Foldforming - I'm at Number SIX Technique

Foldforming seems to be the latest craze in metal working world of jewellery!

In case you missed some of my earlier posts, I made a pledge to learn 12 new jewellery making techniques this year (this is the original post). With foldforming I am at number 6! Half way through!

"Ruegel Fold" looked the easiest to start with, so I tried to make 2 leaves - and I'm quite happy with the result!

Check out the colour magic (second picture) created by mini torch.

Another Free Tutorial from Jewelrylessons.com

Still no news on my broken laptop... I'm buying a new one, as I feel like I'm missing an arm. OK, maybe just an ear, but missing it a lot :) 

This is a disease that comes with modern society - computers became such a big part of our lives that we feel lost without them. Mobile phones, TV sets, iPods a.s.o.... we have these arm extensions in the form of electronics. Boy, I don't own a mobile phone now, but I remember when I did - the battery would die and I'd be restless till I could recharge it and see for myself that I hadn't missed an "important" call indeed (when I'm a CEO of some sorts, I will remember this story and laugh with my never-out-of-battery super-satellite raspberry-thing in my pocket). Now I just come home and see if the answering machine blinks.

When we lived in Ireland (that's why I have such a funny accent by the way - I'm sure it's very tangible on me blog :), we never owned a TV. We just watched DVDs on a laptop if we felt like it, but never missed the telly itself. But with the computer, it's different. I AM MISSING IT! I like being in touch with my country via news on the net, I like browsing my friends' blogs and photos, I like using it as a phone! To me, it's all of the modern extensions in one little flat box!

Enough of the weeping, at least I have the aforementioned Apple, my husband's computer. That allows me to introduce another free tutorial, courtesy of www.jewelrylessons.com again!

Learn basic weaving techniques and incorporate them in your designs!

This is what the tutorial teaches you:

Find the full tutorial for FREE here: 

http://www.jewelrylessons.com/tutorial/basic-weaving-techniques

If you're not sure, how to get the free tutorial, have a look at my previous post. And then go to jewelry lessons' website and find so much more!

Happy learning!

Briolette Wrap Tutorial from Eni Oken

My computer is still in a coma, so I cannot post any new pictures. But I don’t want to leave my blog asleep, like I did already once! Well, isn’t this a great time to share some wonderful teachers with you?
I have mentioned this wonderful website already a few times:
http://www.jewelrylessons.com/
Go have a look, if you didn’t do it yet! I urge you! If you want to learn something new, if you want to get inspired, have a question about jewellery-making (and sometimes not only that:) and if you want to share your work with other inspired artists, you HAVE to go there, just HAVE TO!

Eni Oken is a great self-taught jewellery artist, who has a lot of knowledge to share. Together with other selling artists she is the patron of http://www.jewelrylessons.com/. You can buy tutorials for some amazing projects, but some tutorials are for free – and here is one of the free ones, from Eni Oken - Briolette Wrap:



Here is the link: http://www.jewelrylessons.com/tutorial/briolette-wrap
Although you have to be a registered member of the site, don't worry - registering is for free. You can only gain!

Are you really still reading this blog entry? Go to http://www.jewelrylessons.com/!

Herringbone Weave

It's snowing like crazy here in Jackson Hole, so I'm hoping to hop on the skis one or two more times before the mountain closes for the season. And mext Monday (ohhhhh, it's only in 3 days!!!) we're off to India - I'm so excited! I hope I would be able to find some nice beads or maybe more! And the food! And the weather! And the colours! And the jewellery! And I will stop right here, cause I don't want to break the exclamation button!!! !! ! !! !!!

But that's not what I wanted to write about - this blog is about jewellery (if you want to see pictures from India, you have to go to our travel site misandeep.webgarden.cz) and I wanted to tell you about my new discovery:

Herringbone weave!
To be precise, I didn't discover herringbone weave right now, I had a tutorial for it for a while, just didn't try it out... so the discovery is that I CAN DO IT!

I tried one pair of earrings - and then I just threw myself into it. So this can essentially be called Earrings Craze no. 2!

If you like the weave, you can try it too - Eni Oken, an amazing jewellery artist and teacher, is offering the technique free on http://www.jewelrylessons.com/jewel/node/370
Warning: you might like it too much!


Just a simple combination with pink freshwater pearls - I made these also with black pearls (even nicer), but didn't take a pic, because I was wearing them at the moment... lame excuse, you'll see them some other time anyway, because they're MINE!


Pink freashwater pearls again - this time with silver beads added:



This pair is for my Mum, she likes coral and bought a necklace and a bracelet, but didn't have earrings to go with that:


You might have noticed that I really like Czech firepolished beads (well, I'm Czech after all, it's a matter of pride for sure), and they look really good with the weave too!


Lava Stone Earrings:


Black Peas in a Pod:


Silver Square Beads - trapped in the weave
(the beads are rounded squares sizes 4mm and 5mm):


The possibilities are limitless and by choosing different gauges of wire you can modify the look from very polished and smooth to chunky and bold.

A Lemonade Award

A Lemonade Award – sounds delicious even in winter!
I have been nominated by Kathleen – a wonderful glass artist. I feel really honoured . Her blog was one of the first I started following when I “signed up” for this madness called blogging and have since found lots of inspiration in her design (and you should have a look at her blog and Etsy shop too!).
Thank you, Kathleen, you’re so kind!

Now an explanation, WHAT IS A Lemonade Award:
A Lemonade Award is given to bloggers that show a positive attitude and gratitude.
Sort of a list of bloggers who not only write for their own fun, but share the sunshine, help others in the cyberspace.

Here are the rules for the award:
1.Put the logo on your blog or post
2.Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great Gratitude and/or Attitude.
3.Be sure to list and link your nominees within your post.
4.Let them know they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blog.
5.Nominate your favorites and link to your post.

Here are nominees I have chosen (most of them have something to do with jewellery making):

Kecia can show you how somebody’s junk can be another person’s treasure!
Pippi makes not only jewellery
Perri will amaze you with how very tiny tweeny small things can be made with wire
Reverie – you might not understand her blog if you don’t speak Polish, but if you’re looking for very beautiful jewellery, you will understand the pictures
Gosia has her blog in Polish too, but again, the pictures speak any language – beautiful jewellery with antique feel
Dawn makes very different colourful designs to light up your day
Eni – a jewellery artist and teacher who made it possible to so many people! Find her also on http://www.blogger.com/www.jewelrylessons.com
Bobbi is a great teacher and inspiration
Franchezka has always kind words for those who are learning. Although her blog is a baby now, make sure to return to it!
Vin is a real blog doctor – see him with all your blog ouches
Kathleen – not as a thank you for nominating me, but for the inspiration and kind words!

Garnet Teardrop Earrings

I'm getting so much inspiration on http://www.jewelrylessons.com ! This page features jewellery artists and teachers and puts together people that would probably not have a chance to meet this close other than on jewellery shows. This site gives you lessons at home!
I personally have never attended a bead or jewellery show yet, and as I live in Jackson Hole (yes, the 'hole' in the name is there for a reason!), it is hard to get anywhere out of here... so this is a great way for me to explore some possibilities and ideas without traveling far from home!

Well, these earrings were a way to practise wrapping with beads. First, they were just teardrop shaped wires with silver beads, but when we were talking about them with my husband Sandeep, he thought I should add some colour to make them more interesting. And I found a string of garnets that I was saving for the time I can make a proper piece and not waste the gems. Well, I guess the time has come!

PS. I was just reading a blog of a friend (Kathleen, it's about you) mentioning her husband's input for her newly finished piece - and I have to say: guys, you rock! Second opinion can make a difference!

Kathleen's blog: http://kathleenkrucoff.blogspot.com/

And Copper Wire Earrings with Pearls!

How could I forget! I also made earrings!

I saw this beautiful design on http://www.jewelrylessons.com/ and it seemed easy enough. SIGH. It's not easy. Well it is easy, but I'm only a baby-jeweller and don't speak the language of wire yet. So the earrings are not exactly identical (what lullys me is the fact that my ears aren't exactly identical either) and I need to work on that.

This is the link for tutorial: http://www.jewelrylessons.com/jewel/node/8991

But note that I have played with wire in a different way than in the bracelet (just the previous post) and HAMMERED it.

A new day, a new technique. I'm proud of myself. So far so good.

Ok, ok, enough. Back to practice!

Getting Wired - What's going to become of this?

I was getting some inspiration on www.jewelrylessons.com (remember I have mentioned this site earlier on?) and I wanted to try some wirework.

But - I didn't have any dead-soft or half-hard wire, the only thing I could find very fast (ooh, did I mention, that I am very very verrrry impatient and I want everything NOW? Well, now you know) ~ I was sayin': the only thing I could find very fast was STEEL WIRE in our local hardware shop... and steel wire is extremely HARD to work with! Ouch!

This is what inspired me:










And this is how I embraced the challenge:

Let's see how the earrings look like when done...

I'm Stroke! First Followers!

Yay! I have first two followers! And I didn't post any pictures yet...
It actually does not mean that I have magic powers *sigh* and after a first few days the whole world knows about my brand new blog. This was actually a great idea of some great people and artists from http://www.jewelrylessons.com/. Help one another!
What? You make jewellery but haven't heard about this site yet? Well go and check it out! You've been missing on something!
You can get answers for questions WikiPedia doesn't carry and you can buy tutorials to make things you thought are made only by Cartier! And, most importantly, you can find some friends who share the same passion...
Here is a link to tutorials page:
http://www.jewelrylessons.com/jewel/tutorials/all