Off To the Beach

What is it about a week of vacation that requires me to pay penance in advance? This week has been so crazy, every last minute has been crammed full of rush-rush-rush, and so many things have gone wrong that I feel like the universe is out to get me. I am late on so many deadlines I can't even remember them. My to-do list is pages long. I got a box back with several lovely pieces of jewelry that just weren't quite right for the publication I submitted them to. I broke a glass. We're out of chicken food. My sweet in-laws are here and I have been rushing around so much I have hardly seen them. Even my feet hurt.

Luckily for me, tomorrow we will head to the beach for a week. I will take lots of beads and some other crafty do-dads. I may post to the blog, but don't count on it. Tonight I am going to make a cup of tea and pack up our necessary items and then forget all that stuff that made this week so bad. Tomorrow I will leave behind my list and messes and broken things. Tomorrow I will make up stories about sea gulls and dolphins and wild horses. Tomorrow I will hold my husband's hand as we watch the girls run on the shore. Ahh.

Make a Weathered Bezel with Laurel

I love this new class we have at Ornamentea. This weathered looking bezel setting is made with soft, stained glass solder and copper. It's a way to create your own bezel settings without the open flame of a torch. Some folks are scared of open flames. I should be as I burnt up my big 80s hair bangs, time and time again, in the jewelry studios back at Ohio State*. Someone would say 'hey, do you smell something burning?' and I would realize my hair was sort of glowing. I am a bit nearsighted and I kept getting too close to the torch to make sure I could really see that solder flowing. Eventually I got glasses and cut my hair. The 80's couldn't last forever.

This class doesn't use an open, flamey torch but the (safer but really hot) stained glass soldering iron. No flames, let your giant rock-n-roll hair free. I think it would be nice to make some of these with two or even four rings and link them together. This one has a nice brass charm sealed behind ICE resin, but you could use a photo or other object. Maybe a lock of hair.

* I was there in the late 80s, me and 82,000 other people. I was the one with big hair, short leather miniskirts and a yellow Sony walkman with a mixed cassette tape in it. Yep, that girl.

Ornamentea folks in Stringing - this issue!

The talented Kay and Nathalie have projects in Stringing magazine! Look for Ocean Blue, by Kay and Cubes in Squares by Nathalie and you'll be inspired.

Candie Cooper also has a project, Migration, that features loads of our charms and lockets-it's on the cover along with a smidge of Kay's necklace as well.

Candie Cooper is teaching in Raleigh!

I am so excited that Candie Cooper is going to be teaching a fun Fibers and Metals class at Ornamentea on November 22nd. This class is for the adventurous type who wants to combine metals and fibers and found objects. Candie is the author of Felted Jewelry and Designer Needle Felting and her work appears in loads of magazines and books. She's just returned from a long stretch living in China and I am looking forward to this exploratory class.

Read all about the class here and don't forget to sign up, we have limited spaces available.

A fabulous Saturday night

Wow. That was the best Crafty Slumber Party ever. I know, I say that every time, BUT they do get better and better.



The Charm Exchange was so much fun, everyone got very excited to open their bags of goodies and ohh and ahh over their treasures.


Janet made tiny Chaine Maille wreaths,
Audra made soldered flower charms,
Susan made teeny-weeny felted pies in teeny-weeny pie boxes,
Marcy knitted washer-and-bead charms,
Elaine wrapped keys with sparkly beads...
Lillian made enameled charms. Oh, the bounty.

Orla brought in charms she got from Amber Dawn's Pink Charm Swap and we got to ooh and ahh over them. Orla also oohed and ahhed over everyone else's charms.



I got to chat with so many folks and that is the best part of the Slumber Parties. Well, that and the fact that we drink wine while we are working (this ONLY happens at Slumber Parties!) I am pretty sure the noshes were part of the lure for Nathalie, but I could be wrong! Mollie passed drinks on a tray and made us all feel oh-so-fancy. She isn't in this picture, but she should be.
We had three mini-classes; Ndidi taught everyone how to solder a jump ring on a paper charm. The rotating pumice pans are the secret to her magic trick, that and large jump rings.

The fabulous Nathalie filled in at the last minute and taught us to rivet. She's an excellent teacher and plans for all contingencies, even when you just give her a few hours notice.


Jennifer taught us to make colored, anodized aluminum jump rings with a rainbow of wire.

Kay also filled in at the last minute. She was scheduled to come to the party, but I made her work. She's a doll and managed to flit around and make the party better AND I still think the had some fun.