A special mother's pendant

I am so very proud! Earlier this spring I exhibited in the Believe in Girls conference held by the Girl Scouts and demonstrated a possible career in the arts. A while after the conference one of the girls called me and arranged a ring making workshop for herself, her mother and her grandmother. We had a blast.

Just recently she called again and wanted to make a special necklace for her mother's birthday. She had bought the stones, come up with a design and needed a little help (and the tools!) to bring the piece to life. I helped with the bezels and stone setting but the sawing, filing, stamping, etc. was all her. Yay! She did such a great job and it was awesome to be able to help her make something special. You too can come to the studio to create a one of a kind piece, just give me a buzz.

Dine + Design

Art is food for the soul...but let's not forget our tummies! Please join us at studio fuzzishu this Thursday May 26 for the first Dine + Design event! Bring your sketchbooks, materials, things that inspire you, and thinking cap. We'll do some brainstorming around a theme, bounce ideas off of one another, critique, sketch, create, etc. and of course, share a meal.

Don't forget, if metal or glass is your thing (or you just need some space that's not the kitchen table!) you can always come back for 'open studio' time and create what you've designed! Please RSVP if interested so I can get a head count for the 'dine' portion of the evening. See you Thursday!

Steampunk Pendant @ studio fuzzishu

We had a great time making some steampunk-esque pendants the other night at the studio. The students were given packets of odds and ends and a short time to come up with their designs. After a few demos they began to create their pieces. Everyone did a fantastic job! We ran out of time before oxidizing the pieces to give them that antique-y feel but I think they turned out great either way!

A Passel of Profession Rings

Saturday's J101 class just finished a fantastic set of profession rings. Everything from a teacher to a heart surgeon. Yay soldering! We've just begun the final project - wire link bracelets. Check back for more student projects soon.

Another thank you in 3D

One of my students brought studio fuzzishu a nifty present - a bag full of 6g. copper wire.

I decided to make her a thank you gift as well, a forged copper bracelet.

I had to guesstimate a good starting size, anneal and solder it.

I then began forming the bracelet's tapering hammered shape on my anvil (yay, anvil!)

I cheated just a little and used the saw to remove the extra flare rather than taper the ends with a hammer.


Then some filing and refining.

And voila! Bracelet - so simple and comfy I had to make one for myself too :D

Like quicksilver...

J102's cast pewter 'reflection' pendant photos are up. Go check out their awesome pieces (WITH artist's statements!!!) here.

This was the first project for J102 and was a quick little piece. Students learned how to carve their designs in plaster and cast with molten pewter. I hope to get some 'in progress' photos up here soon. This was also the first project that students were 'strongly encouraged' (read: harassed non-stop) to write artists' statements. Eventually we'll get to the point of holding critiques after they complete a project. :D Watch out, students!!!

My Precioussssss

Isn't my new baby pretty? I am so incredibly psyched to have gotten my hands on a rolling mill. Granted, it isn't the stacked Durston D2 130 that I've been lusting after...then again it wasn't $2,000 either! I'm looking forward to future classes being able to use this to texture their metal. It will be especially good for the cold connections project that J102 is doing right now. I am still working on getting a stand for it so that it may be used. I'm heading out to Bob's* this weekend to try and find something that might work.

This mill has a lot of history, the grandfather of the woman I got this from used to work for one of the major film production companies in Iowa. He used to collect the silver dust from the process, refine it and make jewelry. Since then the mill has been used by the grandkids to squish apples and various other objects. She approached me at state fair and asked if I might be interested in such an object. Of course I was!

I'm trying to figure out exactly what brand of mill it is and perhaps a little bit more about its history. If any of you out there have a clue, please let me know! I took her apart to try and clean it up a bit and saw a 'made in italy' stamped into the metal. There are also some letters/numbers near the top that you can see in the photo...looks like EC 82? Any ideas?

*I really really want to get one of Bob's redheads (see below) for the studio. Some day!

It's a bird. It's a plane. It's....

Lucky hears a noise on the street....

...and Superdog hops up on the radiator to check it out.

'Fear not, citizens. All is well with Superdog on the prowl!...Now please help me down.'

J102 Cold Connections - Now with FREE pdf tutorial!

For the second project ('But Rachel', you ask, 'where's project 1?' Fear not, gentle readers...post coming soon - posted here!) in J102 students will learn various cold connections (more info below) to create an amulet bracelet.

I have several examples of bracelets made with cold connections but my favorite one is the one I just completed - my 'Lucky Penny' bracelet. I was thinking of old penny loafers with the slot and the 'find a penny, pick it up' rhyme.

I'm hoping that by wearing it I will attract all sorts of good luck. I'll post the J102 students' pieces when we finish them.

Cold connections include such things as wire rivets, flush rivets, tube rivets and more. You can find the J102 Cold Connections Exercise document I created* for free HERE. You're welcome ;)

*Why, yes, all of those little black and white icons were painstakingly created from scratch in Photoshop (over many many many hours). I am happy to have you share this tutorial or use it in your classroom but please give me credit for its creation. Thank you.

J101 Fall 2010 edition

And so ends another session of J101. Our happy little group was 4 members strong and what a group. We had every experience level from total novice on up and everyone was very enthusiastic. It was a great time and they did some fantastic work. See their finished projects below....

You can see more students' previous pieces here.

J101 Final Project

This session of Jewelry 101 ends with both pleasure and sadness. We had a fantastic, creative hardworking group of students that made some stunning pieces of jewelry. I look foward to seeing them all again (I hope!) in J102 this Fall.

Here are some photos of their final project, a wire bracelet. You may notice I was a bit more...hmmm...flexible with the parameters of the 'wire' part of the bracelet this go around.


Teri blended her handmade glass beads and funky floral aesthetics in this fun summer-y bracelet. The back is just as decorative as the front and a textured leaf clasp completes the piece.


Amber's final piece incorporated dark lusterous pearls paired with natural patina'd and dapped copper. Her bracelet is finished off with a retro looking clasp.

[kristin's bracelet goes here]

I forgot to get a picture of Kristin's piece but will make sure to get one soon.

Hannah just returned from her European Jaunt and is working hard to catch up! Bracelet photo to be added soon.

Profession Rings

My current J101 class did a fantastic job on their second project - soldered rings. Some of the designs morphed and changed as we worked on them but I think everyone was pretty happy with the final results. They had a chance to show them off at ArtFest Midwest while assisting me last weekend. I think they impressed many prospective students. :D

Teri chose to commemorate the textile industry by weaving silver strands to decorate her ring

Amber created a fun and funky retro vibe ring based on the idea of skee-ball

And Kristin's ring is an abstract representation of a fountain in a zen garden

All in all, great rings that anyone would be proud to wear. I am really looking forward to our final wire bracelet assignment and seeing what these creative chickies come up with.

Whimsical Pendants

I've been a brutal task master and had my students saw and file til their little fingers fell off for our first project. Here are the fruits of their labor.

Teri based her pendant on her whimsical homelife in this smart geometric design. She also created each of the glass beads to represent her and her family members, including the black and white schnauzers!

Kristin was inspired by the curly vines she and her mother observed on a walk in the Greenbelt. The chain and bead really pull the piece together and help to express 'nature'.

Hannah's love for baking might not be readily apparent in this abstract pendant but look closer and the swoops and swirls. Is anyone else hungry for cupcakes?

Amber used a photo she had taken of some octopi and reinterpreted their tentacles in her asymmetrical copper pendant. The sinuous curves, warm hue, and balanced 'suction cups' say sealife.

I think my students did a fantastic job on this first project and I'm eager to see what they come up with for the next assignment! Watch out, world, we're soldering!!!

School's IN for Summer!!!

(hard at work)

The third official Jewelry 101 (hereafter referred to as J101) began this past Tuesday with a practically full class. My students are off to a great start on their first project. I'll have images of the finished pieces soon. Until then enjoy these photos from my last class...

(project #2 - J101 Winter 09)

(project #3 - J101 Winter 09)

Studio 402 Open Studio

Last Friday was the first annual open studio at Studio 402. Studio 402 is delightful blend of yours truly and Mary of MRW studio. Ferzana, a beadmaker/teacher on the third floor decided to open her door to her students as well. We had a pretty decent turn out, there were snackies and a white sangria I had been experimenting with.

I also realized that I haven't shared images of the new studio with you all yet. From my alley studio in Corning to my third floor space in the Fitch to the new space on the fourth floor. It's been a series of moves up (even if I did have to shlepp the 110 lb. anvil!). Our current studio has amazing huge windows, an impressive view of downtown Des Moines and is just mere blocks from the Des Moines Social Club, the Pappajohn Sculpture Garden and the Des Moines Library (and the South Union Bread Company!). All dangerous things. ;)

Without further ado, here are some images of Studio 402...and Lucky, my sometimes studio pooch.

"Seriously? Just give me the cookie!" - Lucky

(view of my glass and jeweler's bench area)

(looking towards Mary's side of the studio and the exit)

I teach a variety of metalsmithing classes in my studio. From 2 hr workshops to 10 week classes.

I also teach glass bead making classes. I've been making beads since I was 15, let's just say I am pretty comfortable with molten glass!

New to studio fuzzishu in 2009 was blowing glass ornaments. We all had a blast and I am looking forward to offering it again this year. Not only during the holiday season but for a Xmas in July event as well as by appointment. Come get a jump on your holiday gifts!