Re-Organizing vol.1

Olen pikalt pead murdnud, kuidas saaks kogu oma "pärlimajandusest" paremat ülevaadet. Klaashelmed on kummutis, kus sahtli esipaneel kõrge, küljed madalad (teate ju küll!), kristall-klaasist helmed koos ehtekividega metall-kapis, pool-vääriskividest helmed "tornides", käsitsi tehtud helmed kummutisse enam ei mahu ning klaaspärlitel polegi nagu kohta olnudki... Ahjaa, ja seemne-helmed ka veel. Sama asi ehetega. Ei ole harv juhus see, kui läheb müügiks üks kõrvarõnga paar ning ma ei leia seda lihtsalt üles! Vähemalt mitte enne, kui olen uue paari teinud... 

Ma PIDIN midagi ette võtma. Kinnisideena on mul olnud tahtmine helmed mahutada arhitekti kappi. Selle plussiks on madalad sahtlid ja võimalus paigutada helmed üksteise kõrvale minigrip-kottides nii, et oleks ülevaade. Sain ühe eaka kapi, mis Soomes valmistatud. Kohe näha, et pikalt teeninud - kapi peal rant ülekastetud lillepotist ja mitmel pool kriimud. Kõigepealt sildihoidjad ära ning kapp sai natuke lihvi. Kriimud ära ei kadunud, ent vähemalt ei ajanud sahtliääred enam (palju) pinde. Ja värvisin valgeks.

 Siia panin kõik klaashelmed, imitatsioon pärlid, kristallhelmed (Swarovksi, Preciosa), pool-vääriskividest helmed, vintage helmed, käsitöö-helmed ja seemnehelmed. Ehete koha pealt on idee olemas, osad vajalikud asjad käes, teised teel ning lihvimine-värvimine ootamas...

I've been wondering about how to get a (better) overview of my beading stash. Glass beads are in dresser drawers, where the panel of a drawer is high and sides low (don't you hate that!), crystal glass beads are in metal cabinet along with rhinestones, semi-precious stones are in little "tower" cabinet, handmade beads don't fit anywhere anymore and glass pearls didn't have a place at all... Oh yes, seed beads too. Same thing with jewellery. It's not the rarest case when I sell a pair of earrings and I just can't find it! At least not before I've made another pair... 

I HAD TO do something about it. I always thought that an architect drawers will pull it off. Lots of shallow drawers give opportunity to put beads in mini-grip bags side-by-side and enable me to see easily what's in it. I got one elderly second-hand cabinet made in Finland. Obviously served a long time - there's a mark of a flower pot that's been watered too often. First label holders off and a bit of sanding. And then I painted it white.

This drawer contains all of my glass beads, imitation pearls, semi-precious beads, crystal glass beads (Swarovski, Preciosa), handmade beads, vintage beads and seed-beads. I have an idea of what to do with organizing my jewellery. I already bought some necessary materials, some are on their way and sanding-painting to be done...

Going Classic with Turquoise & Pearl

Ühel päeval ma korrastasin oma ehtekivide sahtleid ning näppu jäid ovaalsed klaaspärli vintage nööbid. Olen neid lahti pakkinud ja jälle kokku pakkinud mitmeid kordi... Isu neist miskit valmistada oli suur ent kahjuks lihtsalt ei näkanud.

Olen märganud, et kõige-kõige rohkem kasutan ma väikeseid kristallivärvi ehtekive. Kuidas ma tean? Vot sellest, et mul on kaks pakendit juba tühjaks saanud. Ühes pakendis peaks olema 1440tk sees, kuna vanemad pakendid pole pitseeritud (ehk kinni kleebitavad), siis päris kindel ma koguses pole kuid millegipärast ei tunne vajadust neid üle lugeda ;)

Kuna kristallivärvi kive kasutan tavaliselt ohtrasti, siis mõtlesin, et seekord väldin neid. Ja võtan sahtlist hoopis türkiisivärvi Swarovski ehtekivid.

Once I rearranged my rhinestone drawers and found myself staring at oval glass vintage buttons. I've been taking them out and putting them back in package numerous times... Really wanted to include them in a piece of jewelry but just didn't come up with anything.

I've noticed that the stones that I most use in my jewelry are crystal colored tiny ones. How do I know? Well, I have emptied two packages. One package should contain 1440pcs, but since older packages are not sealed (can't be closed with sticker ribbon) then I can't be sure if there were 1440pcs when I got the package, and there's no wish to count them either ;)

Since I use a lot of crystal colored rhinestones I thought that this time I'd avoid them. And take turquoise colored Swarovski stones instead.

Ruby Red Triangle for Crystal Glam 2013

Minu panus konkursile Crystal Glam 2013.

This is my entry for Crystal Glam 2013.

Bangle is finished

Konkursi käevõru on valmis. Kogu töö vältel kasutasin ainult Artistic Wire traati kuni peaaegu lõpuni. Traadiga oli mõnus keerutada seemnehelmeid ümber käevõru raami ning lisada plaatidele kivikesi ja pärleid... Aga nagu kartsin, siis ei talunud see traat mitmest plaadi kihist läbimist ja hakkas kooruma ning lõpuks katkes. Eks need augud plaatides on terava servaga ka. Seetõttu kasutasin töö lõpus metallplaatide üksteise külge kinnitamisel messingtraati. Varsti panen käevõrust rohkem pilte.

Bangle for the competition is finished. During the work process I used only Artistic Wire except the very last joining. The wire was smooth and great to use while coiling seed beads around the bangle and attaching the rhinestones and pearls to the stamped filigree plates... But as I feared from the beginning, it didn't take the strong pulling through many layers of metal plates. The holes in stamped filigrees have quite sharp edges that cut off a portion of wire like razors. That's why I used special copper plated brass wire. I'll show you more photos of the bangle soon.

Wire Coiling

Värvitud traate on nii palju erinevaid brände, et esmapilgul võtab silme eest kirjuks. Kõik lubavad, et värvikiht ei kooru ja et on väga-väga vastupidavad. Nagu eelpool olen maininud, siis kasutan muidu ehetes messingtraati, mis kaetud vasega ja millele antud antiikne välimus. Võrreldes värvitud traatidega on see kallis ning tore oleks leida odavam alternatiiv :) Esimene kokkupuude Beadalon'i traadiga Artistic Wire on  positiivne. Kasutasin seda käevõru seemnehelmestega katmisel - traat jooksis hästi ja ei läinud sõlme. Kõige keerulisem osa on aga ees. Kasutades metallist plaate pean tihti kasutama jõudu, mis paneb helmed purunema ning pole haruldane kui tõmban traadi puruks.

There are so many choices when it comes to colored wire - a number of different brands and suppliers. Each and everyone promises that their product is durable and the color doesn't come off. As I've mentioned before I usually use a brass wire that is covered with copper and then made to look antique. It is costly compared to colored wire so it would be nice to find an alternative :) First attempt to use Beadalons Artistic Wire was a positive experience. I used it to cover the bangle with seed beads - it didn't tangle and looked pretty. The most difficult part is yet to come though. I need to put quite a lot of strength into working with stamped filigrees (especially attaching them with each other) and it's not a rare case when I brake the beads or pull the wire apart.