

First of all, let me say that classical conditioning works! I've used it for other training problems too and if you have a food-motivated dog and something he really likes, it might not even take very long. Depends on whether the problem is a hard-wired behavior I guess.

I don't really know when it started. Probably when I got the disc cutter because you have to whack it pretty hard, especially for a large disc in 20 gauge. I'm not even 100% sure if this is a fear issue. I'm thinking it might have something to do with the frequency of sound that the hammer makes on metal. After all, dogs hear higher frequencies than we do and small dogs hear even higher frequencies than large dogs. I know it makes my ears ring. That and all that listening to Pink Floyd with the headphones turned all the way up back in the 70s. Oh, and those Blue Oyster Cult concerts. (Note to self: stop at Harbor Freight on the way home for ear protection. Second note to self: search for pug ear protection.)

Anyway, I just started noticing that when I was cutting discs or stamping metal, Nelson would just disappear. He didn't show signs of anxiety like I've seen with dogs who have thunder phobia, like panting, whining, shaking, etc. And doing agility where there are a lot of Border Collies, I've seen that a lot! No, Nelson just went away. I set up a crate in the back bedroom for him--his man cave--and he would go there unless I put him outside. When I told him I was done he would come back out showing no signs of distress. But then he started going to his man cave when I wasn't hammering, just working at the bench where I might hammer. (A perfect example of a dog generalizing something negative. If only they would generalize so well on a behavior we're training!) And at that point I decided I had waited far too long to do something about it. Because the bottom line is, whether the problem is fear or sound frequency, the treatment is the same.

I had no expectation that Nelson would ever tolerate the seriously loud stuff--like whacking 1.25" 20 gauge discs with a 2 lb brass mallet. But I at least wanted him to not have to disappear just because I was sitting at the bench sanding. So I put some little hot dog pieces in a paper food tray and sat down to sand. (For my small dogs I quarter hot dogs lengthwise and slice into little bits. Then I microwave them on a plate covered with paper towels for a few minutes. That dries them out nicely and makes them easier to handle for training.) I didn't call him to me. Didn't need to. He was well aware that I had hot dogs and wanted to be on hand in case something might be done to get a piece!

So for the next few days I keep the treats handy and while sanding or doing other non-hammering bench work and would hand them out fairly often. I made sure to make no noise, even just setting down a hammer when moving it or anything like that. Within a day I couldn't be at the bench without Nelson and Smithers right there waiting. Smithers doesn't have a problem with the hammering but he's certainly not going to be left out! As for Agnes, coming to the bench reeks of effort. She'd have to leave the couch. And given the choice between pillow and hot dog, she'll take the pillow, thank you very much!

During this time I made sure that Nelson was either outside or already in his crate when I was hammering. Then after a few days I started making just a little noise, like setting a hammer down a little more loudly than usual with one hand and doling out a cookie with the other. Next I started tapping the bench with the plastic mallet while feeding hot dogs. Then noise with cookie coming after. Then brass mallet on bench, next on metal block. After a while I moved on to stamping. I'd stamp one letter and give a cookie. Then after a while two letters. And so on. Now we're working up to a whole disc. I've even whacked a small disc or two in 22 or 24 gauge (less force). And it only took about three weeks. I thought perhaps it might be months before we ever got to this point. Oh, and somewhere along the line I switched to a no-grain, high protein kibble that they don't usually get. Lower value than hot dogs but Nelson doesn't seem to mind!

The important thing is not to move to the next step too quickly. If Nelson showed signs of wanting to leave, I'd go back to where we were previously. I feel bad that I put this off for so long. But the important this is that we're doing it now. And it WORKS. Never underestimate the power of classical conditioning!

Very busy

2009-11-18T07:37:00.002-06:00

And that's a good thing, right? Except when it comes to blogging. And tweeting. And since my free time has been limited lately and I don't have much time to write, I'll share a discount for you from Artbeads! As a member of the Artbeads blogging team, I've received a coupon for $10 off that I can share with my readers. This coupon is good till the end of the year, so now is a good time to order last minute supplies for Christmas.

SCF10P-ARTBEADS-0424

They also have a good deal this on their incredible steel pendants. Not only are they deeply discounted, you also get a free necklace!

And remember, shipping is free. Even more important, fast!

Create a Flyer for Your Booth

2009-10-28T07:59:00.000-05:00

I went to an agility trial to vend my wares last weekend in Paducah KY and had a really great weekend! Not only did the booth do well, I met some wonderful people and dogs who I hadn't met before. I just love to vend at trials. Everyone is so nice and complimentary.

One thing that was really helpful for my booth was the "catalog" I made up. I have a lot of things in my Etsy shop that are made to order and therefore don't have for my display. Others seem to get lost in display. I've been meaning to put together some sort of catalog but it just seemed really daunting. But thanks to Cr8tivity I was able to easily make a catalog of items in my shop to keep on my booth table.

Cr8tivity--Tools for the Etsy Community is a site where you can view your Etsy hearts and stats. I like the charts that show listing and view distribution by section.

But best of all are the Helpers. You can easily create a flyer page with one product or four and there's a really nifty Inventory Helper that will download your current listings into Excel format. It has columns for Listing Id, State, Title, Creation Date, Number of Views, Price, Expiration Date, Quantity, Section Title, Sold, Listing Fee, Selling Fee, Shipping Fee, and Date Sold. Very handy!

Creating PDF flyer pages is easy. You select four items from the drop-down list, click the blue box with the arrow, and it creates the page for you.

You also do a price over-ride if you like or not show the price at all. Here's an example of one the one above:

Then save and do another. I always change the file name to something that lets me know what pieces are on the page. I took all my pages and added them to a single PDF document to make the printing easier. I also made a cover page, printed it all on both sides of paper, and put it in a ring binder. What a time saver!

If you don't have the capability to print good quality color you can upload your files at the Kinkos website and have them printed and put into a binder.

The good folks at Cr8tivity are also working on a version in Word that will be editable. That will be even more cool!

You can follow Cr8tivity for updates at http://www.twitter.com/cr8tivity.

Keep Calm and Carry On

2009-10-15T07:00:00.005-05:00

I love the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster that was produced in Britain in 1939 when war with Germany was imminent. According to Wikipedia, although millions of copies were produced only a very few were actually distributed. (Perhaps the Brits had a stiff enough upper lip and ended up not needing it.) It was re-discovered in the 21st century and has become something of an icon of popular culture. I've been meaning to hand stamp it on something for ages.

And that age finally came yesterday. It's been a stressful week with the death of the brother of one of my oldest friends, Agnes' surgery and biopsy, and most of all learning of Greg's upcoming nephrectomy on December 17. I won't know anything about Agnes' biopsy until possibly tomorrow but more likely Monday, and waiting is always hard. (I'm good at conjuring up all kinds of scenarios, none of them good. Especially since her mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.) The growth was on her belly and must have been fairly large inside because her incision is a lot bigger than I expected. And the vet wanted to get the margins so that he wouldn't have to go back in if the results show malignant. As for Greg losing his kidney, it's been giving him grief for so long that we can only hope that when it's gone he might actually start to feel better!

Listed here

So for me right now, keepin' calm and carryin' on is what I need to be doing.

Giving back a little

2009-10-07T16:30:00.000-05:00

I've spent most of this week working on donations for agility clubs that I like to support. I especially like to donate for workers' raffles at trials. Volunteer workers are the driving force of agility trials and without them our little fledgling club couldn't afford to put on a trial! Like the one we're having at the Showcase of Dogs in Memphis this weekend.

I'm also donating a prize for the Pug Dog Club of America National Specialty agility trial. It's for the Best Veteran Handler.

And also a necklace like this only it says PUG MOM instead. Need to finish it tonight.

I decided not to go the specialty this year and I guess it's just as well because unfortunately I don't have a dog to run right now. Nelson hurt his back a month ago and still isn't 100%. I'm trying not to be too impatient and have to remind myself that it takes time. Heck, my back was out last year at this time and it took two months to get back to normal. So it's baby steps for him right now. I just hope that he does get back to 100%, or at least a percent that will allow him to jump again. Cause he loves to run and jump.

I've even toyed with the idea of bringing Smithers out of retirement and seeing how his hips do if I put him in Preferred (8" jump height for him).

Swarovski Crystal Teardrop Pendants Part VI - Terrenum

2009-09-29T16:01:00.004-05:00

I saved my favorite Swarovski 6100 pendant for last--Terrenum. No great bling with this one. No kaleidoscope of colors. Just a soothing gradient from a yellow so pale that it's nearly clear to gold to a dark orangey-amber. It suits me best. After all, according to my husband, I am the Queen of Earth Tones.

(I'm trying to figure out what Terrenum means. Sounds kinda like terrarium, all mossy and earthy and stuff.)

The colors of this crystal just begged for brass findings, and when I use brass I like to use the best. And IMO the best is Vintaj. Vintaj brass findings are pure natural brass that is given a lovely dark patina through "a meticulous, 7-step hand-embellishing process" that is eco-friendly. The color of patina is consistent and best of all, many people like me with sensitive skin can still wear it. With a lot of "antique brass" findings you don't know what's in it. It's usually brass-plated base metal that will give me a rash around the neck in hours!

I also like to get brass charms from PatinaQueen on Etsy. E,g, the tiny teal dragonfly below on the Terrenum necklace. And wire. Her wire is pure brass and the patina goes well with Vintaj findings. Her aged bluebird charms are especially nice too. And lots of other charms I haven't had a chance to try. Like these lime shabby chic dragonflies. Gorgeous.

So back to the crystal. Here's a confession. This color was the first of the 6100 pendants I worked with. Its color appealed to me so much I couldn't wait to get started with it. Not having used Swarovski pendants before, I didn't realize that the size of the hole is gauged for using a bail or a jump ring. And since I had decided to wire-wrap a bail, I thought I could use 22 gauge because it fit through the hole. But like many things in life, just because you can doesn't mean you should! In my ham-handed efforts I broke off the tip within the first few minutes! So what was first became last while I waited for a replacement.

Listed here

I love the Vintaj Eternity Ring that I attached the pendant to. I've used them in a lot of designs. To the ring I also attached a Swarovski crystal in red magma (love this new color!), a teal dragonfly, a little Swarovski crystal copper butterfly and a green luster Czech glass rondelle. A scene from the autumn garden.

I love Swarovski crystal and these 6100 pendants will be a good addition to my stock supplies. And my favorite supplier for them is Artbeads.

Swarovski Crystal Teardrop Pendants Part V - Ocean Blue

2009-09-28T18:11:00.006-05:00

When I first picked up this Swarovski Crystal Teardrop Ocean Blue Pendant, it made me think of winter rather than water. The colors plunge from nearly crystal clear to deep dark blue and I immediately wanted to accent it with little rounds of clear crystal. Like sparkling stars on a cold winter night.

So that's what I did. After making the wire-wrapped bail I wired together 3mm Swarovksi crystal rounds to hang down from the top of the pendant. Like a frosty fringe of ice crystals.

Listed here

Now I'm looking forward to winter. Of course, it's easy to look forward to winter in Memphis. Cause it rarely gets to the teens or below. But we've had such an odd summer--much cooler and wetter than usual. Maybe we'll have a real winter with snow and stuff.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Terrenum pendant

Swarovski Crystal Teardrop Pendants Part IV - Crystal Vitrail Light

2009-09-27T16:59:00.001-05:00

CRYSTALLIZED™ 6100 Faceted Teardrop Pendant Crystal Vitrail Light

The vitrail light is much more subtle than the vitrail medium and also not quite as photogenic. There are several colors going on in there like blue and sage-y green that I just couldn't coax out with the camera. Shy, I guess.

I used the same design as the Crystal Volcano with Swarovski 6mm round light amethyst AB and 6mm rondelles in crystal AB. I bought several different colors in round to see what looked the best. To decide on the colors to try I did a layout in Adobe Illustrator. I did the same for the volcano necklace to get an idea how the colors worked together.

I had a pretty good notion that the light amethyst would work the best, but you never know for sure until you see them in person.

Anyhoo, here's the finished design.

Listed here

As you can see, I had a hard time getting the colors to pop out. And I had really good light!

This one came out better. Oh, and like the vitrail medium, this crystal has a silver foil backing, making it one-sided.

Another thing that makes these pendants a little hard to photograph is the ridge running vertically down the back. When lying flat to photograph the crystal tend to tilt to one side or the other. Sometimes it's needs a little shim to help it lie straight. (No problem when wearing though.)

Bottom line: this pendant looks far better in person that in photo. I think I have a better chance of someone falling in love with it in my booth than on a web page.

NEXT: Ocean Blue

Swarovski Crystal Teardrop Pendants Part III - Crystal Volcano

2009-09-21T07:14:00.012-05:00

This beauty measures 24x12mm and is available here

The CRYSTALLIZED™ 6100 Faceted Teardrop Pendant Crystal Volcano is a veritable kaleidoscope of color. Faceted planes of blue, orange, fuschia and more shift with the slightest change of light. The plane of deep blue in the center is like a window into another world.

The down side of this lovely effect is that the pendant is one-sided. Meaning that the the pendant has a silver foil backing on the one side to reflect back and intensify the colors and light, much like a mirror. So design with that in mind.

For my Crystal Volcano necklace I generously wrapped the pendant with 24g sterling silver wire and attached it to a 9mm closed jump ring.

Listed here

Then I wired together 6mm rondelles of indigo and 6mm rounds of red magma and attached them to the focal ring. The necklace is finished with rolo chain and a trigger clasp.

I haven't used the smaller Swarovski rondelles before, but after using these lovely indigo ones, I'm gonna get some more! Wish there was the array of colors that are available in the rounds.

I kind of wanted to call this necklace The Gates of Mt. Doom, but that's really letting my geek flag fly a bit more than I care to! Not to mention the whole negative connotations of doom and all. Others may not visualize Sam carrying Frodo up the steps into the maw of the volcano that will destroy the ring. But I do. But then, I'm just a bit of a geek.

Next: Crystal Vitrail Medium

Swarovski Crystal Teardrop Pendants Part II - Crystal Vitrail Medium

2009-09-17T16:30:00.013-05:00

I mentioned not knowing what the heck vitrail is, but I sure like it. I've used a lot of small Swarovski crystals with the vitrail finish when I want to add a little sparkle to a stamped disc or the inside of a washer.

Listed here

But I've never used it in something as big as the Swarovski 6100 Teardrop Pendant.

This beauty measures 24x12mm and isn't for the faint of heart!

I purchased several of the teardrop pendants from Artbeads and intend to give a review of each of the colors I picked: Crystal Vitrail Medium, Crystal Vitrail Light, Ocean Blue, Crystal Volcano, and Terrenum. It was hard to choose--I wanted them all!

For this color, the vitrail medium, I didn't think it needed much. So I stuck to a simple design. I made a wire-wrapped bail with 24g wire and attached it to a spiral toggle clasp on rolo chain that closes in the front. Cause I like simple.

Listed here

The depth of faceting in this crystal is awesome. It's like there's another whole world down in there. An alternate universe of reflecting planes of color. Cool.

So if you're looking for me an can't find me, maybe I gazed into this crystal too long and fell into the Swarovski looking glass. I'll try to find my out eventually.

Coming next: Ocean Blue and Crystal Volcano (waiting on an order of crystals to finish the designs)

Online tests

2009-09-15T16:19:00.002-05:00

Online personality tests are fun. Like this one:
http://youjustgetme.com
I just love being told:

You are more neurotic than a hamster without its wheel. If you were described as an inanimate object, surely you would be a roller coaster because you have more ups, downs, and loopty loops than any high flying machine. In reality, you probably stress out before riding roller coasters because you wonder what would happen if the restraining belt broke on your car, flung you out, and you were never to be heard from or seen again until one day a band of roving gypsy children came across your body. This brings me to the following point. You are obsessive and often worry about things that A) only exist in your mind or B) you have no control over. As for your insecurities, here it is, for once and for all, for the whole world to see: You're smart enough, good enough, and dog gone it, people like you. It would be a good idea for you to do breathing exercises and relax once in awhile so that you don't one day spontaneously combust while thinking about whether or not the planet will be taken over by mutant bacteria.

Hmpf. Tell me something I don't already know! :)

Swarovski Crystal Pendants Part I

2009-09-15T07:38:00.006-05:00

Just got an order of Swarovski crystal pendants to incorporate into some of my designs. I got them from Artbeads.

I love ordering from Artbeads. They were the first supplier I ordered from back when I first had an interest in "stringing beads." (My interest in stringing beads didn't last long--I suck at it!) I still remember my first order--the nice little touch of purple tissue paper really impressed me.

Later, when I started selling online, I was more impressed by free first class shipping and lightning fast Priority! Another little niceness is the foam sheet that they wrap around the order.

I use those in my shipping. I put most pieces into a cotton-filled box and every time I order new boxes the so-called cotton gets thinner! So I put a little extra padding on top of the jewelry before putting the lid on so nothing rattles around in the box.

When deciding what to order I just had to include something in crystal AB. I'm a real sucker for the aurora borealis (AB) finish.

But then again, when I was a kid, one of my favorite things to play with was a triangular prism. I don't even know why we had one. Never really thought about it. I guess I just figured everyone had one. And how does one play with a prism? I liked to hold it up to my eyes with the flat side at the top and pretend I was walking on the ceiling. Ah, good times. But I digress.

Ooh, and vitrail. I don't even know what vitrail means but I love it! It's kinda like AB on steriods.

So because of my lifelong love for refracting light, I decided to use the column crystal AB in a car charm. I make a lot of car charms for dog people who have lost a beloved friend and want something for remembrance.

Listed here

The column crystal works as a lovely sun catcher.

I also added a 12mm crystal AB rondelle to my order. Since I'm a bit of a minimalist, I like to make a simple choker by wiring a rondelle with a couple of Hill Tribe stamped cubes to a feminine long and short chain. Works well alone or layered.

Listed here

This buyer adores hers.

Wonderful necklace, I've been wearing it since the day I got it, many thanks :)

Coming up next--the CRYSTALLIZED™ 6100 Faceted Teardrop Pendants.

Just a little bummed

2009-09-10T07:03:00.000-05:00

Trying to be uncharacteristically optimistic and only be slightly bummed. Nelson got hurt playing out in the yard with the other pugs last Thursday. I took him into the vet and he determined that the area involved was the lumbosacral area of the back. I was worried it was his hips. He has mild dysplasia so I'm always looking for symtoms, which so far he hasn't shown. The vet gave Nelson a shot of cortisone and he did pretty well over the weekend. But I guess as the cortisone started wearing off he continued to show signs of mild pain. Like not wanting to step up into the house, which is only about 6 inches.

So yesterday I took him back to the vet and although he didn't think it was a disc, he certainly wanted to rule it out. So I left Nelson there for some x-rays and nothing showed up that would cause his symptoms. But the vet could tell from the exam that there is some instability at the lumbosacral joint which is causing the pain. The official diagnosis is lumbosacral luxation. The treatment is rest. And with the Franklin TN trial coming up in only 3 weeks, I thought it prudent to go ahead and withdraw my entries. (It closed yesterday.)

My next decision was whether or not to go and vend anyway. I have several customers who planned to visit my booth and place their Christmas orders there. But I just can't justify the cost of a room for 4 nights (don't have a roomie this trip), the days off work, and all the work involved in getting the booth ready if I'm not going to run my dog! Hopefully the people who wanted to place orders will either contact me online or see me in Paducah KY Oct 23-25. Cause even if Nelson isn't fully recuperated by then I'm still planning to vend at the Paducah trial. Also, I'm running an ad in the October issue of Clean Run. Hopefully that will bring in some extra business and perhaps make up for missing Franklin.

So for now, no agility for Nelson. Next week he can start back on our morning walks.

Tunduru Sapphires

2009-09-08T13:53:00.003-05:00

Or Tundura. Or Tundra. They go by many names (Tundira) but from what I've read Tunduru is used the most. They come from a mine in Tanzania in a region called Tunduru, which I guess has a lot of different spellings. More about them here. I was a little disappointed to find that Tundra wasn't the correct name. I like that name. Cause a lot of the colors make me think of lichen and moss and such.

Back in June when I was vending a lot and the booth was doing well, I splurged on some gemstones from Sapphire Garden. Including a strand of tunduru sapphires that just blew me away! I never expected such quality from a moderately priced strand of gems. But I was so busy filling orders for the booth that I just didn't have time to sit down and get to know them well enough to decide what to do with them! Oh sure, I'd pick them up, look at the pretty colors in the light and go Ooh, sparkly. And then put them down again till another day. And last weekend that day finally arrived.

For starters, I pulled out eleven that were in really nice earth tones, a couple of crystal clear, a single dark blue (sort of, well, sapphire-like) and another deep red. I used these for a sparkly little choker.

Listed here

I also wanted to do a necklace of wire-wrapped links and I thought to let the colors be random--they range from taupe to amber to caramel to dark red and a little in between. But I don't do well with random. So I ended up following a color pattern for the linked portion of the necklace. I wired more rondelles to a heavy closed jump ring until it looked like this.

Then I added a briolette of whiskey quartz as a focal and a lovely floral toggle clasp. I like toggle clasps for necklaces that have a fixed center because they tend to stay in place better, meaning that the focal will stay in place better too.

I also have some briolettes called Brandy Citrine coming in. They are a bit redder than the whiskey quartz and I might like one of those better for the focal. We'll see.

This was my first time ordering from Sapphire Garden and I was so pleased with everything in my order! And the shipping was super fast too. (I like that.) Hope they get more of these stones some time.

Labor Day sales

2009-09-05T08:32:00.005-05:00

Seems I'm always shopping for supplies. Which mean I'm always looking for sales!

Artbeads has a good one if you need to spend over $60. It's 20% off everything and is good through Tuesday 9/8 9 a.m.You have to sign up for their newsletter to get it, which you can do here. I like their newsletter--gives a heads up on sales and new items. I seriously need some jump rings. And quality tags. And clasps. And free shipping all the time. I love that.

Beadaholique is offering free shipping, no minimum. Discount code is on the main page. It ends Labor Day at midnight. They have a good selection of sterling silver chain.

FusionBeads has these wonderful Vintaj eternity garden rings for only $2.51. I love Vintaj brass. Gorgeous patina and pure brass, not who-knows-what base metal that usually gives me a rash! They also have 50% off sterling silver link compenents. I'm off to order some of those eternity rings before they run out! Also free shipping but I wish they took Paypal. And their free shipping is pretty slow. If you need it fast better opt for Priority.

Registered Trademarks

2009-09-03T07:18:00.001-05:00

Well, I learned something new this week. I had always assumed that when a trademark is registered you can't use it. Period. But that's not always the case.

My example is "Dog is my co-pilot" which is a registered trademark of the The Bark magazine. I've had lots of people ask me to stamp this on a pendant or key ring and I've declined thinking that it was illegal. But after seeing t-shirts and other items with the phrase sold in various online venues, I decided to try to find out more. Thanks to the Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS--isn't that a cute name?) I found out that I could indeed use this on my jewelry. The reason is because a trademark only applies to specific goods and services. In this case, it only applies to "Printed publications, namely magazines, newsletters, books and books in the form of anthologies in the field of dogs; decals and stickers." Yay!

So needless to say I've gotten bi-zay and already made two pendants and listed them on Etsy and 1Kmarkets.

Listed here

My husband (bless him!) thought of this one.

Listed here

I've wanted to be extra careful after getting Etsy an infringement notice from a lawyer at Fox for two necklaces I had there. One had "Doh!" and the other had "Mmm....beer." I'll admit (now that I think about it), I should've known better about the Doh! Talk about a Duh! But Mmm....beer? The "intellectual property" of Fox? Gimme a break!

Swanstrom Disc Cutter and Center Positioning Plugs - Oh me oh my!

2009-08-31T16:39:00.006-05:00

I have to say that when I was thinking about purchasing the Swanstrom disc cutter I cringed at the price--$250. But I was tired of the stress of suppliers always being out the sizes of discs or washers that I needed. I was tired of buying ahead in sizes that I might not even need. And I wanted washers that were thicker than 22-24 gauge, which is what most of the suppliers have. So I bit the bullet and I have to say that it was one of the smarter business decisions I've made. Now I can cut what I need when I need it. And ordering silver by the sheet is stress-free! If I'm in a rush and order from Rio Grande or Monsterslayer, Priority shipping will have it to me in 2-3 days! And it's always in stock.

All you need to get started with the disc cutter some sheet metal, Cut Lube or other lubricant, and a 2 lb brass mallet. I started with a sheet of copper to practice. And be sure to have an extra sheet of something cheap in the same gauge that you're cutting to use as a shim on the opposite side of the cut. I was amazed at the ease of cutting, even with the 1"+ sizes. It cuts in 1/8" increments from 1/8" to 1 1/4", although I can't for the life of me figure out what one would use a 1/8" disc for. If you have some good ideas let me know. The majority of my work is with 20 gauge so I haven't tried anything thicker than that yet. But even the largest die cuts through 20 gauge with just a couple of extra whacks.

I read a lot about cutters before buying, especially on the Etsy forum. And one thing that people mentioned time and time again with cheaper cutters is that the dies were often hard to remove. Not so with this cutter! Every one just drops right out. According to the seller, the ease of cutting is due to the sloped base of the die. This wedge effect applies "sharp force to one side that is then carried through to provide a sharper cut to the disk with less risk of distortion or tearout." Works for me!

Another thing I had read is that the cheaper cutters don't hold their edge very well. I remember one poster saying to someone who had gotten a new cutter "Enjoy it while it's sharp!" The Swanstrom is supposed to hold its edge and be, according to the seller, "The last disc cutter you will ever own." For this, only time will tell. But I'm optimistic!

Of course, as soon as I started cutting discs, I immediately wanted to try washers. (I'm not a very patient person.) So I took some washers that I had purchased and traced them with a Sharpie on the silver. I knew enough to start with the inside hole. Otherwise, the disc would be inside the cutter and impossible to line up! So I would cut the inside diameter as close to the mark as possible. If I was off the mark I would retrace the O.D. and once again, try to get the cut as close to the mark as possible. Works okay, but it's really hard to get that O.D. cut right on the line. I did end up with a few that were used for asymmetrical washers.

However, there's an easier solution now because Swanstrom has developed a set of centering plugs that have made it a snap to cut perfect washers every time!

With these babies cutting washers is a breeze. First you cut the inside diameter. Then you move to the hole for the outside diameter and put the plug of that size in the hole to position the metal.

Tighten down the cutter, remove the plug, put in the die, and whack. Perfect every time!

The cutter is made in the U.S. exclusively for Rio Grande, but you can also purchase it from Fundametals. I recommend buying it from Fundametals for two reasons. First and foremost, it's a fledging company and I like to support the "little guy." Hey, I'm a little guy too and I really appreciate it when people support my work. But also because the owner, Jeanette Blix Ryan, is just a darn nice person! She has been incredibly helpful to this newbie and always ready to answer questions or send them on to her support staff. Who are also just darn nice people! I don't have anything against Rio and I buy a lot of my stock from them. I just prefer to support a small business when I can.

Bottom line, this cutter has made my life a lot easier! I can cut what I need when I need it and not worry about what sizes I need to order. And stamping mistakes are a lot less stressful! Say I screw up the lettering on the edge of a 7/8" disc. I can still cut out a smaller disc from that piece and save the remainder to resell as scrap at a later date. And no worries about making a mistake on your last disc of a size that you need for a custom order. And for me, less stress leads to fewer mistakes.

One final consideration. Unless my calculations are way off, it's really not any cheaper to cut your own discs than to buy them. And this is factoring in selling back the scrap. But the flexibility and ease of use still make it well worth the cost.

In my opinion, the Swanstrom Disc Cutter is an excellent example of "You get what you pay for."

The New Artfire Kiosk

2009-08-28T07:30:00.009-05:00

I've had a hard time warming up to Artfire. And an even harder time warming up to Facebook. (My old line is that it reminds me too much of high school!) I'm more of a Twtterer--brief, random, here one moment and gone the next. But that's for another discussion.

However, I am extremely impressed by Artfire's new Facebook Kiosk that just launched on Wednesday. This app is free to verified members and took only moments to set up! Now, on that Facebook page that I never visit, I have a tab that people can click and not only see the items in my shop, they can purchase them directly from there without even having to set up an account. Whoa. This is enough to make me stop and think about getting a little more serious about using Facebook as a promotional tool. And also a little more serious about updating my Artfire shop.

I also have a Facebook fan page that I pay even less attention to. The kiosk can also be added to the fan page, but it was a little trickier and I had to consult the Help Guide. But the instructions were easy to follow and I had it installed in a snap. (Although I'm never happy to suffer the indignity of having to read the directions!) So now that I have this powerful tool, I'm motivated to do more to keep my Facebook page updated and add more items to my Artfire shop.

Another thing, I have to give Artfire great credit for getting out there and doggedly promoting the site day in and day out. And constantly working to improve the look and functionality of the site. Maybe I'll stick around for a while after all.

i carry your heart with me....

2009-08-27T00:04:00.006-05:00

I've been hooked on hearts lately.

Listed here

The first time I put a jeweler's saw in my hand and placed it to silver, I knew we were meant to be together. (You know, like Sweeney Todd. Now the hand is complete!) I started simple, with straight lines to make the wide tags that my fellow dog enthusiasts like so much for their awesome titles like MACH and OTCH.

Listed here

Then I tried a guitar pick for my stepson who plays bass.

Listed here

I had this guitar pick key ring at an agility trial and someone wanted one with her MACH dog's name on it only a heart. And since then I've been playing around with hearts.

I've always loved the e.e.cummings poem "i carry your heart with me" and thought it the perfect quote for a stylized heart pendant.

Listed here

What next? Maybe I'll tackle a spiral....