Etched Copper Earrings

I spent the day yesterday at an Excel class. Everything in one day is a little too much to grasp, but the instructor always gives tons of handouts to use at home, as well as a practice disk. I really thought I should take the class so I could make my Etsy accounting a little easier (once I set up the spreadsheet, that is). Then there's the sales tax at the end of the year.

But today I forgot all that and got back to working with the things I love. I etched these two pairs of earrings earlier in the week and today dipped them into patina and finished them. They have my handmade lampwork beads as dangles.

Pieces of Red Treasury

My etched copper earrings were featured on this beautiful treasury today:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTIwMzQ1OTV8ODgyNTIxNTI1/pieces-of-red

Rescued Persimmons!

This morning I was unhappy to see two more persimmons on the ground that had been eaten like apples! A couple weeks ago I wrapped netting around the tree and that helped for a minute. So today I picked them all. The persimmons all have a little color, so I hope they eventually will ripen. The ones in the stores feel hard when you buy them, so there's hope for these, isn't there? I will put them in a single layer in a box, but should I cover them, leave them uncovered?

Last year on my new tree, my total crop was ONE! This year I had about 35, but am down to what's in this basket, about 20. A couple of these were pecked by birds, but I'm keeping them to see how they ripen.

And here's what's left on the tree. A persimmon that was enjoyed by a squirrel or rat. I would love to see his/her face in the morning when this leftover is all he/she finds! HA.

Lovely Dried Artichoke Blooms!

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of my dried up artichoke plants and the new growth already over a foot high. Well, I finally got out the long extension cord and the Sawzall and in minutes had everything cut up and into trash barrels. The photo of the bloom I posted at that time needs to be trashed, because here are the two other blooms that were left on the plant.  WOW.  Next year I'll get a photo of the bloom before it dries up .... it's REALLY beautiful.

Gourd Mask -- Wild and Crazy!

She has wild and crazy hair made of raffia and she loves it! Add a strand of beads and she's ready for anything.

Business Card Holder Stained Glass

I love this business card holder made with beveled glass. I have one on my desk with cards of my most important contacts, and it's a pleasure to see it each day.

Etching Photos

I wanted to share my latest etching experience which was done using a D battery and salt water.

Here's the set-up. The positive red wire and alligator clip gets attached to the copper wire holding my two earrings with the hand drawn swirls. The negative black wire and clip attaches to the copper wire holding a scrap piece of copper. A jar is filled with warm water saturated with salt. The two wires holding the copper pieces are put into the salt water.

Immediately you see bubbles forming and gradually the salt water turns a red brown color.

I left the earrings in for an hour, and there was definitely a beautiful etched pattern. Here they are out of the solution. They need to be washed and scrubbed.

Here are the finished earrings below. If you'd like to learn more about this process, please contact me and I'll give you the information I have. It's so easy and rewarding!

Beautiful Feathers!

A friend and I had been working on form folding with copper and brass several weeks ago. She said she had started a project at home and showed me bits and pieces of her progress on Skype. Never did I think she would complete such a magnificent project, having had no jewelry training. When I saw this yesterday, it blew my mind! When you have talent, you have talent. I had to share this with you, as I am so very proud of my friend.

New Items on Etsy

The two beveled boxes I made over the weekend have already sold! I made another one today ... and will have to forget about weeding and laundry and .....

Here is the third pair of earrings I finished yesterday. Made with etched copper and my own lampwork beads.

New Etched Copper Earrings

I finished two pairs of my new etched copper earrings. They are really nice ... if I say so. We found the process soooo easy, and I will share it with you complete with photos in a while. And if you have any questions, contact me and I'll give you a great website to refer to. No messy chemicals was the greatest advantage.

The top photo has hand drawn swirls and a border around the piece using a special pen. I added brown freshwater pearls on copper wire. The earwires are sterling silver.

My own copper green lampwork beads go nicely with the lower earrings with the center cut out. The pattern is also drawn on with a special pen. So easy!