New retail outlets for resin jewelry by Katherine Swift

I'm excited to announce there are two new retail outlets for KMS Designs resin jewelry.

• Re-, Peoria, Illinois  (Click here to watch an interview with shop owner Nancy Martin talking about her store that sells repurposed, recycled, reclaimed, etc. items.  Get the name now??!)
• Down2earthstore.com  An online only outlet that also sells eco friendly items.

The custom order process

So the customer I did the mock ups for a couple of weeks ago made a decision as to the color scheme for the resin and sterling silver earring and pendant set. Unfortunately, due to a few factors, it takes me at least a month to get any custom color jewelry made. First, I'm a mom. (That's the full time job!) It's hard for me to get several hours of uninterrupted time in the studio to make the silver pieces, so it takes me longer than perhaps it would other jewelry artists. Secondly, pouring the resin into the sterling isn't as simple as just creating the couple of pieces you need. I have to mix a minimum amount of the resin (for about 20 pieces) in order for it to mix correctly. Therefore, I have to plan several "pours" in advance. It takes me a bit to have all the sterling silver pieces ready and have the game plan mapped out.

So back to the custom pour.....

I'm pretty excited to get to pair new colors together. My customer picked square earrings with a round center (blue outside, orange inside) and a square pendant with a square center (blue outside and orange inside there too).

You can see his pieces there in the center. Once I mix the resin and add the pigment, I've got about an hour to get it where I want it before it starts to cure.





This is a closeup of the same pieces. The top row, first two pieces, will be the earrings. The bottom row, second piece will be the pendant. You can see some other colors there. They were done a few pours ago and are "waiting" for their partner in subsequent pours.







This particular resin needs about 36 hours to cure. Then I will pour the orange. Stay tuned....

More jewelry making with Karma the cat

I was sanding some of the resin pieces the other day and needed just some "mental down time" in front of the television while I was doing it. (On a technical note, I have to sand the resin pieces "under water" as the resin fragments will melt back into the pieces and become burs if I don't.) My house was still quiet except for me and the hubby and I was catching up on some news. My cat Karma came to help with the sanding. Too bad she doesn't have thumbs!

Winner of the necklace from the Thornebrook Art Show

I am happy to announce that Vicki Griffith is the winner of the resin and purple recycled glass pendant from the Thornebrook Art Festival. Similar pieces will be available in just a few short weeks at the Downtown Festival and Art Show, November 14 and 15, in downtown Gainesville, Florida.

I thought it would be fun here to show how exactly the winner was chosen. Meet one of my cats, "Karma". I joke she has never heard the expression, "Curiosity killed the cat," but that actually works to my advantage in this case. I let her choose the winner since, it allows for any impartiality and it gives her a couple of minutes of entertainment and enrichment. Above left: I have called Karma to come investigate something. Remember the curiosity propensity??



Left: She considers her options. "Hmmm....a pile of paper, I must investigate, " she tells herself.








Left: "I must think about this for a moment. This is a tough decision."








Left: Alas, she picks a winner!








Karma sometimes joins me in the studio depending on what I'm working on. She won't be at the art shows, as much as she would like (she is quite friendly and unafraid of people), but she might be back on the blog from time to time.