Tinacious~ NuministaChic Earrings

Remember all that vintage tin I got from Suzanna at Sushipotparts?

Well I've been workin' it in between orders for crusty rusty bits in my Etsy shop.

You guys are keeping me hopping with the orders. This is a first for me I'll have you know.

Somehow it doesn't matter how many orders I get in the vintage and supply shop it just isn't the same glory as selling my own stuff to you all. Many thanks, I know that there will be some more torch days coming up.

So this is what I've been doing with the tin.

I am discovering something about designing assemblage style pieces...

that they don't necessarily hang the way they look all nice and flat on your work table.

In fact they tend to flip around quite a bit.

I decided to solve the problem on the previous earrings by adding a bit of bling to the back side so they won't be just one sided earrings ( especially with the big blank white space on these.)

Wouldn't you know I just happened to have some of my beads that matched the tin, already made and waiting on my work table?

I have lots more tin left and some pieces cut out in the queue waiting for me.

I had a mishap the other night which involved rescuing an elderly man on the roof.

We were enjoying a warm night on the patio with our friends when one of us heard someone crying "help me!"

In house downhill from us lives a man that has obviously suffered a stroke before.

It's dark and I try to find where the voice is coming from and he's on the roof! ...and it's dark out!

Well I basically had to run around the block while I was on 911 so I could determine his house number.

Meanwhile the guys were trying to find access to his yard which was quite a heap of obstacles.

I went through his house to get to the backyard while my other neighbor climbed up to help get the man down. Meanwhile I was directing the cops to  his location and they were having a time of it getting up the steep ladder. One had to take off his bullet proof vest because it was getting snagged on boards and nails. I went to assist holding the ladder and didn't realize there was a ditch between me and the ladder and fell snagging my ring on some wire that was holding the ladder to the was. It practically yanked it out of the socket. The old man got down and we ascertained that he had been up there for a half hour and presumably was fixing his antenna. ( he has speech problems from his stroke) He was uninjured just stuck and I have a numb ring finger that doesn't seem to be keeping me from making stuff so all is well.

It was an exciting night though.

Wired and Weird

A quick post to show you my latest~

I decided to pull out my collection of roadsmithed wire and apply a bit of lampwork since the nails seem to be popular.

Listed this one

I can't tell you all how much fun I'm having torching glass to everything lately!

another gap feeler gauge piece

And "Oh No...Mr. Bill!"

this face was totally unintentional... really!

The other side is just arty and crusty.

 listed today

Paisley- just 'nother nail

More Torch Time and a Winner

Amphoria

Crustalean

Vessalia

Earthalia

Crustilaciousness

Nailliferous

Spacemaceaous

This is what showed up in the mail when I asked Suzanna from Sushipotparts if she had any reject pieces of vintage tin that I could cut up for tin elements to use in my jewelry. I think I may have some fun with this batch of crazy cool and colorful mix. I thought that it was awfully generous

I'd like to announce the winner of my giveaway Suzi of Paint Misbehavin'

I've only know her since we first met when I was 17. I hadn't seen her in over 20 years though after she left Alaska until recently I was at an art show in Fountain Hills, AZ where my sister was running a 100 mile marathon and I heard my name being called in a crowd and there was Suzi recognizing me after all that time.

Congratulations Suzi! Now I'm going to need your address.

Cold Weather Productions- On A Roll

Nothing like a bit of unseasonably cold weather to drive me into the studio.

Snowing and blowing to beat the band just 8 miles from the Mexican border.

Actually the torching studio was too cold so I spent the last two days making some new earrings.

I was trying to stretch a bit and make non-matching earrings extra long.

...and loose up some of my new supplies...punch holes into 1000 year old relics

wire it, dangle it make it balance somehow.

The sun came out enough to photograph a few

I realized that having the earrings close to the same weight was important to me.

I think it feels funny to have one significantly heavier than the other.

Blobs torched right on to the crude filigree

Ceramic pieces in the middle from a supply swap

Thanks, Robbie!

dapped disks of a crusty aluminum baking pan

numinosity headpins

yak bone mala beads

This is what I do with my own headpins

brass disks, yak bone mala beads and numinosity headpins

Was inspired to make some red earrings after reading alek's post at infinity stop

red yak bone mala beads, dapped copper disks, copper spacers

Copper earrings with wire

More amphoras~ currently in my shop

in the shop now

currently for sale

And just to show you what my first earrings looked like when I started out back in '97

even before I was making my own beads!

Show Me what You Can Do ~ An Equinox Giveaway

I'm doing a little giveaway to celebrate spring.

Spring that happens to be involving sideways snow just 8 miles north of the Mexican border in Arizona.

I've been focusing more on the jewelry and lampwork end of things lately getting ready for the summer season back in Alaska.... and I've been inspired.

I'm also celebrating my moment in the Etsy sun when one of my handmade items actually made it to the front page of Etsy last week ( Can I count it as four because it was four headpins?)

That propelled me into fluffing up my shop as of late. 

You might say crusting up the shop actually rather than fluffing because I've been on a rough it up crust it up supply kick trying to put a unique patina on my offerings.

I also joined a forum of like minded designers through fancifuldevices blog and meeting some new designers and creators of some of the most unique jewelry I've seen lately.

it's the proverbial "on a roll" for me

I'd really like to see what someone can do with this rusty crusty non bead that I formed on an old nail that I found on a railroad bed in southern Arizona on one of my treasure walks with my collector husband.

( he's a collector and a keeper)

And since not all of you are jewelry designers and I do hang out in paper circles...( now there's a picture)

I'm offering an alternative vintage paper ephemera pack and you can let me know your preference.

Some Hindi, Tamil and Japanese postcards and paper.

1) All you need to do is comment here on the blog for a go at the prize.

2) I'll enter your name again if you choose to share it on your blog OR "like" my Facebook fan page

Just let me know in a separate comment that you have done either of the second option.

The drawing will take place on Sunday March 25th at 6:00 PM Mountain time.

thanks, XOXO Kim

Relics Old and New

I've been eyeing this site for quite awhile on Etsy that has some great relics for repurposing into jewelry or altered art. While I wish that I could say I had dug these up myself I have to be happy that I was able to splurge and acquire them for some new inspiration. This is  an example of the stuff I can't find at the Tucson Gem show that really lights my fire.

Talk about "squeeeeeee!" in the nomenclature of Fancifuldevices

(Used to denote uncontainable excitement)

Aren't these lovely?

Some super old finds...copper

The patina and wear on some of these pieces.... just wow!

Which begs another question, Will I use them or simply covet and sort my preciousssss sssstash?

And speaking of lighting my fire.... this is what I dug up in my own studio yesterday.

Amphoras anyone?

( I  made these, they are under 24 hours old)

You could use them to keep your Numinosity headpins displayed

Crusty Nuggets 

And now for something shiny

I had one more nugget but it's stuck on the mandrel, useful to decorate your potted plants

headpins...hell yeah!