Photos of my work that have been done since Covid:

Peapod Earrings

Air Chased Scarf Pin

Kinga Nichols pattern

Copper & Pearl Rings

Ginkgo Leaf Earrings

Reppouse' Cuff

2019 Booth Setup

Fold Formed Copper Necklace

Air Chased Pendant with Agate Necklace

Argentium Silver Pendant

Mt. View Middle School bazaar

This last weekend was my Mt. View Middle School bazaar. It was huge! I sold enough to make it worth my while.  My sis and niece stopped by as well as my grandson's fiance.  Always nice to see familiar faces and someone to watch the booth while I go searching for the caramel corn I'd been smelling all day!

I had a particularly large space so I could display my mittens & scarves.

Hillsboro Tuesday Night Market

This is week 5 for the Tuesday Night market running through the end of August.  I finally was able to raise my canopy by myself this time!  I am always fine-tuning my displays and included a repousse' demo on the small tv tray to attract viewers.  I can see that I need to lower the front table cloths to hide my boxes.

These two pics are from August nearing the end of summer.


  

Repousse from Firenze

On June 4 I drove the first of 5 trips to Newberg, OR to attend my first Repousse (fr. push forward) class with il maestro Fabrizio Acquafresca. 

  Fabrizio and wife who we never met at airport

   These are the tools that he had sent ahead:
Tar board we heated with flame until soft enough to embed metal
Selection of 20 tools handmade by il maestro available for $500
Chasing hammer

 

The image was first traced onto the metal then pressed into the soft tar (which smelled like tar). After indenting within the traced image, we melted the tar with flame to pull metal out.  Next came the really toxic part:  Burning off the tar, cleaning the metal and reinserting into the tar to finish outlining.

Working with silver was very interesting but very expensive

       The last project included a small piece for Fabrizio to demonstrateThe last project included a small piece for Fabrizio to demonstrate each step that I would then emulate-ha!

 

 

 

 

 

 

He was very strict in how to hold the tools "the Italian way"

 Final project of cherry blossom cuff

 

   I seem to be always frowning, maybe hoping he won't hit my finger.

Great photo of my water bottle.

 

 

Vivi Magoo in Tucson

 

This is the second year I signed up for the retreat.  I selected 5 days of Robert Lopez to challenge my skills and they really were.

The day before I was to depart I thought it was so hard to get out of bed at 3:00 am & get dressed to head for the airport.  So I decided to sleep on the couch in my travelling clothes with the dogs to give them maximum time with me before I left.  I had 1 glass of wine too many, the dogs wouldn't settle down as this was so far out of the norm, so at 10: I put them out, crawled onto bed praying alarm clock would go off at 3:15.  Needless to say I got no real sleep.

With a take off time of 7 AM, I loaded up the car & drove to the nearest Max train station that offered the earliest  departure of 4:00 am, got on, so far so good.  Train trundled along to the west side of the bridge over the river & stopped saying he couldn't go over the bridge, we needed to walk one block to a shuttle bus.  10 minutes later one appeared & he took us over the river to the Rose Quarter stop.  By then it was about 5:15.  There was no sign of a train coming so I dialed up Uber & while it was searching for a ride for me, here comes a red line train.  I vacillated too long, cancelled Uber ($5 charge) ran for the door which had closed & the train left. 

I redialed Uber, eventually a nice young man came & we were off.  Arrived about 5:45, went through security, they confiscated my rawhide hammer, chasing hammer & file frame.  Finally made it through, ran for the bathroom, stopped at Starbucks for coffee & something to eat & ran to the A concourse which is the farthest one from anywhere. My sister had called to say they couldn't find my car.  I thought great my car is stolen along with.  They were at the wrong stop. It was 6:30 and I noticed everyone was loaded & the woman said they were 3 minutes from closing the gates.  Made it on.

I eventually made it to Tucson worse for wear, room wasn't ready, layed around lobby until 2.

Monday my first class started.  Robert is a great teacher & his style suits mine: rustic

We used from the top:  Brass run through a rolling mill with some plant material, Titanium distressed & flame colored and Argentium silver which was also run through the mill.  Working with Argentium was a new experience, supposedly does not tarnish much.  The Argentium can be fused to itself & so we bordered the piece of silver with wire pieces, silver balls & fired the heck out of it.  Then patinaed with liver of sulpher.

 

The second day we constructed bezels for our stones with the Argentium for amber & unpolished lapis.  Then we formed the layers & riveted them all together. Quite heavy & quite outstanding.  Very very outstanding.  The most outstanding the world has seen.

 

Third day we were to make a pendant.

 

 

 

 Again we used titanium textured with plant material through the rolling mill & flame colored.  We cut a pattern in the A. silver, laid on tiny wire, balls & flatten balls & heat fused them on.  We created a frame of square wire and balls to fit around the center pieces & heat fused.  Riveted pieces together.  Second day we created & mounted the purple stone in my case patinaed & soldered to the frame.  I pooped out on attaching a bail figuring I would do it when I got home. Hah!

 

 Last day was another pendant using only Argentium & balls and water drops.  That demo was so cool. Hopefully this link will work to show the process: 

https://www.facebook.com/242398829164375/videos/1772390442831865/

 



 

I think the stone is jasper & I would have liked to have my petals be more petal-like but it was Day 5 & I was tired.  This however does have a bail.

 

The hotel was under new management and remodeled this year and had just reopened the week before we arrived.  So they had a few kinks to work out while we were there.  Part of our package included a breakfast buffet and happy hour with wine & hors d'oeuvres.  Of course we were all expecting the bounty they offered last year of veggies & dip, chips & salsa & great hot offerings.  Sadly the staff bore the brunt of our displeasure with only 1 chafing dish of the daily deep fried offering.  The breakfast buffet was average & the invoiced price would have been $16.95 if not comped.  For that I would have expected champagne or mimosas.

 

 In the evenings it was nice to sit out by the pool and watch the changing colors of the sky.  The temps averaged 65 to 80* most days 

                         

 

 

This evening I was able to watch tiny Mexican tailless bats whip around the sky.

 The final day of classes those of us participating in the themed charm swap were able to collect our boxes:

 



The theme was "pearl" and the variety was great.  Mine is in the top photo second row with the fat green pearl.  Hammered faux Chinese coin, copper disc stamped "'18" and green pearl.  The most unique was the vintage bobbin crochet with beads & pearls.

 

It was an intense week especially for someone who enjoys solitude.  I was happy to get back to the boys.

 

I have completed two holiday bazaars so far with one more on December 2.
Mt. View Jr. High was fun, lots of energy from patrons and kid volunteers.

Tuality Hospital. I had used this corner display

last year for necklaces and it was too hard for people to touch the jewelry.  I had this brainstorm in the middle of the night to use drapery hooks to hang my mittens from.  It worked great!

  These are copper

rings with natural pearls or agates.  Saw these on etsy & modified to my own style.

  My table at Mt. View.

Spinner bracelets with embossing & patina

Pearl necklace in a pod

 

The best part of Tuality Hospital is the Pie Guy and the toffee/brittle guy!

 

Additionally:

Last April I had an opportunity to take a bead embroidery class with Kinga Nichols. 
As I was burnt out on mittens, these I could do at my bi-weekly knitting group.  The octopus and fishie were from kits and the flying pig was completed using my *huge* supply of beads I've collected over the years.

My final show will be at the Hillsboro Sr. Center this coming December 2.  I'll post after then.

 

 

 

2017 Things I've been working on

2017 Photos of new work:

Kinga Nichols

 Flying Pink Pig

      

From 2013 as an example

 2016 A&S

 Pea Pod Assortment

 Air chased Copper & Agate

 Form Folded Scarf Pin