Steampunk puffy Heart Necklace

Well its taken a week or more but I finally got the puffy metal heart necklace done. It had to evolve slowly as I had to problem solve many times during its journey. I have never made something like this before and as newbie in the jewellery making area I still have limited supplies. It began with a simple puffy brass heart...

 Then it started to take on its own life as I added bits and pieces

 I hit a few days delay when I completely ran out of mini screws and nuts....Jen Crossley to the rescue and more arrived in the mail a few days later YEH.

 Soldering with limited tools means thinking outside the square LOL...Like my "Annette clamp?...alias cable ties and a plier :o). It was then I realized my rubber thingo was singed and the LED had started to go grey so just after this shot I took them all off again. The wire on the rubber thingo snapped off as I did so and I could not repair it so I then made a faux one.

 A pickle and a trim here and there and added some wings and at last I had my puffy metal heart necklace!!

I then added a tiny key dangle and cleaned up the solder over hang on the wings a bit more.

I am so chuffed to have got this far at all. The heart is 5cm wide and 4cm long (dip at top to point at bottom) brass soldered to copper base. I shall keep this one as my prototype for others.
hugs
Annette In Oz

Bottle cap necklaces and ring

I've been tucked away in the art room every chance I can get in between my added choirs while hubby is away, to try and make a steam punk puffy heart. It's the first one I have ever done and I am learning as I go. There are a few mistakes on it but trial and error will mean subsequent puffy hearts should be less of a hassle and easier to make. As soon as I have worked out how to attach the heart to the base I shall upload it. It has some plastic and rubber dodads on it and as soon as I tried to solder it with flame it started to smoke and smell so today I shall try using a soldering iron and smaller bore solder wire and if that still wont work it will be glued or wired together! In the mean time here are the images of some of my other bottle cap and Ice Resin necklaces.

 And another Ice Resin bottle cap ring with adjustable brass band.

Hugs
Annette In Oz

Steampunk New Cuff and Puffy Metal Hearts

The Dry season is winter time down South and we get allot of visitors during the Dry...the days are long and warm and the nights coolish...well not as hot as the Wet season. My Mum has just been for a visit and today I met up with Sam Marshall who makes gorgeous twisted wire jewellery pieces. Sam is only in Darwin for a few days from Kununurra in WA. I've known Sam from on line and imagined she was a lovely person from our e-mails. This morning we finally got to meet and she is just gorgeous. As we were in a coffee shop we couldn't stay chatting too long but we are hoping to meet tomorrow or next day here for a metal play day. I'm sssoo hoping Sam can find the time. Last night I made a cuff for Sam. I hope she liked it :o)

I visited another new friend yesterday who is a jeweller and she showed me how to puff metal!! SSSoo excited to now know how to do this and I can't thank Lisa Kapon enough for showing me.. The list of must have equipment is getting ever so long LOL...just need the finances to catch up. We made puffy hearts. I want to cut these out and steam punk them. They had to be annealed several times and after several hours I was willing lighting the gas and annealing away! (I'm scared of gas...this lighting of gas torches business is a BIG thing for me to do LOL). The fire scale build up was rather attractive but I decided to use a relatively safe vinegar and salt pickle to get that off and the hearts are so shiny now...they await my next attack!!
Here they are after annealing...

and after pickling with salt and vinegar

I shall show you what they become and hope to visit Lisa again soon and make some more. Soon Gail Hart will be up for a visit too from Tasmania. So I have got all my lampwork glass stuff out ready for some play with Gail too. I love the Dry and my visitors and I love creating!!
hugs
Annette In Oz

Eternal Beauty cuff and Bottle Cap Necklace

This is the last cuff I made from my etching session before I went to Adelaide. Its etched and aged with patina. Brass cabochon with vintage image and ice resin plus small brass wings.

 On the same day I also made several bottle cap necklaces. This little steampunk one is my favourite of them all I think. Embedding cogs, crowns etc with ice resin gives the piece more depth. I left the length of the ball chain long so they hang allot lower but can be adjusted shorter if the wearer wants. I think I made another four different bottle cap necklaces and another vintage glam brass ring that I will get up soon. Managing my day to day life allot better now I have a better routine but I'm still missing Grant hugely *sigh*.

I had a dilation and bolus steroid injection into my left shoulder yesterday to try and decrease the scar tissue and inflammation that I have developed from post op rotator cuff repair in February...can you all say "FREAKING SORE" ...well it was after the local wore off big time but not so bad this AM. Here's hoping this does the trick. Hope to get some inky art done when it settles more plus some more jewellery work done too :o)
hugs
Annette In Oz

"Strike A Pose" cuff and another Nesty

It took me two days but I have finally caught up with e-mails. Now to keep on top of them!!. SSSoo I now have time to get into blogging and get a few more jewellery items up. The first one is an atched brass cuff which wass then aged with patina. Ice resin filled bezel, vintage image and and gorgeous floral stampings on either side of the bezel.

Then I made an old favourite nesty one. I seem to come back to nesty's and leaf forms for some reason. I've always had a love of nature and vintage so I guess I get to combine the two when I make nests and my leaf dancers. Twisting the brass wire is rather relaxing as well. The cuff is etched brass and aged with patina again.

I'm off work for the next ten days as I have to have another small procedure on my left shoulder on Tuesday. I'm hoping to get some art done before Tuesday as the specialist said not to do anything strenuous for a weel after the procedure. Fingers crossed this last thing fixes my shoulder for good.

hugs

Annette In Oz