From leaf to metal...

Many of you have asked me how this:

turns into this:

Last summer, a friend commissioned me to make a candle lantern as a wedding gift. I had never worked on anything that large, and so I decided to document the process in pictures. Basically, it's the same process I use for making the Forest Floor jewelry.

I pick the leaves as I walk on our property during the summer and fall. They're pressed and dried between sheets of blotting paper and stored in large frames built for me by a friend. When I want to print the leaves onto metal, first I arrange them on a sheet of copper or sterling silver:

Once I have them arranged to my liking, I run the metal and leaves through a rolling mill.

The intense pressure of the rollers captures even the most delicate veins in great detail. The leaves are destroyed in the process, so every piece is completely one of a kind.

After washing the leaves and sap off the metal, I decide on the general shape for the piece. This usually involves using my jeweler's saw to create detail along the edges, and in the case of the lantern, piercing holes for the light to shine through.

Next, I file the rough edges.

Here are the six panels for the candle lantern laid out in order:

and after the liver of sulfur patina had been applied:

For the lantern, I "stitched" the panels together with sterling silver wire. This technique resulted in a flexible but sturdy construction and a rustic look.

And finally, lights out:

Such a fun project; I learned a lot while making it. And I hope you've enjoyed seeing how leaves give their shape (and spirit) to metal.

1st Friday at Alaska Heritage House

Spring ~ or break-up, anyway ~ is coming fast to Fairbanks. My studio is fragrant with the scent of green leaves and grasses, as I've been working on new embossed cuffs, pendants and earrings. The oils from the leaves, crushed as they pass through the rolling mill, evoke memories of warm sunshine, wildflowers and leafy branches against a blue sky.

I hope you'll join me this week for 1st Friday at the Alaska Heritage House in Fairbanks. Not only will I have new jewelry to show for the first time, but this is a great opportunity to explore one of Fairbanks' most historic houses. Stop by anytime between 5 and 8 p.m. Friday, April 2. If you need directions, click here for a map.

These are two of the new pieces I'll have at the show. The first, the Uchiwa Pendant, is part of the Forest Floor series. Uchiwa is a non-folding Japanese fan, very similar in shape to this pendant. The copper shows the ribs of baneberry leaves and is accented by sterling silver and malachite.

The second photo shows a chased copper lily brooch accented with sterling silver balls. Click on the photo to enlarge it so you can see the detail. The brooch was first cut freehand from a thin copper sheet and then worked on a sandbag into three-dimensional shape with dapping tools and hammers. It features a tie-tac type pin back rather than a traditional brooch finding; this way it can be worn on the lapel of a winter coat as well as on a sweater or blouse.

These pieces are not in the Artfire shop. After the 1st Friday show, these or similar ones will be, so if you're not in Fairbanks, don't worry. (And feel free to get in touch to let me know you're interested now so I can plan to make them for you.)

Also for 1st Friday, please do stop by The Alaska House art gallery at 1003 Cushman Street. They've got a huge selection of my work in a beautiful display up front. With more than 60 pieces, there's a lot to see.

Next time I take a break from the bench, later today or tomorrow, I'll post the photos illustrating how real leaves are embossed into metal for the Forest Floor jewelry.

Artfire Shop is Open!

Head on over here and take a look... It's just a start, and I'll be adding bunches of new items over the next several days. But I promised an opening by the end of January, and shhhh... It's February 10th.

To celebrate, I'm offering blog readers a 10% discount on any purchase made before February 20; just be sure to mention this blog. And for Valentine's Day ~ or for anytime you want to tell someone you love her ~ I'm also offering free shipping on this one-of-a-kind frosted sterling silver cuff. (I'll deliver to the Fairbanks/North Pole area.)

If your gal is the playful sort, she'll love the sprinkling of hearts, and the satiny finish adds softness and a certain glow.

From Tin Cup Designs Handwrought Jewelry

From Tin Cup Designs Handwrought Jewelry

I chose to use Artfire for the shop because it offers lots of flexibility to customers for payment. You don't have to have an Artfire account to make a purchase, and eventually I'll offer items for sale directly on this blog.

If you're an Etsy user (or an Artfire user), I'd love to hear what you think about either. And of course if you choose to buy from my shop, I want to hear about your experience: Was it easy to use? Confusing? What would have made the experience better for you?

Tomorrow, I'll be putting up a bunch of Squiggle earrings for those of you who need your Squiggle fix. ;) Right now, there are a couple of one-of-a-kind pieces. I'm particularly fond of these hammered sterling and copper Shield Dangle earrings with lemon chrysoprase beads. They move!

From Tin Cup Designs Handwrought Jewelry

And I hope they'll move right on out of the shop.

So, Happy Valentine's Day! We're more than halfway through the doldrums of the JanFebs now. The Sun is coming back, and it's busy busy. Lots of good stuff coming up. Thanks for sticking with me.

The missing link

You know, I know that I'm an exceedingly lucky person. I love what I do, and I love where I do it. Even after living in Alaska for 14 1/2 years, I am still facinated by its utter difference from Georgia, where I grew up, and I know there are few other places in the world where I might encounter lynx or bears or moose on my own property. The Aurora Borealis still stops me in my tracks — freezing or not — and the Midnight Sun still gives me a huge energy boost.

Of all the "jobs" I've had — from newspaper reporting to state government work to selling office furniture to providing respite care for elders — making jewelry is what I choose to do for the rest of my life. I can't imagine ever growing tired of it or disliking it or wanting to give it up.

Still, I sometimes feel there's something missing.

And this year, I've finally realized what that missing link is. It's you!

I spend almost all my time alone, which does suit me. I like quiet — or I like cranking up the Talking Heads or B52s on the stereo. (Egads, I just dated myself. Most of you will have no clue who those bands are.)

You've heard the phrase "spark of creativity." Well, it's hard to create a spark in a vacuum.

At the new year, I decided I wanted to break out of my shell a little bit and work on developing new relationships. And like magic, as soon as I made the decision, opportunities began coming my way. (The blog has helped a lot.)

I'm thrilled to have made new connections with people who've bought my jewelry, with people who've admired my jewelry, with other artists and artisans. I've got a great email correspondence going with a couple of you, I've spoken with several of you on the telephone, and I've met more than a handful of you for coffee and conversation. One of you generously offered to help me make a banner for the blog (which is progressing beautifully), and someone else is considering photographing my jewelry on live models.

And to a person, you have inspired me. You've given me new ideas and suggestions, you've asked me for a special piece for a special occasion, you've shared your reactions to my work and even pushed me to try something different. Every time I meet one of you — whether in person or by email or on the phone — I come away with renewed energy, eager to get to the bench and make something new.

Thank you!

This Saturday (the 25th) I hope I'll meet lots more of you at the Spring Break-Up Bazaar on Eielson Air Force Base. If you're in Fairbanks, it might seem like a long way to drive, but hey: It's gorgeous out there, and all of us artists are finally stirring from the winter doldrums, brimming with enthusiasm and creative spark. Please stop by my booth and say hello!

If you're nowhere near Eielson, how about Homer or Denali or Anchorage? I recently sent a small shipment to Fireweed Gallery; I'm working on the first order of the season for the Magic Carpet at Denali (opening in mid-May); and I'll be sending a package off to Portfolio in Anchorage next week (after a bit of a hiatus, so this is particularly exciting).

If you're nowhere near Alaska, I've got some ideas percolating in my head that should come to fruition after the bazaar, and I'll be taking photos and writing about them here. You can always get in touch if you see something you like. Please do! Because I've just realized how much I need you all.

Here's a hint of one of the new things: A couple of weeks ago I picked up a book on metal embossing techniques, and I was so enchanted with it that I started looking on-line for some embossing tools. I almost decided not to fiddle with it because the new tools seemed expensive, but how's this for serendipity: I found a set of antique Japanese (I think) embossing tools in a lovely case on eBay and got them for a song. Here they are:

From Tin Cup Designs Handwrought Jewelry

From Tin Cup Designs Handwrought Jewelry

After this week, I hope I'll have time to play with them. My ideas about how to incorporate embossing into my jewelry are a bit hazy at the moment, but the seeds are there, and I can't wait to see what blossoms.

Happy Spring!

(P.S. Wow... It's been a month since I posted, and I have a lot more to share. So next time, look for an update on my purchases for the Stone Soup Challenge, plus a couple of new designs.)