For The Boys

I've been trying to get into making Christmas cards but all the lovely ice resined bezels on my desk keep side tracking me.Yesterday I couldn't resit them any more LOL and made some "manly" necklaces...or maybe man themed necklaces as I would wear them myself!!!.I had the large used old bullet for ages and used it with an old Police badge plus a resin bezel with a vintage man inside.A brass base,sterling silver wire and a brass spike dangle to finish it off.

A bit closer...I've since moved the center dangle on the bullet to the left as it was too far to the right.

Then I made a simple necklace.The black metal bezel has a gorgeous little key hole in the centre with a vintage man looking out.I used three layers of resin and each time added some tiny little watch parts.It has more depth in real life then I can photograph.I just added a lined black cord with magnetic clasp as the necklace and kept it all simple.

Closer.

Grant was cleaning the verandah this morning and found this gorgeous Merten's water monitor behind a storage cupboard.We see the monitors rarely these days as their numbers have been badly affected by the cane toads, so it was great to have this one turn up.

I really need to get these cards done.....maybe I should hide all the bezels to stop me getting distracted LOL.

hugs

Annette In Oz

The Bird Cage

Thanks everyone for your kind words and encouragement. Here is my latest necklace The Bird Cage. It took me a few days to nut out. I decided to TRY and make a rivet type of bird cage. In error I used a brass tube that was too tiny in the inner diameter for me to flair and use as a proper rivet. So after getting quite frustrated with myself and thinking I would just toss all the tube parts I had cut with my jewellers saw, I adapted the error and used wire to connect the tubes instead. Not as neat as the gorgeous bird cages I have seen made by the clever Jen Crossley's or Christine Atkin's but hey I am still new to all of this :o). I'm hoping Jen and Chris teach this one soon as I love the look of them and I love taking classes with Jen....to get to a class with both is my dream!!.

A bit closer.

It's quite fiddly and hard to make but I still loved the end result....hey and no ice resin in sight this time LOL. The bird inside does swing and heavy dangle at the bottom helps it stay level.

Just need to trim a few wire ends closer with my flush cutter I think.

Hugs

Annette In Oz

Etched Copper Cuff

I etched a design into copper and left it awhile.It has a rich red tone to it.I decided to keep this cuff simple so just used a gently bent Vintaj frame as a bezel and added a lovely blue butterfly image and then filled it with Ice Resin

View from the sides.

I'm so excited to say I've just sold 2 of my necklaces.I've never sold anything before and when I was approached by an admirer of my humble jewellery attempts on line I wasn't sure what to do....but decided to sell them in the end.I am chuffed someone likes my work well enough to ask to buy it and excited to think of others wearing my jewellery...it was made for wearing after all!!.So tomorrow "pardon" and "time keeper" are off to new homes and I have a little money more for supplies...AWESOME!!!!

I need some feed back here......uuuummmm who am I as a jewellery maker and seller....like I'm thinking "rustic CHIC" or "connected in time" as Annette In Oz is the whole me but who am I for making a tag or something for my jewellery.Any help greatly accepted.

HUGE HUGS

Annette In Oz

Steampunk etched metal cuff with birds eggs etc

Yes it's true I am in love with my gorgeous hubby and also a secret love affair that has started to bloom....he is called a Dremmel...an amazing helper and I think soul mate LOL. For those who don't know a Dremmel is an up market crafter/artist drill. It also has many attachments you can buy to make creating easier like a flex shaft, sanding discs etc etc. What was taking me hours to do by hand (esp sanding) takes minutes now. It took me ages to get one as I hesitated at the cost and then after I did get one for my birthday last week I wasn't really sure how to use it. Then yesterday I thought "just do it"....so I got it out and turned it on, attached the sanding disc and the rest will be history *grin*
Here is a newly completed etched nickle/silver cuff with an old watch bezel filled with bird image, 3 fresh water pearls and then resin on top. I also added some ever so gently bent metal wings and some cogs.

Off to finish a copper cuff before I have to go to work.

Hugs

Annette In Oz

Two More Birthday Cards

Another two gorgeous hand made cards came in the mail this week.There was this lovely ?coffee stained and sewn card from Marilena Stanton'

Then there was a wonderful construction card by Barb Porritt.

As you open the heart you push it back on a cs hinge and tuck the heart point under the butterfly.Love it.

Thanks Marilena and Barb :o)

hugs

Annette In Oz

Getting Glitzy Today

We have had some lovely cooling rain nearly all day today. Lots of lightening and thunder to scare my poor Jack Russel silly with too. I have to work tomorrow so today after I went into town I was going to make some more bezels but got side tracked in my glass beads box. In there I had some gorgeous hand made glass beads made by the amazingly talented Gail Hart in Tasmania. Gail's beads are sold in Galleries down south so you can just imagine the quality. I'd had them for some time but just didn't think I was good enough at making jewellery to do them justice. I also had no sterling silver till recently as well. So here is the end product...a far cry from my beloved junk jewellery I think *grin*. Hope I did your beads justice Gail?.

The black and white beads on the bracelet and the red one on the necklace are the ones made by Gail. I've used crystal roundels and sterling silver wire on the necklace and the bracelet. Here is the bracelet closer being modelled by my lovely metal bird friend.

and closer

The necklace on its own....the red is beautiful IRL just not as dazzling in the photos due to the lighting here which is crap.

And just a bit closer.

I'm not a posh person and don't go to high end places much but next time we decide to have a night at the Casino I know what I will be wearing. Oh before I forget I had my tiny dancer and Mz 6 older sister cuff on today and the lady at the Jackson's Art shop wanted to buy them....how cool is that?... but I'm NOT good enough yet to sell stuff. When I am I told her I'll come back and she can have first pick. Back to junking it tomorrow.

hugs

Annette In Oz

Some Simple Cards

Its really painful for me to sit and make cards these days but I have got three made by resorting to making easy quick cards.I just dry paint the bg cs with white folk art paint.Stamp in a corresponding ink to the cs all over.Run white card thru the Cuttlebug and drag the same ink pad over the surface.Cut this into a frame shape.Add image underneath and stick it to the bg with some ink stained gauze sticking ot at either edge.Add the flowers and stamped butterfly and done in 15mins.

and here is the same thing but in blue tones.

Lastly a simple stamped and coloured spring up card made for my lovely brother in law Steve.The pebble look is made by running black card thru the Cuttlebug and then painted with Golden paints to give it a rust look.Schminke gold dusted over the top. I love that dog stamp...it reminds me of our boxer dog "gidget" we had when I was growing up.Image coloured with water colour pencils.

Back pain or not at least I got them done.Now off to make some more jewellery ( I can stand and do that :o)) before I have to scoot and get Tim from school.

hugs

Annette In Oz