Charmingly Yours

I love jewelry...and I especially love handmade pieces.  I don't consider myself a true jewelry artist (jump rings, right?) but I love putting together bits and pieces to come up with something uniquely different.  While I love soldered pieces, I don't often pull out the equipment to make charms...and apparently a lot of you are in the same boat.  Over the years, I've heard a lot of comments about soldering.   "It's fun, but not for me."  "I can't get it to look good."  "It's an awful lot of work for a little piece." "I can't get the hang of the wrist action."  "Something's wrong with my soldering iron." And finally, my question to Sally Jean, the soldering queen, "How come your solder is so smooth and mine looks so bumpy?"  Sally Jean's response?  "Practice!"  Just that simple...

When I decided to teach a holiday/gifting jewelry class at Scrapbooks, Etc. this quarter, here were the guidelines I set up for myself.  The pieces would be easy for a beginner to put together, they would be based on pretty findings, and they would encourage the person taking the class to use their creative paper arts skills in making mini collages, and there would be NO SOLDERING.  Here's what I came up with.

Here's what you will have in your kit:  a rectangular pendant finding in antique silver, an oval pendant finding in antique silver, and a disk bracelet in antique silver.  I chose pendants that are large enough to create small collages...which is the creative paper arts part of the class.  One of the pendants will come with a ball chain and two wrapped beads to complete the set.  The second pendant will be plain and the bracelet will have 5 disks.

Each kit will contain mini images suitable for collage, as well as backgrounds and alphabets and numbers, either to create words or monograms.  In addition to what's in your kit, there will stacks of papers, some solid and some with images, for you to build your collages.  Bottom line, what you see in my charms won't necessarily be what's in yours (unless you want it to be).  I will also be bringing some mini stamps, pure silver glitter and tiny jewels to add to your pieces.  Finally, I'll have some additional pieces to give you more ideas.   And guess what, there won't be a single piece of solder involved!

If this sounds good, I'll be teaching the class on Friday, October 16th, from 10:30 to 1:30.  Just give the store a call at 480-854-2303 and reserve your spot...spaces will be limited due to the nature of the class.   Hope to see you there!

Charmingly yours,

Carol

 

Comments

[Vicki]

So not fair that us out of towners can only oogle from afar!! I have Sally Jeans book and really wanted to learn--but I can't seem to "figure it all" out.. I know your class will be wonderful!!

[JoLynn Caldwell]

WAAAAAAA!!! I'm an out of towner, too!!! Carol, PLEASE let us know if we can get kits.

[Grace]

ooh ahh I love them they are so pretty! Lucky girls who live close! Hugs Grace

[Regina]

Carol, I love these. The AZ girls don't realize how lucky they are. Super pieces. Love em, maybe kits?

Regina

[JWood]

oh... some of DO know just how lucky we are! carol is an INSPIRATION!

[Carole Brungar]

Hi Carol, super gorgeous! Wish New Zealand wasn't so darn far away!!! :)

[Ardith Adams]

Hey Carol, I too wish I wasn't so darn far away. Your pieces are beautiful and I absolutely love them. I've been thinking about you esp. when I find a neat antique or junk store. Also when we went to the blueberry fields you always came to mind. Not sure if it's the amazing blues that remind me of you or not. I don't even know if you like blueberries but you always popped into my mind. Take care, Ardith A.

[carol]

Thanks, everyone, for the comments and emails. I think that the best value for this project comes in the form of the class because I'll be bringing so many different things to share...the kits themselves are pretty basic. So, for this one, probably just a class.

Ardith, I DO love blueberries...a lot!