Objects and Elements

She's No Plain Jane

As promised, we're beginning to feature our fabulous design team members. First up for profiling is the beautiful Jane Salley.

Q: How long have you been making art?

A: Since I was a toddler I have been embellishing stuff, drawing and painting on blank surfaces.

Q: What's your first memory of having a creative "right brain" mind?

A: I made what was probably my first assemblage in my dad's workshop. I got my hands on a bottle of glue - not something a 3 year-old should have - while dad was building something. I had such a good time with glue, sawdust, dead bugs, and other "found objects". Too bad dad couldn't appreciate a mixed media creation on the side of his work bench.
 
Q: Of all the art mediums to specialize in, why jewelry?

A: I have always loved personal adornments. When I was a little girl I would glue beads and flowers on my earlobes - yes, the glue again! Jewelry is so personal and makes a statement to all who see a woman wearing it. When I'm making a piece I think about the woman who will wear it, whoever she may be.

To read more about Jane and her jewelry click here.

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Take a look at the first piece Jane created for her monthly design team submission. 

"The inspiration for this piece was the beautiful Classic Floral Patterned Brass from Objects and Elements. It called out to be an old world frame for this Russian postage stamp. ICE made the perfect medium to capture the color and detail," says Jane.

Jane also used these Objects and Elements products to complete her gorgeous necklace: 22 Gauge Brass Wire, Sheet Copper, Numbered Brass Nail, Micro Brass Eyelets, Large Copper Heishi and Brass African Heishi.  

Notice the beautiful wire work in her handmade links and her flawless cold-join attachments using the Micro Nuts and Screws.

Bead & Button Show Countdown

   Linda is busily getting ready for the Objects and Elements booth at the upcoming Bead & Button Show May 31st-June 7th in Milwaukee. Sponsored by Bead & Button Magazine, Art Jewelry and BeadStyle magazines along with its parent company, Kalmbach Publishing Co., the show is a spectacular time for handmade jewelry enthusiasts.

More than 370 vendors from all over the world sell their beads and designs. Plus, 150 teachers from across the country are on hand to teach more than 580 classes designed for all skill levels. Susan is teaching four classes this show, and three are already sold out. However, she has a few seats left in Creating Jewelry: Relics, Ruins and Personal Objects.

If you live close by and are still on the fence as to attend the show or not, visit the Bead & Button website. There are still lots of cool classes available to tempt you. If you are planning to be there, please stop by the booth and say hello to Linda and Susan. We love making new friends and meeting like minded art jewelry lovers.

Recycled Silk Saris

There's something lovely and surprising about tying, twisting, or hanging fibers to your mixed media jewelry pieces. In addition to adding color and texture, a melange of fibers can provoke visual interest and give your work the feeling of movement.

Our Objects and Elements Recycled Silk Sari Ribbon is a dream to work with. Brightly colored silks and other fibers are sewn together to make fairly long strips. The colors are rich and vibrant, and each fiber bundle is handmade. We also carry Recycled Silk Sari Yarn, which gives you a hand spun skein of 100 yards of fiber, enough for a scarf or purse if you knit or crochet.

Actually the silk sari ribbon and yarn are perfect for a variety of arts and crafts projects. We can see them used as bindings for bookmaking, attaching found objects to college and assemblage, used as gorgeous trim for altered couture and, of course for mixed media jewelry. Pair it with a hank of our hand-dyed Fiber Bundle for even more color and texture.

Here's a beautiful detail shot of a necklace made using the Recycled Silk Sari Ribbon by Design Team Member Deryn Mentock. We love the way she wrapped her handmade charms from her fiber necklace "chain". 

In addition, here's a tip for working with fiber in jewelry making. Attachment is often the biggest issue. While you can purchase inexpensive base metal findings usually described as ribbon closures at most bead stores, a simple solution is to tie a knot in the ends of your fiber and simply wrap 16 or 18 gauge wire around the knot a few times. Loop the end of the wire with your round nose pliers and wrap the remaining end around your fiber knot. Lightly hammer your loop to work harden the metal and attach with a closure.

Welcome to our new blog!

Welcome to our new blog for ObjectsandElements.com, an online jewelry supply store and so much more.

We have been working hard lately to improve and expand our online presence. Our website has been revamped and re-energized. So many cool, new products have been added to the store to help you create truly unique mixed-media jewelry pieces.

Our other ^_BIG news is that we have created our first ever Objects and Elements Design Team. Comprised of five fabulous artists, all specializing in art jewelry and mixed-media, our talented design team is here to inspire, delight, engage and encourage you on your personal artistic path.

The ladies will be creating projects every month using elements from the store, in addition to found objects, beads, wire and more. They'll also be sharing some of their favorite jewelry-making techniques with you.

Our Design Team members are Jen Cushman, Deryn Mentock, Kristen Robinson, Barbe Saint John and Jane Salley. Please click into our Design Team page to learn more about these amazing artists.

Also, the owners of Objects and Elements will be featuring some of their work on the blog. Look for some innovative pieces from Internationally-known Metalsmith, Mixed-Media Jeweler and Instructor Susan Lenart Kazmer and her business partner, Jewelry Designer Linda Larsen in the coming weeks.