deep in the black forest

Along with collecting things like tickets and receipts for souvenir projects while I'm traveling, I also like to find interesting rocks for memento jewelry. 

I've written about memento rock jewelry a few times now and have had opportunities to work with local customers at my seasonal market booth with their own rocks and other mementos, and I think it's definitely one of my favorite types of jewelry to make.

Before I show my latest memento rock pieces, I wanted to show the location shots of my other favorite personal pieces, because along with the rocks themselves, I have to get a few shots of where I gathered my findings...

February 2015 - near Bon Fir Cabin on the Zig Zag River, outside Portland, Oregon:

April 2015 - Snodgrass Hill at the Chickamauga Battlefield, Georgia:

April 2015 - at Robco Lake, near Memphis, Tennessee:

And the latest set of rocks for the current pieces...

December 2015 - Black Forest in Germany, near the French border:

Along the lines of the last post, I've been motivated to find new ways to make cabochon jewelry, specifically with stones. After the go with the wire wrapping, my fingers were appreciative of learning new techniques with some softer material. This how-to macrame video was the perfect thing:

Slightly tricky at first but fairly easy by the third try. This is another technique which could easily be elaborated for different, intricate pieces and simple macrame has been on the list for a while for incorporation into future work. 

The centerpiece of the current necklace is an old wooden handle I found randomly laying on a table at a local antique store. 

I wanted the set to have continuity with the natural material elements of wood and stone. To imagine you could have found the pieces in any wooded area and put it together. Colors and themes found in nature, etc. 

It's special pieces like these that I treasure the most for myself, and enjoy making the most for others when they have pieces they would love to see turned into memento jewelry. 

herringbone wire-wrap; see also: how to wreck your hands

It's been a productive few days, which I am thankful for because I was briefly afraid that this would be my view for a while...

But it's really just about not overthinking it. Sit down, put some material in front of you, and instinct tends to take over.

                     

This morning I was browsing jewelry inspiration pictures and came across a bracelet that I was instantly captivated with...

I *had* to find out how to wrap beads this way and decided to get to work learning all about this technique. Apparently, I also woke up feeling masochistic this morning because if you are not already frequently working with wire and decide that you must master any technique that involves wire (especially in one day), then your hands are going to learn what calluses are all about, as mine have today.

After watching a few how-to videos, I decided that this was my favorite one because I could totally relate with the comments this lady made. She described herself as not being a wire-person and also claimed to "half-ass" it a lot (her words). She also said "shitty" a few times and I am always a fan of colorful language in how-to videos. Videos that give it to you straight without ridiculous background music or condescending directions are the best. 

I figured that it made sense to attempt to teach myself this using a variety of bead shapes and wire types. Quickly, you realize that it is all about the wire selection for what will make the wrapping process either heaven or hell; bead shape and size is secondary. 

 

I made 6 attempts today, pictures and notations below...

1.     

Immediately, one of my loops broke off. This was just due to the quality of wire and too much wiggling it around. But other than that, this first try was actually easier than some of the others and I like the idea of just one loop for some pieces.

2.

This second one pissed me off because one side was longer than the other, the bead shape was weird, and I ran out of wire before finishing the wraps.

3.

This third one was my favorite to complete. The wire was sooo easy to work with after the other two and it really flowed well around the bead. What's funny to me is that this wire is probably the cheapest I had in my mixed bag of wire. I believe I found it in a discount box at Walmart for $1.

4.

Not much to say about this one. The colors annoy me but I was just experimenting.

5.

The fifth try was the worst. An absolute pain in the ass which I stopped early on and threw down with a "fuck this." I had wanted to use a variety of bead shapes, as I mentioned, but this choice was ridiculous and the wire was awful. Very hard to work with and didn't want to bend at all. But what this one illustrates well is how, for me personally, the wrapping on the second side is always so much easier to do and turns out so much better than the wrapping on the first side. The difference is the wrapping is so noticeable and it looks like two different people were working on it. I've decided that it's because the length of wire worked with on the first side is so much longer than on the second and that this just has a natural inclination to fuck up the wrapping if you're not careful. 

6.

By this time, my hands were killing me but the last bead and wire choice made this one really easy to make. The grooves in the bead helped quite a lot.

Torturous, but pretty.

So after that shit show, I had two stones left to wrap, but these would required practicing another technique I have needed to become more familiar with. These stones are not drilled as standard beads, so they needed to be wrapped a different way. In the past, I have usually done this with either some type of thread or with leather, but love the way a decent wire wrap looks around a stone. This time around, especially after the herringbone, wrapping the dendrite agate and carnelian was pretty painless and I like how they turned out.

So final thoughts are that it is all about the wire and that in the future, I want to make the herringbone ends shorter in length. I think a number of great pieces will come from this technique. 

Also: callouses. 

2016 UNFASTENED

Almost exactly one year since the last entry but really more like 16 months since any regularity. Safe to say that both the blog and the store were set aside for a period of time due to the juggling act of running a booth every weekend in the summer as well as for multiple holiday shows, while also raising a four-year-old and attempting to be creative while also promoting said creative work. And wouldn't you know it, Etsy sale pages and shop blog posts don't write themselves. 

But it's funny to me how I turned back to the blog at the exact same time this year as I did last year. Everything seems more apparently cyclical as the years go, and it feels more apparent because they are going by so much faster that the patterns are hard to miss. I make no activity resolutions but have high hopes and excitement and expectations for this year. 

This time two years ago, I had also just returned from a few weeks stay in Europe, as I have now returned from again this year, about nine days ago. One of my first projects I blogged about, Voyage - #3: the memorabilia, was a collage composed of tickets and receipts and pamphlets from that trip two years ago. That collage inspired me to save many similar items last month, but I may have saved too much for another collage and it was suggested to me that I could perhaps compose a book or album for the recent trip memorabilia. I think that it's a great idea and a chance to dip my feet into.... shhhhh... scrapbooking. 

I currently have so many ideas for new jewelry pieces that I am almost stuck not knowing where to start. So much inspiration was soaked up over the last month that I know it just takes clearing the work area, sitting down, eyeballing the materials of the day, and once again... just letting the ideas flow from brain to hands. Motivational analysis left at the door and ritual, organic movements embraced. 

When your almost-five-year-old son asks you why you haven't been making jewelry lately, it's time to pull your head out of your ass and get back to it.

Hope you are getting at yours as well. Cheers. 

SATURDAY MARKET

Defunct Decoup is going to be busy all summer long!

I now have a confirmed table at the Anchorage Saturday Market every Saturday and Sunday from May - September. Very excited for the opportunity to expand and looking forward to meeting many new people!

See you this summer!

REFLECTION

The last few months of 2014 were busy ones for myself and Defunct Decoup.

Many new pieces were completed for the holiday craft shows, my stock at Homecrafters Emporium, my shop with Etsy, and as gifts for friends and family.

Some of my most favorite pieces have been sold and parting with them was harder than expected. You always hope your creations are going to good homes.

Recently, I also applied for a position with Susan Lenart Kazmer's ICE Resin 2015 design team. Unfortunately, it apparently wasn't my time for that position, but the experience had made me realize the importance of submitting pieces for photographing and publishing within the jewelry and mixed media trade publications, as well as potentially branching out with some video tutorials. These are ideas I plan to pursue more this year.

This month brings two big changes.

Homecrafters Emporium will be closing their doors and this requires the removal of the remainder of my stock from their shelves. I hope to have a similar co-op retail setup soon within Anchorage or Eagle River that could allow local shoppers to physically purchase jewelry and art pieces from Defunct Decoup and will have information on that soon.

I am also in the process of relocating myself and in essence, my studio, out of the trailerhood and into a new home before a larger relocation to Seattle, Washington next winter.

It's an exciting time of transition but with all the hectic activity transitions can bring. I miss this blog and have not forgotten about it. I will update as I can but please join me on the Defunct Decoup Facebook page for more frequent updates.

Here's to a happy and productive 2015!