Venturing onto unknown field. Soldering beads and Head Pins Part I

I have always wanted to make something of my own (beads, chains, shape copper sheets...) that I can include on my finished handmade jewelry. 

Of course just wanting to make something doesn't mean you can! 

A few years ago (about 4-5 years), I bought 3 tutorials and 2 of them were about soldering tins and copper sheet. I painstakingly studied them.  I bought and even ordered some of the supplies that were needed. 

But for some reason there was always something missing, something else that needed to be ordered from the other side of the Atlantic!

I could have started it anyway, but something else kept holding me back and now 5 years have passed.  

I think, I was scared that I would not succeed so I let the little voice inside my head win that party! 

I could no longer accept it. So lately, by meeting some people who motivated me, I tried several things.  I finally tried the soldering and I will tell ya...I am so happy I did because the result is not bad at all.  Especially for my first time! 

I am selling what I made for others to use into their projects.

I will also start slowly to sell some of my other stuffs, because I am dealing with some health issues. It is becoming hard for me to work on my jewelry, and when I do, I am so much in pain.  So as a result, my small business is suffering and I can't spend as much time on it. 

So, if you need something here or any of my other beads,  please let me know! 

Czech glass and vintage glass beads tranform into head pins for your pleasure.

Here are Ocean Jasper Pendant and earrings, Antique green kyanite and moss agate gemstone Earring

that I soldered to be used as they are, or on your own creative way.

Rhodocrotie drop and crab agate, I turned into headpins

Raw Citrine crystals included with Goethite boughs and Amethyst gemstone soldered into headpins.

It was a long painful process due to my condition but I enjoyed making them with love and care!

I have protected each of the items that I made with renaissance wax so that it will be more durable and protected from the elements.  

Like always, thank you so much for stopping by.  

Merci beaucoup 

AJE August Design Challenge - Art Headpins. Reveal day!

If you know my work, then you will know that this challenge is for me!!! :)
I haven't been on electronic devices for quite sometime now. And all my work has been in slow motion since then, especially my poor blog, which is my main way with Instagram to connect with other designers.
Last week, I was checking my blog when I came accross this challenge and it was like a "Calling" for me to get caught up with other designers!
The purpose is to create your own Art headpins component or use Art headpins in a finished piece of jewelry. 
I am a crazy lover of headpins and over the past years, I hoarded plenty of them. But like most beadalcoholics, I can't have ENOUGH headpins.
I even tried to make my own headpins with polymer clay, it wasn't a big success but they said "Practice makes perfect" so I will give it another try.
I used different styles and various headpins, from ceramic, polymer clay, paper to glass, all from very talented bead Artists.

Uche

When I first saw these headpins, I knew I must have them!

I really love the combo of the boro lampwork and gemstone.

Ifeanyi

This asymmetrical pair of earrings, evoke what is left of the encounter between the ocean and volcano, slag melting of the material, etc...

Organically shaped, these twisty headpins are adorned with vintage coconut roundelle beads, organic black tektite, handmade mismatched ancient looking ceramic bead with hole,tumbled lava beads all dangling from handmade rustic Kazuri sterling silver finding.

Here is a glance of my own headpins. I painted some of them with Swellegant paint, acrylic paint and some are not painted.

Efe

I used the headpin's wire to shape the earrings on which I strung tiny seed beads and Rainbow Mystic Pyrite nugget beads. I finished them by wire wrapping with flattened antique copper wire to give them a more rustic look.

Ife

Beautiful combo of red artisan ceramic bud headpins with a unique organic pattern, adorned with handmade lampwork and red agate gemstone all dangled from artisan made antique copper finding.

This mismatch was not intended!

 By trying again and again to make it perfect, I broke the wire ( that happens sometimes when you work again and again with wire) I left it this way because I did not want to do some additional unintended things. I finally like them this way!

Bantu Efua

I made these gorgeous pair of earrings with dark charcoal  glass headpins which have a highly rough texture with very little bits of shine on them with tiny silver specks. I like how the brass caps topped with lava beads balanced so well together to make them so elegant.

 A year ago, I used the same caps in one of my earring designs and the result here is completly different!

Ifem

I started with the flattened headpins that I made with dark annealed steel wire.  I told you, I am a crazy lover of headpins and I am always happy when I can achieve to make one myself! Not very fancy headpins but I love them!

This pair of earrings is sure to be a show stopper! :)

I used weathered looking turquoise crackle bead caps all the way from South Africa, balanced with turquoise, petrified wood, Indonesian glass, etc...

Abla

I simply adorned the polymer clay headpins with handmade lampwork and my own coiled wire topped with gemstone beads.

Efia

I find that by shaping and simply dangling the headpins with these lovely Tibetan beads added a Southern accent to this design.

Eya

This unusual pair is a result of one headpin refusing to be like the other. That's what Kim wrote about the headpins but  she decided to pair them anyway.

I emphasized this difference by using handmade mismatched ceramic beads ,

which balanced so well and bring a very delicious harmony to these asymmetrical earrings.

If we all were alike, the world would have been so monotous!!!

Well, I really tried hard to limit myself, otherwise I was going to show you all of my headpin collection! :)

As always, Thank you so much for stopping by!

Please check out the other designers blogs.

Guests:

Alison Herrington

Renetha Stanziano

Karin Grosset Grange

Gloria Allen

Deb Fortin

Cate van Alphen

Mona Arnott

Shai Williams

Sarajo Wentling

Kathy Lindemer

Solange Collin

Brooke Bock

Melissa Meman

Patricia Handschuh

Tammy Adams

Melissa Trudinger

AJE Team Members:

Caroline Dewison

Lesley Watt

Cathy Mendola

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Susan Kennedy

Laney Mead

Diana Ptaszynski

Lindsay Starr

Niky Sayers

After Beach Collection

It's been a while since I stopped by!!!

My inspiration for these designs came  from the ocean , sea, river, lakes, and the waters of our planet! 

I made this pair by sorting all my kuchi belly dance charms that I have been collecting for 6 or 8 years now. I used a pair of glazed hooped connectors which were hand formed in earthstone and fired with bronze clay and raku lime glaze.  I then dangled a variety of beads, from vintage to modern.

I love the indigo colour on this pair of earrings!

Yellow brass is hammered against an old railroad spike for a unique texture that is slightly curved then tumbled and treated with an indigo patina.  I simply topped the 2 inch by 9mm hammered Brass spears with a rustic blue denim handamade lampwork and a Tibetan pearl. 

Larimar stone and handmade sea inspired lampwork beads along with antique silver beads and chain.

I like the fresh tranquil soothing blues of Larimar, it reminds me of the Caribbean sea.

Did you know that Larimar can only be found in the Domican Republic?

I made this necklace very simple, which is not in my usual style, but this gorgeous lampwork bead didn't need much. I added red agate gemstones here and there to keep it simply stated.

As always, Thank you so much for stopping by!

Spring Summer Collection Next!

Normally, I like to work in silence but from time to time, I like to listen to my favorite music which is Jazz but sometimes I found myself listening to some other musicians, I really really like. This time, Jerry Garcia smooth voice were calling me and I was really inspired by him and his voice, not to mention, when he played his guitar. It's so gracious, so deep, so wonderful. You lose yourself in Jerry's music!

Nostalgia of San Francisco and the good old times!!!

I think, my Instagram friends will recognize the heavy gauge salvaged copper wire I shaped and oxydized on which I dangled spiny oyster beads that I bought on our way to Monument Valley.  I added primitive, rustic,  lampwork beads below a vintage soldered bulb.

When I came acrossed these lovely leopard skin stones, it remind me of a modern art painting!

Nothing can beat Mother Nature's art, that is for sure!

These have beautiful splash of many colors: orange, purple, burgundy, red with hues of navy blue in this leopard skin jasper.  They are simply wire wrapped with recycled sari silk fiber, adorned with Indonesian recycled glass and lava beads.

I started this pair of earrings with handmade ceramic buds in a unique shape with a transparent oriental greenish blue glaze.  Topped with pastel lilac beads and adorned with Tibetan bone, an unusual ruffle spiral lampwork discs in shades of blue and aqua, then beautiful purple sugared beads and finished with charoite gemstone beads.  

Simplicity is needed here because of these huge Serpentine gemstone, I simply topped it with rhinestones, African turquoise, yellow topaz and  my signature copper wire wrapping.  

As always, Thank you so much for stopping by!

Spring cleaning studio!!!

I don't have much to say this time! Well, in fact, I must limit my time on the computer in order to be able to heal my longtime wounded shoulder and backache.

However, I would like to talk a little bit about my unorganized "so-called" studio.

Normally, I am a very tidy person, with a place for everything and avid about putting each thing where it belongs, my family even always said that I am too meticulous.

I don't get it, because when it's comes to my studio, it is so hard for me to keep it tidy!

I won't show any pictures of it, because you guys out there will be afraid! ;)

I won't hide that I spend a lot of time searching for items or particular beads each and every time I design which leaves me feeling lost a lot of time.  My beads are lost...I'm lost.

Sometimes I clean and rearrange everything but it never lasts. For some reason, when I'm inspired, I need to mess up my bench with all kinds of beads because I have so many ideas at the same moment that I need to have those beads to make all of the designs in my head right then and there!

And here we go, the mess is back!

We all know that a well-organized studio makes it easy to work on any project, so I have decided that

I need a real studio that looks neat and tidy with a great bench to work, so maybe then I won't mess up it .

Well even in the chaos of my studio, I am happy to see all of these evocative materials, those that I have hoarded for so many years and also the new beads all of which work very well in my aesthetic vision. 

My Spring - Summer collection and so many more to come...

African Turquoise, lampwork beads, unique organic pattern artisan ceramic headpins all the way from Russia and vintage African glass from my Grandma

A pair of diamond shaped earring shields made from dark clay embossed with an African ornament

dangled below Greek ceramic spacers and  African brass cage rice shape beads, topped with  Lemon Chrysoprase gemstone beads.

I started these earrings with another design in mind but my initial plan fell apart and I didn't want to waste my copper wire. So, I improvised with these hybrid Picasso turquoise I had on my messy table within easy reach. My mistake lead me to this perfectly imperfect design which I finally love.

 Petra's ceramic dangles always make a statement. Hand formed rustic pair of wrapped loosely with nichrome wire spikes dangled below vintage coconut roundelle spacers, tribal yak bone mala Inlaid turquoise and coral chips and topped with  chrysocolla gemstones.

Another one of my favorite ceramic artist. Happy Fallout, I can't get enough of her beads!

I used handmade lampwork headpins (I love all kind of headpins) then, I enhanced them with stunning genuine ancient Roman glass roundelle fragment beads with green and blue color. These Roman glass beads are over 1000-1500 years old and were found in Afganistan. I also added unusual textured ceramic beads with printed letters on wet clay using an old typewriter, matte aquamarine gemstone and 4 mm gold olive green Czech glass to make this magnificent perfectly imperfect statement pair of earrings.

Stay tuned!!!

As always, Thank you so much for stopping by!

SanKoFa

I can't remember how often I heard or used this word "SanKoFa". It is just one among others in my native language but I always liked the rhythm of the sound when Grandma used it. 

Then I googled it and wow... I learned a lot about it. How it has become a symbol in traditional Akan Art, in African American and African Diaspora.

SanKoFa mean to reach back and get it.

It comes to this moment in my life that I need to return to my roots!

When I first started my jewelry journey I wanted to make plenty of tribal jewelry, but with a comtempory influence.

I made some of them which were sold very quickly to people like me, who like the jewelry they wear to be noticed. ( In my case, it was not the sole purpose but I feel more comfortable this way!)

Then, we moved to this city where I currently live and I lost my interest in making tribal necklaces.  I was selling more earrings than my tribal necklaces.

Recently however, I felt the huge need to make the necklaces again and the inspiration came to me naturally.

Africa, Africa, Africa...

My beautiful land,

Land of proud warrior,

in our ancestral Savannah.

Don't tell me you are a myth,

because that's the way, I see you.

Beautiful land,

You have so much to give,

So much to forgive,

Africa, my land, Africa the broken heart. I see and feel your pain, but through this pain still I see your beautiful smile. I hear your Heart of a broken land crying. This is my Land and I won't deny it because I love you more than ever before... Africa

I see your hidden beauty, I see you like a very timid beautiful woman.

I see your potential and I love you ever more.

My land, My broken land,

I love you more than ever before,

Forgive us, Africa!

Forgive your children,

Because they didn't teach us, how to show you this love!

I love you more than ever before!

I never really left you Africa, because I carry you in my heart wherever I go!

You made me the strong woman, I am today!
I am so thankful for that!

I know like everywhere else in the world, you are changing. You are making a transition in your own style. Unfortunately these changes are not for the best!

We are losing our culture.
We are losing our native languages.
but still

Africa, I love you evermore

Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika

God Bless Africa

In this project, I used handmade vintage recycled vinyl beads from Mali, vintage Bauxite, African trade beads given to me by my Grandma,Yoruba Bell spiral charms, brass from Nigeria, brass cast metal from Ivory Coast, recycled krobo beads I bought in Ghana during my last trip there. The pendant mask was specially made for me at my request a few years ago by a Senegalese Artisan in the Ivory Coast, using the technique of lost wax,
and of course: gemstones, bone, handmade ceramics and polymer clay beads  made by my friend Leah Curtis.
I also, repurposed a Tibetan necklace my sister gave me which her friend bought in Nepal a very long time ago!

What you may think is just a long string of beads, is in fact a lot of: work, research, assemblage and disassembling to make the most perfectly imperfect tribal necklace from recycled objects that I have collected from all over the world over a period of several years.

As always thank you so much / Me daa si  :)

Giveaway, Reveal

Thank you so much to those of you, who always support my work!

I can tell that I don't have an enormous fan base but I realize that in the beginning it is always tough.  Since I changed the name of my shop I am having to start over again.  I really appreciate those of you who are recognizing my work and if you can please help me spread the word.  

After asking my teenager boy Glenn-Camille several times to chose from the entries, he finally decided to pick the winner from the bowl of entries.   

The winner is: Laura L.

Could you message me your address via etsy convo please?

Thanks to everyone!

Throwback to Norway last summer!