From Junk to Joy

The results of hacking up and enameling some of the copper finds at the local market.

Broke 3 saw blades trying to cutting out the flower and finally resorted to tin snips. Not the dainty jewelers kind, the big blokey ones used for dismembering truck and bridges. Brutal, effective and I'm into rustic serendipity anyway.
The little buds are chinky little Christmas bells from the Dollar Shop. Enameled like a dream but fortunately killed the chink. (Tested them by bouncing them off the shed wall to make sure the enamel stayed put) 
Love the shape of them and how the really do look like little flower buds. 

More Market Treasures

More juicy treasures from the Saturday market at absolute bargain prices compared to buying new copper sheet. (DH recons he's going broke saving money)

Have already hacked a piece off one pot and it is a work in progress

Roads Less Travelled

It would seem that I must be the last person in the entire universe to receive my pre-ordered copy of the book Torch-fired enamel jewelry by Barbara Lewis

The postal service probably mistook Australia for Austria and sent it there. Or perhaps they put it on a little rusty tramp steamer that wandered all over the South Pacific from island to island until it found it's way through a passage in the Great Barrier Reef and fetched up on a sandy beach in North Queensland.

Anyway its here and I had my nose is it before the wrapper had hit the floor.

I only had a small amount of enamels that I had been playing with and while I waited for my bigger quantities to arrive I read and re-read the book.
I was irresistibly drawn to the exciting concept of the solder less bezel so I had to have a go.
The first few attempts were lopsided, in fact they look like prototypes for chameleon eyeballs, but I think I had figured it out by the last one.
As I held the pendent, I got to thinking again about the little rusty tramp steamer and its wanderings down Roads Less Travelled and a vision flashed on my inward eye.

The pendent is from a large brass round that has been distressed and textured. I enameled the bronze coin to represent a road, added some twist tendrils for the twist and turns. of a journey and suspended it from a wire wrapped arched bar.

The back however, was not pretty due to the irregularities of the beaten and dapped bronze coin so I etched another brass disc and glued it in place.

Tried various hanging techniques using ribbon and enameled links, but in the end went with simple chain with a magnetic catch (brilliant device)

Took a week to make as I tried to carefully think through each step and component and I am really glad that I didn't rush things
This is such an exciting concept, my mind is running over with new design ideas!

Gin Gin Gallery Craft Market Show

For the month of November, I have closed my Etsy shop, cos everything is in our local gallery.

(The batteries in the camera were flat, so I took the photos with the phone, hence the less than good image quality)

The bracelet display is made from some reo mesh and a piece of timber, as is the earring display.

Two MDF boards with mat clear acrylic finish stand on two small easels for necklace displays.

Other necklaces are displayed on more MDF boards that are hung on the wall.

Hopefully this will make up for the craft market that didn't happen last month.

(Off to Brisbane tomorrow at the crack of dawn. Not a pleasure trip but a sad farewell for my daughter-in-law's mother who passed away last week.)