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Everything is on sale in our Etsy shop from now until December 2nd. We are also offering free shipping - the coupon code is XMAS2019.
Friday, November 29, 2019
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
November Theme Challenge - Fossils
It is that time again - the Art Elements Theme Challenge reveal - Fossils. I am really looking forward to seeing what everyone has created. This was a fun challenge - as usual.
Mom actually did the searching for ideas this month and she came up with the above idea. As long as you can saw it out mom the happier I am. Though again with the small holes - those are the bane of my existence when I enamel. Though they really give the person the feel that this is a fossil pendant.
I think I rather use a dental pick to get the enamel out of the holes than sawing out the pendants. I am soooooo glad mom likes to saw.
What the pendant looks like before I start the enameling process. After mom saws out the piece she then files and sands the copper.
The enameling process. I like working in batches so I can have an assemble line going. Thank goodness it isn't too cold out yet. I think it was about 50 degrees out when I was enameling on this day. Not looking forward to when it gets colder - the heaters can only do so much when I have the exhaust fan going (it sucks out all the heat - which is alright because I really don't want to die from the fumes).
Mom and I went to our favorite bead store to look for "fossils" to go in our necklace. We ended up purchasing petrified wood, leopard jasper and fossil stones.
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| I used crackle enamel for the pendants. On the bottom pendant you can see the crackle cells I was going for. Unfortunately the top pendant didn't get the crackle cells I wanted. I still love how these turned out though. |
Mom and I ended up using the petrified wood and fossil stones (the fossil stones are the triangle beads). I love the concept of the necklace, but I am not happy with the way the necklace lies. I think I want to make some lampwork beads to add to the piece and maybe some seed beads between the larger beads.
So, far now this is our piece for the Art Elements Challenge Theme - Fossils.
I hope you take the time to check out everyone else who is participating. Thanks for stopping by!
Guests
AE Team
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Free Shipping from Now until December 26th
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| In our Etsy shop |
I just re-opened the shop this Sunday after mom and I finished our last show of the season on Saturday.
The coupon code you can use is: XMAS2019
I am still adding more items - I have some pendants, earrings, necklaces, key chains and enameled copper bowls that I have to take pictures of and I will get listed.
If you don't see something in the shop - contact us and we can work with you to create something special.
You can see most of our work on our Facebook page - EB Bead and Metal Works, LLC.
Look under Photos and Albums.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
October Theme Challenge: Eyes
This month's Art Elements theme is - Eyes.
Mom and I both looked for ideas for this theme - I have a Pinterest board of Art Elements theme ideas. I think mom and I both came up with ideas for these month's theme. I found the idea of the tiger eyes and mom found the idea for the Day of the Dead.
These are the patterns glued down onto the copper. Mom will then drill pilot holes, thread the jeweler's saw blade through the holes and saw out each design. I didn't take pictures of mom sawing this time - she mostly sawed while I was at work.
Enameling for me is a several step process:
I start with a clear layer on the back of the piece first:
I then do layers of color until I get the look on want - on the back first. When I am done enameling the back - I then flip the piece and do the same layers on the front - and cross my fingers that the front will look as good as the back.
I then use an iron to smoosh the tiger eyes flat.
And again using the iron to smoosh the Day of the Dead eyes flat.
Because the pieces are flat, and laying on trivets, the heat can warp the piece. So, I use the iron to flatten the pieces out again.
Here are the final pieces:
The tiger eyes are being displayed in a shadow box.
If you guys didn't notice - the face is actually in a feather. Yes, I was totally oblivious of that fact until I started enameling the piece. Mom just shook her head at me and said this was your idea. I said all I was looking at was the eyes :)
Again, we displayed the Day of the Dead eyes in a shadow box. Sorry I couldn't get a better picture. The shadow boxes are not easy to take photos of to share.
So...that is what mom and I created for this month's theme: eyes.
Looking forward to seeing what everyone else created!!!
Here is a list of the participants:
AE Team:
Sunday, September 29, 2019
September Theme Challenge: Foliage
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| Leaf that was on our driveway with water droplets |
This month's Art Elements Theme is Foliage.
Well, I have to say this is the most prolific mom and I have been for the Art Elements Theme Challenges. Mom and I like leaves - so there will be a lot of them.
I actually made some sketches for ideas - they suck - but gives me something to show mom what I am thinking of.
This image was actually a leaf pattern we use for our bowls, a house pattern we used for a cuff bracelet we made years ago - and then I just threw some trees on there for ideas (mom said no to the trees - which I agreed with - but needed ideas for her to see what I was envisioning).
I actually did some sawing - since these were easy enough for me to saw out. Mom is the intricate saw master - give me the easy!!!!
These are the leaves as they are being enameled. With the leaf bowls, or any bowls, I like to enamel the interior first and then the back. The leaf pendants I like enameling the backs first and then enamel the fronts. That is just my preference - I am sure everyone does it slightly different.
Mom and I actually finished the bowl and pendants two weeks ago - for us that is really good. But we had a show last week and I wanted to make sure we were done before the reveal date. The above picture is the one I shared when I completed enameling everything.
So - here are the finished pieces:
I actually made this bowl a few months ago - I used crackle enamel on this bowl and I LOVE how it turned out. So, I had to sneak it in with the pieces I actually made for this month.
This is the bowl based on the two patterns I incorporated into one. Mom made some modifications and I am really happy with the way it turned out. I am so glad mom and I can work together on ideas!
These are the leaf pendants I sawed out. These pendants will be listed in our Etsy store after I open it (hopefully tomorrow). We do have three listed already, but it will be nice to add more of the leaf pendants. The purple leaf and the brown/yellow leaf have frit on them for a different look. These pendants always put a smile on my face!
This last piece was a last minute piece today. I have had the sketch done for a couple of years and we have had the components for longer. The pendant is one of our abstract/oblong enameled copper leaf pendant and the polymer clay I can't remember who mom bought from. They were a St. NicklausTag gift because I just loved the way they looked. If you know the artist please let me know because I would like to make sure they are named as the artist who made the pods/bird polymer clay.
I laid out the components and then said, "MOM-HELP!". Mom figured out how to add the bird (used a headpin to connect it to the bottom) and then created a loop with the pod at the top of the enameled copper pendant. I then used our lampwork glass beads and poppy jasper as accents to make the necklace. At the top is a seed pod with a jump ring, so I used it as my clasp.
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| Should have assembled when not tired - I assembled one side wrong. Going to have to tear apart and reassemble - oh well. Gives me practice. |
Overall I am happy with the way my idea turned out.
Thanks for sticking until the end.
I hope you head on over to all the other wonderful artists participating in this month's challenge.
Guests
Beth & Evie (you are here)
Saturday, August 31, 2019
August Theme Challenge: Octopus
It is that time again - the reveal for the Art Elements Theme Challenge - Octopus.
This month's theme was pretty fun. I had a lot of fun looking at images on Pinterest and adding pictures to my Art Elements Theme Idea board. Of course the hard part was narrowing down ideas because mom also was looking at octopus images. So, more ideas might be coming in the future. I know I would like to make an octopus necklace (hey mom - I want to make an octopus necklace)!
A picture of mom sawing out the octopus.
Mom has the easy stuff sawed out - now she has to saw out around the tentacles.
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| Video of mom sawing on our Facebook page. |
Mom has finished sawing out the piece, filed and sanded. Now it is my turn to enamel.
This is one of several layers of enamel I put on the piece. All those circles are some of the places I need to clean out the enamel.
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| You can see a video of my cleaning out holes with the dental pick. |
Here is a closeup of the dental pick I use - this belonged to my grandpa. He was an engineer and he always had cool tools on hand. You can go to our EB Facebook page to watch a video of me cleaning out the holes.
For the octopus it took me about 20 minutes to clean out all the holes. I have to do this on each layer of enamel I do on a piece.
I was lucky this time - no holes filled during the making of this plate :)
After each firing - I would take the octopus out of the kiln and then lay it flat on the bricks we have. I then used an iron to place on the plate to make sure the piece lays flat. This picture always makes me giggle - smushed octopus with tentacles waving.
So - here is our piece. I took the picture outside when it was really sunny. The plate will go into a shadow box for display. But, I wanted a good picture of the octopus plate before it went into the shadow box and then you have reflection off the glass.
Mom wanted to go with pinks and purples. I found some pictures of octopus that I used as reference. But I mostly just played with the enamel and crossed my fingers and hoped it turned out.
Mom had a great idea of adding black around the eyes and some of the details. I knew there is reason I keep her around!!!
I hope you enjoyed our tour of how we created the octopus plate.
Here is a list of those participating in this month's theme:
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