Objects and Elements

From our Design Team: Simple and Stunning

There are times when we all dig through our jewlery box looking for the perfect simple necklace or bracelet to accessorize a jeans-and-T-shirt kind of day. When our design team members Barbe, Deryn and Kristen all turned in some minimal, yet beautiful, designs I ooohed and ahhed over the pictures. Take a look: 

 

Barbe created her Moderne necklace by first cutting a rectangle bar from copper sheet using her jeweler's saw. She attached three objects and elements enameled discs to the copper sheet with our mini nuts and screws. The cascading circles, each size smaller than the previous, gives the design elegance and motion. Raw brass chain link is the casual finishing touch.

Aren't Deryn's Red Saucer earrings lovely? Created by punching copper circles with a disc cutter and dapping them, she added color with a borax patination solution. She attached the pearls with mini nuts and screws and formed her own ear wires from 20 gauge sterling wire.

Finally, I think Kristen's bracelet is the perfect accessory for a casual work day. She used her chasing hammer on 14 gauge sterling wire to create a forged bangle. She filled our small open-backed bezel in bronze with the word "Grace" suspended in ICE Resin. Bead dangles strung with 22 gauge bronze wire, dipped in liver of sulpher to age the metal add the extra bling that takes it from simple to stunning.

Thanks for looking. Have an Artful day!  -- Jen

Hooray for PEPE tools

Linda wanted me to let you all know we've received a new shipment of PEPE Tools, specifically the Combination Disc Cutter and the 23 piece Dap and Die set. Linda and Susan swear by PEPE tools. Susan says she typically goes through at at least two disc cutters per year in her classes, but has used her new PEPE set for a year now and it still cuts like butter.

This cutter produces perfect little metal circles from soft metals up to 12 guage thickness. It's a great way to use up your small metal scraps and easily get a great base shape to work with. PEPE disc cutters are individually machined and tempered to perfection.

Susan's been using a PEPE Dap and Die set for years in her class workshops. This set is still in great shape and has definitely been put through the paces. For those of you who do production work, we're also carrying the PEPE Jump Ring Maker.

As a matter of fact, we're jonsing to tell our PEPE rep the company ought to create an endorsements area on their website and list ObjectsandElements.com as its number 1 fan.

These sets are $148.00 each ($149.00 for the jump ring maker), but Christmas and Hanukkah are right around the corner. Now just might be the time to put it on your wish list.

I can see my letter to Santa this year:

Dear Santa,

Please bring me a new jewelry studio outfitted with all the best tools. Please throw in 2 little magical elves to stay at my house who come out at night and clean my studio every evening while I sleep so I can wake up fresh and ready to work each morning. While they're at it, can you have them magically clean the rest of the house too. It'd be a shame if it was only my studio that looked nice and tidy every day.

Give Rudolph a big kiss for me!

Love, your friend

Jen

Preserving Nature Tutorial

Here's a technique I've developed to incorporate fragile objects into strong, permenent works of Jewelry art. (Note: This article originally appeared in Handcrafted Jewelry, a special 2009 issue from the editors of Beadwork magazine.)

By Susan Lenart Kazmer

Supplies:

• ICE Resin®
• Large bezel or frame,  Jumbo Backless Open Triangle Bezel from www.objectsandelements.com
• Contact paper or very sticky tape
• Dried pressed flower
• Small scrap of paper with appropriate words
• Small dry stick
• Chain or Neck Ring
• Strip of torn silk fiber (we used a piece from our Fiber Bundle at www.objectsandelements.com
• 16 gauge wire with bead drawn on each end about 5” long
• Optional: Oil Pastels or oil paint, wire working pliers, headpin and stones for the dangle piece

1. Attach bezel to contact paper and warm with fingers to make sure that it is solidly adhered to prevent leaks.

2. Mix ICE Resin® to package instructions. Pour a thin layer in the bezel and arrange the paper and dried flower to a pleasing arrangement. Add more resin to fill, but not over the top edge. Place a warm task light over the piece to release the bubbles and leave on a flat surface to dry for at least 6 hours.

3. With the extra resin coat the dry stick with a thick coat of resin using a disposable brush or a rolled up piece of paper towel. Leave on a garbage bag or non-stick craft sheet to dry.

4. After the flower and bezel piece is dry, leave on a very flat surface and pour resin carefully into the bezel until it domes.  Leave to dry completely without moving!  It’s easiest to do this by dropping the resin off the stir stick or using a tiny disposable squeeze bottle.  Use the extra to coat the stick again.

5. When all the resin is completely dry, remove the contact paper and smooth the back if needed and clean up any spills. Using snips clean off any extra resin on the stick and then knock the shine down with steel wool.  You can also rub in some brown oil paint to make it more realistic.

6.Take the 16 Gauge wire and draw a bead on each end, quench and then hammer flat like a ribbon.  Anneal (soften) by heating thoroughly with a torch and allowing to cool. Take a large pair of round pliers and start curling it to fit around the stick.  Attach the pendant while you are doing this by stringing onto the wire.

9. Finish Assembly by wrapping a torn strip of fine silk fabric around the stick and then attaching to the neck ring or chain. Make it natural looking and leave an end hanging.  If you want to add a hanging piece to the bottom of the pendant use a charm (in this case a piece of hand blown glass) and attach by casually looping wire and finishing with a wrap.

 

 

  

 

Jen Crossley -- The Winner!

Congratulations to Aussie Jen Crossley for her winning design in our objects and elements bezel challenge! Her beautiful mixed-media design was gorgeous and truly inspirational. We'll be sending Jen some of our bronze bezels and other fun items from the store to work with in the future.

It was such a close call this time. Cheryl's lovely Asian-inspired fishies in ICE Resin really struck a creative cord in people too. Congrats, Cheryl for coming up with such a winning design as well.

We had such a great time checking the entries and seeing how individual artists approach their creative vision. The entries were truly fab and I hope all of the artists feel good about their work and effort they put forth.

How cool is it that more than 330 aficionados of art jewelry and mixed media took a moment out of their day to check our blog, read about the entries and take time to vote?! (And this is only counting those who voted. Our number of hits were wayyyyy up these past few days) Thanks so much for all of your participation.

Since I wasn't very clear about where to leave your comments for the goodie bag, there are two winners. (as an aside, I didn't realize you could leave comments at the end of the learnmyself poll-creator website. Duh!) The reader winners, as determined by the random number generator website, are Linda (the 6th comment in our typepad blog) and Julia Zahn (the 12th person to comment on the learnmyself poll). Ladies, email your address to ObjectsandElements@yahoo.com so I can mail your winnings.

As I was reading through the comments, someone raised the question about extending the deadline. She felt this possibly wasn't fair to the first six artists who made the deadline. In an effort to garner more participation, I bent the rules and I'm second-guessing that call. I'd really love to hear your input. (Please be nice. ;-)

As the person who maintains the objects and elements blog, I consider it to be an online experiment in information exchange. When we were first brainstorming the blog, it was Susan's, Linda's and my intent to showcase our talented design team, offer tutorials, do reader challenges and, generally, have fun with our shared interest in mixed media jewelry. In turn, we love to hear what you are up to and see examples of your work.

Speaking of design team, the ladies have created some great new designs to show off. We'll be featuring a new piece from Deryn, Jane, Kristen and Barbe in the next few posts.

Thanks again for making it a fun week with the reader challenge. Have an artful day! -- Jen

Let the voting begin!

Please vote for your favorite design now. Artists are mentioned in alphabetical order from top left to bottom right.

Voting ends at midnight (EST) on Wedenesday Oct. 28th. Remember, if you leave a comment, you will be entered to win some bezels from ObjectsandElements.com (winner picked by random number generator). Winners of both the challenge and reader comments will be announced Thursday morning. Good luck artists and thanks again everyone who participates!

     

    

 

Vote for your favorite design

Jacqui Blackwood

Karen Burns

Patti Calende

Jen Crossley

Gretchen Ciccotti

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Esther

Cheryl Medvedeff

Dale Meister

Mary Ellen Nichols

Sherry Scheitel

Connie Williams

Time's up! More fabulous entries.

Yay! We got quite a few more entries to this month's reader challenge by extending the deadline a few days. There are lots of awesome designs for you, the readers, to look at and choose from.

Here's how it's going to work. I'm posting the remaining entries today. Since I'm taking the baby to visit her grandmother this weekend, I'll begin the voting first thing Monday (Oct. 26th) morning. We'll do it by poll vote, same as in the past. Voting will end Wednesday, Oct. 28th at Midnight EST.

Ok...drum roll please. The final entries in this month's objects and elements reader challenge called "Hey! Put me in a bezel!" (Title courtesy of our dear friend Claire.)

Gretchen Ciccotti has been following our blog from almost the beginning. This is the first time she's submitted her designs for our reader challenge. She took an old watch bezel and created a lovely mixed media college inside. A Venetian glass bird perched on a twig with 3 freshwater pearls and a bit of lace for the nest. Background is ephemera from an antique Bible. A bit of leather and some charm dangles finished off her adorable necklace.

Check out Dale Meister's Day of the Dead hand chain that she's created using a bezel form, a piece of scrapbook paper for the background, a hand carved Korean skull and three metal roses, all encased in epoxy resin. Dale drilled the holes into the bezel after the resin dried and added the linking hand chain elements. This is the first time we've featured a hand chain on the objects and elements blog. Love it!

This pretty bezel was created by Patti Calende. Made in her metalsmithing class, the clear bezel is sterling silver cold joined around two watch crystals with colorful bits of sea glass floating inside. "A piece of coiled wire, sandwiched between the two watch crystals keeps the glass separated enough so the sea glass can jingle around," writes Patti.

Cheryl Medvedeff's elegant necklace is image transfers on polymer clay. A trio of deep handmade polymer clay bezels with gold leafing on the edges were filled with two layers of ICE Resin. "These poor little fishes became frozen under the ICE!  So I threw in a flower to comfort them through the long winter that lays ahead of them," writes Cheryl. Oh how we LOVE readers with a great sense of humor!

Esther, from France, sent in this lovely. She apologized because her English isn't too great, but my French is worse. The bezel is a big brass circle, filled with paper an old button and vintage "bling bling rhinestone" circle. She soldered links onto the bezel and filled it with resin. The smaller charm is Da Vinci's Mona Lisa with dangly earrings filled with more resin. For any of you who are fluent in French, here's Esther's blog. 

The last entry is from Connie Williams, aka Chetta Cheese (you gotta read the blog). She whipped up these earrings especially for our reader challenge, almost missing the deadline because the resin was setting up as the clock was tick, tick, ticking away! Shotgun shell bezels filled with bb's and ICE Resin. Some fun steel wire work, a couple more bullet shells, some hand beads and black crystals completes these fabulously funky earrings.

These are the last 6 entries to our challenge. Be sure to also check out the work of Karen Burns and Sherry Scheitel, also Mary Ellen Nichols, Jenny Davis-Reazor, Jen Crossley and Jacqui Blackwood. (Click links to see previous posts or just scroll down to see all the gorgeous entries!)

Thanks, ladies, to everyone who entered. Remember to tell your friends that voting will begin Monday and end Wednesday.

Not only will the lucky winner get a box of goodies from ObjectsandElements.com to play with, anyone who leaves a comment during the open voting period will be entered into a random drawing for a goodie bag as well.

 

2 more unique entries

Thanks for reading yesterday's blog post about extending our Reader Challenge. We received 2 new entries today that I want to share with you:

Karen Burns has been following our objects and elements blog practically from day 1. She's participated in our first two challenges, and submitted a very cool altered watch piece for our "Hey! Put me in a Bezel!" challenge.

She used an old watch bezel (resplendent with scratches on the front of the glass) and filled the inside with 2 pearls, a baby button, and an old pen nib on vintage papers, which she set with resin. She attached our recycled silk sari and sewed items to the silk. A sterling hook closure, which is not shown in the photo, finishes the piece.

Isn't this a great idea? How many times have you been to a flea market or thrift store where you've seen old watches for sale cheap. Aren't they a perfect found object bezel for college and ICE Resin? Thanks, Karen, for sharing your creativity once again!

Sherry Scheitel has been wracking her brain of late wondering what kinds of fun things she can put into bezels. Her piece is made from a  glass taxidermy deer eyeball that she found in a parking lot.

"It was a little jagged on the back, so I had to grind it with my glass grinder. Then I made a bezel of copper and gently hammered it around the eye. I know...slightly creepy." Sherry writes.

With Halloween right around the corner, we think its a perfect season to be putting glass eyeballs into bezels. Thanks for sharing Sherry!

There's still a few days to get into your studio and be creative with bezels. To participate, send us a picture of your handmade creation by Friday, Oct. 23rd by 5 p.m. EST. Email it to ObjectsandElements@yahoo.com.

Also, be sure to take a look at our other entries so far in this month's challenge.

Deadline extension for Reader Challenge

We've received 4 wonderful submissions to our latest Reader Challenge called, "Hey! Put me in a bezel!" and 3 comments from people saying they'd love to participate, but wish they had more time.

So I made the executive decision to extend our deadline until this Friday, Oct. 23rd by 5 p.m. EST. This challenge is a little different from our previous ones. We're not calling out for finished pieces of jewelry. Yes, they can be complete, but what we're really trying to show off this time is how creatively you fill a bezel.

You can do a mini college, add pictures, organic objects, found objects, words, glitter, shells, wings...whatever strikes your fancy. You can show us a picture of a bezel you made by hand or one you bought from objects and elements. The sky's the limit of our bezel challenge. Remember, ICE Resin can be handled after about 12 hours and fully hardens overnight. There's time to fill a bezel and send an image!

Take a look at the 4 beautiful entries and get those creative juices revving.

Mary Ellen Nichols created this heart-shaped polymer clay bezel as a tribute to Frida. "Of course I had to add colorful fantasy flowers and a Khalo painting as the background for my piece called, Frida in My Heart," explains Mary Ellen.  

She poured two layers of ICE Resin to enable Frida's face to float above her painting. We often teach people to use this simple technique because its an effective way to add dimension to your bezels. Isn't it lovely??!

Jenny Davies-Reazor is a mixed media artist who creates shrines and college. She's recently begun to make college jewelry using found object bezels and resin. The bezels shown here are mother-of-pearl components from the local craft store. To use resin in backless bezels, as Jenny did here, you need to back them with packing tape or duct tape before pouring ICE Resin. If you don't first seal the images, you will get a nice translucency, as Jenny did.

"These are my first forays into wearable college," she says. Great going, Jenny. Keep it up!

 

Australian Jen Crossley sent in this very cool bezel college she created. Made from a tap brass fitting she found in her hometown, she used a metals disc cutter and alphabet stamps to create the backing, collaged the image of the man and random numbers and sealed the bezel in ICE Resin. Jen didn't say where she found the wings, but we love the contrast of the oxidized silver with the brass fitting.

Jacqui Blackwood created this found object necklace from various parts and pieces of old jewelry, along with some cute hand-felted beads. The pendant was made using an old bezel that she filled with dried flower petals and ICE Resin. The ribbon is from objects and elements.

I know I say this every challenge, but the thing I LOVE the most is the diversity of work that people are creating. Seeing the different ways our readers are using our ICE Resin is so very, very cool.

Ok...you've got more time. We can't wait to see what you come up with. Remember, send an image of your work to ObjectsandElements@yahoo.com by 5 p.m. EST this coming Friday.

Come on join the fun!

Hello everyone. I'm starting to get nervous. I've not received any submissions for our new Reader Challenge called, "Hey! Put me in a bezel!" 

This is a fun challenge. Take a look at your jewelry or altered art projects and send us a picture of something you've made that you put into a bezel. It could be a bezel you've handcrafted, or one you purchased from objects and elements or elsewhere. Maybe you're like me and have lots of lovely little colleges you've created and sealed in ICE Resin®.

Have you ever set any strange objects in a bezel? What about organics? Leaves, bugs, tiny bones, rice. If you have, we want to see them!

In case you missed it, here's how to participate:

RULES: Email a photo of your work to us at ObjectsandElements@yahoo.com. One entry per person, please. Send a clear, close-up detail shot of your piece. It helps to photograph it on a neutral background. Remember, winning photos help make winning entries. Email deadline is Tuesday,  Oct. 20th by 5 p.m. EST.  

Be sure to include a link to your blog or website, and a little bit of description about your piece. We'll include the link to send readers your way. We'll feature your designs on our blog and open voting shortly after deadline. The winner will receive love and affection and some goodies from our store.

Important note: By submitting photographs of your work, you agree that we can publish the image on our website/blog and understand there is no monetary compensation to you.

Vote for Kristen's piece

Congratulations to design team member Kristen Robinson! Her beautiful necklace is being considered for cover of Belle Armoire Jewelry's Winter 2010 issue. We need objects and elements readers to take a moment right now to participate in the magazine's survey and vote for Kristen's necklace, called My Heart and Soul's Desire.

By the way, the cover story Tattered Rings is also a project by another one of our design team members. Barbe Saint John wrote a guest post recently about how she turned our recycled silk sari into gorgeous tattered garden rings. (Note: our sari has been flying off the shelves so fast that we're on back order for the product. We hope to get it in the store again soon.)

Thanks SO much to everyone who participates. We love seeing our design team members' inspiring work featured in such an outstanding magazine.