Just the Bee's Knees

New pendant in my shop today!

Another porcelain cabochon from

Magpie Pottery!

Vintage new/old stock buttons

from the 1930s riveted onto

a sterling base with hand pierced

bees.

Piece of the Tropics

Here's a new piece that will go into my Etsy shop later this week! This little baby was in the planning during this blog post. I'm pleased with the finished pendant. Gosh, do I have more ideas and designs for this collection!

This pendant is a recycled sterling silver dot with 18k gold jump rings, a sterling chain, and a 22k gold bezel-set apatite stone which is the exact color of the Sea of Abaco in the Bahamas. Apatite supposedly enhances insight, creativity, and confidence. I just see a lovely stone that makes me crave some warm tropical water!

I love a productive week. On a scale from 1 to 100, this was a 83. Not a super score, but work got done even though my dear girl was extra needing of TLC due to her persistent chest cold. I finished 8 pieces or so. How nice to finally start something from scratch. I tend to start too many pieces and work on all at the same time....delaying their completion in the process.

blossom pendant with a sweet little antique button

dot bangle with 18k gold and ceylon sapphire

sterling bubble earrings

18k heart ring with filigree

Now onto the weekend. It's a cold one here in Maine! I plan to stay close to home, read, and enjoy the family (and maybe sneak off to the studio for an hour or two)! Good bye, January 2010!

Pendants

New pendants coming to Quench Metalworks soon!

New Work, Finished

Yes! A new group of work ready to list, but not tonight as this metal mama is t i r e d. But, here's a sneak peek....

brooch with a huge vintage MOP button

rustic heart stackers with cognac band (I might add another ring to this..perhaps one with a teeny tiny gold heart?)

same as above, but with a Ceylon sapphire

big button brooch

heart pendant with 18k gold dots and a Ceylon sapphire

I have 2 pendants almost finished and will post tomorrow! Nighty night!

My First Giveaway! and A Winner!

YAY! A giveaway!!!! We all love giveaways, right? In celebration of almost a year blogging and all the folks out there that follow my little blog, I'm offering up a Quench Metalworks' pendant! Special thanks to all my peeps on Facebook who voted for a pendant prize.

This is the prize that I have chosen for my first giveaway. My new circlet pendant in sterling silver....the jump rings that attach the chain to the pendant are 18k gold. Your choice of either oxidized silver or brushed silver. Just leave a comment by 6pm on Sunday, September 6th and you'll have your chance to win. The winner will be posted later that evening. Good luck!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you all for commenting! The winner is..... Cindy from Hellcat Vintage! Congratulations, Cindy!!!

New Work

A few new items that will make their way to my Etsy shop in the next week.

Reclaimed vintage boot buttons and sterling earrings

Upcycled vintage mother of pearl button pendant in sterling silver and 18k

My signature earrings in sterling silver

Upcycled carved antique mother of pearl button pendant in sterling and 18k

Trio of vintage mother of pearl buttons brooch in sterling silver and palladium

The Two Quenches

I am amused at the technical differences between my "collections". The earrings below are from the Vintage Collection and, if you have followed this blog, you know that I incorporate vintage buttons and explore hand-pierced filigree. For me, the collection is frustrating....lots of time involved designing and sawing out these intricate patterns, lots of broken buttons from the riveting process, and lots of broken saw blades. As much as I detest the work I devote to this collection, I am repeatedly rewarded with the end product. I see my grandmother and her mother in these pieces. This collection is my homage to embroidery and sewing and I believe that my gram would be proud that I honor this tradition with my collection.

Earrings with vintage buttons

Pendant with sterling and 18k gold dots

The other collection, Dot, is an all out fun fest. The pendant above is the latest addition to Dot. The work involved is remedial...meaning a bit of soldering, a bit of hammering, minimal filing, no fancy patterns, no repetitious sawing and piercing. I form the dots by melting scrap sterling or gold, add a little boric acid while the metal is molten, quench the dots, and hammer flat. The process is a bit crude, but that's the appeal. This collection gives my brain, eyes, and hands the break it needs from my other challenging collection.

In the end, I am both collections (and I didn't even get to dissect my Armor collection!). I'm the consummate metalsmith who fusses over the tiniest blemish; I'm also the experimental artist eager to try create timeless designs. I hope you find a bit of both in my work as well!

New Work, Sort Of...

This pendant has been kicking around for a while. I made it for Maine Team's winter challenge. It was ok...but lacked the grittiness I like in my work....you know, oxidation to the sterling, scraps, bumps, and bruises. And I really detested this chain. So, I updated the pendant and it feels more like a Quench piece.

Just a little coloration to the sterling, sanding of the rivets, and a modern sterling cable wire to replace the chain. A vast improvement, wouldn't you agree?

Tuesday Morning Front Page Love

I am featured in a treasury curated by The Nebulous Kingdom. AND, the treasury was on the front page of Etsy this morning!!!! I apologize for my half-baked copy and paste screen shot. Sometimes, the techie part of me is still sleeping.

Vacation, Circus, and Mums

For students and teachers in Maine this past week, it was the cherished April vacation. Without April vacation, schools would be a vast wasteland of wishful thinking daydreamers and irritated teachers. As with every April vacation, we make the trek to my husband's native land of Long Island, New York...and the very best leg of this journey is the ferry ride across Long Island Sound. We were blessed with light breezes, calm seas, warm sunshine, and a happy, rested child for our cruise...and as you can see from the picture, a light load of passengers...we had this side of the ferry to ourselves!





Once back home here in Maine, my sister and I treated our little ones to the Kora Shriner Brother's circus. While part of me abhors the circus (namely the rumored inhumane treatment of the animals), the mother part of me delighted in my daughter's face as she absorbed the sounds, sights, tastes (she did not care for the cotton candy, but ate a whole box of popcorn herself!), and smells of the circus. I think I watched her more than I watched the show at hand!!

Lastly, I have these pendants progressing towards completion fro Mother's Day. I should have them listed by tomorrow afternoon. Simple and handmade with a touch of filigree for the mums out there who take their jewelry with less bling.

Finished!

Hot off the Quench bench!! A friend commissioned this pendant a while back. Oxidized sterling silver, hollow formed and riveted, 3 bezel set diamonds, and bits and pieces from my scrap bin (sort of grunge meets steampunk...would it be called grunpunk or steamunge?).

I'm clearing of my bench, checking off the list, and tying up loose ends as I prepare to vacation! Ah, sun, sand, and palm trees! I'll be closing my Etsy shop for three weeks starting February 1st. I'll be sure to pop into my blog from time to time.

New Listings

I'll be adding these pieces to my shop in the next few days. I have several vintage button pendants (besides the one above) that will join their kin as well!

Happy 2009!

Ah, at last, a new year. A new calendar, a fresh slate, a season for resolutions. Time to clean the studio, finish commissions, and work on some new pieces (like this pendant from my new collection, Dot).

2008 was a super eventful year for Quench Metalworks. I started my business, worked diligently whenever possible, had sales (yes!), started this blog, and forged many new and old friendships! My expectations are great for 2009. Here's wishing you all a healthy and prosperous new year.

Contest Reminder, New Listings, and Thankings

Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow is the kick-off for the Etsy Metalsmiths in Action Team's "Seek, Find, and Win" Holiday Contest. Please check out rules here and prize photos here! If you happened to miss my first blog about the contest, you can find it here. Good luck and have fun!

A few new listings today in my shop.

hollow nickel silver and 18k ring with sapphire

sterling silver 'snowfall' rivet pendant

sterling silver 'snowman' pendant

I had a blast making this little silver stack. It's weight is impressive and could easily become a favorite pendant. To create one in gold would be a DREAM! I'm hoping that the gold price continues to fall...$400/ troy ounce would be excellent!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! With a belly full of turkey, squash, and stuffing (AND brussel sprouts AND mashed potatoes AND cranberry sauce AND monkey bread) I present to you the 5 things I'm thankful for this evening:

1. My good health and the good health of my loved ones.
2. My family and friends
3. Sunny, warm places to visit in February
4. My husband who did ALL the dishes and kitchen chores today...you rock, babe!
5. My loyal blog followers!

'Tis the Season Preview

A cold and quiet evening here in Maine. I'm avoiding the studio and blogging instead! The temperature is 20 degrees and falling. Yikes! Winter will soon arrive. The pics below are a few winter/holiday themed items I'm creating for the Etsy Maine Team Holiday Challenge. I'm not sure why its called a 'challenge'...its more of a promotional tool.

That little 3 tiered guy is my minimalistic snowman.

Red coral and pearl cluster, the best colors for the season.

My version of snowfall...sorry for the yellow tint. This is a B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L piece.

Italian wool cowl

When I'm not working in metal, I am knitting. This has been an on again, off again hobby of mine for 7 years. I have a shameful amount of fine Italian yarn stashed in all corners of our home. This funky, colorful Italian wool will be a shaggy cowl when finished (I have unraveled it twice...don't ask).

5 Helpful Items from my week:

1. hand lotion

2. mouse traps

3. hats

4. chamomile tea with honey

5. my flex-shaft

How about you?

Happy Friday

A very happy Friday indeed. This little girl of ours is once again surrendering to the nap. Thank goodness! She also visited Mama's studio today and had a blast painting with big girl paints and very big paper. Mama got some work finished. AND, one of my pendants made the Etsy home page!!! Woo hoo!


My Etsy Maine Team mate, Jen, from Whimsidoodle (http://www.whimsidoodle.etsy.com/) selected my long, simple 3 button pendant as part of her treasury (unsure what this treasury thing is? Go to http://www.etsy.com/ and click treasury). In an email correspondence, she mentioned this, I checked it out, did a happy dance in the kitchen, and emailed everyone. BUT, it gets better...I logged in later in the day, and there's my pendant...home page of Etsy!!!!! No one has bought the pendant (grr), but it was viewed 299 times. Very exciting stuff !

My darling daughter, as I mentioned above, worked with me in my studio today. She was so well behaved and focused on her painting. I love kids' art. I taught k-5 art in Maine and was a teacher's assistant in college for youth art. I'm all for celebrating youth art. Below are some of our girl's drawings and paintings. These frames are from a large chain that begins with "W". I'm not proud that I shop there occasionally, but these frames are only $4.00!!! Deal.

Here's the pendant, fixed and finished. I found a vintage shell button that had off-center holes...perfect for this piece! I omitted the gold rivets as the sterling rivets worked with the brown button. I'm happy with the necklace. I'm listing this tonight on Etsy.

To end my happy day, my husband did the grocery shopping and I had a nice crisp walk with my sister. Happy Friday, everyone!

Deconstructing the Constructed

After denying myself the pleasure of bench working for several years (due to endless priorities), I plowed into the studio without a plan when my muse whispered to me "Start, NOW!". To make what could be a very long story somewhat short, I cherish the needlecraft arts and the many women in my family who practice or practiced these traditions. Seldom do I sew or embroider...I'm a metalsmith...dirty hands, calloused fingertips and palms, short nails..not the hands of a seamstress. What I can do, is celebrate needlecrafts through jewelry.

So with that renewed spirit and inspiration, I made this pendant. No plan, just a large sheet of metal. Using those buttons from my family's collection, fabric textured sterling sheet, and a dainty, doily-like edge, I thought that this was the coolest pendant EVER. For a little splash, I riveted the buttons on with pink gold. Then, I tried it on...then tried it on my sister...then a friend. Unfortunately, the darn thing looks clumsy around the neck. It kind of reminds me of one of the fancy liquor decanter plaques. NOT the look I was going for. I want my jewelry to enhance the female neck, not make her look like a jug of bourbon.



So, off to the bench we go. I will be deconstructing this piece into several smaller pieces and one large oval, empty center brooch. Once all is said and done, this pendant's vim will live through several other pieces. I'll post some pics when I am finish with the revamping!

A Fine Fall Day

Today was a non-bench day. I stayed away from my studio and focused on other projects that needed attention. These were not difficult tasks; some were messy, some were new territory, some were time consuming. Tasks that don't quite gel with the rhythm of my day.

Outside in the chilly morning air, I employed my sister's well-defined ear, long neck, lovely hand, and patience (thanks, Al!) to model all of my finished pieces so I could get some nice 'action' pics for Etsy. During the photo session, we laughed so hard that we forgot about our cold toes and numb fingers. One of those 'you had to be there', dorky sister moments.

With a few of those pictures and some previously shot, I listed my first items on Etsy!! Woo-hoo!!! What I had imagined to be a daunting process was actually fun and quite easy. I brooded over listing for weeks, read and reread the policies, went to the forums...finally I took the plunge. What the heck was I so worried about? With a toddler running around, a dog barking at phantom ducks (the barking starts at 6:30am....it's a mystery, really), and dinner on the stove, I managed to get 2 listings done. More tonight when the family is tucked in and the house is quiet.

I also made a perfect apple crisp (perfect according to hubby, what a guy!) with apples picked by husband and daughter this past weekend. We have a LOAD of apples and I can see that the baking will continue right through this week and into Saturday. Tomorrow? Rustic apple tart.... mmm.

While prepping the apples for their trip into the oven, the 5 pointed, star-shape seed chambers caught my eye. What a surprising and mystical shape to discover inside these fruits. Negative space always interests me...a jeweler sees a mold for wax or metal. If time had allowed, I would have melted some wax and poured the hot liquid into these little chambers. Of course I am thinking ultimately how these hollow, nature-made star shape would look in sterling silver, or, better yet, 18k gold, hanging from a delicate, hand-wrought chain.

Away from the bench today, yes. Away from creativity, never!