like a phoenix!

sometimes when i'm working, a piece breaks.  it is heartbreaking, but, then it becomes a test of wills, between me and the broken piece........ with me saying, "you will become something beautifull!"

i figured and i studied and i figured and i studied, and i finally figured it out!  thanks to my poppo, or was it my mother? who always said "where there's a will, there's a way!"  so....i made a third piece out of sheet copper and used it to back the broken and weak parts. then, i added some leaves to bring the two halves back to the same level, some texture to the backing copper, and viola!  

 here she is, resurrected, and stronger than ever, in all her glory!

hooray!!!!!

sometimes there's heartbreak....

i have just made the most beautiful necklace.  i worked and worked on the enameling to get it just right.  it was a repaired piece from te get-go, and the heating and reheating must have been too much for it.......

the poor thing broke in half.  don't know if i can fix it.  oh man!  it is a killer when that happens.  i had to take a picture of the broken carcass.  

it has a title, should it ever be repaired well enough to wear....a lovely title. 

 "the gift from the goddess of the night sky"

doesn't that just about make you want to cry?

did i tell you about the bracelet links????

well.  i've been roling ideas around in my mind for months for a link bracelet, thinkini i wanted something that i could eventually make into a watchband for myself.  this is the design i ended up with.

this is basicly how i did it.  i rolled out copper clay

and made a cardstock pattern the shape i wanted, and cut out enough for my bracelet.

i had a mold of a victorian button and cast that in copper

i unmolded the cast while it was still wet, and used water and paste to bond the two.

dried them and fired them according to the instructions on the package.

the next day i took them out of the kiln, rolled out bronze clay, also two cards thick, then cut it into tiny strips 3/4" long and about 1/4" wide, with one strip an inch and a half long.  i dried them flat and fired them.

next, i enameled the copper links with pink and green enamel, and put them aside to cool while i made 14mm copper jump rings.  then i pounded a little 'character' into them.

all that was left was to assemble the bracelet using the flat bronze strips with their ends curled under to make an oval link, with one end around a copper jump ring and the other around the enameled flower link, until it was long enough for my wrist, and finish with a hook made from the one long strip.  viola!  bracelet!  i can even add charms!

links to the faerie circle

here is the necklace with all it's links.....next step, add color!

starting to feel the magic

i'm so excited about this piece!  the links came out well....i'll post pics of them tomorow.  and i hope to begin enameling the pieces tomorrow.  i still have to work out the closure and there will be blance issues with the heavy front, but here it is!