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.

New Earrings

 This weeks obsession are earrings. All kinds...all colors. Don't know why, it is just my thing this week. Thoughts are flowing through my head like crazy and I suppose it is because I can make a pair and be done with it in a reasonably short time and move on to the next pair. 10:30 last night I had a thought and went into my studio and worked until 12:30, had to do it before I forgot, that's how I roll ...so here you have the results of the last few days. 

Life Whispers

Dress Greens

SOLD

Bedford Blue

Illumination

Cranberry Bog

 

Green Goddess 

Green Tea

Skylar 

...so there you have it. What is your obsession this week?

Follow Your Heart

Check out his wonderful heart treasury that Squibbles created on Etsy. "A sweet collection of Valentine Day gifts alternative to the classic red heart jewelry.". I feel honored to have my Hearts Afire  bracelet included. 

Busy Hands

I have been staying super busy making jewelry and doing lots of etching. The DH has been away in lovely Nevada and is on his way home as I speak, so when he is away I stay busier than usual so the time goes quicker. My fingers are a mess from oxidizing and scrubbing with steel wool, no model hands here. My fall and winter shows are lining up nicely. I have decided to offer some of my etched pieces in my Flapyourwings  Etsy shop. I have far too many pieces and will never use them all. Several people have asked if I would sell them so I decided to, so far it has been a great success.  

 Etched copper "good dog" tag/pendant

 Crossroads

I had purchased these gorgeous jasper and lapis beads from Mary on my last trip to the Nashville flea market. I can't get enough of this color combination!

Harvest Moon

Time

"Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend."
Theophrastus

Time assemblage cuff bracelet can be found in my Etsy shop

...here I go again with those fabulous coil links of Cindy Wimmers design. These are super sturdy made with 14g brass wire. 

Orbital Blu

 A fun modern piece that drapes the neck so well. I was very pleased with this etch as it went pretty deep. I am still trying to figure out why some pieces etch deeper than others. I thought it was a timing thing but not always, I would love to hear about your experience with etching. I am using the peroxide and muriatic acid combination.

You can find this piece in my Flapyourwings Etsy shop.

...and thanks to Terah Ware from facebook who picked out the name for this piece.

Challenging work

First let me say, do you know how challenging it is to work with a cat perched on your key board and walking all around your bead table helping himself to whatever he likes? With that in mind it is amazing that I can accomplish anything around here at all.

However... I did make these two pair of earrings, one pair using the "Mirage Beads" I blogged about the other day, I just love the fact that they are very lightweight and so colorful. These beads refract light differently at different temperatures, thus creating unique colors in every environment or mood, super cool! You can find these earrings in my Etsy shop.

Vintage Style Raku Earrings

A little modern raku bead meets vintage rhinestone links. I love the combination!

Have a Little Faith in Me

"...an when your back is up against the wall
just turn around and you will see
I'll be there, I'll be there to catch your fall
So have a little faith in me..."

I wanted to share with you this awesome copper cross that I got from Artbeads.com. When I saw the cross I knew I had to have it. Last night I sat down to my work table and let my hands do the walking and they did not disappoint me. The colors are so cheerful and I love the organic look to this necklace. And yes...how do you like my sweet little bead caps I made?

Artbeads is having a great Valentine's Day Sale and is offering 15% off all Valentine related items, and as always shipping is FREE in the US. and only $1 to Canada.

Have a Little Faith in Me be found in my Etsy shop. I also made a pair of funky matching earrings.



Disclosure: All above mentioned beads from Artbead.com were kindly provided free-of-charge by Artbeads.com, within the frames of Artbeads.com blogging program. The author of this blog has not received any payment from above-mentioned company. The post above represents only personal opinion of the blog author.

Shades of Blue

A very good friend of mine discovered my stash of Turquoise beads and had suggested I make some earrings from them. We picked out two that matched and then they sat on my work table for about 2 weeks, I kept picking them up and tried a few things but it was a not working for me. However today....still in my pj's I created these. I just love working with wire and especially brass so today it all came together. I can't wait to show my friend!

While I was on a roll.... ( I must be butter) ... I made two other pairs. These can be found in my Etsy shops.

Drops of Turquoise

Simple and Elegance

Celadon Droplets