Bird Nestlace...

I switched it up a bit this time. I wanted to play around with some of the pieces I created in Stephanie Lee's class. I found the bird text and decided to make a nest. Originally, I had tried Spanish Moss for the nest, but found it too bulky. And then I remembered that a real bird nest had fallen out of a tree in our yard recently. So I took a piece from that... added some freshwater pearls... and added a pair of earrings recently acquired at a flea market.

Junk Drawer Metalsmithing...

Friday's class was Junk Drawer Metalsmithing with Stephanie Lee (that's helper hubby Vinnie behind us in the photo). The workshop was jam packed with techniques using metal sheet, copper piping, solder, etching solutions and more to create all kinds of "relics" from the past. I was amazed at how simple these really were to make. I am no longer afraid of solder. And Stephanie is a fabulous teacher... very descriptive in her demonstrations and even taking things one step further by explaining the safety and origins of the procedures and materials. Another great class!