Handmade Toggle Clasp

I've been making my own sterling silver hook and eye clasps for a couple of years, but until last month, I'd still been buying all of my toggle clasps.

Last week I'd finished this sea glass pendant and decided on agate beads for the necklace. The only clasps I had in gold fill were those super tiny lobster clasps that I didn't think were large enough to go with this piece. I've never bought any other sort of clasps in the 14kt gold fill simply because of price... and I couldn't do my normal hook and eye clasp because I'd never bought wire larger than 21 gauge in the gold fill.

That's when I decided to try the beaded toggle... I'm so happy with the result, I've made earrings that look just like the circle part of the toggle clasp :)

Sea glass flowers - on glasses

My family loves to make flowers out of shells and sea glass... it's definitely in my genetic make-up and not something I can control :P

Here's one of my mom's latest creations: Sea glass picked up off the beaches of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and made into flowers. The stamens are her prized pieces of cobalt blue glass (very rare) and perfect on these cobal blue martini glass stems.

And what's even better is that I have a husband who cooks and has filled these glasses with mousse. Somedays I think life cannot get better!

Recently, I was cleaning out some bead drawers and always get surprised by what I find (like beads I bought in 2nd grade, yet still have yet to use them or get rid of them?). I found some cute little sping time charms that made me wonder exactly what I would do with them since they don't even come close to looking like my "shore debris" theme.As I was laying them down together in a pile for destash, I thought, these look kind of cute... and don't leaves look like these moss agate beads hanging on the wall over here... Oh, and maybe I should pair them up with some pale pink...

Lo and behold, I got a cute little spring set.

It's fun breaking out and doing something besides the norm :)

Metalsmithing

In my last post, I mentioned spending all day at Ornamentea...

Here's what I came out with: Granted, I didn't finish everything in class and had to go to town yesterday with my files and emory cloth, but I like the results.
I can't wait until I buy all the supplies and can do some more at home!

Going small...

I love large jewelry so my wire wrapped sea shells end up being the bigger sort, but recently, I've begun listening to friends a little more when they say they'd like smaller pendants...

so I've been trying it out. My favorite I think is with 26 guage wire: And I used square wire here in the same method I would use to wrap a marble:
And this on is 20 guage round wire in a rather simple design:

Hearts, Hearts, Hearts

In honor of Valentine's Day, I have been going nuts in the heart department :) In truth, though, I've always loved hearts year round, but was making this set specifically to wear to dinner next Sunday... I had this shirt with a deeper neckline and nothing quite perfect to wear.

So without further ado, here are the earrings:
They are rather simple, one piece of 20 guage wire for both the heart and the earwires that I have hardened and flattened. (I believe I enjoy pounding metal with a hammer a bit too much.)

And here is the matching necklace - a three heart pendant on a suede choker.I also made a matching bracelet and ring, but need to redesign both (I've been wearing the entire set since last Saturday and yesterday caught the bracelet and ring too often on my pockets...)

Do you want this set? There's a Hearts Galore Giveaway on the Shore Debris Facebook Fanpage where you can win it.

I'll also be sending a set to Hearts for Haiti later today, but if you miss it in both places, they are up in Shoredebris1 on e-Bay.

Crafter's Block

Is this even a real phrase?

I feel like it is... (or at least I did from June until this past Saturday...) See this beautiful hawkwing conch. I got it from my mother in Cuba a day after Memorial Day and began working the copper wire around it immediately. (I remember the exact day because it was the day after we had both done a Guantanamo Bay craft fair.) Anyway, that piece came back to the states with me and has sat unfinished (wish I took a picture of it with the ends still flying around haphazardly) - albeit the wire was probably overworked as I tried and tried to make the ends do something that made sense. This past Saturday evening, I had an epiphany: Stop trying to do something outrageous and just do small spirals!I finished it and am now on a roll -18 large book marks, 2 small bookmarks, 5 cards, 2 pendants, and 1 pair of earrings. I would have stayed up all night Saturday and Sunday and kept making stuff, but since my husband doesn't get to enjoy every weekend at home, he doesn't like it if I hide in my crafting room the whole time :)

They weight has lifted, and I feel great!

I hate glue!

So yesterday I was trying to work on a large amount of notecards. My wonderful paper cutter, new punches, and scissors were all up to snuff...

However, the glue had it out for me!I cannot tell you how many photos I ruined and how much cardstock I had to throw in my scrap pile before I ended up with this little set of 3 complete cards...

So now, using every stick, bottle and tube of glue I own (except the hot glue gun and bottle of gorilla glue), I am going back to good old fashioned elmer's glue. It seems to never go bad and always works on my corners...

Sometimes I wonder why the simplest thing from when I was a kid always takes me the longest to discover again as an adult?

9 Posies down...

Only 291 to go... So here is my first try at branching out from only square paper items and I've managed to use 9 of my posies. And if I think of it harder, I believe this is the first time I have made gift tags that are not Christmas-themed - wow, I'm making progress of breaking out of that mold...

Looking at the tags more, I think I need to find something to be the stamen for the flowers, but I have time to figure that out (since there are no birthdays or other events coming up for me to wrap gifts for a couple of months).

I just found the solution...

to the little problem I have about killing my potted plants: I really don't mean to, but with life speeding by too fast, I seem to forget to water my indoor plants - I've killed cacti (those don't even need water, do they?) and succulents.

These sweet little potted fabric plants are at a place called Jane Joss on etsy.

To open a new store or not?

So, if you've ever looked at my stuff, you'd notice a large assortment of stuff... since everything interests me and I like to try everything. At what point do I make a new store?

That is my question.

I was thinking of a name: "Purple Fuzzy Feet" I haven't checked etsy to see if anyone has ever used it... and no, it doesn't mean anything. It popped into my head about 2 weeks ago and hasn't left.

Here's the stuff I am thinking of putting in it:

1. Vintage items - since about age 5, I've rescued vintage and antique items from family members and have accumulated much more than actually fits in my house
2. Fabric items - I have a thing for trivets, coasters, and aprons right now.
3. Papercrafts that don't match my sea shell theme (cards and journals)
4. 100% recycled to be sold in support of Carolina Animal Rescue and Adoption - Handpainted flower pots, gift tags, bottle cap pendants, etc.

Should I go with the new store or just keep adding to the one I have?

My new sea shell necklace on etsy...

So I finally had time to get some new pictures taken... sometimes I think it takes me longer to get good pictures than it does to make anything anymore. :) And by "good," I only mean "not horrible."

Here is my green turban shell necklace:

The pendant is a green turban (also called a "turbo" by other conchology books) sea shell that has been attached to a gold plated bell cap. The rest of the necklace is made up with glass, gold plated, mother of pearl, and top shell beads.

And here is a pair of matching earrings using glass beads and gold plated filigree beads:


Soon, I'll be making some more earrings that match this necklace, so be sure to look for them in my shop.

New Flower Pictures

This morning when I was out digging and working in my yard, I was looking around at how bright and beautiful all the flowers seemed to be. It is not like they were much different than any other day, but today everything just seemed brighter. I think I have a new idea for a line of art photograph notecards... I'd call it the "Color of Summer" collection :)

Here's the moss rose for you to see:

and here's a light pink geranium:

and here's a purple wave petunia:

and last, but not least, here's the zinnia:

I hope your gardens are all looking lovely, too!

Mom's New Work!

Do you ever go home and get completely surprised by what your mother has now created? Well, it should be no surprise to me... I grew up with most of my clothes being handmade; my mom has made pottery, comfortors, roman shades, oriental valance boxes, lamps out of vases and candlesticks, and just about everything you could think of.



But I've never seen her paint a picture. Here is a picture of her painting - a dog head triton sea shell (yes, we're all obsessed with shells):



The painting was acrylic on canvas and in a really neat and detailed wood frame. Maybe I was just so surprised by the creation because often times I think of us as craftspeople rather than artists?

Anyway, I like it so much that I've talked her into letting me share it with other people... I'm still working on whether to do prints with a matte finish or a glossy finish - but look for this guy soon on a set of notecards :)