925studio

My jewelers stump

2012-01-10T00:05:00.000-05:00

Hello gorgeous I've been looking for you for quite some time now.
Will you have bugs?
Does anyone have any suggestions?
I've read about 'end sealer wax'.
I will now feel complete.
Its been a long hunt but I found her.
Black walnut and a fatty.
I can't wait to break my floor tiles
-wait what?
hmm best to get some sort of shock absorption mat. Any ideas?

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Vintage dolls

2011-12-29T15:09:00.001-05:00

My poor baby has been itching like crazy.
I think she's allergic to air.

So the allergy testing has begun,
and its going to be about expensive as a root canal.

To make some extra cash I'm starting to sell my personal doll collection on my etsy store.
They are dolls from the 70's and from around the world.
I just need to figure out where from...

If vintage dolls are your thing stop on by http://www.etsy.com/shop/925studio

Free shipping in the USA

thx!

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what a piece of crap

2011-12-02T09:02:00.002-05:00

Please people take a class learn what is good jewelry
Not shit with gaping holes or dents in it
what a waste of time, money and resources.

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My friends dog has cancer

2011-11-04T14:42:00.002-05:00

She just lost her first dog and now her second dog is ill and has a very good chance at benefiting from treatment if only she had the funds.

So I ask you if you have any extra maybe think about helping Davis and her dog.

thx a lot. ps its a great karma boost!

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Druzy necklace is DONE!

2011-08-08T08:12:00.003-05:00

up for sale at my etsy shop

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the dreaded firescale

2011-03-01T22:44:00.002-05:00

See those darker spots around my stamp and towards the top?
That my friend is fire-scale.
Know it, recognize it, learn to get rid of it,
if you want a mirror polish on your piece.

What causes fire-scale?
Firescale
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Firescale, also known as firestain, is a red or purple stain that appears on mixtures of silver and copper, such as sterling silver. At high temperatures, oxygen mixes with the copper to form cuprous oxide and then cupric oxide. Attempts to reduce this problem usually involve replacing oxygen with another gas such as hydrogen or ammonia.

With a very high copper content, this may appear on gold mixtures.

A fire scale is a layer of oxides that forms on the surface of metal when a blacksmith heats a tool.

Fire scale commonly occurs during the soldering process in jewelery manufacture, for example soldering a bale onto a finished pendant. The stain can only be removed with further polishing, or removal of affected metal.

** I like to file or sand out my firescale
As you see in the picture below.

total drag but you gotta do it if you want it to look sharp.

Why not use Argentinium?
Because I don't have any and silver is at 34 bucks.
I'm not a fan of Argentinium.
Its stiffer than good old 925,
have to use lower solder on it.

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Can you find the dog?

2011-02-10T00:36:00.003-05:00

yep that's the guest bed.
She's snoring right now.

I've taught her when I announce loudly
"KUNG FU!"
She better get ready cause something
is about to happen.
I do weird arm movements and everything.
She totally digs it.

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why I hate piercing

2011-01-30T23:39:00.004-05:00

See all those holes?
I made them.
First drill a tiny hole in each area you will be cutting out.
Next (the biggest pain) is undo the top part
of your saw blade from your saw frame,
insert it in the hole and put the blade
BACK in the frame and close it.
This requires you to put the handle on your right
shoulder blade and push forward as you close
and tighten your saw frame.
WHY?
Because if you don't you will be snapping
saw blades left and right.
You will do this over and over for each hole.
What you see here is 3 hours of continuous work.
How many blades did I break?
NONE.
Am I done?
No.
When I take the paper off will it look great?
No.
Now you know why I hate piercing.

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Work progresses

2011-01-10T17:46:00.004-05:00

If you haven't been following along the posts below
explain the start of these hand buildt pieces of jewelry...

I traced the outside of the form on a piece of silver
then cut it out, making it a little bigger than needed.
I then stamped in the quit date of my non-smoker friend!
The bottom mark 925 is for sterling silver,
and the lizard is my hallmark-
(it is also tattooed on the arch of my left foot).

OK there was some pounding with a rawhide mallet
to get the piece as flat as possible.
Stamping distorts the metal a little, and we need
this baby flat for soldering to the form.
filing, filing, sanding, sanding
you know the routine....

Until we have both pieces flat with no spaces.

Ta Da! I already soldered it.
I used medium solder, because I used
the higher melting HARD solder to make the form.
We don't want things coming undone.
I watched as the solder crept its way around the box.
Can't have any holes because I'm going to fill
this with some fun stuff with color...
that comes later.
I have to make an inside form which will use
math skills which my brain has forgotten,
or I'll just wing it.

What's this? 2nd project in progress

Re-soldered it, made some adjustments to the bottom form.
Sanded down the tops of the bezels,
then totally pulled a brainfart and took some metal
off from the inside of the bezel. (OUTSIDE! ALWAYS!)
Its ok I still think the bezels might be a bit too high.
Once I make a mistake I usually stop
because it means I'm getting tired.

Next step check the stones in the bezel,
using a piece of dental floss underneath each stone
so you can pop it back out to make any adjustments.
Oh and the black... I oxidized the piece.
You will understand once I polish it.
Stay tuned...

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making jewelry by hand aka construction

2010-12-16T12:31:00.003-05:00

slow and steady wins the race right?

well we have the outside form soldered and solid
on Mr. Ciggyman.

Next part I really have to use my brain and be precise!

I hard soldered the whole thing
and somehow managed to balance the hoop
on some coat hanger bits and got that attached.

This is all silver- dirty but silver.

To bend the top I decided I was going
with the organic look, so I used a stamp
I made out of a nail instead of a separating disc.
I cut off the extra top so it no longer looks like a pagoda.

Meanwhile...

in case you didn't know I usually work
on a couple of pieces at the same time.
This is a druzy pearl necklace
I've been meaning to get done.

I really thought it was going well.
Watched the solder flow around the lower bezel,
trying to see it at the top.
Didn't want to melt those pearl bezels.
Dropped it in the pickle pot and thought
I was golden.

NOPE.

When I pulled it out of the pot
the two pearl bezels slid right off.

crap.

Sometimes when you solder your flux
acts like glue and until its been pickled
you won't know.
Gotta have those soldered down fully or they will
pull up when your setting your stone
and then my friend...
you are totally screwed.

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My tshirts for sale...

2010-11-30T23:55:00.007-05:00

Arrgh Matey get your pirate dog tshirt!

BUY IT!

I still love you 134340 (PLUTO)

BUY IT!

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Making jewelry by hand pt. 2

2010-11-18T12:26:00.003-05:00

Remember I said its VERY IMPORTANT to keep things straight and flat....
Well as you can see here I didn't have a very good soldering day.
That little bit of light coming from underneath?
Well thats not supposed to be there (kill me now)
So I need to make it flat.

Some filing and the easiest but slower way is sanding.
JEWELRY TIP ->

Make your own sanding board, seen below.

Might as well use 220 sandpaper,
because You will wear one side down to 400 in no time.
Yes I have sanding sticks also for small jobs.
I love my sanding book, and you will too.
If you make one.

(yes this is a continuation of popartmonkeys piece)

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We just need some nachos!

2010-10-29T19:08:00.001-05:00

Lola is ready for Halloween!

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Making Jewelry By Hand

2010-10-23T18:44:00.013-05:00

ok so here we go.....

Making jewelry by hand -also called construction.

As you can see I have a rather large sheet of silver,
and I want to make a rectangular box of sorts.
So I measure and mark my two outside walls
and then cut them out with my jewelers saw.

I use a very small blade, that way
when my cut line is not straight (which it never is)
I don't have that much to file down.

This is what we are making,
or attempting to make.

Original artwork done by Popartmonkey.
This is a commission piece,
which normally I don't do, but I like his work
and I'm very proud of him for quitting smoking.
On the back of the piece I will stamp his 'quit' date.

Time to cut apart what will be the outside walls.

I was taught to cut on the outside of the line,
but I try very hard to keep them as even as possible.
My brain is wired to cut outside the line.
My last boss could not understand this.
He'd say 'Cut on the line.'
I'd say 'Not gonna happen.'

What was one, now is two.

Whats all that junk on them?
Well like saw dust, that's silver dust.
See the tan thing below?
That's my bench skin which catches all the dust
and whatever else I might drop by accident.
Yes its a skin of some type of animal,
smooth side turned up so the dust won't get stuck.
I scoop up this dust and keep it in a plastic bag
in a coffee tin and when it gets heavy and I get poor,
I turn in my 'scrap' for a credit from my supplier.
This is what recycling silver means.

If you think buying from an eco-friendly jeweler
unless they are making things out of hemp,
you my friend are getting taken.
Silver is mined as is gold and copper.
So whether you got it first or recycled
it doesn't matter the deed has been done.

As I mentioned before I can't cut a straight line
so we file.....
Each side needs to be straight because later on
this will be VERY important.

I'm doing this in my lap which is my own technique
so I can get the most pressure on metal.
Its important to switch around the piece
so you don't end up filing some weird angle.
Oh yea. Been there done that.

Time to cut out the short ends
of my rectangle.

Oh No! They are too small!
I didn't add the thickness of the walls
to my measurements. Grrrrr!

This is where my too small pieces go
(see the arrow?)
Its my scrap box which can at times be very exciting.
But not today,
because I don't see any pre-made boxes in there.

So I go back and draw larger sides,
cut, file and hello outside form!

It still needs to be soldered but
that's another lesson for another day.
I still need to make an inside frame,
because the black line on his drawing
is included in this design.
So I need to make a space for it.

This is my poor finger.
Looks better now.
Don't expect to keep up a manicure
if your working with metals.
I swear my finger was aching,
so this is as far as we got today.

I'm expecting to rerun this scenario
to make the inner forms.
I won't bore you with that but
I'll keep posting my progress so you can see
what goes into making this piece by hand.

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Jewelry for a dude

2010-09-30T18:56:00.003-05:00

I've never made jewelry for a guy specifically.
The reason you're not seeing the whole thing
put together is the whole 'aha' behind it.

That's right I'm going to string them together
the 3 initials on top, AMOR on the bottom.
Then when said dude moves and the tags jangle,
he will be reminded that he is indeed loved.

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In a pickle with Sparex

2010-09-28T16:50:00.004-05:00

This is a post for people who make jewelry.

This is for those of us who wonder
'why does my pickle have brown crap in it?'
I'm here to answer that question.

See the can of Sparex NO. 2 on the left?
They have painted the inside with some junk
that inevitably flakes off into your granules of
Sodium Bisulfate, leaving the exposed iron can
rusting on the inside.
Your can of Sparex is now SPENT.

Now you need to call up your hazardous waste program
and learn how to dispose of 3/4 of a can.

Now what to do- no pickle for my pot?
You can go the pool PH option OR
you can buy new sparex from Otto Frei
in a PLASTIC CONTAINER! (shown on the right)
6 bucks people.

The shipping was going to cost more
so I tossed in a high temp soldering board.
*We will discuss what I'm doing with that later*

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love my dog

2010-08-25T23:12:00.003-05:00

She's coming into her own.
She has taken over the guest bedroom,
as her own, filled with toys and non-toys
(grandmas camera case)
which she lifted off the coffee table.

My dad asked me if my toilet paper holder
was broken because I had it on the counter.
Nope.
Lola likes to unroll rolls and rolls of toilet paper.

Scary Barry's cat walked right by the front window,
which excited yet puzzled her so she sort of just whined,
or should I say whimpered?

*Last BUT not least, we are no longer getting up
at 3am to play with the frogs or whatever is out there.

Hurricane windows

2010-07-13T11:48:00.005-05:00

This is my house which is probably right
out of a Sears catalog of 1950.
The windows are total crap.
The front window is broken.
The other large window panes of glass are not glazed,
therefore they rattle like crazy
and you can move them with your hands.

Ta Da! New windows. Thx Dad!
Now i can't hear the car doors closing.
Now my AC doesn't run all the time.
Now I've got a great view,
because nobody lives across the street.

I know it doesn't seem like a big difference but it is!
Impact resistant means you're not getting in,
and I'm not getting out! No just kidding.

The thing about hurricanes is when the wind
finds a way into your house
(usually through broken windows)
it likes to take your roof off with it.
Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Best thing of all- NO NEED FOR SHUTTERS!
I will be able to watch the scary-ass storms if I care to,
but usually I go to bed.

MY very own TSHIRT SHOP

2010-06-30T16:19:00.002-05:00

Thats right!
If I can't find it,
I'm gonna make it.

I get 4 bucks every time
one of my shirts sells.

BUY IT HERE!

Awesomeness

2010-06-30T15:50:00.003-05:00

My latest tee to arrive from the
one and only Launchpad in Albuquerque.

On the back it says
'GRANDE ROCKIATO'
and I fucking love it!

Birthday Monkey

2010-06-13T16:09:00.004-05:00

This is one of Lola's birthday presents,
that she got for her 2nd birthday.
This is a posed photo.
If you can't tell.

The monkey no longer looks like this.
She ripped off his arm,
somehow pulled the squeaker from his belly,
and turned his head inside out.

I think she liked it.

Bezel Setting MY WAY

2010-05-28T17:31:00.007-05:00

ok folks here we go...
this is how I set my bezels.
First off lets talk about tools.

Best thing I EVER bought was that bench pin with a hole in it.
Rio used to sell them but last time I looked I couldn't find them.
This is AWESOME- I also use it for my tube cutter.
*note you must be able to remove top of tool from bottom,
and re-screw them through the hole.
This gives you a free hand or two!

Now my ring holder tool- got it from Rio also.
Its from Egypt and it smelled when I first got it.
Comes with different plastic inserts for different sizes of rings.
You adjust it by using the screw at the top.

I do use a bezel pusher just to get the stone in there,
so it won't move around much on me.

Now for the poor mans trick
Instead of busting out $150 for a foredom hammerhead.
I took a nail and filed it down and sanded it and polished it.
This is now my cheap hammering piece.
I use a small ball peen hammer because it does the job.

Yes it does the job. It also may leave a few marks.
You just clean those up with small rubber discs.
piece o' cake.

ps. I think the onlything you can get now a days is
The GRS Benchmate- but you have to buy
the stone setters kit which is $300.

The only problem is I CANNOT for the life of me
unseat a stone, once its set.

can you guess what this is?

2010-05-26T19:28:00.004-05:00

besides a strip mall and a traffic sign

its a BIG TOP with no tent.

That's right people
I live in a circus town.

They are going to put a metal roof on it.
BIG Mistake if you ask me,
but nobody did.

God I feel so mental today.

Golden tree in bloom

2010-05-05T10:43:00.006-05:00

I think it bloomed even more
but my allergies were kicking my ass.
My dog is in heaven.
She eats the blooms that fall
into the backyard.
I swear its the biggest oldest tree
I've seen around here.
See 3 posts down what it looked like before.

Orange bullet Earrings

2010-04-20T13:50:00.004-05:00

Acrylic orange bullets
Originally uploaded by pj925

Oh yes these babies are acrylic that look like the candy DOTS!

But you can't eat them, just buy them and know you are wearing one of a kind earrings that you won't find anywhere else.

I made them myself.

They are dainty and sweet, and available in my etsy shop.

Scary Barry's yard

2010-04-19T14:24:00.002-05:00

No offense Barry I just can't remember peoples
names so I make them rhyme, and you did
startle me the first time I met you,
not wearing a shirt and all fat and hairy.

Well you're not the topic of this post anyways...
its your yard being invaded by birds!
You must have your cats inside today,
instead of crapping in my iris beds.

I used to know the name of these birds,
but I forgot to rhyme it so you know what
happened....

I know your yard is full of weeds
must be full of bugs too,
cuz these birds are going to town.

Thanks for the allergies and the nature show.

hardcore pollenation

2010-04-16T19:00:00.003-05:00

There's pollen everywhere!
Having serious sinus headaches.

This is by far my best grower yet,
some white iris that's gone apeshit.
It's huge in comparison to the others I planted.
Iris comes from the Greek word for a rainbow,
and wouldn't you know I like the white ones.

Next up is....the golden trumpet tree
or Tabebvia chrysotricha.
I know it looks dead. It does all year.
My mom calls it the creepy tree.
Its just now starting to bloom.
Soon the whole tree will be covered in yellow flowers.
That is IF we get some rain.
Last year I had a half bloom.
Its pretty old and the biggest I've seen around town.

sunbathing dog

2010-04-08T10:39:00.003-05:00

If you can't tell by now I adore my dog.
She wakes me up in the middle of the night to pee.
She jumps on me as she runs to check out
a barking dog at 7am every morning.
This just kills me...
She goes out in the mornings to sunbathe on my deck.

Happy Easter my friends

2010-04-03T23:24:00.004-05:00

Lola is feeling festive
but no chocolate for her!

Why is chocolate bad?

Inspiring artist Yoshitomo Nara

2010-02-13T20:04:00.009-05:00

wow.
I just saw this great film about the Japanese
artist Yoshitomo Nara.

Not only are his paintings of wide eyed girls fantastic,
but the way he allows the audience to connect to them
is a whole nother ballgame.

He makes tiny houses. In which you peek in holes,
look off balconeys, or just walk through
to see his art works.

His tiny houses installations...

I got the film from Netflix it's called
New People Artist Series: Vol. 1:
Traveling with Yoshitomo Nara
You really have to watch the movie to get the whole gist of it, and I'm highly recommending it!

The best lobster ever

2009-12-12T15:32:00.006-05:00

I don't even like seafood, BUT
this is the best fried lobster tail
I have EVER had in my life.
Where to get it?
Pattigeorges
Its located about mid key on Longboat.

We always do a little surf and turf,
so lets not forget this HUGE steak that we shared.

its waterfront dining
so we watched a blue heron
fishing for his own dinner off the pier.
**always ask for a window seat**

they love each other

2009-10-05T11:45:00.004-05:00

the question is....
Do I love them?
Not for 5 days straight that's for sure.
Good thing I got bottles of sedatives
to get me through their love-fest.

Waking me up at 3 am
standing at the edge of my bed barking
at NOTHING.

It's ending today- woohoo!

the problem with going to the islands

2009-09-26T20:52:00.006-05:00

You catch a bridge every now and then.

I could have made it through the light on
this one, but the assjack behind me was
tailing me so hard
I decided he needed a time out.
It's one of the longest bridges we have.
So we sat and sat, and waited some more.

It was Lola's first bridge,
and as you can tell from the picture...

She was totally clueless.

So be warned all you dickheads on the road...
I will make your day a little more miserable if I can.

my dirty little secret

2009-09-15T09:10:00.007-05:00

In its full glory. My pile of crap.

took me 6 years to accumulate all this crap
and I had it hidden behind my bench!

ahh now that's clean (at least for me)...

it's not over yet... this is my soldering bench under there!

So long moo painting

2009-08-12T20:41:00.004-05:00

I enjoyed you very much.
I hope you like your new home,
because I will enjoy the cash.

You were a good cow.
I hope you freak out your new owners
by staring at them from every angle,
like you did to me.

Fake names for Gems

2009-07-10T19:36:00.006-05:00

It just irks me to no end
the listings I see of supposed 'gems' for sale.

How to tell what you're getting?

Here's a place to start http://www.houseofgems.com/newsletters/news11292004.htm

pay attention to the diamond category-
I've seen these advertised on etsy.

life-vest for doggies

2009-07-02T16:53:00.004-05:00

Oh I can't wait to toss her into some water!
This is a beauty of a life-vest.
I bought it online here

It's the k-9 float coat by Ruff Wear.
size xtra small and fits like a glove!

home sweet home

2009-06-16T10:53:00.005-05:00

This is what happens when you rent to a bunch of clowns.
no no, just kidding.
This is what happens when your house goes camping.
no no.

This is what happens when you have
drywood termites in Florida.
First they shoot it with tear gas,
then they suck all the oxygen out of it,
and pump it full of Vikane.
Let it sit for a day,
air it out for a day and you are good to go!
Still it was a pain in the ass...

First Birthday and start of hurricane season

2009-06-03T17:22:00.006-05:00

We had a splendid time at the party
even more fun destroying
most of her gifts the next day.

We have a bit of an adventure next week.
Should be interesting...

She's a strange one...

2009-04-23T16:00:00.004-05:00

As she grows she's getting weird.
The other night this is what she brought to bed.
That's right.
An ugly seashell with a barnacle on it!

Introducing..... LOLA

2008-10-06T22:04:00.003-05:00

ahh pure puppy love
4 months old and pees on my floor
doesnt get much better than this.

time to make the monkeys

2008-08-25T12:51:00.003-05:00

ahh its that time of year again...
where i start cranking out sock monsters,
so I can have a good stock of them for x-mas.

happy 4th

2008-07-06T16:46:00.005-05:00

I spent my 4th on the water mostly,
cruising around Sarasota Bay.
I just love these birds.
I have no idea what they are called.
I also love pelicans.
Especially when they are fishing.

stegosaurus

2008-05-29T06:12:00.004-05:00

Here he is!
I know we've all been waiting!
I'll probably put him up for sale
in a day or two.
working on a hat now.
thought it would be easy,
its not.

What's the matter Moo?

2008-05-14T19:07:00.004-05:00

my poor dog moo has a Corneal Ulcer.
bummer.
She has to wear a cone hat.
bummer- but kind of funny.
I hear her banging around the house now.
She's real bent she can't drink from the toilet anymore.
We were instructed to give her eye drops every two hours.
keep your fingers crossed,
I hope this works.

UPDATE: the moo has improved enough to put the space helmet away.
Shes in good spirits and is enjoying watermelon!

creatures hats and whatnots...

2008-04-25T11:08:00.008-05:00

I've had some problems with hand tremors
since I've started a new medication.
So its easier for me to knit and make sockies for the time being.
I have put up a knit flower baby hat for sale on etsy
Next I'm going to attempt to knit a blue stegosaurus,
this should be interesting...

restocked etsy store

2008-03-02T15:28:00.004-05:00

ok people I'm filling up the shop with deals!

visit my etsy store
and gobble up some sweet jewelry.

Get yer Easter bunnies

2008-02-06T14:28:00.001-05:00

well people I'm fresh out of socks.

These are the only two bunnies,
and I'm selling them locally.

So if you live in or near Sarasota
you can find them here

Things are good. I'm knitting a few aliens.

I've already ordered valentines day cookies,
received them and promptly ate them.

I love Dancing deer baking Co.

once and only once

2007-12-29T11:56:00.001-05:00

I've always wanted a gingerbread house.

I ordered a kit from STONEWALL KITCHEN
it came with everything needed except for:
an expert decorator.
The whole icing 'hold it til it sticks'
was a serious problem for me.
I have the attention span of an ant.

THINGS LEARNED:
The gingerbread smells SO good.
Royal icing is a pain.
Lightweight things work the best
(especially on the roof) like gum drops.
The ice cream cone trees were the fun part.
Must have lots of patience and then some.

*note to future gingerbread house constructors...
I made this in Florida. Yes it can be done.
I kept it in the microwave oven
while waiting for the icing to setup completely.*

we are having a pink christmas

2007-12-08T10:37:00.003-05:00

It's hard getting into the holidays
when its still 80 degrees out,
and you KNOW there will be no snow.

I was having a really bad day when it dawned on me....
if we are going artificial,
lets really do it!

The dog really isn't into it.
I just made her sit there.
She's colorblind after all (or so they say).

Now I gotta find super sized silver balls.
'Cuz not only are we pink,
but we're also going big.

El E. Phant

2007-11-20T13:22:00.002-05:00

The latest greatest sock dood....
up for show for a personal adoption (KT!)
...he was not approved
therefore will be looking for a home at

THE ATOMIC HOLIDAY BAZAAR

I'm making a basket of them- all different types.

Totally burned out on jewelry,
making one piece to donate for a domestic violence charity.
That one's gonna be cool if I can pull it off.

tooth buddies

2007-10-20T08:00:00.001-05:00

They look like your normal sock pals.....
but hidden on the back is the tooth pocket.
Not to worry the fairy knows all about it,
we had a conversation months ago
about how stressful it is to A) find the tooth
and B) not waken the sleeping one.

Talk about stress- I did something I should never do,
I took on a commission job thats
too low paying and its production line work.
Now I'm mad and regretful and overwhelmed.
So if you don't hear from me for awhile
just know I'm sitting at my bench swearing a lot
with my back hurting and sore fingers.
Like a black cloud hanging over my head.

If anyone is interested in a tooth buddy drop me a line,
I'll tell you what sock options are left.
I didn't make enough to put in my etsy store.
Whenever I think I have a good idea, a lot of the time it flops.
So speak up if your 5 or 6 year old is starting to wiggle
their teeth and they're scared-
I sell them for 18 dollars each.
Shipping is usually about 3 buckeroos.

Ladies of the Wild West

2007-09-25T09:40:00.002-05:00

Evey now and then I will do a series.
This time it was a look back on women of the west.
I decided the ones deemed outlaws and scandalous
were worth looking into.
I hope you do too.

Western portrait jewelry now up for sale
with their stories included.

First off a movie depiction of "a bandita"

Cynthia Ann Parker-SOLD-

Belle Starr

Baby Doe Tabor

Etta Place and The Sundance Kid -SOLD-

One of a kind, handmade and designed by a former Albuquerquian.
Inspired by the ladies who lived life their way.

bull riding

2007-08-27T09:01:00.002-05:00

I'm totally addicted to the Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge

When I first started my 'small metal sculpture'(jewelry) classes
at UNM, I sat across from a Native American named Shane.
One day Shane walks in with a good sized bump on his right temple,
like half of a tennis ball was trying to escape from his head.

'Holy crap man, what happened to you??!!'
"Bull got me."

I guess he gave up jewelry because I never saw him again.
I knew back then what courage it took,
and ever since I'm in awe of anyone who gets on a bull.
...even Johnny Fairplay.

stickers! yes! stickers!

2007-08-07T09:25:00.000-05:00

This is so cool.
Your pictures=your stickers!
It's the moo stickerbook
All you need is a flickr account (which is free)
upload your photos and get these stickers
delivered to your door from the UK.
They also make moo cards- which is like half of a business card.
I got those too and love them.
So you wanna get your designs out there- go moo!

much better

2007-08-02T23:16:00.002-05:00

I just couldn't take looking at it.
so I fixed the 'dog' and then
went out and ordered a tv.
I have the tv,
now I just need the rest of it:
hi-def hook up and remote.
Then I'm gonna charge my dad 5 dollars to watch golf on it.
300 golf games and I've got it paid for.

moo 07

2007-07-29T05:27:00.000-05:00

The moo and I went on vacation.
where did we go? -nowhere
cuz we are broke.
We just stopped answering the phone.
Its been interesting telling people I'm on vacation,
when actually I'm sitting at home working.
You might see the new stuff and you might not-
its usually pretty rough looking at first.

The moo was handed over to me at a house
from the Taos pueblo area.
You know the one where they have signs that say
"no stopping, no walking, no driving..."
She was so small when I got her she lived in a crock pot box
with a dishtowel inside and as she grew we cut the door open
wider. I know you're not suppose to take dogs so small,
but two of her siblings had already frozen to death.

I think she's about 13 or 14 now.
She's one of those 'space dogs'
with the white marking on her chest.
I once tried to convince a guy it was Jesus on her chest
and he really freaked out,
especially when I said he should pray to her.

my superpower

2007-06-05T07:58:00.001-05:00

I had a dream where my 'super power' was revealed to me....
it was that I could swim super fast.
WTF?! I don't like to swim.
I'm not even a water sign.

hello bird

2007-05-29T08:10:00.000-05:00

Much to my amazement and I imagine his...
I found a Great Blue Heron walking around my front lawn last night.
I was putting out the trash and he was doing bird stuff.
I've seen some of the craziest looking birds since I moved to Florida.

If you want to see some cool birds check out
While She Naps ... now theres a lady with mucho talent.

gone to the gallery

2007-05-26T06:32:00.003-05:00

I made a few items to swap out inventory at the gallery.
This serpentine and freshwater pearl pendant is one of them.
That doesn't mean its not available,
you just have to contact me and I'll go get it if it hasn't sold.

I've updated my DEVIANT ART GALLERY
to reflect whats still around, whats sold, and current prices.

*SOLD*

bloomin'

2007-05-09T08:22:00.001-05:00

first bloom from my itty bitty magnolia tree.
Just planted it a week or two ago,
so it was a bit of a surprise to see it.
Its a dwarf variety because its planted near some power lines.
Can't have the power going out every time the wind blows.

chihuahua necklace

2007-05-06T10:56:00.002-05:00

or should I say chih-wow-wow!?

Just one in the set of four,
I've put up for sale
from my resin casting experience.

thanks for looking!*SOLD*

purple monster for my nephew

2007-05-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

it took two days to make.
It was supposed to have cool antennae,
but I couldn't figure it out.
You see I knit everything flat then sew it up together.
I can start on circulars,
but forget about starting on dp's.

This is a first communion present for my nephew.
I know you all are thinking
'first communion and monster go together' right?

My trademark got denied for being too vague.
So now I'm desperately trying to think up a brand name
to go for all my stuff not just the jewelry.
If you give me one I can use I'll send you a prize.

howlite flower with sodalite

2007-05-01T16:47:00.002-05:00

This is a re-do, the first pendant
I made was too small for the strand of sodalite.
So now we have a huge flower of howlite set in sterling.

I haven't decided whether to sell this
via etsy or through a gallery
*SOLD*

Eat your peas!

2007-03-21T19:17:00.001-05:00

No, silly those aren't real peas!
But I sure wouldn't want to eat them either way!
I hate peas!
I looove tumbled serpentine!
if you feel the love get it here

support independent artists!
I have to get a crown at the dentist next month!

trouble trouble

2007-03-18T13:24:00.000-05:00

This pattern nearly killed me
4 segments to the main torso??!!!
Hopefully the decadent fabric
hides all the ut-oh's.

I'll be closing down the ebay shop,
and moving it all to my etsy store.

It's chilly today-
maybe I'll light up my torch...

I think its a dog

2007-03-16T16:18:00.000-05:00

It's one of the infamous Japanese Crafting books!

To the right we have my interpretation of a
mixture of the 'dog' patterns available.

Connecting the head to the body was trickier
than expected, and sewing on the eyes and nose
was way easier than I could have imagined.

Where can you get one of these books? EBAY
- thats a link to the ebayer I bought the book from.
They are a bit pricey so be prepared.

Oh and they're in Japanese, but thank god they are
numbered so you know what pattern goes with what
cutey pie (theres a whole huge pattern page included).

Step away from the needles....

2007-03-13T15:36:00.001-05:00

ok I think I got 'knIT' out of my system.

I found the bunny beanie pattern online.

Anyone having an easter baby?
Its listed as 3- 6 months.
-SOLD-

baby did a bad bad thing

2007-03-11T19:08:00.001-05:00

thats right,
I got fabric glue all over my sewing machine
needle and foot because I could not wait.

I woke up and thought 'cripes!
I got nothing for the Georgia boys for easter.'
The rabbit was easy but gooey.
Behind it is a bunny hat I made from an old t-shirt.
No, I am not a creative genius. I got it here

It couldn't be girly.
These are boys so I ixnayed any pink whatsoever.
And definitely no ribbons! So I fudged it a bit.
They kinda look like a cheap ripoff of muskateer ears.
oh well, I'll just fill it with candy. He will be so delirious
he won't even notice.

guess what? MORE PINK!

2007-03-10T16:08:00.000-05:00

when I heard plain mabel was closin' shop
I decided to have a peek at what was left.

Needle-Felting Kits!

yet another craft I HAD TO conquer.

See the wispy stuff? that's wool roving.
See that knob with the sharp spikes?
You use that to jab at the roving to compact it down.
I got a bit of an arm workout cuz I was
jabbing like there was no tomorrow.

Hand/Eye coordination is a must for this one...
otherwise you might end up stabbing yourself,
and I think that would hurt,
a lot.

I'm not good at waiting ....

2007-03-05T12:30:00.000-05:00

This is my very first EVER resin cast.
It took 2 days to complete.
I bought this book by Sherri Haab
"The Art of Resin Casting"
and then purchased the easy cast resin and a mold
from her website sherrihaab.com
I'm giving this book a thumbs up.
It's an easy read with tips that are truly helpful.
The 'Easy Cast' had no odor either (yay!)
the waiting was the only bummer
but I'm glad I did.

don't forget the ones you love

2007-02-12T11:41:00.001-05:00

even if they've gone on ahead of you...

I bezel set a picture behind a glass pebble
and left the patina from the torch
which gives it an older feeling.
This ended up being a key chain,
but I usually make pendants for the ladies
since I haven't figured out what a manly
necklace looks like yet.

oh crap its 'love' month

2007-02-05T20:40:00.000-05:00

Not your average love birds-
just another set of sock monsters made while
fending off the art vampires that went on tour.
These bad boys are being held for a
'place of honor' at a local shop
but I can always be persuaded to quickly
pack and ship them to unknown locations...
if the price is right.
It doesn't get much cooler than Bob Barker kids.
Always pick the second showcase people!

Shrine for Cisco

2007-01-31T11:52:00.000-05:00

I make Altoid Shrines every now and then
when the urge hits.
This one is for my friend in ABQ
who lost her dog Cisco.
I've made a couple of molds
(the flowers and the big heart)
For the stars and the smaller hearts
I have tiny cookie cutters.
In order for the acrylic paint to stick,
I use Killz primer that will stick to anything.
and lots of glitter!

my attention span is shot

2007-01-13T21:02:00.001-05:00

I have a sock monster curse.
I can't knit because I keep forgetting what I'm doing.
Strange thing is I can cook now-
not well but I found myself baking a cake last night.
Things are all messed up
and creativity is at an all time low.
Except for these sock things
that I can't stop making.
I'm afraid I'll have a whole room full of them
if I don't get a distraction soon.

925 STUDIO at ETSY

2007-01-05T15:14:00.000-05:00

Thats right
I've gone and done it...
the etsy shop

stop on by,
grab a monster
or a deal
or maybe both.

i love you this much

2006-12-28T09:46:00.001-05:00

arms spread out like an airplane
monster number two
is no 'runway' model
(oh how corny)
but with freakishly long legs and a short torso
he will always tell you
from sock nub to sock nub
he's gonna save it all for you.

*SOLD*

I thought this was the one

2006-12-27T23:07:00.001-05:00

the one that would
make me say
'ok, you're done.'
but it wasn't.
wait til you see
whats next.
there is a plan-
just need to make
3 more.
then
maybe I'll be done.*SOLD*

ok so I'm obsessive

2006-12-21T23:41:00.000-05:00

I got a good deal on some socks.
I'm selling these as fast as I make them.

I really do make jewelry,
I swear.

The new blogger has me
and my blogging all screwed up.
Trying to get my page half decent.
-sold-

some serious teeth

2006-12-17T22:14:00.000-05:00

This one is really odd.
Even my dog thought so.
I really liked these socks,
I was going to keep them to wear.
But Adrien gets
what Adrien wants.
Does she want this one?
-sold-

grandbear

2006-12-13T19:15:00.001-05:00

My aunt sent me this photo of my grandfather.
He lived in the U.P. of Michigan.
I wish I knew him better.
Like why was he wearing a bearskin on his head,
and why does it look so normal?

the ATOMIC

2006-12-12T01:29:00.000-05:00

well the show is over...
I sold the mini monkey and this
large weird bunny before the doors even opened.
Its a really odd picture,
but I do scrunch up nicely and it's comfortable.
So I SOLD OUT of all creatures knit or made of socks.
Even the dinosaur left me.
It was a long day but the bands were rockin'
and roller derby chicks are always cool.
The oddest thing was that everyone
squeezed the crap out of my knit creatures.
Like they were trying to find a dog squeaker in them.
I also noticed it was mostly men
who understood my Pluto t-shirts and laughed.
I only sold one shirt to Pluto sympathizer
it's ok, I really wanted to keep one for myself.

many thx

2006-12-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

I would like to personally thank the a-hole from India who left a mile long comment of links to crap and then left a second one. Having to scroll and delete, rinse and repeat- was the highlight of my day.

a purple one

2006-11-27T00:14:00.000-05:00

oh man am I tired.
I'm just cranking this stuff out
left and right.
I think I got about a week and a half left
til the big deal
be there or be square.
-sold-

Yes he's mocking you

2006-11-25T10:36:00.000-05:00

I thought this would be a nice sock monster,
considering he's all flowery.
Little did I know,
he got an attitude overnight.
Musta been talking to the chewed up dog toys.
-sold-

my first fish

2006-11-19T14:37:00.000-05:00

and my last.
My father refused to cook it,
told me to throw it back before I killed it.
I lost all passion for fishing.
I mainly liked digging up worms for bait.
And yes, that is the one and only
"Pocket Fisherman."

I almost failed out of my jewelry class

2006-11-18T19:43:00.000-05:00

Its true.
9am class and I couldn't
or wouldn't get out of bed.
who is creative at 9am?
I fought a lot with my teachers.
I'm almost positive they hated me a bit.
I didn't want to talk about
'what it meant.'
I just wanted to make stuff.
-SOLD-

planetary love

2006-11-13T00:22:00.000-05:00

it's my meager attempt at letting pluto know
I won't forget.
-sold-

my first press appearance

2006-11-12T09:18:00.000-05:00

Well its a first, even though I was not named.
(i'm not complaining- still grateful for any exposure)
These were the 'shady ladies'.
The beauties I chose were real badasses:
Baby Doe Tabor
Belle Starr
Etta Place with the Sundance Kid
All the names are linked back to my personal shots of each piece
and also have a description of these lovely ladies stories.

introducing a bunny

2006-11-03T18:32:00.000-05:00

I'm letting a lot of pictures slide by that normally
I would not accept to be posted.
I have so much work to do that I can't (won't) spend
mucho time on getting the best shot.
*that means it looks better in person*

sterling silver bunny on heat treated copper.

thx to whomever sent me the finger monster.
I've forgotten who it was.
-sold-

devil dog

2006-10-31T00:08:00.000-05:00

In honor of halloween this devious creature
has emerged from a pair of socks.
He's not as evil, as he is strange.

This creature if accepted, will be one of the raffle entries
at The Atomic Holiday Bazaar

I am the mightiest mouse.

2006-10-30T08:21:00.000-05:00

Some one out there has this necklace.
The day I see it again will be a happy day.

ring ring ring

2006-10-27T07:36:00.001-05:00

its time to make the rings.
They require much more attention than necklaces.
There are only a few who can wear each ring.
I will not size them.
I like to think of it as finding the easter egg
with your name on it.
*SOLD*

oh lordy!

2006-10-24T16:40:00.000-05:00

The one thing that makes my heart ache
is when my friend a.k.a The Molecule
sends me car art from out west.
I just about packed my bags
when I saw this beauty...

a bonafide jesus beater

satellite

2006-10-23T07:44:00.000-05:00

courtsey of Google Maps
This is where Im at right this very instant.
I love the satellite feature.
so cool.
I'm right past the mandatory flood insurance boundary
wind insurance however is required.

weird bunny

2006-10-16T12:07:00.000-05:00

still waiting for the weather to chill out.
and for myself to chill out.
I'm having some sort of mental fit.

-sold-

sidetracked by monkeys

2006-10-12T10:49:00.000-05:00

oh no. I've gone off the deep end for these sock monkeys.
It's a good thing I live in Florida
and there aren't many socks around.
I'm going to try to stop.
really I am.

-sold-

frog bag

2006-10-02T08:59:00.001-05:00

ok so I wasn't done with knitting I guess.
I don't know how to knit.
I can only knit straight needles.
no fancy patterns for me.
I'm what they call "an angry knitter".
I swear a lot especially in the beginning.
Oh and I always knit 'too tight' I'm told (hence the swearing).
I found the pattern here thx Arlene!
-sold-

the green dinosaur that nearly killed me

2006-09-15T16:08:00.000-05:00

Actually it's a Brachiosaurus,
for all you dino lovers out there.
It took me forever to knit.
Onward to mini sock monkeys!

*sold*

I knit an alien

2006-05-11T10:23:00.000-05:00

I found the pattern online but for the life of me I can't remember or find where it was from. I would like to give credit to the 'unidentified alien pattern giver'.
I fudged the feet because I'm not a knitter I just play one on tv.
I made a tag for him that says
'YOU SEND ME INTO ORBIT'

*will be for sale at the atomic holiday bazaar*
read all about it
http://www.atomicholidaybazaar.com/

-sold-