Wire Work Shapes - Playing with Wire, Hammer and Anvil

Hey there!

I made some wire things a few months ago, and now realize that I am all out of "practice" wire. It's so easy to "waste" wire, isn't it? If you know where to get a budget friendly stock pile of good wire, let me know in the comments.

Anywho, while experimenting with some ideas, I came up with the following designs. They are made with 16 gauge craft wire, and the antique bronze is 26 gauge craft wire. They have also been hammered on my anvil, making them flatter and strengthening the wire.

A Bow. Want to create little arrows as well  :)

Wire Bow

Leaves Frames (maybe for earrings?). They are obviously not twins, more like sisters  ;)

Wire leaves frames

Chubby hearts. Should these be earrings? Not sure what to do with them...

Chubby wire hearts

Scepter, or Staff. Lots of stuff going on here. There's coiled wire, beads, wrapping, and hammered curls on the bottom.  I imagined a mage would use it to cast some spells.

Wire scepter or staff

Wire scepter or staff - full length view

Crescent moon. I added spirals in the center of this pendant.

Wire wrap crescent moon

Wire has so much potential! I can't wait to make some more intricate things with wire weaving, wrapping, etc. 

Enjoy! ッ

-meowser

Herringbone Weave Cuff with Brick Stitch Earrings

Finally, a use for those hex cut beads! I didn't realize that hex beads made the herringbone stitch stick out so well. I created a cuff using black hex cut beads, and it looks as though it's shimmering as the light dances off the multifaceted beads.  I have to say, I am so proud of this piece  ッ

I also made my first brick stitch component, and did a brick stitch around a bead. I used one as a sort of closure for the cuff, and I decided to make more components for the earrings. No pattern followed here, just regular brick stitch and herringbone.

 I really wanted to make the earrings using a herringbone stitch, but since I wanted to increase/decrease the rows, I found that I needed to use brick stitch. So, the center of my earrings has 3 rows of herringbone stitch, and the rest tapers off each end using brick stitch, follow by the little component.

Here's the set, although the bracelet had a hard time standing up.

Just laid on a glass jar, to show the components.

I would love to get some feedback on these. I'm actually working on the choker for it right now. I'm thinking of putting a larger component in the center, and maybe have some picots or fringes on the front. I need to buy some ribbon ends/clamps, or whatever those things are called that are used on cuffs and chokers. 

Anyway, are these sellable (yes, I just made up that word)? Would you buy them? 

Ciao for now.

-meowser ッ

Right Angle Weave Gray Pearl Set

Viola! My very first beaded set!

I created a ring and earrings off the same pattern (or tried to).

A note about the pattern: when you go over the ring again with the seed beads, it tightens up the ring and makes it smaller, so give yourself more length to work with (my ring only fits my pinky finger).

For the earrings, I made a larger unit on the bottom and tapered it towards the top. I went back down, trying to follow the "V" pattern, and weaved back up and created a loop to hold the earring wires. The "V" shape shifted a bit in the pictures.

I know it's no where near professional quality, but I was happy that I managed to finish my first set!

Feedback? Thoughts?

-meowser ッ

Right Angle Weave Silver Pearl Bracelet

Finally! Another completed beaded project by the non-beading bead weaver (try saying that 3 times fast).

I found the following page with a few different schemes or patterns:

http://www.artbiser.com.ua/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=44&p=173

I saw this particular 2 needle right angle weave pattern, and thought I'd give it a try with my 6mm gray pearls and black seed beads:

From http://www.artbiser.com.ua/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=44&p=173

Note: You can scroll down, or Ctrl+F for "Zigzag cernobily".

As you can see, I didn't follow it exactly (I got confused when adding the seed beads).

Looks more like "V"s instead of "X"s, but that's ok  ッ

Close up of the pattern

It's actually not a very long bracelet

I really like the raised effect that the seed beads add to the bracelet.  It gives it added depth.  I added a silver toggle clasp to the bracelet. My modest goal is to make a matching set for this piece.  I'm so happy to have tried something new!

Enjoy your beading / bead weaving!

-meowser ッ

Jewelry Making - Silver Wire Wrapped Ring with Green Beads

Hello Hello!

It's been awhile since my last post, but I have made some headway in jewelry making, especially with all the pinspirations that I've seen over the last few months. I bought a steel bench block and a hammer so I could start hammering some of my wire pieces. I also obtained more wire in different gauges so I could practice the wire wrapping within the ring. And yes, there is a kitty in the background  ^^.

The ring is adjustable, and the hammered end has hardened it and helped it keep its shape.

This is just the start for me with hammering and wire wrapping.  I can't wait to try so many other wire wrapping tutorials I've seen!

-meowser

The Early Attempts at Photorealism - Little Girl

Not too long ago I learned about photorealism (sometimes referred to as hyperrealism). While many critics dismissed this as a form of art, I believe that photorealism involves a great deal of skill and patience. I also see the potential of photorealism (for example, using I photo that I took, but adding in things that my photo did not capture). Alas, I digress. I am unofficially trying my hand at photorealism using either photos found online, photos I've taken or other photos. Below is a drawing showing the photo and the attempt at the photorealistic representation in pencil form.

Here are links to some inspiring photorealistic drawings. Hope you enjoy  ッ

Linda Huber:  http://www.amusingplanet.com/2009/02/photorealistic-pencil-drawings-by-linda.html

Brian Duey:  http://www.dueysdrawings.com/portrait_tutorial.html

Juan Francisco Casas:  http://www.boredpanda.com/25-photorealistic-pictures-drawn-with-a-bic-pen/

-meowser

Little S-Link Silver Wire Bracelet

I learned that I need a LOT of practice when it comes to jewelry making. I have a vision, but in the process I lose it, and just get frustrated. I'm still learning how to manipulate wire, and still need either Tool Magic or some nylon pliers so that I stop stripping the wire. In any case, I tried to make a simple bracelet for my niece today. It's a little smaller so I'm hoping it fits her nicely.

S-Link bracelet with silver wire and beads

Another view

Full circle

It's very simplistic, but I hope she likes it. What do you folks think? Suggestions, supplies, insights, commentary, anything, I need to know!! Thanks for reading ^^

-meowser

Silver Wire Wrapped Spiral Ring

Hello again! Here we go, playing with wire. I would love to do some casting, soldering, etc. but I don't have the equipment (or space, or money), so I'm sticking with wire for now to create these little accessories. I'm using 20 gauge artistic silver wire, along with round nose pliers, flat nose pliers, and side cutters. 

And today I have....(drum roll)... a wire wrapped spiral ring! See?

My spirals are not perfect, but nothing is. Don't judge!

Here's the rear view (hehehe, rear).

As you can see, it doesn't really stand up well (I mean hello, it has spirals!). So don't mind that it keeps falling to the side.

Looks a little sad here  : (

On the finger, so shiny!

I give it a thumbs up  ^^

I'm not going to try to sell this yet, but if you have feedback, ideas, comments, let me know.

Hand made bracelet using silver wire and beads

Hello! I have recently taken an interest in jewelry making. I ordered my first silver wire, tools and beads and went to work right away.  Here is the "finished" product.  Finished, of course, if it gets positive feedback.

I aimed for symmetry. Did I get it?

Another aerial photo of the bracelet.

As seen on the hand. Rockin'  \m/

Up close.

Lobster clasp.

The wire measures 7.5", however having looped the ends it cuts down the size of the bracelet. I could adjust it for whoever would want it. It's currently posted on Etsy for a modest price. I'd like to justify buying more supplies and equipment if I can at least cover costs, because I really love making jewelry so far! Please take a look, and if you fancy anything, let me know!

-meowser

Repurposed Crystal Light Container

Hello again! I'm really new to the DIY scene, but decided to post my first repurposed item. I always buy Crystal Light and thought "I could use these, somehow...but for what?"  Then it hit me, and, lo' and behold, I found a way to reuse them!

My little art supply

I don't have any wallpaper, glue or those fancy things, but you could easily cover these canisters and make something really pretty, like these folks have (note: I googled this after I repurposed the containers. wish I thought of those sooner!). Besides, the transparency allows me to see what I need when drawing.

colors!

more stuff

canister is the perfect pocket for these charcoal pencils

And there it is. Now instead of storing all my stuff in the crappy plastic bag I bought it in, I can put them in here! Let's hope the cats don't knock it down and turn my colored pencils into some freaky tie dye on the floor...

So what other repurposing have you done? Also, any suggestions for more repurposing? I really don't want to buy more crap to store my crap in, know what I mean?

-meowser