Kelsi's Closet Jewelbox Design Journal

Tool Time Tuesday - Resurface Soldering Pads

2012-05-22T06:20:54Z

There are many soldering surfaces out there that you can use to protect your table tops and help to aid the soldering process along. As you use them they can become dirty or pitted due to the use of flux. In my studio, I like to use a compressed charcoal block and Solderite soldering pads. The pads are great because they reflect the heat back onto the piece that I am working on. They can also be cut, broken, drilled and reshaped if needed.

As I tend to use a lot of flux (call me the queen of flux,) my boards tend to get pitted and dirty fairly quickly. It would be a shame to just throw the boards away just because the top gets pitted or dirty. When I get to a point where I can no longer lay a flat piece of metal on my board because it will get stuck due to existing flux or dirty due to other objects on the board, I know it is time to resurface the board. This will work for both charcoal blocks and the soldering pads that I use in my studio.

In the picture above I have 5 pads that are fairly well used. There are a couple of clean areas that I could use, so they wouldn't all need to be resurfaced now. But since I am doing it, I might as well do them all.

I place the board face down on a concrete surface, in this case, it is my driveway. Then I put a little pressure on the board and move it around in a figure 8 pattern.

After just a few figure 8's you can see that I have a much cleaner surface. But I am not done yet. Place it back down and do a few more. I check it after every 3 or 4 figure 8's.

This is the same pad as above. You can see that I didn't remove it all. I could have kept going, but those pits were a little deeper than I wanted to go. I now have about 95% of my surface clean and that works well for me.

Yes, it does make a mess. I like to sweep up most of the dust and just throw it in the garbage bin. You can then wash off the side walk or allow for nature to do that for you. Living in the Great Northwest, I let nature take care of it.

Things to consider if you do this:

Work outside - The dust particles can be very messy and just not something I want to have to deal with in my studio.
Don't sit downwind - Yes, I made this mistake when starting this tutorial. The lighting was better if I did sit downwind, however, I was very quickly covered in the dust, and it didn't exactly feel too good when I accidentally got a nose full either.
Wear a mask - Even though I was working outside, it is best if you wear some kind of respirator. The best would be a nice heavy duty one with filters, but even a painters mask is better than nothing.
Wear an apron and rubber gloves - This isn't necessary, but it sure helps keep you a bit cleaner.

All content and images on this blog are the property of Melissa Muir and use of them in any context is strictly prohibited unless written permission is first obtained.

Tool Time Tuesday - Steel Texture Dies for the Hydraulic Press

2012-05-16T01:16:29Z

Again, I wanted to thank you all so much for your love and support of me in raising funds for the preeclampsia foundation. Through the website there was $480 pledged. I sold 6 Wire Angel Tutorials and 100% of that was donated for a total of $540. I also know of a few others that ran into difficulties with the website and have said they would send their money in. So with the money I donated we raised a total $680. They called me the Rock Star since I came "out of now where and raised all that money so quickly." Thanks for making me a Rock Star. The Portland area had a goal of $7,000 and we raised over $10,000. My original goal was only $100 and look what you helped accomplish. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Donations can still be made to Kelsi's Angels Team through July. Thank you again. I was very touched.

Are you ready for Tool Time Tuesday?

Yesterday I got a package in the mail. I LOVE getting those. People should send me more of them, especially when they contain new tools. So feel free, should you get the urge, to send me packages of new tools. In fact, while I was typing this, the UPS man just dropped off another package with some press accessories and a hammer handpiece for my flexshaft. WOOT!

Potter USA announced on their Facebook page that they had come up with some new embossing plates. They had tried their hand at embossing plates once before, but they were done entirely differently and they didn't really work well. The original texturing plates were cut out with a laser cutter and while they looked great, they didn't give a great impression and they only worked for thin sheets of metal, like less than 24 gauge. These plates work the opposite way from the originals. The originals can be thought of as detailed silhouette dies where the shape is cut out and the metal is pressed into the cutout. These dies are solid with raised designs. When you press the metal into the designs, they press down, but are also shaped all the way through, not just with negative space.

Currently there are five shapes available. When I spoke with Kevin yesterday, he informed me that they have some other shapes that are in the design process right now, but they will be added gradually over time. There will be additional geometric and abstract shapes as well as others with some flowing designs.

The currently available shapes are a diamond pattern, spiral, wave, arc and corrugated. I don't know that those are the names of them, but it is what I call them. They are made of steel. They have each been precision milled and are actually quite thick.

These are not designed to work with the rolling mill. However, if you want to use one of the designs in the rolling mill, I would suggest making a texture plate in the press and then rolling that through your mill.

Because these are new, there wasn't a lot of information on the best thicknesses of metal to use with them, so I decided to try an experiment. I have various thicknesses of metal in my shop, so I cut up multiple pieces to try them all out.

The dies are used with the embossing contained urethane kit from Potter USA. It is just like the contained urethane system they have, only it is square. The urethane used is a small square and only 1/4" thick. I believe it is 80 durometer, so it is not the hardest one.

The top row of samples is 20 gauge (except for the top spiral one, it is 18 gauge.) I was going to try all of them with 14, 18, 20, 22, and 24 gauge. However, once I tried the one with the 18 gauge, I could easily see that I was NOT going to do 14 gauge. The impression in the 18 gauge was there, but it was light and took a lot of pressure to get it there.

I know it is possible to get a really good impression with 14 and 18 gauge, but it was a LOT of pressure and I felt my time and money would be better spent working with thinner materials.

All metals were annealed and pickled first.

I was fairly happy with the impression that I got with 20 gauge. I would love to show you some pictures, but they didn't show up really well and you couldn't see much of the difference between the gauges in my pictures due to the lighting. But that was only in the pictures. When you hold the pieces in your hand or look at them in person, you can totally see the difference.

20 gauge gave a great impression, the metal sunk into the relief and curved nicely in the grooves or depressions. The raised areas created crisp lines on the side where they made contact. On the opposite side, the lines were soft, but fairly defined.

22 gauge got me even more excited. The lines on the back of the piece were more defined and ridges were sharper. On the front side (where the metal made contact with the die) the piece seemed to curve or puff beautifully. I don't know how else to describe it. I loved it.

24 gauge had me smiling from ear to ear. The metal seemed to just bond itself with the die filling the depressions and hugging the lines until they became one. In fact, I had to drop the piece on my table top to get them to release from their tight embrace.

It is hard to see all details, so I gave them all a bath in Liver of Sulfur. I would show them all to you after, but I could only find a small piece of steel wool and didn't get them all finished. But look at this.....

In the picture above my camera flash gives a head on shot of the pieces filling the crevices with light. Also the top left piece is turned so that it is sitting the same way as the top right piece.

In the above picture I flipped the top left piece so you can see the opposite texture. Once i added the patina and the light hit these things I was SOOOO excited. Look how the shadows play on these. There are so many possibilities.

Oh, there is a bonus piece on there. You know how much I love swirls. So I thought I would create one of my own textures to see how it would work. I used 12 gauge wire, swirled it up, soldered it together and placed it in the die holder to see how it would work, and there you have it. I absolutely love having a press. This tool has made it so that I can have the depth and dimension that I have always desired to have in my pieces.

Here is what it looks like:

I found that I gave these a lot more pressure than I do when I am working with a silhouette die. Most of these were taken to at least 4,000 psi. This last one, I took to 5,000 psi and actually popped the metal on one of the swirl ends. But look at the depth of the impressions. Can you imagine? Fill them with resin or even enamels. You couldn't do that with the thinner texture plates currently available. Color them with alcohol inks, run the metal through a mill or sand blaster first to give them a bit of texture. Really, my mind is just racing with the possibilities. Because this is Potter USA, you can also be assured that they will be affordable. I haven't heard the final pricing on these yet, but I would bet they will be around $30 or less. It just depends on the amount of milling that needs to be done.

I have created a video, of course I have, but it is still rendering. I will post that a bit later tonight or tomorrow when I get it posted to my YouTube Page. So be on the look out for that.

All content and images on this blog are the property of Melissa Muir and use of them in any context is strictly prohibited unless written permission is first obtained.

Thank You!!!!

2012-05-12T05:06:34Z

I wanted to post quickly to say THANK YOU to all of you that have supported me these past few years. I got into really doing jewelry just after Kelsi passed away. It has been something that has helped me quite a bit in the process of healing.

I am so touched by the kindness and generosity of my blog readers. The Preeclampsia Promise Walk is tomorrow morning. I only set up my team yesterday afternoon. I figured I would give myself a goal of $100. I knew I could raise that much because I intended on donating at least that amount myself. I never dreamed that I would be able to donate more than 5 times that amount. Each new donation brought tears to my eyes and love to my heart. Several of you have also placed orders for the Wire Angel Tutorial and I will be donating 100% of that to the foundation tomorrow.

You know who you are and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know that times are tough economically right now and it isn't possible for everyone to give a monetary donation. I am so grateful for the emotional support that you all continue to give me as I deal with anniversaries and other emotions that crop up from time to time.

There is still time to donate and no amount is too small. I believe our team page will be up for a little while, though I am not sure how long. The Kelsi's Angels Team Page.

My dream is that one day every woman will know about preeclampsia and will never have to go through what I have. Too many mothers and babies die each year. Too many lives are affected because of it and I hope that all of this brings us one step closer to a cure and prevention.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you.

~Melissa~

All content and images on this blog are the property of Melissa Muir and use of them in any context is strictly prohibited unless written permission is first obtained.

Featured Artist Friday - Catharine Temaluru

2012-05-12T04:57:29Z

I ""met" Catherine on Facebook. Turns out we may actually get to meet in person one of these days. I am looking forward to my future trip back to Indonesia even more Catherine!

Artist name: Catharine Temaluru
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

Website: http://facebook.com/ienmaginations
blog: http://ienmaginationsjewelry.wordpress.com

Do you have a dedicated studio/artistic space?
Special space? no. I work everywhere in the house, and sometimes on the road lol.
Instead of artistic space, I have several artistic tool boxes. I used to carry them everywhere
Lately I work on the corner of our bedroom, while my 7 months old daughter is playing on the bed or sleeping.

Where is it located?
on the corner of our room, right across the bed.

Is it a large or small space?
Small. Nearly 1.5 by 1.5 meter squares.

What medium(s) do you work in? Do you have a separate area for each?
Wires, booth in copper and sterling silver. But I usually use permanently colored copper wire.
Crystals, pearls (both fresh water and glass), druzies, stones, found objects
No, I don't have a separate area for each.

What one word would you use to describe your studio?
mischief imaginations

What do you think is the best feature of your studio?
My new lamp to work! it allows me to work after we turn off the big lamp

What would you change if you could?
Add a very soft and cozy cushion for my back, please? hee hee.. oh, and also a thick fur carpet instead of rubber playmat I used at this moment (well, it's my daughter's playmat, actually..)

Describe the usual state of your work table?
messy

Does your work table face out into the room or toward the wall?
toward the wall, or toward our bed, depending our seat position.

What's one drawback of your studio/artistic space?
proper display..

Do you have any studio mascots (pets, mannequin whatever)?
nope.

Do you have an idea wall or inspiration board?
Nope. I keep my sketch book with me wherever I go, and save all inspiring pictures in my phone.

Do you listen to music in your studio? What kind?
Sometimes. lately I listen to nursery rhymes

Do you display your own work in your studio? Other artists' work?
Nope, nope, nope..
I just display my jewelry piece during photo sessions

What's one quirk or unusual feature of your studio?
My lil daughter colorful puzzle playmat.

One of my jewelry (Endless Love Brooch/Pendant) was chosen as finalist in Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Contest 2011 featuring Metal Clay, Metal Beads, Wirework or Chain.
It's also being featured in Fire Mountain Ad on Step by step wire jewelry February/March 2012.
I can't believe it! Sometimes I still wondering if I'm dreaming about it.

Anyway, all those good things that happened to me really ensure me that I've found my world here. I know I still have to learn many things about jewelry making & wire wrapping, I still consider myself as a newbie here. And I'm really glad to get some critiques

Thank you so much Catherine!

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If you would like to be a featured artist, just shoot me an email at : Melissa@kcjewelbox.com and I will send you the questions and information.

Like what you read here? Why not subscribe to the blog and you won't miss a post. Just enter your email address in the box that says subscribe in the upper right corner.You will be notified at that email address every time a new blog entry is made. Please spread the word.

All content and images on this blog are the property of Melissa Muir and use of them in any context is strictly prohibited unless written permission is first obtained.

For A Great Cause

2012-05-10T19:18:50Z

Many of you know the reason behind the name of my company, Kelsi's Closet Jewelbox, but some of you may not. Kelsi is my second daughter. She was born 16 weeks early, yes, really. She weighed only 13 oz. and was 8 1/2" long. My sweet baby came out crying and it shattered the silence in the OR. None of us expected to hear a sound. Why was she born so soon? I had developed Preeclampsia, a condition that happens only in pregnancy. Some cases are far more severe than others. I was already a preeclampsia survivor and I had no idea that it could take the life of a baby, or mother for that matter, but it does, and it did for me.

I am a very fortunate person to be sitting at my computer typing this out at this very moment. I was very sick and my liver was beginning to shut down. But I recovered. I have many friends who have not recovered. I have friends that went into seizures, heart, liver and kidney failure. Some have had strokes and sadly, I have lost a few friends, and there are many others that I have never known who have lost their lives to Preeclampsia.

I have had four children. I have had preeclampsia twice and I would have had it with my last baby had we not delivered her at 29 weeks. But it was right there and the doctor saw no need for me to suffer through it again.

My sweet angel Kelsi did not survive. But by sharing our experience, other babies and mothers have. People may get sick of me talking about it, but I vow that no mother will have to go through what I did because of a lack of knowledge because I didn't share.

This weekend the Preeclampsia Foundation is having one of their annual walks in Portland. It is on Saturday. I didn't realize the date was so close, so I am getting a very late start on things, but I have set up a team: Kelsi's Angels. I have set a goal to raise $100, though I would really hope that I might be able to do more than that. If you are able, it is a great cause to support. Donations can be made at: The Kelsi's Angels Team Page.

You may already be aware, but I also donate a portion of the sales from the Wire Angel Tutorial that I created in honor of Kelsi. So it is also another great way to support the PE Foundation.

Thank you all for your support.

All content and images on this blog are the property of Melissa Muir and use of them in any context is strictly prohibited unless written permission is first obtained.

Tool Time Tuesday - Using a Swage Block

2012-05-08T04:51:03Z

You might all recall that my Father-In-Law made me the most beautiful black walnut swage blocks, well, not everyone knows how to use them. I have to admit that when I learned how to use them I was relieved as I had already bought two different ones and didn't know what they were for. I think there are a lot of people out there that are the same, or so I hear. Either they already have a block and have no idea what to do with it, or they haven't bought it because they don't know what it is used for.

Swage blocks are used for many different things, but I use them to form round shapes from flat pieces of metal with my hammers. Look at the banner on my blog. That lily sitting up there was formed with a swage block. The lily is the same project I created for the Art Jewelry Magazine a few years back. In fact, the video for this Tool Time Tuesday shows how to create the beginning form for the lily.

Swage blocks are also known as forming or grooved blocks. There are various types and shapes out there as well as different materials. My first blocks were made of steel. I also have a block made of delrin (a type of plastic.) Depending on the block I use, I change the type of hammer to form the metal. If I use a metal block, I use a nylon hammer. If I use a delrin or wooden block, I use a metal hammer. Now, that isn't always the case. Sometimes I use a metal hammer with a metal block. But the thing you have to know is that when you use a metal hammer with a metal block, you are going to risk stretching the metal as the metal you are forming compresses between the steel of the hammer and block. You also get a lot more tool marks that way. So it just depends on the look I am after when it comes to choosing my forming tools.

Without further ado, here is my tutorial and video on how to use a swage block. I hope this helps those of you that may have questions on what a swage block is and how to use it. As always, if you still have further questions, feel free to contact me any time.

All content and images on this blog are the property of Melissa Muir and use of them in any context is strictly prohibited unless written permission is first obtained.

Getting Better

2012-05-06T18:59:34Z

Thank you all for your encouragement after my last "floundering" blog post. I really appreciate it. Things are still up in the air in so many facets of life, but things are getting better. We do the final closing on our house in Ohio this week and that will be one less thing to worry about. Although, we realized just how much a pay cut my husband took when we moved here, and let's just say that you could buy a nice car with that amount. UGH! But it is worth not having him work the night shift anymore, so I won't complain too loudly.

Last week my dad had another surgery on his foot. My baby (Miss Fussy Pants, aka, Kiari) and I flew out on Monday to hang out with him for a few days. It was so nice to be out there and to just relax, well, relax as much as possible with one of the fussiest babies on the planet, that is. My youngest brother even watched her for a couple of hours so I could have a rare pedicure and really have a moment of relaxation. I was able to do lunch with a good friend of mine and we chatted about EVERYTHING from swimming with dolphins to jewelry making to life's problems and wonders. It was refreshing! Thank you for the love and encouragement Kim, the timing was PERFECT!

I flew home first thing Friday morning and went from the airport to the Oregon Convention Center where the Creative Metals and Art Guild have joined with several other guilds in the area to put on their annual Meeting of the Guilds Art Show. It was AMAZING!!!!! I only had time to see the booths for the CMAG members, but it was FANTASTIC. It was everything that I hope for the Ohio JMAG to be able to do. I am so excited to be a part of this guild and have the opportunity for my skills to grow once again.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to take my hydraulic press and do some demonstrations for about 3 hours. I met so many great people and of course the purple press was a HIT! I was also able to meet one of my long time blog readers from Las Vegas. She had no idea I was going to be there either. So that was a lot of fun. There were a lot of people interested in classes and I am excited to say, I have just finished my class line up and will be posting that in a couple of days. Classes will start in about 2 weeks. I have really missed teaching and am excited to get back into it.

Riley (my oldest) came with me yesterday and she helped out with the kids craft. It was so fun to watch her work and show kids how to emboss thin sheets of metal with little wooden dowels. She was really cute with the kids and they were all happy to walk away with a pin or magnet. Also, I think the adults had more fun than the kids did. I think I saw more adults doing the project than kids at the booth. LOL.

I am happy to say that I just finished my latest video. I demonstrate how to use the swage block. I know that some people can pick up what I was saying from the written tutorials alone, but others also do well with visual learning and hopefully this will help those of you that need that. So watch your in boxes this week as I will finally have a Tool Time Tuesday. Boy it sure seems a long time since we have had those. I recorded several videos last week before heading off to Utah, so I just need to finish editing them and will have several weeks worth of TTT posts. See you all soon!

~Melissa~

All content and images on this blog are the property of Melissa Muir and use of them in any context is strictly prohibited unless written permission is first obtained.

Always up in the air

2012-04-25T17:32:04Z

The title says it all. I feel like right now my life is always up in the air. The last week and a half has been such a roller coaster. You may recall on my last post (over a week and a half ago,) that I said I had some great news. In fact, twice I started to blog about it and then just couldn't bring myself to post it.

We found the perfect house. And to top that off, the seller accepted our super low ball offer. We were thrilled. It was only 5 miles from my husbands job, the schools are pretty nice and close, the house had all the features we were looking for, including a separate studio area. The yard and neighborhood were beautiful and we couldn't wait to get the ball rolling and settle into this next chapter of our lives. So what happened?

Well, we had our home inspection. LOL, we knew there were some issues, hence the super low ball offer. We never dreamed he would accept what we offered, but we were hoping that he would counter low enough that we could still afford the house (STUDIO) and still make the necessary repairs and such. Well, this house was hiding something. Here in the Great NorthWest, there is a LOT of rain. This home has a stucco exterior. We LOVE the look. However, if it isn't installed properly, that beautiful exterior hides and seals in moisture. We found two areas that had a LOT of moisture. Yes, it can be fixed, not cheaply, but still within the budget. However, eventually it will need to all come down and be redone with something more conducive to the climate. And as luck would have it, someone else also put in a bid on the house, so we lost all leverage with the owner. So sadly, last Friday I called my realtor and withdrew our offer. So sad. We don't believe the owner was aware of the extent of damage this is happening as this seems to be the "2nd home." He is aware now though. LOL.

This move is proving to be rather more difficult for me than some of the others have. So I have just kind of crawled into my little hole for the past few days and done nothing that was on my plate. I did record a couple of new videos, but I personally think they are rubbish and I will redo them. I just feel like I am floundering. I spent all day last Thursday in the studio and have nothing to show for it except a couple of lousy videos that I don't feel good about publishing. My muse is hibernating or ignoring me. It is so hard for me to work in the room that I currently have set up for the studio. I don't know why that is. I think it is a combination of the lighting and bad workflow in there. I really want to hold classes but I can't even seem to make the layout work for me and am not sure how to make it work with multiple people in there.

In an effort to get my muse back a bit, I have begun serious work on my book. I now have four projects completed and the first rough outline is completed. I have identified at least 13 projects that I would like to do. However, those projects may change or be removed. As I have been doing more research I have seen other things that make me want to take some of the projects in different directions. We will just have to see how things go. But it is fun to at least have some creative things coming back into my mindset. Like I said before, I feel like I am just floundering, even to the point where I sometimes toy with the idea of selling everything off and just doing something else. But then I think about not doing some of this stuff and that doesn't sit well either.

I know this post is rather rambly, but hopefully now that I have gotten it all off my chest I can finally get to work and make some things happen. I miss being creative and having direction. I know a lot of that comes from the temporary living situation we are in. I was really looking forward to having that house and setting down some rooms and get moving with life. So the search for the perfect place continues. Let's all just hope that whoever currently owns it is ready to go SOON. HA!

Okay, I think I am ready to get to work. Hope to see you again this week with some videos or at least a Featured Artist Friday. I now have 3 artists, so I just need to get them posted. See you all in a bit.

All content and images on this blog are the property of Melissa Muir and use of them in any context is strictly prohibited unless written permission is first obtained.

Featured Artist Friday - Mary Tucker

2012-04-14T19:24:59Z

Okay, so today is Saturday. But Yesterday was Friday the 13th and boy was it ever. Just wait till you hear my news! I will post about that in just a little bit (So you might get two posts today.)

I "met" Mary a couple of years ago when I participated in the Year Of Jewelry project. It has been amazing to watch Mary's progress. I am simply stunned by some of the work she is coming up with now.

Artist name: Mary Tucker

Location:Los Angeles

Blog: http://www.theangstyartist.blogspot.com/

Do you have a dedicated studio/artistic space?

With a 900sq ft town home I don't have much space, but I organize it based on my real life needs. I need to have a place for my creative life and to make a mess. My dining room has become a multi-use area. I use it as an office and storage for all my tools and supplies. The kitchen table is most often piled high with jewelry equipment, but we had to clean it up for company tomorrow
When company comes we pull out the table and add a table cloth and chairs for sit down dinner.

Despite all of this, 70% of the time you will find me on the couch with the ottoman as my work space. And yes, the ottoman is usually completely unusable for putting feet up or sitting on, because it is covered with wire and tools and beads. That's my true work table.

What medium(s) do you work in? Do you have a separate area for each?
I work exclusively with wire which helps to keep down the use of tools and keeps me from needing more space. I do some bead stringing from time to time. There is no need to separate them.

What one word would you use to describe your studio?
Home

What do you think is the best feature of your studio?

Just that it exists at all since square footage is limited

What would you change if you could?
I wish the floor was tiled. I don't like carpet around heat and torches.

Can you share an organizational tip?
In my studio I separate my supplies from what I use the most from what I use less often. The white cabinet lower shelves are stuffed with vintage glass and lesser quality gemstones and seed beads. The bead boxes on the high shelves of the messy desk are my every day quality gems and sterling beads

Doing this keeps me focused and from getting overwhelmed with choices when I design.

Describe the usual state of your work table?
The kitchen table is usually a mess just like the desk area in the photo. So is the ottoman

Does your work table face out into the room or toward the wall?
The kitchen table faces a wall because we have no choice. The ottoman faces out, again no choice really. I wouldn't mind have a work table facing a window)

What's one drawback of your studio/artistic space?
It has no door, so I can't shut it off from visitors or from myself.

Do you have any studio mascots (pets, mannequin whatever)?
We do have a cat but she is hiding behind a bed somewhere. She's a weird one. She visits the studio when she is hungry or wants petting.

Do you have an idea wall or inspiration board?
Not really. There is a white board on the messy desk but I never remember to look at it. I do have at least 3 wire journals full of designs I've never made.

Do you listen to music in your studio? What kind?
When I am planning out a design I can't tolerate much noise. Music and TV is usually off. Once the design is off the ground and I have a long stretch of weaving, anything goes. But rarely is it music, it's usually the television.

Do you display your own work in your studio? Other artists' work?
The top shelves in the white cabinet contain my work. I even just organized them for this interview. Before this, my jewelry sat in a gentle and large lump and looked uncared for. This interview did me some good
The longer I live a creative life, the more I begin to collect the work of others. I can see their work being displayed here one day.

What's one quirk or unusual feature of your studio?
Since my work is portable I can work wherever I like. Besides the couch I often work in my bed, especially on cold winter mornings. That might be quirky but it's soft and comfy and warm and the cat will stay with me the whole time, usually within reach of petting.

Thank you so much Mary!

*************************

If you would like to be a featured artist, just shoot me an email at : Melissa@kcjewelbox.com and I will send you the questions and information.

Like what you read here? Why not subscribe to the blog and you won't miss a post. Just enter your email address in the box that says subscribe in the upper right corner.You will be notified at that email address every time a new blog entry is made. Please spread the word.

All content and images on this blog are the property of Melissa Muir and use of them in any context is strictly prohibited unless written permission is first obtained.

What's for Dinner?

2012-04-12T14:49:48Z

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! The response to my tutorial and swage block has been FANTASTIC! Thank you all so much for your purchases. It makes both me and my wonderfully talented Father-in-law very happy. It is always so rewarding to hear the feedback from people who have purchased the blocks.

I have been trying so hard to get on here and make a post for over a week. I swear, I have never been so busy before and there are so many days that I wonder if I actually got anything done. My house certainly isn't cleaned, I still haven't finished unpacking my items from my trip to Canada (yes, really.) However, the laundry is done, I have seen Portland a couple of times, including the zoo with my girls. So there were some really good things.

Last week was spring break for the girls. We had all sorts of good plans, but nothing set in stone. We just kind of relaxes and didn't get to many of our plans. LOL. Go figure. Instead, we spent time doing make up homework for assignments that were missing (UGH! Don't even get me started on this one) looking for a lawnmower and my favorite part, HOUSE HUNTING. I forgot to mention in my last blog post, WE SOLD OUR HOUSE IN OHIO!!!!! YAY! I am so happy and sad all at the same time. It is the true closing of a chapter in my life. It was a huge chapter when it comes to terms of my jewelry as that is where most all of it happened. I started working on stuff in Virginia, but the true development of where I am now, happened there in Ohio. Not to mention, I had the greatest studio ever, at least to this point, haha. One really sad part of the sale is that we took such a huge hit on the sale. We put so much work, love and money into that house to make it as nice as it was. We are trying to look at it like, expensive rent. LOL. But really, I know the house was the right one to buy. Had we not done it, I wouldn't be where I am with my jewelry. I probably wouldn't be here with my blog doing what I am doing. I know it was right. We have always been blessed to be where we needed to be, when we needed to be, even if it did cost us some money.

My rewards from that though, is that I have wonderful friends and friendships that I know will last a life time. I was able to make a difference in the lives of a few people in starting the guild there in Ohio. I was able to develop my talents and more. You just can't put a price on that type of thing. So it was right, and I know it was.

Adjusting to life here in Washington is still progressing. I am getting to know my way around little by little. I am starting to meet a person here and there, but for the most part right now, it is still pretty lonely. I just feel like we are stuck in this state of flux. Do I make the effort to get to know people really well where I am right now, knowing that I will most likely not buy a home in this area? How do I get to know others in the area that are into the metal arts? Do I get my girls involved with dance and other things, again, knowing that we are not really looking for a home here where we are currently renting? So why did we rent here? Well, the rent was more affordable. We could afford the higher rent in the areas where we want to settle, but we decided to go for cheaper rent and save the money for a down payment. So like I said, I just feel like I am in the state of flux.

Guild Meeting in Portland

One great thing that I did this week (Tuesday night, in fact) is that I went to the Creative Metals Art Guild in Portland. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!!!! I got to meet a few new people and I am excited to get involved with their organization. It is a much more mature organization than the one that I started in Ohio, meaning that they are out of their infancy. They have the established programs, location and even hold an art show every spring (Next month, in fact.) It is everything already, that I dreamed for the guild in Ohio to be.

At the end of the meeting one gentleman approached me and said that I had done a blog post on him a while back. I asked his name and it was LYLE POULIN!!!! Featured Artist Friday - Lyle Poulin I was so excited to finally meet him. I hadn't remembered that he was here in this area, so I was really happy he introduced himself. I am really looking forward to seeing some of his work up close. I love his stuff.

Today's Goals

Okay, so today my goal is to get back into the studio. The baby will be going to the sitter today and tomorrow. I have a few more blocks to get mailed out today. I have to get my taxes finished up, yup, nothing like waiting for the last minute. I have a few videos to make (pray for some sunshine so I have some light in the studio) and then I have a few featured artist posts to finalize and will hopefully be back up and running.

What's For Dinner?

So, the title of the post is What's for Dinner? Currently, I don't know. But I did want to share something that I made a few weeks back. I posted it on my Facebook page and SOOOOO many people asked for the recipe, because all I had posted was a lousy picture taken with my iphone. Thanks to Pinterest, I have learned the art of using a crock pot. In fact, that is kind of funny. When we were first married (over 15 years ago) we were given a crock pot. Well, I never use it. I can count on two hands the number of times it got used. So when we thought we were moving last June, I gave it to someone in my church that uses them all the time. Fast forward to November. I got onto Pinterest and started to see all these recipes using a crock pot. I thought, hey, that looks good and I could probably do that. Well, I have gone wild with that thing. One of the best things I learned about.... LINERS!!!! I will never cook in that thing again without them. They are totally worth every penny. So I will end with a yummy looking picture and my recipe. Enjoy! See you all tomorrow with a featured artist post and hopefully a video or two.

Here is my Crock pot Lasagna recipe:

Okay, so it isn't any real recipe as I don't measure anything out.

For the 6 1/2 qt crock this is what I use:
2 lbs ground beef
1/4 onion
1/2 small container of sliced mushrooms
1/2 can sliced black olives
2 lb jar spaghetti sauce (any kind you want)
1 container of ricotta cheese
1 lg container of cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozz Cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 pkg lasagna noodles

brown the beef with the onions. Add the mushrooms, Olives and spaghetti sauce. Put a small amount of the meat sauce on the bottom of the crock and place the first layer of noodles, breaking them as needed to fit. Add a layer of meat sauce, ricotta or cottage cheese, some of each of the shredded cheese and repeat until you run out of ingredients. Cook in the crock pot for 4-5 hours on low or until noodles are soft.

Sometimes i don't use the ricotta.

But that is it in a nutshell.

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