"Hidden beauty" - Earrings

Simple ones again. I have to say even while they are not complicated to create, there are some small often overlooked details that make them just complete (any one seeing the little bronze bead on top for example? Took some time to find the right size, colour and fit ^^). 

What also add for me to their appeal: I was able to use a bead size and form that was -although lovely- difficult for me to use. The first pair I made was with beads I got from one of Rebeccas bead kits (you can find them here "The Curious Bead Shop"). In another kit I got the brown-creme beads with the picasso finish. So my colours, still, so difficult to use... 

The dark red glass beads I got during a fair. There was a big plate with gorgeous glass beads mixed and you could select the ones you liked and pay per weight. I could spend hours looking through stash *sighs*. I had them for some years now due to the size/shape problem. This earring shape is perfect for the beads. Furthermore there is an important aspect why I like this earring design so much (and yes, more important than finally being able to use the beads): They look absolutely lovely on the ears! Something about the long slender shape with the big focused colourful drop enhances most faces. They have movement and visual weight (hope you know what I mean). I was really surprised the first time I saw them worn. 

"Hidden beauty" - Earrings
Di Posting Oleh : travelercop.blogspot.com
Kategori : earrings

Thank you all, hopefully this article useful ...

How (finally) I managed to oxidise my brass stampings!

If you work with metal and use liver of sulphur for oxidation you may know that this work well for copper and silver but not really good if at all for brass. Still, I like this small brass stampings. They are sturdy, cute and also cheap. I bought them on a craft fair and to be honest, there is never a great selection but the dragon fly and frog is cute enough.

Cute... but bright golden yellow shiny (aka as not mine)...

Here is how the looked at the beginning.

...and here is how black I can get them after oxidation with liver of sulphur! Okay, the dragon fly on the left got just a little bit of darkening and I also brushed a lot of but the others are a lovely blackish colour! They have a little bit of shine due to renaissance wax.

How I got there? By heating them up with a torch! Brass being mostly a mixture between tin and copper heats up quite easily. You have to be careful how to treat it (and yes, it is easy to make brass head pins, the only necessary trick is to flux the wire before!) and not to overdo it but also to heat enough. Mh... but to be honest... you don't have to be too careful. These little brass stampings are not expensive and there is not a lot that can really go wrong. 

If it does not oxidise enough after heating/pickling, just heat them up again. If you heated too much (which is not soooo fast done with a micro torch, I didn't manage until now!), it is just melted. Since the small stampings are not expensive, that is okay.

On the upper dragon flies I got a nice heat patina. Lovely! Now I have to try to preserve it (I know, I know... not really easy/possible). On the middle right butterfly you can see how flakes fall of the stamping after the heating. This is mostly tin while the surface now has more coppery tone. And yes, that means more copper on the surface!

Just a mild pickle (I use normal household vinegar and salt and just add a bit of boiling water to get it warm) and then you can use your liver of sulphur! 

Look at the pink shades...! If only I could preserve them...!

So there it was. My simple and easy trick to get my brass stamping black! (or just a little bit duller, darker, more colourful ^^)

I am posting this because I stumbled over so many postings online from people trying to get their brass. Originally I thought how easy this was, I mean after all this is also how it functions with the oxidation of brass after being etched (you get more copper at the surface on the etched areas because tin and copper react different). Treating now a metal mixture with heat where both kinds of metal have different melting temperatures just was a small jump for me (first thing I did after is was not working with just really hot water and liver of sulphur). But then I thought if so many people are trying to do this: Here is my trick and I hope it may be helpful to you :)

How (finally) I managed to oxidise my brass stampings!
Di Posting Oleh : travelercop.blogspot.com
Kategori : brass metal work metall stamping tutorial

Thank you all, hopefully this article useful ...

"Reminiscence" - Earrings

This is going to be a rather short blog entry (not on images but on text). It is dark and late and I am really tired. Still I wanted to show you some of my newest earrings! The beads are made by Julie from uglibeads (have a look here) and yes, even if she has her etsy shop (here) you may rather be lucky to catch up some of her beads by facebook. But sorry, no chance against me to get more of these etched dichronic beauties (at least I hope so ^^). 

Edit: It seems I put a wrong link to her etsy shop. Now it is the right link. I hope you all went to Julie's blog first and could head over to her shop from there :)

I added some old african beads. They are between 400 to 800 years old. Just a touch to add a deeper story. The bead caps are actually oxidised brass stars. I found a way how to use liver of sulphur with brass! The dangles are cut wire sheet, hammered and oxidised (and polished with a nail board!9

...look at the shimmer of the gorgeous beads!

...and more sparkles... (nearly the same image, I know but I couldn't get myself to delete it)

Originally I wanted to take some pictures before I post these earrings but it seems that the weather report says that the sun won't be seen again soon. Maybe I will add an additional image to show you an impression how nice they dangle and move!

But I was bale to catch the tiny wee green sparkle in the depths of the pink beads!

"Reminiscence" - Earrings
Di Posting Oleh : travelercop.blogspot.com
Kategori : art beads earrings lampwork metal work

Thank you all, hopefully this article useful ...

"Dark memories" - Earrings

You remember that I told you I won a bead giveaway from Niky? You can find her blog silver niknats here :) 

She included the red facetted beads as well as the black rough big nuggets. Big as in big... the look great but... big, you know? But I thought this was a great challenge... 

I struggled quite a lot but finally got a design together. I soldered and hammered some copper rings and added next to the beads Niky's wire findings. They are quite heavy but still okay. Maybe not for the whole day but easily (for me) for an evening.

I was quite unsure about them. Until I put them on. They look great! Strange that I still not trust my own sense for design but it seems that I have a feeling for balance for actually worn earrings ^^ They grew on me until I really love them now! Weird and bold but still also balanced and lovely :)

"Dark memories" - Earrings
Di Posting Oleh : travelercop.blogspot.com
Kategori : earrings metal work wire

Thank you all, hopefully this article useful ...

Chain ideas - Playing with material

Okay, one of my own self-inflicted challenges is to create more necklaces. I am getting there, slowly and one step for me is to play a little bit with chains or rather with chain-making. I wanted to show you some of my ideas / experiments.

This one is just a connection between donut/rondelle glass beads (they are lovely and quite irregular in size). This chain moves beautifully, falls nicely and adds a nice weight without being heavy.

I also connceted thwin beeds with jump rings. Because the holes in the twin beads are relatively small and I aso had to use tiny jump rings, I could just fit one bead on one jump ring. Hence there is always a connection jump ring in between. 

It looks lovely and normally I am more bold in style but this fragile looking delicate chain I just adore :)

Quite easy one but also effective: Connecting big jump rings with small ones. For me I need to balance this by adding more of the smaller jump rings between the big ones.

This is how the chains started ;)

Or how about connecting vintage mother-of-pearl buttons with bronze rings? I never can decide which side of the button I prefer: The shiny one or the organic, rough one with the rest of the shells visible :)

An example of just wire wrapping beads and connect them. This are some of my precious (although originally cheap ones!) pressed glass beads. They have a feeling / looks that always brings past times into my mind. If you know where I could get more, please tell me!

Okay, I couldn't edit this image! I already have more chain versions on my table but need some more time to take pictures. :)

Chain ideas - Playing with material
Di Posting Oleh : travelercop.blogspot.com
Kategori : beads button chain workingspace

Thank you all, hopefully this article useful ...

"Old flowers" Yellow and I - again - earrings

Just... finally... the earrings I made with some of my polymer clay beads. In fact of the polymer clay beads I made for my first self-set use-yellow challenge ;)

...and of course... I included the price tag on the picture... sorry! But it is dark and grey and I need some lighter day to take new pictures... grrrr....

I named them old flowers because the white czech glass beads are over 25 years old and fit so well with the yellow beads that also have a kind of vintage feeling for me :)

"Old flowers" Yellow and I - again - earrings
Di Posting Oleh : travelercop.blogspot.com
Kategori : earrings Fimo pattern Polymer clay

Thank you all, hopefully this article useful ...

"Bristly rose" - Earrings

This may be the first pair of earrings in this style I show you. But believe me I already made a lot of them over the past weeks. There is something in the dangling long form and the shape with the heavier top and small drop at the end that speaks to me. I even lost one from another pair I just had to keep for myself. Grrr. But I still may have enough of the right beads to make a second one again. 

They consist mostly of czech glass beads, new ones as well as old one. Therefor it is sometimes possible to recreate a second one after losing it (normally I won't repeat myself even in the rare opportunities where I could). But since I am also using vintage beads, beads from recycled jewelery, found objects and so on, this is not always the case.

I really like the colour combination with this opal blue beads popping out in the middle without disturbing the overall disturbance. Also it seems that nowadays I really prefer to create long earrings. But hey, they look good! ^^

"Bristly rose" - Earrings
Di Posting Oleh : travelercop.blogspot.com
Kategori : bohemian earrings flower

Thank you all, hopefully this article useful ...