I have been having a lot of fun with my video camera and editing software lately. I have a lot of ideas for new videos. Not only that, but it makes doing my Tool Time Tuesday posts so much easier. It is so much nicer to show you what I am talking about and Tell you what I am talking about, rather than trying to photograph it and explain it. Hopefully you like them as well.

Give Away

I have decided to have multiple give-a-ways. it is just my way of saying thank you to my readers and those in the industry that have encouraged me along the way as I figure out my own creative voice and skills. We are nearly to 300 subscribers and once I hit that number on my blog, I will do the first give away. I have a beautiful pair of Tronex Flat Nose Pliers that I will give away. This is a $45 pair of pliers. So spread the word and help me hit my goal and YOU could be the happy owner of this great tool.

Tool Review

Speaking of Tronex, a few weeks back they asked if I would try out one of their cutters. I had already bought 4 of their cutters and they wanted to see what I thought of another cutter that is great for jewelry work. There are so many things I really like about the Tronex tools. Yes, they are a bit more expensive, but I really feel that you get what you pay for and if you take care of these tools, they will last a lifetime.

Here is my review of the cutters:
http://youtu.be/GLTxzyyc_X8

In my past reviews of their hand tools, I had talked about their flat nose pliers. You can see my reviews here and here. I had loaned my friend, Katie Mullins, my flat nose and chain nose pliers to see if she liked them. Katie is a very talented Chainmaille artist and I was very interested in her opinion. She tried them and out and also fell in love with them. One thing she did ask was if they had a shorter nose for the flat nose pliers. She said she usually works a little closer to the tip of the jaws. Well, what do you know? Tronex has recently released a shorter nose version. So of course, I pulled out my handy camera and have come up with a video review of this tool as well.

Here is the video for the Pliers Review:
http://youtu.be/9jd3W3Sw2ho

Also, I am really excited about a possible new partnership with Potter USA. They liked my review so much they asked if I would be willing to make some more videos for them and demonstrate a few other tools for them. Of course I was more than happy to do that. So I have started on those. Watch for others to follow in the VERY NEAR future. I am also looking at holding some workshops with the Potter USA hydraulic press. Let me know if you are interested in learning more about those.

Here are the two quick videos I did yesterday explaining the press and using pancake dies.

Introduction to the Potter USA Press

Using the Potter USA pancake Dies

Call For Artists

I am in need of more artists for my Featured Artist Friday posts. If you are interested, please let me know at melissa@kcjewelbox.com. I will send you the list of questions and requirements. It is a great way to get a little more exposure and it also helps other artists by giving ideas of how others work.