Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Jewelry 101

I've started a new hobby ... creating
Jewelry , I don't know if this is my forte,
Patience is needed
Good eye sight too
and lots of Tools
I love to design pieces,  but I'm not so good at reading "How To" guides.

 
This hobby all started when I purchased this book "Pretty Little Things" by Sally Jean Alexander (http://www.amazon.com/Pretty-Little-Things-Trinkets-Keepsakes/dp/1581808429)

I thought wow this is what I want to create ! All I need is a solder gun, flux, copper tape, solder , three different kinds of glue, this tool and that and ..... well I ordered what I thought I needed ( over a period of about three months ) as this stuff ain't cheap . Unfortunately, the Weller Solder Gun didn't have the wattage needed for the projects I wanted to do , as mine was only 50 watts and I needed 100 watts ... so I sent it back and now have a credit at Amazon .... so now I'm thinking I should spend that on a new printer instead of "Fun" , always the practical one . 

Here are a few of my completed pieces ....  made without the solder gun and  many cuss words ...


The charms are made from Antique buttons mounted on what use to be brass curtain rings, some of them are double sided, and others have a tiny vintage satin flower on the backs.These were a big hit with my family and most were given as gifts. 

Although this is not "Jewelry" I wanted to include it for it inspired the other pieces. This is a Shadow Box I made for my sister , behind the dancer reads " Don't be afraid to Dance Alone"  I loved this shiny red metal Vintage doll case, inside was the original red and parchment color paper in excellent condition, so I worked the theme around this.

The bracelet was created with vintage Cracker Jack Prizes, one of many of my obsessions ! I keep adding new charms to it and now I don't want to wear it but hang it on the wall.



The last photo is a necklace I created using an old linen tape measure used for measuring the bellies of  Cows, (yea I know where in the world did I find that ) vintage buttons, ribbon and an old rusty tin plate thingy. 

Will keep updating on my progress ....
Any comments or suggestions are appreciated !
Thanks
Beth



2 comments:

  1. Hi! I love the charm bracelet!! I just wanted to stop by and say thank you for adding your link to the Vintage Blog Link Party!! I'm following you now too :)

    http://inthehammockvintage.blogspot.com

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  2. For this being a new craft to you, it looks like you are a natural! Very nice pieces. Stopping over from the Vintage Blog Party link :) ~ Judi

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