Wire-Wrapped Ring in Copper

So I've been playing around with the latest batch of copper wire I bought last week, experimenting and trying some smaller projects from a book I also bought on that subject.
I noticed that I still had some larger (approx. 8-9mm) faux turquoise beads which I've had in my stash for ages, without knowing what I should do with 'em.

Well, I figured that I could use them to create a wire-wrapped ring with free-form. In other words; "Make the base and then see how the rest of the design could end up", since I don't sketch that often, heh.
Personally, I like the end result of it, for being my very first, own designed ring when it comes to wire-wrapping, lol.

I basically only used two different gauges to create this ring; 20 and 28. To get the right size of the ring, of course I used a ring mandrel. Also, what I did to make the ring band solid and compact, after I wire-wrapped the base with the 28 gauge wire, and finished it as I wanted, I again put it onto the ring mandrel and used a hard-rubber hammer and hammered the ring-band very intensively, all around. When you learn wire-wrapping you also get the knowledge that the more you work your wire, the harder it gets, so yeah, my band is very, very hard :).
 The rest of the design is pretty much free-form. What I did with one end of the wire is that I created a hollow leaf shape, which I then hammered flat and then polished. The swirls are just an experiment; I was so happy when my new round-nose pliers arrived that I put it to some action, lol, and that is the result :P

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Various Completed Projects

So, yes, I'm aware of the facts that I haven't been blogging much since I came back from the vacation :)

However, I've still been doing some stuff that I'm going to share with you in this post. I completed a bead embroidery pendant, which I started off just before I went on vacation. And for those who follow me on facebook and twitter, I mentioned that I finally bought myself a metal block and a chasing and a rubber hammer. And yes, of course, I've been doodling around with some wire; copper as I find precious metals are very expensive, and even more expensive to practice on.
As I went on and playeed with wire wrapping once again, I remember even why I haven't done it much to begin with; my nail are very soft (really soft, like jelly "almost") and the wire really manage to give them quite a beating, heh.

Here's the bead embroidery pendant I mentioned earlier. For the bezel I used 11/0 delicas and 15/0 Miyuki seed beads. The cabochon with the skull I actually painted and varnished; it was just black and white from the beginning, but I wanted a bit of  a personal touch to it so I painted the skull red and added some golden highlights on it on various places. I used a 14mm Swarovski rivoli to enhance the look of the piece a little more. At the bottom part there's an 8mm black onyx gemstone cab which is surounded bu 11/0 delicas and 11/0 seed beads by Matsuno, along with blue goldstone chip beads. The fringe I wanted a bit simpler then the rest; for the bottom I simply used some 11/0 seed beads in black and red together with 9mm twisted bugles, 4mm Swarovski bicones and small magatamas. For the sides I embellished with some long magatamas, to get a bit of a "tribal" feel to the piece.

When I played around with wire, I wanted to make something rather simple and basic. So I found this small project in the book "Bead & Wire Art Jewelry" that I wanted to try out now when I actually had access to a bigger selection of wire gauge then I had when I first bought this book, last year.
This project required 20 and 18 gauge wires.

This is another wire project. I saw this tutorial on the YouTube channel of Beadaholique, and I just wanted to give it a try to practice some wire working.

 This is my own design. I wanted to make something a little bit more abstract, yet not too complicated. First off, I drew the design I wanted in my sketch book where I have most of the designs I've made that aren't free-form. First I measured how much wire I would need, and then I hammered the frame flat, and used the ball side of the chasing hammer to give it some texture. I then began to join the loose parts I wanted around the main frame with some random wire-wrapping techniques (yes, I know; it looks really amateurish - only one way to learn; practice, heh). For the web, I used turquoise chip beads and 11/0 Toho seed beads in a permanent finish. 

 Oh yes, I've also been playing around with some kumihimo!
I've been wanting to play around and incorporate beads into my kumihimo for some time now, and I got my hands out of the pockets and actually did this one. I used both long magatamas and the smaller ones, to embellish the rope a bit here and there. The reason to why I didn't do a complete surrounding of beads is that I didn't have enough of the magatamas in the colors I chose to work with. Still, I personally like it. Main thing, right? lol ^^

Do you also have a lot of balls in the air at the same time?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

NEW STOCK - Glass Bead Mix Volcano

Glass Beads with Etched Finish - quite unique and rare

IN STOCK - can be sold as mix or each bead separately - pls ask for details

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

SPECIAL STOCK OFFER Facetted Olives 6x4mm

Fire Polished facetted olives in crystal AB

6x4 mm, 10 mass available in stock
SPECIAL STOCK PRICE £ 8.00 per mass

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Back in Belgium and did some Wire-Wrapping!

I'm back home in Belgium again, after having one of the most awesome vacations ever! Seriously though! :O

Sharing some photo's I took along the way :)

We set out on Wednesday 29th of August, and we spent the entire day at the airport... Pretty much, heh. Landed in Luleå, Kallax - airport at 22.10, to after picking up the luggage go to my mom and spend the night and approx. one more night there.

On Friday my grandmother and her husband came to pick us up to drive all the way to Kiruna. We spent the whole weekend there, walking and driving around, showing my other half some stuff that definitely can't be seen in Belgium. And also got to show him some old silly childhood places :P He also got to taste the famous moose-meat-soup (älgköttsoppa in Swedish) I've been going on about for ages, and came to his senses that it is divine, lol.

On Monday we ended up taking the bus to Luleå, to go and see my aunt and cousins. My bf told me that he's never, ever sat so long on a bus in his entire life (lol, almost 5hours drive with bus), and kept saying that if he did the same in Belgium, he would end up in a completely different country!
*chough*
Anyway! ^^
We spent almost the rest of the week, till Thursday evening at my aunt's place, being social until we went back to my mom's place. She was the only one that could take time off to drive us to the airport in the morning :)

That rock is a sacrificial site where some of the Sami have been sacrificing reindeer to their deities.

So yeah! Back home, and it actually feels nice to have personal space and my lil' studio again, lol. Although, I ended up getting a darn heavy cold from one of my cousins and it's kept me in bed pretty much the entire weekend, I'm just now starting to feel a lot better again.
Went nuts on Sunday and ordered a metal block along with a chasing hammer and a rubber hammer, some copper wire in different gauges and finishes, and some additional beads that "accidentally jumped" into the shopping basket, LOL.

One of the most amazing wonders nature has created. It's called "Lapporten".

The hammers and the metal block arrived before the additional wire I purchased, so I went on and played with some older silver-plated copper wire I've been having around for quite some time. I ended making a pair of hoop-earrings which I actually rather love, heh. I used 20 and 24 gauge wire to make them, and used some 3mm firepolished Czech glass beads along with some cubic zirconia tear drops for the center of the earrings.

A long waterfall in Abisko National Park.

My grandmother and her husband in the Church of Kiruna.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Shame on Me for my Poor Social Media Skills :(

I have been so terribly lax in updating my blog.  Seriously, it's been months since I last wrote a word.  I'm starting to understand why people pay other people to do this sort of stuff.  Honestly, I've spent so much time in these last months working on the business aspects of things that I've hardly had any time to create new pieces.  (Note, I said hardly any time.  Like business-y stuff could keep me away from my work bench.)

And so, that's why I've been so horribly, terribly missing from the blog sphere.  I know, I know.  I'm awful.  I'll do better.  Honest I will.

Some really quick updates:

1. I was accepted into Art in the Park!!

• Art in the Park is a local juried art show.   It's been around for like ever, vendors and customers come from all over, and it's this whole big thing.  I applied for the first time this year and got accepted.
• I attended the August show with much success.  Well, maybe not MUCH much, but I made enough to cover what I'd spent to attend, plus enough to cover the October show.  Which is fast approaching.
• I'll be attending the October 6-7th show.  For more info, click HERE

     2. I finally (FINALLY!) at long last launched my very own website.

• You should most definitely take a moment to check it out.  It's pretty great if I do say so myself.
• Visit www.littlehilljewelry.com 
• Oh, and sign up for my newsletter while you there.  I'm now sending those out about once every other week

     3. I'll be attending the Sept 22nd ONE Art Market in Burlington

• I'm pretty pumped about this event.  It's a little smaller than Art in the Park, and indoors, but it should be a lot of fun.
• If you're interested in attending, it takes place on Saturday, September 22 from 10-3 at 294 N. Winooski Ave in Burlington, VT.  Parking is available on site free of charge and there is a CCTA bus stop right outside the front door to the studio.
• Check out their Facebook page for more info 

I guess that's all for now.  Oh!!  Be sure to check out my Etsy shop today!  It's my birthday, and I'm not gonna tell you how old I am, but I am offering a coupon code for 27% off your purchase TODAY ONLY!!  Use coupon code 27BDAY at check out.

There's some great new stuff up, so be sure to stop by, even if it's just to look around.

Happy Wednesday everybody!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Simply Seeds {Peyote Star Earrrings}

Yeah, I've been on an earrings making spree this week whenever I've been feeling it. This time I made three pair of earrings from Beadwork Magazine, the June/July 2012 issue. I thought this design was so cute and yet so very simple. They are made with circular peyote stitch and the design is by Barbara Richard.

Also I'm going to add that this might be the very final post I make here on my blog before I go on vacation to Sweden. Me and my boyfriend are departing from Brussels next week, on Wednesday the 29th of August. We're going to be back the 7th of September, so there's most likely not going to be much posting, since I also decided not to take my laptop with me :)
My bf also got his hands on a camcorder last week, so I'm gonna have fun recording our trip and I might show some stuff, heh.
We're going to almost as far north you can get, and then we're going closer to the Norwegian border to look at the national park near Abisko together with my grandparents. My bf hasn't really seen the true nature of Sweden yet, the big woods and the high mountains as last time he was there we were at the north-eastern coast :)

If I don't post anything more this week, I'm wishing everyone a fabulous summer, even though it's almost over, I hope that everyone had a wonderful summer ♥

reade more... Résuméabuiyad