Beach glass Pendant

A friend asked me to set a very, very nice piece of Lake Michigan beach glass.

I cut away the back so light would show off the winter-lake-color of blue. I hear Caribbean waters are this color. We see it right here in southwest Michigan.
Lucky Ducks.

Golden Knots Workshop

Long radio silence here, 'tis the season!

In early November I was able to take a workshop at Krasl Art Center with Loren Damewood of Golden Knots. I was thrilled, I've been wanting to take a class from him for several years but just never worked out...this time he was going to be teaching in Chicago, I was going to head over to take it but I had already committed to teaching then. Rats! I talked to our education director Julia Gourley and she was more than willing to host him at Krasl if he was willing to come. Can't hurt to email him and ask so I did, he was happy to swing by before going on to Chicago, we worked to find enough folks to take the class and BAM I was set! Not only that, but it was during the Holly Market Sale at the art center and they invited Loren to bring and sell some of his finished jewelry, there were many, many happy women wearing some of his lovely rings and bracelets. Good for all!

First thing in the morning, Loren started us out making the Prolong Knot cuffs.

In the afternoon we started working on Turk's Head knot rings, I made one during the class and have worked on several more (between commissions) since then. I feel like I am getting the hang of it. It's a bit tricky to take a single strand of wire and turn it into something like these. A few of them didn't come out this nice...but I won't show those knots.

Just these.



It's going to be a nice holiday here, my gifts are all done. *wink wink*Are yours?

You gotta' hand it to that girl Nancy...

She comes up with some of the best ideas. My friend Nancy passed this fun ring display idea on to me, thanks Nancy! And if you think that is a great idea you have got to see her work at her her etsy store. Wonderful I tell ya'!

I decided to make my hands multi-functional so I hung some of them from little hooks to show off bangles.

I used some scrap bits of marine grade 4mm plywood (from a friend), traced my hand on a piece of paper, cut it out, transferred the patterns onto the wood, cut out one set with my handy-dandy scroll saw, sanded the rough spots, used the first set as a pattern to trace out more, cut them all, sanded some more, painted some and VOILA!

Recipe for Happiness

My friend and woodworker Carl from the Co-op brought me three (!!!) large stumps for all my hammery work. They weigh near 100 pounds and he hauled them out of the truck...

Took a chainsaw to them in three places so they do not wobble...(I wonder what folks in downtown Benton Harbor thought of the sound of a chainsaw early on a Sunday morning...hmmmm)

He even hauled them into my studio...*phew* They are solid and I love, love, love working on them! That picture up there is just sooooo cute it's like my little old stump is looking up to her big sister.

Check this out! They even have some beautiful lichens growing on the sides, my studio smells like the deep forest now...Nice.
Thanks again Carl!

An idea that just came to me

This is a bracelet that I made from felted sweaters, copper and sterling. I made one for myself and it wears very nicely, seems to be pretty durable too. I have a friend that has studied fibers for many, many years and she says "Well, of course it's durable" I guess that's the nature of felted knit.

Bonus.

It all started with a pile of wool sweaters that were too worn in places to wear anymore. I washed them in the washer and dried them in the dryer and they shrunk up into beautiful, very dense felt

Next I cut out and sanded several copper disks, marked their centers and drilled a few holes in each

All clamped up in my bending break and ready to bend

Nice clean, straight bend

Add copper headpins

Cut squares of felt larger than the disks

Thread the squares onto the headpins one layer at a time

Push the felt down into the fold and twist the headpin wires to hold the felt

Clip the end of the wires way down inside

Trim away all extra felt

Bunches of felt tacos! Ha!

Silver Earrings

More Forged and Twisted Hoops
These are part of a graduated set that I'm doing for a friend.

I think she will like them.

Spiral Earrings

Fall Colors

This wall of flames stopped me flat. Mouth open. Cars honking, drivers gesturing.

Don't they see this?!


It's surreal.

It really looks this way.

Go look.

Downtown Benton Harbor, Michigan, east side of Main Street just past LeValley Auto.

Hoop Earrings

Fine Silver and Sterling Silver

Forged and Twisted

Subtle, very subtle.

Rivety Rings

Forged Sterling Rings with Copper Rivets

Woolen Wear

Hmmmmmm....What to do with these little balls my daughter and I felted....

Mystic Blue Topaz Earrings

These beautiful mystic blue topaz faceted beads swing from fine silver handmade (by me...) chains.

More Leaves sans hammering...

Sterling filigree leaves on sterling chain.

I found these during the studio move, I made all the leaves in February and I found them in a little sorting bin...what a nice gift, but how did that happen?! This is some of the lightest most delicate work I do....I can only do so much of it before I need to go forge some heavy metal. I like to do them it's just that they require me sitting very, very still with steady hands for several hours to make a batch (about 5 hours to make only 15). So I guess that was how they got stored away...I finished the task then *poof* it went out of my mind.

Cheryl's Earrings