Well I spent last week stamping more Wagon Wheels and thinking about those great American Pioneers who loaded up their families in covered wagons and headed West.  I've read all of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, but I'm really interested in the lives of the pioneers and would like to learn more.  I need to track down another book on the subject.  It's on the to do list!

Around this time of year when the weather starts turning hot, Hubby busts out the window coverings in the front of the house to keep the sun at bay.  This means I lose my photo taking spot.  Last week I set up in the garage with the door open, busted out the photo tent and took pictures in there.  I'm sure I am quite the spectacle, but at least I give the other housewives something to gawk at for an hour or so... ;-)

Before I got started I took a walk through the front garden to see if I could find some pretty props.  I found some little white blooming flowers, and this little copper colored wheel barrow from my daughter's fairy garden.  Isn't it cute?  I was pleasantly surprised how lovely the silver looks next to the copper!  I had fun with it, but I don't think it's going to be a permanent prop or anything.  What I really want is a good ol fashioned tumble weed.  We used to have them blowing on down the street back home all the time.  Now where is a good tumble weed when I want one?  Ha ha... it's too green here for tumble weeds. I'll have to check out the craft store and see if they sell such things.  I just want a little one....

My oldest leaves for a two night camp on Wednesday with her class.  She is alternately excited out of her mind and worried about the thought of sleeping away from home.  So far I'm not nervous at all.  She is sharing a cabin with her group of friends, their chaperone is a friend of mine and a nurse.  I know she's in good hands.  And growing up comes in baby steps, which is good for all of us.

I'm busy this week completing Mother's day orders, and in between I'm making some more leather bracelets with sterling sliders.  I'm having so much fun making bracelets. :-)

I hope you all have a fabulous week!  

Sneak Peak

Giddy up y'all!  I just finished this Flamenco leather bracelet, and I am in love!  :-)

All rolled into one...

Blog lovin,  and buying my own Mother's Day gift!


Blog lovin:  Rosy Revolver 

I often read artist interviews where the artist is asked which artist's work they admire, or whose studio would you like to visit.  Among others, Jess from Rosy Revolver would be on my short list.  I have to say that when I discovered Etsy and was making simple beaded pieces, and had just gotten hooked on wire wrapping, I also had a sense of wanting to learn to do more.  I wanted to learn to metalsmith.

I discovered Rosy Revolver before I discovered any of the other top sellers on Etsy.  I was immediately drawn to her design style, the ornate filigree, her ability to constantly churn out a design even better than the last super amazing design.  Her work totally changed the way I saw silver and stone.   Having grown up around silver and stone always in a southwestern style setting,  and then seeing Jess' work it was like a dawning that silver and stone didn't always have to be southwest looking. 

Jess created a style that has spread out like spiders legs all through Etsy.  She made us all think of using components in a way that she was the first to do (that I had seen).   In a way she opened Pandora's box,  because once the genie was out of the bottle there was no putting it back in.  But the thing I admire most is that she has continued to create, always staying miles ahead of anyone else.  She is truly an amazing designer and her craftsmanship is perfection.  Perfection I tell you.  I know because I do consider myself a collector. 

I just bought these last night!  When they arrive I'm handing them to my husband and telling him to give them to me for Mother's Day!  ;-)   At least I know I'm gonna like my gift this year!


Oh!  I added several new pieces to my shop yesterday.  I'll blog about my inspiration for these pieces later.  Right now I have to get to work!   But FYI my 20% off sale ends Monday the 30th.  And if you've been paying attention to my posts here on my blog you'll know there is a coupon code floating around out there as well!  Have a fabulous weekend all!

WIP Initial Charm Ring

I made the ring ages ago for a friend. Initial fabricated out of 12 gauge square wire. Final ring will have 4 initials!

Monday Monday

Here we are again, at the beginning of another week!  My how the time flies.  I'm busily working on 5 pairs of earrings which I hope to have completed and listed by Wednesday.  More wagon wheels and hand stamped designs.  This time with beads rather than bezel set stones.  I have so many gorgeous beads, I really need to use them!

I also have a few custom orders I'm working on.  A saddle ring, a two stone necklace, and a charm ring.  I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about custom work.  I really only enjoy it if I'm given full artistic license to make what I want, how I want.  Luckily these all fall into that category.  The hardest part about the two stone necklace though is having to make sketches to send to my cousin who is a fabulous artist.  My drawing is terrible.  I sketch often, daily in fact, but I'm the only one that has to be able to decipher them.   It's one of the reasons I want my daughter who is hooked on ceramics to keep up with her drawing skills.  It would be so valuable to actually be able to draw what it is I plan on making!

Beginning today, my Etsy Fort Worth team is having a Mother's Day sale in participating shops.  Click here to view a list of everyone who is participating in this sale.

I had a rough day yesterday.  Ever have one of those days where you just feel off?  I stubbed my baby toe on my daughter's scooter in the garage.  I didn't notice until later that it was bleeding, and I think I may have half ripped off the toe nail, but I'm too chicken to check closely.  Then I was working in my shop.  I had a drill bit attached to my flex shaft, and the flex shaft handle balanced on my vise, when it fell off and the drill bit gouged my leg.  Ugh.

And I weighed myself at the gym on Saturday. Big mistake.  Well, I guess it's better to know (like I hadn't figure it out already) that I've gained weight.  It's my own fault.  Too much not so good for you food and slacking on workouts.  It was bound to catch up with me sometime.  So I am making a conscious effort to do things that are healthy.  I've busted out the vitamins, the fiber, bought a bunch of good for you food yesterday at Central Market.  I even had spinach with dinner!  :-)   then hubby went to Cinnabon last night we wont' talk about that part 




Well, have a fabulous week everyone!  I'll see you again soon.  

Big and Beautiful

I love special requests. I got a request for 18gauge brass earwires 33mm long and 23mm wide. The silver bubble in the middle is usually the largest I make. I am having fun imagining what kind of earrings are going to go on these big glorious wires! :-)

Small Ring Sized Stones

Hi all!  I had an inquiry the other day about custom work and stones that I have in stock.  I'm not really loving these photos.  I've been having photo issues lately.  I really need to take a class and learn how to work my camera properly.  Anywho...

If anyone would like to lay claim to any of these stones for custom work let me know.  I have a bunch of stones that I could be making simple (or fancy!) bezel set pieces with.  I've been drawn to tiny stones lately, but it just may be time to give some bigger stones a whirl!  I hope to get time to photograph some of my larger cabochons.  I've got some real beauties!

Sugilite         Amethyst Plume Agate*taken      Amethyst

Orange Chalcedony (ohhh yeah!!)  Amber  Rutiliated Rose Quartz

Rose Quartz   Pink Opal    Rose Quartz   Rhodocrosite

Turquoise

Aqua Chalcedony   Chrysoprase    Prehnite    Amazonite

Contact me at amymarez@yahoo.com if you are interested in any of these stones!

Prim and Proper

Arizona Turquoise

Hessonite Garnet

Melanite Garnet

Rainbow Moonstone

An excerpt from the listing:

I was watching a period piece once from the Victorian era, and just loved the little earrings the ladies wore in their ears. Small almost like a post earring would be, but on a hook. Sitting just below the ear lobe.

I've had in mind to make these for ages, and was recently inspired to make them after receiving a custom order in a similar style. I must admit to being a little lost on a name for them though. I often look in the thesaurus for synonyms to certain words. Today I looked up "victorian". I must say I was a little taken back by the synonyms given for this word. Square, stuffy, goody two shoes, prim and proper. And so on in that vein. I love the Victorian era, and I've ready plenty of books where everyone wasn't acting so prim and proper! I was very surprised that prim and proper were what summed up an intriguing era.....

I seem to be making things in groups of four lately.  It has sort of become a

natural rhythm for me.  I like it. 

WIP Wednesday

It looks like a black widow body non? :-)

New Leather Bracelets!

I shared a work in progress pic with you guys last week of my new hand stamped leather bracelets, and here they are complete!

Yay!  I had so much fun making them.  Each pattern is made up of individual impressions made one at a time and painstakingly laid out.  

Green Tea

 This one was the most time consuming.  A very tight pattern, almost every bit of leather impressed with my stamps!

Mustard Yellow

 The leather took this yellow so beautifully.  I am drawn to this beauty but I don't know if it's the pattern or the color that calls me.  I've been calling her the Yellow Rose of Texas.  :-)

Thistle Purple

 I've been wanting to make some leather bracelets for ages.  And after over thinking it for ages to the point I never even made anything at all, I decided to go with simple.  And what I do best.  Stamping.

Dusty Rose

 Turns out my ever expanding collection of hand made stamps that I use for metal work just as well with leather!  I had a lot of fun building the patterns one impression at a time.  It is quite therapeutic. 

Single bracelet on

Bracelets stacked

These are finished larger than what I would normally wear, but it hasn't stopped me from wearing them all at once around the house.  I love them all stacked together to create sort of a wide cuff silhouette.   They could all be the same color....or different colors.  The possibilities are a little mind boggling!  And..something I noticed... no matter how you put them on,  after wearing them for awhile, all the snaps will end up on the underside of your wrist all in a pretty row.  

I love it! The other thing I over think where bracelets in metal and stone are concerned is how they will end up.  The heaviest part always ends up facing down.  And often times that is the part you want facing up!  The opposite here is true in these.  That makes me happy....

Working with leather is nice.  It's nice to do soft and pliable once in a while.  And there is something about summer that makes me want to wear leather bracelets.   Pretty summery colors for your wrist!

Already listed in my Etsy shop!

http://amynicoles.etsy.com

Seduced

By leather. :-) I have been a leather stamping machine! I so love stamping. Turns out my metal stamps work well on leather.

I got a little excited yesterday and bought 4 new color stains! Now I have to use them right? ;-)

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend. We are having lots of rain here...rather gloomy. Hopefully the sun will be out tomorrow!

Turtle Inspiration

I found the picture on my phone of the turtle exoskeletons that inspired the slow and steady earrings. :-)

Slow and Steady...

On our recent trip to Nevada, we visited my Aunt and Uncle in Henderson.  They have had numerous turtles ever since I can remember.  They have this super cool enclosed area in their back yard where the turtles live, and they even have tunnels built in for them to go underground. 

What struck me most though were the empty shells of deceased turtles that my Uncle found in the desert.  The patterns in their shells have been on my mind since. 

The other day when I got my supply order in, I had all these little discs that I immediately saw turtle shells in.  As I was making them, I began to think of turtles and what they represent.  Of course the old story of the Tortoise and the Hare came to mind. 

Slow and Steady wins the race....so says the Tortoise.  I've always been impatient.  Slow is not really in my nature.  I like things fast.  Fast reader, fast eater, fast walker, fast, fast, fast.  When I can keep my impatience in check I find that I am more often than not rewarded for my waiting.   Sometimes I need a reminder.  To take my time.  To take things slow and steady.  Just like my friends the turtles.  :-)  These are listed in my Etsy Shop.  

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!!

Leather....

I have been conducting experiments of the leather variety trying to come up with a bracelet design that I just love. 

Sample 1:

 This is my first try.  I made it to close at 7 1/2" and 8 1/2".  I had thought that making it versatile would be good, but on second thought I think they should be made as close to the actual wrist size as possible.  I can live with the doubled up section, but I'm not really loving it. 

I have always been particular about my bracelets.  I like them to fit not tight, but not loose. The 7 1/2" closure works perfectly for me. 

I also think the snaps would fit a bit better if the beaded border wasn't there.

Overall, the design is a keeper.  I've been wearing it all day and love it more and more.  I just need to make a few adjustments here and there.  I'm also considering making it more like a bangle bracelet.  I'm thinking I could let it dry on my bracelet mandrel after stamping it, and it should retain the round shape.  We shall see.  More experiments to come.  Give me some feedback please!  What do you all think? 

And..  I finished the rugged little leather butterflies.  I picked these up off of the clearance table when I went to Tandy a couple of weeks ago.  I could not love them more!  These are perfect for summer.  I picture them with sundresses!  :-)

Rugged Butterfly with Turquoise

Snow White & Rose Red ~ Fresh Water Pearl and Ruby

Buttercup ~ Carnelian and Calcite

Bluebell ~ Lapis and Kyanite

These have all fluttered into my Etsy Shop.  And they are included in my 20% off sale.  The prices may not be updated yet.  I am trying out Etsy on Sale, and it is supposed to update my new listings to be included in the sale. 

That's it for me today!  See you all again soon...  :-)

WIP

:-)

New stuff on the way...

...Soon.  :-)   In the meantime, enjoy a sale at my Etsy shop.  I even added a listing for custom hand stamped necklaces.  Mother's Day is just around the corner you know!  :-) 

Have a fabulous Wednesday all!  Ohhh...Wednesday!  You know what that means.  Yep.  I'll be back with WIP pics later!

Leather Butterflies

Contemplating my next move while they dry.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

It's a Mary Poppins sort of day here, and I have this song in my head while I make little rugged butterflies out of leather.

Have a fabulous Tuesday all!

More Wheels...

All listed in my Etsy Shop!

WIP

Wagon Wheel ~ Orbit w/turquoise

Tip...

Photo credit: Lorelei Eurto

It's been awhile since I've had a Tip, Trick or Technique to share, but today I have a great one for you!

My girl Lorelei is a master at asymmetrical design.  She has written an e-book sharing all of her tips for asymmetrical design!  I just ordered a copy for myself and can't wait to get it!  My brain is hard wired for symmetry.  Every time I've even attempted asymmetry it just doesn't look right.  Lorelei never fails to amaze me with her design ability.  I'm so glad she is sharing!  :-)

http://lorelei1141.blogspot.com/p/asymmetry-made-easy-ebook.html