Let's Talk About Cohesive

by Staci L. Smith

What is cohesive?

How does that apply to jewelry?

First lets talk about finding your voice.  

We all start somewhere.  As we learn new techniques and try out new materials, our styles change and grow.  Eventually, we find our voice.  It should be the goal of every new jewelry / component designer out there.  YOUR voice.  Not someone else's voice that you change a little bit.  Your's.  Your's alone.  

You may not think you have one, but you do, somewhere in there.  And, you may be surprised to find it is totally different then the people you admire.  I know I often admire styles that are just not me.  When I started making jewelry, I went through many phases and tried many things that did not stick.

(I used crystals, shiny rainbow crystals.....lol.  There is nothing wrong with that, but it was not me.  At all.)

I don't' have many pictures from the early years, but I did a lot of symmetrical (gasp) gemstones on memory wire necklaces and such.  Then I got into sea glass and I made what everyone makes with sea glass.

 This was a custom order, it was very very glittery

Over time my sea glass jewelry started to evolve and change, and become more of my own voice.  Below is what I was really wanting to do with sea glass.

It continues to evolve, but I think it still has that same feel that I did even back then.  

Now- this is what my sea glass jewelry looks like.

I remember how good it felt when I finally stopped making what I thought I should made, or what I thought would sell, and started listening to that funky rule breaker inside of me.  I never thought they would sell.  In fact, people told me, "oh, i like your necklace but I would never wear that".  Well, I am glad I didn't listen to them, cause people are wearing them!  It feels so good to create from your gut, from your heart!

Anyhow, when you are done laughing at my early work, we can move on (I know I do.)

I think many new artists are scared, they thing they don't have something special inside them, but you do.  You have something as unique as you inside, and you need to allow yourself time to play so you find it. 

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
– Anonymous

 I am really against jumping right into a business from the start, because I think until you have really found who you are, the business end of things- making things to bring in $$, keeping record, ect.....take away from that time you should be enjoying your art and learning and growing.  Trust me, once you go fully into business, play time is greatly diminished.

Finding your voice is important for many reasons.  The first being, why would you want to make what other people are making?  There is enough competition out there in the jewelry world.  What is going to get you noticed and have stay power, is being unique.  Putting your voice into your work.  Put a little bit of YOU in there, and people will see that.  Since you are unique, your creative voice will be as well.  Like a fingerprint.

Originality is a by product of sincerity.
– Marianne Moore

Second you deserve to express yourself.  Stop thinking you have to do what customers want, or what is popular or what other artists are doing.  You are cheating yourself if you do not let yourself be expressed the way you need to.

He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away.
– Raymond Hull


Every time you don’t follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness.
– Shakti Gawain

Once you begin to do this, you begin to create from inside you, your work will be cohesive without too much effort. 

cohesive: cohering or tending to cohere; well-integrated; unified:

a cohesive organization.

Now, when I go to a show and walk in a booth, or I go into an etsy shop, nothing turns me off more then when I can't get a feel for the artist in once glance.  That is right, ONE glance.  If I am online and have to look at picture after pictures, of styles that look like 10 different artists work, I am out of there.  Same with a booth at a show.  I will not take time shopping in a booth that has a little bit of everything.  I go to an art show to find that something unique.  I want to look in a booth and KNOW what that artists style is.  I want to feel like I know who they are a little bit from their work.  Are they edgy?  Tough?  Dainty?  Soft spoken?  Feminine?  Innovative?  Earthy?

I also want to invest in handmade, and that means, I want to invest in YOU.  The artist, the maker.  It is a personal thing.  Art is personal.  You put a little piece of you out there.  And people who like, are people who "get it, they get you".  

Being cohesive in your work only benefits you.  You can still grow and play and evolve.  I hope you never stop!  However, everything you do will have your stamp on it, your little something....your spark.

Always be a first rate version of yourself, instead of a second rate version of somebody else.
– Judy Garland

I would like to share some shops that I think are great examples of cohesive.  Shops where, everything they do, is totally their style, and I can spot it a mile away.

First up, Kristin Oppold of Yay Jewelry

You can visit her shop here
https://www.etsy.com/shop/YaYJewelry?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Another person, who despite growing immensely from just beads to metal work, has not lost her unique style, Nikki Z. of Love Root

You can check out her shop and see the cohesiveness in all she does, here
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LoveRoot?ref=l2-shopheader-name

The last jewelry artist I would like to feature is Genevieve Williamson of Jibby and Juna

She is a polymer artist, and I never get tired of looking at her new work.  It is so crisp and clean, yet earthy and soft.  It marries modern and naturally wonderfully.  Most of all, you can tell its one of her pieces every time she makes something new.
You can check out her work here 
https://www.etsy.com/listing/172263998/oxblood-loop-wearable-sculpture-ring?ref=shop_home_active_13

and if her etsy shop is not open, you can view her work here
http://jibbyandjunablog.blogspot.com/

I think this also applies to bead makers as well.  I also think it is very hard to do- to have a unique stamp that is yours in the bead world.  

Two bead artists that stand out to me are Joan Miller and Lisa Peters

Joan Miller Porcelain is famous for her textures and glazing technique.

You can find her work here
https://www.etsy.com/listing/226191473/set-of-six-colored-porcelain-beads-three?ref=shop_home_active_1

Lisa Peters Art has a way with artsy unique beads, and even as she makes new series and changes back and forth from raku to regular glazes, you know its her work

You can find her work here, and check out her shop
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LisaPetersArt?page=3

What I hope you take away, whether you are just starting, or you have been doing this for awhile now, is that having a cohesive look will benefit you.  You will find "your people", your customers, who get your work, who love your work, and who invest in your work.  And they will find YOU because they know at a glance, that you are their beady soul mate!

I leave you with one more quote....mine: "BE YOU, because you are worth being".  -staci (lol)  That has probably been said before....anyhow....


Have fun and happy creating!

Using Wire as Beads or Connectors

I am always looking for new ways to incorporate metals – wire, specifically – into my jewelry.  My scrap piles are huge – I have just as many failures as successes!  I thought I would share a quick tutorial for a wire connector that I have been using quite a lot lately.  By changing up the length of the wire, or the wire gauge itself, it can totally change up the look of the connector.  I have never written a tutorial before - but this connector is very simple.

For this example, I am using 20 gauge solid copper wire.  Personally, I don’t use artistic wire very often, as it has a plastic coating that cannot take a patina, such as liver of sulfur.  I patina just about everything if I can!

Cut about 30” of wire

Choose a round mandrel.  Depending upon the diameter you are after, you could use anything round – a seed bead tube, a wooden dowel, a sharpie pen, etc. I am using my ring mandrel in my example below.  Wrap the wire once around your chosen mandrel.

Continue wrapping your wire around the mandrel until you have 3 full loops

Remove the wire from the mandrel, and, using the one of the long lengths of wire, begin to wrap one length around your 3 formed loops.

Continue wrapping until you reached your starting point.

Using the second long length of wire, begin wrapping around your newly created “nest” in between the previous wraps made from the first wire.

Continue wrapping each wire in between  your existing wraps until you have approximately 2” remaining on each end of the wires.

I personally do not care for unfinished ends to my wire – whether they are filed and tucked or not.  Using your torch, ball up the two ends of the wires.  I use a butane torch, holding the wires with heat resistant tweezers over the flame. Quench in water and pickle to remove the fire scale.

Wrap the two wires around your nest.  Cut 4 additional 3 – 4” lengths of 20 gauge wire and ball the ends with your flame.  Quench in water/Pickle/Rinse.

Wrap these wires around your nest.

I like the addition of the balled-end wires, as it creates a more finished look.

Your wire connectors are now ready for patina and incorporation into your next piece.  By varying the gauge of the wire and the mandrel, it changes the look.

The wires above became connectors for these earrings.

Raku Beads by Duane Collins

I used two connectors at the end of this jasper bracelet, and fashioned a simple toggle bar to the opposing side of the bracelet – instant clasp!

For the bracelet below, I used 16 gauge jeweler’s brass wire and added a toggle.

The necklace below features the connector used as a bail, made with 18 gauge sterling silver wire. I used less wire for the final wrapping, around a much larger mandrel.

Lampwork Cab by Susan Kennedy

The bail for the necklace below was created from 16 gauge square copper wire, also on a larger mandrel. 

The links above the bail are made from 18 gauge round copper wire – and the diameter of the connecting links is slightly smaller than the bail.

The possibilities are endless by changing up the sizes of wire and the mandrels, 

Do you find yourself craving new ways with wire, too?  

mjd - 2015 - offering bowl on necklace 

thawing is happening here,

revealing 

tender things.

trusting green shoots

and 

hopeful hearts

that will soon belie

their fragile appearance

with a blossoming

worthy only

of the strong. 

------------------------------

one of the things i love most about living in a place with four true seasons is how subconsciously and deeply i am affected by the outside world. each season is welcomed joyfully with its promise of what makes it wonderful and unique. but even my love of tranquility and snow began to give way at the sight of small shoots and woodland creatures seeing if it was time to emerge

9 march - resident chipmunk scouting above ground

if you like to use fibers in your work, be sure they are strong and up to the challenge of where you put them. cotton is not always your best bet.

reinforce your knots - you don't want all that work falling apart!

and if you are interested in stringing gemstones with fine holes, look into a pearl stringing thread like griffin that has a built in needle and comes in many thicknesses. 

New Work and Keeping It Simple...

by Barbara Bechtel


I've had sort of a hard time getting back to jewelry making after 2014's holiday shows. Then for me, procrastination sets in, along with loss of momentum, and it becomes even HARDER to start again. When I work, I tend to get hyper-focused on details, often to the detriment of the big picture. I'll fuss and fuss over little things without looking at the big picture, either in the piece or the whole big picture of jewelry.

In some ways, I enjoy this process. In example, it's led me into the foray of just making components, but I found then I make tons of finished components and NO JEWELRY!

In the last month, I set out to get my jewelry mojo back. For me, this often takes several days sort of sorting things around, playing with elements, and making (and destroying) work....you know, noodling over a piece like I mentioned above only to spend hours on it and find I HATE IT when I'm finished.

This time around, I started out in the same old way, and became disgusted with myself. So my mental dialogue went something like this:

"You're thinking too hard."

"Think outside the box."

"Work SMARTER, not HARDER."

.......wait, that's the problem.......

"You're thinking OUTSIDE the box. You just need to make some jewelry. It's not that hard.....Keep it simple!"

Ahhhhhh, SIMPLE! That was just the kick in the pants I needed to get myself back into gear. The outside-the-box-thing can come later....I just needed to jump the first hurdle.

I started out with going through my stash of vintage findings. I love to peruse estate sales, craigslist, eBay, and flea markets for old components and vintage stampings.

I started out making some bracelet focals from some vintage brass post earrings.

Next, I had these awesome thunderbird stampings that had a bezel tray. They needed cleaning and patina as well as some holes.

Then I filled the bezels with polymer clay and stamped some words. (y'all know I'm a word girl!)

Here you can see the first two finished ones. I wanted to leave a few to fill after I finished a couple to see how the design would work out and maybe get inspired by some different color choices later.

Here's a shot of some of the focals I finished.

And here's a shot of some of the simple finished bracelets. These are just basic simple bracelets. I wanted to have a mixed metal look to the more squarish ones on the top and bottom and so I took bits of leftover matching (but different colored chain) and alternated the links.

You can see that the approach in designing each of the elements is quite simple and used lots of repeating elements, but by changing my mindset and going with simple designs, I was able to cross that first hurdle!

Tutorials and Boot Camps at your Finger tips

by Staci Louise Smith

We are having a snow day here in Eastern PA today.  I think we are all ready for Spring by now, though this is a "nice" snow.  Fluffy, packs good, there is enough to make it fun and pretty and not just a messy clean up.  It is not covered with an inch of ice.....ect.  So, hopefully it is the last, but its at least a nice pretty and peaceful snowfall.

Anyhow.............................due to tax prep, tax appointment and kids being around, I am just getting to my post.

ring by karen mcgovern

There have been some nice changes to the blog that I want to share with you!

Last year we had a fun time doing Boot Camps, which were composed of many tutorials and posts on one topic of jewelry making.  They were wonderful and packed with information as well.  

earrings by barb bechtel

We have also posted random tutorials as a group through the years.

  Well, MaryAnn has organized them, and if you click on the tabs above, you can either go to tutorials and see what we have to offer- which is everything from basic wire wrapping to soldering bezels!

bezel by staci smith

Or, you can browse through the Boot Camps.  There was A LOT of information in each one, all written by different authors.  That way you not only got different tutorials and tips, but you get them from many different perspectives.

earrings by maryann carroll

Right now we are deciding on some new things for the upcoming year!  So stay tuned from more tutorials, tips and hopefully videos too from us!

Happy Creating!  

We are All Made to Create

Carol Dekle-Foss

To my fellow creative souls,

Do you ever beat yourself up and think that you are not talented enough? 

Or that you don't have what it takes to make beautiful art?

Do you compare your work to that of others and feel yours doesn't measure up?

I'm guilty of this from time to time. If I'm feeling down and depressed, I think why am I creating? Who do I think I am? There is so much talent out there, let others be the creators. 

But then, I step into my studio and just create. I quit judging myself and just have fun.

So what I want to say is this, lets forget about what others are doing and be patient with ourselves. Everyone has to start at the beginning. Sometimes it takes years to hone a craft, and when we are learning, we should only compare our work to OUR OWN. When we practice and experiment we develop a stronger sense of our creative self, and our craft becomes a part of who we are.

Last month, my creative journey took me down a new path. Ceramics! I blame MaryAnn for my love of ceramic beads, I just can't resist her little wood-fired gems!

It took me awhile to figure out the basics, and I am especially grateful for all the talented ladies over at the Beads of Clay Blog. Our very own Marsha did a post here where she shows how she loads her kiln with bead trees. I was quite impressed with how she made all those beads fit so nice and organized. Thank you Marsha for sharing!

Here is my very first kiln opening!

There was squealing involved. I was shocked that none of the beads fell off or that there wasn't drips of glaze everywhere.

My loot. All these pieces were just experiments, and I have a lot to learn about clay and glazes. But that's ok, this is the fun part, the learning and honing of a craft. I have to be patient with this process, and take my time.

 My favorite piece.This little guy has been SANDBLASTED. Who would have thought you could sandblast bisque? Not me. But I experimented and this little odd thing evolved. It's sure ugly, but nonetheless, my favorite piece. I plan to expand on this and maybe even sandblast after glazing. My head is spinning with creative ideas!

We are each on our own creative journey. We should focus on crushing our own limitations, so we can develop into the creative person we were meant to be. 

Thank you for reading!