Pendant Making Weekend

Mom looking for patterns

This weekend mom and I did work on sawing out pendants. We first had to find pendants from our stash of patterns. We ended up choosing the following patterns: turtles, hummingbirds and hearts.

Mom drawing interior designs on the turtles

Mom had to draw out designs for the turtles - for some reason we never scanned the other patterns mom made in the past - so mom drew up four different designs and this time we did scan them into our patterns folder on the computer so we have them for the future.

So - while mom was drawing I worked on gluing down the patterns on the copper. What we do is print off our patterns, cut out the patters, put glue on the copper and patterns, then glue the pattern on the copper. Mom may be able to free form saw her designs, but I really need a pattern to saw out the pendants. Mom is just that good!

So - these are the pendants that I got glued down and are ready to be sawed out. I still have several more patterns to glue down but I thought this was enough for us to start on.

And this is the start of the sawing process. Mom and I use a jewelers saw to saw out the pendants. The saw blade is a 2/0 for the perimeters and then the interiors are usually a 4/0 and sometimes a 6/0, though I don't like to use the 6/0 because all I have to do is look at the blade and it breaks.

This is what happens when you are almost done sawing out the whole pendant and it breaks on the last two inches. Never fails for me.

Since it is so cold outside mom and I have moved the sawing operations into the computer room. Mom ended up buying a movable table for us to set up the bench pins for sawing. 

At one point both of us were sawing in rhythm - it was really cool and soothing. It was great getting back into the sawing.

This is mom drilling pilot holes into the pendants so we can saw out the interiors of the pendants (this was done in the garage, and mom said the flex shaft was freezing - so the gloves). 

Mom does this part better than me - I like hammering a small dimple for the drill bit to start in - but she doesn't like what it does to the copper. So, she now drills the pilot holes because I break the bits after the first hole if I don't have that start. It also might be because I am pretty heavy handed.

I actually sketched an idea

Yesterday I actually sketched out an idea I had. As you all know I hate drawing, but this just came to me and I didn't want to forget the idea - so had to draw it out. If you can't tell that is bird with flowers. I wanted to put the pieces on wire or tubing - I was thinking of an asymmetrical necklace but mom doesn't think it would be strong or stable enough - so now thinking of putting the design in a shadow box.

Now just have to go through our patterns to see if we have any patterns already made for my idea or start looking for birds I want to use as a pattern. Something fun to look forward to.

Well, I will share more pictures when I have them so you can see the rest of the process of our pendant making marathon.

Hi From Mom and I, Exercising and Bells

Just wanted to blog and say hi from mom and me. We have been taking it easy and not doing much. We did sign up for several art shows and I told mom we needed to saw out some things this weekend. Also, mom said she needed to get EB ready for taxes (joy, what fun).

I have started exercising again at my favorite place, Studio b. At the beginning of December they had a fitness challenge that went through the first week of January. If you filled up each layer of the snowman you got prices. Well, I ended up filling up the first snowman and starting on a second, which I got the bottom filled up. I am really proud of myself.

To keep the momentum going into the new year, Studio b started another fitness challenge that runs until the end of the month. Unfortunately, this week I didn't go since Saturday. I fell Saturday on the ice and then Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I had a migraine (those are so much fun - NOT!). So, I plan on going tonight because I have actually missed working out. I will be lucky if I can finish off the "0" and the "1" - but I still feel great about what I have accomplished!

And of course I had to share pictures of Bells. She is getting so big - and I have only had her several months. She is such a mush and pain in the rear to the other cats - she wants to play with them so bad but they don't want to have anything to do with her.

Of course if she didn't attack them they might want to play. Bells has a real attraction to Koshka's tail - she goes after that tail like nobody's business. Poor Koshka - she is old and will not have any of it. Though Koshka did really good the other night when Bells was licking her head. Koshka put up with it for about 10 minutes and then she was done.

I think what I love most about Bells is how she sleeps on the comfy couch with me. She just sprawls out and crashes. I have never figured out how cats sleep they way they do - but they sure make good pictures.

So - that is it for us. Hopefully I can share pics of what we work on this weekend. Cross your fingers :)

Here Comes the Sun: Art Jewelry Elements Rebirth of the Sun Challenge

Sun pendants from original post

The Art Jewelry Elements challenge this month is celebrating the rebirth of the sun during the winter solstice.

I actually posted a comment on the blog post about the Re-Birth of the Sun - Winter themed challenge and Giveaway and we won one of the pendants from the drawing.

So, here is what mom and I created with the pendant we received.

First - this is the sun pendant we received, THEA Elements by Lesley Watt. I was an idiot and didn't take a picture of the pendant before we assembled our piece - so sorry about that.

Mom and I loved the colors and we actually had some Viking Knit chain created that was going to work perfectly with this piece.

We then used accented gold and gunmetal spacers from the Viking Knit to the pendant.

We also used one of our lampwork beads to dangle from the bottom hole on the pendant. Mom and I thought the colors matched perfectly with the pendant. I am usually not an orange person - but I really love the colors of the sun pendant and the lampwork bead pendant.

Mom and I have had this Viking Knit created for about a year - but had no idea what to do with it. It is good thing we didn't just trash it - the chain works perfectly with the pendant.

A final picture of the piece we created.

Mom and I want to thank Lesley for the gorgeous pendant and getting us motivated to create in the new year.

If you would like to see the other participants - check out the list below.

Guest Designers

Melissa Trudinger

Lennis Carrier

Linda Newnham

Tammy Adams

Sherri Hartman-Stokey
Kathy Lindemer

AJE Team

Lindsay Starr

Jennifer Cameron

Sue Kennedy

Niky Sayers

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Caroline Dewison

Happy New Year from Us!

Mom and I just wanted to say Happy New Year to everyone!

Don't have any resolutions this year - just need to get our butts back into creating.

So - hopefully you will see more of us on the blog and more pieces in the works.