Copper Cuff Leads to New Ideas

Aaaahh... adventures with metal!!! I absolutely love metal jewelry! Don't get me wrong, I love beads too... ok, ok, I really love most everything involved with jewelry. But I have always had a great admiration and appreciation of metal. So, I took a copper etching class at my local bead place and created a few treasures, this one pictured being my very favorite. Metal etching is a very very cool technique. Its simple but its also pretty time consuming too. I was just delighted to discover that liver of sulfur will age copper just as it ages sterling. So this finished piece is the result of a sulfur dip and some hand polishing.

I'm seriously considering developing a line of hand forged, aged components and findings in copper, brass and maybe sterling too to sell in a sister store on Etsy. There are a few other sellers doing hand forged findings already, but I have a different vision. I'd like mine to be much more unrefined and very distressed, perhaps even patinaed. I do love verdigris and there are almost zero findings available in verdigris patina! Hmmm... ok I'm just thinking out load now. Expect some experimentation to follow! =) Any feedback about my ideas?

Mailbox Joy

My absolute favorite thing about shopping online is the rush of joy of finding a little package waiting for you in your mailbox a few days later. Its like Christmas! This week has brought me several packages of joy! The picture shows some beady goodies I recieved yesterday from Uncommon Beads on Etsy. My mind is swirling with ideas, especially for the clover shaped blue shell beads... so many potenials! I also got some fabulous pieces from Earthenwood Studios... but you will have to wait to see my finished results coming soon to my Etsy shop. =)

What's in a Name?

At the advice of my boyfriend, I have starting giving catchy little names to each of my pieces. Previously I was listing items with names something like "purple glass bracelet" now instead I will call it "Violet Haven". It seems to give a piece more of an atmosphere, more of a story. With that being said, I am at a total loss for what to name this dear sweet bracelet which I love so much. Any help?

Check out some of the names I'm using for current pieces by visiting my shop...

http://www.stefenystanyer.etsy.com/

A Forced Effort

Despite my total lack of inspiration, I decided to force my creativity. I began the day with a goal to make 10 new bracelets but after procrastinating for hours I finally sat down around 7pm and ended up with 4 very lovely pieces. Not too bad for a completely forced effort. The one in the picture was the last one I made and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. You can find this piece along the others in my Etsy shop ... http://www.stefenystanyer.etsy.com/ I am really loving mix and matching my closures. So I created this toggle by using a simple ring component and then I made the bar by taking a wooden stick bead and wrapping a headpin through it to create a loop in the back where I then I attached the bracelet's string. Pretty cool, if I don't say so myself! =)

Creative Wind

I have hardly had a moment to catch my breath since I've moved my studio. A sudden rush of creativity literally took me over and would not let me rest... Finally it has subsided and now I'm feeling a little odd, like I should still be creating only I'm just not inspired anymore. Perhaps I will just take advantage of that and finally actually catch my breath. Please check out my Etsy shop to see the fruits of my labor.

http://www.stefenystanyer.etsy.com/

The piece pictured above is available now in my shop. Its probably my favorite new piece. Its very simple and pretty different from most of the others. The pendant is a handmade porcelain lentil bead I bought from another Etsy artist at Summer's Studios. It's so beautiful. I accented it with small moss quartz beads and oxidized the silver wire to make it look old. Then I added a long sterling silver box chain from Italy.

Little Blue Bird

My first creation in my new studio. This sweet little blue bird pendant arrived in the mail Friday afternoon. What a treasure! This fabulous little guy was created by Heather Powers of Humblebeads. I was so inspired by it, I immediately made it into this necklace. Anyone who knows me well knows that I absolutely love love love turquoise blue... and I really enjoyed pairing the turquoise hues with earthy browns to create this uber cool piece. Thanks Heather!

Official Studio!

Today could possibly be one of my happiest days... ok, actually it was officially Wednesday that was my happiest day. Because that was the day that I moved my little jewelry making "studio" into it's own space. A real space, a space not shared by my bed also... the dining room has now become My Studio! What an experience! I now have space to spread out. I no longer will have to discover wire clippings in my sheets! I get to enjoy bright sunlight and a fresh breeze from the sliding glass door in my new space... ahhh it is good! I still have a bit more work to do to settle in, but I'm well on my way. It's a pretty transforming experience when an artist can make a space into a studio. It feels like your art has become serious. That's how I feel anyway. I feel inspired and refreshed and totally ready to create! Stay tuned to see what unfolds...