Inspiration: Lied Lodge, Arbor Day Farm, trees & berries

We took a weekend trip last month, as we do many years, to the Lied Lodge & Conference Center in Nebraska City.   If you live in the Midwest, it makes for a great weekend get-away!  We often meet up with relatives there, and find that it's become a destination spot in recent years for weddings, so we can watch one or so of those on the lawn from the balcony!   Next to the Lodge is Arbor Day Farm, with hiking, gift shops, free trees to take home, and more!

But the true joy for me, in addition to the Lodge and tree farm, is the beauty of the outdoors and the surrounding areas.   While I was there, I couldn't resist doing what I always do when I get a camera in my hands, and that was taking photos of every tree, bush, flower, leaf, and pebble I saw!    

I was particularly drawn to this tree and the colors of its berries, and it inspired my jewelry-making  for weeks!
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I started with the necklaces below, trying to capture the color of the pink, red, and light green berries against the darker green leaves.    I used wooden lime green beads for the "stems," various stone beads in shades of red and green for the "berries," and ended with wire "leaves."        
                                                             

 

Next came "red berry" earrings in "leaf maze."  (below)

  

Finally, here is the bracelet I just finished....

..."branches" twisted and tangled 

in a criss-cross pattern, 

red and green "berries" of various shades and sizes.

These were a joy to make and remind me of a charming weekend surrounded by the trees of this historic, environmentally important, and beautiful area!    

Please share with us,... what inspires YOU?!

Sharyl 

P.S. If you like these color combinations, you can view a few more items in these colors on   Sharyl's Jewelry -- Earring page.

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Credits:

• All photos and jewelry by Sharyl © July 2011
• All nature shots this page taken on the Lied Lodge & Conference Center grounds.

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Welcome, Followers!

I noticed July 1st, I was no longer just talking to myself...someone else was "out there!"   So I want to welcome our first official "Follower!"   I'm thrilled to have you here, and to see you've come so far to join the conversation! 


I took a look at your blog too...who could resist!   What beautiful and unique jewelry.   You obviously have talent and knowledge I could learn from, so I hope you'll share comments!   Your photography is wonderful too, so tips on taking interesting photos of jewelry would certainly be welcome also! Greetings and thank you for joining!  --Sharyl

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Before I got this posted, we gained a second follower, another gifted jewelry artist and photographer!   I'm so excited to have such talented people with us!   To anyone else following, please check out their blogs as well!   


Thank you for the comment found at the bottom of the July 2 entry! Great ideas for photo backgrounds for jewelry!   --Sharyl  

Jewelry for July 4th...and other days

   From my house to yours,... 

Happy Independence Day!

We're not celebrating the July 4th holiday weekend in a big way at our house this year.   My other job is one where I work most holidays.   If we go "all out," we'll garden a bit and my husband will grill some burgers, (make mine a veggie burger, please)!     

But in honor of the holiday, I thought I'd bring out a few designs that remind me of this holiday, just to put us in the spirit of things!   Everyone is different about this, but when I design things (or purchase things) for holidays, I prefer it if they can be worn (or used) on more than one occasion.   I like to be "festive," but not have to store something all year to bring out only once.

Because of this, I tend to go for color schemes rather than patterns that scream out a particular holiday, or I layer on bracelets in colors that work together for that particular holiday.   Instead of wearing a red, white, and blue beaded bracelet, I'm more likely to put on a bracelet that's blue paired with one with predominantly red colors.   Sometimes I wear one, sometimes I pile on 5 or 6!                                                                                                To the left are earrings, each made of 3 off-white hoops linked together by wire.  The wire "joints" between sections make the earrings dangle loosely rather than remain one stiff piece.  The color makes them easy to pair with red and/or blue for the 4th, but good for every other day of the year too!  

Below are a few items from my collection one might want to wear for July 4th...or other occasions too!  Hope you enjoy!  

Twisted wire bangle bracelet in shades of blue, clear crystal, and 

white freshwater pearls.

All-red beaded bracelet with hand-crafted wire clasp

            

     Pendants in shades of navy, blue, and red, with scrolled wire designs.

                       

 Earrings featuring glass beads in red, yellow, and navy (left) and navy blown-glass beads with red accent beads and wire scroll work (right).

   

Whether you are making, wearing, or reading about jewelry this weekend, I wish you, your families, friends, and communities, a happy and peaceful Independence Day 2011!

--Sharyl

Sharyl's Jewelry

Experimenting with "Soft" Wire

I purchased some 18-gauge "soft" wire a few days ago and was excited to give it try.  I had read about it before, but not worked with it.   Upon trying it out, I was at first thrilled, then disappointed, then happy to have discovered it!    I'll explain...

• Although 18-gauge is a fairly thick, heavy wire, normally hard to wrap and bend, this wire was easy to do so.   It was much more flexible and that was an exciting discovery!   

•  I quickly recogized its limitations though.  Like using a too-thin wire, it didn't hold up well to a string of heavy beads, tending to bend and flop around.   Disappointment set in.  I also found that it scratched and dented more easily, leaving undesirable tool marks.

• Soon though, I found it had its own niche.   It worked wonderfully for wire wrapping and for use with one large bead rather than a longer grouping of beads.   It wraps beautifully and so much easier than harder wire of the same gauge.   It does require a lighter touch with the tools, particularly any that would leave nicks in the silver.    I'll use it for certain projects only, but have discovered that it does have a useful place along with many other wire types I like to use.     

After experimenting a bit, I found that the project, above, is one example of where this soft, heavy-gauge wire will be useful.   I was using two pieces of dyed quartz I had.  I'm not sure what this piece will be "when it grows up."  I'm thinking of getting a few more pieces of quartz in similar shapes and colors and linking to make a necklace.  

Keep watching...   You may find it on my website one day soon!   

Sharyl's Jewelry, "Necklace" section

Why One Won't Do - Wire Gauges for Jewelry-making

Ever walk into a jewelry-making store, start out in awe, then get  overwhelmed by all the choices?

I'm not just talking about the multitude of beads in every material, color, shape, and size you can imagine, but also finishings, clasps, crimp beads and crimp covers, all in a variety of metals, sizes, and qualities.  

Then, there's also THE WIRE! 

If you are working with wire as a basis for your jewelry to make pendants, bracelets, rings, earrings, you probably don't need just one type or size of wire, but maybe 4-5 to get you started.   Why so many rolls?    Each gauge of wire handles differently and serves a different purpose.  

The higher the gauge, the thinner the wire is.   For example 24 gauge is very thin and pliable.   It is best used for making links in a chain, dangles for earrings, and linking very small, lightweight, small-holed beads.   If you need the item to be stiff when you are finished, this is not the wire for your project.   22 gauge is nearly the same.   It's good for doing wire-wrapping around stones and crystals small in size.   It's nice for these jobs because it's so easy to bend.

As the gauge numbers get lower, the thicker the wire is and, generally, the harder it is to bend.   20 gauge wire, is an excellent slightly-stiff wire that is nice for bending, scrolling, twisting, and making hammered clasps.   It bends easy enough when you need it to, but hardens up after hammering.  (See sample below.)   It's my favorite, all-around wire size.

 

18 gauge is the largest I use, but you can find larger wire.   At this size it can become very difficult to bend and control.   It is great for pendants though when you have heavy beads that need a lot of support so they don't wiggle too much or so the wire doesn't bend after the necklace is made. 

Because each size can fill a different need, I sometimes use more than one wire size on a single piece of jewelry.   A heavier wire may stabilize the base of the pendant while there may be dangling pieces connected to the bottom by thinner strands of wire.   

Don't be tempted to use a thin wire for a pendant though, just because a couple of the beads have small holes.   You'll be sorry when the piece won't stay straight.  Instead, use a bead reamer (a very thin round file made especially for this purpose) to carefully enlarge the hole or substitute with a different bead.   (Please note that bead reamers work great on most beads, but not on glass.)

In addition to gauge, there are many other considerations, such as whether you want to start with a less expensive wire at first for practicing, a sterling silver wire over copper, or solid sterling silver...or maybe you perfer copper, brass, or ...      It may seem overwhelming in the beggining, but know that with a little experience, you'll soon be reaching for the exact roll of wire you want for each of your projects!

For more information and samples, please visit www.sharylsjewelry.com.

Content originally published:    Sharyl McMillian-Nelson  ©  2011 Intuit Inc. Business Directory article   (15-Jun-2011)

Sharyl's Jewelry & Relections -- Welcome, Part 2

  ...Welcome Back!

Last time, I promised two things...  1) to further introduce myself to you by describing the jewelry I make, and 2) to talk about the purpose of this blog.

The Jewelry--

Basically, I design hand-crafted necklaces, pendants, earrings, and bracelets  (and the occasional ring) out of wire and beads.  (I use beads of nearly every color and material possible, but admit I'm very fond of  both glass and stones and generally work with silver wire.)    

Each piece is different--because I want what I wear to be unlike what everyone else is wearing and suspect others enjoy that too.  And in all honesty, I have more fun coming up with new ideas than duplicating similar items. 

Jewelry Samples & The Website--

You can go to my website, Sharyl's Jewelry, and see samples and descriptions of some of the pieces I've made.    As we get to know each other, I hope you will share samples of your work and websites with us in return!

The Jewelry Business--

Although creating jewelry is something I have enjoyed doing for years, something I've studied and practiced, I just began my business this year.   I currently sell the jewelry wholesale to local shops in my area.  What started as a hobby, and a fun way to relax, has turned into quite a learning experience!   

Along the way, I've not only continued to advance my jewelry-making skills, I have learned more about small businesses (I technically have two now), marketing, building a website, digital photography, and now blogging.  Everything I do is a work in progress, and I enjoy that part.  I keep learning new things!   It feels like a journey.

And now, The Blog!--

So I hope you'll be interested in the conversation and join in.   We'll be talking about: 

• jewelry design, 
• jewelry-making techniques and tips, 
• jewelry as a business, 
• sources of learning, 
• sources of inspiration, and  
• reflections on life and art as they relate to making jewelry.  

Thank you for dropping by, and I hope you'll come back.   I look forward to sharing ideas with you!   --Sharyl

Sharyl's Jewelry    www.sharylsjewelry.com  

Image Credits:

• "Open" sign from building at Harbor Day Farm, Nebraska City
• Original graphic logo for Sharyl's Jewelry website, Andrew Nelson©2011

Sharyl's Jewelry & Relections -- Welcome, Part 1

Welcome to  Sharyl's Jewelry & Reflections!

  

People who know me well are aware I have many interests.  For those of you who don't, here are a few facts about me: 

• I enjoy designing hand-crafted jewelry, making each piece unique.   If you give me wire, I'll make jewelry out it.  
• If you hand me a camera, I'll always take nature shots.    
• I love researching and learning new things.  (In my "other" life, I'm a librarian.)   
•  I enjoy writing.   (Yes, among my degrees, you'll find one in Creative Writing, aka English.)
•  ...And I thoroughly enjoy talking with others!  (Nothing to do with the Communications Studies degree--strictly hereditary, I suspect!)

Sharyl's Jewelry & Reflections seems an opportunity to bring together so many of the things I enjoy most.

So here, we will chat and  share, learn and reflect... about jewelry-making and other things that inspire us and matter to us.   I hope you will join us again for some friendly conversation!   

Best wishes,

Sharyl

P.S.  I'll tell you more about the jewelry I make and plans for the blog next time, but while you are visiting, I hope you'll drop by my website:   

Sharyl's Jewelry    

http://www.sharylsjewelry.com/