My Creative Space - The Catch Up Version

You know how when you're in the middle of something, cleaning the kitchen, driving to work, and you think "Oh, I haven't spoken to my dear friend for ages, I must call her", yet the time just seems to pass by and the next thing you know months have passed.  That's how things have been with this little blog space this year.  Lots of things I have meant to share, but time just seems to run away with me...

So this is what it has looked like in my studio lately...

I've done a bit more organising and findings have been making their way into little Ikea drawers - so much better than the container stacks I'd been using that need to be unstacked each time I work.

I've actually finished all my granny squares for my floral blanket.  Now I just have to join them all, I'm using this method but have to say, mine doesn't look nearly as neat.  Now that it's warming up though I think the yarn might be packed away and I'll get back to work on my kimono yoyo quilt.

Not my creative work, but this is what happens when your tape obsessed three year old knows where you keep the Japanese washi tape and you forget to lock the studio door....

I've finished a couple pieces in the "Folded Silver" range... a chatterbox (did you used to make these when you were young?)

... and a little, simple fox.

And in my silversmithing class, I've been working with some more wax.  There are a few touches of bling that is being set into this after it has been cast in silver.  

What's been happening in your creative space lately?  

For more creative spaces this week and to add your own, here's the place to go.  I just see that there's a month long instagram / twitter / facebook game to join in too!  It looks like fun.

My Creative Space - On the Silversmithing Bench

I'm working on a little dandelion at the moment in my silversmithing class.  I've made a little cup to be filled with strips of silver and resin to complete the design.

Don't tell my teacher but I'm finally starting to enjoy soldering.  I still have a lot more practice to do before I'm good at it, but it's pretty exciting being able to manipulate and join the hard metal with fire.  I love the possibilities that this new skill brings.

More creative spaces are over here.

Back to School and Inspired

I started back at my silversmithing class today and am all hyped for the semester.  As I was driving home I was thinking just how cool it was that I get to learn amazing new skills, hang out with fun, creative people and have new jewellery to wear at the end of it.

The first couple of weeks we're learning lost-wax casting.  In this process we're sculpting rings out of wax.  The wax master will then be used to create a mould (and the wax will be melted away and "lost" in the process), then silver poured into the mould to create the ring.  I'm having a blast working with the wax, it's so much easier than working with hard silver and solder I can tell you.

I'm looking forward to the new techniques I'll be learning and the new possibilities they bring.

Rings by Margo Nelissen via the carrot box

I've been slowly adding images to my Jewellery board on Pinterest and the more I scroll through it, the more I realise how much I really love more sculptural pieces, especially in rings.  As evidence, last year in class I made this ring (which, excuse me while I toot my own horn for a moment, I won a student award for) and this one. 

There are more creative things I'd love to study in the future.  I'd really love to take dressmaking lessons and more formal studies in illustrator and photoshop.  The Man is hoping to take some leather craft workshops this year too.

How about you?  Is there anything new you're learning or would love to learn this year?

Done and Nearly Done

My silversmithing course is nearly at an end.  I've really enjoyed it, learnt lots and met some great creative people.  I'm now completely hooked and am signing up for more next year.

Today I finished my riveted ring.  It's quite the knucklebuster, but that's how I like my rings.  It made with folded sterling silver and laminated acrylic, all joined with plain rivets at the bottom and tube rivets at the top.

And here's one I prepared earlier... much, much earlier.  Today I cut two more flowers, domed and soldered them and then sandblasted the piece.  I'm going to polish the edges and possibly colour the background flowers.

I've been doing the course at Brisbane Institute of Art and have been lucky enough to have Dan Cox as my teacher.

In Progress

This is my latest ring in progress for my silversmithing class.  I still have to finish and polish the silver and then put some tube rivets through the top to hold the laminated acrylic in place.  

Today was not my finest day in class.  Still exhausted from the weekend, I ran a jeweller's saw into my finger (ouch!), and nearly put my hand through the soldering torch not once, but twice.  Luckily my teacher is patient.  We'll finish the semester soon and I'll miss my Tuesday morning classes.  I think I should try to set up a proper bench at home and give myself some little assignments to complete before we begin again next year.