Fun with Solder

So I am making it a point to set time aside each day to play around in the studio and have fun! 

Since I don't like to work with a plan I am always curious to see what the outcome will be.

With this wavy copper coin focal I randomly added solder.

Distinctive result letting it go crazy with the flux!

It is quite unisex too.

Here I had a mess up glob of solder.

It was too neat to toss so I found this agate focal in my stash and here is the final look!

I am trying some different finishes and textures to come up with pieces that speak to me. This one has been cleaned off completely.

However sometimes I think a pre-cleaned piece is really cool like this one below. The solder and copper are a little burnt and the coloring from the torch is beautiful. I will be trying out a sealant in hopes of maintaining such a finish!

I was also playing with this ring shape. I am loving it as is, all rustic.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed these free form funky pieces! ~Val

Wear Hardware

Wear Hardware is a jewelry shop of cool handmade pieces using, you guessed it, hardware!

I had the treat of testing out one of the jewelry kits for these neat dangles.

The kit comes with a detailed instruction sheet and all the components needed.

I loved that there was some wiggle room for creativity, not having to create them a specific way.

After laying out how I wanted them to piece together, it was time to attached everything using pliers.

Once the unique chains were put together they were affixed to the ear wires provided.

Here is how they look on. It is not easy to show how the dangles look but you get the idea of length and width here.

If are you looking to try your hand at making some jewelry, stop by Wear Hardware to shop for kits. Or if you just want to buy some finished jewelry for yourself or as a gift, this is a great shop to browse!

Thank you for stopping by. Enjoy your week! ~Val

Vintage Jewelry

I received more jewelry that had been my grandmother's. The last batch didn't have much I would wear. It turns out grandpa had a stash of the good stuff!

I will be keeping these sweet necklaces for personal wear and enjoyment. The chains have seen better days but I can change that!

I got the idea from a fellow blogger about using a shadow box to display family pieces that aren't going to be worn. Eventually I will do this and include the initialed pieces.

I have a number of Scottish pieces already but received these clip on earrings too which will also end up in that shadow box. They are all sterling with amazing patina! That is the thistle on the right which is the Emblem of Scotland. Yes, those are bagpipes on the left.

I will be keeping this Edwardian feeling costume pearl necklace for my personal wear!

There were a couple of great costume jewelry sets that will be looking for a new home via eBay for someone to cherish.

I will also keep this sterling cuff. Most likely it is a genuine vintage Navajo bracelet. It is a bent mess but will still look great on!

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you are enjoying Spring! It finally feels amazing in Massachusetts! ~Val

Custom Orders and Some Sushi

I had a couple of more fun custom orders this past week.

This skull lanyard was made for someone attending an upcoming Monsters of Rock cruise.

These skull are creepy and perfect! I have silver ones on order for 4 additional ones I will be making!

These hand stamped tags went to a jewelry designer for creating canine jewelry.

I look forward to seeing what she creates with them. I also stamped a dog ID tag but since it has a phone number on it, I will not be showing that on social media!

I also added some sweet new sterling silver bead caps to my shop this week.

Veggie Sushi

I came across this recipe from Sweet Potato Soul for sushi made with hummus. I have never heard of hummus in sushi before so of course I had to try it!

For veggies I used zucchini, carrots, raw cabbage and arugula. So delicious! 

Jim usually handles the roll making part but I was alone for this one. These were the only photo worthy pieces. I should have taken pictures of some of the others that totally fell apart! Luckily that did not affect the marvelous flavor.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead! ~Val

Up to Lately

Chronicle
My television debut is going to be this Wednesday on New England Chronicle! For those of you within range, that is at 7:30pm on channel 5 (ABC). 

I should be able to access a link to the segment online after it airs so I will be sure to post it, embarrassed or not! 

The episode is playfully titled "Keep it Symbol" since it is about the Massachusetts state symbols. 

Mixing Materials
I've had some ideas in my crazy head and had a little time to play around.

I love inspirational items and of course gemstones. So pairing them makes me happy.

Strength Necklace

I finally got to use some of the polymer squiggles I made.

Bold Necklace

Courage in life is so important. I never wanted to be on tv so I really had to channel some courage in order to not pass up such a great opportunity.

Courage Necklace

No rhyme or reason here. Just some pretty stones!

Multi Stone Necklace

I also found this ring base in my stuff. No clue where it came from. So I added a cabochon of white howlite. I love the simplicity and now considering making these for my shop. A perfect complement to my earring studs!

A Custom Order

I was asked to make 10 hand stamped strong charms for a customer who will be making mitochondrial disease awareness key chains. 

Thank you for stopping by. Have a creative, fun week! ~Val

This Week's Blog Post

I hope everyone in Hurricane Sandy’s path made out ok. Somehow my neighborhood was spared from losing power and overall Massachusetts was really lucky. I really feel for those in NJ and NY who still do not have electricity and gas in the area has run out. It is horrible!

New Findings

I have added new gold and silver plated findings to the shop including various headpins, beads, beading hoops and crimp covers.

Less people are working with the precious metals these days due to their high cost and not being able to resell fine pieces in a poor economy. Available at Miss Val's Creations.

Pinterest

If you are wondering if Pinterest works as a marketing tool I got confirmation this week that it does! I had posted a purple awareness ribbon lanyard there that since sold.  

I received an e-mail if I would be making more so I did and now the lanyard is on its way to Illinois.
 

Nevins Manor

Nevin Manor is another gorgeous building in my town. This was built in 1906 as a nursing home and now operates as an assisted living home.

I always have to look when I drive by because it has such a presence on a hill along with those gables.

I don’t know the technical term for these tower features but I know they were used for military purposes on castles. Why does a nursing home need these? It certainly adds to the character!

 

Election Day is finally here Tuesday! It is driving me nuts so I am looking forward to it being over. I have been avoiding Facebook (with the exception of my business page) after seeing things I disagree with. I do feel politics should be kept to oneself unless you have a relationship with someone you like to have healthy (not heated) discussion with.  Either way the election goes is sure to bring on more drama so I will probably continue to avoid Facebook!

Don’t forget to change your clocks tonight! This is when the reality of shorter days really kicks in! Not fun.

Trick or Treating was postponed to tonight! This on the other hand is fun!

Have a great week. I heard something about a possible nor’easter this coming week (that is a crazy storm with lots of wind and rain or snow). These typically involve power and cable outages as well. We just had a hurricane so hopefully this forecast changes!!!! ~Val

This Week's Blog post

Made in the USA!
I am excited to announce my new inventory additions. Made in the USA beading wire from The Soft Flex Company! I have been wanting to add USA made products to my store for a while now as I think it is important to support the country’s struggling economy. In 2013 I plan on searching further for more great USA made products that I can offer at affordable prices (another thing that is important to me).

I hope to have the new spools of beading wire listed in my shop this coming week (if time permits!). The inventory includes 12 different spools of different widths, drape, lengths and strand counts!

Fort McClary     
Jim and I made this stop the same day as last post's stops. Fort McClary was used for almost 275 years to protect the approaches to the Piscataqua River in Maine. Its history dates all the way back to 1689!

This includes the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I.

I really dislike war and feel it is a waste of human lives and resources, but that is just my opinion! This is the Blockhouse in the center.

The narrow windows are of cut granite. It is cool looking out of them!

The upstairs was built from squared logs.

Today this area docks many boats.

Hollywood Again

Remember a couple of weeks ago that I mentioned Hollywood filming in the area? Well this week Larry David (Seinfeld creator and Curb Your Enthusiasm dude) was in my hometown where I lived my first 27 years and my parents still live! The filming took place at an unfinished mansion in town.

This will be an HBO film written by and starring Larry David titled Clear History to be released in 2014. It is sure to be funny since the cast also includes Kate Hudson (who I am loving on this season’s Glee!), John Hamm (Love), Michael Keaton and Eva Mendes.

The majority of the movie will be filmed at a mansion in the next town over in Andover, MA. The newspaper shows this photo inside this home with a waterslide (yes, inside)…..ridiculous! Yes I grew up in an area with 1 percenters but let me add that my family was never anywhere near that category. If you are from outside the U.S. a 1 percenter is basically a super rich person.

Thank you for stopping by and have a great week!!!  ~Val

This Week's Blog Post

Custom Order
My customer requested pink crystal jewelry and here is the result!

Custom orders typically get me out of my box and this was no exception. I am an earthy stones kind of gal but I do get giddy when working with Swarovski crystals. There is something about a woman and sparkly things!!!

Monkey Moments & Giveaway!!!
My Mother’s Day and Father’s Day shopping brought me to Monkey Moments on Etsy! Sock monkeys are put into human poses to create funny pictures.

Here is mom’s (she always prefers a bath over a shower):

Here is dad’s (with the remote watching PBS or History or Science channel):

The story behind these creations is one sister starting these photos to make her sister laugh. It was too fun for them to not pursue a business in this!

There are a variety of occasions in the card selection like this one for a teacher!

Or this card for love!

Now for a Monkey Moments giveaway! The lucky winner will receive this very fun Wizard of Oz magnet (I could not take the picture without a little glare on it)! It is a large 4” x 5.5”!!!  It is sure to bring a lot of laughs! I have one on my fridge which has me smiling each day!

To enter simply leave a comment on this post that you are a Wizard of Oz fan! If you have an Oz memory, share it.

I was always horrified by those flying monkeys, much more so than the wicked witch! The film still amazes me today how far ahead of its time the production was. My friend and I had toured the studio where this was filmed and apparently the Yellow Brick Road is still there under the current flooring. So I guess we sort of walked on the Yellow Brick Road!

The drawing will occur Sunday July 1 by Jim pulling the lucky winner out of a hat. I will announce the winner on that Saturday July 7 post!!!  Good luck!

The Beach

Jim and I took a ride up the coast to the beach (Atlantic Ocean). It was perfect.

We saw everything you expect to see on the beach like seaweed.

Driftwood.

Seagulls.

A piece of blue lobster.

Kites. See the cat one?

I just love how the water glistens from the sun! I can not believe I am showing my feet! Inheritance brought me painful bunions so my feet are a little deformed!

It feels like you can see forever looking out at the ocean!

I hope you all have a wonderful summer week ahead! ~Val