I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season! This hat is one of my daughter's favorite Christmas gifts. Silly hats are all the rage right now. It's barely been off her head since Christmas morning. Normally it's not over her face but we try not to put her photo online :-) and anyway this does make quite a picture... If you don't recognize Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz then you should really catch an episode of Phineas and Ferb. It's one of the few cartoons I would watch even without children. We are all pretty excited about our new ten gallon freshwater aquarium. If you look closely you might see our pinkish betta hiding on the left edge. There are also two little danios but I don't see them in the photo. We're told we can't add more fish until the water finishes cycling in 3-4 weeks. I had never heard of that but we are reading up and learning fast. Then there will be a ton of fishy requirements to consider. Those little suckers are picky about their environment and don't always get along. We want a happy, peaceful tank. Anyway, these three are fun to watch and we can't wait to get more. _During the year I usually tuck away some jewelry that my kids really liked, pretend they are sold, and then give them at Christmas. I think they are catching on because they're getting good at dropping hints :-) So Lindsay got the first piece pictured below, and Michelle got the second one... I can't find a photo of the one Kathy got. By the way, I'm really enjoying the books I won from Lark. Since I'm taking a (hopefully short) reluctant break from jewelry making, the books are keeping me on track. They are all above my laptop for inspiration. I'm expecting to start posting new pieces again in mid-January, though. Fingers crossed. And of course here is my fav pic from the holidays, my new grandson Brendan's very first Christmas... Best wishes to all, and have a very happy New Year!!
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As I described in my last post, I'm having symptoms in my hands and wrists preventing me from doing much jewelry making at the moment. Carpal tunnel is confirmed in both hands along with two pinched nerves in my neck. Yesterday's physical made me slightly less optimistic since my doctor reminded me that I had bone spurs identified in my neck in 2008, so the next step is an MRI to determine if they've become a factor. I also have a Cleveland Clinic appointment on Jan 4. I would not be pleased if I were told to switch professions, I can tell you that. So on to an interesting cosmic question... recently I entered a drawing for 38 jewelry-making books by Lark Books. It was just on a whim (since I never win anything) after seeing a link posted by Teresa Masters (wonderful facebook friend and admin of metalsmith.co) There were 865 entries and I WON. Here is the evidence -- received yesterday: So the romantic in me wants to think these came as a message -- don't worry, keep the faith, this is just a little bump in the road and jewelry creation is still my future.
Silly? Coincidence? Cosmic something or other? What do you think? Yesterday was my usual post day. Instead I had a nerve conduction study (which is a nice way to describe needles and electric shocks) to confirm carpal tunnel. So yes, I have kind of a medium case of carpal tunnel in my right hand and mild in my left. Medium as a description makes me feel just terrible for those with severe cases, because mine seems pretty bad to me. I can't imagine. Anyway, as a bonus there are also two pinched nerves in my neck on my left side. I would have posted after the procedures but trust me, you didn't want me posting while medicated :-) or actually, maybe you did... it would have been WAY more entertaining! All this to say, I haven't done much jewelry lately. But I did make a pendant for my Mom's Christmas gift. Since she isn't the computer type, I can post it... and maybe I'll post another photo after its chain is finished. Now to the important stuff. Everyone please be sure to have the best Christmas
ever! I know this will be a great Christmas in my house since the entire family will be here-- including our brand new grandson. Not only that, but my youngest (who doesn't read my blog, so I can say) will be THRILLED with her first aquarium, which my mom will give her on Christmas morning. She has been pining away for fish and it's been all I could do to keep her from spending her own piggy bank money on it. We got a big castle and sea horse statues to put inside. I didn't realize how cool that was until we actually shopped for it. Now I'm as excited as she will be. Can't wait! Enjoy your loved ones and have the very best holidays! I'm back to posting on Wednesdays now. Let's start with a new piece. Actually I did the wire work about two years ago but used a glass focal bead; I must not have liked it much because it's been in a drawer. Then recently I found a vintage necklace with beautiful teardrop gemstones and knew one of those beads belonged in this necklace. It can come out of the drawer now ;-) If you've been reading, you know I just did Columbus Winterfair 2011. Some of the pieces I sold are pictured here (play slideshow or scroll down thumbnails.) These are just the photos I could easily find this morning, so it's just a sampling. It was my first big show and oh my gosh, did I learn a lot. The artists in adjoining booths were all awesome, super experienced, and generous with tips / advice. What a great experience and I sold a LOT. The visitors couldn't have been nicer. Special thanks to friends who visited!! And of course, two days before the show my first grandchild was born. It was a little distracting :-) I think I showed this photo to a couple (million) customers... Awwwwwwww. Holiday Giveaway: Don't forget to enter my holiday giveaway by Dec 11th. The winner will choose from three pairs of earrings. It's easy as pie -- click here for instructions. Meet Brenden, my first grandchild, born yesterday! Best photo of the countdown don't you think? He is SO sweet. And since I promised, this is my last piece of jewelry for the countdown. It will be at the show but I'll bet you can guess I didn't make it today... something else came up! ;-) Columbus Winterfair 2011
Come see me in booth #1005! Dec 2-4, 2011 [Fri/Sat 10-8, Sun 12-5] Ohio Expo Center, Ohio State Fairgrounds 717 E. 17th Ave., Columbus OH My good friend and mentor, Sharon Abood, passed away on Monday. Sharon was a wonderful goldsmith and glass artist. She introduced me to metal work with a passion that was contagious and irresistible. She was energetic, creative, supportive, patient, and so much fun. My heart goes out to her family.
Sharon, I will miss you. There are still so many tricks to try out from my fold forming workshop in July. Today I used two of them on a fold form copper cuff, both finishing techniques. I had forgotten all about a trick that Dave, a fellow classmate, showed me about color. Color is usually pretty random when copper is hit with a torch; you never know what blacks, golds, blues, greens, reds, or golds might show up. But when you see the colors you're after, dunk the piece in water right away. It preserves the color nicely! You'll have to trust me; this photo doesn't even come close to showing all the color nuance you'd see in person. There is so much depth the camera doesn't capture...but here you go: As for preserving color long-term, there is a second tip -- spray with clear automotive paint. The idea of car paint comes straight from master goldsmith Charles Lewton-Brain. Just think about the temperature extremes and daily punishment your car's paint job is created to withstand. It's pure genius to use the same thing to protect the patina on your copper. Should I be keeping my secrets? LOL. And here are a couple of fun pendants from this week... Finally, a quick appeal for help. My daughter Lindsay's volunteer group StandUp For Kids (mission: ending the cycle of youth homelessness in D.C.) is in the running for some much needed donations through Deals for Deeds. If they get the most votes, the group gets a percentage of the sales for deals similar to groupon. Please help Lindsay and the kids by going here and voting for StandUp For Kids. StandUp is totally run by volunteers in DC, so all of the money they make will go toward the kids.
Our daughter is back to school tomorrow and we just got back from a mini nearby-vacation. It was soooo relaxing and fun. Highlights were the Newport Aquarium in Covington, KY (big glass tunnels for viewing like you're in the tank), Coney Island in Cincinnati [did you know there was one in Ohio? It opened in 1886), and the Cincinnati Zoo (where we hand-fed a giraffe). This is not us, lol... but it is the Cinci zoo and their feeding spot ;-) You've got to try it. Sorry, not much metal going on :) I'll get busy this week, though. Happy summer wind-down!
Just checking in after an intensely amazing workshop on fold forming at the Center for Metal Arts in New York, with world renowned master goldsmith Charles Lewton-Brain. I'm not home yet so apologies if my post is brief -- I've stopped off to visit my daughter in Washington, D.C. for a few days -- but wanted to share some pics. These are some of the practice pieces that I made during class. They all started out from flat sheet metal and were shaped through a series of folds and hammering. They are just baby steps but I'll keep posting my progress on this blog and incorporating the technique into my work. I hope you'll check in on me each Wednesday to see how it's coming. If you've stopped by because you're interested in fold forming too, please visit www.facebook.com/foldforming. At Charles' request, I created that page as a community gathering spot (the "official" facebook page) surrounding the art of fold forming. Post your photos there, share your tips, connect with others who are interested in fold forming. I will serve as administrator on that site, and Charles Lewton-Brain himself plans to pop in with a post on occasion. In the next couple weeks I will look at facebook features and come up with some tips for those who'd like to participate. If you have some expertise in how best to use the facebook page and / or other tools for these purposes, please send advice to me at suelacy@suelacydesigns.com.
Meanwhile, do come by and like the page to get started! Off to a fun day in D.C., then driving back to Ohio in the morning. Stop by to see me next Wednesday! I have to say, I struggled with this particular fold form technique. It starts with a flat sheet of copper that is scored with a steel wire, and then creased into a 3-dimensional wave. I started with a piece of aluminum and split the entire thing. Trashed. I think it was too thick. This piece went through several rounds of annealing and bending before I began figuring out how to shape it. The wave shape can be used as a component for jewelry or sculpture. My piece barely passes for use with a key chain... but it was a good lesson. That's all I have this week! I've been working on my studio again. It has a large cabinet that was used for household storage and had only a rod for hanging clothes. Things were just piled up in there. I've added shelves, drawers, and containers inside -- and got rid of everything unrelated to art in the studio. Finally! I'm also adding some peg boards for tools and improving the layout in the room. Things are still at that messy stage that happens right before you finish organizing, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Want to see? "Before" (A flattering pic of me, don't you think?) "After" (Don't let the head scare you. She models my hair accessories.) Ahhh... this makes me happy :-D
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Sue Lacy WiredThis began as a hobbyist's blog. Over time it became a quest to support & connect metalsmiths around the globe who use foldforming techniques in their work. See how it all turned out: www.foldforming.org Archives
July 2016
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