Cupcakes and Jewelry . . .

Filed under: Philosophy | Back to: Homepage

. . . shouldn’t mix! What follows is another brief tale of my nursing home adventures. If you have been reading this blog very long, you probably know that every few months I do a little jewelry show for residents and workers at the nursing home where my mother has been for 7 1/2 years. It’s always an adventurous day and last week was no exception.

My show corresponded with a fundraiser being held in the same room. For a mere $5, folks could partake of salad and their choice of 10 different delicious soups. It was really hard to decide what to eat and the aroma that filled the room made us all feel hungry. The fact is that we had all the senses covered in that room. The smell of good food was compounded by the eye candy provided by my jewelry, the murmured accolades of the customers and the tactile pleasure of handling the jewelry. The latter is what caused the trouble.

In addition to the food previously mentioned, cupcakes were available (wonderful, gooey cupcakes covered with mounds of sticky icing and various sprinkles). There were chocolate cupcakes with luscious chocolate icing, carrot cupcakes piled high with cream cheese icing and many other choices.

Since I have a family of musicians, I know that after a good meal comes the entertainment. I think that on this day the jewelry and I were supposed to be the entertainment. Things were going well at this little show until I got a good look at the hands of several residents who were carefully fingering the jewelry. The hands held the fingers that had just finished the cupcakes that had covered the fingers with sticky icing (lots of sticky icing!) The closest jewelry to the front of my display table and wheel chair viewing were the small items such as the rings and bracelets. Of course each ring had to be tried on by each looker and the bracelets were carefully fingered while they were examined. Several deep breaths after discovering this phenomenon I decided to just ignore the sticky problem. Those residents were having a wonderful time and I knew that I could clean things later. I had to breath deeply again when people realized they could go back for a second cupcake and then return to the jewelry. Again, I just let it go.

Last night, I got all the remaining jewelry out and cleaned the pieces that were sticky in hopes that the ants wouldn’t find them in my storage trays. You know, this didn’t hurt me a bit, but asking the residents not to touch my pieces would have hurt them. I’m not one to just “let it go”, but it seemed appropriate in this situation.

I guess you just never know when you’re going to learn things from your elders. The lessons I learn from these nursing home visits usually stem from the fact that I really need to think about what’s important before getting my dander up about those that are insignificant.

Speaking of dander . . . thanks to those of you who wrote to me about my cat scratch fever. My hand is much better following antibiotics. Soon I’ll be able to solder again with both hands.

Philosophy 2 comments

The One-Handed Beader

Filed under: Dogs, Necklaces, Pendants, Philosophy | Back to: Homepage

This weekend I encountered a new need for problem-solving. This time it had little to do with the design work and more to do with “hand” work. But, let me start at the beginning.

We have outside pets, but rotate them, one at a time, into the house for their own special treatment. My Mother’s cat comes into the studio so that she can eat and then goes back out. The ranch is so inundated with ants that she can only get about two bites of her food on the porch before it is covered in the little varmints. After dark, when the ants are gone, the raccoons come up and take her food. They are brave little critters because even when I stand with the cat outside while she eats, the raccoons still come. I’m dismayed that they aren’t frightened by my mean look and scary voice. I’ve failed as a raccoon scarecrow! That’s why the cat comes in for food in the morning or mid afternoon.

Our dog Bruno comes in after supper each evening for his bit of TLC. This gives the two female heelers a respite from him. I think they need it. For example, tonight as the oldest one walked past Bruno he just reached his paw out and whacked her. He and I had a talk about this, but I fear I have about as much influence on him as I do the raccoons.

Saturday night while Bruno was inside, he followed me into my studio. That’s when the trouble began. I forgot that I had not put the cat back outside. You can probably imagine the surprise of all three of us when we realized the cat and dog were within a foot of each other. Before I knew it, Bruno had the cat in his mouth and she was whacking him on the head with her claws. When I extracted the cat from the dog’s mouth, she, of course, ate my hand and scratched my arms as I yelled for help. My spouse dragged the dog away as I tried to catch the cat again. Did you know a cat can actually scale the wall of a house? I finally caught the cat and put her outside. As my husband held the dog, he kept making biting sounds as he cracked his teeth together. He really wanted to eat that cat!

Luckily, neither the dog or the cat sustained any injuries. The cat had wet fur, but no abrasions and the dog was left with one cat claw stuck in his forehead right between his eyes. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so lucky. I was pretty badly scratched up and had one deep wound on my left hand. I tried to ignore it, but by Sunday it was extremely swollen and today, Monday, my nurse friends sent me to the doctor. We’re anticipating that the antibiotics will help. Currently the swelling is half way to my elbow.

So, that’s how I became a one-handed beader. It’s been very perplexing to try and figure out what I can do with one hand. Yet, undaunted by my plight, I got started stringing and found that I can do that with one good hand. The picture below shows what I accomplished last night. It’s pretty slow, but better than being completely idle.

The two necklaces on the left feature glass pendants made by my friend at Light Work Glass (lightworkglass.etsy.com) You can see the pretty colors in the close up below.

I was fortunate to have these on hand since there is no way I can wrap a cab for a while and one-handed hammering of a metal pendant didn’t work either.

I guess, like Aesop, I can say there is a lesson to this sad tale. First, keep the dog away from the cat and second, even a one-handed beader can get things done. I hope no one else has to learn this the rough way.

Dogs, Necklaces, Pendants, Philosophy 3 comments

Cross

Filed under: Metal Work, Necklaces, Pendants, soldering, Techniques, Torch Work, Wire Work | Back to: Homepage

It’s that time of the year when many people begin to gear up for the holidays. For designers, that often means art/craft show after show after show. We speculate by buying materials and creating our products and then hope that we’ve designed things that people will want. It often seems like design roulette. The time and monetary investment in the products can weigh us down, but could it also make us cross?

I hope the season is remaining pleasant for you as it is for me. This year, instead of being cross, I chose to make a cross. One cross led to another and I am beginning to think I should just start a cross store. See what you think. Below are just a very few of those I’ve made.

The plain wire crosses are the easiest to make being composed of two pieces of 14 gauge wire soldered and then wire wrapped in the middle. These are then patinated and textured to provide the look of wood.

The flower-like wire crosses are a little more challenging. I eyeball the shape and occasionally create one that’s not as symmetrical as I would like. Yes, I know that I could use a jig and make them perfect, but that wouldn’t be me. Although you can’t see it very well in this photo the fold formed leaf at the top shares a jump ring with one of this style crosses.

The embellished cross required some problem solving before hatching. I saw a pendant in a magazine that was made by attaching beads to a filigree with wire. I tried this and liked the look except for the back shown below.

This was one big mess! As I pondered how to cover the mess, I, of course, thought about making it into a cross. First I soldered a wire cross onto a sheet metal disc.

Rather than overlapping the wires for the cross, I cut the side pieces and placed them beside the vertical wire. This made the cross a bit flatter. Finally, I wired the decorative filigree to the wire of the cross and finished the piece.

I made a smaller cross, not pictured, by whittling down the filigree piece. This removed the lovely outer curves and I didn’t like it as well.

Finally, I created a scroll type cross using double wires rather than single.

Customers at my last show seemed to enjoy selecting a cross and then choosing either chain or leather to go with it. They also had a choice of selecting a sterling silver cross. I’ve made these in various sizes.

Now it seems that every time I contemplate a new design, I can see the product made as a cross. Yet, I guess this is better than being CROSS! (I think I just heard a loud “Amen” from the other room.)

Metal Work, Necklaces, Pendants, soldering, Techniques, Torch Work, Wire Work comment

Fling Those Beads!

Filed under: Diversions, Dogs, family | Back to: Homepage

I’ve seldom been known to fling my beads, but every once in a while you just have to.

About bedtime last evening I sat peacefully in the den with my bead tray on my lap. It was full of various beads and wires as I worked on a new ring design. I always enjoy this peaceful time of the day when things are at a basic standstill here at the ranch. My spouse was putting his dog, Bruno, back into the outside pen after his evening visit. (every dog needs its special time!) I heard the pen gate open and then the yelling commenced. “Karen, I need you now. I need you Right now – hurry!” I could tell by the tone of voice that there was an emergency.

I flung the bead tray to the floor and raced, barefooted out the back door. “Get the dogs!” I didn’t even stop to ask “why”, but immediately called the dogs. Luckily, all three came racing into the house where I trapped them and then went back outside. There stood my husband beside a large rattle snake that was coiled, ready to strike and in full rattle. The noise was frightening.

I ran to the garage to get the hoe, but the light was burned out and I couldn’t see anything. I grabbed the first tool I could feel off the wall of garden weapons. When I got to my husband, he was sure the short-handled hoe I had procured was not going to work. Back I went – three times – three different tools that wouldn’t work and the entire time the rattler was making plenty of noise.

Finally, I managed to secure the long-handled hoe and give it to my husband in the dog pen. Then I got my first clear thought since flinging my beads. Chopping that big snake even the long-handled hoe was not a good idea.

I ran back inside and got the gun, praying that it was full of bullets – praying my spouse wouldn’t miss. One shot and it was over – two more shots and we were sure. Snake dead – people relieved – dogs confused.

As snakes go, this was a big rattler. We measured it at four feet in length and about three inches in diameter.

Need I tell you that we didn’t sleep much that night? I’m still “rattled” by the thought of that snake in with my dogs and know that we were all very fortunate. I didn’t know a snake would rattle for such a long time before striking, but I’m certainly glad this one did. It was definitely trying to get us to go away.

So, I definitely recommend flinging beads when needed.  Beads can be replaced, but husbands and pets cannot. Now, if I could just find my glasses that were also on that beading tray pre-fling, I’d be back in business. So, go ahead. Fling those beads and keep your eyes and ears open at Dreamcatcher Ranch.

Diversions, Dogs, family 2 comments

Spangled Bangles

Filed under: Bracelets, Philosophy, Torch Work, Wire Work | Back to: Homepage

Do you spangle?

I’ve been enjoying making bangle bracelets the last couple of weeks. They are certainly the easiest bracelet that I’ve made in quite some time and with slight variations in diameter they fit most folks.

Those in the above photo are formed with a basic 12 gauge copper wire armature that I soldered together and then hammered into shape. With a liver of sulphur bath and only a couple of hours of tumbling, they are ready to be spangled.

I thought I knew about “spangles”, but did look up the term just to be sure. A spangle is a small shiny/sparkling spot or object. It might be a sequin, a piece of metal or a bead, etc. If you spangle something, the dictionary suggests that you are sprinkling it with spangles. Hmm . . . it didn’t take any deep thinking to figure out that one, did it?

I wrap the base of my bangles with different sizes of copper or artistic wire and decorate them with small beads or charms.  Most of these are adorned with gemstones, but the red one shown below features glass beads. The turquoise spangled bangles seem to be the most appreciated.

I tried putting just a few charms on one of the bangle and like the look. I haven’t yet given it a trial wear and don’t know if it will be comfortable. I made small loops in the wrapping wire and attached the charms as I wrapped.

It remains to be seen whether these spangled bangles will be popular with customers and friends. I do, however, know that people like spangles of one kind and another. Whether these are on jewelry, garments or in the form of smiles on friendly faces, we can all use a spangle now and then. How will you create yours?

Bracelets, Philosophy, Torch Work, Wire Work 5 comments