The concept of "Upcycling"

One of my favorite things to do in my jewelry design is to use things that need new life. Many people use the word "recycling" or "upcycling" to describe this method of taking something that is used and repurposing it into something new. I love this concept. It is good for the environment and allows for creative expression through everyday items. Here are some examples of things I have used in pieces I consider "upcycled".

1.) Old bottle caps and pop tabs.
I really enjoy taking old bottle caps and turning them into interesting jewelry pieces as well as magnets and coasters.  I myself use resin and confetti or other "found objects" to do this.  I have seen other artists simply use paper print out and glue.  The sky is really the limit. 
I have also seen other artists, such as Cindy's Creative Crochet, using pop tabs to create new and fun
accessories.

2.) Vintage costume jewelry bits and pieces.
This is hands down my very favorite kind of thing to upcycle.  I love to buy and use old vintage costume jewelry pieces in my newer designs.  For example, this sim
ple bracelet  was made by taking this old vintage milk glass neck
lace,

and adding in czech glass beads and findings in my normal stock.  Lovely, simple and upcycled.  I've done LOTS of pieces like this and
they are some of my best sellers.

3.) Sea shells, watch parts and other "found objects" available.  Anything you can find in your everyday surroundings is considered a "found object".  I've seen LOTS of creative ideas with this concept.  I myself have used pressed flowers, watch parts, microwave parts, computer mother boards, confetti, catalogue and magainze cut outs, cigar bands and so much more to create unique and unusual jewelry pieces, magnets and coasters.  There is really no limit to what a person can do with found objects.  A friend of mine in an art class once used a large clam shell she had.  She actually punch some holes in it and placed rivets in the holes!  It was an amazing piece and a stunning idea. 

So, whatever you choose to recycle or "upcycle", be it old clothing, vintage pictures, pop cans, bottles... have fun with it!  Everything has the potential for creative rebirth in the right hands!

Steampunk~ What is it all about?

This is my first blog entry in my series of "Ask the Artist" blogs.  SarasinArt from Artfire asks:
"Hey Pixie, I see a lot of Steampunk jewelry around now. Can you explain where that concept came from and more of what it's all about? Thanks! "

This is an EXCELLENT question and a great topic for this blog.  Thank you SarasinArt!
I went out on a search last evening to find a true definition of what "steampunk" really is.  There are a lot of references out there to explain it but I am choosing to quote the article "Steampunk 101" from http://www.tor.com/ as my definition reference.  They refer to steampunk as meaning "Victorian science fiction".  They continue on to state "Here “Victorian” is not meant to indicate a specific culture, but rather references a time period and an aesthetic: the industrialized 19th century."
In other words, Victorian clothing, fashion and ideals combined with what then would have been considered futuristic.  Think of combining motorized, steam driven objects with corset, bustles and waistcoats. 
The term itself came about in the late 1980's according to the article. "The term “steampunk” was not coined until the late 1980s, when author K. W. Jeter used it humorously to describe a grouping of stories set in the Victorian period written during a time when near-future cyberpunk was the prevailing form of science fiction."  The article goes into more detail about the associations made with the word "steampunk" and also references items that are often associated with this fashion movement as well as dissecting why they have become so iconic to the movement.  I highly reccommend this article for more in depth detail about all things considered "steampunk". http://www.tor.com/blogs/2009/10/steampunk-101
Now, as for my personal experiences with this movement, I actually have very few.  I was first asked to create some "steampunk" pieces about 4 years back.  A good friend of mine was going to a Convention event in central Minnesota.  My jewelry sales, then hosted on Etsy, were next to non-exsistent at the time and I thought perhaps I could send her some jewelry pieces to wear at Con to spark interest in my jewelry shop online.  She said the types of pieces people at Con would most be interested in would be "steampunk" inspired pieces.  I had no idea what on earth that meant.
After a short stint of research online, I made a run to the hardware store to pick up some nuts and bolts.  I also had some parts from an old microwave I had recently taken apart.  I lashed these together into a pendant and brooch (the pendant is still with me today and is listed in my Artfire Studio).  My friend said the pieces were nice but not quite steampunk.
I continues on in my quest to make steampunk items and have tried MANY different things.  Here's what i have discovered from my experiences.
~Some people prefer gears and cogs on their jewelry that have motion.
~Some people think gears and cogs on anything is great.
~Some people scoff at the idea of putting gears and cogs EVERYWHERE.
So as you can see... it's a subjective thing.  Just like any of type of fashion, steampunk fashion is left entirely up to the person wearing it.  I now subscribe to the steampunk fashion community on livejournal.  I often read posts where the controversy over what is or is not steampunk can get rather heated.  Everyone seems to have their own opinions and views on the matter.  It is essentially, like so many other things, left to interpretation.
So you see, truly finding things that are "steampunk" is actually quite difficult.  I prefer to think of some of my jewelry pieces as 'steampunk inspired' rather than truly steampunk.  I'll let the discerning participant decide for themselves.

Well SarasinArt, I hope this helped or at least pointed you in the correct direction.  I know it took me a long time to truly understand what is in fact steampunk.  So many people on online selling venues abuse the word to generate more views in their shops.  So, it is a word that can inspire and generate controversy.

AJG August Challenge

I am a member of the Artisan Jeweler Guild on Artfire and we just put up our August challenge blog this morning.  I have a piece entered in the challenge but there are MANY wonderful choices.  The theme this month was Artist's Choice... so we each chose one of our favorite pieces to be entered.  Please go check it out and vote for your favorite!
http://artfireajg.blogspot.com/
Here's the piece I entered.

Piece in progress....

... but now I need help.  I need some input about what to make this piece into.  A pendant?  Necklace?  Brooch?  Something else?

Any ideas out there in blogger land?

A new piece in progress

So, I haven't done a piece in progress post in a while.  And now I have a piece in progress to share.

A friend of mine from back in MN was looking over one of my recent steampunk pieces and remarked that it was lovely.  She then lamented that she has longed to see a steampunk necklace, pendant or brooch that has a skull and cross bones and wings.  Her Steampunk costume persona is that of an airship pirate.  I decided that day to order some brass embellishments and get after that idea. 
I started with an old vintage rhinestone buckle.  A lot of the rhinestones are missing but it still has a lot of shine to it.  I then wired swarovski crystals around the oustide.  I added the brass charms and am now about halfway through adding cogs and other watch parts to it.  I haven't decided yet if it should be a pendant or a brooch.  I also think it needs some additional wire work and perhaps some more beads....

New Steampunk/vintage inspired offering

I sat down last night and created this lovely bit from a great copper filigree setting with a large rootbeer rhinestone and LOTS of wire, cogs and other beads.  Steampunk meets vintage bling! 
This piece has been listed in my Artfire Studio and is also on sale, like everything else, for 25% off!

New "steamy" pieces to come

I have had a longing to find some new way to steampunk out my wire wrapping... create some kind of new pieces for my shop.  I tried my hand at one this week and the result is now listed in my Artfire studio.  I am hoping to take and expand on these ideas and designs in the near future.  It feels like it's been AGES since I created something new.

Featured Studio piece 3-25-10

I would like to feature not a single piece today, but a whole lot of them. I am of course talking about one of the fabulous grab bags I offer in my studio!

Today's grab bag feature is my "Steampunk" grab bag. I make these lovely pendants/charms out o Easy Cast resin and encase many different types of things. In this grab bag I use gears, cogs, and any other watch parts I can get my hands on. On occassion some scrap wire or other machinery makes it in as well. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and no two are alike. This grab bag gives you 4 pieces for $25.

Featured Studio piece 3-24-10

Today I would like to feature one of my resin based pieces. This lovely bracelet is a steampunk inspired piece using multiple cast resin pieces. I use Easy Cast resin and various molds and am willing to encase pretty much anything that will stand still. In this case, I used gears, cogs and other miscellaneous watch parts. I then drilled holes into the them and used my wire skills to link them together. This fun bracelet is a chunky, steamy bauble that any gear head is sure to enjoy! $25

A Classic

To me, there's nothing quite like a pearl. A string of pearls completes many of my outfits, whether they are faux, freshwater, or swaovski crystallized. It's a classic look that speaks of elegance and sophistication. I adore pearls... and therefor use LOTS of them in my work.

One of my favorite things to do is to take a string of vintage pearls and either re-string them or re-imagine them into a new piece. I have lots of vintage pieces waiting to be remade into something new. I am terribly behind in this area but I do have one slightly steamy completed piece of this variety (pictured here).

Faux pearls can offer a nice option if you want the look of uniform pearls without the aging that often comes with vintage beads. Swarovski also makes a crystallized faux pearl that has a LOT more of that natural pearl flash at an affordable price. These have become a big trend as of late, especially in bridal jewelry.

I also love working with freshwater pearls. They offer an organic look that I love and can come in all kinds of dyed colors. This widens my pearls pallet a bit. I also can't afford genuine saltwater sea pearls (like so many others I know). Freshwater pearls also combine with gemstone briolettes to create a lot of flash and sophisticated sparkle.

However you choose to use them, pearls really can give a piece or even an outfit a sense of understated class and elegance.