Etched Cuffs with Kristen Robinson

So here is the day two installment of my wonderful retreat with Kristen Robinson last weekend.  The subject of the day was etching, something I tried out once before in a group setting. We had the opportunity to make two bracelets and here you can see my outcome.

I chose to keep one of them on the simple side and "not mess it up."  I had a bit of a struggle in this class, not only with my stamping, but with the distress soldering technique.  Soldering is something I am so interested in, but it will take a while to master.

I think my favorite part of this cuff are the secret words tucked inside.

Here is a better image of the etching.  I was hard pressed to get a decent stamp, due to the curve of the black.  I ended up embracing imperfection and the design still came out pretty.

The bezel on my second cuff is layered with filigree.  Inside the bezel I stacked paper, a transparency and a snippet of text and covered with resin.  I will be playing with resin more in the future, that is for certain.

Well I have one more class to show off and I think it was probably my favorite, although it is hard to pick! Stay tuned for the last installment, plus a few more Graphic 45 treats.

Cheers,

Rhea

Our Love Story

Well I am at it again folks, I could not help but partake in another design challenge sponsored by Vintaj.  With the amazing prize package they just sent me I suspect there will be a few more challenges in my future too.

I just love having a trigger or a prompt for art, I do find that can really inspire me.  The theme this month is "Our Story."  I just happen to have a delightful new story in my life unfolding right now and so I chose to chronicle it through this piece.  Each and every little do dad has a thought or personal meaning behind it.

VOTE HERE (if you want)

#7 Our Love Story

The small blanks I altered from Vintaj are delightful.  I stamped a background with permanent ink and then layered text on top.  Some of them I made domed by thoughtfully adding on the Diamond Glaze, others were kept more even and flush.

You can see below that I added other inclusions to some of the metal blanks as well.  

I was so super excited to find a use for the etched metal tiles that were added.  I happen to be blessed with an amazing clan of local art ladies.  During one of our meetings last year, Beth from Vintage Sweets, taught us how to etch on metal.  When I heard the theme for the challenge I knew I wanted to use these.  I added them to represent sweet nothings, love letters and the secrets new lovers share.  

  

I hope you enjoyed partaking in this little bit of my new story.  Thanks for all of your continued support and readership.  It really does mean the world to me.  Hopefully this piece will also trigger the full on creative mojo return.

Cheers, 

Rhea

Sparkly Swap Bracelet

Here is a quick post showcasing a bracelet I created with winter in mind.  It is a collaborative project as many of the charms were made by individuals in my Art Charm group on Yahoo.  I added many of my own little dangles, providing some unity with a few beads being repeated throughout the design.  I just love the sparkle and the noise this cutie makes. 



Putting this together also makes me yearn for more bead work. I may have to revisit that genre a bit more.