Custom Sonas Ring

This ring is sterling silver with the word 'sonas' (Gaelic for happiness) pierced through the ring in the ancient Ogham alphabet. The band is about 5/16" wide.











It was created as a custom design. This was the first Ogham ring I tried making. I enjoyed making it because the process reminded me of the first rings I made in jewelry class. Were we started with a sheet of metal then cut and formed a ring out of it. Filing the joint so it lines up before soldering.

I am very pleased with how this ring turned out but am not planning on continuing with this style for several reasons. The first being the piercing process would not adapt well to narrower bands. The main reason is a stability factor while sizing the ring. Before I worked on this in sterling silver I did a test run in copper.

I started with the design printed on a piece of paper that I spray mounted to the metal. For balance in this design I added a second drill hole to the end of the word.



The part I wasn't pleased with when making the test ring became apparent when I started to form the ring. Because 'sonas' is cut through the metal it created a weaker point at the top of the O and A causing the letter to spread on one side (shown on right). I was able to avoid that while forming and sizing the sterling ring because I saw it as an issue in the copper test ring. Though I have found that it is possible to avoid the letters spreading as they did, this design will be left as a one of a kind.

The process of testing to see what works and what doesn't is part of what I love about custom work. It gives me a chance to play with designs I may not have thought of otherwise and to push the boundaries of what I can make.

Monday Featured Artisan - Greenwood Creations

Today's featured artisan is Michelle of Greenwood Creations
Her shop can be found at: http://www.Parizadhe.etsy.com
She is one of my Pagans of Etsy Street Team teammates. Her work is amazing!

What do you make?
I make crafts from wood. I primarily decorate in pyrography (wood burning), but every now and again I'll use henna paste or acrylic paints.

What drew you to your craft and why did you start selling your items?

I use acrylics because they are an expedient way to get color onto a project. Acrylics are convenient for me.
I work in henna from a love of the complexity of mehndi design, and the complexity of the ritual: sifting the powder, mixing the paste, perfecting the recipe, the process of creating each cone. Henna relaxes me.

Pyrography, now, is a different matter. Someone gave me a pyrography pen when I was very young, and it sat unused until I was in college. Once I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down. The smell of the wood as it burns, the feel of the pen gliding across the grain, the emerging elegance of each line, delighted me. I love to woodburn; pyrography enchants me.

I began selling my work because a few people said to me, "you ought to sell that." Also, my Real Job doesn't pay much, and every little bit helps tremendously!

What is your favorite part of creating your items?
My favorite part is definitely "finalizing" a design. Setting the design down in the chosen medium is a magical moment, whether it's with my henna cone or my pyrography pen. Seeing the lines take form thrills me.

Is your craft a full time endeavor or a hobby?
My craft is a hobby right now. I would like it to be a full time endeavor, but who knows what tomorrow will actually bring?

When you aren't working on your craft what do you enjoy doing?
I love to read. Jane Austen is a perennial favorite of mine; I also enjoy anything by Dan Abnett. I'm also a pretty big geek, and really look forward to our weekly Dungeons and Dragons games.

Is there anything else about your craft or yourself you would like to share?
I have a son who's going to be three this month, a very supportive and loving husband, and two delightfully fat cats.

The photos here are just a small sample of what Michele makes to see more of these amazing creations visit Greenwood Creations
Pieces in this post:
1. Swirls Pentacle
2. Hera Pentacle
3. Mandala Pentacle

Monday Featured Artisan

Today's Feature Etsy artisan is new to our Etsy West Michigan Team.

WendyBethCreations

A bit about Wendy Beth Creations from their Etsy shop:

"At the prodding of my family and friends that treasure the gifts I have made them over the years, I am here on Etsy.

This year I started making hair ornaments, which have been featured on http://www.tinarenamodel.com/credits.html under 'Elegant Art & Fantasty' & 'Beauty Shots' I developed a passion for working with silk flowers while very young. When I was a child, my mom used to do flowers for weddings and I would 'help' her. Since then I have always enjoyed working with silk flowers."
















This is only a small selection of the items WendyBethCreations offers. Please visit her shop to see more.

Items in this post:
1. Black Ice Earrings
2. Blue Antiquita Hair Ornament/Fascinator
3. Harvest Feminity Chandelier Earrings

Monday Featured Artisan

Today's featured artisan is Moonlit Herbals
Moonlit Herbals is one of my teammates from the Pagans of Etsy Team

Here is a bit of info about Moonlit Herbals from their Etsy shop:
"Moonlit Herbals is a small, family owned business located in the beautiful and diverse city of Olympia, Washington. We started making our organic bath and body products for family and friends as a way to break free from the harsh chemical products that we had all become accustomed to using. We had received such great reviews that we decided to offer our products to anyone seeking a more natural way to treat their mind, body and soul.

Moonlit Herbals was created out of our love for nature and the wonderful gifts it has to offer all of us.

We take great pride in doing business in an ethical and ecological way toward preserving and protecting the earth, of which we are all a part of and believe that this energy flows through all that we do.

We make all of your products in small batches with love and integrity from the finest natural ingredients ensuring the quality and freshness you deserve. Our products are made with certified organic and ethically wild-harvested herbs that are grown without pesticides and herbicides. We support small businesses so our herbs are purchased from wonderful, local farms and natural stores that take as much pride in their product as we do.

Our products range from bath and body to ritual items and hand-crafted gifts and candles. In this day and age it is impossible to separate ourselves from all the toxins and pollution that we are forced to live with on a daily basis; so our products is our way of getting back in touch with nature, the way it should be."


This is a very small sample of what is offered by Moonlit Herbals. Please visit their shop to see the other wonderful items I could not fit in this post!

Items in this post:
1: Prosperity Gemstone Perfume Oil Wear
2: Yule/Winter Solstice Icicle Charm Filled with herbs, crystals, and resin
3: Lunar Goddess Magickal Herbal Sachet

Monday Featured Artisan

One of the greatest things about being a part of Etsy.com, especially being part of a team, is to see the works of other artisans. Today I would like to share with you the work of Kendra from the Etsy West Michigan Team.

Kendra's shop is Delighted Hands ThirtyOne Thirteen. She makes beautiful crochet items by hand for warmth, style, and a splash of color in any decor.

A bit about Kendra from her shop bio:

"My mom taught me to crochet when I was 4 years old. Knitting is a more recent skill, one that I have quickly come to enjoy.

I especially enjoy rich colors, exquisitely textured yarns, detailed patterns, and subtle sparkle.

Pretty and unique items of superior quality are my goal. I love designing new patterns, working with deep colors, and always have more ideas waiting to begin."





This is only a taste of the items from DelightedHands3113.etsy.com. Please browse her shop for more handmade goodness.



Items in this post:
1. Plum Cherry cluster Cotton Alpaca Wool Scarf
2. Purple Multi Layer Long Beaded Garland Necklace
3. Oatmeal and Sweet Cream Set of 5 Hand Crocheted Nesting Bowls

Copper Cuffs

It has taken a while to get back my blog but I am here now. As promised here is a photo of the copper cuffs I was working on when I last blogged...

They turned out quite well. And even though the hammering alone took 2 sessions over 2 days I still say hand hammering is still better than using a machine to do the hammering for me. It is just a matter of pacing so as not to completely wear our the muscles ;) These cuffs took longer than usual because they are much larger than I usually make. They were a custom order and measure 2" wide by 11" long. Usually the largest cuffs I make are 1" wide by 7" long.

After hammering, the stage that was shown in my last blog post, I sanded the cuffs by hand and hammered them into their cuff form. The last step before photographing and shipping was to polish them to a high shine.

In the time it has taken me to get this post together I have made quite a few new pieces along with working on listings for my Etsy site. The new design for my animal line is the ferret. They turned out beautifully.

This is one of the ferrets in copper. In about 2 weeks time I made 9 of these total in copper, nickel, red brass, and yellow brass.

The other custom piece I had was a copper version of an engineers guild ring. It is to be a special present.

I like how it turned out and am quite happy I was able to figure out how to make the design from a photograph.

Hand Power or Machine Power?

As I sat beating a piece of copper into submission my arms began to tire. The hammer seemed to increase in weight with each strike. And then I thought 'there is probably a machine that can put all these little diviets into the metal without wearing so much on the muscles.' I continued striking the blank for an extra wide copper cuff with the ball-peen hammer and continued thinking...

I have seen a machine used to shape and smooth a fender for a bike on one of the chopper shows which would make this task quicker and easier. But being a machine each strike would be the same depth with the same amount of pressure. The resulting texture would not be as rich as hand hammering, as the strength and angle of each strike varies. It also wouldn't have the same energy. The time and physical energy put to hand hammering adds an unseen energy and feel to the metal as it is worked that shows through in the final piece. I have also found a greater sense of accomplishment working in older methods with my stubborn refusal to turn every part of my work over to complex machines. I admit I love my flex shaft for polishing and I would get far less pieces completed if I polished everything by hand from start to finish, but there is just something enriching and fulfilling about using a hand held hammer over a machine or hand saw over a laser cutter and I think that shows through in my work when the pieces are finished. So although I will acquiesce to using some mechanized processes I don't think I will ever give up the fun, frustration, and weariness that comes from working by my own physical power.

The 2 extra large (2" x 11") copper cuffs I am currently working on complete with hammer I am using, resting on my pounding block.