Vintage Blue Studio

Where has the time gone and where has my shop gone?

Just a quick update...I'm still here but things have been super busy since the holidays and I have neglected my blog. 

I have also recently decided to close my Etsy shop.  I simply do not have time needed to properly run a store and make it successful.  Instead, I'm going to dedicate myself to my metalsmithing lessons and general craftiness. 

Going forward, this blog will be to showcase the things I've created, sharing various craft techniques and showing off other fun things like my yard sailing and antiquing finds. 

I hope you'll come along with me as I change it up a bit around here.  Change is good.

Fashionably Fall

What a fun weekend this was!  I really love Halloween, especially when it's on a Friday!  It was a good thing I had today to recover though!  I spent some time this afternoon photographing new work for the store.  I've removed all the collage items from my Etsy shop and will be adding new work throughout November and December that involves fusing, metalsmithing, beading and wirework.  Here's just a sneak peek at some of the items coming.

 

I originally made a pair similar to these and loved them so much I created this pair for the shop.  This piece is hammered sterling silver, stick pearls, sea glass, kyanite and seawall beads on fused silver headpins.  I hand-crafted the earwires from sterling silver.  I always recieve compliments on mine when I wear them out or to the office.

 

I think I'll call these my "Sweetheart Earrings".  They would be perfect for Valentines day or any other special day don't you think?  The hoops are fused fine silver which I textured and oxidized.  The hearts are from Hip Chick Beads and have tourmaline above them. The earwires are hand-crafted from sterling silver and then oxidzed with liver of sulpher.  I put a tiny garnet below each one.  I'd love to keep these but then I'd never have anything to sell!

     

Can you tell I like making hoops?

These are also fused fine silver hoops.  Suspended below are green garnet, freshwater pearls, tourmaline, rhondonite and swarovski crystals.  This pair reminds me of a lovely garden.  I'm thinking about calling these "English Garden". 

Ok enough sneek peaks.  Here's a little show and tell from my metalsmithing lessons over the past year.  This is my first bezel piece.  It's rhondonite set with sterling bezel wire on a copper disk.  I hammered and textured the disk and then oxidized it with liver of sulpher.  I soldered a bail on the back so it can be worn as a pendant.

I have been accumulating a large collection of stones and vintage glass cabochons over the last couple years and it's exciting to know I will finally be able to use them!  Since I also just completed my first fabricated sterling ring (photos will come soon-it was in a showcase this weekend) my next project is another bezel-set piece.  I'm thinking of using two small Kingman turquoise cabochons I have for some earrings.  I have yet to come up with a design though.  I really want to challenge myself and I think that designing is actually the most difficult part.  I'm going to try to find inspiration for them in nature. Perhaps I'll go through all the photos I took from when I was in the southwest this summer... 

Where did the time go?

     

I'll tell you where it went; Beadfest Philly, a trip to Disney World, several trips to the antique store, Rings N Things trunk show.  I've been a busy bee and in the process I've neglected my poor blog.  But can you blame me?  Look at all the wonderful goodies I picked up yesterday at Rings N Things!

 

While most of the women  were piling mounds of large chunky earth-tone beads onto their trays I was carefully picking out small faceted pieces.  My original intention was to purchase nugget-shaped beads but they were few and far between so I fell back to my trusty faceted gem pieces.  I can always count on small shiny things to make me happy.  I even threw in some funky pearls for fun.

If you make jewelry then you probably know that the price of silver dropped briefly the other day.  I made certain to take advantage of this and bought ALOT of sterling and fine silver wire.  However, since the economy is not at it's finest I've been playing with copper because it's certainly less painful on my wallet if I make a mistake or just want to try new techniques.  Besides, copper has such a wonderful color and you can oxidize or enamel it!

 

These little findings are a result of my current dabbling with chasing tools, the dapping block, liver of sulfur and enamel.  While I can never get enough beads I have an even greater addiction to tools.  There is always another tool to purchase.  Thank goodness I can go to Sue's studio for all the tools that I can't fit in an apartment.  I cannot wait to buy a townhouse next year because that means more room for more tools! 

With all these new gems there will be plenty of new pieces in the shop soon.  I have several new pieces completed and I'm in the process of designing more.  I want to make certain I can do a full shop overhaul before I post the new pieces.  I'll be moving away from collage pendants and adding more metalwork, wire, enamel and even some re-purposed pieces using vintage and antique goodies.  My biggest challenge is take better photos which is why I'm off to go to the bookstore now.  I need to read up on improving my photography.

Catching up

Since I've neglected my blog once again I thought I would just show off a bunch of things until I have a change to photograph the new things I've been woking on.  So here we go...

Two and a half weeks ago Colin and I were shopping at Ashley Furniture when we ran across pet adoption day.  We looked at all the cats and kittens and then went back to shopping.  When we couldn't find a bed frame we went back to the cats.  Colin spotted a black kitten but she had longer hair which is no good for my allergies.  Then the little grey kitten sharing the cage rolled over and accepted a belly rub...I'm a sucker.  We signed the adoption papers and after some heavy duty apartment cleaning, we brought our little Dexter home.  Isn't he just evil..I mean cute?  I've already begun work on a Dexter-themed charm necklace.

Speaking of jewelry, I finally completed a brooch I'd been working on for a long time.  It's hard to focus when you want to try everything.  At the end of June I finished up work on my copper and brass brooch which was my first full project in my metalsmithing classes.  I'm really happy with how it came out especially because the house and walkway were such tiny difficult pieces due to their size.  My next project is a ring.  I'm still trying to think of concepts for it and have been using photos from my honeymoon as inspiration.  Perhaps these will strike inspiration for you...

On the way to the Emerald Pool at Zion National Park.

3.5 miles into the Virgin River at Zion.  We finally turned around here because it was getting late and I was hungry.  Next time we'll go further.

Flowers in my parents front yard in St. George, Utah.

Wedding Bells!

 

I have returned from my wedding and honeymoon in Vegas!  We had a wonderful time and the Paris hotel and Mon Ami Restaurant did wonderful jobs.  I'm so happy we decided to go with a fun Vegas wedding that included 30 of our closest friends and family. 

 

Colin and I exchanged our vows at 3:00 on July 5th.  We gave each other wonderful hand-crafted bands created by ShadeJewelry and Finestra.  That's how much we love hand-made things!!!

After a few days in Vegas we headed out to Utah.  We shopped, hiked, shopped some more, played golf (well he did), more hiking...  While in Springdale (outside of Zion National Park) I made certain to support many of the local artists (you can still smell my credit card burning).  Springdale is also home to several rock and mineral shops many of whom cut their own stones.  I spread my good cheer to them as well and came home with many wonderful cabochons including some local Utah stone.  Pictures to come! 

I took sooooooo many photos and hope that the landscape shots of Zion and Snow Canyon lead to some southwest inspiration in my future jewelry and collage work.  Utah had so many wonderful things to offer including; beautiful parks, friendly people, and a slow-down from my normal NY state of mind (much appreciated).

Unfortunately, now that I'm home I cant slow down as there is much needed unpacking and cleaning to do.  Also, I should go put out the fire in my wallet!

Riker Art Park: A Mini Tour

Last weekend I went to the open house at Riker Art Park.  This is where I spend most of my Thursday nights taking metalsmithing lessons. There are many artists at Riker and they all open their studios twice a year to give everyone a peek at their art form.  Although we were in the midst of a heatwave last weekend the place was booming.  The jazz musicians played and I bought a lot of gifts for my wedding party.  So here is a peek at the Riker Art Park Open House:

This is Sue Sachs.  She is my very talented instructor who is oh-so-patient with me on Thursday nights.  She creates wonderful jewelry and sculptural pieces with an organic feel to them.  If you happen to live in North Jersey and are interested in taking lessons contact me, because Sue is a wonderful teacher.

This is the soldering station inside Sue's student studio.  There is room for 5 students so you really get her full attention when you are there.  The first time I used the torch I was sooooo scared.  Now I can't wait to sit down and enamel or solder when I'm up there.

 

There is some wonderful pottery to be found at Riker Art Park but my favorite are the pieces made by Carla. Carla makes these amazing leaf dishes and mini vases. If you are looking for pottery lessons, this is the place to go.  I purchased several pieces from Carla as gifts for my wedding party.

Also up at Riker Art Park...

is a weaver.  How wonderful are those colors?  She shares a space with a mixed-media artist.  Unfortunately those photos came out blurry! 

Stone sculptors at work...

A recently completed piece.  How amazing is that?

Also up at Riker Art Park is a glass blower, painters, photographers and more!  There is another open house in the fall and I highly recommend coming and spending a few hours up there.  It's really a wonderful place!

Speaking of Riker, I'll be up there tomorrow working on some enameled pieces for the shop. As soon as I get some decent photography weather (cloudy day) I'll be posting.  Also, stay tuned for a tutorial on metal bangles + alcohol inks! 

Happy Summer! 

Riker Hill Art Park Open House

Happy Saturday!  This weekend is the open house at Riker Hill Art Park.  For anyone in the North Jersey area you should stop by!  All the artist's studio's will be open today (pottery, painting, metalsmithing, glass blowing, sculpture etc...) and there will also be live jazz music.  Live jazz is from 2-4 today.  Here's the address for anyone who would like to check it out:

284 Beaufort Ave
Livingston
located off of Eisenhower Parkway near Rt. 10.

I'll have one of my copper & brass pieces on display in Sue Sach's studio inside the student's showcase.  So if you are in the area this weekend come on by and check out all the great work! 

And the bead snob is...

Congratulations Beverly Herman!  You are the winner of the button/magnet set!  I'll be contacting you so that I can send these out after the holiday weekend.  I hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day weekend!  I've been super busy but I will have some new work to show off after the holiday.  I'm finishing up some collage earrings and I've been experimenting with fusing glass wine bottle pieces and etching cream!  Check back soon!  Now go enjoy your barbeque's!

A little more time...

Since I havent had much of a turnout for my giveaway I'm extending it up till saturday.  If no one else enters then I will just pick from the few folks who have entered.  Also, I'm working on some new pairs of collage earrings and I'll show them off as soon as I get nice photos (hopefully soon)!  Happy crafting!

You are such a snob...

A Bead Snob!  Ever go to a bead show and see some junky imports and just think about how you could never EVER use them?  Well, I've been making jewelry for a few years now and I realized that over time you start to learn what are good beads and what are bad beads.  Once you get to this point you are officially a "Bead Snob".  You walk into Michael's and scoff at their beading supplies, you walk right past certain vendors at bead shows and you just know what a good quality bead is.  This button is for all my fellow "Bead Snobs" out there. So in honor of you I'm giving away a "Bead Snob" button and a Vintage Blue Studio magnet. 

These are the rules:

1. You must leave a comment at the end of this post.

2. Your comment must have a link to your blog (I love discovering new blogs and I need a way to contact you if you win)

3. You must have made a post on your blog this month. 

4. You live in the US or Canada.

I will pick a winner next Sunday and then promptly ship the magnet/button set to them!   If you don't win, and you really want a Bead Snob button they are for sale on Zazzle.com.  There is a link on the left.

   

So in other news, I purchased some fantastic business cards from Overnightprints.com.  Unfortunately, Overnightprints.com has the worst customer service I have ever experienced and I will not be returning to them for further prints. Although the company sent me a letter of apology, it was too little too late.  Each time I called their customer service I received a different answer from one of their reps. It took calling my credit card company to open a claim to actually get them to ship my cards. So with that said, I cannot recommend Overnightprints.com even though the finished product was very nice.

The lovely Briana of Benny & Roo (bennyandroo.etsy.com) was kind enough to reformat her design so that I can purchase my next set elsewhere. I love the design and have received a lot of compliments on them.  I also purchased some Moo cards which I need to rephotograph so I can post them on flickr (in case anyone wants to do some trading...hint hint).  Both sets of cards have had a great reception from friends, family and total strangers.  I used a mix of enamel work and collage jewelry photos for the Moo cards. 

So I've realized that I have been slacking in the creative department lately and need to bust my bum and get some more pieces made.  The plan for today is to:

1. Create some sterling findings from scratch

2. Tumble them

3. Assemble at least one piece

4. Fuse some glass (I'm thinking about breaking some empty wine bottles and fusing them.  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!)

5. Clean my living room and dining room table (totally unrelated but necessary)

And on that note, it seems I have a lot to accomplish so I better get started!