Drill Baby Drill... Who Said That???

Since I promised I'd share with you how I drilled my holes in my sea glass the other day, I thought I'd tell you, how easy it was. :) No really and to think I've spent months agonizing over doing it without exploding either the glass or worse yet the rotary tool. LW solved the rotary tool problem by giving me a Dremel tool for our anniversary!!! Just how cool is that!! I spent lots of time on line researching how, I read a number of articles, and I asked fellow Bloglandians like Deryn of Something Sublime and Lynn Davis of LLYYNN Of course like everything else everyone has their own little routine. But on a whole the two things that were always recommended was to drill in water, and use a diamond bit with a rotary tool.

Soooooo for my first trick mixing a power tool with water, without creating permanently curly hair!! :) There were all kinds of suggestions on how to do this. The most reasonable one for me was to use a sponge in a bowl with a bit of water. Sponges are not the easiest thing to find here. ???? You would not believe the things you can find growing in a wet semi used sponge Yuuuuukkkk!! We do always have a store of those simi-disposible extra absorbent mutated towel/rags we keep for Dulce. So I folded one in fourths laid it in the bottom of a clay bowl and added enough water to just cover the towel. Then laid my glass on top making sure the top was wet.

Picked the size diamond bit I wanted about a 1/16 th and cone shaped instead of the flat head bit. I did that because until you get a small indentation in the glass the bit wants to skate all over. So using the pointed head seemed to put that indentation in very quickly. The glass stays put and won't move because the spongy towel holds it. That's the first reason why the sponge is a good idea. Until the bit gets a good bite in the glass I run the Dremel at just under half speed. You can always raise the speed if it looks like you are going no where. You also don't need to press down with a lot of force. I press down till I feel the glass start to resist. When the bit has an indentation to ride in I increase the power to half. I didn't see the need to increase it more then that.

If you press down to hard you can over heat the drill, the bit and the glass. You know the dremel is over heating when it turns it's self off. :) What I have learned to do is press down enough to give the bit something to dig into and pushes the glass and towel down enough to keep the water just over the top of the glass. I'm sorry it's really hard to see in the picture. I was drilling with my left hand while the camera was in my right, and I have NO "ami. skills"!! I barely have right handed skills :) Any way back to the picture. See the little white puddle under the bit on the glass ?? That's the little skiff of water on the glass keeping it and the bit wet. But it's not lapping over the glass in Tsunami size waves so that it can reach the electrical (read permanently curly hair) parts of the drill. I also tend to lift the drill off the glass every of minute or so. I can check to see how far the progress is and take the constant pressure off the bit & drill. Patience I think is the key to success. Although I don't think it was even 4 minutes to drill through the really thick pieces, like the one I showed you the other night.

A couple of things I have learned are: Use as small a bit as you can when the glass is thin. Also drilling the hole really close to the edge tends to make the piece break off. :(. The thinner the glass the slower and less force you want to use. Be sure you always have the water dancing lightly on top of the glass, and lift the bit up every minute or so. BUT most important is not to get impatient Like the saying goes "Slow and sure wins the race" :)

You can buy dremel bits at just about any of the big box hardware stores. I don't know what they cost up in the Northlands but here because they are imported this little bit was the equivalent of $12.00 US !!!!!

I did a bit of surfing and found Harbor Tools had diamond bits of all kinds and sizes for much more economical prices. So the last time El and Jackie went north I asked El a fellow power tool junkie to pick up this set for me. This set goes from 1/16th and has a number of different type heads. They are all diamond coated and cost just under $5.00 for the set!! That made me a happy girl!! :) Now I can't tell you if they will last any longer then their expensive cousins. I'll have to get back to you on that. I do know that everything I've read says that by keeping it, and the glass wet and from over heating the diamond coating last longer.

Okay kids now that you know how easy it is give it a try. I suppose if unlike me your supply of mermaid tears is small you probably don't want to be working out the bugs on them. Maybe you can practice a bit on an old chipped plate or cup, before taking after your precious MMtears!! :)

I hope this helped a bit, and didn't muddy the waters too much. Now Renate I hope to hear about your drilling successes soon. And LeAnn try not to put too many holes in vessels that need to hold liquid!! :)

Have a most audacious today or tonight depending on where in the world you are p;)

Jewels From The Sea

I finished 2 new necklaces. I made a necklace around the sea glass that I punched the oh so cool hole in! :) I also made one using the awesome pewter piece Lynn Davis made of the Chinese Goddess Guan Yin oh and I added a small mermaid's tear to it. :)

On the whole I'm rather pleased the way they both turned out. This first one was a true learning process. The easy part: I made the chain with a small length of brass chain I roasted over the fire on the burner of our stove. :) I burned off the tarnish protection and ended up with some nice caramelization. Oye sounds like I'm sauteing dinner huh?? :) The rest of the chain is part of a rosary.

I used copper (cuz I don't have brass) wire (need to get some) to make the circle thingy. I then stretched a thin piece of copper wire and threaded a fresh water pearl in the center of the "thingy" Gads it's these technical words, they can be so overwhelming!! Off the circle I hung the ever so cool piece of mermaid tear (which looks a lot like a piece of Coke bottle bottom), that I wired on a mutated fresh water pearl. Maybe it started out to be identical twin stick pearls but ended up as conjoined twins????? The other is a piece of , I believe Lynn D refers to it as "Potmetal" and LW calls it sludge metal. Whatever it is it's nasty and evil!! I took apart an old necklace from one of those expensive women's career clothing stores. You know the ones. I figured as much as their jewelry cost the it would be at least tin???? Nope but it was painted to look like patina gold over copper/brass. Fooled me so I stuck a piece in the flames to roast it only to watch it lump up and crumble on the burner!!!! EEERRR. Back to the Dremel tool (have I told you how much I love my gift from LW) with the other pieces, sanded off the protective finished down to the copper color the added some patina magic potion back on it. I glued a shell on it and stamped the Spanish word concha (sea shell) There's another first stamping letters on metal. Not to bad huh??? Letters are in a straight line and all in their right places!!

Now for another first. I've had this sea urchin for a long time it sat in my kitchen window waiting for a divine vision to strike. The problem with using it is how fragile they are.So how do you keep from crushing it???? Well, I had one of those middle of the night AH HAs Fill the inside with something light weight, firm & with some give to it. I thought Liquid Nails clear silicon!!! It worked perfect!! I glue a little glass heart over the top hole to cover the super secret protective agent.

SO now how to incorporate it into a necklace but keep it from swinging all over the place and risk it breaking?? I decided to place it up on the chain and use it as the closure. Why yes that is a big ol brass paper clip :) it really works perfect to stabilize and provide a closure for the hook. But it looked so bugly when the glue dried so I glued a few embroidered flowers over the bugly part.

I will admit I really am not liking the whole paperclip look on the back side. Because this isn't going to be mine (it's a little just cuz gift) I really would like to pretty it up a bit. Soooooo what would you guys do???? Please suggestions are badly needed. The divine visions must be in need of stronger glasses, cuz I can't see "nuffin"!!!!! Help!!!



This other necklace is pretty much straight forward. I made it to wear with my new fall "wardrobe" ;) I used amber chips and blue tumbled glass beads, and at the ends I place 2 beautiful green peridots. I made the piece short but I added ribbons as the closure so I can very the length

The focal is the Goddess Guan Yin made out of poured pewter by Lynn Davis. She also made the Mermaid I used in a necklace, remember????? I just love her work!!!! She does such an amazing job of adding hundreds of years of age on her pieces. She really puts a lot of time and thought in her aging processes. This is one of her Fauxtique pieces. If you haven't been over to her blog and ESTY stores you really need to take a little trip!! One thing she does is solders jump rings in places so you can attach beads or charms. I wired on a small mermaid tear and tiny freshwater pearl. And if you squint your eyes just so and tip your head you can see that the little pearl is shaped a lot like a heart! :)

Have a most audacious tonight or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are p;)

PS. Is anyone out there interested in how I drilled the holes in the sea glass??? If so I could post it next time if you'd like me to???

The Last Outfit... & A Couple of Giveaways

Okay kids so far I'm ahead of the electrical storm headed our way. :) I finished the last jumper and skirt and I think that's just about all this little "fashion plate" can stand. I have enough to take up north. North would be North Carolina for a couple of days and the rest of the time in South Carolina. The weather won't be to much colder in So Carolina then it is here, so we don't have to worry about freezing to death :) I mean I will pack my socks just in case it gets too cold. Ha I'll be a tourist there and everyone knows that it's high fashion to wear their socks with sandals!! Right????

I made the jumper out of a oh so soft blue-gray silk with a small olive-taupe stripe. I made a soft brushed stretch cotton olive skirt to go with it.

Things could really get boring because I use the same jumper, skirt and apron patterns all the time. So each time I tweak things like the necklines, shape or add a bit of vintage fabric from my stash. I've had a piece of vintage lacy laceup thingy hanging on my board forever waiting for a divine vision. I think it's intended use is to lace up the front or back of a gown, I just thought it was to beautiful to pass up. I don't know how old it is. Could be years or could be 2 years old. I found it in the front counter of a little seconds fabric store No air conditioning in the store and the glass in the counter is shaded it still gets a fair amount of sun each day. Soooooo like I said it's any body's guess on age. :)

I left the left side seam open and placed the laceup thingy (does anyone know the official name of this piece of garment????) on the seam to lace up the jumper Oh yeah that was after I took it for a tea dye job to add a bit of patina :) So there you have it another cute little outfit for Annalise. Don't anyone tell her because it would really hurt her feelings but I think I fill out the top of the jumper a darn site better then she does. ;)

I just have to show you guys this !!!! Isn't it sooooooo, the most coolest, neatobanito thing you have EVER seen???? What??? What do you mean what??? Of course it's the HOLE !!! See it??? There at the top of that piece huge Mermaid tear!!!! I MADE that HOLE!!!!! Yes sireee I did. I made it with the ever so cool Dremel Tool that LW gave me for our anniversary!!! The DT and a diamond bit and it was like magic!!!! :) When the project is done I'll show pictures of the whole creation. I just couldn't wait to show you the hole!! :)

My little Bloglandian Sis Lulu of Coastal Sisters is having a lovely fall give away. She has created a wonderful fall necklace that you need to skip on over to see and leave a comment. Well that's if you would like to be in the drawing. And who wouldn't I mean it's a chance to have a OOAK Lulu original!!!

Oh Look here is one more giveaway. Our little french Bloglandian sister Esther of Mes Illusions Baroques has also created a OOAK cameo necklace to give away in celebration of the opening of her ETSY store!! :) Soooooo when you are done at Lulu's little home skip over to Esther's register for her giveaway and check out her new store!! :)

That is all for me tonight my bloglandian family. Some how I'm still ahead of the storm so I don't think I'll press my luck any longer!! Have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are p;)

She's Alive!!! ALIVE !!!!! :) & A Finished Piece

Why yes she is alive :) I managed to get Mascara on yesterday, and today I even went for lunch with Jackie P!!! Course being the good friend that she is she was kind enough to say I look a bit "played out" Hmmm If that's the case I sure wish I had more fun at whatever I was playing! :)

That's all I got typed in my post last night before the sky light up with a most beautiful Thunderstorm, which produced 3 things. 1) It dumped buckets of lovely rain so we don't have to water the patio pots. (That make LW a tad unhappy because the plants are on the verge of staging a takeover and only grow more confident with each storm!!) But thankfully there are no Venus Flytraps (I think anyway)

2) There were 5 dogs and 2 human pets all crowded into 4 square feet. And 3) All electronics are immediately unplugged. Boy and howdy are we methodical about that rule. There have been any number of people that have had their entire collection of power driven items ( from the curling iron on up the food chain) totally fried with a power surge :( So now with that bit of explanation I'm sure you can understand why I left you guys in mid-sentence yesterday :)

Well I finished Luci's BDay present. Luci and Tony are the friends that have a little B&B and the most amazing incredible, simply to die for Mexican restaurant. Oh my God you guys Luci is truly and artist.!!! Once a year she goes down to Mexico City to make the base for her Mole sauce. Why??? Cuz her 94year old mom is there and they spend days blending the 93 ingredients that makes their Mole. SO back to Luci. Luci loves bling, jewelry of all kinds, shoes the higher the heal the better and a bit of a Bohemian style in clothes. She also works behind her huge stoves 12 hours a day 6 days a week in her non air conditioned kitchen. But every single day she gets up puts all her makeup on fixes her hair, puts on a "going to town" skirt and top with complementing jewelry and heeled sandals and I mean heels I've never seen that little 4'11" woman in anything less then 3inch heels!! :) Yep all that every day and she is as young as I am. :) I asked her one day why and her answer was because her kitchen is open to her guests and it's important that they always see her presentable!

Keeping that in mind and also knowing that she is one of the few people I make gifts for that comes close to "getting it" so I can have fun making for her!!! :) Back in the July Aug Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine Barbe Saint John made a CUTE Dragonfly necklace with a Frozen Charlotte head and a salt shaker. I filed it away in my "cool idea" folder. I used it as a spring board/ inspiration for Luci's necklace.

I made the wings with stiff steel craft wire to keep them from bending with the motion of the necklace. Also the wings hold the necklace together. Since Luci tends to wear a lot of black and dark reds in the fall/winter I used deep red faceted glass beads with smokey faceted beads. for the "chain" On the wings I used little faceted garnets, with black& smokey crystals.

Glued the head to the shaker with my best friend E6000 :) As for the wings....... I hauled out my little soldering iron and did the most amazingly incredibly hideous soldering job of wings to salt shaker ever attempted by womankind!!!! :)

OH MY GOD!!!!!! Now what in the hell I'm I going to do??? Just because it's the back side it doesn't mean it will never be seen!!!! I'm not exaggerating one tiny bit, This truly was ugly with a capital U. It was then that sheer inspiration struck.... cover it up create a distraction.... yes perfect!!!! I cut out a little flower applique from a piece of my fabric stash and glued it over the ever so lovely solder job :)

I cut the shank off of a vintage rhinestone button to use as the clasp You can never have enough SHINIES don't ya know!!

And wa-la here is Annalise modeling "La Senorita Libelula" "Miss Dragonfly"

I apologize for the photos. Perhaps it was the sun coming in the sunroon windows, or not feeling my usual perky self or just lousy photography but I don't think they really do justice to the piece. :(

Ahhhhhhh I hear LW proclaiming "lundin" is ready. Lundin-the meal that combines lunch and dinner like brunch is to breakfast/lunch :) Have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are. p;)

"The Steamroller Effect"

In an effort to turn Limes-- the side effects to Antibiotic Therapy

into Limonada (Limeade) I have challenged myself to come up with 3 positive things that have resulted from the "Steamroller Effect" You know I've always had a love/hate relationship with antibiotics. They are ever so efficient in zapping bacteria where it hurts oooooh but the price at times makes you wonder if the cure is better then the illness!! :)

Oh Yeah no whining remember. We are filling this post with nothing but positive thoughts and energy... okay well I'll give a good ol college try.

1) So for my first positive I,ve thought of: I'm really saving on the mascara!! I haven't had any on in 4 days now. Of course I haven't been outside the house, for fear of scaring little children and pets resulting in a life long warped psyche!! Oh my gosh I just thought of a 1a) If there is no mascara then I'm saving on the baby oil to remove the mascara!! :)

No these lovely eyes are not mine. Not that I wouldn't sell a small appendage to have these eyes on my 54 year old face!! But I guess that would mean I'd have to have the rest of my face jacked up to match them...hmmm on second thought.... Now when they figure out how to make my hands not look their age, and match my new look I might be able to get behind a face jacking :)

Yikes I better undigress cuz I can feel a lot of negative energy here :(

2) The second thing is always nice. LW who babies, pampers, and indulges me way more then I surely deserve on a daily basis kicks into overdrive when I'm sick. Bring tea, and the evil coca cola and making wonderful meals

All I have to do is think something sounds good and before I know it, there it materializes!! :) And on top of that he even does the wash!!! Now just how cool is that. Okay I'd be amiss if I didn't admit to LW doing 97% of the wash and 100% of the dishes!! :) Yes indeed I am a very spoiled girl :)

3) Number three is I did get Luci's necklace made for her birthday. And I had full intentions of taking some pictures of it to share but........

I'm afraid that this is exactly what the back of the camera looked like. Except it did flash "Change Batteries NOW" before it went black :( Soooooo Show and Tell has been delayed to tomorrow due to technical difficulties. :)

Hey I think all this positive chi is working cuz I have come up with a Number 4) I have been able to catch up on my reading :) Gads I have that huge stack of art magazines Lulu sent!! I've been reading Laurie King's mysteries, and blog-hopping my little heart out!!

Only 2 more days of antibiotics heck I can do that standing on my head...(as long as the barf bucket is close)...I think on this positive note I will just sign off

Have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are ;)

A Great Book, A Cool Givaway, & I Don't Feel Good

You know when or remember when your kiddles look up at you with pathetic droopy eyes and said "I don't feel so good Mama" ??? Well that's me today. Nope not a cold, or the flu those are just so over used these days. No I decided that I shouldn't be allowed to live 54 years without experiencing the nuances of a Bladder infection. :( So LW has been babying and taking ever so wonderful care of me today. He went to the Farmacia (pharmacy) and bought the necessary antibiotics to tame this puppy and them send it whimpering out of my body!! :) So I expect I'll be well on the way to mending by tomorrow morning. But for today I think I'll tell ya about this awesome idea and crawl back in to bed with my pillows and book. :)

If you guys haven't seen, or own this book you really must check it out!! It's sooooo wonderful. I ordered it from Amazon a couple of months ago and I bet I return to it at least a half dozen times a week. :)

Ruth Rae and Kelly Snelling wrote this book about a cool collaboration they did with a few other artists friends doing round robin jewelry exchanges. One of the cool things about this group is that they weren't all jewelry artists like Deryn Mentock. There were painters and mix media artists like Maija Lepore. But they all contributed by adding to each artist's jewelry. It was during these heady months that Kelly was diagnosed with breast cancer. Kelly used this project and the support of her fellow artists as positive supports while undergoing her treatments. Along the way Ruth and Kelly were approached about writing a book about the collaboration. A Charming Exchange is the result.

Both the authors and their fellow kindred artist decided to auction off the pieces made for the collaborations and donate the proceeds to Breast cancer research. Since October is Breast cancer awareness month what better time to do it.

Ruth and Kelly are asking us to help spread the word about the auction. Sooooo please head over to A Charming Exchange blog to get the low down on the project, grab one of the event buttons, then post about it on your blogs. Oh yeah as a thank you for helping remember to register for their give away. They are going to give away a necklace Ruth and Kristen Robinson made creating a FREE tutorial video. Which by the way you can download and use to make a necklace like it. You know just in case you don't win the giveaway. And I might as well warn you to just go a head and grab the tutorial because I'm certain... almost positive... well fairly sure I'm going to win the giveaway!! :)

Okay so what are you waiting for head on over. I promise you'll feel so good afterwards, I mean what a painless, fun way to support, and lend strength to finding a solution to a needless killer!

I think I can hear my pillow and comforter calling. Time for this girl to take a cup of hot tea and settle in, till she's on the mend. Have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are ;)

I Hope it has "Sumsing" Ssspecial Just For Me!!!!

OOOOH The Wells Fargo Wagon is aa comin to town......

Well it wasn't the Wells Fargo wagon but it was even better!!! Jackie D and ED made a rushed trip down from the Northernlands this week and they had treats!! Yipeee!! :) One of my very bestest Bloglandian sisters Lulu of Coastal Sisters sent me a most wonderful ,stupendous . and amazing just because I care parcel!!!!! Oh it was bursting with all manner of lushes art supplies.

First I have to show you the earrings she created for me to wear for Mette&Joe's wedding. Remember I purchased that lovely dark blue leaf print dress??? Well just look at these incredible earrings, the perfect shape and color!!! Oh Lulu they are exactly what I had in mind!!!

When I pulled back the flaps I saw wonderful things!!

Glass, clay, stone and crystal beads. Wonderful metal findings. Rhinestones and charms!! Copper foil & 2 sizes of glass slides!! Remember my whining a couple of months ago about not being able to find copper foil ??? Hmmmm I guess this means I have no excuses any more when it comes to making charms huh??? :)

Oye Lulu how did you lift this box up to the counter???? Jackie said you must have sent bricks as heavy as the box was!! Not bricks just ART Magazines YAAAA HOOOO Happy Dance!!!!

And in the very bottom a huge package of cutie putootie stickers a box of memory frames and a net bag of SEA SHELLs from Topsail Island N.C. I love them and the coolest thing about them is that your shells on the Atlantic side of this continent look just like the shell I have on the Pacific side of the continent!!! How very cool is that????

THANK YOU ever so much Little Sis I can't tell you how precious this parcel of love is to me. :) Because of the difficulty with the mail service (rather the lack of) it becomes almost impossible for me to participate in exchanges, giveaways or anything that has a time constraint on it. The major reason why I haven't had a giveaway since OWOH, is the inconsistencies and frustrations of getting a parcel to the States to be mailed in any kind of time frame. If it were not for my dear friend Jackie D nothing would go up or come down. That being said I know how difficult and frustrating it is for those up north to get a parcel to us, so when I do receive one from the States, Australia, or even Europe I am so amazed, thankful and humbled to know that you took the time and care to do this for me :)

Oh gosh could someone pass the box of tissues please :) I think I need to head off to bed now with one of my new art magazines, so my wish for all of you is to have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are ;)