More Old Going New

This is my second post to show a little bit of Artbeads.com goodness with a project of turning oldness into newness.  

What's old here?  Tin.  I've been enamored with all the tin bead caps going on around here in blog world (Donna & Lorelei are just two who are using them lots lately) so while on a recent road trip I convinced Curt to stop at a couple of antique shops so I could look for some interesting tins to repurpose.  Then I was on the hunt for a disk cutter and as luck would have it, Jeanette's shop, Fundametals, had the primo Swanstrom cutter on sale.  It was still expensive but I'm taking credit for it as a birthday contribution (albeit a month or so early.)  So, that little yellow circle there in the middle was cut by my own two hands (and a few cool tools and a big hammer).  It came from a little Rich's Canton Ginger tin.

The Artbeads.com piece comes in with the silver-plated charm.  It has a nice smooth finish and was easy to punch a whole into so I could add my little yellow bit. I used a little tiny screw and nut to connect the disk to the pendant and included a little flower...just because.  Then I went with my new fave design and made up a memory wire loop to create a little frame that's highlighted with some Swarovski crystals, pearls, and some metal beads.

This piece is now listed for sale in my Etsy shop. 

Another thing I worked on this project is the clasp that I made especially for this piece.  The other day I was wandering around Lori's newly organized Pretty Things blog and came across a DIY project from Cindy Wimmer about creating spiral clasps.  Cindy's wirework is phenomenal so I was excited to try this special little bit for this piece.  It only took a couple of tries to get it to work...thank goodness for cheap steel wire!  I know it looks like the wire is too thin for a clasp, but it's steel and hardened up nicely.  You can see more of Cindy's work at her Sweet Bead Studio blog.

Disclosure:  I received the following product free of charge from Artbeads and I am honestly reviewing them:  Nunn silver-plated charm pendant.  I have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received.   The post above represents only my personal opinion.

Got My Solder On!

A few weeks ago up in Philly, I got some edumacation in soldering from Noel Yovovich.  The class was a follow-on for me to create a flowing silver ring since I had the class a few years ago to do the flowing loopy silver bracelet and earrings.  The draping and silver-working skills that I learned through her classes have definitely helped form my "signature style," if you could say I actually have one.

So, adding heat to the draping and shaping was a pretty big deal.  First, here's my portable work-station (which has a foundation of a jellyroll pan) that holds all the important tools along with some of the shaped rings pre-heat.

And here's my torching workshop slash stovetop.  haaaaaaaaaaa  I needed to have ventilation and that just seemed the right place to have the setup.  By the way, it's not a gas stove so I didn't risk blowing up the whole house with my little sweetie butane super-torch.  I've got to throw out some love to my friend and supply dealer, Jeanette, at Fundametals which is where I got all my tools including the cute little pickle pot.  Just seeing that little pot right now makes me want some warm cheesy queso dip or something. 

Here's a closeup of the work in progress... 

And here's the finished product!!

I'm terrifically pleased with them and can't wait to get some more torchin' on!  Off to buy some more wire...:)