Week 41: Dapper Wrapper

I've been wire wrapping again!  When in doubt or too busy to plan out a neat theme for the week, wire wrapping is always a good fall back.  It's my favorite type of jewelry crafting and I'm always behind on making designs that I've sketched out.  So here are seven that went from paper to reality!

Serpentine and Lapis abstract wire wrapped pendant.

Shaded wire wrapped earrings.  I went from Iolite, to Amethyst, to Lemon Quartz, to Crystal  Quartz.  These guys are super fun and sparkly!

Wire wrapped agate and crystal pendant.  I hammered the spirals to give them additional texture, and I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Mosaic-style wire wrapped pendant.  I'm particular fond of this style!  I have so many cute, tiny, semi-precious beads that could be used in this way.  Stone list goes: Rainbow Moonstone, Garnet, Quartz Crystal, Peridot, Labaradorite, White Moonstone, Chrysoprase, Amethyst, Smoky Quartz, Apatite, Rose Quartz, and Emerald Green Adventurine.

Wire wrapped copper tube earrings. I added bits of text tape (Tim Holtz!  Which I always say like "Steve Holt!") to the copper tubing, then wire wrapped it and added seed bead accents.  Then, I added the key charms so the bottoms didn't look so naked.  An empty loop is a sad loop.

Wire wrapped amethyst pendant.  I don't know where this design came from, but  I enjoyed making use of the negative space in the middle of the pendant.  I don't usually leave open spaces in my work, and it was nice to try and incorporate space into one of my designs.  Even if it felt really weird, like I had somehow left the piece unfinished.

Hammered brass washer earrings with copper spirals! Again, making matching spirals is REALLY HARD.  The good news is that making spirals is pretty easy, so it balances out.

Just a few more days until the end of January!  I'll be back at least entertaining the idea of doing different themes soon.  : )  Thanks for sticking with me, and I'll catch you next time!

Week 8: Washer Week!

Aaaaand now we come to the first week where I've run out of vaguely clever titles.  : )  Washers are a really cheap base for a lot of jewelry projects, and I wanted to see if I could come up with some different ways of using them that I haven't tried before.  I had mixed results; I think I'm only going to end up using a few of the techniques again, but trying them all out was pretty fun.

Wire-wrapped.  I think I can do better, but not bad for a first attempt on the idea.

Twine wrapped for a more rustic look.  Didn't quite turn out the way I had hoped, and was painful enough on the fingers to avoid doing again in the future.

Ribbon wrapped!  I like the final outcome, and want to try again with some different ribbons.

Manga paper / ModPodge covered.  Cute, but not really something I'd wear on a regular basis.  May try again with origami paper for a more sophisticated look.

Painted with gesso then colored with colored pencils.  While it certainly looks different, I don't know that I'll be replicating this project.  I did like the embroidery thread necklace piece though, so I'm sure I'll be using that again.

You can't see the back, but this is a pin I swear.  Using the washer as a base I glued a metal filigree, cameo, and some rhinestones to the front, and bunched and glued lace to the back. 

My favorite: Wrapped with embroidery thread.  I will definitely be  doing this again sometime, in many different colors.

I have about seven more ideas for how to alter washers in my notebook, so expect a return to washer week sometime in the near future.  : )