a wrapturous blog

Starving Artists Holiday Wrist Candy Giveaway – Oct. 26-Dec. 6, 2009

A bunch of members of the Starving Artists Etsy Team pooled their talents for a Christmas Promo this year.  We all contributed a charm, and put together this wonderful bracelet.

Valued at over $400, it will be given away to one lucky customer!  With each purchase at one of the participating shops, your name will be entered into the draw!

For a list of the participating shops, check out the SATeam’s Blog.  Or, do a search on Etsy using the tag SATEAMWRIST.  Members have also contributed items to the SATeam Etsy Shop, so be sure to check it out as well!

This holiday event runs from October 26 to December 6, 2009!

Tags: bracelet, candy, charm, etsy, giveaway, holiday, promo, sateam, starving jewelry artists, wrist

Tutorial – Art Nouveau Bangle

I’m pleased to announce that my newest tutorial, Art Nouveau Bangle, is now available!

This bangle features lovely flowing curves and Celtic elements that were common in the Art Nouveau period.

The project was a big hit with my students at the Haliburton School of the Arts! Once you have the basic technique down, you can easily adapt the design and let your creativity flow to create your own variations!

16 pages, 103 photos, 110 steps, plus design notes
USD $15.00

Level of Difficulty: Advanced

Tools and Materials you’ll need:

Tools:
Flat Nose Pliers
Round Nose Pliers
Flush Cutting Wire Nippers
Permanent Marker
Measuring Tape/Ruler
Bracelet Mandrel
Penknife
1/4″ dia. Masking Tape
Rouge Cloth

Materials:
96″ (240 cm) 20 ga Soft Square Silver wire
69″ (175 cm) 22 ga Half Round Silver wire
22 x 30 mm cabochon

Substitutions:
22 ga Soft Square Silver wire can be substituted for the 20 ga. wire.

Available from my tutorials page and my Etsy Shop.

Tags: art nouveau, bangle, bracelet, cabochon, Canada, celtic, DIY, jewellery, jewelry, pattern, scrolls, silver, tutorial, Tutorials, wire jewellery, wire jewelry, wirework, wireworking, wrapture

“Moonrise” accepted for MAGC Exhibition!

I’m pleased and excited to announce that my piece “Moonrise” was accepted for The Metal Art Guild of Canada’s national juried exhibition “MAG 2067 – Crafting the Future”!

The piece will be on display along with the work of other Canadian metalsmiths and visual artists at Arta Gallery in Toronto’s Distillery District from October 31-November 19, 2009.  The jurors for the show were:  Sandra Noble Goss, metalsmith/jeweller, long-time MAG member and 2000 Steel Trophy Winner; Jay Ingram, host of Discovery Channel’s “Daily Planet”; and Bob McDonald, host of CBC’s “Quirks and Quarks”.

The exhibition explores what Canada will look like in 2067 – will we have achieved utopia, or will we be living a nightmare?  Artists were given five scenarios from which to choose, and were asked to create a piece that reflected a particular possible future.

MAG 2067 – Crafting the Future
Arta Gallery
Building 9, Unit 102
Distillery District
Toronto, Ontario
October 31-November 19, 2009

Opening reception: November 7, 2009, 5-7 p.m.

Tags: Arta Gallery, bob mcdonald, Canada, canadian broadcasting corporation, CBC, daily planet, discovery channel, distillery district, exhibition, fine craft, jay ingram, juried, Metal Arts Guild, metalsmith, moonrise, national, Ontario, quirks and quarks, sandra noble goss, Toronto, visual art, Year of Jewelry Project

YOJ09-38 Star Earrings

Star Earrings (2009)
Constructed, soldered
Sterling silver
L 1.5 cm x W 1.5 cm

I’m about a month behind in my YOJ postings due to a personal crisis that has blown me completely off track.  It’s been a very emotional couple of weeks with some highs and a lot of lows.  I am determined to catch up, but it’s going to take some time.

I figure the easiest way to get ahead of the game is to focus on earrings.  Since I’m stocking up for Christmas anyways, this is a logical course of action.

So… first up is a pair of Star Earrings.  I wanted to make a simple pair of stud earrings, something neat and clean looking.  Making this design and trying to wrap the tail around the stem would not have given me the look I was after, so it was time to break out the torch.  Yes, Virginia, I do solder!

It’s been a while since I’ve soldered anything, and I discovered that my solder is really old.  Initially, the solder absolutely refused to flow.  I ended up melting the wire.  After I pickled the pallet, it worked better.

These earrings will be available for purchase from my Etsy shop.

Tags: constructed, earring, earrings, jewellery, jewelry, silver, soldered, sterling silver, wire, wire jewellery, wire jewelry, Year of Jewelry Project