My Favorite Place

I'm in a group on Etsy. All of us work with metal clay. Every month we have a team challenge where the winner picks the next challenge theme. The last winner chose favorite places. I sat at my workbench today digging up new ideas for the challenge. Favorite places..... In my mind I thought of wonderful vacation spots, backpacking in Brittain... But as I thought of these places I couldn't think of one single place that was my favorite. I'm hoping as many people do, to see many more places in the future and how could I just pick one particular place out when there are so many more places that I want to see. As I'm sitting there I look to the floor next to my bench. Sitting there all quiet was my mom's old wooden sewing box. I remember when I was little it seemed like such a mystery to me. So many different buttons, where had they come from and why was she keeping them? Pink thread, red, green. I decided to sit on the floor and go through it once again. Looking through it brought back so many memories. I remember the orangeish thread she used for a pinafore she made me. I found a green button and wondered if it was to my girlscouts uniform. I saw dad's work shirt buttons. All of this put a smile on my face and it made me realize..... This was my favorite place. As a child anyway. So what do I do to put it in a jewelry design... Hmmmm. Taking a picture of it made me realize that this one thing probably will turn into many things for me. I think I will start off with one. A charm, a sewing bobbin. This will be my challenge entry for so many reasons. I like it. Now to get started!!!

New Things That I've Made

This last month of relocating the studio and setting up is almost completed. In the meantime I had to restock the gallery, here are a few pieces that I completed that were shipped out for the holiday!

I Love Life

I found this today as I was packing, its something that someone wrote that my mom had copied, but brought a smile to my face and a tear in my eye.....


I love Life

Things aren't the same
as they used to be;
my kidneys have failed
and I'm not as free.

I get a little tired
and my fingers are numb,
my blood pressure's low
and my legs cramp some.

My veins are bigger
and my skin is tan,
they poke needles in my arm
whenever they can.

I'm attached to a machine
three days a week
and hope to God
my blood doesn't leak.

They put in some Heparin
and then E.P.O,
a little more Saline
and away I go.

But I'm still happy
with what I've got;
I'm still alive
and it's better than not.

I can still hear the whistle
of the wind and the trees,
and the musical laughter
of my kids as they tease.

I can still see snowflakes
on a white winter day,
and smell the aroma
of a new mown hay.

I can still feel the breeze
as the boat gently sways,
on the lake as it ripples
on hot lazy days.

I can still see the color
of the sky so blue,
and look out the window at a snowbird or two.

I can still bake a pie
and some cookies too,
put on the coffee
and visit with you.

And what is more wonderful
than soup on the pot,
and bread from the oven
still fresh and hot.

Good food, good friends,
and a glass of wine,
memories of this
are still all mine.

By: Mardell Peters

Autumn

As fall is approaching many changes are going on. The thought of a new place to live, new faces, watching the leaves changing, seeds falling and pumpkins on peoples porches makes me excited for warm winter nights in front of a fire on the couch with a warm blanket. I miss seeing the leaves changing and the bright colors of a changing season. This area mostly pine trees has few colors but slight colors bring excitement. I have scouted the backyard and have picked up seeds and a few green specimens that I can salvage for winter jewelry making. The fig tree in the backyard has produced fruit for the first time!

Tribal Art

Learning metalsmithing techniques is a little more difficult than I thought it would be. I've started to incorporate some soldering and bezel setting in with my metal clay designs. This
project was simply going to be non metal clay.
I started making this necklace simply in separate pieces. I had soldered domed copper discs onto copper washers.

I was experimenting with heat patinas when I decided to make earrings out of them. Somehow in the mix I decided to do a separate handmade copper chain with ball end rivets. It just needed something!!! I took apart the earrings, soldered them together then make a form to hang it from.

Voila! Tribal Art!!

Dougs Ring

I found an unusual piece of driftwood on one of my beachcombing expeditions. I kept it as I usually do with some of my found objects. My boyfriend asked me if I could make him a ring, not too chunky with a design of some sort..... I showed him the texture
on the piece of driftwood and he loved it. It became amission to make this ring and somehow put a special message inside! The only way to capture the texture on this piece of wood was to take a strip of polymer clay, bake the clay to form a hard flat textured mold. I rolled out the Metal Clay 5 cards thick onto the mold and formed it on the mandrel to dry. Once dry I filled in the seam with paste and sanded down the entire piece to refine. I added the heart inside by cutting a thin piece of clay and pasting it to the inside. After firing I added a dark patina and polished the entire piece.

I loved how it turned out. I decided to add this to my shop as a made to order piece. I also made a matching band for women. I was so exited to learn that this also made the front page of Etsy!!! How exiting!

New Rings

I'm completely addicted!!! Now that I know how to make a

bezel setting I have completely gone crazy nuts and can't
stop! This one is a bit chunky made from a shell cabochon.

The back piece is metal clay attached to a sterling silver

band. I took this to the art gallery and it sold! This one
was fun to make!