Organically Inspired. . .
Organically Inspired. . .
A friend asked me to create a custom pair of earrings for her. She had a pair that she loved, but they were made of cheap materials and were starting to look quite worn, and well, cheap. I didn’t feel comfortable making a direct copy of these earrings, but we talked about how I could interpret the design in fine silver, change things up a bit, and hopefully create a new pair that she would love even more.
This design is WAY outside my comfort zone. Seriously, left to my own creative whims, I would never have created something like this. I like the design, it’s just not my style. The good news is that I had to push myself to figure out creative engineering solutions and develop new skills to complete this project. I have a love/hate relationship with custom orders for exactly this reason. I always learn something new, but custom orders frustrate me more than anything else I create.
I thought it would be useful to me (and hopefully to you) to recount the techniques I attempted, the problems I encountered and the lessons I learned along the way.
I really hope my friend likes the earrings. I will be very happy to deliver them and cross this project off my list, and I know it will make me smile every time I see her wearing them.
Sometimes I’m a little slow to catch on. I’ve learned from a bunch of talented teachers. I’ve read dozens of books and hundreds of blog posts about metal clay techniques. I’ve watched demos and online videos. I know I’ve heard this before. So, how did it take over a year for me to really “get”…
I love, love, love my new EZ Cube. It’s so sweet, tiny and efficient! I went for the 12″ cube, which allows me to keep it set up in a permanent location. A larger cube wouldn’t fit on this little table, so I would have to break it down after each use. I’m using two…
I’m going to order one of those crisp little maker’s mark stamps from Babette Cox, but I wanted to do a bit of testing first to be sure I do it right. For example, do I want my mark to be embossed or debossed, or in simpler terms, will the letters be “inny” or “outty”? …
I recently attended the PMC Conference at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana. This was my first conference as I started working with the material just over a year ago. I’ve attended classes and workshops, but the conference experience was quite different. For example, the conference features presentations and demonstrations, unlike a hands-on workshop. The schedule…