Contemplating

This past week has been fairly crazy for me with several big deadlines and two anatomy tests, so I was unable to find time to make any new earrings. However, I did wear several of the pairs I've already made throughout the week. Several people commented on them and they served as nice conversation starters.
I found myself thinking many times that I was glad that I had chosen jewelry making for my project. Not only have I learned a new trade, but I have also been able to connect my life for unique earrings into something that I can do for myself. I like that I can be somewhat self-sufficient when it comes to acquiring earrings to wear. I don't have to rely on large corporation products or discount store earrings. I know it isn't quite on the same level as the Kingsolver's family, but I feel like I have moved closer to the goal of self-sufficiency. I enjoy that feeling and I hope to be able to extend it to other aspects of my life when I leave campus & am once more able to eat meals other than cafeteria dorm food.
For the final week of the project, I'd like to finish up a few pairs of earrings that I have started on. I've really enjoyed the project so far and am kind of sad to see it come to an end, but at the same time I'm excited to move on to new things and try to expand my horizons even more.

A Little Change

This week, I took a little break from earrings and made another type of craft instead. I've been working on my research paper, which is based on the community art project Postsecret, & was inspired to make my own. I had some bound book pages from an old novel laying around my dorm room, & ive been making my own postsecrets on the pages. I have 6 or 7 pages by now. I was in need of some sort of book cover for the pages so that they wouldn't get ripped or ruined. I found some cardboard in my dorm, cut two pieces to the size of the book. Then I tore a bit of the top layer off of the cardboard to expose some of the corrugated layer. After that, I pasted some old postage stamps that I found onto the cover. For the binding, I took some cheese cloth & soaked it in a cup of coffee to color it. Then I glued it around the edges of the cardboard pieces & stitched them together. The outcome was this:










After researching and reading so much about Postsecret and it's therapeutic benefits, it was interesting to start my own postsecret book. It really is very calming and relaxing to make my own. I have never sent in my own Postsecret, but there's something to just writing it out, even if no one else ever sees them. I liked getting to experience a bit more of what I've been reading about.

Next week, I plan on getting back to the earrings and using up the other beads that I have left over.

p.s. sorry for the layout of this blog, for some reason it won't let me position the pictures any other way

New Technique

This week, I made a pair of earrings using string instead of head pins. Doing this allowed me to create a different shape with the beads rather then just having them hang straight down on a pin. I liked this technique a lot because I was able to mess around with the shape and try lots of different options before committing to one design. This is what the finished product turned out like:





Early this week I went to the mall and was looking at different earrings for sale in the stores. I got to thinking about craft & marketing & its relation to the book Cheap, by Ellen Ruppel Shell. Now that I'm able to make my own earrings, I like the fact that I know what goes into their production. When it comes to buying products from stores, you don't have the knowledge regarding the quality of materials used, the care put into the product, or even the conditions surrounding the labor. I may have to put a little more money into making the earrings myself, but I at least have the satisfaction of knowing that they were made with quality, care, and are meant to last.

For next week, I'm going to continue to use up some of the beads I have and try to come up with new types of techniques or styles that I can use.

Paper beads

Earlier this week I found instructions on how to make paper beads online. They seemed really easy to make. All you have to do is cut the paper you want to use into a triangle. The width and length of the triangle determines how long the earring is, and how wide around it is. Usually these beads are made out of magazine paper, but I decided that I wanted to try using a page out of an old book I have. The book itself is from the 1920's, so the pages look aged. They also, as I found out, are not that easy to roll without tearing. After I got them started a bit, it became easier to roll and keep the paper taught. I really like the way the beads turned out =).










^ the triangle of paper I started with










^ I used a head pin to roll it on













^ the finished beads













^ the completed earrings

I liked being able to use materials I had laying around my room in a project that I can wear and use. It tied in well with what we've been talking about in class about reusing things, being resourceful, and the idea of "Yankee frugality". I was able to turn the page of a book (that I'd probably never read) into a pair of earrings that I can wear whenever I want. I also like that by using available resources, I can save money by not having to go out and buy actual beads to turn into earrings. This gives me the freedom to make a variety of beads for free, while at the same time being environmentally friendly and recyle.

For next week, I'd like to continue to look for other types or beads that I can make out of paper. I want to make one that looks more like a ball rather than the shape that these earrings are, but I just need to find out the shape to cut the paper in to begin with so that it will end up in the shape I want it to. I'd also like to try different papers and see what color combinations I can come up with.

Finding Ideas

This week, I've been trying to decide what kind of earrings I'd like to make next. I have a pair of earrings that I bought from a global gifts store last year that were made from recycled newspapers & magazines. I really like the way they look and thought the idea would be a good one for my project. I haven't started making any yet, but I've been looking into different techniques and types of paper beads you can make. I still want to make dangling earrings but I want to know all the different styles I can make before picking one. Hopefully I'll find one I like soon and can start on them within the next week.

Another thing that I like about this project is that it's using materials that I readily have available. Instead of throwing away a magazine or newspaper when I'm done with it, I can turn it into something beautiful and useful. After going to the panel discussion on "green" art last week, I decided this would be a good project to do because it will allow me to do my part, recycle, and further the "green" art movement. People go through so many paper products even in a single day, so this is one way that I can make use of some of these discarded papers.

So for this next week, I'm going to continue to look through online tutorials and websites to try and find a style of paper bead that I like. If I can't find one that sticks out to me, I think I'll try just messing around with it on my own and seeing if I stumble upon anything that works. I'm looking forward to this part of my project and hoping that I'll be able to make some really cool recyclable paper earrings.

Another task completed

This week I continued to work on the pair of black stone earrings that I wanted to paint on. Last week I had sketched out the design onto the beads & just needed to paint over them. So this week I got out the thinnest paint brush I have and some white paint and got to work. I was nervous to start because I'm not a good painter and didn't want to mess up the earrings. I had to wash it off & re-do it a time or so. Even though I had a really small brush, the lines were too thick for what I wanted so I had to figure out another way to paint them. I ended up using a head pin as my paint brush. It worked out much better and was able to make the smaller lines that I'd wanted. So after a few frustrating attempts and some problem solving, I came out with two little tree designs:












I'm still waiting to get some clear nail polish or something like that so I can glaze it to make sure the paint won't peel or chip. Then I'll put some head pins through them and complete the pair of earrings =).

I like how the paint is white and the lines are straight so it gives the appearance of snow covered branches in the winter, drawing inspiration from the current landscapes of the season like the romantic period.

Next week, I'll finish up these earrings start trying to come up with other types or earrings I can make to expand the styles I have. One person suggested looping beads on string rather than head pins so I can make hoops & things, which sounds like a good idea. I also want to explore making my own beads at some point, maybe from rolled paper or something like that. I haven't quite decided which I'll do next week but we shall see.

Trying Something New

This past week, I worked on making my earrings more unique by using the beads as a canvas for my own art. I have a few square, black, stone beads that I thought would be perfect for this project. I decided to find a design to paint on them with thin, white paint strokes. I haven't completed it yet, but I've gotten most of the work done. I decided that I wanted to have some sort of simple, nature design on the beads. I really liked the idea of something to do with trees, so I searched different designs for tree roots. I found one that I liked and used it as a guide to draw my own tree roots onto the stones. I'm not much of an artist when it comes to drawing so I was hoping not to ruin the beads with my scribbles. I used light pencil marks to draw out the design I wanted and was actually quite pleased with the outcome.

This part of my project correlates well with what we've been discussing in class about the idea of romanticism. My inspiration for the earrings came from nature and the simplistic beauty of bare tree branches in the winter. As with many things from the romantic period, the design is based on nature and its simplicity. I'd thought of the idea for the earrings before we started this section, but they just so happened to go hand in hand.

For next week, I'm going to break out my paint & try my hand at filling in the design. I'll put up pictures next week, since this week was sort of hard to photograph due to the pencil marks not showing up in the pictures. I'm excited to paint over the pencil lines & see the project come together.