Playing with color

I am finding myself enjoying more and more playing with the colors that anodized aluminum rings give me. It is a depart for me from the steady tone of the stainless steel rings. It makes me want to play with rings that are just as hypoallerenitc as stainless but that can be colored. mabye that will be one of my next projects.

Currently I am moved away from dragonscale and playing with Byzantine.

Have you ever started playing with a new medium before? Kinda fun isn't it?

Finally!

Finally the cold has left the building and I am not fighting with having a runny nose or not. Which means I can finally pick up my camera and set to taking photos of the new things I have made while ill. Okay it is not a lot being only two bracelets but they are both dragon scale.

I am going to have to get new a new camera as well. Mine is starting to fail. Which is a huge pain in the behind really when there are so many cameras out there. Should you get this or get that and some will swear you need 4,000 in equipment but I have been just fine with a camera I was given for my birthday and a lil photo kit.

I guess what I have found works best is taking your time and making sure you are getting good shots of what you are photoing. Time is always your friend. Knowing your enviroment as well. I know photos at night in my space are bad. Morning light helps best with my photos. Experiment and play.

-Blessings!

The cold that just won't go away!

Just when I think I am fully better I wake up feeling like positive crud. And some would think that crafting would be a cathartic thing for me when I am ill .. however it just drives me to further distraction and frustration.  Oh well life goes on and you do what you have to do.

I hope everyone is happy and healthy and has a great Weekend!

So where have I been?

Happy belated 4th everyone. While everyone else was watching fire works and eating hamburgers I was in bed going threw five boxes of puffs with lotion. I am still not fully myself but i am on the med. I truly think that summer colds are possibly the worst thing ever.  But I should be able to work again.

I am going to try and finish this dragon scale that I was working on but had to stop because I couldn't even hold my tools with this illness. Tell me what you think?

Darker blue with a lighter blue inside.

Blessings!

a bit of this and that...

All is okay in the home front. Not to shocking with all the go and fro with the holiday coming up. We have no real plans as work wants what it wants. So when he gets home we will relax and not do much more then that.

Anyone have any good plans?

For the moment I am still working on my dragon scale kick. No photos today just a wish for you all to have a great day. 

The sweet feel of A.C.

Well the verditc is in. We didn't just have an AC go out. We honestly did blow it up. The compresser blew up and took out the whole unit so we had to get a new one.  The apartment is finally cooled off and I am a much happier and crafter woman for it.

I finished the necklace I was making! I still need to photo shoot it right so forgive the only photo I have of it is a selfie.

The three tone really came out well I think and it lays nice. You will find I do a lot in the byzantine weave. Okay so here is an easy bracelet to make! You can use Stainless or any other metal as its not tension locked!

If you need it bigger to read go here : http://pharewings.deviantart.com/art/Not-so-editorial-355421650

Have a great Day!

Blessings!

The best laid plans

So here I am working on a new necklace.

Stainless steel with swarovski crystals in pale purple, wine, and amethyst.... and then.. My Ac does this:

So now I am way to hot to even look at my tools as it is getting fixed.  And that's what happens to well laid plans.  Ugh.

Stay cool!

-Blessings!

Are tools ment to fly?

It it right there. You can see it in your mind and know how it is going to play out. This ring goes here. This one there. Close the ring tight. You are filled with joy and the creative juices are flowing like water over a cliff....

And then you hit the rocks.

This thing you made: looks nothing like / won't do what it is suppose to / what the... Or the best on. You hit those rocks down at the bottom and you have something epic! You are in love with your new babble.

Or your tools fly across the room while colorful language spills from you lips.

Yeah.. your a crafter all right.

One of my earring designs actually came about something like this. I was working on something completely different and my project slipped out of my hand. I picked up this jumble of rings just right. Added two more rings and a bead and wallah:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107599369/suspended-circles-chainmail-earrings?ref=shop_home_active_16

I guess my point is never give up. You never know what awesome thing you might come up with today.

Blessings!

A question of taste....

As a crafter you do get into the bubble. This is this and that is that and you will do this and not that. And you get into this mode where you think this thing you are working on is amazing. Then you see it a day, week, year, later and ask yourself What were you thinking?!

More so when it sells. You look at the order and go, -Really-. But you don't say it aloud you just smile and tend to the transaction and say thank you. But the mental question is in your head. Do have have any good taste? Did they?

Then you relize its all kinda pointless. And move on with your day with a chuckle.


And that's a lil random tidbit about crafter life.

-Blessings!

Photography

There is one thing that can kill your craft dreams faster then a blink of an eye. How you photo them. To minimalistic? Bad. To Busy. Bad. Fuzzy? Worst then bad. And it is one of those games like your crafts not everyone is going to love. I get as much negative feed back about my photos as anyone else.

I have found that sticking to your guns is the most important thing. find a style you think works best. For instance here is mine.  I use a prop and then lay it down like so in my listings. So you get one photo like this:

And then another like the second photo. I use a mirror that accents the gray background that I use. I find it makes the pieces pop. Others don't like it. I make sure each photo is clear to the eyes as well so the details are seen.

Which means for me taking a lot of photos because you will get gems like this:

Sexy isn't it? 

Do I photo shop? Yes yes I do. To make the photos brighter and more crisp. Like so.. this is a before photo shop and then after. With crafting it doesn't have to be the bane all like it is to models.

Just enhancing the brightness of a photo can do wonders for it. So play around and find something you like.

What do you think?

-Blessings!

On ward with the scales!

I am still on this dragonscale kick even after being down for two days with a sinus migraine. Those really blow. Right now I am doing a rainbow on the bias. Its coming along really pretty. Is it making me love the colored rings more then stainless? Not really. But I do love the colors and this has made me think I need to add more colors to my shop.

So that is something to look forward to in the upcoming days.

Here is what the dragonscale is looking like right now.

I am not sure what I am going to make after this. Likely something in stainless but I am open to suggestions.

-Blessings!

Weave through the pain?

I like so many others suffer from sinus migranes. Somedays I can work past the pain. This one is one of the bad ones so please excusse the silence as I medicate up and pray it leaves.

Blessings!

Getting into a groove

Sometimes something happens to a crafter. You get into this groove where all you want to make is this type of thing. And it is a good thing.. but your brain is frying with just DO THIS and only this. It can also be a time of great creation or frustration for the crafter. I am lucky this time I am in a good groove.

Yet I have to be mindful that I don't spin out. So walking away even while in that groove is a good thing. Work for a few hours... then clean house. Go shopping. Take in a movie or read a few chapters in a book. What ever works to get your brain off the project at hand with out fully distracting you from it so the groove is killed.

My groove is Dragon Scale right now. While I prefer working in stainless steel, as i said before, I am currently working in anodized aluminum. You can play with the colors and what have you in interesting ways. For example I did this as a custom order for a friend:

Full Rainbow Dragonscale inlay.

 I just finished this one which is a bright silver with a bronze colored inlay. Both rings are Anodized aluminum.










Dragonscale is a fun weave and has an interesting texture. This is the new one I am working on.

Its a gradation of a pink lavander and icy blue tones. Please ignore the silver on silver at the bottom that was just to start it and will be removed later on down the stage.















So tell me, what do you like to get your groove with?

-Blessings!

blarg!

I had a whole post written out and my brain went. NOPE. Because it sounded like I was in second grade. Oh well that happens. My brain is more into working on a new dragon scale with an inlay pattern. I finished the one I was working on in Silver and Bronze tones.  Oh well.

I hope you all have a great day!

Dragonscale

Well the rings are all sorted and I am working on another colored dragonscale bracelet. Let me tell you. Starting a Dragonscale bracelet is a down right pain in the .. *ahem* It doesn't want to start and it is floppity no matter what you do so it takes a few moments. And then... It starts doing everything it is suppose to with out pause.

For some it is a simple weave, but as I use micromaille more often then not. [Micro is anything 20g 21g and up.] it takes me longer then some. I usually find a show to burn out on streaming it and just go.

So here you go, this is one of the photos I took yesterday while I was weaving to give my hands a break.

It is aluminum in the colors of bright silver and an inlay of bronze. Okay back to it for now. Hope you have a great day!

-Blessings!

The not fun stuff...

When you are a crafter it is not all "Let's make something Amazing!" no matter how much we want it to be. There is the fight of how to store things. Sorting them. Add in that if you have furrie babbies then they all want to help you are in for a long while of getting things sorted.

So today and last night I have been sorting out rings. Tiny little rings that are no bigger then well showing a photo will be the better choice of action as they are tiny 1/8th rings.

Yes that is a quarter. So I am sorting all these.. into there right colors like so.

Welcome to the unsexy side of crafting and one of the necessary evils.


Blessings!

On my desk...

So today is one of those.. hey how would that look. I have mixed both a captured weave and a full Persian weave. I think it is coming along nicely. But the chore is making sure the sides are even so the bracelet is even.

The bead captures are swarovski crystals. And as always I working in stainless.

Crafters Dilemma

Its quite the common thing in the world to face an obstacle when you are doing something. For me and many of my fellow crafters it is time loss. Usually when we should be sleeping. We get so involved with a project that the significant other comes over and kisses us good night and we mutter, be in soon. What ever we are streaming on Netflix, or what have you is still playing so we have time right. We have only clicked next episode like twice.

And then it is 4am. You have a rush in your body and you are almost done!

Wait.. 4 am!? And then all the tired hits and you drag yourself to bed. To play there nitpicking ever inch of what you have done. Wondering if you did this right. You sleep.. then you are up again and the circle repeats.

Thank everything for Coffee.

 

Yay coffee!! Have a great day you all. Today I am going to finish a bracelet that has elements of Persian weave, orbitals, and inverted round. Whee!

-Blessings!

Yes it is a day late!

Sorry I meant to have this done yesterday but the Gods of the sinus migraine won out over that making me waste the whole day. So today I bring to you a picture tutorial of European 4 in one! If you can not make this photo bigger you can also find it at : http://pharewings.deviantart.com/art/4-in-1-chainmaille-tutorial-537221357

Morning times!

I like this time of the day to look at what projects I will be working on. No one is home but me and the cats so I can take as long as I want.. unless the cats are hungry and then I best tend to the needs of my small furry masters. I think today I am going to make another rainbow dragonscale bracelet.

Dragonscale is a weave where one smaller ring looks like it is patterned into a smaller ring, and how they lay makes it look like scales.

Here is an up close of the last rainbow bracelet I did. With the brighter colors being the smaller 'scale' you can really see the pattern in this photo. But it works amazing in stainless steel.

As you can see in stainless it still gives of that wonderfully complex looking texture while still being a nice and thin bracelet. Nor is it to hefty of a bracelet to wear on your wrist. You can see this one in more detail at my Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/listing/208759587/stainless-steel-micro-dragonscale

I would say this is an advanced weave. Its a pain the the butt to start but once you get going it is a quick weave.  Tomorrow I will show you how to make the most basic of weaves. The European 4in1.

-Blessings!

Why I like stainless steel..

So I have been asked more then once why I like stainless steel as a medium for my jewelry. Well it is one of the most hypoallergenic metals out there. Some mixes of the alloy more then others. It is also very very corrosion resistant which really helps with the longevity of a piece. Nothing is worse then haveing walked into a shower with out relizing you didn't take all your jewellery off. With stainless steel you are covered and really all you will do is easily clean the item. Which for me is a nice perk. I have an anklet I never take off, and knowing that it won't get ruined is a huge bonus for me. Add in its cost effectiveness and its a pure win.

When it comes to other metals I will work with them but I am not at all impressed by how they handle time. Copper will change colors over time so will Bronze, while amazing looking this change in color often triggers allergic reactions to many. Silver requires a lot of up keep as goes Gold to keep is nice and shiny. This is not to say I won't work with them. I will.

But what about colored metals?! Well I won't work with enameled copper. It is far to soft and the coating peals off far to easily in my book. Then there is anodized Aluminum. Yes I do work often in this metal. My only issue with it is over time the color will fade and the unprotected Aluminum will turn skin black. How long the color last has many variables. How was it anodized, how will a person take care of the item and so on. But the colors are really amazing.

Titanium and Niobium I like working with as well. They are great for anyone with allergic reactions to even a hint of nickle. And they can be colored. The colors are not as bight as with anodized Aluminum but I have found they stay longer over all. And the color fading doesn't turn your skin black. They are more pricey then Stainless and Aluminum. Niobium has the same kind of wight as stainless while Titanium has a much lighter wight like Aluminum.

Niobium Starburst in a rainbow pattern.

Aluminum festival bag.

Swooping Chains Stainless Steel Anklet.












You can find both the bag and the anklet on my Etsy store.

Tuesday fog

Oh it has been a long long weekend. Not just fore memorial day. No mine was spent mostly in a hospital with my best friend. I still did manage to get the leash done. It is happily on its way to its new owners. 

I think today I will work on an interesting style of necklace. I may use different colors then the ones shown. That one already sold. So here you go if you want to make one like it! Blessings!

If it won't go bigger you and look here http://pharewings.deviantart.com/art/Chainmaille-Ikea-Tute-457104329

Strange mind

Have you ever just gotten what I call fog brain. 1,000,000 things to do and you sit there with the durp face wondering how long it will take for that one flower to bloom. Yeah ... caffinee is needed. Well on the desk today is a custom leash I am makeing.

Stainless steel (of course and it will be four feet long. I will finish it today really. Here is what it looks like!

Sorry for the crappy picture. But it is coming along nicely. If all goes well I will be making a video or a tutorial for some of the weaves I do in the next coming days.

Happy Memorial day weeked!

Blessings-

B

7 am and I am awake

Sleep is over rated. Unless you're tired, and then that in turn is nullified by coffee. Yay Coffee! Today is going to be a busy one. House work and then working on a custom order that I have. I think I love custom orders the best really. It means some one really really wants an item and so it is going to be loved that much more. On the flip side it also means they are more hyper critical of my work. Which is good because it makes me better at what I do.

As I stated before I work in stainless steel. Lots of it. Why? Stainless steel is a metal that has been used for a long time by companies for many purposes like in the fabrication of kitchen appliances it is also used for watches and now for jewelry. It is often chosen by many manufacturers because it is a very strong, solid and durable metal that will not rust. For these same reasons, stainless steel is now popular in the making of jewelry, other fashion accessories, and some forms of art work. It will not tarnish or discolor your skin and cleans easily in soapy water. It does not contain any cobalt that oxidizes or any nickel that would cause allergy. Stainless steel is one of the most biocompatible (hypoallergenic) element known to man and should not irritate even the most sensitive skin.

They say only 1% of the world actually has an allergy to stainless. I do not work just in Stainless. I will work in other metals such as aluminum and copper on request. Here are some of the custom items I have made.

Red Garnet Capture in Stainless Steel

Full Collar necklace with matching earrings in Stainless Steel

Dragonscale in Aluminum.

Triforce in Stainless Steel

Ankh set in Stainless steel












Okay time to get busy. Have a great day!

Blessings.

Many roads lead here.. again

Ever have an idea and you think okay cool. Then you think.. "Oh wait this one is better?" and then you go.. oh.. wait.. maybe that first idea was the one I needed to do! Yeah.. we will go with that. But they do say mistakes are the best thing to teach us. And lets call this a lesson learned.

The same goes with crafting. I am a chainmaille artist by trade. I have the nicks and scars on my hands to prove it. What is that saying? Wisdom is learned by how much we mess up? Well on this finger here I learned to hold my tools better...

Maybe I should back track just a tiny bit. Chainmaille? Isn't it Chain mail, or Chainmail, better yet isn't it Chain maille? What about Chainmaile? Yes. That is the easy answer. Yes they are all talking about the same thing. ((Even if Chain mail is often also mistaken for "If you share this email the love of your life will come tickle your toes while tiny elves weave gold to the bottoms of your shoes for the low low price of 19.99."))   Okay now that we have that established? Isn't that the stuff knights wore when they were fighting?! The jiggly stuff with the round rings? Yep that's it! So you make Arrmor?!?!

No. Well.. I can. I know how. I use this age old craft for other applications such as Jewellery and accessories. Like this:




Stainless steel and rose quartz.












And even this:

Stainless steel and Hematite.









And so much more! Okay more tomrrow!

Blessings!

-B