Crushing on Craqueleur

I am totally crushing on Annie Sloan's Craqueleur!!  I am working on a dresser painted in AS Emperor's Silk and using the Craqueleur on the drawers, which are done in AS Pure.  I fell in love with Stiltskin Studios Red Velvet dresser and am kind of spinning off of that.  I can't wait to get it all done with lots of Annie's dark wax over the Emperor's Silk and touches of gold gilding wax!

This crackle is WAY better than the junk that you buy in the craft stores and so easy to use!  

Stay tuned for the dresser completed!

Sacred Heart of Mary Necklace

This is one of my favorite pieces that I have ever made!  It turned out so beautifully!  It's now available in my Etsy shop!

More Religious Necklaces

I finally got a little bit of time to do some serious work on my jewelry.  These are now available in my Etsy shop!

 

Ready for Resin

I made a bunch of bezels this weekend and now I just have to find time to do a resin pour.  Everybody else has today off for MLK Day, but I am going back to work!!  

Working on Soldering Skills

I have been battling a flu bug, but it hasn't stopped me from soldering.  I hand cut and soldered this bezel and added the brass stampings and a found brass piece to frame it all in.

I am going to add my favorite Madonna and Child image and call it "A Pummeled Heart".  I also have been experimenting with soldering brass stampings and bezel cups.  It has been very difficult.  As soon as the solder gets hot, the pieces want to move all over the place.  I am wondering if there are some sort of clamps I can use to keep them in place.

Religious Necklaces

New items in my Etsy shop!  I finally had some time to sit down and wire wrap some beads!!

Making Things More Difficult Than They Have To Be?

Sometimes I laugh at myself because I make things more difficult than they have to be.  For instance, I am working on this pendant...

My pic isn't very good and she is a work in progress.  Instead of taking the easy way out, buying a setting for less than a dollar, I scour antique stores and thrift shops and try to find items I can use from vintage costume jewelry.  I also hunt for vintage rhinestones, charms, chains etc.  This piece had a cabochon in it.  I pulled out the cab, sanded off the old gold finish (yuck) from the pendant, and blackened the base metal.  I looked through my stash of rhinestones and found the perfect size to go around the outside to frame my beautiful Saint Marie.  I laugh and question myself, why do I go to all of this trouble???  Does anyone else do this?  Or is it just me?

Moving My Station Indoors

I gave a ton of furniture to my nephew, who just got his first place, last weekend.  My son moved to Denver about a year and a half ago, so I finally started cleaning out his room, as he didn't take any of his furniture with him.  I am going to keep his dresser.  I haven't had a decent one in a few years, since I changed my decor, and his matches my bed perfectly!  His bed, I gave my nephew.  I originally intended to take it up to our family cabin, but every kid needs a bit of help when they first move out and  my nephew, Jon, only had a twin bed!  So, I gave it to him.  The only thing left in the kid's room is a GIANT fish tank, that he told me to put on Craigslist and his tv and tv stand.  So the other night, it was sooooo cold and I wanted to get some soldering done and my garage is huge and I don't have a heater in there, so I got the bright idea to move my soldering station into my son's old room.  I have a craft room as well, but there is too many flammable items in there!  So into his room I moved!!  And I ended up getting way more done than I would have normally gotten done, because it was convenient and warm!!

These are just a pic of what I got done in about a half hour or so!  I blackened them, added images and just got done doing a resin pour!!  I can't wait until it cures, so I can see how they turned out!  Then I can add some bling to them and get them listed on Etsy!  The waiting is the hardest part!!