Smiley Face Watch

I've shared this image with my Facebook friends along with a post something like, "this piece just makes me smile." It's true. I've seen some fabulous resin work that traps unexpected things inside (isn't that 90% of what makes us goofy about resin -- the trapping part?) like big, fancy pearls and even a mouse (ewww!). That's what inspired me to try my hand at my own version of freezing stuff in time!

My friend KaKO recently gave me a big box of goodies from her past -- kind of like a 3-D scrapbook of her life. I spied this 80s watch from the middle of the pile. It probably just needed a new battery, but I decided I'd rather not know so I could be fearless in trying this idea. I prepped a frozen food tray with some release and went to town positioning the watch and carefully pouring the resin.

After it cured enough to pop it out of the tray the following morning, I noticed a bubble at the 10 o'clock mark. Rather than ditching the project (I tend to try to save just about anything with even a little potential), I thought I'd enhance the even-numbered hour marks with chatons. (Just so happens my friend Debbi Simon has been working with these sparkly bits lately, so I gave her a jingle.)

Another little glitch worked out as well, after I hit an air pocket (that darn 2 o'clock mark this time) while drilling the chaton divots. After I carefully removed the drill dust, I filled the pocket with resin one drop at a time. Then I used the resin to not only set the other five chatons, but add a high polish to the face of the piece. (I waited until the resin at the 2 o'clock mark set and thickened a bit before adding the last little glitz-bit.)

I learned three things about resin during this work: that it has a longer pour-time before setting than I thought; that matte surfaces can be glossed up with an additional resin skimcoat; and that mistakes are easily repaired with some patience and precision.

All-in-all, this watch-let was a pretty quick project. It makes me smile and feel happy every time I look at it -- a new take on the smiley face watch from the 70s!

Funny How Baby Steps Can Span a Mile (or More)!

Sometimes I just sit and wonder at how simple studio play-time can translate into something bigger and better (and longer-lived) than I would have ever imagined! Take this wonderful chunk of seaglass I received as a barter from a doubly-wonderful client! I was just putzing around one Saturday afternoon, experimenting with how to capture the piece in steel wire. I twisted and turned, bent and unbent (yep, steel's like that -- you can "erase" bends!).

Soon after, I attached the pendant to a funky-found-dog chain-turned-necklace, and wore it to lunch with friend and Art Jewelry Associate Editor, Jill Erickson. It just so happens AJ was planning a green trend issue (see May 2009) and a full-fledged (capture pendant) article was born!

Now, rewind a few years to the debut of my first book, Junk to Jewelry. The fabulous Matt Quandt of Kalmbach got me a podcast gig with Alison Lee's Craftcast to help get the word out! (That was an amazing opportunity that I still have to pinch myself to believe.)

Some full-circle-to-now math: 
    Art Jewelry feataures Alison Lee in their current issue
+ Capture article popular with AJ readers
+ Craftcast interviewees' work used to enhance new article
= More fabulous publicity over a little bit of quality time between me, my wire, and my junk.

Ain't life grand?

Redux for the Studio: Wall-o-Junk

This week, I started (believe me, this will take some time) cleaning and organizing my studio. I wonder if this just-started feat is a typical reaction to having just-entered the New Year, or simply my reaction to having some breathing room after finishing the bulk of my book-writing responsibilities?

Nonetheless, a few updates to my creative lair (which have been brewing and gurgling in some portion of my brain for some time now) have begun thanks to my wonderful jar-collecting friends and my ever-so-talented (albeit likes-to-pretend-he's-curmudgeonly) youngest brother, Jeremy.

The first order of business was to organize my found objects (which are now on, beneath, all around, and falling from, a folding table) in a way they could be quickly and easily assessed. Digging through deep boxes full of assorted (yes, I'll say it) junk for hours on end is neither fun, nor practical. And, just-the-right piece of junk or combination of pieces of junk is crucial to a fabulous jewelry work.

That said, I dream-pt up this new/old idea of a wall of jars! (Remember your Dad's or Grandpa's garage workshop and how neat rows of baby food jars filled with nails, bolts, washers, et al, were fastidiously screwed to a board above their workbench?) Well, this is that, just Brend-ized -- no order, no neat rows, no fastidiousness!

Oh, and since my junk is larger than Dad's leftover hardware loot, my wall is larger too. Here's the 3/4" MDF backer board installed into the studs:

Then painted with a stupendous Martha color (Bee Hive) and the first screwed-in jar cover (gotta' start somewhere!):

Here we go -- had to see if the theory really worked!:

Then a few more:

And a few more:

'Til voila! A Wall-o-Jars waiting for a Wall-o-Junk!:

A little closer:

I've already started filling them with bits and parts and jibs and jabs . . . stay tuned for the filled-to-full status!

Thanks to all my friends and husbands-of-friends (especially Mr. Steve, the Cherry-Pepper-Eater) for all their saving and label-taking-offing, and delivering! Me, my husband, and my studio floor thank you!