Fit To Print -- "Spotlight on Wire" by Melissa Cable

When I was recently at the Bead & Button Show, I snagged this recently-released book my Melissa Cable.  As the title indicates, the book shows how to twist, fold, hammer, weave, and wrap metal and wire.  The cover project immediately caught my eye, and a quick flip through the book showed a number of other projects that were beyond beginner level.  Don't get me wrong -- a beginner will both learn and be able to accomplish many projects in this book, but there are plenty of projects for more advanced wire-lovers.

The chapters are broken down into styles of wire:

1:  Woven Wire

2:  Textured Strip Wire

3:  Corrugated Wire

4:  Heavy Wire

5:  Chain and Wire

The tips and techniques pages explain how to do interesting things with wire and strip metal -- texturing, using a "poor man's rolling mill" (something I found really cool), and patinating.  There are plenty of step-by-step photos, too.

If you aren't used to working with wire, dealing with the many different gauges and lengths of wire in each project might be a little confusing at first -- lots of numbers to deal with in some projects.  However, if you're new to wire, start with the simpler projects first and you'll get the hang of it quickly.  The font is also a little small, but the projects are worth it.

I'm looking forward to trying out some of the projects in this book in a challenge with my friend soon.  Stay tuned for that!

Lori Anderson writes the blog Pretty Things and creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs.   She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party.   

Fit to Print -- "Handcrafted Wire Findings" by Denise Peck and Jane Dickerson

One of the things I love about making my own jewelry is finding beautiful clasps and links.  Lately, I've been pulling out my hammer and my bench block and spools of wire and experimenting with making my own findings, so this book came at an opportune time.

This is a book that should become a staple on your shelf.  It covers tons of basics and lots of techniques that can be used day after day in virtually anything you make.  I LOVE knowing what gauge AND how long to cut my wire before muddling around trying to figure things out -- this book has saved me a lot of time and angst.

You'll find simple projects that only require the usual jewelers pliers to projects that require a small butane torch for fusing.  Yes, there's some fire involved, but no, they aren't difficult -- they're wonderfully accessible and once you try one, you'll be off like a shot.

My suggestion -- before trying anything in sterling silver, try several times in copper.  That way, you'll feel confident when you move to the more expensive wire. 

Absolutely check this book out!  Published by Interweave, you can find it in the Interweave.com store, Amazon.com, and other book sellers.

Lori Anderson writes the blog Pretty Things and creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs.  She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party.  

Studio Saturday with Lori Anderson

Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process, or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive, we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.

This weeks winner is BeadRoe. Congratulations!

You have won a bag of goodies from Erin Prais-Hintz!

Send Erin an e-mail with your address and she will send you those treasures!

This has been a hectic week here in my studio!  I went to the Bead and Button Show (brought lots of goodies back in case you want to try for the Big Bead Giveaway!), met with my book editor, did a video interview for promotional purposes down the road, met a million wonderful people, and did a bit of damage to a credit card I'd just paid off.  But I was good, actually, compared to some years.

Needless to say, my beading table and lampwork studio are either piled up with clutter or getting dusty.  I'm behind.  Soooo behind.  I feel like the White Rabbit in "Alice in Wonderland" .... "Late, late, for a very important date!"

source

When I have so many things piled up and a ton of deadlines due, I tend to get, shall we say, frazzled.  The running-down-the-street-waving-my-hands-over-my-head-screaming type of frazzled.  So I've learned to set aside the deadlines, if only for an hour or two, and do something that gives my mind a break.

Two things sooth this savage beast, and one actually helps me get the pile on the workbench under control.

One:  I sort beads.

It's SO cathartic for me to pull out a box of beads and sort.  Beads in too large a baggie get poured into a smaller baggie.  Ahhhhh, there.  Nice and tidy.  Beads that are rolling all over the table, driving me (and the cats) mad, I scoop up and corral into their proper spaces.  My mind can just drift, and I actually feel like I'm accomplishing something without having to think and plan and design and create and, and ..... and.

my bead storage cabinet

Another thing I do when my brain is on overload and I need a mental break is make earrings.  I sell a ton of earrings at craft shows and always try to keep at least 200 or so pairs on hand, so days when I'm overwhelmed are deemed Earring Days.

This time of year, believe it or not, I start preparing for holiday earrings.  My show season starts in mid-October, and patrons expect to see those snowflakes, so out comes the ho-ho-ho and away I go!

beads by Moonraker Lampwerks

I think we all have days when we're just completely overwhelmed with Life.  Life has a way of sneaking up on us and yelling, "BOO!" in our ear just when we've thought things had settled down.  It's always good to have a backup plan, and these are just two of mine.  Depending upon the day, my backup plan could be a nap and a box of chocolates, but then, that would have been a short and boring blog post, now, wouldn't it?

So here's my question to you -- what is your favorite way to recharge your batteries when you're overwhelmed with being a jewelry designer?

 

Answer this question in a comment below, and a winner will be drawn at random next Saturday.  The winner will receive a nice healthy helping of my Bead Soup, styled to your favorite color palette.  Mmm, soup is good food!

Lori Anderson writes the blog Pretty Things and creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs.  She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party. 

These Are a Few of My Favorite Beads

No matter if your day is happy or sad, beads will make you smile!  Here are few of my current favorites...

polymer clay cat bead by Tree Wings Studio

boro lampwork beads by Firelily

polymer clay beads by Earth Tones

lampwork beads by Lori Lochner

porcelain owl by Joan Miller

Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs, and wrote the blog An Artist's Year Off.    She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party.