My Facebook Page

Yesterday I started using my Facebook page to auction off some of my jewelry pieces.  All jewelry on my Facebook page is crafted by me in my home studio.  Please stop by take a look like my page so that you can stay up to date in my designs.  If you have any questions please contact me.

http://www.facebook.com/linksandloops

The first item up for Auction are my Sapphire and Pure Silver Earrings.



Visit the link below to see the listing.

https://www.facebook.com/linksandloops/posts/10152700471870667

Art Show 2014

Art Show:
I work for the county office of education as well as running my small business. At my job every year we have an employee art show.  I try and make something new every year to enter.  In 2012 I entered a couple of necklaces and a ring. The Chain Mail necklace and the ring have since been sold.

In 2013 I create a Copper Hair clip.  It was a lot of fun playing with the swirls to create this piece.

This year I am entering a few pieces.  Silver necklace with swirls, Copper swirl earrings and a couple of hammered Copper cuff bracelets.  The Copper cuff's are made from copper pipe that is hammered using several different types of hammers and rounded Dapping tools.  The larger of the two bracelets weighs 2.5 ounce while the smaller one is 1.5 ounces.

The earrings are all copper hand formed into the swirls then soldered into place.

The Silver pendent again is all hand formed swirls soldered into place then Green Mountain Jade & Black Onyx is set.  

 I really like entering these shows as it really makes me step outside my comfort zone and be creative. I have to push myself to do something different that I wouldn't normally do.  In doing this I have found I really like the hammered look and I love working with the wire to make the swirls.

My New Studio

Well hello everyone!!  I am super excited to share this with all of you.  I have waited so long to have my own jewelry studio and now I have it.  Granted it is out in my garage but I am so in love with it.  Lots of time from several family members to put it all together and so appreciated. This is me sitting at my old workbench which consisted of a 6 foot folding table with a block of wood and ceramic pizza stone on it.  Propane torch which my loving husband referred to as a toy.

This was towards the back of the garage by the door that enters into the house

Behind me is a bookshelf with all my beading magazines and some bead boxes.  To my left is an old Manicure desk I used for years as my workbench.  I love how it has extra electrical outlets. to my right is the rest of the garage....

I got up one Saturday morning and decided this was the day to redo the work area.  This is the before pictures....

you can see the little bench in the
background and the table I used to use

Decided to move the work area towards the front of the
garage since there is more ventilation up there.

My Husband Gary who is so amazing by the way :)  and one of my sons Tim Who is also amazing :) built me wonderful workbench.  It is 6'X4' which will be perfect for teaching small classes as well.  With the leftover 2'x4' piece of plywood they covered the top of my old Manicure bench.  That is now my beading/shipping station.

Above is the smaller bench with the new top.  I have also nailed a plywood board to the wall and hung all my beading drawers up there.  The bead boxes I have stacked on top of them.  I place a shelf at the top where I have plastic displays sitting to add jewelry on if I have a client come over.

You can see my new workbench in the foreground  I LOVE IT!!  on the end I have my soldering station with my new torch.  No more "toy" for this gal :)  For our anniversary last September Gary bought me my new acetylene torch.  I love him so much!!!  On the wall beside my beading supplies I have hung a peg board where I have extra tools and beading wire along with extra copper wire.  I have several little pull out drawer on top of the desk and workbench I use to hold all my silver, gold filled, copper brass wire and sheet. the mess to the left of my work area are shelves I have totes full of misc stuff for shows and other extras.  To the far right of my long bench where you see a few empty tubs we will be placing a smaller bench there for my polisher.

Here is more of a close up view from a different angle. I still have to mount my dremel drill press, place my Photography section, all my lights, and a permanent place for the rock tumbler but all in all I think I am off to a good start.  I am ready to sit in there and start creating and I have no excuses anymore. A recent purchase was a lapidary grinder polisher to make my own cabochons   That is a whole other story and an adventure for Gary and our daughter-in-law.

I hope you have enjoyed the transformation of my jewelry studio.  I know I enjoyed creating it and it will be forever changing.  Please leave me a comment with your thoughts.

Thanks,

Tina

Wedding Jewelry

It was such an honor to be asked to create the jewelry to be worn in a wedding this month.  Jamie is a friend of the family and a very beautiful person.  She is getting married this weekend to her prince charming. A few months ago my husband Gary and I went to the Gem Faire and we found the most beautiful pearls I just had to have.  Gary actually found them and told I had to have them.  They are Freshwater Pearls that the centers have been carved and then Swarovski crystals are hand set into each pearl.  My first thought was these will make incredible wedding jewelry.  So when Jamie requested I make her wedding jewerly I told her I knew exactly what I was going to do.  Here are a couple of pictures of her jewelry.  I will take a picture or two with her wearing them with her wedding dress and update this post.

Close up of earrings the center of Necklace matches.

for some odd reason the blog keeps flipping this on its side :(