On to Saturday!

Saturday at Create, the retreat in New Jersey for those who haven't read the previous post, was exciting.  The people at this gathering were so eager to share what they were doing and know what others were doing.  It was a great vibe.  People asking how classes were and what was learned.  Everyone was eager to begin another day of learning new things.   For me it meant another metals class with a teacher who was new to me.  Jean Van Brederode is a jewelry artist, enamelist and teacher from Pennsylvania.  Her work is very artful and exciting!  The class I took was called Bits and Baubles. The end product was a mixed media necklace constructed of metal components that were textured and layered and ultimately combined into a necklace!  I just loved it!!  I learned a lot about riveting, which I had done the previous day, but this time we learned about, and used, different kinds of cold connections.  I actually saw a metal bead being enameled with a torch, something I've been wanting to try.  We had access to so much material that Jean brought for us to use, things like colored anodized aluminium pieces, metal stampings, textured and patinaed metals, and lots of found objects.  It was a very freeing class, where your personality came through in what you were making.  Here is what I ended up with.

We cut pieces of metal in the shapes we wanted to use.  I love triangles so I cut my favorite piece, the textured and vertigris center, into a triangle and then got the idea to make a wavy edge on one side.  It gave it such movement that I was really pleased with it. I chose a steampunk embossed metal piece and a plain piece of copper sheet that I used a great dimpling tool on for the other pieces.  I had to use some of the anodized aluminium because of the colors.  I know I'll be working with that material again.  I chose several embellishments from Jean's supply and started layering.  This class had every technique I like to use in all my work, layering, color, texture!  No wonder I loved it!!!  I ended up with a very wearable, very me necklace that I just love. 

Since I can be something of an overachiever, I've come to like making my own chains or necklace for my jewelry.  Jean taught us a new, to me, coiled neckwire and a new, to me, clasp.  They look like this.



This clasp is really cool, I think.









You can see some of the neckwire here.



The neckwire is very light weight but fits the vibe of the components and the clasp is easy and fun to make.  Two more options for future projects!

I left the class really engerized and ready to move on with the scrapbox concept.  The ring from the class on Friday had been designed from leftovers on the worktable and this class carried that theme further.  You really begin to look at leftovers and other scraps differently!  It's very exciting!

Well, Carrie and I left New Jersey, my home state by the way, with our minds teeming with creative ideas!  Different mediums, but so eager to keep working! 

I hope you've enjoyed seeing the results of our excursion.  I'm pleased you've stopped by. 

Create!

As in the Create Retreat held in  New Jersey last week.  My daughter, Carrie, and I went and had a wonderful time.  Several people we know were there and some of us took the same classes.  And, the classes!  They were great!  Carrie especially wanted to go so that she could take classes with Michelle Ward.  Michelle is a wonderful person and a great teacher. We both follow fantatic blog. Carrie had the best time and learned a lot in the classes she took.   I originally was going to also take Michelle's classes but then I discovered two metal jewelry classes that I just had to take.  I'm soooo glad I did!  They were both great and I learned so much. 

The Friday class was with Eva Sherman.  We made copper bangles and scrapbox rings.  Everyone made 3 bangles and 2 rings.  Having just made my first copper bangle a few weeks ago, which you can see a post or two ago, I was really excited to be making 3 more!  Here is a picture of what I made.

We used a corrugating machine which I had never done and I love the effect.  I also used a disk cutter for the first time and I did some heat patina on the smaller cuff on the right.  It's become a favorite way to patina.  The large black cuff on top was what Eva called our "thesis project".  It was the last bangle and we were on our own as to design.  When I annealed the metal it turned black with those lovely red splashes on one side and it stayed that way, even after I had quenched it.  So, I decided to leave it because it's really cool!  I riveted different size disks to it.  I haven't decided if I'm going to leave the "bull's eye" markings on the smaller disks.  They were put there to mark the center of the disk but Eva and some of the others in the class liked them. I'm still debating.  I did polish them off a bit.  We'll see.

Well, that took care of the morning and in the afternoon we started our scrapbox rings.  Eva named them that because she made the original one from scraps on her work table.  We made 2, and I made one for Carrie and one for me.  I really love them because they use coiled wire which is one of my favorite wire techniques. 

Here is mine, I didn't get a picture of Carrie's.  Her's is the same but with a green bead.

They are very easy to make and each one looks a little different.  Well, that was Friday and there was more fun on Saturday.  I'll share that with you tomorrow. 

I hope you have a good day.  Thanks for stopping by.