Recycling gift cards into jewelry

If you've been following me for a bit, you know earlier this year I asked you to save me your used up gift cards.


I finally had the opportunity to get the collection of gift cards out and being making them into jewelry.  I've been saving every and all plastic gift cards that I can find.

My hydraulic press will come in handy for me to make these.

















I'm using my disc cutter to get perfect circles out of the cards.

Some cards are better than others when it comes to patterns.  The sets will never be "matchy-matchy" (in case you're looking for an exactly perfect match), but they will be complimentary.






This is one of the sets I got from a card.  (Ear wires and pendant jump ring have yet to be added.)

Another set, but this one is a bit more colorful.  I try not to include anything that identifies the company as to try to avoid copyright and trademark issues.

These will be available for purchase at the Downtown Festival and Art show, November 12 and 13!  If you would like a reminder about the show, be sure to sign up for my email list (sign up box on the right side of this page).

Resin jewelry pendant pictures

I haven't been making new pendants so much this week as I have been attaching the silver bails to the pendants I have made.  Here's the assortment that will be at the Thornebrook Art Festival next week.

Birds.  Pretty fall colors.  My kids love birds.  But I don't have cardinal pendants...yet anyway.  Those are their favorites (mine too).

Geometric pendants.  A neat little way to be funky without people thinking you've lost it.

Wow, almost looks like a tray of cookies.  With sprinkles.

Still thinking cookies.  Must focus on jewelry.  No cookies until September 26.


There were three more batches of these.  I hope I will be covered.  I never know these things.  All I know is that I will run out of one or two patterns and those won't be the same one or two patterns at the next show.  (Note to self -- invest in a good crystal ball). 

See you next weekend!

MORE weird adventures in resin jewelry making

I wrote a post at the beginning of the month how I had this weird resin curing event happen.  The resin "cured" on top, but slid off the pendant and oozed goo from the sides.  At the time, I thought it was a one time event, so I didn't get to worried about it.

Apparently, I was mistaken.

When it happened a second time (only to one pendant), I thought maybe it was because I was at the end of the bottles of resin and hardener.  Resin HATES water, so I thought maybe some condensation had gotten in and messed with something.  I started new bottles for the next pour.

It happened again.

The entirely bizarre thing is that it's only happening to one (or this time two) pendants.  I do remember that one of the pendants this happened to was one of the last ones to get poured and had more bubbles than the others.  As a result, I had to spend a bit more time using the "straw method" to get out the bubbles.  (Sorry, won't explain that method as I don't want to be responsible for someone hurting themselves.  It can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.)  I'm still thinking it could be excess moisture.

Arrgh.  I obviously need to show some love to resin gods here soon.

How To Make Bottle Cap Jewelry Using Resin

I know I have a lot of resin jewelry making enthusiasts who follow my blog, so I'm always on the look out for useful jewelry making articles and videos to share. My google alerts let me know this video got added a couple of days ago and looked like a neat thing to share with blog readers.  (Video is below.)

As I started watching it though, I found this video showed some techniques that, in my experience, may not result in success. So if you're going to watch, here are my comments, precautions and recommendations before you get started:

1. I have not personally used ICE resin (as the video shows), but I have heard mixed reviews about it. Research before you try it.

2. Use separate mixing cups when measuring the resin and hardener. That way if you overpour one of the components, you won't have to waste any.  Pouring both into the same cup and not being exact means your resin won't harden correctly and you will be left with a gooey mess.

3. I like to pour the hardener (from its own cup) into the resin (in its own cup) in a slow stream while I'm mixing. I think you get a better mix and fewer bubbles that way.

4. I like to use my resin right away, even if there are bubbles. There is only a limited time you can use the resin before it hardens. I can always go back and get bubbles out.

5. I think there are safer ways of getting bubbles out of resin than using a torch. One of my methods involves using a hot air gun.

6. I would caution against drilling holes for findings BEFORE placing the resin the bottle cap. What happens if you change your mind and decide you want it to be a magnet? What happens if you place your art in there wrong and realize later that the hole isn't in the right place?

7. If I did decide to place a hole, I certainly wouldn't put the ring in the hole until after the resin has cured. If you spill some resin on your ring and you don't know it, your resin will cure and your ring may be in an unusable position. At least if you spill resin onto the hole, you can go back and drill it out later.

8.  Use extreme care when pouring the resin directly from the cup onto your project.  It tends to come out in big globs and will overfill quickly.  (at least that's what happens to me)

All this being said, I think this video is a great inspiration for a future project!

Resin jewelry I'm working on now

Maybe you'll believe me. Maybe you won't, but I'm already working on Halloween jewelry.
 
Seriously lady? Like the kids haven't even gone back to school yet??

It's all about wholesale and being ready for the Thornebrook Art Festival next month.  I like being prepared rather than running around like the proverbial headless chicken (like I used to).

Here's what you'll see next month.  They're not available for purchase yet, but email me a request if you see something you like.  Enjoy!

New resin jewelry shopping cart

I'm think I'm behind a blog post or two, but here's my excuse:  I'm working on that new shopping cart I've been talking about for months now.  I only have a trial use period of the software, so if I have computer time (which doesn't happen much), I have been working on the cart.

Drumroll please...........

It's ready for its 'soft' launch.  Here it is:  http://www.kmsdesignsonline.com/shop. 

This is YOUR invitation to go over, view, and make comments here on my blog.  Any and all thoughtful insights are appreciated.  It is a functional shopping cart by the way, so that means if you want to buy something.....you can.  AND, if you buy something AND you're in the USA AND you want free shipping, select that as your shipping option at checkout.

I will be adding new resin jewelry pieces throughout the month, but will be making the official announcement on September 1.  (Free shipping on all orders going to the USA ends at that time too.)

I'll have pictures up from last weekend's Hen Party at Linda Blondheim's studio later in the week.

Resin jewelry by Katherine Swift - new locations

Excited to share these new retail locations for my resin jewelry:

• Serenity Bookstore, West Palm Beach, Florida
• Coastal FX, Stone Harbor, New Jersey
• Virginia Handcrafts, Forest, Virginia
• Simply Elan, Versailles, Kentucky
• Akron Art Museum, Akron, Ohio

Any by the way, if you're in and around Gainesville tomorrow, stop by the Hen party at the art studio of Linda Blondheim.  It promises to be a good time!

The weird adventures of resin jewelry making

Resin can be a fussy beast. I thought I had experienced every weird thing that could happen with resin, until I saw this.

I poured a batch of resin, which covers about 30 or so pendants.  After the 3 days curing time, I went to take them off the curing tray and noticed this one looked "sticky" around the edges.  I touched the top, and it slid off the tile.









The resin had "cured", but didn't stick to the image on the scrabble tile.  Don't ask me why; this was the only one that did it.  Lump that one into the bizarre adventures in resin jewelry making.

New resin jewelry pictures

I'm changing things up a bit.  While my new website is under construction (don't worry -- same look, but a better shopping cart), I'm playing around with some new pictures of the scrabble tile jewelry.

What do you think?

Sunburst pattern resin jewelry

I am happy to announce that my scrabble tile resin jewelry will be available at the Akron Art Museum starting next week. As I was pulling their order, I was impressed with the selections the museum made. Most of my wholesale clients get an assortment of several different themes. They just ordered from the one theme: the sunburst pattern. They all looked so good together! I had to take a few pictures to share.

Resin jewelry - what's popular this week

I learned two things several years ago when I started doing street festivals.

I can never predict what jewelry is going to be popular.
The same jewelry may not be popular for the next art show.

Apparently the wholesale art market isn't any different.

One of my best selling patterns last week was my resin cowgirl jewelry.  I don't sell this jewelry on my KMS Designs jewelry website, but on my other endeavor, Cow Art and More.  I was replenishing my inventory yesterday and I had hubby grab a few random picture of the pouring process.

Horseshoes and longhorns are in this batch.












There's also a few of the geometric and dottie patterns.  These will be ready to ship late Friday afternoon.

Resin jewelry making studio - what's next?

So now that Las Vegas is done, you might be wondering what I'm doing next?  (yeah, me too)

• Filling Las Vegas orders!
• Working on my new website.  It won't look a whole lot different from the one I have now, but there will be a better shopping cart system.
• Building up inventory of my new resin and pewter jewelry.
• Starting to plan for Christmas orders.  Yes, I know it's June and it's super freakin' hot outside, but stores will start their orders for the Christmas season in July.
• Finishing up a couple of art show applications.

What's on your agenda this summer?

Las Vegas show wrap up

The show is almost over, but I wanted to share with everyone that you will now be able to find more of my resin jewelry west of the Mississippi!  KMS Designs jewelry will now be in stores in Texas, California, Nevada and Utah just to name a few.  I am anxious to share the new locations with you and will do so when I'm back in the studio later this week!!

New resin jewelry in pewter

I want to share a preview of my new resin earrings and pendants with blog readers.  WOO HOO!  They will be listed for sale on my "new and improved" website coming soon!

Brief description:  earrings are 1/2 inch round or square and hang on sterling silver filled ear wires, earring "doubles" are 1/2 inch wide by 1 inch long and hang on sterling silver filled ear wires, pendants are 7/8 inches round/square and hang on a sterling silver plated snake chain.

Mixing the perfect resin color

Now that I'm in overdrive getting resin and pewter jewelry pieces finished to take to the ACRE Las Vegas show this week (yes, this week!), I experimented a little with getting some unique colors.  I broke out my handy, dandy color wheel and started mixing.  Here's what I got:

I got a "baby blue" (far left), lavender (middle left), and "mud" (left).  I was trying to get a warm, red undertone, fuschia.

The baby blue isn't bad.  I'm not a pastel person, but I think if you're are, you will like the color.

I liked the lavender color.  It wasn't next on my list to create, but I went ahead and used it anyway.

This is actually what happened first.  MUD.  Ugly, mud.  I poured it in a couple of pieces before I decided I absolutely hated it.

For some strange reason, I couldn't bear to pour it in the garbage, so I put it in one of my silicone resin molds.  Still hate it.









So after three tries of getting the fuschia I wanted, I decided to hit the internet to find something that would help me get the color I wanted. 

I love wikipedia.

I found an article on Wiki How on How to Mix Colors.  I was skeptical, but decided I couldn't do any worse than I already had done.

Eureka!  I have my fuschia!  (and while I was on a roll, I went for a nice teal too.)

This is exactly the color I wanted.  I was mixing purple, blue and red, when in reality, I had to mix a bright pink with turquoise.  Go figure.

The teal came from mixing the turquoise with just an eensy, teensy bit of yellow.  Love how this one turned out too.


These colors will be ready to sand tomorrow night and will be heading out West with me!

New resin jewelry

Exciting news!

I have a new line of silver tone resin jewelry!  This has been in the making since January (with a couple of hiccups along the way), but they are looking sooooooooooo good!  So here are the details:

These pieces are like what I've been making, with a few exceptions:

• They are made of pewter
• No open backs
• Sterling silver filled ear wires (Read about sterling silver filled wire)

They still have yummy colors and a soft, satin finish.

Here's a few random pictures:

These are a tray of mostly earrings.  There are earring singles (round or square) or earrings doubles (double circles or square/circle).











A closeup of a couple of the pewter pendants before they are filled with colored resin.

Why make resin jewelry out of pewter?  There are actually a few reasons for this:

Sterling silver prices are obnoxious.  (Get precious metals quotes at kitco.com.)  I have created these new resin jewelry pendants and earrings to have the same artistic look as my sterling silver resin jewelry, but I can do it for about a third of the price.  The other neat thing about pewter is that it is an alloy of tin and copper.  (Sometimes it includes lead, but my jewelry does not.)  It's not going to tarnish like sterling silver does.  I love the silver pieces but with the price of silver now and the economy still on uncertain ground, my retail and wholesale customers have been asking about alternatives.  I still have some sterling silver and resin jewelry pieces and will be happy to do the new designs in sterling silver by special order.



 
A group of the new pewter pieces lined up and ready.













Normally, I only do one color pour a day, but since I need to get samples ready to go to ACRE Las Vegas next week, I've been doing two pours a day:  one in the morning and one in the evening.  Here, I've done an orange and a purple color pour.










These are the same orange and purple colors in earrings.











After I get done pouring a batch, I have to let it cure for 24 hours before I can do another pour (at least in the same piece).  To keep the dust off of the resin jewelry pendants and earrings, I cover them with plastic containers.








Ah, they're starting to come to life!  This is after a couple of days.  At this point, I've also done a green, pink, and yellow pour.  Notice the resin cups and dirty paper towel at the top of the picture?  I'm getting the resin all over my kitchen countertops.  It almost looks like a birthday cake has exploded.









Another closeup of the future earrings with resin.  There are a few mistakes to sand off once they're cured.











More colorful resin pendants.














This picture is the reason why I only do one color then let it cure for 24 hours before pouring the next one.  The orange was poured on Tuesday.  The turquoise was poured on Thursday.  The dark blue was poured today (Friday).  Some of the dark blue spilled onto the orange.  The orange was completely cured (hardened) so I just had to wipe off the dark blue.  If I poured all the colors on the same day, the dark blue would have mixed into the orange if it had still been wet and the piece would have been ICK.






This picture was after today's pour.  You can see that in addition to the previous colors, there are some reds, pinks, turquoise and yellow/green.

Don't they look good enough to eat???  I will try to have some finished pictures up next week.