Back from a really long break!!

I took a half year break from blogging to focus on other things having to do with business, family, and my crazy health. I'm feeling pretty stable in most areas these days so I'm going to give it another whirl.

Let's see, over the last 6 months I've:

1. Participated in a number of really fun shows. I've learned the ropes and know where I want to return next year.
2. Placed my jewelry with 6 different stores and one gallery! This was a higher number than the goal I'd set for myself so I was really pleased.
3. Became a premium member of Trunkt and have an ever growing portfolio there.
4. Improved my Focal Point Birth Pendant line and have had a bunch of sales through attachmentscatalog.com.
5. Created a line of copper and leather bookmarks which I love! I gave them to my whole family this holiday season!
6. Worked hard on my soldering skills in a 6 week mentored metalsmithing class.
   
7. Opened a shop on 1000Markets. It's a lovely site and well worth visiting!

Whew! And that's just the jewelry biz! Anyway, I hope to get back to regular posting and making some decisions on how best to use the blog. Stay tuned!

Heat Patina

I've been spending some time experimenting with heat patinas and copper. After several unsuccessful attempts, I came upon a method that works for me and gets me some beautiful colors.

After shaping, sanding, hammering, and tumbling my copper, I use my butane torch. I heat the whole piece until it starts to turn and then I quench in cold water. I then put the copper back on the fire brick and heat all over again. I may do this process several times until I get the colors I want. Next, I run the copper upstairs to the freezer and leave it in for a few hours. The pieces have come out very shiny and with lovely color variations. I'm currently using no sealer, as I'm worried this will alter the patina. Let's see what happens....