A hole in my...

I love enamel. The results give you instant gratification.  These earrings are a simple design with just an iridescent blue directly over the copper so the oxidation from the kiln shows along the edges. 



The detail is more evident in the close up view. I hung these from fine silver chains so they would dangle more and the enamel could catch the light.

a bit of an obsession...

I hate to admit it, but I am rather fond of zebra print.  I try to keep it to a minimum, but I can't help myself. Some little girls want a pony, I want a zebra.  I've made a couple pieces utilizing this striking pattern, I wonder how many other 30 something women are captivated by this print as well.

These earrings are on my Etsy site.  I started out with a piece of copper, cut it with sheers and gave it a slight dome. You must also pre-drill all your holes prior to enameling since you can't drill very well through the glass finish.

I used a technique similar to what I use when doing cloisonne to apply the enamel. After firing on my base coat, the stripes are applied by adding water to the enamel powder. Before firing the enamel must be completely dry or it won't turn out and you may get air bubbles in the enamel.

 The pendant below is also on my Etsy site.  The base for this is silver.  I cut out a silver circle, soldered on a bezel and added a simple bail.  I did a little watercolor and ink picture, inserted it into my frame and covered the piece with a 2 part resin, similar to mixing an epoxy.  Little air bubbles form, but carbon dioxide will pull them up to the surface. So you can either breathe on it or use a butane torch if it's a large surface.

The resin is incredibly durable, a friend and I covered an entire coffee table once with the product, it hardly scratches and cleans up well.

I'm about to re-upholster a chair with a white on beige zebra pattern.  It's subtle, but I think it will bring a nice statement to my living room.  I look forward to the day when I may have a zebra skin (faux of course) rug in my home...

A little something...

I generally don't have an idea in mind when I start a design. I just fiddle around until I come up with a shape I like. I'll cut everything out, apply the resist so the acid doesn't etch everything & stare at my blank little canvas until I decide what I want to do.  I generally start over a couple times to get the layout right.  It's so hard to draw on such a smooth surface. Since there's no tooth, my burin slides all over the place & I have to touch spots up. 

Here fishy, fishy, fishy...

I like fish, it's a bit of an obsession.  They are everywhere in my house, (tastefully of course).  These earrings are made from sterling silver and I used Nitric acid to etch in my design.  Simple, nothing too glamorous, but I like them anyways!

They are in my Etsy shop if you would like to see them.  Good day!