Travellers Copper Bracelet

Being an enthusiastic traveller always ready to strike out on an adventure I created a wide cuff bracelet in copper to honor my voyages to distant places.  I hand stamped each city and country that I remember fondly in my travels onto the surface of the cuff as a pleasant reminder of the places I have been and as a reminder of the places I have yet to go.

Our first Big Adventure together was in Cabos San Lucas in Mexico.  We were there on a company retreat and had the afternoon to ourselves with no scheduled activities planned so we took advantage of the opportunity for some sight seeing.  The rattle trap van had been rented to transport luggage from the airport to our hacienda and was our only available transportation for the day so we grabbed the keys and with map in hand, we climbed into the cargo van and were off on our Big Adventure.  For those of you unfamiliar with Mexico once you leave the tourist areas of Cabo San Lucas the roads become very narrow and the surrounding areas are desolate with only scrub brush and cactus as far as the eye can see.

Our destination was Todos Santos, an artist colony and the home to the famous Hotel California that the Eagles had written a song in tribute of in the 70's.  Welcome to the Hotel California, any time of year you will find us here...

The van was a bit more tragic than we had first thought and we began to wonder if we would make it to our destination without a break down.  There were no towns in between as we had anticipated just points of interest on a map.

We saw the occasional bony steer and an occasional donkey here and there.  I have no idea what they were eating as I couldn't see anything that a cow could survive on and no water for them to drink.  It was a bit alarming to be driving around a curve in the highway and see a long horned steer beside the road with no fences to keep them away from the highway.

We began to see burned out cars in ravines along the highway with shrines nearby for those that perished in the crash.  It seemed that when accidents happened the cars were left to rust where they lay.  It reminded me of the Mad Max movies I had seen starring Mel Gibson and Tina Turner.  We became even more suspicious of the steer and began to watch more closely for signs of them lest our rattle trap van end up along the highway joining the other abandoned vehicles laying in rust.

We arrived in Todos Santos without mishap and easily found the town center.  Anxious to get out of the van for a bit we parked and climbed out onto solid ground with a sigh of relief.  We found a flea market and purchased souvinirs, a coffee mug for Dan and a pottery vase for me.  We found no artist colony but we did find a cantina, where we purchased cervazas and took a seat under an umbrella out of the hot sun.  As we sat musing about where we might find the Hotel we looked across the street and there it was covered in vines.  The windows were boarded closed and a no trespassing sign was nailed across the front door.  It appeared that the hotel had been closed for quite some time.

It was a grand adventure and set the bar for our future adventures together.  Now we jokingly proclaim that we are off on another Big Adventure each time we leave for vacation.  Our trip involved staying in a beautiful hacienda on the coast, seeing whales, eating the best banana pancakes on the planet at the Palmilla, deep sea fishing, visiting Sammy Hagar's restaurant the Cabo Wabo and of course our adventure to Todos Santos.

I added Cabo to my bracelet along with New York City, Malta, Bahamas, Monaco, Italy, France, Florence, Nice, Chicago, Barcelona, Puerto Rico, Roma, Spain, Mexico, Marco Island, and Tuscany.  Just a smattering of my favorite places...

The Hotel California is now open once again and available for your next Big Adventure.

This customizeable bracelet is available for purchase in my etsy shop where you can add your favorite cities and countries to create your own personal Travellers Bracelet.

Thank you for visiting...

Blessings, Julie

Metalwork Shawl Pin

This Fall I will be joining the local Fiber Guild at the Creative Hand show which means it is time to start putting a collection together for the show.  In addition to knitted fingerless mittens, wrist warmers, shawls, felted bags and the sweetest crocheted ballet house slippers with suede leather soles and tiny chamomile blossoms on the toes (which I am very excited about)....I have decided to add a collection of shawl pins.

Organic shapes are my favorite forms so... a sheet of copper is annealed,  folded and shaped  into a triangular shape then texture.texture.texture is added....the part I love!  It's polished to a high sheen and sealed so it will stay bright without tarnishing.

It's a large dramatic shawl pin measuring almost 4 inches in length with a bamboo pin to secure it to the garment.  Shawl pins are not only striking against knitted fibers but hold allows your favorite scarf or shawl to drape without falling off your shoulder.  The shawl pin is a great way to showcase your favorite textiles.

I think this shawl pin would look lovely with an airy white crocheted shawl.... beautiful with those sweet summer dresses.

I'll finish with a sweet little clover from my flower garden....yes, I will probably regret leaving it but it was just too sweet to pull....

Blessings - Julie

Art Sings of God Wide Cuff Metalwork Bracelet

For Art Sings of God and Ultimately Belongs to Him

 - Patti Smith

"Much has been said about Robert, (Robert Maplethorpe) and more will be added.  Young men will adopt his gait.  Young girls will wear white dresses and mourn his curls.  He will be condemned and adored.  His excesses damned or romanticized.  In the end, truth will be found in his work, the corporeal body of the artist.  It will not fall away.  Man cannot judge it.  For art sings of God, and ultimately belongs to him."

I am reading Patti Smith's latest book, Just Kids that won the National Book Award and was one of the best ten books of 2010 chosen by NPR Radio.  Patti has a lyrical way of writing that is a deep pleasure to read and I highly recommend this book.

I was inspired by the idea that Art Sings of God and ultimately belongs to Him.  Today, so I cut a piece of heavy gauge copper to form into a wide cuff bracelet.  I saw a model wearing a wide cuff bracelet in a fashion magazine that I was thumbing through while waiting for my car to be repaired and the image stuck.  The expression by Patti Smith and the vision of the wide cuff inspired this bracelet.

I wanted the cuff to have an organic feel to it, as well as a celestial reference.  The upper portion of the cuff is celestial and the bottom of the cuff is organic referencing tall grass of the prairies.

I placed the HIM above in the celestial area of the cuff as I often look to the heavens for guidance, gratitude and patience.

Hand forming metal is such a pleasureable experience putting my fingerprint on the metal by repeated blows of the hammer.  I never grow tired of bending and forming the metal.  I especially like working with copper it responds well to hammering and the patina of the copper comes to life when polished to a high sheen.

More wide cuff bracelets that I love, just for inspiration.

Cuff by Eva

Carrie Underwood

Gucci Fall 2010

Gucci

Miley Cyrus - Oscars 2010

Blessings - Julie

The Find

Man of the House Plate - Buy Here

Here is another installment of things I have found for my etsy shop - ThingFinder.  I have selected a few things that made me laugh to share with you.

This plate really cracks me up, I don't know why I think it is so funny, I just do... 

Nixon Political Button - Buy Here

Another find, that made me laugh.  Sarcasm...always funny.

 Now onto to something beautiful.

Copper Grape Leaf Tray - Buy Here

A beautiful copper serving bowl with grape leaf, vine and grape details.  It's heavy and stamped with Made In Japan on the back.  It's gorgeous.

Now something interesting.

Statue of Liberty Collection - Buy Here

Instant collection of three Statue of Liberty souvenirs from New York City.

And something Blue...

Blue Iris Pitcher - Buy Here

Sweet porcelain pitcher from Japan in vivid blue with my favorite flower the Iris.

I hope you had fun sharing The Find with me this evening.

Broken Heart Formed Copper Necklace

Copper Broken Heart Necklace - Purchase Here

Another installment from last week's creations, a broken copper heart that has been mended with brown leather.  Carefully hand formed from a sheet of copper, contoured with a hammer on the anvil and sealed to retain the vibrant copper sheen.  The pendant is suspended from a sterling silver beaded chain.

I spent a blissful morning working in my flower garden today.  I pulled weeds, trimmed my flowering shrubs, tied up my clemantis vine, pruned the white lilacs, and added dead leaves and other garden debris to my composting pile.  I love my garden and can spend hours in there...puttering around as my husband calls the process of me wandering around with my pruners in hand inspecting each plant.

My son, Chris and I went to our local Home Depot for more mulch, they have a beautiful color this year called Forest Brown.  It looks really nice covering the path through the flowers.

Molly, my Jack Russell terrier is my garden buddy.  She stays with me no matter how long I work, right by my side as I work sniffing the plants and the newly disturbed dirt.  She sniffs along and then stops and begins to dig.  I used to shoo her out of my flower beds, but now I just let her enjoy herself with her snout buried deep into the hole she has dug, snorting and snuffling like a little piglet.  It's really quite amusing when she does that.  Dan will walk by and ask me how my little pig is doing?

Here's Molly bounding up the steps with one of her rawhide chewbies - she adores them and my vet says that she has the cleanest teeth of any dog her age that she has seen.  It also helps with the doggy breath...and most importantly keeps her occupied.  Chewing on the rawhides is so much better than my furniture that she would surely be gnawing if I didn't occupy her with the rawhides.  That terrier energy has to go somewhere and if I don't control how it is expended then Molly surely will in not so pleasing ways.  I love the breed and have found ways that we can all live happily together.

Look at my beautiful little pears that are just beginning to form on my trees...aren't they sweet?

Thank you for the feedback on my postings, it really helps the creative process when you get opinions from others...I love the collaborative process between artists and friends.

Blessings and a Hug - Julie

Lily Pad Formed Copper Pendant

There are afternoons while working at my bench in the studio that I get distracted with a thought or an idea of something I want to create....usually I can resist temptation and continue working on jewelry that needs to be shipped or pieces for an upcoming show.  But, this week the urge was too strong to resist and this is the result...

A copper lily pad necklace that I cut from a sheet of copper and then hammered the metal into the shape of a lily pad on the anvil.  I admit that I have a thing for hammering metal.  I love adding ripples along the edges and creating the bowl indention.  There's something about hammering metal that speaks to me...it is one of my favorite things to do in the studio.

Once I achieved the desired shape it was time to play with patinas.  After experimenting with several different mixtures and combinations I chose the blue patina for the lily pad.  Once the patina was dried, I sanded and scored the copper to highlight the desired areas and then sealed the entire piece.

Holes were drilled for the cables to thread through and a large pearl was secured to the surface. 

I'd love to know what you think?  Is the pendant too large?  Should the cables be heavier?

I will be sharing the other pieces that I created with you in the upcoming week.  I have been having fun in the studio and have lots to share with you.

Here's what's blooming in the garden...

Lovely Clemantis

Wonderful Roses

Pale Pink Peonies

Oops, Angus is on the wrong side of the door again for the 20th time today....gotta dash!

Blessings and a Hug - Julie

Copper Cuffs and Bracelets

These something mystical about horses - their grace, elegance, and power seem to enchant us. I often rode when I was younger, even riding in our annual parades in the small town where I grew up. But, my driver's license, High School sports (I played volleyball and ran track), my first job and boys put an end to my riding days. Why didn't I date a cowboy instead of that football player?

I have often felt like an ODD DUCK in my life. Living in the city after growing up on a farm can be difficult at times when it comes to relating to my girlfriends that grew up in the city. They haven't worked cattle, rode a horse, swam in a creek, hauled hay in the Summer, or gone on hayrides in the Fall. Being somewhat of a tomboy doesn't help either, they certainly didn't spend an entire day pretending to be on an archeological dig. I don't think digging a large hole in the lawn would have been tolerated, but when you live in the country there's plenty of room to dig outside of the yard around the house. They think my country upbringing sounds pretty awful - like a lot of hard work. It was hard work, but I can't imagine growing up any other way...

One of my favorite things about the Midwest is the wheat on the prairie, miles and miles of it swishing back and forth in the breeze always takes my breath away. I am always sad when I hear that wheat prices are down because that means farmers will be planting more soy beans and corn. No swishing wheat.....sigh.

One of the leather cuff bracelets with a little bird on a branch that is riveted in place that I really loved making with etched copper. I think it has a tuff feminine quality to it that I love. Women aren't all lace and pearls, you know....


Nickel silver buckle gives the bracelet a cowgirl feel that I like and is functional allowing for adjustment to smaller or larger wrist sizes.
I love to hammer and shape metal. Why is that? Is it the physical effort, the sound of the hammer hitting metal or the end result? Whenever you bend metal to your will, you put a bit of yourself into the cuff - forcing the metal into the shape you desire. You take an ordinary copper rod and create a fun piece of jewelry - I love that!

Gears are fun to work with representing the industrial age when gears were used in factories, cars, clocks, tools, and endless other ways. Refining of the wheel into a working gear...human ingenuity. Add the brass micro bolts and nuts and the brass gears are connected to the copper cuff.

This bracelet has good heft to it and feels substantial on the wrist without being too heavy. My love of solid jewelry with a little heft says something about me and my nature. The gears actually turn together on this piece making it a mechanical art piece. My resourceful husband is a CPA by trade, but can handle any project around the farm from roof repairs, to plumbing, repairing the lawn mower, or building a piece of furniture. The kids are always included in the projects around the house and farm. It's a Midwestern thing. Ryan is different from his friends in the city, he uses power tools, builds small furniture pieces, and makes his own skateboard ramps. A chip off the ole block...

Another cuff this time in tooled leather with pink rhinestones to add that little touch of feminity to soften the stamped metal plate and rivets. "There's more here than meets the eye." is stamped onto the copper plate on the front. The woman's mantra...

Here's sweet Molly and Angus, my terriers riding with me in the country with the windows down and noses in the breeze as we crunch along the gravel road to the farm. My little buddies that I can't imagine life without.

It's beginning to feel like Fall with cooler temperatures and the leaves are just beginning to fall to the ground and make a wonderful crunch under my feet....xo Julie