More of the Latest...

This necklace, "Midnight in Siam" is really just a teaser... It was a special order and is sold. It is a mix of gorgeous Bali style sterling beads mixed with firepolish jet glass. I imagine it being worn out to black tie affairs...

Ok, so this isn't jewelry, but I had to share. This was a week of MAJOR finds for my studio/store! I found two of these metal/glass shelves on wheels on a garage sale group on Facebook. Love them! They are inspiring. I just want to fill them up with shiny things! Best of all, they come apart for easy movement to trade shows...

Speaking of shiny things, here are some new earrings.

#09-176 - Lemon Drop Earrings

(Click on the title to purchase or for more info.)

These earrings feature handcrafted sterling hoops with lemon calcite drops. The hoops are about 1 1/2" in diameter. The entire length of both hoop and drop is about 2". They are not heavy, but they make quite a statement! Yellow is very in this season. These are not bright yellow, so they would also go nicely with neutrals. Money saving hint - purchase these, then go to the Mix n' Match Earrings area of the website and buy more drops to interchange as needed! Ta Da! Earrings for any outfit.

This porcelain cross was another great find at ReStore this week. I love shopping there! It's not antique, but it definitely has a vintage flair.

On it hangs the Ocean Breeze series - the necklace, bracelet and earrings. They would make great Christmas gifts for the gal who loves turquoise or the ocean...

Speaking of the ocean, these new jade earrings are part of the Among the Kelp series. Click here to see the necklace and here to see the bracelet. All are made with sterling silver and new jade stones. The necklace and bracelet also incorporate some pewter elements - the seahorse and the starfish.

These earrings are on handcrafted sterling wires that are about 3/4" in diameter. The total length is about 1 3/4". The soft light green goes with any neutral/natural and give just enough of a colour pop to be noticed without shouting.

I also created several Mommy Bling & Baby Bling items, but until they are given as gifts, I can't give away their identities!

If you would like a Mommy Bling item or any special order item for a Christmas gift, it's best to order now. My order book is filling up quickly! Thanks to all who have already ordered.

May the Bling Be With You...

Dawn

Adventures in making a Medic Alert Bracelet

I wanted to make a medi-alert style bracelet for my Dad's birthday. He'd looked at them online and didn't like any of them.

I thought it be pretty easy to do in silver clay. It wasn't.

I looked online for a medi-alert stamp. No go. So I decided to make my own stamp. First, I tried clay. I carved something I liked, but when I tried to fire it, it broke. Next, I carved soap. This worked pretty well, as the photo shows.

I purchased some silicon mold making compounds. The first mold I took from the soap it was a fail. The second one wasn't bad. I

put silver clay into the mold and let it dry.

Major fail. The silver clay adhered to the mold. I had forgotten to put a release onto the mold first! Note to self. Spray release into the mold before using. (Olive oil works well).

Next, I made a bracelet by hand. Using only the logo part from the silicon mold, I stamped it into the bracelet. So far, so good.

Next, I stamped the back. This ended up crushing the logo on the front. Stamping both sides is not easy. Silver clay dries very quickly as well, which doesn't help. I eventually got both to show up, but the stamped letters on the back were a bit crooked. After trying three times, they had to stay that way, as the silver clay was drying rapidly.

To fix the logo on the front, I ended up using a syringe of silver clay to "draw" in the snake on the pedestal, which actually looked better than the original on the mold anyway.

After drying the bracelet thoroughly, I fired it with a torch.

This photo is after brushing the white coating off after firing. You can see the brush marks from the wire brush. At this point, you also file down any rough edges or thick spots. You can also smooth it a bit with sandpapers.

Next, to make the lettering and logo stand out, the bracelet was dipped into liver of sulphur. This is the back after taking it out of the liquid.

After sanding the black patina off with several kinds of sandpaper, the logo and lettering stands out and the bracelet is much more smooth.

TaDA! The finished product. I made two different straps for Dad to wear with different things.

So... now that I've done this once, I can do it again MUCH more easily. Special orders are welcome!

Item 022 - Personalized keepsake baby bracelet

C$16.00
This was a hit at my friend's baby shower!

Pink, gold and silver metal beads with resin alphabet beads on elastic.

Pink beads may be changed to blue glass beads for a boy if you wish.

About 1" in diameter.

*NOTE* Not meant for baby to wear... meant to be a wonderful keepsake in the baby book.

Email to order.