Volunteering at Crystal Bridges

Hi Everyone!  Following up in summer is more distracting, and since we do not do vacation with my husband's work, we've never followed normal yearly trends so much.

I want to announce a 90 degree turn now, since Greg and I have signed up for  work at Crystal Bridges.  The meeting was exhilarating, since so many opportunities exist to help in our unique museum.  The need for volunteers was addressed  before opening and had has already doubled, as crowds are arriving daily to visit the museum.

There is a sign up for helpers ranging from culinary, to programs for home schoolers, to guides for the actual museum areas, and work in the library, which by itself is impressive.  There are training programs for everyone, some areas requiring more training than others.

We have chosen to begin with home schoolers, since we were very active in that area many years ago as well. (Some 30 years ago).  We are eagerly looking forward to our experience, and have already completed the preliminaries for that.  Please look up Crystal Bridges  for a training experience which will impress you with its comprehensiveness.

Talk to you again soon.

New Classes - Jewelry and Publishing - At NWACC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ruby_-_Winza,_Tanzania.jpg

Here is the schedule for Chris:

Jul 11-Aug 11   10:00-12:00   RM 1001 – Making Your Own Wire Art

Here is the schedule for Greg:

Jul 11-Aug 11    10:00-12:00    RM 1004 – Getting Published

Corundum Family of Gems

http://www.bsu.edu/eft/gems/p/archives/corundum.html

Hi everyone! I hope you are having a great summer, be it ever so hot!  We lived in Arizona for 11 years, the temperatures are not so different, just the nights--we are used to lows of 96--one great difference.  Today is just a week before the next class begins.  It will be on Wednesday the 11th.  Wire will include gems, just less than beads.

It  is not easy to procure ruby, or corundum for jewelry making since it is in all colors in sapphire, and has a hardness of 9, second only to diamonds, which is on the mohs scale, a 10.  It lasts longer, can take more wear, hence it is more expensive and rare than most stones.  Rubies are my birthstone, hence my favorite.  I can really appreciate rubies that are more translucent, and have a couple accumulated over years of gifts.  They are very beautiful, inspiring, and since they are known for passion and love, probably next to blue sapphire, which is calming, and also a corundum, best loved.

The color of the ruby is determined by the amount of chromium.  Usually the more chromium, the more valuable the gem.  I have seen many beautiful rubies which are not so saturated.

I will cover sapphires in another installment, since they come in every color.  Corundum can take many elements, hence many colors.

Rubies, then the July birthstone are gorgeous.  Those of us who love color will love most gems, especially in the corundum  family.  I think of a bouquet of flowers--which color is most beautiful?  Each has it's own beauty.  I think of gems as our bouquets in rocks.  God has given us so many beautiful elements to enjoy.

Everyone who loves to make jewelry, tends to love colors and placement.  The attractiveness depends on our mood, and ability to discern the color within. Norma Boeckler, an artist in water color is such an expert, she could discern 10 colors of green, blue in turquoise. I've never observed anyone better at it.  She has painted a Poppy, which she has generously given me a copy of, for my dining room. It is beyond description when one counts, or tries to count colors of red.  Needless to say, it reminds me of rubies, and always lifts my mood, when I look at it.

Let's all take our inspiration from color, nature, and those who translate it into "jewelry" for our eyes.

See you all soon.  Let's all enjoy the color around us!

Varieties of corundum

Citrine Jewelry and July NWACC Class Starting

 

Hi everyone!  I love rocks.  Who could not love sunshine in a stone?  Citrine has a wonderful way of making everyone think of sunshine, honey, gold, and even warm orange in it's lightest tones.  Last week I found citrine at All Strung Out.  I immediately made a necklace in gold wire and a pair of earrings.  The strings I bought covered the gamut of colors.  Using natural rocks has always been one of my favorite ways of making jewelry.  

Our recent guest blogger, my husband, has made this hobby possible for me. Loving rocks, and making jewelry has made me very happy.  Colors are so amazing!  Citrine can be found from transparent to almost solid.

 

The honey colored tones are so interesting and add variety when combined with all  the other shades.  They can be found as cabochons as well as faceted and add so much depth to a necklace or other piece of jewelry.  The variety is amazing.  Our grandson's birthstone is citrine. When Alex was born, I made a necklace that I didn't take off- of birthstones of each grandchild--Aquamarine, Amethyst and citrine.  I also got their names in sterling blocks, and symbols for each in charms. 

What a wonderful addition to my collection!

 

This citrine globe shows the variety of color and  shades in many of the pieces.

 

This ring is a gorgeous piece of madeira citrine, probably from Brazil.  I have a pair of earrings in madeira and have yet to find a color it does not complement.  In Scottsdale I found a pair of madeira earrings at a celebrity second hand store for $10.  Perhaps someone was not familiar with the inherent worth of those earrings.  I would love this ring for my collection.  Perhaps, it would buy a car.  Color, clarity, and cut are the main attributes to ascertain the worth.

The love for these stones is addicting.  I love working with the real thing.

Class begins soon, and working with my hobby again will be amazing. I wish you all a wonderful summer, and most of all a hobby that you really love!

Here is the schedule for Chris:

Jul 11-Aug 11   10:00-12:00   RM 1001 – Making Your Own Wire Art

Here is the schedule for Greg:

Jul 11-Aug 11    10:00-12:00    RM 1004 – Getting Published

Guest Blogger Today - Greg Jackson, Writer

Greg Jackson

Jul 11 - Aug 11 10:00-12:00 RM 1004 – Getting Published.

Hello, potential students. If we get some interested parties, I will start a class on getting published on July 11th at The Crossing, NWACC.

I have been publishing in various tabloids, magazines, and books for the last 40 years. That includes around 30 periodicals and a dozen books. I also worked for a time as a writer's agent, getting things published for others.

The class will focus on the various ways an author can get published, which is the main part, the fun part of writing.

We will discuss - 

1. Traditional book and magazine publishing.
2. Academic publishing.
3. Vanity publishing (bad).
4. Self-publishing with Lulu and Amazon.
5. Blog and Dropbox publishing.
6. Website publishing.

Register early so we can get an early count. I will have plenty of resources for you to use.

Greg Jackson

PS - I earned a PhD at Notre Dame, a master's degree from Yale, and a master's degree from UOP in adult education.

Notre Dame's famous golden dome.

Yale's main library.

The Next NWACC Class Is Coming Soon

Tsavorite garnet

Hi everyone!  I've been spending time organizing all my accumulated findings and beads.  It's very enlightening, to me at least.  I'd like to go back to a passion of mine which is gem stones--garnet to be exact.  Normally you will find Mozambique red garnet which is a gorgeous luminous red.  However, it  is found in many colors like other natural gems.  

I have recently discovered yellow garnet, known as spessartite.  It comes from Bavaria, which is where I was born.  It is so luminescent the lore is it was used for light in early times.  There was enough light from yellow to read by in the dark, so goes the tale.  I looked up spessartite, and found a beautiful ring from a new line on Jewelry TV known as Stratify.  Luckily an anniversary was coming up and Gregg bought me a beautiful ring. I will wear it to class one day.  It is truly gorgeous.  Gregg and I both love rocks, and at one time Marty, our son had a rock collection from all over the world from his grandmother who traveled everywhere, and brought Marty Rocks from special places.  Echoes of the long..long...trailer? When we moved he gifted the whole collection and explanations to a small religious school.  It was loved by all.

Garnet

Rocks do become the ultimate inspiration for jewelry, since noble metals are used to encase the best stone to show off the light, and enjoy the color.

Beside spessartite garnet, is tsavorite garnet.  It is more rare than emerald, and was included in the Royal crown of England, now in the news because of Queen Elizabeth's diamond jubilee.  There is also one in Washington, DC at the Smithsonian rock collection.  It is a museum quite worth seeing, since it houses the blue Hope diamond as well.  Just in case many on you thought rocks were just ordinary.  Hardly!

See you soon.  Chris

New Ideas and Creations

Dear Friends, 

It's been a couple of weeks since classes.  I'm still picking up wire and new ideas.  The next class is wire which you see above you in a bracelet and below you as a braid.  There is such a good feeling when a braid comes out almost perfect.  

It can be a main necklace, and with the right additions, it can look different with every outfit.  

I love combining metals, and the results are very interesting.  They are sturdy and variable, and always ready for a new pendant.  The wire work, when overdone can become painful, but nowadays we are all more aware of repetitive motion problems.

Annual Walmart Meeting and Trips to the Art Museum

Celine ended the meeting with a three-song set.
No one sat down during her singing. All the cameras were flashing.

Justin Timerlake wore a hula skirt, imitating the founder, Sam Walton.

Lionel Richie and many others had the audience dancing in the huge Walton stadium,
with 16,000 cheering stockholders packed to the rafters.

Taylor Swift sang her mean song, which she blended perfectly with  smirky close-ups.

Walmart is selling Acts of Valor, an action adventure movie featuring Navy SEALs instead of actors.
The director said, "I am spoiled after working with them."

Many of the associates from all over the world toured the $1.2 billion American art museum,
not far from our woodsy home in Bella Vista.
Admission is free.

And I can see you years from now in a bar, talking over a football game

With that same big loud opinion but nobody's listening

Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things

Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing.

But all you are is mean

All you are is mean and a liar and pathetic and alone in life

And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean.

New Ideas, New Classes coming!

July 11-Aug 11   10:00-12:00   RM 1001 – Making Your Own Wire Art

August 22-Sep12   10:00-12:00   RM 1001 – Creative Jewelry Made Simple

October 3-Oct 24    10:00-12:00   RM 1001 – Advanced Wire Art



I have bought a Dremel drill, and I promised Gregg to not set off alarms while I'm practicing.  There are so many new wire projects coming.  Now  I  will use my work to show the future of wire work in a few weeks.
By July there will be a new series in all wire work.  As all of you know I love 20 gauge wire, and I will continue projects with gold, silver and many colors now available.  We will make earrings and necklaces, bracelets and even watches with wire braiding and weaving.  It will be exciting and fun. Blog will continue as I work along getting ready for the next class.

Sassy Sue supervises my work.
She has her own blog:
http://sassyfriends.blogspot.com/

We all enjoyed the last class.  It was inspiring for all of us to work together and the exchange of ideas is so important in class when projects are planned.  Pictures will include my work, and will identify artist is someone else.  Please write comments, ideas and new projects to take on.  This is intended to be a forum as well as information  on what  is happening.

Blessings to you all as you work on your projects this summer.

I plan to do quilting as well as jewelry in the next weeks to change focus, and get more inspiration.

I will write again soon.

Sincerely, Chris

May 23rd Class - NWACC - At the Crossing

Hi everyone!  Our last class for May finished today.  Everyone had lots of work to finish. We all had projects from last week and our work was exceptional.  Carol in blue is a stained glass artist with a studio all her own.  Tamarra works at Generations as a hair dresser.  Carolyn just finished packing for a trip to Phoenix and on to Grand Canyon, via Williams and the railroad.  This trip will be amazing.  We took it with our Grandchildren, and loved every minute.  It was also very inspiring for rock work.M.




Marj bought a hole punch and made some iconic earrings using it on bottle caps.  This instrument will be very useful for lots of projects.

Carol made a beautiful bracelet .  The greens are beautiful.C

Carolyn finished a new necklace to wear on her trip.

Carol is working on felting and beading.  Mixed media to say the least!

Tamarra has a beautiful necklace with wire wrapping and interchangable pendants.  This is a good idea so we can change our minds, and outfits!

May 16th Class at NWACC - At the Crossing

Today's class began with more work on the dremel drill, with new drill bits thanks to Tamarra.  This week we all saw dust as we drilled holes to put in wires to make jewelry.   As a special surprise, the fire alarm interrupted us (not really, there was a fire drill right then).  We do keep our work safe and steady.  I am continually thrilled with the leopard jasper, top left as an amazing example of rocks God gave us to enjoy the animal kingdom while we work with stones.  Most of these are from California, where Tamarra used to live. She started her hobby in her yard, and used stones she found on the beach.  This was a real lesson in how to fashion our own pendants.  The rock in the right foreground has some real gold in it.  The amount is miniscule unless the whole rock is shattered and more falls out.  Still it has some fascinating facets in it.  It is quartz, last weeks drusy source.T

Our drill instructor - Dremel drill.

Tamarra  is now able to give facials as well, at Generations to help us remove the rock dust which may escape to our faces. Just kidding--I'll be getting a facial soon!

These are Tamarra's work from today.

Carol showed us how to make "hangovers" for our glasses.  Below you see one on a glass. They can be used for any occasion.  More uses of wire and jewelry gear!

Marj has been working with earrings and wires.

Marj  is always adding new ideas to class too.

The Dremel Drill, Tamara, and Jewelry Making

Thank you to Tamara, our resident "rock hound", formerly from California, Calavaras County.  Tamara has collected rocks for years, and when she gets enamored with a piece, she unpacks the Dremel drill, with the very smallest drill, and finds a place to drill.

The process produces beautiful unique pieces of focal stone to use in necklaces and other jewelry.

Last week we were treated with a chance to drill ourselves, steady, strong and carefully letting the drill move its way through the rock.  Tamara explained how to find a place to drill that would yield a great stone to use when polished for jewelry.  She spent lots of time on the beach looking for great pieces to add to her collection.  This drilling is painstaking work.  A wrong move can crack a large stone, and make it no longer useful.  She brought leopard jasper, and other pieces to try, and a quartz crystal had a small accumulation of gold if we are correct.

Drusy is quartz crystals that attach to other stones.

There are techniques to get drusy pieces which are smooth enough to use for jewelry.  Recently these have been among the most popular for jewelry of all kinds.  The crystals alone are fascinating.  The rocks come in every size, shape, color and style to use in pieces which will be outstanding in necklaces and earrings.

The next week we will braid wire, make rings, and use hemp rope to make necklaces and earrings, and even belts.   It is a work in progress since stones can be combined on one of the braided strains to make a design to match your new mother's day gifts.

We have been exploring art principles of using odd numbers of stones 3,5,7,9 to make more harmonious pieces.  We try to introduce as many important aspects as possible.  Last week our photographer took a week off.  We will try to introduce those pieces in pictures this week.

This class on Wednesday will be next to last in this series.  We have accomplished a great amount of work with many styles and possibilities.  This week we look forward to exploring even more accomplishments to add to our pieces which can be made to match all of our new summer outfits.

Our next classes will be Wednesday and next Wednesday.  The new unit will begin in June.  We are working on many techniques to use our ingenuity and artistic abilities to combine colors and designs.


I am really looking forward to classes and continue to look for more ways to express ourselves to make our own jewelry, and presents for others.  It is a pleasure to work with you in this adventure.

Sincerely, Chris

Jasper

t