My cute niece Shay came over to play in my studio during the holidays and I made these earrings for her.   She likes to channel her inner Aubrey Hepburn and these new steel bows grabbed her right away.  I thought they should be black and white--very Coco Chanel and chic like Audrey.  

                

                                                                

I just took the steel bow and punched a hole in each end with my handy Hole Punch Pliers.  I used the Painting with Fire method of heating my steel to glowing then dipping in the enamel.  It really works great and counter enamels at the same time!   Then I used a silver headpin made from wire by drawing a bead.  Usually when you do pearls you have to make your own headpin unless you want to drill out the holes.  I like a chubby wrap and then added ear wires or make your own.  They are adorable on and perfect for Valentines day!  The cost of materials was under $3.00 a pair.

 

                      

This pair of heart earrings could easily be customized with an alphabet stamp set by putting your statement on them.

It's a two minute project, use the left broken heart and the right broken heart, brass ear wires and rhinestone rondelles.  The cost of materials is only #2.30 a Pair!  Send a message to someone with these cuties.  

If you want to be entered in our weekly drawing  leave a comment!  

 

Several years ago when I was scouring the flea markets of France, I found these wonderful faces that just had to be shared.  Of course life got busy and they got buried....Then miracles happen! and the wonderful Helga Strauss of ARTchix Studio was in my resin class at the Bead and Button show...I have LONG admired her work and her website so I was very excited to have her come over to play...she lives in Victoria,, British Columbia which is right up the "beach" from Seattle.  We are now working together on some collage sheets as I have lots of fun images and no skills and she does such a great job of them...she just finished this one below and it's my favorite!  There are some seriously wonky eyes here!  Check out the guy second from the bottom on the right!  Helga has generously offered to allow me to give away a sheet to everyone who commented on the latest blog--I just could not narrow it down!!  

If you commented on the last blog on "eyes" you made me laugh! and if you left a comment and want a copy of this sheet,  send an email to me at linda@objectsandelements.com and you will get a code to download the images and print them.  Just in case you hate cutting, we have a paper punch that will cut them perfectly and very shortly some new bezels that they will fit perfectly in.   I finally have power and heat and can get back to work so a new blog is in the works.....love the comments!!!

Linda                                           

                                            

There are two trains of thought when it comes to eyeballs in jewelry--obviously a hot topic.  I love the  eyes that we carry on Objects and Elements but "The Girls"  think they are creepy!  This piece is made with our Vintage Doll Eye that actually blinks...but don't miss the Fat Cat Eyes, Doll Eyes, Glass Eyes and some in various colors.  

I've been playing with molding putty, resin and some of the hardware that I have collected to make lightweight pieces that I can use in my jewelry designs.   I like the depth and vintage look that the hardware gives.  To make the mold mix the putty one to one and knead together with your finger tips until it's one color.  Don't do it in a balled up fist or for too long or it will set up before you make the mold.

                                                     

Make a "patty" slightly larger than the hardware and push the hardware in deep enough to get the full imprint.  Don't push through the back.   

     

let it set up for about half an hour and remove the original.  

 

    

I like to let the mold cure for at least one day before I pour resin into it--three is better.  It makes a real bubbly resin peice if you get too impatient.  Mix the resin according to the package directons and pour into the mold.  Let dry overnight and remove.  Once the resin piece is dry you can paint color or patina anyway you like.  I ususally spray paint mine black to start with and then use Gilder's Paste in layers to get a nice patina look.  I also sometimes use Espresso Ink dribbled on to darken the deep areas just like a natural patina.  If you want more specific instructions go to the Patina Blog.  

The cool thing about the resin hardware pieces is that they are easily drilled and cut to make them work.  I had this flower piece on my workbench and also the eye looking for a cool place to go and one day it just dawned on me that they would work together!  I drilled out the center and patched the patina and popped the eye in--love it!   

Weigh in about how you feel about eyes and the two funniest answers will get a packet from The Overflowing Stash and a set of eyes!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thanks so much for all your comments on the Cage blog! They are really helpful...the randomly drawn winners are:

Linda Murphy

Jean Van Brederode

Kit L

Cages are fun to build and they allow you to use found objects or small items that you want to wear but can't quite find a connection.   This cage is filled with three pieces of Roman Era glass that I was in love with but didn't have a perfect way to use.  I love that they can move inside the cage.  I think it would be great with loose crystals or chunky charms too.  The biggest challenge is to make the cage so that your items don't fall out!  Let your imagination roam, I'm sure that there are many ways to build a cage....

The first step is to decide what you want inside your cage and build the cage for it.  I have done them with a top and a bottom....this one only has a top.   Cut the top from a piece of sheet metal, here I have used 22 g. bronze.  Texture if you want and then mark the holes and drill with a 1/16" drill bit.  This will accommodate a 16 gauge wire.  

I keep only a 1/16" and 1/8" drill bit on my work bench--saves me from drilling a hole the wrong size.  All of the eyelets and nuts and screws we carry on our website require either of these sizes. Simplifying is worth it!  

As you can see above right I filed and then actually rounded the raw end under a bit with my chain nose pliers.  I like the way it looks and it eliminates a sharp edge. 

Count the number of holes and make a headpin out of 16 gauge bronze wire.  The length on this project is about 8 inches.   After the headpin is made I heat the whole wire to darken.  MAPP gas works very well for bronze.  Insert them all through the holes in the top. 

  

   Carefully hammer each wire flat and if desired you can use a texture hammer on them too.

   

Oops I should have drilled a hole in the center of the top for a bail...thank heavens there is always a fix and I pulled out my always handy punch pliers.

Now that the wires are hammered out you can polish them up a bit to make them look nice. The mini polishing wheel is great to use on your flex shaft for this.     It's easier to reach the backs of the wires now.  I wanted it to be a bit "knarley" at the top so I randomly bent over some of the tops.  

                                    

I used part of my dapping set to form the shape around.  Something steel works best but anything handy can be used also!

  

Inset the bail wire and also the objects to be caged...

   

work the wires around until they lay nicely and hold in your objects.  Hold the middle where you want your wrap to be and take one of the wires and wrap around to hold. 

  

   
Futz with the ends and the wires so that the piece looks good then polish it up again.  I like extra polishing on the wire wrap so it looks a bit worn or handled...

I took a pile of fibers including some sheer silk and wet them and twisted them around until they made a tight bundle.  Let them dry overnight on a heater vent and then unfurl.               

Take the top bail wire and wrap around the fibers.  I like mine off center so that they tie on the side asymmetrically.  

  

This piece is great on and really fun.  You could make it large and hang it on a wall or from a light!  

Leave your comments this week and two winners will get a stash packet AND a 10% shopping discount at Objects and Elements....