At Laaaast...

After *cough, cough* months in the making MaryAnn's ring is finally complete. She approached me with her mother's vintage diamond ring, wanting to give them a new life in a fresh contemporary design (SO wish I had remembered to take a photo of it before I took the diamonds out, d'oh!).

I carved the wax and then sent it out to be cast in palladium. MaryAnn wanted a 'white metal' ring and we decided against white gold (too pricey, didn't want rhodium plating). Platinum was waaaay too expensive and silver is a little to casual and tarnishes. Palladium is a tough metal and as part of the platinum family shares a bit of it's prestige. It was a first for me and I look forward to playing around with it more in depth in the future.

I'm very pleased (and so was MaryAnn) with the modern architectural look of the ring. It has a good heft and tapers nicely at the bottom. It ended up highlighting her mother's diamonds and giving them a new life. Mission accomplished!

BetsyBensen ♥s fuzzishu

BetsyBensen celebrates Etsy artists that demonstrate a 'fearless' use of color in this super summery treasury.

lkkersh hearts fuzzishu

Check out what's going on 'Inside Rubix's Head' in this wonderful treasury by lkkersh.

Meet the Artists

Last night's 'Meet the Artists' event was a fantastic time. My former student Teryl is creating fun and funky PMC pieces and her friend Meddy brought some enormous pantings! There was great food, oodles of art, and a wonderful evening. I hope you can join us next time.

angeladesigns hearts fuzzishu

Every day would be a nice day with this colorful grouping of work! Check out the 'Have a Nice Day' treasury by angeladesigns.

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!

HansHolzkopf ♥s fuzzishü

Holy smokes, it's end of May! Sorry fuzzi-followers. Here's a fantastic caterpillar treasury from April collected by HansHolzkopf featuring my 'space caterpillar' bracelet. How cute are all of these? And sooo springy!

workingwoman ♥s fuzzishü

workingwoman has put together a fantastic treasury that includes fuzzishu's 'squarings' and fellow Iowan handmadepretties' recycled sweater balls. This group of colorful offerings is just what we need to greet spring with. I don't know about you, but the swirly circle quilt and wildflower wall decor are calling me!!! Check out workingwoman's 'Are we having fun yet?' treasury here.

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!

Jewelry Bites @ the Des Moines Art Center

[jewelry bites necklace sample by fuzzishu]

This past Thursday was the first of three sessions of Jewelry Bites, an introductory jewelry workshop, at the Des Moines Art Center. We have a full class of twelve (12!) excited novice jewelers. Our first class was also jam packed with new technique demos and a chance to try their hands at them. We covered sawing, filing, finishing, texturing/stamping, and 2 kinds of rivets. They also received homework and will bring back sketches of their ideas for next class. Check back in two weeks to see the fantastic pieces they come up with!