Calling it Good

I'm claiming designing and teaching a yoga class (which went great and much fun!), cleaning, shopping and rearranging the house for sleeping spaces and making a few tests with making beeswax candles as my 'art' for recent days.  A bit of a stretch but that's creative too.  :)
Getting to the studio - or not - is part of the process.  Greatly appreciating this January kick-start and filling my soul with your work and your posts.  Thank you!

Here's an image from years back.  Miniature collage Autumn Leaves.  Measures about 3" tall.  One of my favs and delights me that it is in the care and appreciation of Laura Gable.

Steampunk Heart

Here's the completion of yesterdays work. 


My goal was to make a heart from steel, at least 90% recycled and with only cold connections (no soldering). 
I found some copper plated steel strapping and let the rest informed me as I went.

  

t came out about 99% recycled and maybe 90% cold connection
I soldered the pin back assembly perfectly - on the wrong side..., twice.  So I went with it and switch the orientation of the front.

I wanted silver for the back but didn't have a piece of scrap that large so I used an old sterling spoon and ran it through the rolling mill.

Pearl in the Rough

We're in full Christmas mode here.  Windows steamy with three huge pots of Sarrama (stuffed cabbage rolls). .

I made a sterling silver ring this morning.  I don't have material heavy enough for the shank so ran a silver spoon through the rolling mill.  Used a piece of scrap silver for the base, attached a pearl.  The picture came out crap but will post for my "bonifieds"

Flood Waters - complete!

Complete at last!  The original drawing and how it turned out. 

  sterling, brass, garnet, moonstones, fresh water pearl, 14kgold, 

3" x 2 1/4" x 1/4"

 Learned a lot.  More solder welds on one piece than I've ever done.  Challenging compound angles.  Depletion gilding for the first time - reheat the metal to dull red, quench and pickle (acid bath) and repeat 5 - 7 times to deplete the copper and bring the pure silver up to the surface. Setting stones isn't rocket science but I'm not comfortable with it yet. Was going to gold leaf the window - no, the roof  - no, the tree- but that's new too and would take longer than I was in the mood for.  Can always add later, I suppose. 

I thinks it's a lot sweeter than the picture captures.  :)