The thrill of the hunt......

I realized the other day I haven't shared much of my own little makings around here lately.....Mostly, I've been concentrating on some other creative pursuits like painting and teaching locally, but I have been playing with copper!

It's one of my "professional secrets" where I get lots of my metal working equipment and even jewelry supplies....but since I love you guys so much I thought I would share :)

Most of my equipment, metal supplies, studio furniture, and even my copper elements are second hand. One of my other pursuits is spending lots of time combing estate sales, garage sales, and thrift stores. Quite often, and MORE often than you think, I find boxes full of copper stampings, tools, equipment, and studio furniture for a fraction of what it would cost new! Not only the savings, but also the quality of many of the tools and copper I've picked up are superior to what is currently available. The copper is often of thicker gauges than are normally sold and the tools are sturdier and time-tested.

There are tons of hobbyists out there who decide they no longer need/want their equipment!

snapshot of my dental drawers where I store many tools and beads

raw copper stampings in my dental drawers!

The secret is attending the same estate sales and getting there early. Most estate sale companies have email lists where if you're a regular, you can be invited to the "preview". The preview is the sale that takes place before the sale opens to the general public. This is where you get the chance to scoop up the good stuff before everyone else. Many estate sale companies also advertise their sales on EstateSales.net and many posts will have pictures and a description of what will be in the sale....

A few of the things I have scored have been:

Dental cabinets (complete with compartmentalized trays excellent for holding beads and tiny things)

Boxes full of copper stampings, wire, sheet metal, even silver!

entire box of copper I scored....

Jewelry saws, files, pliers, etc. (usually tucked away in tool boxes)

Enamel (I once paid $1 for an entire box of various colors of enameling powders)

Dapping Blocks

Gemstone strands

.....and lots more!

Another key is not to be shy about asking and or telling them what you are looking for. Estate sale people will even seek you out or give you hints or first dibs if they know what you're looking for and are willing to pay a fair price up front.

Not everyone will want to dedicate themselves to hunting down the sales, but if you're a frugal artist, like myself, give it a try! You never know what you'll find!

May angels watch over you and yours

Wishing for angels to watch over our own Mary Jane and everyone else affected by Sandy and threatened by the coming Nor'Easter storm.

Angel wing earrings from Popnicute

Marina Lombardi's polymer clay Angel.

Cloisonné angel by AWKed.

Strut Your Stuff October Winner & November Sponsors

Congratulations to Pennee of All Wired Up Designs who is the winner for October with this stunning pendant!



 Please email Barbara with your mailing address: secondsurf(at)gmail[dot]com

For November: We have several stunning prizes courtesy of our own Love My Art Jewelry Members:

First up is this stunning enameled pendant by Julie Holmes:

Isn't this just perfect for Autumn? Visit Julie here:
Blog
Etsy

And also these beautiful components by MaryAnn Carroll:

This just looks like a delicious mix of Autumn and Winter (perfect for November since many of us are already seeing snow!)

Visit MaryAnn here:
Etsy
Facebook
Blog



Monthly Challenge Rules

1. Take pictures of your current creation and upload it to our flickr pool. (up to 3 per submission). Look for your work to be added to the group when it meets the rules of the challenge.

2. Leave a description of your thought process while creating your jewelry or beads/components. We really want everyone to share their creative thinking so please make sure that you share.

3. Since we are a group promoting "creating handmade with handmade," your jewelry should consist of at least 75% handmade. This doesn't mean that you have to create everything that goes into your piece. You could use beads/components created by other artists. Please give credit to that artist in your description.

4. If your submission will be loose beads/components, it may include any medium that you prefer to make those in. These submissions would also require a description of your creative thought process.

5. You may submit as many pieces as you like in a month, but please note that your name will be put in the hat once for the end of monthly giveaway. And in fairness, you can be chosen only once for designer of the week.

6. This challenge begins the first Monday of each month. Winners from the previous month will be announced the first Monday of the following month. For example January's challenge starts 1/2/12 and the winner announced 2/6/12.

7. Have fun, show off!!

ALSO, Don't forget to enter to win these beautiful earrings generously donated by Laura Jane Bouton!

A "Don't Miss This" Giveaway!

I think you will agree that these earrings are the bomb! Is "bomb" used anymore or am I dating myself ;o) ?

These fabulous earrings were donated by Laura Jane Bouton.

While putting this post together, I wanted to learn a little more about the artist behind these and here is what Laura has said:

I come from a very artistic family, therefore it was natural for me to eventually take on a creative path in my life. I was born in the United States, however for the past 25 years I have been living in Italy with my husband, son, and 3 new family members, 2 dogs and a cat. I am a part time swimming instructor and a self taught jewelry maker. I started making jewelry in my garage out of pure passion, mostly because I love to wear jewelry, especially earrings. This beautiful country has inspired and influenced much of my work. I use different metalsmith techniques, forging, form folding, enameling, soldering, cold connections, and wire wrapping. It is just amazing when you can take a flat piece of metal and turn it into something 3 dimensional and wear it too

To win these, please visit Laura's Shop and come back letting us know what your favorite was and why.

For multiple (up to three) chances to win, please check out Laura's "About the Shop" on Etsy and let us know what you enjoyed about her slideshow.

For a third option, please join Laura's blog and let us know about it.

You can also share this giveaway online with Facebook friends, Twitter, Pinterest, your blog or anywhere else you might be in the social network for one "bonus" entry (a 4th).

Remember..... I need a place to contact you if you win, so please leave an email or another form of contact. Please stop back next Sunday, November 11th, for the winner announcement.

Find Laura on the web:

http://laurajanebouton.blogspot.it/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LjBjewelry

http://laurajanebouton.weebly.com/

Thanks!

As Always,

Thank-you for supporting those who create handmade with handmade.

MaryAnn

Playing with pennies.....

Awhile back, I began saving pre-1982 US Pennies. Many people don't know that before 1982, US pennies are 90% copper, making them perfect for a variety of jewelry applications. They can be annealed, domed, torch enameled, punched, cut, filed, hammered just like any sheet of copper!

lucky Second Surf pennies, I've been using to sign jewelry

I started out using them as signature tags for my jewelry, but this week, I made some buttons for a bracelet class I'm teaching...

penny buttons for use in sewing and leather bracelet projects.

A variety of currency can be used and incorporated into jewelry. While you should check the specific codes for your country, in the US, it is perfectly legal to alter currency as long as the intended purpose is not fraudulent in nature (Section 331 of Title 18 of the United States code----just think of the penny squashing machines at amusement parks and little items that can be sold with hearts, crosses, and doves cut out of them).

Learning about currency is not only a fun hobby, but also educational! Local coin shops and flea markets will give you an wealth of information as well as provide interesting selections of coins you can alter or incorporate into your jewelry! 

Before altering any currency, it is important to check the year and research the specific coin's metal content. For example, pennies made after 1982, are mostly zinc with only a very thin copper plating. Zinc should not be annealed as it has a extremely low melting point and the fumes can be toxic.Other metals may also be present in currency so please research the coin and it's metal content before getting creative!



Have you ever used currency in your jewelry?

My Happy Place :)

                                                                                                                                                                         by Kelli Pope

      Last week Steve, Frisco, Chopper and I headed to our FAVORITE cabin in the Smokey Mountains for some rest, relaxation and rejuvenation. ... let me rephrase..  some MUCH NEEDED rest, relaxation and rejuvenation.           (Thanks Libby for filling in for me on Friday!!)

 

  
For us, there is just NO other place like it to truly relax. We can take it easy, soak in the beauty, hike, and reconnect. (Yes, I resisted the urge to take wire, tools, etc., to make jewelry. It was a tough call!)  The leaves were gorgeous, and the weather could not have been more beautiful! 

 Copper leaves formed, hammered and antiqued.

The trip did provide me with some inspiration for when I got back home.  

..............and some silver ones..........

We were lucky enough to have family join us midweek.  

At Clingman's Dome with Makenna and the boys.

peaceful view, huh? .... sigh.... I could just stare at that and the mountains for hours! And the sound of the running water is like a mental massage.

              Happy Fall!!!! Hope it's just as refreshing and inspiring for you.

Dia De Los Muertos aka Day of the Dead

They are coming and they are going

and you see them passing by.

They are walking over here, they are walking

over there...these are the dead.  

How happy they are!

Today starts Dia de los Muertos.  Where people in other countries are grieving their loved ones, in Mexico the festivities are just beginning.  Offerings to the dead have been prepared and alters are finished being built.  I spent last Saturday working on an alter at Southwest School of Art in San Antonio, TX.  There I met local artist, Lorena Angulo.  When first entering the room one cannot help to notice the big alter that takes center stage and the smell of incense burning. Incense represents the physical to spiritual change and maybe keep out some bad spirits.

Lorena arranging a sugar skull.

Lorena also showed me how to make flowers out of tissue paper.  She explained that the colors purple represented grief or pain, orange represented the sun, and yellow represented death.  We talked about our culture, art, and many, many things.  What a lovely lady.

I was not there for the completion but here you have it.  Gracias Lorena for the picture!

Completed Alter at Southwest School of Art by Lorena Angulo

People have always said that I lean towards the macabre.  There is a quote that was put on Facebook yesterday I think explains a little as to why I do.

"While death burns the lips of other cultures, 
Mexicans are familiar with death, 
joke about it, caress it, sleep with it, 
celebrate it; 
it is one of their favorite toys and their most steadfast love."
~Octavio Paz

I have made a lot of designs in jewelry but am always happiest when making skulls.  A friend of mine last night actually told me that she thought my best work was with the skulls and why not concentrate on that alone?  Oh...would not that be business suicide?  Hahaha!!!
Who knows but I think I need to do what I love.

Currently I am having mucho fun at making these skulls and am in the process of designing more skulls of a scary kind.  These skulls are made from recycled Louisiana license plates, found objects, and tin collected from several places, Mexico being one of them.  Although a friend of mine brought the ones from Mexico on over.

Invasion of the TinSkulls!

TinSkull says to "Have Courage".

I was overjoyed when Maria Fomich of Adorn & Conquer said she would like to carry them in her gallery on Magazine Street here in New Orleans.  Yay!

Other artists also lean toward Mexican folk art.  Here are just a few of those Rock Stars...

Lorena Angulo's medium is precious metal clay, aka PMC.  I always joke on how everything she touches turns to gold!  I am surprised that her kids are not solid gold as well!  Hahaha!!!  Anyway Lorena migrates to her culture as well as I and has a passion for Mexican folk art.  Her pieces are fabulous!  More of Lorena's work can be found here.
Can she sculpt or what?!

Lorena 2012

One does not have to be Mexican to have the passion of Mexican culture and this is most evident in Amber Leilani Middleton's work.  Amber is a local New Orleans artist and works with paper clay to sculpt these lovelies!  BEAUTIFUL!!!
More of Amber's work can be found here.

Frida and Diego by Amber Leilani Middleton

Jesse Bert is an artist that lives and works in his studio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.  His inspiration comes from his surroundings and adventures of exploring Mexico when he is not in the studio.  He likes to incorporate recycled material or anything he finds while meandering around Mexico.

Introducing Ms. Catrina.
She was created using torch fire enamel on copper and recycled silver spoons/forks and other found objects.  More information about Jesse can be found here.  Ms. Catrina is currently at display at Thomas Mann's Gallery here in NOLA.

Ms. Catrina by Jesse Bert and Raquel Jasso

November 1st is the time that my spirit misses Mexico the most.  Last year we were in Oaxaca, Mexico to celebrate Dia de los Muertos.
A place to witness one of Mexico's celebrations in full swing.
Absolutely beautiful!

I would like to share a few pictures of Oaxaca during Dia de los Muertos...

Oaxaca, Mexico

Oaxaca, Mexico

Oaxaca, Mexico

So there you have it!  I could go on and on and on about Dia de los Muertos.  There is still so much to talk about.  Skulls are not just for Day of the Dead.  They dominate my life and decor all year round.  I even carry one on my shoulders every single day!  Hahaha!!!  I know...I have jokes.  Not very good one either!  Hehehe!!!

 Here is a picture of just one of my skulls in mi casa.  His name is Alfonso.
Named after the artist who made him.

by Alfonso Castillo

Muchas, muchas, muchas gracias Mary Jane for inviting me to be a guest post.  It is truly an honor.

Have a great Thursday or All Saints Day or Day of the Dead!

BOO!!!

facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KalayaSteede?ref=hl

website:
http://kalayasteede.blogspot.com/

Namaste~

Kalaya