Family History Gifts

As my siblings and I prepared to sell our family home early last year, we had to clear out more than half a century of family history.

That's a lot of stuff.....at least for my family it was a lot of stuff.

Being a sucker for old photos and documents, I had to stop and examine these items trying to understand their relevance.

I know that I can't turn my home into an archive of the past, so I resolved to ignore the temptation I felt to keep much of the old paperwork from various relatives.

I did not however ignore that voice inside me that said, "Hmmmm.....I think I could do something with this."

A very limited amount of the old paperwork did come home with me,

 and I did do something with it.

I decided to make Christmas gifts for my siblings using these pieces of the past.

Using property tax documents, bank statements, a cancelled check and a page from an old dictionary, I made a base to be used for 9 x 12 canvases.

I didn't want to recreate each base, so I made color copies on the self serve copiers at a local office supply store.

I also made regular black and white copies of photos from our parent's wedding as well as a photo of our home.

I turned the wedding photocopies into transparencies and everything was assembled on 9 x 12 canvases that I had prepared with a black primer.  

A glossy gel medium was used to protect the surface.

I've always loved making homemade gifts!

Still Trying To Stay Afloat

A few years ago, one of my thrift store searches yielded a collection of vintage pins/buttons including an old Red Cross pin that was given out to those who successfully completed the beginners swimming class.  Like many of my finds, I initially had no idea how I might use the pin, but I appreciated the boldness of the graphics and tucked it away, waiting for the right inspiration to reveal itself.

With the recession of 2008 came the right inspiration.

Prices at the grocery store were rising, my retirement account was shrinking, preparation for college bills was looming.....I felt like I was suffocating with fear.

I felt like I was sinking.

Bingo!  

There was my inspiration!

That angst manifested itself in a pendant stamped with

'I'M JUST TRYING TO STAY AFLOAT'

The necklace that I made was included in my inventory for that year's holiday show at the Community Arts Center in Wallingford.

As I worked one of my shifts during the show, I saw a man casually glance at my work as he walked past my display.

He stopped when he noticed this necklace, took it from the display to study it, then put it back and walked away.

It was so interesting to watch him come back several times to look at and hold the necklace.

On his 4th or 5th return, he took the necklace and purchased it.

I felt satisfied thinking that this necklace that had special meaning for me had also connected with this man and would hopefully resonate with the intended recipient.

I decided that I needed to find more of these Red Cross pins....easier said than done.

Thrift store searches.....no luck.

Internet searches.....found some, but always too expensive.
 

Then, a lovely thing happened.
 

A friend who was aware of my search had found a collection of the Beginner Swimmer pins online, purchased them, and sent most of them to me.

She also makes jewelry and kept some of the pins to make her own, inspired interpretations which I look forward to seeing.

I got to work making a new and improved version of my original necklace.

I used a similar bezel that was cut from an old copper pipe and soldered onto a brass base.

Riveted to the bottom of the brass base is a segment of my old tissue box holder that continues to come in handy.

Wanting more textural interest than my original version, I chose to stamp the staying afloat sentiment onto a piece of German silver which was also riveted to the brass base.

Using the bold colors of the Red Cross pin for inspiration, I wire wrapped a chain with carnelian, vintage red glass beads that were rescued from an old necklace, honey jade and another creamy colored bead of uncertain origin.

Tiny carnelian beads were also wire wrapped and dangle from the bottom of the pendant.

The necklace was finished with a handmade clasp made from recycled copper wire.

Turning Over a New Leaf

Last week, I met with the Manager of the Woodmere Art Museum Gift Store and we made plans for the inventory that I'll supply in preparation for Spring.

Yes, only a few weeks into Winter and it's time to get ready for Spring.

There was an interest in my fold formed leaf pendants, but the fact that they don't lay flat was an issue.

No problem.....I said that I would make other, flat-laying leaf pendants that could be considered when I return with new inventory.

I already had some milled copper leaves and got to work turning them into finished pendants.

Dried leaves had been rolled in my mill with sheets of annealed copper.

To give this pendant necessary substance, I saw cut a larger base of heavier gauge brass, texturing the edges with a ball peen hammer.

The two layers were riveted together with balled copper wire.

Because I generally like to have something interesting on both sides of my pendants, I stamped a message on the back side of the brass base before riveting the pieces together.

'LIKE THE TREES I HAVE LEARNED TO BEND IN THE STORM'

Maybe I should also learn how to better control my riveting hammer.

More Signs of Spirituality

My search for religious medals remains a constant. 

The older, the better in my opinion.

A rich patina of age never fails to capture my attention as with most of these recent finds.

But sometimes.....that 'patina' is more grime and dirt than anything else.

These two crosses were black with grime when I bought them for 25 cents each. 

A soapy brush revealed how lovely they are as well as the fact that the one on the left is made out of sterling silver.

These two crosses now sit on my workbench as I consider how to best honor them in new pieces of jewelry.

Fold Forming Workshop

As someone who has taught workshops on riveting and wire wrapping techniques, I appreciate how a day dedicated to a particular topic can significantly improve one's level of skill.

I decided that I wanted to improve my fold forming abilities and signed up for a workshop with the talented Wendy Edsall-Kerwin, offered through the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen.

Along with seven other students, I spent last Saturday in the well equipped metals studio at Harrisburg Area Community College absorbing as much as I could.

Using a T-fold, I made a copper cuff.

We also had a chance to work with brass....definitely a bit more challenging than the copper.

I've mentioned before that fold forming involves lots of annealing- heating the metal to a dull red glow. 

Copper becomes very malleable when annealed.

Brass?....not as much.

I use wedge folds for my brass cuff.

Texture was added with the different hammers I was using and with the vertical face of the vice that I used to hold the brass in place while smashing it into shape.

When I began the brass cuff, I was envisioning a certain effect that I never did find.

Sometimes it's better to follow where the metal wants to take you.

I also did some line folds, again using copper.

Once the folds were completed, I annealed the metal and shaped it using a hoop mandrel.

I love the look of the folds and the textures left from the hammering and want to be able to turn this into jewelry.

I always need to consider how I can market my skills, and making earrings is often a good answer.

I used my jewelers saw to cut the folded copper piece in half and then filed and sanded the cuts.

I'm now considering options for attaching earwires, thinking that a cold connection might be the way to go.

In the meantime, there is a Christmas tree on my porch that needs to come indoors and get decorated.

Earwires will have to wait.

Taking a Stand

This was a busy week. 

I took part in the holiday shows at two local art centers.  As is typical, each art center asks that the participating artists sign up for shifts to work during the show, an effective way to provide the necessary "staffing" to make the show run as smoothly as possible. 

It's also a way for the customers to meet and talk with the different artists.

I had nice conversations with a variety of people, answering questions and explaining how I make some of my pieces.

I was talking with one woman when she noticed my bullet casing necklaces.

"Are those bullets?", she asked.

When I told her that yes, they were spent bullet casings that I had etched, she said, "That's not nice...not nice!" and walked away.

I didn't think much of it.  I never assume that anyone will like my work, and am always happy when someone does. 

I really like these necklaces. 

They let me make a statement about transforming an object with one intended use into something completely different.

For me, this speaks to the complexity of sensitive and emotionally charged issues like gun control.

Shortly after the woman walked away, one of the other artists who had been working at check-out told me that my necklaces had upset someone.

After leaving my display, the woman complained that someone (yes, that would be me) had actually used bullets to make jewelry.  She had planned to buy some items, but changed her mind because of my necklaces.

She would not support the holiday sale because of my bullet necklaces.

Wow...I was kind of stunned that someone was boycotting the show because of me. 

I absolutely respect taking a stand, and some of my work had obviously hit a nerve in this woman.

I respect that she felt strongly about an issue and voiced her upset.

I wish she had explained it to me.

It may have been an interesting conversation if I could have explained my motivation for making those necklaces.

One of the reasons that I enjoy making jewelry is that I work with beautiful materials to make beautiful pieces of adornment.

But....sometimes it's not just about beauty.

Sometimes I feel a need to say something with more substance that might be meaningful only for me, but hopefully meaningful for others as well.

That's one of the reasons that I use recycled materials which helps me to take a stand, however small, against wasteful consumption.

Sometimes I like to have nerdy fun....

....like with the back of this pin that I made out of the letter 'R' that I had saw cut from an old license plate. 

Sometimes, I'll hand stamp a quote, like this one from Steven Wright, because I have something on my mind that I need to express.

Sometimes, a thrift store find, like this vintage Red Cross pin, sparks an idea related to socio-economic issues.

 

Like my bullet necklaces, these are some of the pieces of my jewelry that satisfy my need to occasionally take a stand.

I know not everyone will like what I'm saying through my work, and that's fine...

 

.....and I really like my bullet necklaces.

When I Step Away From My Workbench

I love making jewelry, but I also need to do other things, like have fun with my camera.....

 

....and paint.

A work in progress. 

This is the result of the first session of around 2 hours.

Moo!