Heat, Color, Set & Fire - Review and Give Away

 Mary Hettmansperger has written a fascinating book on making jewelry with very straightforward metal techniques. While I am not experienced with working with metal, the subject matter is interesting and she has written well with great illustrations.  I will be using some of the simpler techniques with my beaded jewelry in the future.

Fast and Easy Ways to Transform the Look of Metal Jewelry is the heading on the back, and it really sums up the focus of the book.

With extensive opening chapters on materials, tools and equipment, tool kits and basic techniques, her illustrations are quite helpful. To me, these chapters were highly informative in analyzing jewelry made by others.

With a series of projects, Hettmansperger teaches a variety of techniques that can make your metal jewelry uniquely your own. 

I highly recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in working with metals and has some basic skills in this medium. While the instructions are very good, I suspect that most people will want some experience in working with metal before tackling the projects.

If you are interested in a copy of the book, please leave a comment on this blog with a method for contacting you (USA readers only). I will randomly select a winner on Sept 5.

Nancy

Sabine Lippert's Beaded Fantasies - Give Away Update

This book review has had more hits on my blog than any other. It is a wonderful book. I never announced who would win the random drawing for the book, so I suspect many of the hits are checking back.

So, figuring that some may have bought the book, I am asking if you are still interested in it, please leave me another comment on this blog by September 1 with a way to contact you and I will send it to someone (in the USA ) randomly selected.

You can read the original review here

Nancy

New Work -- Blueberries

This is a detail shot of my newest piece designed around blueberries. Love the many colors on the berries that are in many stages of ripening.

Friends shared photos and specimens with me for inspiration. I am beginning a new series on berries, fruits and buds of trees and plants. Gallery curators see my series "Seed Play" as ideal for a winter exhibition. Now I want work for spring and summer.

What is your favorite berry or bud? 

Nancy

What are These?

 Made an interesting find yesterday going through my dear MIL's boxes that we stored after her death. Found a delightful kit that she used for small embroidery projects - take-along work.

You can see many of the contents here. Love the padded bar at the center for storing needles with thread on them. A package of needles was 25 cents.

But the most interesting find were three little balls. They were a type of firm foam about the size of garden peas. I have no idea what they might be or what they would have been used for.

Anyone recognize them or know what they are and what they were used for?

Thanks for any suggestions you have.

Nancy

New Work Getting Underway

Martha Ginn furnished me with a couple of really nice photographs of blueberries. This photo will be inspiration for my next piece. Thanks, Martha!

If you have a plant bud, berry or seed that I should consider, please send me a photo. I work primarily from actual living specimens, but photos are great inspiration. 

Love the way blueberries ripen and show their colors a few at a time, so the artwork can be more interesting than if they all ripened at the same time. That also makes for great additions to cereal over many mornings. I tried growing them in pots on my deck, but it was not successful. The flowers that were on the bushes when I planted them made wonderful berries, but the next crop was frozen out and the plants died out pretty well afterwards. No point trying to plant them in the garden here, we are over run with deer. Or venison on the hoof and I would prefer them.

Thanks for reading,

Nancy

Give Away - Baby Dresses

Going through boxes in our garage, I found four charming little baby dresses.

They are delightful, white cotton, much hand stitching on them. Some have lace, several have either hand smocking or hand stitched pin tucks. They are fragile from age. They would make interesting additions to a collage or assemblage work.  They are free to a US artist interested in using them.

The first person to leave a comment and their contact information, will get them.

As we go through former treasures, I will pull some to give away on my blog. Stay tuned to see what I discover.                                                                                

 It seems we spend the first half of our lives acquiring, and the last half DE-acquisitioning. We are at that second stage, Big Time!

Leave a note and acquire these lovely pieces. 

Nancy

Workshop with Jane LaFazio at Random Arts

Sketch and watercolor of beets

Had a great time with Jane LaFazio and my classmates at Random Arts on Sunday. Learned some techniques for making stamps of stylized designs. The black design is from the stamp I created in the workshop. Love the contrast of the green leaves and the red veins and stems.