Etched metal with a little hoot

 I have been busy etching metal today, mostly copper and a few brass pieces. For the most part all came out pretty good, there are usually a few that bite the dust....which is the norm for me. Here are a few of my favorites.

You can find these and more in my Flapyourwings Etsy shop.

Make Magic

make magic

 some future projects...

I finally got it right! For the last few weeks I have been having the most difficult time etching copper....spending hours getting the metal ready, stamping, designing...then 95% of them would not etch. I was so frustrated! I bought new acid and peroxide...still not working. So I tried again, this time checking Google...(picture me banging my head against the wall). I had the damn ratio's wrong. Instead of 2 parts peroxide and 1 part acid, I was using 2 parts acid and 1 part peroxide. sigh....

So finally I am back in business!

you can find this piece in my Etsy shop.

I have also listed some new etched pieces and some copper blanks for painting and or stamping. You can find them here.

Copper Ribbons

It is extremely hot and steamy here in Tennessee so I am staying put in my nice cool house! We actually have been having a heat advisory for the last three days. Today I am working on earrings and it seems my color palette is non-existent as I am only staying with one color...Turquoise.  Here is a glimpse at some of the pieces I have finished.

These may actually be good to wear in this heat...just shake your head a bit and you have a nice little breeze going on. 

I was inspired to make these from book I was asked to review. Although my skill set is different from the ones in the book, these came out more like me. I think we all adjust according to our abilities and skills when it comes to following instructions in a book. What a book does for us is inspires us to create and hopefully learn something new. I think you will be surprised to see what type of book it is and what my interpretation came from....tomorrow I will share the book with you!

You can find Copper Ribbons on Etsy.

Stay cool friends!

Light and Lovely

There are times especially in the hot months that I do not like to wear much jewelry (however, I never leave home without earrings). I tend to go for something lighter ...I mean it is bad enough to be choked by the terrible humidity here in Tennessee,I don't need my necklace doing it too! So, for me here is a pretty  alternative.

Elegant Romance on Etsy

A sweet little necklace that is light on the neck. I used one of the great findings I found in Connecticut (also available here) and added an antique Victorian button. I used a copper disc to finish the back off and give it a nice neat look. 

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Be sure to enter  my Bead Trends giveaway. Two prizes will be given away, the July issue of Bead Trends and a pair of earrings that are also shown in the July issue. Giveaway ends July 9th.

Round the corner

..round the corner there may wait, 

a new road or a secret gate.

 Can you guess which famous author  wrote these words?

no peeking!

You can find Round the Corner in my Etsy shop.

The Enlightened One

Here is a little copper cuff I made the other day....I used some copper tube and hammered away. I messed up on my lettering as it is not centered on the cuff...but I like it anyway. 

What do you do with your mistakes...toss them out and start over or make do and work around it? There is a uniqueness that comes from a letter perhaps stamped backwards or different size links...whatever it is, it may be a mistake to you but not to someone else.

What's Your Story?

I tend to go from one extreme to another when creating jewelry....complicated and busy to modest.
I suppose it keeps me balanced.

"Whats Your Story?" can be found here.

My dinning room table is hiding underneath this mess...I am re-organizing and stocking for my show next week. ...It actually looks like someone has a hoarding problem. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I hope to finish planting my garden. Sunshine for everyone!!

Rock Candy

I have a passion for Czech glass beads. I love the colors, the cuts, shapes and sparkle. I really like the picasso beads with their addition of a vintage like coating. It seems everything I make these days is with Czech glass....I suppose it is another phase, like  the one I just had with the making earrings, so I will roll with it. 

These beads are amazing and large at 14 x 16 mm with an amazing luster finish. I did not think they needed much so I just wire wrapped them in copper (I really wanted sterling, but yikes the price!) but in the end I am very pleased with the copper. Instead of doing anything fancy and adding other things to the bracelet I settled on making a chunky wire wrapped toggle. The piece definitely has a "Wilma Flinestone" style. 

 You can find Rock Candy in my Etsy shop.

 I took these pictures yesterday using some of the photography tips I got from this site. It was a dark rainy day and these pictures were taken in front of the window using the foil board.  I have never been able to take pictures like this before on a dark day. Good photography is key to showing off your items, so go and check the site out.

New Etchings

I spent two days working on some new etched pieces, some for my Flapyourwings Etsy shop and others for me. Most of the pieces came out good and then there were some duds.  

My favorite is the "good pony" tag...it conjures up good memories, a time a few years ago when a friends horses were a very important part of my life. I miss them everyday....still.

look at the little ears peeking out....

 One of my etched pendants is the focal for this layered necklace. A butterfly image and the word "Inspire" evoke images of spring and inspiration. Tiny Czech glass beads are linked in a rosary fashion and a vintage brass chain is added as another layer to adorn the neck. 

You can find this piece on my website JudithBDesigns 

Open Heart and a nice little giveaway

Now its your turn, I have a nice giveaway just for being you! A Valentine treat. The kind folks at CSN stores has generously offered me a $35 gift certificate to give to one of my lucky readers.CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find everything from a stylish swing set to cute cookware to chic lighting pieces! It is a great time to stock up on office supplies, yes they have those too! Need a new table for your shows,you can find it here too!

 

No hoops to jump through just leave me a comment with your email address. If you would like to share this post leave another comment letting me know. The lucky winner will be picked on Saturday Feb.12th.

Good luck my friends!

~~~~~~~~~~ 

a little something I made yesterday...

Open Heart

keep your heart open to give and receive.

I also stamped the back with a sweet little leaf pattern. Reversible earrings...hmmm who would have thought.

You can find these in my Etsy shop.

  

***CSN products can  be shipped to US and Canada only***