Artscape 2010 - An AWEsome festival!

Artscape Festival in Baltimore was fantastic!

Even though it was a million degrees and as humid as a sauna!

I was part of the DIY section, which had heavy traffic, and means I got to "booth" with two other fantastic artisans! Illegible Ink and Metropolis Bath and Body. Kathy of Illegible Ink makes super unique linocut art prints that she individually hand colorizes and Megan of Metropolis Bath and Body makes the most amazing smelling soaps (that are wonderful to use, I bought 3!) Check out their sites!!

I didn't get a chance to walk around the whole fest myself, but what I did see was really great. Tons of great artisans and artists, food and music!

Here are a few pics that I snapped while I was searching out some dinner:

My booth... I'm back there, really :)

There I am, although it's a little dark...

My dinner! Yummy :)

Some unscheduled music!

A Hookah Lounge... how cool is that!

 Crowds... (shot just outside my booth)

...and more crowds!

 
The art cars were also fantastic, but I spaced out and didn't take any photos of them :(

I'll definitely be back next year (despite the heat :)

Deciphering a Woman's Words...

I found this while surfing today and thought I'd share! :D

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE
(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.
(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don’t Do It!
(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)
(6) That’s Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That’s okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you’re welcome. (I want to add in a clause here – This is true, unless she says ‘Thanks a lot’ – that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say ‘you’re welcome’ . that will bring on a ‘whatever’).
(8) Whatever: Is a woman’s way of saying GO TO HELL
(9) Don’t worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking ‘What’s wrong?’ For the woman’s response refer to # 3.

When Your Hardwork as a Parent Starts to Pay Off...

Being a parent is hard! Sometimes you're totally in love with your child and other times you want the ring their cute little necks!

My son is 9 and definitely has his share of 9 year old moments (like wearing his jeans and t-shirt under his martial arts uniform for practice yesterday!?), but lately he's been showing a side I'm loving. Responsibility!

The example that sparked this post is what he did this morning. --He woke up early (as usual, he's always been an early riser) and got himself dressed, made and ate his breakfast, made his lunch for school and packed his backpack, and then came to wake me and his Dad up!

After thanking him and telling him how mature and responsible that was, I went downstairs with him and literally walked in circles... I had nothing to do! Crazy. So I actually made coffee and sat down for a leisurely breakfast (unheard of :) before he went off to school.

This isn't the first time he's done something constructive when he's gotten up (while we're still sleeping). He's unloaded the dishwasher on a couple of occasions and he has made his own breakfast several times, but these occurances are becoming more frequent and functional and it's so cool it gives me goosebumps!

But, I'm seriously torn between being the proud Mom, who realizes she's done something right, and the terrified, no longer needed, empty nester... I've 9 more years to enjoy, I hope I remember that the next time he has a 9 year old (or worse, teenager) moment!

:D

New! Wire Gauge Calculator

I found an awesome widget that calculates wire gauge to inches and millimeters! How cool is that?

I actually put in in the right column of my blog (about mid-way down) so you can use that one at anytime, or you can get your very own widget from the one shown below, or by going here: wire-to-jewelry.com

Color Combos - I love Teal and Brown!

I thought it'd be fun to periodically feature some handmade items in particular color combos.

I'm starting with one of my favorites, teal and brown. I don't know what it is about these two colors, but they really call to me. Maybe the mix of warm and cool, or the natural, organic feel to them, like the sea and driftwood, I don't know, it's just gorgeous.

Another favorite is green and brown, but maybe I'll leave that for another Color Combo post.

What are your favorite color combos?

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LeahPelligrini

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KainKain

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BargainHeadbands

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MelsBellsClocheHats

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Studio827KC

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AnnaArt72

LucyEliseDesigns

Aren't they all just beautiful!

From Sheet Metal to Earrings, part 2

So, I'm finally getting to posting the second half of my production photos, life is just too busy sometimes! ;)

Here they are sanded, textured, smoothed and ready for details

After they've been oxidized in a liver of sulfur compound (to give the aged look and to highlight the texture) I've also soldered the bezel cup onto the one pair (to hold the stone)

 

Deciding on details like what kind of stones, how to attach them, type of earwires, etc. (the one pair in the bottom right corner have just been oxidized, I put them in to show what the pieces look like after oxidizing and before polishing - pretty black and ugly) 

Finished earrings. Stones set and in place, all earwires attached, final polishing done!

These are comparing the finished pieces to my original sketches, some just like the sketches, some have changed.

A finished, photographed pair!

See more of the individual photos of the finished earrings on my flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aweshop/sets/72157623840174573/

Yay! I just love the transformation that metal takes from just a flat sheet of raw copper or sterling into a highly textured, gracefully shaped, beautiful piece of jewelry!

How It's Made! Photos of my production process.

Gosh, I haven't blogged in so long, it's shameful. To make up for it a little I'm posting some images of some work I have in progress.

I always think it's fun to see behind the scenes, to see how people make what they make. That's why I thought it'd be fun to post some pictures of what I'm working on currently.

I'm in the process of making some new designs and trying to stock up for several big shows I have soon. These pics are of the "Ethnic Vibe" style earrings in many different variations.

Here are my sketches, the cutout paper patterns and some partially cutout metal pieces.

These are some of the pieces roughly cutout.

A close up of the rough cut pieces. See how uneven and sharp the edges are?

And here is the jeweler's saw and "bench pin" that I use for most of the cutting (and drilling holes, as you can see LoL)
I also use metal snips to cut out some of the initial, larger cuts and straight lines.

Believe me when I say my hands are quite achy after I've finished cutting out a few pieces. Normally I don't cut out this many at a time (I usually make one item at a time) but I'm trying to build up stock for the shows, so production line procedures are required! ;)

I'll post the next stages of production in a day or so. Probably the next time my hands need a break from polishing! :)