Vote for your favorite bracelet!

 I have a couple of resin bracelet prototypes finished and would like some opinions on what you think! 
Please vote on which one is your favorite.  (Neither bracelet is in "perfect" shape to sell -- so please vote and make comments on the "samples".)  The poll is at the end of this blog post.   

By the way, if you leave a constructive comment on this blog post about what you like, don't like, questions, concerns, etc. by June 30, I will enter you in a drawing for one of my resin bracelets once they're finished.  :)

 This resin bangle bracelet is made with one style of paper.  It completely encircles the inner part of the resin bracelet.

 This bracelet has multiple components, all with complimentary papers.  Several of the links have the striped paper shown in the bangle bracelet.

 It is a stretchy bracelet that can be considered a "one size fits all".

 The bracelet can be made to have all the colors on the backside be the same.











The resin bracelet is a "one size almost fits all".  I'm contemplating having two sizes available.

 The interior in this bracelet is white.  Others will have a different color on the interior.

 On a model!  (yes it's me)

It is a little loose on the wrist (no different from most bracelets.)

Complimentary papers and colors.

 The bangle on a model (yes me again).












It is definitely a little larger fit than the stretchy, but that's kinda what bangles are supposed to do.

The "Father" of my artisan jewelry career

In a Father's Day tribute of sorts, I would like to thank Doug Harling for being the "father" of my jewelry career.  (I have to put that in quotes because he's not really old enough to be my father.)

Full Measure, 2006
by Doug Harling
22k gold, black coral branch,
padparadscha sapphire
3.5" x 2.5" x 2.25"

I met Doug in the summer of 2003 when I took his granulation jewelry making class at the Penland School of Craft.  I was a last minute addition to the class and his was the only one that had openings.  (The other ironic part about this is that Doug was a replacement for the original teacher for the granulation class who had been injured in an accident.)  Doug is a very gifted jeweler and was on staff at the University of North Carolina at the time.

I joked that I was the class misfit.  I was the only one that didn't have or wasn't pursuing a bachelor's or master's in fine art.  I was incredibly touched that Doug didn't treat me any differently.  In fact, the second week of the class, he took every available moment he had to teach me EVERYTHING I wanted to know about jewelry making.  It was such an incredible gift, one that I will always be thankful for.  There is no way I can possibly repay him for all the knowledge I have gained.

Thank you Doug!  I will forever be grateful!

Frequently asked questions about resin jewelry and resin jewelry making

I get a lot of questions about what I do.  I thought I would share some of the most popular questions with their answers, plus a few pictures.

What is resin?

Resin is an organic compound that can be made naturally by plants or synthetically in a controlled setting.  This material starts out as a liquid, but eventually hardens into a soft to very firm finished material.

How does resin work?

The resin I use is a two part system.  There is the resin, to which the catalyst or hardener is added.  You have probably seen some of these products in your favorite home improvement store.  (Resins are great at bonding different kinds of materials.)  The resin has to be carefully and exactly measured before the two are mixed together.  I have to mix them together for 3 to 5 minutes with a toothpick or wooden tongue depressor without "whipping" it so that I don't introduce bubbles.  (Who wants Alka Seltzer looking resin jewelry?)

So how do you use it?

Resin has to be mixed according to its specific directions.  Every resin is different!  Once the resin is mixed, there is a period of time that it is still liquid (pot time).  During this time, I can add colors or additives, pour it and work bubbles out of it.  After that pot time (which varies from minutes to hours), there is a total cure time.  This can also vary from 2 hours to 3 days.

What kind of resin do you use?

I use silicone resins mostly to make molds.  They are very flexible when finished, but too rubbery to make jewelry.  I have worked with polyurethane resin and like the finished jewelry.  (very hard and durable).  The problem is that polyurethane resins hate humidity, so it makes it almost impossible to work with in Florida.  Currently I use epoxy resins and polyester resins. 

How long does it take to make a piece of resin jewelry?

At a minimum, it takes 3 days, assuming that it's only one color or one pour of resin.  I have to wait a minimum of 1 day between pours and sometimes longer.  Once the resin is completely cured (3 days for the polyester resin and epoxy resin I use), it takes another couple hours of sanding and buffing to get the pieces just right.

How durable are resins?

Resin jewelry is pretty strong.  It will eventually show slight scratches with wear (much like metal jewelry), but can easily be polished up with a good museum quality wax.

Perfect chocolate cake to take to a picnic

This is my favorite chocolate cake recipe.  I love that it's meant to go in a 9 x 13 pan, which makes it ideal to go to picnics and cookouts.  I was getting my thoughts together about what to take to an upcoming 4th of July picnic and remembered this recipe!

Texas Sour Cream Cake

Cake portion ingredients:
1 cup of butter
1/4 cup dry cocoa
1 cup water
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream (I always use the full fat version)
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease and flour a 9 x 13 metal cake pan.

In a large saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa and water.  Bring to a boil and remove from heat.  Sift the flour, sugar and salt together.  Add this to the hot mixture.  Mix well.  Beat together the eggs, sour cream and baking soda.  Gradually add this to the chocolate mixture.  (A note from me, I use a handheld electric mixer versus a stationary one to be able to mix in the saucepan.)

Pour into the cake pan and bake for 30 minutes.  Test for doneness with a toothpick or broom straw.  Allow to cool 5 minutes out of the oven.  Pour on the icing.

Icing ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter
1/4 cup dry cocoa
1/3 cup milk or half and half
1 pound of confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Melt the butter, cocoa and milk or half and half.  Bring to a boil.  Beat in the confectioner's sugar and vanilla.  Pour the icing across the cake.  It will be runny!  (Don't worry as it will firm up as the cake cools.)

Making new resin jewelry -- the next step

A couple of weeks back, I showed the first part of the new resin bracelets I am designing.  I've got some pictures showing adding the layer of colored resin to the back of the links. 

These resin bracelet jewelry links are using the papers I have sealed.  (Notice there's no watermarks this time.)  I put them in the mold first with a layer of clear resin to make the "top" part of the bracelet link.  It takes three days in between pours to allow the resin plenty of time to cure.

You can see how different the papers look with a different color resin poured on the back of the bracelet link.  I think it gives some "character" to the paper design.

The links are about 1/2 inch total in height.  I haven't decided yet whether or not I want to mix the colors or keepthem all the same.









I try to keep the top layer of clear resin with the paper as thin as possible to allow me to get a thicker layer of color on the back.  (Just a note here, it wasn't the best lighting.  The pieces in the front are actually a deep red, not the bright orange red that they look like here.)

The next step will be to sand off any rough edges and string them onto a bracelet.  Stay tuned.

Decorating on a budget

With the spring cleaning does the urge to redecorate enter your mind? I know it does for me.  In addition to purchasing new art for a space, there are some low cost ways, budget friendly ways to freshen up a room. I like to watch the HGTV shows to get ideas for color schemes and the like, which I have found comes in handy when planning resin jewelry colors.  I always like seeing someone else's experimentation with colors and textures and find that it spills over into my home decorating habits. 

I wanted to share the article "Low Budget Decorating, High Style Looks" by Kahi Lee of the Home and Garden Television show, Design on a Dime. She details a few simple tricks "do-it-yourself-ers" can do to give any room in your home a fresh, new look.  She definitely shows that redecorating doesn't have to be expensive.

The business of making art

In my ideal world, selling my acrylic and resin jewelry would be like the Field of Dreams movie.  "Build it and they will come."  Alas if it were only that easy!  Having a successful artisan jewelry business requires active participation on my part.  I just can't simply make handcrafted jewelry and expect people to magically know to find me.  There presents the quandry.

Balancing the business of making contemporary jewelry and marketing contemporary jewelry is not easy.  I tend to get stuck on one or the other at some point.  Over the past week, I have been on a creative tear and find that I have to beat myself to follow up on emails and phone calls.  Perhaps it's because artists go through mental blocks too (at least this one does), so when I'm on a good creative track, I hate to give it up.

I write this blog post as motivation to help me find the right balance, which some days, is easier than others!  Okay, back to the studio.....

A fun day with my peeps

For anyone in the Gainesville or Alachua County Florida area needing something fun to do with their kids, I have a suggestion.  I took my kids the other day to the water/spray park in Alachua, Florida.  It's a part of their park complex just a couple of blocks from downtown.  My kids had a great time!  (All of mine are under age five.)  That's two of them in the picture here.  You can see there are fountains, sprinklers, and overhead water buckets that will dump on you.  (Pretty entertaining for little kids.)

As a mom, there was a few things I really liked.  It's completely fenced in with the entry gate something that only adults can reach to open and close.  It was very clean and the water was definitely chlorinated.  A park employee was there maintaining a few things (notice the barricades) and he was also quite nice.  There are some picnic benches close by so the adults can sit under trees and supervise.  It was during the week, so it wasn't crowded, but I hear it can get a bit busy on the weekends.  We will be going back!

Any wine drinkers out there?

So I consider myself a wine enthusiast.  I like to try new wines and pair them with food.  It's my way of being "artsy" in the kitchen.  I opened two bottles of Malbec (from Argentina) this past weekend and was QUITE disappointed.  Is anyone else having this experience?  They were both 2009 vintages.  Perhaps I just need to let them mature a little longer and try again?  Wine drinkers, please comment!

Find my resin jewelry in New Hampshire!

I am pleased to announce that I can now be found at Tulips, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  The store is owned by a mother/daughter team.  They have been in business for 29 years and recently moved into a new location at 62 Market Street.  While I was getting their order ready to ship out UPS this morning, I thought it would be fun to show everyone what I do to get resin jewelry ready to ship to customers and boutiques.

I've got my items laid out on my kitchen table.  I store the resin pieces individually in plastic ziploc bags and identify them with an inventory number on the outside of the bag.  I try to be environmentally friendly and reuse bags whenever possible.  I go over every piece one more time before sending and give another light coat of wax before it goes on its way.







The orange and yellow resin pendant on the right is in its storage bag.  Before I ship, I wrap the resin jewelry with tissue paper and repackage back into bags.









I include artist information cards to go with each purchase.  It gives customers a chance to get to me and my resin jewelry a little better.  I also include resin and sterling silver jewelry care instructions.









I also include a general "fact sheet" about KMS Designs and my resin and silver jewelry.  It gives the businesses more in depth information about me, my resin jewelry making processes, and resin jewelry care.  I also include information about how I make jewelry with sustainable jewelry making production methods.  I also recycle boxes in good condition.  The box at the right has been saved from a previous shipment of jewelry goods and materials.

Finally, I add some extra packing materials (recycled styrofoam peanuts) and send the package on its way.  I generally send items via postal mail, but this box is going UPS ground.  I can also do FedEx as well.  I have email notifications set up to let the customer know when the package ships.  Plus, there is a tracking number so anyone can find out where the package is at any moment.

New resin bracelets

I have found some great papers and vintage postcards and stationery that I'm working on getting into resin bracelets.  I am still in the prototype stage, but you can look at the samples and get an idea what I'm thinking.

Part of using these papers in resin bracelets is that they need to be covered with a sealant first.  On this batch, you can see the two closest to the front didn't get sealed very well.  (Although I thought I did.)  The dark purple "watermarks" in the papers are because the resin actually got the papers wet.  I've also had problems with some of the other vintage papers creating a look of Alka Seltzer in the resin if I don't get them sealed completely as well.

I'm excited these will be soo cute when I get them done.  Stay tuned while I work out the kinks.

A few crafty ideas

So as I realize that my kids will be home a lot more often here starting next week, I have to make sure to keep them occupied!  (Otherwise they will find something to do and not necessarily in a good way.)  I was searching the web for children's craft projects and found the All Free Crafts website. The site has a huge range of projects from seasonal items, to homemade gifts, to projects for different age groups. Many of them can be done with simple household materials. I will have to report back to the group on what my kids like best.

My little indulgence

Everyone has something they like to indulge themselves on from time to time.  For me, it's wine.  I love the artistry of flavors and textures of the wine.  My love of wine also pairs up with my interest in food and cooking quite nicely.  (Yes, I know it's supposed to work that way.)

I didn't start drinking wine "seriously" until about 10 years ago.  Since then, my tastes have changed, but overall, I enjoy a large majority of the wines out there.

While enjoying the season finale of LOST Sunday night, I opened a bottle of pinot noir from Cottonwood winery in Oregon.  For those of you who aren't wine drinkers, I wouldn't suggest starting with a pinot noir.  It's an acquired taste as they tend to be quite dry.  This one was a good one.  It started out light on my tongue, but as I was thinking to myself that it was lacking in body, it had a nice strong finish.  The more it breathed (open to the air), the more I liked it.  (Tasting notes for you wine enthusiasts:  moderately peppery, slight hint of jam and berry.  I would expect this wine to get better with age.)  Looking forward to enjoying another class tonight.

My tribute to Law & Order

I can't believe the television show Law and Order is over!  I have always felt like it was the perfect show on television.  It didn't matter if you had never seen an episode before, you could sit down and watch it and be perfectly entertained; no backstories to worry about understanding or characters to know about.  You can watch episodes from the 90's and still find them interesting.  It was simply an hour of entertaining television.  Now it's gone!

For those of you who see me at shows, you may also remember seeing my friend Maggie helping me with sales and customers.  She too is a Law and Order fan.  We watched it many times in hotel rooms while doing art shows on the weekends.  When I was expecting my twins, I joked that they will know the "bloop-bloop" as soon as they're born.

Oh well, let's hope the Law and Order: Los Angeles is a good replacement.

The cost of being unorganized

I have been working for some time now to get my studio cleaned up so that I can get pictures and a video for everyone to have a "virtual tour."  While it may not be as bad as the picture shown here, that's what it has felt like some days!  I have learned in the process that my lack of organization skills have not only cost me the time of looking for stuff (aargh!), but I have also spent more on supplies than I should have (bigger aargh!)

Here's what I have learned:

• I have ruined some equipment and/or materials because I didn't put them away properly.  Files have rusted, flux got spilled, materials dried out.
• I have bought more of something because I couldn't find it.  Mainly I was finding out that I bought multiples of mostly metal findings because when I couldn't find them, I assumed I needed more.  Not so.  I had just put them in a place that I didn't think to look in when I needed more.
• I have cost myself a small fortune in returning things!  When I ordered something, it went to the studio.  When I ended up returning items, I didn't get them all returned.  Either I ended up paying return shipping charges twice or I ended up not returning them at all since they were out of date.

So, I post all of this in my blog so that I can share with you my new "Studio Resolutions".

1. I will start to clean up and put away materials 30 minutes before my intended quit time.  (Before, I would work until the absolute last minute of when I needed to quit.)
2. When in doubt, find it a new home!  I'm finding all sorts of fun rocks, findings, silver, and other neat things that I have made the decision that either I will never use or don't need anymore.  I won't list them here, but if someone reading this has a specific request for something, email me. 
3. I will remind myself to "put it away" or find it a logical home.  I've really been concentrating the last few weeks on getting things organized in a logical fashion (e.g. all the metal findings in one place, tools in another, etc.).  This also includes labeling the outside of containers or using clear containers so that I can more easily find jewelry supplies and tools.

I will let everyone know how this goes.  Maybe I will inspire the rest of my family to keep the house cleaned up just as well.  (laughing hysterically here.....)

How can I become a jewelry artist?

I get asked this question a lot from students and other people I meet that buy my jewelry. Making the cross over from a jewelry enthusiast or part time crafter is a big step. There are certainly a few things to keep in mind:

1. Business versus hobby is a big difference, especially to the IRS. Are you committed to keeping accounts and records separate for business and personal expenses and receipts?

2. Are you ready to invest time into marketing your jewelry? It's one thing to have a few family members and co-workers buy your jewelry, but selling to the general public is a whole new challenge.

3. Do you have the resources to invest in producing a lot of inventory? Potential customers need to have more than just a few pieces to buy from.

4. Are you ready to pay other associated business expenses? Government licenses, business bank account fees, invoice pads, accounting software, associated presentation items, boxes, (and the list goes on).

5. Are you ready to be "on call" for your business? There will be no more, "yeah, I'll get back to you." You'll have to be ready to serve the customer!

6. Outside marketing is a must! Websites, business cards, making contacts with galleries.

7. Are you thinking about doing the art show scene? Plan on spending $1500 to get you booth ready. That doesn't even include jury and entry fees.

8.  Have you considered your costs in producing your work?  It's one thing to not be concerned about making a profit on a piece, but once you're in business, you need to be able to pay for your materials and overhead and (at least a little bit ) to yourself.

Phew! It's a big list, but certainly something everyone needs to consider. If you're not ready to make the full plunge yet, sites like Etsy or Ebay may be a better choice to "get your feet wet."

New resin jewelry making tool

I've been playing around with resin jewelry for a while now. I've had a lot of fun and enjoy reading about other jewelry artists and their adventures in resin jewelry making.

I've been reading about how different jewelers remove bubbles from their resin.  Some use toothpicks, others blow on the resin, but I had read about a few using a heat gun to get the bubbles to rise to the top.  I ended up buying this heat gun from my local Michael's craft store.  Ironically enough, I purchased it to make the class project for another jewelry making class at Gifts of Avalon I hope to teach over the summer.  While I was pouring resin a couple of days ago, I decided to give it a try to see what it could do for bubbles in resin.


I have to say I was thrilled with the results.  It almost works like a hair dryer, with a couple of differences.  There is only one temperature (fairly hot) and the end of the heat gun is smaller than a hair dryer.  You don't need to apply it for very long to see the bubbles rise up out of the resin.  (I stayed back about 10 to 12 inches or so.)  You also have to move quickly because there is a fair bit of velocity behind the air.  Wow!  It's one of those things I wish I had tried sooner.

My little garden is growing!

Remember my plants I put in pots in my patio?  Well they are growing and thriving!  (much to my surprise).  I'm not a green thumb at all, so I'm quite excited to see them doing well.

This is my cherry tomato plant.  He is growing pretty good.  (He looks a little droopy, but I gave him some water right after I took this picture.)












Little green tomatoes!

My pepper plant with some baby peppers on it (bottom center).  There is another one hidden under a leaf.  I don't remember exactly which kind this is, but I remember it was "medium" heat.  I thought it would be something good for fresh salsa.

And the basil is thriving!  I've heard they love it hot and humid (perfect Florida day for them I suppose).  Can't wait to have enough to make some fresh pesto.

Jewelry making class pictures

Last night, I taught my forged metal bracelet class for the first time at Gifts of Avalon.  This was a brand new class, which is tough for me sometimes because I never know if people are going to want to come and learn a new technique or not.  (The woman at the far left in this picture, Claudia is actually responsible for pushing me to come up with new classes!  Her partner in crime, Judy, couldn't make last night's class).

This was a large class of seven students.  Sometimes they can get a little crazy for me as I try to make sure everyone is being tended to, but this class had some great chemistry and they were really focused!  I wish I could play a sound track for this class.  They all had to hammer bracelets and it sounded just like what I'm guessing it does in Santa's workshop during the month of December.  Lots of dinging and hammering!

I wanted to share the finished projects everyone got done.  Most of the class had no metalsmithing or jewelry making experience, but everyone had a new bracelet in under three hours (some even a little faster)!  This bracelet is made from sterling silver.  Chris, one of my class regulars, gave a shiny, mirror, polish.

These bracelets were done by Rebeccah (below) and Christine (right).  They made both of their bracelets from copper.  I showed them how to finish their bracelets by applying heat with a torch.  They got some beautiful pinks, blues, and touch of gold color on their bracelets.

Chuck was my only guy in the class.  He was kind enough to come and make his wife a bracelet.  (Is that dreamy or what??).  Chuck finished his bracelet with a matte finish using steel wool and liver of sulfur to highlight the details.

Remember Claudia from earlier in the post?  This is her bracelet.  She said was HOOKED on making these and wanted to make one for her daughter.  We also talked about what she wants to me to teach next.  *wink*

JoAnn also took the class but managed to sneak away before I could get her bracelet photographed.  (Probably was so good she didn't want to put me to shame.)

 The last two bracelets are from Trude  (copper one on the left) and Susan (sterling silver one on the right).  Both turned out great and Trude completely amazed me by putting her own flair to her bracelet.  (By the way, Trude is one of the shop owners and is always happy to help customers.)

Wow!  It was a great night!!  There were several people on the waiting list for this class, so I will be running it again in early July.  You can contact Gifts of Avalon now to get on the waiting list.

My mother's day tribute

Mother's Day is the only "official" day to thank all the mother's in our lives for everything they do. On this day, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Susan Chastain, for being the "mother" of my jewelry career. I met Susan in the summer of 2001 at a mutual friend's barbecue. We instantly hit off (we both love animals) and I was completely enthralled with the fact that she was a jewelry artist. As luck would have it, she was teaching a class in Gainesville in a couple of weeks and still had some openings. I took the class and was immediately hooked!

The relationship could have stopped there, but instead Susan took me under wing and made me her apprentice. She taught me everything she knew about jewelry, lapidary work and metalsmithing. Her unselfish sharing of knowledge is something I truly treasure. Outside the first class I took from her, she never asked for a dime for all the other lessons she gave me. She has grown to be a dear friend who continues to encourage me about all my jewelry making. I can't ever possibly thank her enough for all she has done for me. Happy Mother's Day to you Susan!