New Soldered Copper & Crystal Jewelry Creations

I just wanted to share some of the new jewelry I've been working on the past few days :)

This one is made from hammered copper that has been soldered to a crystal optic lens (thing).  I love the unique triangular shape of these pieces :)

 An old brass key with more pounded copper & crystal accents.

This one is a glass piece with copper, rhinestone, & silver baubles.  (not actually new: it was made for Boise Fashion Week 2012--just never got a good pic of it ;)

And; another BFW creation; this one is also copper wire that has been covered in silver solder.  I love the glass lens; it has a golden iridescence to it; very unique.

 Another lens, hammered copper & dragon-fire crystals; they change color from red/orange to purple/pink.

And a smaller lens accented with copper & silver crystals; they look like tiny disco balls :)

I'll be listing of these on my Etsy shop over the next few days.  If you see one you are interested in--email me at refinerii@yahoo.com :)

Amber

Steel Kitty-Cat Garden Stake

I finally got the first prototype kitty cat garden stake done :)  It's soooo cute!  Overall; it stands 4 feet tall & is made from heavy 10 gage steel.

I'm hoping to have this design, along with single kitty-cats in my Etsy shop soon; working on pricing options :)  I think it would be really cute in polished aluminum too.

As is; the steel is bare; it will rust naturally over time; eventually to an even rust patina.

 

Such cheery little garden cats :)

Now I'm all exited to get my chicken design done!

If you are interested in having these kitties in you garden; contact me by email at refinerii@yahoo.com.  I would like to get more cut next week; & pre-orders make it easier to do : )  

 

Amber

Colored Metal Experiments & Projects

About at month ago, I came across some automotive paint; a unique product perfect for adding color to my bouquets & other metal projects as well :)  I've been having a ball experimenting on the bio-hazard & nuke coasters, aluminum bangle bracelets & wedding bouquets: just wanted to share the latest

This bouquet shipped out today, along with 4 matching bridesmaid bouquets.

The paint is a semi-transparent color; letting the metal shine through & reflect through the color--so perfect for this application.  It's hard to see in the photo; but in real life the finish is like a candy-apple, only blue :)

The bride's dress is ivory with an indigo blue band at the top & around the the hem of the dress; I think she made the perfect choice with this bouquet--it will contrast against the ivory bodice & has tons of sparkle & shine!

To get the perfect match, I first sprayed the blue color, then did a light overlay of  "smoke" to tone it down just a bit.  Then a finish coat of the transparent blue finished it off for the perfect match.  

I am not a big color person; I tend to stay with very natural colors in my wardrobe & have always preferred the look of natural, bare metals in my work: but I will admit that experimenting with color is a lot of fun!

It's hard to see in the photo; but in real life--these bangle bracelets have such a cool finish; you can see the custom polish I did to the bare aluminum through the candy-apple colors; so cool!

The bangles will soon be available on my Etsy shop, along with lots of other new fun items :)

More to come ; )

Amber

Making the F Awards Video

A sneak peek into my metals workshop & the making of the Framed Awards : )


Amber

Ultimate Frisbee Trophy

Just finished up tonight; a custom aluminum & copper trophy for the Memphis Ultimate Frisbee League :)

Lots of hardware & a polished finish; this is one of my favorite ever trophies!  I love how the sunburst pattern in the middle turned out.

It's big too; 19 inches tall, & the copper pieces on the base are thick & heavy; making the trophy quite substantial :)

Besides the base; this one was made up of a lot of little pieces that were bolted together; it was a pain to put together & get everything just right (I think I took it apart & put it back together at least 5 times).  But, I love the end result...

I hope they like it as much as I do!!

Now that I'm caught up on trophy commissions; it's turned into a wedding bouquet craze around here: all of a sudden I have a stack of big orders :)  I've been experimenting with some new techniques & colors; pics will be coming soon.

Amber

Trophies, Chickens, & Jewelry

Well, that's a bit of a random title, lol :)  But, that's what the last week had been...

 

I shipped off a custom trophy for the Mayor of Chicago

A mix of metals & custom acrylic plaque; I think it turned out pretty cool; it stands about 14 inches tall & will be presented to the Mayor for sustainable city initiatives.

In the Refinerii Farm Division; we added 4 new bird-brains to the Thundering Horde.

All Banties (half sized chickens), & sooo cute!  While working in the shop today, I had the big door open, watching them exploring their new surroundings.  3 tiny hens & one tiny Roo; he is the smallest of them all, lol.   I already have 2 banties in the flock & I'm hoping to have some cute little bantam chicks later this spring.   There was an add on Craigslist for bantam hens & the address was right up the street, so I couldn't resist going for a quick look: of course, I only planned on 2, maybe 3...but we came home with 4!

 

And, I've been working on some new jewelry designs---looking at doing a show in April; more details to come :)

 The last few things I have made are very Goth...blood red & black & silver; kinda a departure from my normal look, but I'm having fun :)  

And for the week to come; it's bouquet week---last week was trophies, this week is wedding bouquets--all of a sudden I have quite a few big orders...and some very different requests ; )  I have a few drying out in the shop right now that I'm pretty excited about--more pics to come.

Crossing my fingers for warmer weather this week...

Amber

Carnevale 2013--now taking applications

 Carnevale applications for performers & vendors are now available.

Download the apps at

www.IdahoBotanicalGarden.org

This is going to be another magical year in the Garden--mark your calendars :)

We will be bringing the costumes, gourmet treats & drinks, performances, art & fire back to the Garden in June: hope you will join in the fun!

Be sure to like the Facebook page to stay up to date on costume categories, new additions, vendor announcements & more.

GardenCarnevale

Hope to see you there!

Amber