Science Experiment

So my latest endeavor, copper etching. I drew on the copper rounds with a sharpie marker, then used a mixture of muriatic acid and hydrogen peroxide to etch the copper. The details don't stand out as much as I'd hoped, especially on the mermaid, I think I need thicker lines. Love the horse head though!

New Rustic Collection

Another new collection in my shop, Rustic Collection.  Jewelry pieces made from stones, beach glass, leather and metal. I have had some of these stones and beach glass in my stash for years!  Don't know why it took me so long to do anything with them!  

All of the stones in these particular pieces below are from the Great Lakes.  You can find them in my shop here.

Luxe Labradorite

I love all types of  gemstones, but my absolute favorite is Labradorite.  I love the blue/gray iridescence of it.  So pretty!  So it only follows that a lot of the jewelry I make is made of Labradorite.  I came up with a new collection in my shop, Luxe Labradorite, made up of pieces made with labradorite stones and sterling silver.  Here's a few of the pieces:

You can check out these and other pieces  in my shop here.

Labradorite is thought to be a powerful stone that allows its wearer to see through illusions and brings insight. It is said to be excellent for strengthening intuition and for providing relief from anxiety, hopelessness and depression, replacing these negative feelings with enthusiasm, self-confidence and inspiration.

According to a Canadian Eskimo legend, the Northern Lights were once trapped in the rocks along the coast of Labrador, and then a wandering Eskimo warrior found them and freed most of the lights with a mighty blow of his spear. Some of the lights were still caught within the stone, however, and thus we have the beautiful mineral known as labradorite.  (http://www.gemselect.com/other-info/about-labradorite.php)

Fused Glass

Got my mini kiln out this weekend, probably haven't used it in over a year?  Did up a couple of batches of pendants, always excited to see how the glass changes after firing.  Here is a before and after pic of some pendants:

Before

After

Here's another after picture, I was kind of disappointed in the results of the top right, I though the top layer of glass would be more clear, you can't see the second layer of glass, which was hearts (like the other one).  Oh well, live and learn!  I need to take better notes!

I added fused decals to the two pink/rose pendants, here is one of them, strung on a necklace of soft pink seed beads, now available in my Etsy shop:

I hope to get the other pendants added to my shop soon. 

Valentine's Day Sale

Aren't you lucky?  All items in my Etsy shop are 15 percent off through February 10, 2017. :)  No coupon needed!

Muffin Tin Challenge 2017 - Some Much Needed Inspiration!

I decided to attempt the Muffin Tin Challenge, as I needed some motivation!  I cannot remember the last time I made some new jewelry, just have not been feeling very creative.  You can read about Heather Power's Muffin Tin Challenge here on her Blog.

So here is the filled muffin tin:  (Disclaimer:  I forgot to take a picture of the filled tin until after I already made one piece, so the bracelet in the far back is one of the final pieces).

And here are my completed pieces:

Crystal drop from Michaels, Brass chain and findings from Lima Beads.

This piece was inspired by Heather's Art Bead Scene 12 Days of Christmas - Day 6: Frosted Evergreen Necklace.  Matte Amazonite roundelles, brass chain, Vintaj ring and African recycled glass bead from Lima Beads.  Scallop Shell from Dime Store Emporium.

Fancy jasper roundelles and brass heart charm from Michaels.  Brass chain from Lima Beads.

Rainbow hematite star beads from Michaels, seed beads and silver plated chain from Lima Beads, toggle clasp from Goody Beads.

Czech roundelle crystals and cultured glass button from Lima Beads.

Beaded chain and clasp from Lima Beads.

So I just realized there is another bracelet I made out of the components in the tin, that I cannot find!  So that's weird....

Wait, found it!  Here it is:

Anyway, I'm very happy with all the pieces I completed, and even made a few more afterward.  I think I will do this again, and make up six more pieces!

To see what everyone else made, check out the rest of the official entries here.

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2017!  Looking forward to a fabulous year!