mixed metal

Well, since I couldn't exactly type my woes away this week (with the mac on it's death bed) I made some jewelry. This necklace is made of headpins and some pink tourmaline I had been hoarding. It is very delicate looking but as I gently hardened the headpins after I bent them it's pretty sturdy. The magnetic clasp was a desperation moment. I had no gold clasps at home...geeze, you'd think I could manage to get my hands on one somewhere!

That is a problem I have had a lot since I set up a studio at home this past winter. I never have everything I want. I used to work at the store, and that meant a sort of unlimited supply of whatever I needed. With a second baby on the way I realized that if I couldn't do it at home it wasn't ever going to get done, so we rearranged and set up a studio at the house. It is nice, I can work for a few minutes at a time whenever I have the time but it set off a shopping frenzy on my part. I didn't have my own anything-I had used all the store stuff and just pulled from stock when I needed it (don't worry, I accounted for it in inventory!) I had to 'buy' a ring mandrel, flush cutters, a crimper, rulers, artbins to hold beads, a bazillion spools and coils of wire, a bench block and hammer and all kinds of other do-dads. The only tools I had of my own were some Lindstom pliers (so nice!), an assortment of round pliers and a pair of those Soft-Flex cutters that I scammed out of Mike from Soft-Flex by saying that there was no way they could be worth $70 (um, they are, thanks Mike!)

So I bought all that stuff (and made for a good day at the store!) but I still don't remember to get all I need for each project. I usually have to put the clasp on in the morning, first thing when I get to work. Or I do a lot of mixed metal projects. You know, 'hmm, I would make this all in sterling but I only have copper jumprings and a copper clasp...' Mixed metal it is!