Broaching topics

The Tyrants Brooch Trio: Bathory, Vlad, Ivan

What can I say about brooches, broaches, and pins?  They are the blouse fasteners, hat pins, purse clasps and conversation pieces of the world.  But what does that have to do with me?  I make necklaces, bracelets, hair clips and earrings!  ...Well, now I do brooches too.

At first, like with many things, I was afraid of making brooches.  There was always some internal monologue holding me back from even trying.  One day, around Christmas, my friend C-note (that's what i call her because...that's what I call her), asked me to make a brooch for her to give to one of her college friends for Santa Day.  I told her 'I dunno C-note.  I've never made brooches before'.  She looked so disappointed at the news that I had to try.  You see, C-note doesn't ask for much, but she gives A LOT.  I told her that I'd do some research and call her if I could figure it out. 
I've repaired brooches, but only to the extent of getting jeweler's glue and resetting stones.  But that didn't mean I could MAKE a brooch.  I needed research.  I decided, 'What the heck!  I wanna make me some history and help out a friend while I'm at it!' and started reading about how brooches are constructed in the modern world. 

Elegante Brooch (commission)

Since I don't know how to work with leather, sewing machines, or do molten metal, I had  to go for the more mundane method of construction.  Glue.  Not that cute white glue from grade-school.  Nah.  I needed extra strength, industrial style glue.  At first I tried krazy glue.  That turned out to be a mistake.  You see, they tell you how great krazy glue is at sticking to stuff, but they don't tell you how good it is at NOT sticking to stuff.

While giving the simple brooch I made first a test drive, the whole darn thing fell apart.  Piece by piece it broke off until there was nothing but a pin back.  It was all because krazy glue dries brittle.  Something as vigorous as dropping a krazy glued jewelry item can cause the glue bonds to break. 
So, I went for my tried and true E-6000 glue!!!  It held beautifully.  Why?  Because it's literally liquid rubber.  First of all, it's sticky.  Secondly, it seeps into the pores of things contracts around them as it dries.  Thirdly, it's stretchy.  So, wiggling will not dislodge it once it has fully set. The only thing that will remove it is a knife and pliers, but ...only after an atomic explosion to loosen it up. 

Once I had got it in my head that making a brooch with the E-6000 glue isn't different from making a pendant the same way, I finished C-note's request so fast, that I made mistakes.  I had to tear it apart...and in doing so, destroyed the brooch completely.  Actually, the glue did that because it wouldn't let go.  Still, I finished the brooch.  Once it was finished, I was so excited to show her that I forgot to photograph it.  Ha! 

No worries though.  Of all the jewelry items I've learned to make, brooches are by far the easiest ones to make once you've got the design all drawn up. I'll be churning out more as I gather more materials and create new designs. 

Rosemary Brooch: Gift to Mother

Holiday Bootcamp Aftermath

After a long break for the holidays (I'm so sorry about that!  No, really I am.) I am back.  I sort of got caught up in the whole Christmas spirit and the delight that I was actually able to BUY gifts for everyone this year, rather than making them all like I've done in years passed.  Holiday bootcamp made the difference. 

Now before you protest and say something silly like 'but Agent Ren, your creations are fabulous!  Why would you have reservations about giving them as gifts?'.  The reason is simple.  Making things is what I do all the time.  That kind of takes away from the wow factor when you present someone with a piece of handmade jewelry and they already know that handmade is your thing.  The gift becomes something akin to 'the dreaded knitted sweater from grandma'. 
It's not valuable anymore.  Even if you put hours and hours into making it, it's just another lump of beads that you're forcing them to take.  Why hurt your fingers, spend scarce cash and time to just get one of those tight, uncomfortable 'I don't really want this' smiles?  I didn't break my fingers or my bank account trying to make something special this year.  I didn't agonize about not having time to make things or scraping together enough cash to get nice precious metal findings to make each item extra cool.  I hunted bargains like my life depended on it, squirreled away coupons like I was hiding seeds for winter, tracked every dollar spent with a methodical accuracy that a serial killer would envy, and had everything assembled and half-wrapped in my closet a month before Christmas. 
What's this got to do with Holiday Bootcamp?  Plenty.  I'll tell you the truth.  For all the Holiday bootcamp prep I did for a big holiday sale, I didn't sell that much, barely two c-notes worth.  I spent carefully and some would say abundantly to feed my high rate of production.  I was like a machine, grinding through eyepins, beads and time like a wood chipper and wearing out the blades on my tools twice as fast. 

I was hoping for a big breakthrough as far as sales and ended up only barely covering costs of materials.  What I did sell was stuff that people custom ordered, brooches mostly and other things that I never make en masse.  Despite this, I learned a great deal.  Here are the things that Bootcamp taught me.

1.  Run, Rest, Run:
Run, Rest, Run is the philosophy that when you do something, you go at it full tilt.  You don't burn yourself out, though, because then it'd be Run, Die and end there.  The idea is that you work like a Juggernaut until you get tired, and when you rest, you meditate ways to make your next full-tilt stint go better.  This way, when you start up, you're never starting from zero.  You're starting up from 5 because you're rested AND focused.

2.  There is always a better bargain
The problem with people is that they have a tendency to go with what they know and take the best of they see right in front of them.  You have to teach yourself not to be like any animal and make the logical choice in front of you.  You have to teach yourself to go onward.  I ran into this time and again with tried and true connectors that I have scores of.  After a while seeing the same exact elements in piece after piece makes those elements rather 'meh'.  So, I'd half-finish a set and move on to the next while I waited to find something better to finish the first.  It turned out to be a good plan.

3.  Substitutions shouldn't diminish quality
To go with the previous comment, when you're selecting new options, don't just grab any old cheapo substitute that kinda fits the description!  Go on and pay some money for the good stuff.  It's often worth it.  Otherwise, you'll be stuck with a bunch of brass fan charms thinner than tissue paper and twice as pliable... Like me. 

I don't know what I'm going to do with these things, but I haven't the heart to throw them away.

4.  Buy in bulk
If you can, buy in bulk.  Always.  I guarantee you that there will come a time when you're making something and you'll wish for some beads or findings that you've already used up.  Maybe they'll be for another necklace.  Maybe they'll be for decorating a trinket box.

5.  Keep your tools in good shape
After a lot of heavy use, it becomes obvious when your nipping pliers get dull. Things just don't cut.  They just bend and you end up with a nasty looking chewed up piece of wire, bit of a finding or something equally horrible and bad for design.

6.  If you're tired, stop working
You can't 'keep working through the pain'.  You'll end up messing up and leaving your genetic material on the thing you're working on in a way you didn't want to.

7.  No one has any originality any more.
You won't find any clients in this unstable economy that possess a lot of originality.  There is no one who will come to you with a commission knowing exactly what they want.  It's frustrating, but it's up to you to guess what they want and what they need.  You have to be ready to address the want FIRST and then, when it leads them to disaster, address the need.  Hundreds of people may look at your displays and decide that your stuff's 'not for them'.  BUT, the moment they see an item they snubbed looking great on someone else, they will want that exact item, believing that it will look the same on them.  I've no idea what dictates that logic, actually. 
However, I did have a young woman with a very short, thick neck who wanted a 3-inch wide choker made 'just like the one you wore to the Emily Autumn concert, the one posted on your deviantart', despite my attempts to lead her to a thinner 1 and a half inch wide choker band.  This same young woman was distraught when the choker folded in and got lost under her chin.  I was unsurprised, and therefore had a solution on hand.

8.  Don't waste time
This ties in to #2.  In waiting for proper items to pop up to finish a piece you've already started, don't just sit on your hands waiting for magic.  Get inspired and keep working.

9.  Double Check your work
With a a magnifying glass and tweezers.  Maybe an physicist too.

10.  Everything is Material
I used a quarter to balance out a brooch this passed weekend.  It was cheaper than buying a cabochon frame, just as effective, and twice as eye popping.  What'd you do with your quarters?  Huh?  You put them in the soda machine didn't you?

The result of applying these learnings to Christmas shopping were readily noticeable.  I didn't go into debt trying to get something I felt was 'worthy of giving'.  I also was able to get a better quality of whatever it was I gave by clipping coupons and working hard.  I played the 'How long can you keep 20 dollars' game like a pro.  Instead of squeezing those 20 dollars till they screamed, died and came back as moaning zombies, I put them to work and made them grow with careful and wise spending.  What's more, I got more laughs, screams and wails at the gifts I gave.  I even gave small gifts to clients.  Squeals of "OMFG!  THIS IS AWESOME!" rang from as far as California.  I made girls feel pretty, made moms jealous of their daughters, made muscle guys break their diets, and got to laugh at my dad because he mistakenly ate soaps that looked and smelled like oreos.  Apparently, they tasted like oreos until they started to foam up in his mouth.  Love you Dad

College

Okay, so, I guess I've never told you how old I am or what I do for a living.  I am 23 and I am in college.  I am also about to graduate.  Technically, I should have graduated a year ago, but silly me, I had my rebellious phase during college and it wasn't against my parents, not really.  It was against my school's bureaucracy and the series of events that led me to be a management major.
You see, I didn't want to be in the business college.  Seeing my mother wrecking her brains and under heaps of stress every quarter convinced me that I didn't want to work like that.  Dealing with the problems that come with doing group work and being 'group leader' in grade school told me that I never, ever wanted to be a manager.  I wanted to get my bachelor's in SCIENCE.  How else was I going to become a mad scientist?  Alas, I'm stuck being just a step away from a dirty politician, a management major.  I hate management in the corporate business sense.  I'm a filthy Socialist Commy, or perhaps, I belong with the likes of Emma Goldman.
If you've played Dungeons and Dragons, you'll understand this phrase: Chaotic Good with Neutral Good leanings.  In other words, I'm a motivator for change, progress and enlightenment, unafraid to work in, around and under your machine with the sole purpose of tearing it down so you can see that it's inefficient.  I tear conventions down and find a way to make them better.  At the same time, I love to help, even if you're my enemy.  I can pity a person who doesn't care if I live or die.  I can walk up to a random, injured high school kid after they've gotten jumped on by 20 people, stop them from doing the stupid thing and going after their attackers while dabbing blood off them with my ever-present wet-wipes.  I know, I've done it before.
But, I'm not a manager, not in the corporate sense, or even the 'I work for the University' sense.  I'm not a back-stabber, a brown-noser, or a cut-throat business person... nor do I ever want to be.  It's too easy for people to slip into rationalization as a defense mechanism.  I know myself.  I do it too.  When that guy tried to come through my apartment window, I did the rational thing.  I called the police, calmly waited for them to arrive and when all was perfectly safe, a report filed, the window repaired and fitted with new bars, that's when I freaked out.  In the business world, danger lurks everywhere.  It mixes all of the shark-tank exploits of Wall Street with the jealousies and insecurities that some people never grew out of .  The business world is like high school, but with no teachers or parents with enough clout over these grown-up children intent on ruining your life.  There's no punishment for bad behavior unless it's truly illegal, and sometimes, not even then.
It would be best for me to be conditioned to that sort of lifestyle and behavior.  It would be best and even beneficial for me to become a cold, over-rationalizing human-faced monster.  I don't want to be that.  I don't want to rationalize my guilts for selling people products that could kill them with the idea that I have 'fiduciary duties'.  The other thing I don't want is this economic depression. 

Yes, depression.  The financial folks don't want to call it that, but we've sunk low enough, employment's in the toilet and no new advances have been made.  I don't care if we don't look like we did in the depression in the 30s.  People had fewer clothing items, food was cheaper and there were still jobs for unskilled labor.  Here, there's nothing. 
 It's a dead zone if you come out of high school and your family doesn't have cash for college.  Heck, it's a dead zone if you do.  I don't want to be that kid in the L station with their resume strapped to them front and back, asking for a job.
I don't want to become a vagrant contemplating college as an extremely expensive mistake.  I want to feel like I can make a difference in the world or at the very least be happily and comfortably successful at something I enjoy.  I want to make my parents proud of what I've done with my life.  That's why I fear the day's job market, my own unintentional major, and the negative possibilities that may follow.  But, that's part of growing up, right?

Feather Clip Tutorial

If you've ever searched for a glamorous and unique gift for a glamorous and unique Hairphile only to come up empty handed, or flat out broke, this tutorial is for you.

Here are the materials you'll need before you start:
Leather of moderate thickness, no thicker than 3 mm, though.
Feathers
A 1.5 inch long, undecorated snap clip.
White Dressmaker's Pencil

Scissors

Exacto-knife

E-6000 Glue

Other embellishments

And here are your instructions, with pictures, yo!

Step 1: Draw oval shapes on your leather with your Dressmaker's Pencil.  They should be about 2-2.5 inches long .  Cut them out.

Step 2:  Draw 4 horizontal lines on your oval.  I use a special order to make sure I space them according to the hair clip size so that the leather won't interfer with the snap-clipping action.  Draw the first line about half an inch from the top of your oval. The second line should be about 1/4 of an inch down from the first.  The third should start a half inch down from the second and the 4th should be 1/4 down from the third.  Easy?  Easy.

The lines are faint, but there.

Step 3:  Use your exacto knife to slice along the lines with a firm and even pressure.  Don't slice like you're the serial killer in a slasher flick, slice like you're the plastic surgeon working on the face of a model who retired after someone threw acid in her face.  VERY carefully.  You may have to repeat in order to slice completely through your leather.  Be patient.  Neat lines will make all the difference when you start really working with this.  In the end, you should have 4, straight and even slits

You can see the end of my pinky poking out of one of the slices.

Step 4:  Unsnap your snap-clip and thread it through the slits you've made.  Start with the second slit, pushing the pointed end of the clip through it. Weave it through the remaining slits much like you would weave those pieces of construction paper together in grade school to make place mats.  Once finished with that part, take the rounded back end of the clip and work it up through the first slit.  Adjust the clip so that it rests evenly in its leather flap.  When you're done, the rounded end of the clip should poke out of the 'top' of the leather flap, while the pointed end should poke out of the 'bottom' of it.  Actually the pictures for this tutorial are a little off.  I was rushing.  The pointed end of the clip should come out of the rounded end of the oval.

Observe as I take a picture with my shaky hands whilst gluing

Step 5:  Leave the clip unsnapped.  This will keep you from accidentally gluing your clip SHUT.  That'd be a bummer.  Glue the rounded end of the clip to the leather underneath it.  Be careful not to get glue on the underside of the clip.  Now, glue the pointed end to the leather above it.  Again, make sure not to get glue on the other parts of the clip.  You will regret it.  Press the leather against the two ends to help secure it and leave the clip to dry a bit- I usually wait about 30 minutes to an hour. 



Actually, the clip should be put in the other way around.  Having the rounded end of the clip at the rounded end of the oval leads to you having a face full of feathers.



Step 6:  Snap your clip shut.  If it's dried enough, the leather will not snap off the ends you glued it to.  If it's not dried enough, press the leather against the ends of the clip again and allow it more drying time.  Start gluing on your feathers, beginning from the outer edges and working your way in.  Be sure to draw even, lines of glue over the leather parts of the clip from top to bottom.

I have added the red feather.

Step 7:  Add a second layer of feathers for fullness.  It's tricky to glue the second layer on.  The original layer of feathers may shift.  Just push them back in place.  Make sure that if there are portions of the hair clip base showing that you cover those with feathers.  Allow the clip about 30 minutes to dry for a bit. 

I added a layer of red feathers, and then a few black ones for decoration.

Step 8:  Allow the clip about 30 minutes to dry for a bit.  Add any other embellishments you want to finish off your feather clip.  In this one, I used sequins and a fancy de-shanked button.  Let the clip dry COMPLETELY, usually for about 10-24 hours.  Now the glue has cured and the clip is wearable.  Enjoy.

The finished product.  I do recommend trimming any visible glue from the clip so it looks professional.  This is just a quick hack job.  The real clip looks MUCH better.

With that all wrapped up, I should probably do the Etsy Shop of the Week... Especially since I forgot to last time. 

This week's feature is LoverDover's, a children's dress and adult apron shop styled after the fashions of the early 20th century!  The whole shop looks like it was born in the era of 'I Love Lucy', splashed through the psychedelic colors of the 70s, and tripped into a 50's diner.  I LOVE IT.  This is a 'definitely' for any retro housewife and/or kitchen diva.  Take a look at my choice picks!

Little Red Riding Hood Dress



Cape and Blouse are sold separately in the shop.  Dress comes with a little blue apron



I Love Lucy Apron



Front

Belle Princess Dress



Funky Stretch Bracelet Tutorial

For this week's 'episode', I'll be instructing you guys on how to make a cute bracelet worthy of gifting!  All you need is some stretchy cord, bugle beads, bicone beads, stringing glue and about 20-45 minutes of your time.  I know that's a big time gap, but to be honest, it takes people longer to do this sort of thing on their first couple of tries.  Once you get the rhythm, Ooooooh baby, it won't take you long at all.  I can actually make 3 of them in 45 minutes now.
Anyways, here we go!  Take a look at your materials!
Stretchy Cord

Bugle beads

Bicone Beads

Stringing Glue

Instructions:

Step 1:  Place your first beads
Measure a length of stretchy cord 3.2 times your desired length.  Don't look at me like that, YES it has to be that long.  Now, start with 4 beads in the following order- bugle, bicone, bugle, bicone.

Step 2: Move to your next row
This step is 'tricky' or so I've been told.  Take the end of the string opposite your last bicone and put it through the hole of the bicone that the first string exits  The result should look like this:

If it looks like this,

you put the string through the wrong hole!  Pull it back out and put it through the other hole.  Pull taut.
Step 3: Continue the trend!
Place 2 beads on one strand in the order: bugle, bicone.  Then place on bugle bead on the opposite strand.  Work the bugle strand through the 'exit wound' of the bicone (ONLY the bicone) on the opposite strand, just like you did in Step two.  Pull taut.  You see how this is going?  Yeah?  Repeat until you get close to your desired length.

Step 4: Finish it!
Stop a centimeter or so shy of you desired length.  If you keep going, you'll have a loose floppy bracelet, not a stretchy one!  Make sure the end of your chain has no bugles on the free strands.  Now, place a bugle on each 'free' strand.  See, that?  Yes, I know I contradicted myself, but I'm doing it so you don't make the mistakes I did.  Now, pull those strands through your FIRST bicone, you know, the little guy you put on between the two bugle beads at the very beginning of your bracelet!  Unfortunately, I don't know how to draw that in MSPaint, so, you'll have to use your imagination.

Pull taut.  Tie the strands, double, or triple knot them.  Then, apply a small blob of glue for extra hold.  Allow the glue to dry.  Cut the excess cord as close to the knot as possible.  TADA!  You're done.

Note: Try using different shapes and styles of beads to get different bracelet effects.  You can even make a wavy effect by using bicones of graduated sizes!  Experiment with the length of your 'chain' to make rings and chokers too!  Just remember, use clasps for the chokers... you don't want to strangle anyone.

The Makings of Elegance: A Reflection

Since I've been busy crafting a lot of these epicly beautiful and utterly timeless pieces, the nerd in me fixated on the phrases most often uttered when such things are displayed.  "That's so elegant!"

My inner linguist takes out her spectacles and asks "Why these words in particular?"  What is it that makes one bracelet or necklace elegant and beautiful while the others are just beautiful?  So, I set out to answer this question by inquiring amongst my fellows, peers, and elders about the attributes of various things they deem elegant.  Here are some of the adjectives I uncovered.

Sparkly                                         Classic                                    Regal                              Sleek
Stands-out                                    Abstract                                  Simple                            Dark

You may not think it's very interesting, but I did.  The majority of the these words don't necessarily apply to something 'elegant'.  For example, a brooch of a 6-inch tall gorilla cast in gunmetal and covered in sparkling rhinestones is dark, somewhat abstract, sparkly and it most certainly stands out, but it's far from elegant.  Really, only 2 of the adjectives I've presented aren't words that could just as easily be applied to something that isn't elegant.  Regal, Classic.  Hmmm.

Typically, something regal is something exuding a kingly bearing.  A kingly bearing?  How do we see kings?  Usually in a positive light...possessing the best and finest things, graceful, polite and well-cultured.  So, a regal piece of jewelry is something of the best and finest materials, a graceful form and possessing a non-intrusive, yest still very noticeable air. 
The other word, classic, refers to something iconic, easily recognized and generally well-liked.  So, a classic piece of jewelry is something easily recognized and usually well-liked.  It's most likely something traditional.  These words have intrinsic qualities that always align with the notion of elegance.

From this, it's safe to assume that the true aspects that make elegance are how classic and regal a piece is.  It has to be something incredibly beautiful, but capable of standing up to time and changing fads, something timeless and genuine.  To that, I'd like to add the word 'unique'.  Elegance is not something mass produced, but something truly beautiful in its rarity.  The diamond solitaire necklace at the very beginning of its use was deemed elegant, but since then, it's been mass-produced, imitated to death and its reputation destroyed.  Everyone has one now.  It's become easy to overlook.  It's elegance has been reduced to an expensive fade-into-the-background accessory.

So, now, I'll take off my nerd hat and bring this topic to... what was it again?  Oh yeah, this blog's about jewelry and each post is supposed to give you an interesting take away!  Here's some of that take away.  Elegance is a quality you want to be applied to yourself and your craft.  So, be genuine, unique, classic and stand out from the crowd. 
My personal take away is that while having a brand name with a catchy acronym or bright colors seems 'cool', the style and quality of the jewelry I make doesn't fit with that.  Long, pretentious names don't work either because my style hops and jumps here and there.  Everything I do is limited edition and one of a kind.  Everything I do is Nonpareil Joolry.

Making Christmas, Making Christmas

I've been stressing holiday bootcamp a lot lately and keeping up with it fairly well.  I've been able to make a little money, save a little money and plan out possible bought gifts (which I can really afford!) for my close friends and relatives.  However, there's usually at least one Ren-Made item in the lot of Christmas gifts.  It was when I was perusing my stash that I noticed that I've taken absolutely no time out to make any heartfelt, handmade Christmas gifts for ANY of my family members.  Uh... Oops.

Then, of course, I overheard some of my sweet aunts randomly chattering about how excited and proud they are about my little side-business and how they've kept up with my deviantart page and can't wait to see what I've made for them for Christmas.  Uh.... Oops!

So... Holiday Bootcamp's discipline will now be applied to gift-making and planning.  To pacify all THREE of my faithful readers, I'll post a couple tutorials- maybe a reflective piece for you guys to gnaw on while I get busy.   All this, it's no big deal, right?

I've still got time and now, NOW, I also have legitimacy.  I made my first PURELY online sale a couple days ago.  Why is that so important?  Well, it's important because that means that all my DA posting and Etsy fiddling and all that enabled me to make someone want to buy something that I MADE simply because it looked good on a photograph.  That means, that my stuff looks professional from every angle.  That means, I don't have to work myself to sell a product.  It sells itself.  I feel... lightheaded.

That said, my Etsy Shop is now open for business.  There aren't many items RIGHT NOW, but there will be... soon.  I'm pacing myself.  If I post everything at once, I'll have a mondo huge listing bill and I won't be able to personally sell anything in my inventory.  So, for now, I'm plucking out some of my best pieces and putting them up for the possible online market. 

And now!  Before I forget, our Etsy Shop of the Week!

This week's feature is one mouthwatering, jaw-dropping marvel that'll excite your sweet tooth.  Fusion Sweets caters to any gourmet sweet tooth's deepest desires.  Run by the mother/daughter team of Kay and Angela, the shop offers enchanting new takes on old favorites from marshmallows and butter caramels to traditional hard candies, all in exciting and innovative new flavors.  Everything is handmade, organic and flavored with real, all natural ingredients.  You can even get custom orders!  Here are some of my personal favorites.

Peanut Butter Caramels

Guava Lemongrass Berlingots

Neopolitan Marshmallows

Rose Infused Marshmallows

Wicked Cool huh?  I might get me some of these treats for the holidays!