Hallelujah as it is meant to be!

Oh boy, oh boy, my polite way of saying you have to listen to this gritty rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah by none other than Leonard Cohen.  My friend Sue, who sent it to me, says it rips your heart out.  Oh yeah.

The Human Planet

Photographer Timothy Allen followed a BBC film crew around the world and took some breathtaking pictures.  Take a few minutes and look at this slideshow.  I know I'm going to watch it again and probably again.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12618167\

Captured Bead Tutorial

This is the first tutorial I've done and probably the last.  I can't stand to see my shaking hands up close and the huffing and puffing trying to start the camera and get in position and then turn it off afterwards isn't pretty.
I saw a captured bead bracelet online and loved it but couldn't find any instructions, so I tried it and found it to be very simple and easy to do.  One error in the video - in the first set of jump rings, after the first bead is inserted, it says "pick up all six."  That should be all four.
Anyway, here it is and I hope it is easy enough to understand and gives someone a new technique that they didn't have.  And I'm not giving up my day job.

Copper Bird Clasps

These clasps can be used as a toggle clasp or fixed on one side and used with an "S" hook on the other.  Or use your imagination; I'd love to see some other people's designs with them.

Bird One:  2" or 5 cm. from beak to tip of tail.  He would sit horizontally, as shown.  The blue on my computer screen is darker than his actual colour, which is more a teal blue.  His position gives the opportunity of setting beads or wires below him for perching or nesting.




Bird 2 is meant to sit on a slight vertical angle, so would be best in a necklace.  He's also 2" or 5 cm. long and has a bit of an antique patina.  He's very elegant in person. 

Bird 3 is obviously a budgie or parrot judging from the type of beak and he has a beautiful blue patina.  He would probably sit on a slight upright angle so might be best for a necklace. 

Bird 4 has a patina that is aging nicely and will get darker as he gets older.  Any of these birds can be cleaned up with a ketchup or lemon juice bath and rub, but it would take away some of their character. 

All of the clasps on this page are for sale and the price is $13 including first class mail shipping or 2 for $23.  

Fire Agate Necklace with one of the Bird Clasps

Copper Clasps with a Difference

The kitty is my favourite, with a ring on the back and a small ring in front of his paw.  Leave it as it is,or add a bead for kitty to play with.

The cat is about 2" tall with a ring on the back and would probably suit being used as a focal better than as a clasp.

These are all at different stages of patination and I might leave them to get darker or might shine them up again.  Haven't decided.

No More Artfire Shop

I've been hanging on to my Artfire shop for much too long because of the $5.95 a month lifetime price.  Figured that a little over $60 a year was worth it to keep the shop and some day I might have time to add more goodies and tend to the search optimizations.  When I joined Artfire, it seemed like such a friendly, happy place to be, where everyone helped everyone else and the only complaining was on the forum thread devoted to Etsy news.  This past year I haven't had time for much of anything, so I hadn't paid any attention to the Artfire forum until news of changes began to filter onto other forums and blogs. 
After a solid of week of trying to catch up with the book-length threads on the Artfire forum and listening to e-friends tell me how they had been blocked from comment and asked to leave, I decided it just wasn't the place for me, no matter how good the price is.  The atmosphere is poison, the once-helpful and approachable management has become scathing and dictatorial and the forum is awash with novels of back-biting, anger and frustration.  All of this is just my opinion, of course.  I don't know what happened to the fresh and optimistic company I joined but t'aint there no more.
So when I have time to think about it, I might give in and join Etsy but right now, my jewellery has no home but the convenience store.