Branching off into a new craft can be incredibly daunting – the first few attempts at learning a new skill always feel so strange, almost hopelessly awkward, but everyone has to start somewhere, right?
For me that ’somewhere’ was a pegboard. An essential tool for forming wire into shapes which can then be put together, the pegboard is relatively easy to use once you get the hang of it. The trick of it is that wire has a tendency to spring back and, therefore, closing a shape can be the hardest part.
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Since my pliers decided to break on me, I have taken it as a sign that I should try something new. There are, however, far too many cool techniques in the world of jewelry-making that I have not yet mastered. Unable to decide what skills to hone, I decided I would do a little bit of everything, see what I like, and share my experiences in a new column. So, I hope you’ll join me in a wild and fun investigation of the wide world of crafting!
First up I decided to attempt to master the art of wirework and so this weekend I am going to the library and the local craft store. I’ll post my first experiences next week along with, if I’m brave enough, some of my first few wire creations! Suzanne is also interested in learning something new and will also be posting about her adventures once she takes her first lampwork class.
‘Til then, happy crafting!
I realized recently its been quite awhile since I posted anything I had made, not that I haven’t been crafting away; just seemingly endless camera problems which discouraged me from even trying. So, here we go! A rather graphic heavy look at what I have been up to lately:
First off, I had a bunch of pink and orange beads leftover from the necklace my grandmother commissioned for my cousin’s wedding (the first picture after the break- sorry about the smallness and graininess, its the only one I have unfortunately), so I made a bunch of jewelry. I am not a big fan of pink myself as I figure I will post these on etsy once I make myself a proper necklace display but I do like the way they came out – very girlie.
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It’s been way too hot to think in TO these past few days – the humidity is through the roof! – and so I have not had a lot to say. But, I promised TotusMel I would post a link to Wunderkammer’s Giveaway and tell everyone to go enter so here it is: GO ENTER!
The prizes are awesome and the more entries, the more of the prizes get unlocked and she has really saved the best for last! Not that the other prizes aren’t great, but who DOESN’T want this fantastic bustle skirt by Crescentwench?
It only requires about 30 more entries (last I heard) to unlock this beauty so tell your friends and get on over there to peruse the neat stuff she posts and enter this contest. I’m sure she’d appreciate a few tweets too if you have the time as she’s moving soon and super busy.
In other news, I broke my bent nose pliers working with some big honking rings and now I cannot get anything done until I get around to ordering new ones… maybe I should learn a new craft in the meantime – any suggestions? I mostly finished what I was working on – pics to come most likely – so it’s not too big of a deal, they were not the best quality anyway and I had been delaying replacing them. I guess they made that decision for me! But its too hot to stare at the computer anymore, I am going to go relax in the slight breeze on the balcony that my kitties seem to be so enjoying.
Happy crafting!
Incredibly awesome dragons. Made of chainmail. This piece in particular really showed me just how incredibly versatile a medium chainmail can be. Crafted by Michael Stevenson from right here in Ontario, along with a host of other animals, these creative creatures incorporate a variety of ring sizes, metals, and weaves to achieve the incredibly detailed shapes. I found his work over on the Ring Lord Forums where he has a compendium of a bunch more great chainmail pieces.
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His decisive victory (49%) in our recent race makes him the new For the Love of Beads mascot! Keep an eye out for this shiny AND furry bead-loving heart popping up in various parts of the store.
Thanks to everyone who voted, we couldn’t have decided without you.
Coming tomorrow (a little late but worth waiting for, was planning to post on Friday), some very, VERY cool chainmail sculptures from a fellow crafter on the Ring Lord forums. Make sure you come back and check it out, you won’t be disappointed!
’til then, happy crafting!
