Mark your calendars-

Holiday Bizarre@

The Livery

190 5th Street,

Benton Harbor, MI

• Date: 2009.12.15
  
• Time: 5-9 pm - Upper Livery
  
• Cost: No Charge
  

One Stop - Buy Local!

Holiday gifts purchased yet? Do you need something for the Mailman/woman? Teacher? Hair Stylist? Favorite Barista/Bartender? Get it all done with a smile on your face and an Ale in your hand at the 1st Annual Holiday Bizarre at The Livery.

Merchandise and Gift certificates will be available and you'll be able to purchase with your credit card if desired. (cash is welcome too)

Confirmed vendors include: Phoenix Cafe, Christina Root, Ferris Music, Handy Randy, Laughing Dragon/Brunson Art House, The Livery, Yoga Maria, Hello Granola, VCMetalworks, Red Arrow Hobbies (Brewing supplies and models), The Citadel, Your Bohemian Life, Angela Caldwell Designs, Becky Wehmer, Wildtree Soaps and More,

Stay tuned - more to be added soon!

Cocoa and Cookies provided by The Livery. Beer, Wine, and Food will also be available for purchase on the lower level.

A work progresses

Back in September I had a new friend bring me an image of a 1960's era pendant out of Georg Jensen studios and ask if I would take a look at it to see if I would be inspired by it to design a pendant for her. She was willing to wait until I was ready so I decided to give it a go.

After a couple goes at prototypes, I struck on some design changes that are good, very minor shifts of the rectangles improved the proportions, opening it up on all sides gives it a lighter feel and appearance than the direction I was going.

I'm so glad I get to take my time with this piece, it calls for such precision and I'm not used to working within such precise measurements, sawing, filing or symmetry. I've had to try some techniques I haven't used before to hit those lines and measurements, I like that.


So far so good on this prototype, Ann is pleased with the design and is excited to have seen it progress. I plan to do another prototype in copper before I work it in silver.

Now my brain is filled with new ideas, spinning off this design, brooches, earrings...must, Must, MUST make them.

New Website

Hurray! I bought a wonderful gift for my studio VCMetalworks, it's a new website!

The fabulous web designer Lynne Tan of http://www.webprelude.com/ designed it for me based off the outstanding business cards she designed (one of the eleven is up there^). I love it, so easy to use, lovely to look at and ready to expand if I ever need. Lynne really held my hand all the way through the site creation process, I had no idea what I wanted, was pretty intimidated about the entire process and she helped me find my way along an easy path.

Thanks Lynne! You really truly are the best!

Feel free to bookmark it, pass it on to friends and check back regularly for new information.

VCMetalworks.com

And have no fear if you lose the link, I've added a direct link to the site over there on the right.

Lake Michigan Beach Treasures

Beach stones and beach glass found on the shores of Lake Michigan, tumbled by the lake until perfect for setting.

Ready. Set. Go.
More images below.

Striped Beachstone Necklace

Lake Michigan Thumprint Beachstone Necklace

This stone has a place to rest your thumb.

And a handmade clasp to match the links.

Pale Aqua Lake Michigan Beachglass Necklace

Grass Green Lake Michigan Beachglass Necklace

Pale Pink Lake Michigan Beachglass

All my new work is at Holly Market

Hope to see you there tonight at the preview party, fun stuff!

New work for Holly Market @Krasl

Quick snap shots, gotta run!

At Krasl for Holly Market

It's all at Holly Market now

Just had time to grab some quick snap shots

The Unexpected Earrings

I took some of those sweet little stretched circles from yesterday and nipped out a section at the top.

Did a bit of reshaping, filing, and sanding with a smidgen of drilling and fusing and came up with these...

All-in-all a good days work.
Another good day.

Something Unexpected....

Today I wanted to experiment more with domed shapes with openings in them. I started by cutting out a circle of copper and cut another circle out of that then my plan was to dome it and join 2 together to make a round clam-shaped sort of thing with a hole all the way through it.

I positioned the hole off center and because I cut out the hole before I domed it, the perfect circle stretched into a teardrop shape. I wasn't thinking that would happen but as soon as it did I thought "of course!" ~~Metal always follows the path of least resistance. Always.

So I wound up making several of these to play with tomorrow.
Earrings....? Pendants...?
Hmmmmmm.

What will you be?

The shape after dapping

It came to me today... when they are rounded out (dapped or domed) they're like mangoes.

These are destined to be earrings....maybe.....

"the shape"

Oh how I love open studios at Krasl.
I'm playing with "the shape" again.
Varying the size, there are 4 sizes here, I'll probably settle on 3....
or maybe 5....heh-heh.



These hammered out beautifully, lush and round, I lost my light this eve or I'd show them to you. The shape is like something....just can't place my finger on it... It will come to me....
Prototype sets of the phase one earrings are in the hands (lobes) of reviewers and so far so good.

New Tool Alert:: Dust Collector/air cleaner

Introducing VCMetalworks' first major purchase.
It arrived on Wednesday. Isn't it cuuuuuuute?!

A good deep breath.
Number one on my what-is-truly-important-to-my-future list.

Open Artist Studios @210

HOURS*: Fridays 3 - 7pm and Saturdays 10 - 3pm
thru Christmas

The Studios @ 210:
12 working artist studios housed in an old warehouse with public
areas, classroom and gallery space. Art on display and for sale.
*also by chance or appointment


I'll be hanging out down at my studio, 210 Water Street, Benton Harbor 10-3 this Saturday. Several of the artists have decided to host open studio days, where folks can come wondering in to take a look at what we all do.

There will also be some artwork for sale.

So come on by and say hi, I'll be happy to show you what I'm working on or let you peek into the other artists studios.

Hope to see you there!

The artists participating are:

VCMetalworks Jewelry- Vicki Cook

Pam Harper - Glass, Illustration Artist

Your Bohemian Life - Unique Handcrafted Gifts
Teri Robinson + Sandi Kalin

Angela Caldwell Designs - Jewelry

The Ceramic House - Janet Hurlbert

Just leave me a comment here if you would like more details or to set an appointment.

Prototype Shape Earrings

Just off the sketchbook...

Slightly sharper shots than yesterday, still tinkering with these. They have to be as close to perfect as I can make them before I send them to friends for prototype reviews.

Should have a couple pairs good to go out next week....
*does a little nervous bounce*
Then, after getting some technical feedback from my reviewers I plan to tweak the design accordingly and make 10 pairs. *phew*
What a process.

Prototype Shape: The Story Continues

So far, so good. Well, except for the lack of light.
I decided to take the shape and use it just as is, very little alteration. Lost the pink/orange/red heat patination while I did the earwire, but the copper will fix that in the long run.

I left the wires long so I could find the best balance point when actually dangling from a lobe.

Now I'm imagining piercing this shape...or doing some light repousse and chasing....or soldering little yummy bits to the face...or...or...or...yup Toni, you are right- These are things that make me go 'hmmmmmmm'

Prototype shape

I made these yesterday during open studio at Krasl. It's an idea I dug out of a year old sketch book. The idea has been poking and prodding my mind lately so I'm setting it loose. They almost curl, almost, like if they were leaves or pods and you were keeping an eye on them, on your morning walks, tomorrow they would have that curl and you could slide one on your finger....

When I got home I tossed them on the table, they would make nice chimes.

During dinner I moved them around, stacked them, nested them, imagined wires stringing them together.

These are going to be big fun.

What will they be in the end....?

I can't wait to get them to the studio.

*pokes them*

*they chime back*

Leaf with Raindrops

What if I set a transparent domed stone over textured metal?
Hmmmmmmm.

Leaf with Rain Drops

Sweet.

Warning: New Tool Alert

So you know those weeks when you just keep moving along, working hard, wondering "WHAT have I gotten myself into...WHY am I working so hard at this?"

Well, today I got an answer to that question.



And she has five speeds.
*purrrrs*

For the tools baby, it's all for the tools.

Happy Hour Martini

My kind of martini, near equal parts gin and vermouth.
Many, many olives.
Too many?*

*No such thing as too many olives.

A ring for Nancy

Ring-a-ding-ding.

I hope she likes it.

Delivered Fresh

Delivered fresh to Chartreuse Co-Op Art Gallery

New works by all artists are showing up daily.