Black Dog and Brown Dog

Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to take my pictures if this keeps happening?

Ok, I understand Miss Em would like her picture taken too but I don't need a nose print on my camera. Each time I venture outside to set up for photos I get a nudge in my side. Hum, wonder who that could be?

And because I feel like I keep leaving poor Miss Molly out, I will add her photo as well. She could care less about having her 15 minutes of fame. Leave her be with a good bone and she's just fine. Oh, and that mud pit she is standing in is my backyard.  It use to be beautiful before the hounds took over.

And one more pick of "Em" because she was looking at me with those big puppy eyes.  I lovingly refer to these two as "brown dog" and "black dog".

Here's what I was trying to take photos of when I was so rudely interupted.

Am I going Swarovski crazy or what? I guess there's something about that sparkle. And Norma Brink's lampwork is kinda translucent in the light. Love the browns and blues with the sterling silver. I'll be throwing this one into the Bei Mondi Etsy shop later today.

And here's a mystery photo for you.

It's been metal etched but apparently not long enough. I think my etching solution is getting weak. Maybe I accidentally left it in the light. Can you make out the picture? This, of course, will take some more time but not bad for a first try on such an elaborate stamp.

I need to absorb some of the sunshine outside before it's all gone. See ya!

Inspire Bracelet and Etching Mess Ups

I've been in that fall spirit.  I used one of my metal etched pieces and created a little autumn bracelet.  At first I thought the etching wasn't good enough to use and I was just going to try again but the more I looked at it the more it grew on me.  It's very far from perfect (you girls know the word perfect is not actually in my vocabulary anyway) but I realized that is what I liked about it.  It's rustic, scratched up, worn.

It's funny, my daughter is so concerned about her stuffed animals' fur matting down after she's slept with and snuggled with them for a few weeks.  She tries her best to fluff the fur back up so they don't look old and worn.  She has one very special stuffed dog named "Pup Pup" that she has had since she was one year old.  That dog has been loved so much there isn't an inch on her that hasn't been matted down.  She use to have such beautiful silky fur but now she is rough and aged a bit.  That little stuffed dog has been through so much with Lauren.  She's gone to two surgeries, been thrown up on (I know that's gross), traveled to every vacation spot with her.  And it breaks her heart to see Pup Pup without her shiny coat.  I've told her that Pup Pup is happy to be worn and tattered that shows she is her favorite.  It shows how much we love something when it gets used and it shows wear and tear.  Think of your favorite tools or your favorite cooking utensils. When we love something we go back to it time and time again.  They show wear but they work just the same.  Ok, enough about that.

And the "Inspire" etched in the metal tells a lot about what we go through each day.  As artists we are inspired a lot by what we see, hear, feel, even smell.  The smell of burning leaves always reminds me of autumn and the brisk wind across my face.  Ok, wow, I guess I'm in a writing mood today.  Anyway, here it is.

 

And here is my second miserable attempt at etching.  I tried the StazOn which worked great for the imprint but this time I left it way too long in the etching solution.  Just look!

It breaks my heart to see all that beautiful copper ruined.  And look at the piece all the way to the right.  What happened there?  Some funky colors.  Ugh!  If first you don't succeed, try and try and try and try again.  Enjoy your Thursday girls!  Just one more day left till the weekend.

Metal Etching and Earring Exchange

Wow is it cold here.  I'm huddled up to my cup of joe trying not to look outside at the wind blowing the trees all around.  October is definitely here and a little early too.

I was busy yesterday trying out the metal etching technique Barbara Lewis at Jewelry of Distinction had mentioned in her blog last week.  This is a 2:1 of hydrogen peroxide to muriatic acid (HCl).  I mixed it up in a 16 cup plastic container with an airtight seal.

I'm familiar with HCl since I worked with it just about every day in the chemistry lab.  The laboratory grade is much stronger than what's sold at your local Home Depot but you should keep the same safety guidelines in mind when working with it.  This is serious stuff.  Here's a few things to keep in mind when you are doing the etching process.

• Wear your goggles! Oh, and don't wear contacts when you are etching.  If you accidentally spill HCl in your eyes the acid can get in between your eye and your contacts.  Also, the vapors from working with HCl can creep in between your contact and your eye.
• Accidents happen.  If you get the acid on your skin please wash immediately with soap and water.  I have a scar on my wrist from HCl so I know accidents can happen.
• One of the biggest things to remember is to not breathe the vapors.  It's common sense, right?  I noticed in the tutorial I was following the guy said he etched in his kitchen.  What?  Go outside.
• Don't pour any of your mixture down the drain.  It will definitely corrode your pipes.  It's for etching metal, right?  This was obvious when working in the lab.  Our facets had corrosion on them just from the fumes.  And we only worked with it in a hood with strong suction.  We had glass pipes so luckily we didn't have to worry about that.  So, it will do the same to your pipes as well.  When I worked with it yesterday I first wiped off my pieces with paper towels then I set them in a bath of soapy water.  I then scrubbed them and rinsed.  Then I left the water run for 15 minutes down the drain.  
  
• Here's one more thing that doesn't have to do with safety but about the hydrogen peroxide in this mixture.  Have you noticed how hydrogen peroxide comes in dark brown bottles?  Well, the hydrogen peroxide solution sold in drug stores is really only 3% hydrogen peroxide and the rest is water.  It is a very strong oxidizing agent so it is diluted considerably.  And when it is exposed to sunlight the molecules decompose.  Don't keep your mixture out in sunlight or you'll end up having acid diluted in just water with no oxidizing agent.  Work outside in the shade if possible.
  

I was happy with the results of the etching process but not my stamping process.  I tried acrylic paint, a Sharpie paint pen, and a regular Sharpie.  I loved the freedom of using the Sharpie to draw my own designs but it didn't etch well.  The paint etched much better but I tried using stamps with the paint and the paint would either dry before I had a chance to stamp it or it would glob up in places.  You should have seen me yesterday.  My hands were covered in black paint and I had a huge frown on my face.  I'm guessing that I'm using the wrong technique for the stamping part and if anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them.

I'm also finding out about the Angel policy.  I've never used stamps for anything I've planned to resell before and it can be a little tricky to know what you can and can't do.  I know several of you are into scrapbooking or mixed media so you are familiar with the policy but if you aren't here some info about the Angel policy. 

So, here's the results from my first etch.  These were etched then oxidized and polished.  First photo is with paint and the second is with Sharpie.

Earring Exchange

Ok, I have eight people including myself signed up for the earring exchange.  If anyone else is interested in joining the group please let me know ASAP.  Here's the Thanksgiving Treasures blog post of when I had originally talked about the idea.  For those of us doing the swap here is a list of questions I need you to answer.

1. What is your favorite color or color combination?
2. Do you prefer silver tone, copper tone, or gold tone metal?
3. Do you like longer of shorter earrings?
4. Do you have sensitive ears?  If so, what type of metal would work best for you?
5. What is your favorite type of beads (gemstones, lampwork, porcelian, etc.)?
6. What is your address along with your full name?

Now we haven't talked about price range for these.  I'm thinking $15-20 dollar price range.  And this is the range at which you would normally sell these not your cost in materials.  I will send out a name and info to everyone by Oct. 4th.  Everyone will have the month of October to create their earrings and they should go into the mail no later than Oct.31st.  Please feel free to send a business card along with your gift or a personal note.  And we'd all love to see pictures of the items once you receive them.  Any questions?  Is there anything I forgot to cover?  Please let me know.

Please email this info to leslie@beimondi.com as soon as you can so we can get started.

Lizzy Lizard Lampwork Bracelet

And here's Lizzy!  This cute little lizard is the highlight of the lampwork bracelet.  She likes hanging around to give a little giggle to your day.  What big beautiful eyes she has!  Lizzy will go into the Bei Mondi Etsy shop today so please say hello to her if you have the time.

 

Lizzy says have a great day!

Need Help From BlogLand

Good morning or I guess it's almost afternoon. I am once again looking for help from "blogland". I've got two things to ask about today. The first is metal etching. I'm looking for a really detailed tutorial on the process. I found a few things online but most of what I found didn't include pictures. I NEED PICTURES! And I'm on the hunt for ferric chloride. I had read somewhere that you could purchase ferric chloride at Radio Shack. Yeah, it seemed weird to me too but I tried none the less to see if they had it. The guy behind the register asked me, "Why? Are you making a bomb?" Hm... that tells me they probably don't carry it. He told me to try Lowe's. I went to Lowe's and the guy said, "Nah, you need a chemistry store or something like that." Now, I remember seeing ferric nitrate in the lab long ago or maybe that was ferric chloride, but regardless, I won't be going back to my old job asking for chemicals. So, where's the best place to buy this stuff? And do you need a lot? I've had plenty of experience working with really nasty chemicals so that part doesn't bother me. I worked with nitric and hydrocloric acid on a daily basis before which I understand can etch metal but my pipes aren't protected to dispose of these chemicals. I understand the safety issues and I have my own lab coat and googles at home for just an occasion. Please help me out!

Ok, on to question number two. My daughter is nine and is an excellent reader but despite that I read to her every night before bed. It's our time to talk about the day and enjoy a story together. We've been reading the Narnia series for the past few months. I would like to make her a special charm bracelet themed around the Narnia series as a Christmas present. I'd like to make all the charms different in their own way to really make it interesting. I started the piece by asking Beth from Hint to make one of her "Courage" lion charms for me. This, of course, symbolizes Aslan which, for those of you not familar, is a main character in all the books. There are seven books in the series so I'd like to shoot for a charm for each book and then maybe some small gemstones or metal charms with words from the stories to fill in the gaps. Here's what I'm searching for:

• Large tree with fruit
  
• Faun (half human and half goat)
• horse
• Large ship with many wooden oars
• dwarf
• ape
• silver chair

Yeah, the list sounds a little odd but if you've ever read the books then you understand. If you come across anything that looks unique that happens to be one of these items please let me know. It would really help out with the project.

Ok, here's today's pieces.

Creme de Menthe

This one is made from odds and ends of other lampwork sets I had lying about. I thought the colors complimented each other well. Some of these beads are from Norma Brink who I've mentioned several times. She rocks! Made with oxidized sterling silver.

My Copper Penny

And this one is similar to one I created earlier in the week. These stones are different though. Made with Monaco Agate which have wonderful browns, creams, and even a pink hue. Very nice with the warm copper.

Enjoy your Thursday! Only one more day left to the weekend. Yippee!