Monday's Methods: Making a Furry Dog (Slightly) Less Furry

It is me, Arwen the Wonder Dog blogging today as mommy is busy with her job. Today we will start to examine why the sun, plus warmer weather, plus a VERY fuzzy dog (me) equals fur going everywhere! In mommy's clothes, on the furniture, in her mouth, EVERYWHERE! I love getting brushed (I will relax until I start to drool, and have even started to fall asleep standing up, only to jerk myself awake when I start to fall over) and I love the treats at the end even more! Here we prepare with horse grooming brushes (dog grooming brushes are laughable with my fur), and I've taken off my collar. I am trying to give my coy look...
Here mommy is brushing my side. I decided to lie down for this photo as I was tired from running around chasing, I mean, looking at the squirrels in the back yard.
Here is some of the fur that mommy got out in about 3 minutes. The dots are water as I am very static-y right now. Mommy will have to continue brushing me every day for about 2 weeks (and sweeping the floors twice per day) until all of my winter coat is out. Believe it or not, by the time I am done shedding, I will have lost over 1 POUND of fur! Every year it is the same thing, mommy brushes me and swears that THIS will be the year that she makes a coat out of my winter furs, but she never does. It is good though, my furs are one of a kind and should NOT be replicated ;-)
Here I'm getting my treat as a well-earned reward for being so good while mommy brushed me. We wanted to also show you me getting my teeth brushed, but mommy says she needs both hands to hold onto the tooth brush and keep me from swallowing it (I LOVE beef flavored toothpaste for doggys). Sorry, but for now, this will have to do :)

Hugs and nose taps,

and Arwen

Monday's Methods: Getting Inspired

Sometimes we get in a rut. We want to create something, but we don't know what, or how, or why. In this case, I find my inspiration from many things. One of my favorite ways to be inspired is to look to the past. Above is a painting of Queen Victoria. She was an amazing woman, headed England and helped it to (once again) become a super power during the industrial revolution. She was also a devoted wife, loving her husband so much that when he died, she mourned for the rest of her (considerable) years.
Marie Antoinette is one of the most misunderstood women in history. Believed by many to have been a wanton spender, philanderer and generally bad woman, she was none of those things (okay, she spent, but when she tried to curtail it, she was railed at by the makers of her fine things, and told that she needed to spend the amounts befitting the Queen of France!). Beautiful, kind, and quite out of her depth at being a queen, she did the best she could, always persevering. After her death, the people realized what a mistake they had made, but the damage had already been done: she had been executed by guillotine. She went to her death still as proud and upright as always, and her courage (and handsome tastes!) are to be admired.
Queen Elizabeth 1, daughter of Henry VIII, had a tumultuous upbringing, always afraid for her life, afraid of her unstable father. She rose to power after the death of half sister Mary Tudor, and raised England from near destitution to its former glory and beyond. Each successive portrait shows her in larger and larger gems, and it was said that people would flock to walk behind her as the giant pearls and gems that were often sewn onto her dresses would fall to the ground, only to be picked up by whomever happened to be near her at the time (and kept by those people!). Her dignity and strength are legendary.
Cleopatra was one of the most beautiful women in Egypt. She ruled when women were not supposed to. She used her formidable intelligence to win conflicts, and the hearts of her subjects.
Boudicca was a Celtic warrior queen. When her husband died, the Romans informed her that she was not queen, her lands were not hers, and she, her daughters and people were going to submit to Rome (ie. become slaves) whether they wanted to or not. She was publicly beaten, and watched her daughters raped by Romans. Her strength was seriously underestimated! She went on a crusade to free her people and reclaim her land. She led a few bloody battles (winning, I might add, against all odds), before disappearing into obscurity. Her determination and fortitude is simply astounding and inspirational, as are all of these women of history.

For them, I have created the NeoAmour (NewLove) collection. Inspired by them, in honor of them, I am creating pieces to keep their memories alive.

What inspires you?

Monday's Methods: The Office is Almost Done!

It's Here! It's Finally Here! I got my workbench on Friday and though it isn't exactly as advertised (and don't you worry, I am still good an annoyed at that), it is together and holding my jewelry making supplies. It was advertised as a "steel workbench" and the photo showed it with a stainless steel top, but when I got it, surprise, the item number was the same, but no stainless steel worktop! However, Brennan says we can get a sheet of steel and screw it down onto the top.
Here is the worktop with my supplies on it (you can barely see the anvil and vise on the top shelf). Even better: there is a light on the underside of the shelf so that I have my workspace lit up! There is even a power bar on one side so that I can plug things into it when I get my torch, kiln and other power tools up here. I still have to get the proper extension cord to plug the power bar into the wall, but that is not essential at this point.
Here are the two giant drawers that I managed to fit most of my regularly-used tools and supplies into. One side is for tools, the other for wire, stringing materials and so forth.
Here is the bottom shelf, where I have room for my polymer clay oven, paper shredder and empty storage boxes. When I get my last set of shelves, the empty boxes will go on them so that I have my feet free to rest on the shelf when I sit to work at the bench.
Here is my office now - I have my desk and workbench snug against each other so that I can work on one side and still see (and more importantly, reach) the other. Now I can work on jewelry and my laptop at the same time, Hallelujah!

Until tomorrow, we got our first dusting of snow this morning, I'm off to try and ignore it (with many a "Humbug!", lol).

Monday's Methods: Great Photos with Lightboxes

Last week I showed you my nearly done office makeover and during that I showed you my new light box (above, with grey background). I wanted to do a whole tutorial on it, but really, I thought I would direct you to the blog that I got it from originally, the Sellers Assisting Sellers Blog. They are a group of full time Etsy sellers who give great advice on everything Etsy and online-selling related. I have found some VERY important info there and I hope you do too. The tutorial for the light box is HERE.
There are many well known bloggers on this site, including Ana from the House of Mouse, a favorite of mine, and a very successful seller herself. I really recommend bookmarking the Sellers blog if you are currently selling online, or are planning to in the future.

Have a great day!

P.S. If you are wondering at my absence over the weekend, it was Brennan's and my 8 year anniversary (yay us!). He got me my engagement ring, and um, we were a little busy on Saturday getting it resized. I am also busy planning for new cooking classes with my partner in crime, Melody. That takes quite a bit of time also :)

Monday's Methods: Time to Get Wired!

Left Back: Plastic Coated Practice Wires, Right back: Copper Wires, Left front: Gold Filled Wires, Right Front: Sterling Silver Wires.

In this installment of Monday's Methods, we'll be talking about wire. Wire comes in many forms, colors and types, but we'll be dealing with pretty standard fare here.

First, wire comes in different shapes (when looking at it from a cross-section). You can get round (like a circle), half-round (like a half circle), or square (obvious). You can get it straight or twisted to give it a diamond-like look. Here we'll be dealing with round wire for several reasons:

1. I find it useful for almost every type of wire working,

2. It is usually the least expensive, especially compared to square,

3. It is the most easily available, from bead suppliers to wholesalers, to tiny country bead shops, you can find round wire pretty much everywhere.

Different Wire Gauges, From top: 18 ga., 20ga., 22ga., 24ga. (copper), 26ga., 28ga. (gold filled)

You can also get wires in different hardnesses: full-hard, half-hard and dead-soft. For most wire working, full-hard is pretty much useless - any more than one bend and it snaps. Half hard is the wire I use most, as it is flexible and bendy, but will hold its shape. It doesn't snap easily (unless you REALLY bend it back and forth in the same place for a while), and, again, is the most readily available wire. Dead-soft is very useful for intensive wire wrapping applications and I really only use it for that, as it bends like butter on a hot day.

Wire comes in different gauges (ga. for short). For beginners, I recommend getting wire in sizes 18, 20, 22, and either 24, or 26. I use a range from 12 gauge, all the way to 28 in almost all of my wires: practice, sterling, copper and 14karat gold filled. I also have a range of sizes in non tarnish silver plate wire for making things like key chains and zipper pulls.

But wait, what kind of wire should you get first? When first starting out, or when trying new designs, go for the 'practice wire'. Just about every supplier will carry what they call practice wire. It will usually be copper core (or nickel, so be careful when wearing it or giving it to potentially allergic people), and will usually have a colored plastic coating. These are the least expensive, and usually are somewhere between the half-hard and dead-soft range in hardness. Plus, they are CHEAP. You can often buy a few spools of practice wire for the same price as one spool of sterling silver wire. Once you are comfortable with the practice wire, move on the the copper and plated wires, and then up to the sterling silver and 14karat gold filled wire (don't use pure gold wire for wire work, as it is WAY too bendy...plus it is about $8 per INCH).

Wire in a Bag: Always Use Resealable Bags with Anti Tarnish Paper for Uncoated Metal Wires

Of course, as you move up the quality scale, you'll be moving up the price scale as well. When shopping for precious metal wires, search out the best deal. Many stores will have quantity discounts (for when you know you really want to do this more than just once). Most precious metal wire is sold by the Troy Ounce. Some sell it by the half Troy Ounce (usually for gold filled as it is so expensive). Look around, and you'll see some astonishing differences in price. Just keep in mind, there may be shipping on top of that price as well so I always try to find the best shipping rates as well, especially if they don't have free shipping with minimum order amounts.

Organized and Tarnish Free: Stackable, Clear, Resealable Containers Are the Best Way to Store Your Wires

Once you have brought your wire home, you need to think about how to store it. Some stores give you a piece of wire and send you on your way (I HATE that, and try not to buy from them if I can avoid it). Some stores give you wire all coiled up in a resealable bag (the most common). And some will give you your wire on a spool (the most efficient and practical), which is then put in a resealable bag. Regardless of how I get my wire, I always put it in a resealable bag with a small piece of anti tarnish paper. You only need about a 1/4" square per bag to keep everything nice and shiny. You don't need it with coated wires, obviously, and you may not need it with gold wire, but hey, I paid good money for this stuff, I want it looking perfect for as long as I can possibly have it looking that way! It may seem expensive when you first buy it, but anti tarnish paper is going to save you hours of elbow grease, trying to get stubborn tarnish off of your wires.

Once I've got the wire in its own bag, I label it with the size, supplier, and price per foot and then put it in a resealable container with other wire of its kind (sterling with sterling, gold with gold, etc) so that every thing is organized and ready to go. I usually use containers that have been taken of kitchen duty due to a small crack or other nuisance and patch them up with clear duct tape to keep them airtight. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and my wires are all organized!

I hope you have found this useful, until next week, happy experimenting!

Tune in tomorrow for a great Tuesday's Treasures.

Monday's Methods: A Few More Tools of the Trade

On this installment of Monday's Methods, we're going to look at the rest of the tools I use most frequently in my jewelry making. The first photo is of a hammer and anvil. These are VERY useful in my jewelry making! When wanting to flatten, harden, or just plain "texturize" my work, these two tools come in very handy. Now let me be clear here: these are NOT "jewelry maker" anvil and hammer - I got them at (*GASP*) my hardware store! You can too, you just need to have a few goals in mind:
1. the anvil needs to be clean and flat - mine came with a layer of grease to protect it from rust, so I had a heck of a job cleaning it to get it ready. I still need to polish the metals after I hammer them on it, but as a plus, it is large (the flat area is about 5"x2-1/2" and the round area is about 4 inches, tapering down from wide to narrow), it is heavy (10 pounds) and it only cost me $10 (as opposed to $25-$30 for one 1/4 the size that says "for jewelry making" on the box)! I do recommend putting a flat cloth or heavy cardboard under it when hammering so that you don't mark the surface the anvil rests on.
2. Your hammer should be comfortable to hold and clean and flat on the hammering end. You can use a ball-paean hammer with a rounded hammering surface, but you'll get pock marks on your metals. While this can be useful for some applications, in general, you want it flat and even and clean of scratches and dents that come from hammering nails into things. I hunted for a while at the hardware store to find this one on sale for $5! It isn't too big and heavy, which means that for really flat wire I have to hammer more, but it also means that I can do more delicate hammering with a lighter touch and don't have to worry about a giant hammer coming down on a tiny piece of metal.
Now, certainly, if you have the money and want to get the jewelry making-specific tools, go ahead, but I have found these to be perfectly workable and VERY affordable - score!
Here we have a vise. This is great when you have finicky projects that require more than 2 hands. I don't know about you, but I only have 2 and when they are full, I can't do much of anything else but deal with what is currently in my hands. I now make my braided wire bracelets on this and I can't tell you how much easier it is to braid 9 strands of wire with a vise holding them together, than with just my own two hands. I found this one at my hardware store for $15, and again, I had to clean it, but it is great. I should also mention that the actual vise part that grips the metal has a bumpy surface, which is not at all desirable as it can really mar the jewelry. The solution: I simply put a small piece of plastic or folded up paper on the insides to protect my wire and voila! No more marks on my wire!
Here are some really dead-useful items. The small ring on the left is actually a jump ring opener and is incredibly handy when opening large numbers of jump rings (little rings for connecting jewelry pieces, or making chain mail). You simply slip this on whatever finger it fits on, slide part of the ring into the slot that fits the ring (there are different sized slots for different sized rings on this one), twist the jump ring slightly, and there you have it; the jump ring is opened properly and took less than a second!
The red handled items are step mandrels. These are useful for creating rings, or even just bends and curls in wire. What is great about these is that they are stepped- meaning each one starts out wide at the handle, and then reduces in measured increments (like steps) to another, smaller increment. These go from (on the left) 1.5mm to 5mm in 5 steps, to (on the right) 6 mm to 10 mm in 5 steps.
The next 2 items are ring mandrels. The first is a heavy, mountable, metal mandrel that is suitable for hammering on. It has all the rings sizes engraved on it so you can see the size of the ring you are making, and it is great for measuring finished rings on as well. The furthest right is a plastic mandrel, used for measuring rings with stones. It has the ring sizes engraved on the side not shown, but what is neat about this one is that it has a channel in it (shown) to measure rings with large stones. This is NOT made to be hammered on as it is breakable.
Finally we have plastic ring sizers which are (obviously) used to measure your fingers to see what size you are. Interesting to note is that these are not always 100% accurate: they are accurate if the ring band is the same width as the sizers, but rings with wide bands may actually need to be upped by 1/4 or even 1/2 of a ring size to accommodate for the width having to fit over knuckles. Just keep in mind that these are always approximate, though more accurate than not :-)
And last, but certainly not least is a jig. This is a most wonderful tool as you can make patterns in wire, as well as useful findings like ear wires. This one is a WigJig (tm) and is made of clear airplane window-grade acrylic. It is see-through, unlike most jigs, which means that if you draw a pattern, you can place it under the jig and see the pattern while you follow it with your wire. Also useful are the many different sized pegs that are sold separately, to give you different sized circles with your wire. This brand of jig is slightly more expensive than the non clear metal ones, but I really find it worth the price. Besides, I saved enough on the vise, anvil and hammer to pay for this jig!

That is all for today, tune in tomorrow for an update on the bracelet I'm (still) making!

Happy creating,

Thoughtful Thursday: Planning Ahead

Hello everyone! I, Arwen the Wonder Dog, have taken over the blog again today to help with a serious issue here. Before I do, we wanted to thank everyone for all of their comments on our blogs - we might not answer them all, but we read and love every one of your wonderful comments!

Now, back to business! A little while ago, mommy asked you all how she could improve the blog and her store to keep you interested and coming back. Many of you wanted to see more of me (but of course!), and many of you also wanted to see how Meghann, my mom does what she does - how she makes her fabulous jewelry pieces, what she uses, et cetera. If truth be told, mommy is a little shy so she asked me to help her plan some lessons. The top photo is me looking apprehensive - I stated previously that holding pens in my paws is difficult, but I thought I should give it a try...
Well, OK, I'll write, but I don't want you to see it until it's done!

OK, I can't be that mean, but here are a few of our thoughts so far:
-Jewelry how-to's will be done on Mondays and will be called "Monday's Methods"
-We'll cover the basics; tools, how they are held properly, what they are used for
-Different wire types and how they are used
-Different Bead and stone types, their differences, why it's important, and how they are used
-Techniques; basics, wrapping, hammering, stitching
-Works in Progress
...And much more!

We are also working on trying to clean and organize mommy's office. It is hard because she doesn't really have a good working space, but we are working on that too!

Please let us know if there is anything else you would like to see so that we can make sure you are always happy visiting us. We want to make you happy and keep you interested!

Ta-Ta for now,
and Arwen