New Metalwork Designs

My friend Brenda taught our beading group how to make a metalwork bracelet a few months ago.  Since then I have been cutting, torching, hammering, fold forming, and corrugating my little heart out.  It is so much fun and so very different from the other types of jewelry that I've made!  Here are some of my new pieces.

This is copper that has been textured, fold formed, flame painted, and wired with turquoise rondelles.



This is copper that has been textured, fold formed, flame painted, and wired with glass beads and black onyx beads.

This necklace and earring set is made with brass that has been corrugated and flame painted.  The necklace has a Sodalite teardrop.

I know - this picture looks a little slim.  But my stupid green croc was in the picture, and I'm too *%&%! lazy to go take another picture, so you get the cropped version.  This necklace is made of copper that has been textured, fold formed, flame painted, and wired with a marcasite drop and marcasite nuggets.

Again, really gotta watch those feet.  This is my take on swiss cheese - shiny, shiny copper with assorted holes.  The matching earrings follow.

These earrings are made of brass that has been annealed and formed into petals, and wired with glass flower beads.

And finally, you can show your sweetie that you're thinking about luuuuuvvvv when you wear these copper earrings with male and female symbols.

Please comment on what you like and don't like, cause I always welcome feedback!

BSA and Beads and Bike Chain

Saturday morning we decided to go hiking again, so we drove up to Petit Jean Mountain State Park, which is only about an hour and a half from Little Rock.  We had a very pleasant drive up to the park and decided to do the Seven Hollows trail.  The Seven Hollows trail is my favorite, because of the huge rock formations.  Here's Sweetie and the Little Black Dog on the Seven Hollows trail.

We didn't get very far before we realized that the trail was really CROWDED, so we decided to do the BSA (Boy Scouts of America) trail instead.  We pretty much had the trail to ourselves for most of the time.  We're spoiled from hiking at our place in the country, because we usually don't run into anyone on the trails we hike there.  Anyway, it was a good hike - nice and warm, but breezy - and we ended up at Mather Lodge.  This is a pic of the vista from the lodge - doesn't really do it justice, you have to be there!



Here's another pic from close by.  The leaves aren't gorgeous this year, since it's been so dry, but still very pretty.

Then on Sunday, Sweetie and I drove to Hot Springs to go to the Bead Show.  I had fun shopping and then we went to La Hacienda for lunch - my favorite Mexican restaurant.  A very good day all around.  Of course, then I had to design something with my new beads, so I made this necklace with the Fire Agate beads I bought in Hot Springs.

That inspired me, so then I made two bracelets, a necklace, and earrings using a chain maille pattern called Bike Chain.

Followed by more necklaces with a pattern called Celtic Visions.



OK, I'll try to get off the alliterative kick now - just couldn't resist.  Bijou Booth, the Bountiful Blogger on BSA and Beads and Bike Chain!

Red and Brassy

Red and Brassy - sounds kind of sassy!  And it reminds me of my paternal grandmother Tessie, because she had bright red hair till the day she died - and she was definitely a sassy lady.  Of course, I was eighteen before I realized that she dyed her hair red and that was only because someone told me - jeez, I am really dense sometimes!
So, I made these earrings because my friend Lynn wanted something red and brassy.  Hope she - and you - like them.......

Pinnacle Mountain State Park

Hey, two posts in one weekend.  If that's not bountiful blogging, I don't know what is!  So, Sweetie, the Little Black Dog, and I went out to Pinnacle Mountain State Park to hike.  We started at the boat launch near the Visitor Center.  Here's a pic of one side of Pinnacle Mountain, with the LBD in the corner.

There were a bunch of people on the trail, which we thought was kind of unusual.  Then as we got closer to the State Park, we heard drumming.  Then the yummy smell of funnel cakes.  It's Rendezvous weekend at the Park!  Pretty cool, with lots of Indian wares for sell and Indians doing war dances and tee pees.  Here's a pic of a war dance.

Here's a pic of a tee pee.

And here's a pic of the climbing wall and the other side of Pinnacle Mountain.

So, all of this made for a very nice Saturday indeed.  I love October in Arkansas!

Resin and Metal

Yeah, it's the Belated Blogger.  I've just been too #^$&!$ busy to blog!  I got addicted to resin and metal, so my days have been full of  banging on metal, setting fire to metal, cutting out tiny pictures, and pouring ice resin - all of which I displayed at yesterday's Argenta Art Walk!

As you can see, I got a little carried away with the resin pendants.  Here's an upclose picture.

Just love the Christmas Cowgirl.  Now I'm looking for pictures for Cat Woman and Wonder Woman, as suggested by some customers last night.  Here's a look at some of my new metal work.

I know, I know - too far away to see, but I'll get some closer shots later.  Anyway, I had a great time last night.  It was nice and cool, and, as usual, lots of nice people.  Sweetie took off work early to help me set up and he was SO helpful, as usual.  And, no, I won't tell you about the whole smashing the finger of a very sweet lady, because Sweetie would be upset if I talked about it and he's already hanging his head down about it anyway.

Yikes, gotta go.  Sweetie and the LBD are going to Pinnacle to hike, and I want to go with them.  Till later.  I'll try to redeem myself and become the Bountiful Blogger!!!