Christmas Tree Pendants & Evil Eye Amulets

What a combination of creations for the day!

Getting ready for the fall and winter holidays already! I've been working on Holiday survival pendants...Christmas trees created with gems to help relieve stress, & bring peace and joy. Be sure to read the gem lore at the bottom of the listing.

And in the same day...Agate Eye pendants! I love these natural agate eyes, they are beautiful & so captivating as the agate has the translucence and texture of a real eye.

A Wire Wrapped Clay Goddess Pendant--"The Sapphire Goddess"

Many have requested I make pieces that feature polymer clay & wire....

Finally...A piece that includes both of my artistic loves! This is the "Sapphire Goddess," a signed creation. She is a blank white face cabochon I brought to life with acrylic paints, swirls of solid sterling silver, & a sapphire bead! She is a celebration of the creative spirit in all of us!

There is something captivating about her simplicity...as many know I create very intricate pieces of clay and wire, but I think simple pieces can be even more difficult to master. Clean lines and white 'canvas' have a way of giving away any flaws...a steady hand and purpose are definitely required!

For those that work with my face cabs or beads in your creations...SEND ME PICTURES of your work to post here, in the blog or just so I can see what these faces have become! (If you send a picture let me know it is safe to post online)! I hope each of these ladies finds a good home, but I rarely get to see what they end up becoming! For those that have sent pictures THANK YOU!

What am I doing up at 1:00 am Making Beads!

Up late tonight putting the finishing touches on new lady face focal beads! Thought I would share a bench shot... one of me actually at my bench. I know I have shared many messy bench shots...with me behind the camera. So, this is what it looks like in my studio at 1:00 am! What can I say, I'm not a morning person-or maybe I am, just a VERY early morning person.

These little beads require several firings while making them & I fire them 3 more times after they are sealed...quite a lengthy process. I like to make sure they are properly cured & will hold up to wear & tear. I think that is one of my faults at times...I really try to create everything to wear well...jewelry, clay, or otherwise. This makes the process a little slower & may limit some designs, but I appreciate quality and I think that is what most of us expect. Hence, that is what I strive to offer...
Pretty 'Pretties' that will last a lifetime!

Sterling Silver & Gemstone Spider Pendants!

Here's the latest from the bench! Wire wrapped spider pendants! I love taking close-ups of insects...you'll find many little garden critters pictured in my blog. Today I decided to create a few of my own 'bugs'! SPIDERS!

These spiders are solid sterling silver with gemstone bodies! They are pretty! Who would have thought! I love the Aqua Aura Quartz & Baltic amber.

Ebay Shipping Claculation Problem & a Great new Wire Wrapped Pendant!

I have been going crazy with incorrect shipping totals in my ebay store...some of my customers think i am incompetent, perhaps i am...but not on this subject!!

Today i finally received a response from ebay THEY ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH THEIR AUTOMATED SHIPPING DISCOUNTS!! I'm pasting it here for all to see... hopefully they resolve this issue soon and life can go on smoothly & happily ever after! In the mean time... please be patient & allow me to manually correct your shipping discount if it doesn't calculate properly! Thank you!! :) (and thank you to ebay for a fast and honest response)

I pasted a copy of ebay's response letter below for all to see! I know many ebay sellers are probably having the same problem--it's not you, it's ebay!

Oh, & I'm posting a photo of a great new pendant in our store. I love this design! Lots of special meaning behind this one!

_______Copy of Letter from ebay received 7/14/07________
Dear Kristie,

Thank you for writing eBay in regard to Shipping discounts.

At this time the shipping discount is not working correctly. We are
working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible we appreciate your
patience.

If you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reply to this
email and let us know.

Sincerely,
Simon F.

eBay Customer Support

Bird Family outside my office window!

Since we returned from our trip to Pennsylvania a mother robin decided to build a nest & have a family outside my office window! I've been obsessed with checking on them & managed to get a few photographs from my window. Mom has been hard at work for 2 weeks keeping them well fed...today she decided to throw them out of the nest right before our eyes! HOW FAST THEY ARE FORCED TO GROW UP AND MOVE ON!! Two w weeks ago they had almost no feathers & their eyes were still closed....and today...

She pushed them out of the nest, lined them up on a branch, and left them! She returned with food & forced them to hop along the branch to get to it. Then, mom & dad returned, and shoo'd 2 of the 3 off the branch to the ground. One flew, one fell and ran, and the third is still up in the tree chirping away. I can't believe they were able to fly...not far, but enough to get along should a cat come along.

Handcrafted Fall, Autumn, Harvest Themed Beads!

It's July & 100+ degrees outside...and...I can't stop making fall themed beads! I love summer weather, but I have to admit I love the change of seasons when it comes to beading & jewelry & decorating the house! Rich colors & beautiful nature inspired designs....leaves, pumpkins, snowflakes....

I have been creating & listing several new designs for autumn in our ebay store, sculptedwindows. Lots of pretty colors, textures, & designs. Most can be worn any time of the year as they are more nature inspired & not just limited to fall time! If you have any requests or suggestions for designs...send me a message or comment & I'll see what I can come up with!

We're Back from Pennsylvania!

Hooray, we're back from our trip! Now it's time to get my head back on track to start creating again! Though we were away, it was not a vacation. We both were working... hence jewelry and clay were slow going. I have a bunch of new jewelry and clay that I will be listing Thursday/Friday night. I have to do some polishing on the jewelry and sealing on the clay! Then everything will be ready for pictures & listing!

We took 1 day at the end of our travels to enjoy ourselves at Longwood Gardens...it was BEAUTIFUL...I highly recommend a visit. Especially if you love gardening like I do. I wanted to include this picture I took of a bumble bee coming in for a landing on a gardenia! I love this photo!

Learning how to Wire Wrap Jewelry...starting out!

So, how did it all start? Here is a few pictures of some of my first pieces of wire wrapped jewelry and my first art show! These were taken in 2005....yep, I started officially creating wire wrapped jewelry just shy of 2 years ago! When I tell people this they are surprised. When I picked up my first piece of wire, it was like a fish on land finding water!

I actually created my first piece of wire wrapped jewelry, a woven wire bracelet, 14 years ago while in a gold-smithing class (that I took for something to do a couple nights a week)! Back then, my teacher looked at me like i was crazy and wasting my time....if it didn't involve a torch or piece of high-tech equipment it was a waste of time in her eyes! What a shame! It took me 12 years to find out she was SO, SO wrong! I think many schools frown on wire jewelry because they want you to keep coming back...who can afford and who has safe space for the tools needed for soldering and casting? I assure you, wire jewelry can be equally as beautiful and durable as any piece of cast or soldered jewelry! I think it is even more beautiful...soldering, in my opinion, is cheating!

I am including a few pictures for inspiration to those starting out....my first pieces were not earth shattering...I have come a LONG way! I have learned so much and continue to grow every day! It takes a lot of exploring, practice, and trial and error! I never took a class on wire jewelry...I bought any books I could find and looked at many, many photos....guessing how pieces were made, and figuring out my own methods of wrapping and sculpting jewelry. With time, i figured them out. I do many things differently than other artists and traditional methods...i do things my way! That's the point, there is no wrong way to create!!

Start out with copper or craft wire and basic tools....before spending a fortune, see if you enjoy working with the wire....if you do, treat yourself to some sterling silver wire in different gauges and shapes....(I like 22-20 gauge square wire). Most wire wrapped jewelry is crafted with 24-20 gauge wire. IF you like the swirls and curls--go with soft wire...you can always work harden it by running it through your polishing cloth several times...softening hard wire requires a torch.

Aside from the numerous books available these days, Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry Magazine is a great resource for projects and pictures to learn and inspire ideas! Well....I will continue another night, have to run!

Real Ancient Roman Coin Pendants!

I am officially hooked on these Roman Coins! They are BEAUTIFUL! This is a silver Denarius that is over 1,700 years old! I wish these coins could talk! I can only imagine what they would say. I wrapped a bunch of different Roman Imperial coins this past week...you can find them in my ebay store...i placed them in the fossil category for the moment. I also created a few antique U.S. Coin pendants---including a penny from 110 years ago!

For the many who have emailed me with questions about starting wire-work....please be sure to check out my reviews and guides. I have been adding book reviews on any books I have on wire jewelry. I have 7 or 8 of them completed & will be adding more. I own just about every book written on Wire Wrapping and Jewelry.

I though I would try to review some of my books so you could get an idea of my perspective on them.... sometimes it helps to see several reviews by a single person...there are many books that are a waste if you don't have a particular tool or skill level...I found that out the hard way. If you read the reviews please check yes they were helpful at the bottom of each one-----this lets me know it is worth the time I spend writing them for you :). Plus, I'm obsessed with reaching the top 1,000 Reviewer status (I'm not that far from reaching it)...I don't know why I want to reach it---I don't get anything for it....but it is a fun little goal to work toward--Even if I only achieve it for one day!

Wire WRapped Chakra Jewelry-for Men & Women!

Whew! I have been working on lots of new jewelry...I am loving the woven pendants and have started a unisex line...My other half complains there isn't enough nice one-of-a-kind jewelry out there for men...he has a good point! He does not like anything too swirly or curly or froo-froo so... I will be working to solve that problem!

I had to include a photo of one of the chakra goddesses i made last week....i love this design...it is a large central crystal with 2mm gems woven into the setting...at over 3 inches long it is a striking piece of jewelry!

Many have contacted me regarding our piece in the gallery of Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry this month---thank you for all of you kind words and questions! I love hearing from people...you can communicate with me here on the blog or through ebay. I'm going to work on a few blog entries to answer some questions sent to me by beginners in the world of wire wrapping! My quickest words of wisdom are ... BE PATIENT AND GO FOR IT!!!!!! Have no fear, or you will never accomplish anything!!

Waterfalls of Upstate, NY

There's more to NY than the city. We actually live closer to Canada than NY City! I thought I'd share some photos of our hike in Ithaca, NY. If you ever visit Upstate, NY you must hike some of the waterfall trails! They are breathtaking!

Taking the Weekend OFF!

Hello! I'm taking the weekend away from my wire and clay. It's my birthday...I made it to 35 & I'm celebrating! I feel better now than I did 10 years ago...that is the perfect reason for celebration! So, I have a few more grey hairs and droops here & there...WHO CARES!

What did we do today? Lunch out, a book sale, a hike, and dinner out....nothing fancy, just a day out of the house and away from everyday life! What a nice break! Who knows what tomorrow will bring!

I received a big shipment of wire & supplies today...so definitely back to the bench on Monday!

Finally! Ollie is feeling better!

Thank you to all who sent their sentiments while Ollie was sick! He's feeling much better after a hefty vet bill and lots of medication...we still don't know what was really wrong with him, but all is well now! It's amazing how the stress of worrying can throw your whole brain out of whack! Today he took a few minutes to lay in the sun while I was painting faces & buffing jewelry! Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day!

OOPS! Page 43!!

A few entries ago I referenced our goddess pendant to be featured in the Summer Preview Issue of Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry Magazine...well our pendant is at the top of PAGE 43...I wrote page 47.....OOPS! The new issue is on the shelves...I found it today!

There are some beautiful projects in this issue; they've done a nice job of selecting some different styles & designs! The picture of My Wire Wrapped Goddess Pendant came out very pretty...I can't believe how perfect the colors are when compared to 'real life'! When I have a moment I'll sneak back onto blogger & upload a picture of the pendant in the magazine!

A 'Silver' Penny Pendant?

I couldn't resist wrapping one of these--i found a couple of beautiful ones at our local antique store and they are too pretty to just sit in a collection... Have you ever seen a silver penny? Well, it isn't actually silver, it is steel with a zinc coating.

This pendant has a 1943 war issue penny in it. One of the only U.S. coins that will stick to a magnet! Pennies were minted in steel/zinc to conserve copper for the war efforts. It is so pretty as a focal piece I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner! It has a mirror-like polish with a light rainbowing patina. Hard to capture on camera as it is so shiny.

I was motivated to find a few of these, in better shape than the ones in my old coin collection, after watching a clip on television about the cost of pennies....Pennies are actually worth more than a penny due to the elevation in copper prices. The government has banned melting them...who knew! Perhaps we'll see these silvery pennies again someday!

Be on the lookout for more coin pendants in our store--featuring Silver and bronze Roman Imperial coins...I have some beauties on their way to me! I can't wait! We have a gem show this weekend too! I hope we find some good stuff!! I love finding new toys to wrap and play with!

Face Bead Pairs For Earrings!!!!! Hooray!

I finally had a chance to design small bead pairs to match our goddess focal beads!! Many have asked & here they are!!

These are SO cute & they work out perfectly for earrings--just add jump-rings and ear hooks and Voila, earrings!! Hence, I will be listing these in pairs! I'm including a photo of a pair next to one of our focal beads to give you size perspective. Each one measures 3/4 by 9/16 of an inch. They are beautifully detailed for small earring size beads. I have drilled these at the top and they should easily fit up to 20 gauge wire. I think I'm going to sit down & make ME some earrings out of these cuties!

We Made it!

One of our designs made it into Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry Magazine! One of our Wire Wrapped Goddess Pendants will be featured in the WireWorks Gallery of designs in the Summer Preview 2007 issue!! I'm so excited! I don't believe this issue has hit the shelves yet, but when it does check page 43! :) :) :)

Hooray- and thank you to Denise Peck the editor for including us in this issue! I hope to submit a project to share with everyone in the near future!

I'll be posting some of these goddess pendants in our store this week...I've listed a few and they flew! These are all handcrafted by me...each on is one-of-a-kind...no jig is used. They take several hours to create as each turn of the wire is done by hand...literally sewing with wire! They don't look like much until I am finished and everything just seems to come together!

If you have a request for specific stones or colors let me know I will be happy to consider creating a piece that can be your own personal goddess...i love working in birthstones & stones that have special significance to the wearer.

Flyers & Romance Cards!

I've been working hard on updating my romance cards, business cards, & flyers. Been putting it off...then my computer died...and now I am completely out of my literature! I can't believe i went through a thousand of them last year! I think fairies come along in the night and steal them!

I hate printing them off of my computer so a big part of the weekend was getting everything together & tomorrow is off to the printer! Hopefully they can print them real fast!

I'll be featuring new goddess and chakra pendants this week! I didn't realized how low we were on these pieces in the store...I made a few last week & they sold as fast as we listed them!

From the bench of a Wire Wrapper!

Getting Back in the groove! We finally had some sunshine today & the snow is gone (for now) & I am craving Color! I pulled out a bunch of colorful stones & crystals and went to work! Today was an aqua aura quartz, citirine, peridot, lithium quartz, rutile quartz, and plume agate kind of day. VIBRANT STONES!

I am perhaps the messiest wire jewelry artist out there! I love to go through my stock trays & pull out a bunch of stones that catch my eye & start working on them. I have a collection of stones already on the bench I want to take on or am contemplating a design for....every few days I am forced to clear off my bench so I have room to work. I love surrounding myself with stones and just going to town.

I wish the hands could move as fast the brain though! The wire wrapped rings I wrote about in my previous blog entry really beat my hands up! They are TOUGH! I am a seasoned wire wrapper that can give any man a run for his money when it comes to hand strength and those rings really killed me. I couldn't imagine trying them if you have weak or small hands! Whew!

New Wire Wrapped Crystal Rings!

Hello! I've been working on a new line of rings! I love creating rings. When I design these pieces I like to work with stones and crystals you normally can't find in rings. I remember many years ago longing for a quartz crystal ring and being unable to find one...I didn't want one of those machine cut quartz crystals...I wanted the real thing made by mother nature. To have one custom made was far beyond my budget...and now, here I am, 13 years later finally fulfilling my quest of long ago!

If you had asked me back then if I would be able to create something this intricate and unique I would have thought you were crazy. Now I sit back and think why didn't I start working with wire sooner! I can't imagine not creating jewelry...I will fore go food food for wire and gems!

I've placed these 2 rings and a handful of others in my store this week. Each one is totally unique. Reproducing them is almost impossible as each setting is based around the shape and size of each unique crystal and the nature of each piece of wire. If you need a specific size let me know and let me know your stone/color preferences & I can create one just for you.

Seraphinite

Hello! Hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend! Just taking a moment to post a few pictures of Seraphinite earrings & a pendant, by request! A perfect stone for cold spring weather! Seraphinite is often refered to as Angel Stone ... it is a blend of deep greens and chatoyant silver feathery patterns,
referred to as angel wings. The patterns on a quality piece of seraphinite shift in the light and appear to have a 3 dimensional quality, though the surface of the stone is flat and smooth! Pretty! With green grass, frost, & snow...this stone is perfect for the weather this week in UPSTATE NY!

A customized Goddess Pendant!!

This has been a busy couple of weeks! Spring is here & my brain is exploding with new ideas for my jewelry & my clay creations! My hands can't keep up with my brain! How frustrating! I need more hands... or less brain.

This is a new line of pendants I will be releasing over the next few weeks. I call them "My Goddess"...each one is unique and a mix of gemstones & crystals. They have fast become one of my favorites! I was working on an art doll and wanted to bring this idea to my jewelry. I love creating goddesses...i love the idea of 'I am woman, hear me roar'... thanks to Mom!

These pieces are all solid sterling silver that I have hand sewn and woven around various beads & crystals. The neat thing is each one of these is a one-of-a-kind and can be customized with birthstones, metaphysical stones/crystals, or any stones that are special to you! Perfect for Mother's day..... hhmmmmmmmm! If you have an idea to help me make these even more interesting let me know! The goddess pictured on black is my personal "My Goddess" She has green kyanite, amber, vesuvianite, and carnelian....nice energetic stones!

Spring has Sprung!

Finally! Spring has sprung! We found our first 'wooly bear' caterpiller ... looks like we're going to have a nice summer and a short winter this year... according to him! I hope he's right seeing the groundhog didn't know anything this year!

Sallie found this little guy while walking down the road...so we brought him home & gave him a safer abode in our yard. Then I chased him around on my hands and knees for 20 minutes trying to take a photo before the sun set. I saw the neighbors looking...they already think I'm nuts... seeing me crawl around on the ground talking to a caterpillar will add a little fuel to the fire! :)

Happy St. Patty's Day to all...and to all a Good Night!

If you've been wondering where I've been...this picture sums it all up! Somehow I got a nasty cold that has been kicking my butt this week! I think I might finally be winning the battle. No green beer or corned beef this St. Patty's Day...it was more like Green NyQuil, Chicken Soup, & Lots of Sleep and Tissues (oh & some vitamin Chocolate :)! I should be back up and listing again in a couple of days! Of to bed early...everyone be sure to take your vitamins and drink some OJ!

Why in the World am I Called Sculpted Windows Jewelry?

I wrapped a piece of abalone shell the other day & couldn't take my eyes off of it....the colors are just breathtaking! This is natural abalone...no dye, no epoxy coating, just what Mother Nature made cut and shaped into a heart! Every time I see abalone I think of dichroic glass...made by nature! I'm trying to stock our store with warm weather & refreshing colors for the spring summer & I think this pendant epitomizes warm weather and fresh spring breezes! Enjoy ythe view!

Speaking of enjoying the view...I've had many people ask "why did you name your jewelry company Sculpted Windows Jewelry"... well here's the answer to that question!

Every time I pick a stone or focal piece to wrap I think it is like looking through a window... some stones or focals have 'scenes' that look like landscapes...some have 'scenes' that look like visions of a fantasy world...some may not appear to have scenery & yet when you see them they capture your attention and you can't help but looking at them and admiring them. Countless times I have gone to a gem show and found myself repeatedly going back to a particular stone & I am compelled to buy it...they just captivate me. They draw me in and capture a piece of me.

Perhaps some stones bring back a memory, convey a bit tranquility, passion, energy or whatever my spirit needs at the time. What I see or feel may be different than what you see, that's the beauty of it. It is amazing to think a tiny piece of the earth we stand on and take for granted every day can speak to us when someone takes the time to clean it, polish it, and frame it. The colors, patterns, and scenes within many natural stones can rival the artwork of a master artisan, painter, or photographer.

So, why am I Sculpted Windows Jewelry....I have a passion for wire sculpting and creating a framework to hold the 'view' Mother Nature (and talented stone cutters) has created and preserved in stone for us to enjoy & treasure forever. And to those that ask if I make window jewelry or people jewelry...I think if you want one the prettiest windows in town...hang a piece in your window! :) If you want to capture the attention of those around you & have something to smile at every time you see it, wear a piece that captured your attention when you saw it.

Escape to a Magical Land of Fantasy Beads!

Whew...where has the week gone??? I'm still working on my year end taxes---I was bad at the end of the year & now I am paying for it!!! For those who would like custom work done please give me a week to complete my paperwork--- before they come & take me away!! It is so hard to create when your buried in paperwork! I took some time the other night to escape from the stress & I created some magical focal beads! They are little faces surrounded by flowers, butterflies, stars, moons & more...I think I created them with an image of where I wanted to be! It is 3 degrees below zero here tonight & I have tons of paperwork to finish---it was a nice escape for a few hours to create these little faces! They came out beautiful!

One of my favorite pictures!

Taking a quick minute to share one of my favorite pictures with you. It was taken by me. Can you guess what it is of?

This is a picture I took at Arches National Park in Moab Utah. We climbed up to one of the huge arches and laid down on a big rock under the arch...yes we're out of shape & it was a HOT day...when we looked up this was the view! The arch was covering up the sun & the sky was SO BLUE! It looks like an optical illusion of a landscape. Whenever I'm going through my computer & listing items on ebay I always seem to stumble across this photo & can't help but look at it for a minute. There's something meditative about it, even if you weren't there when it was taken.