Rose Garden Collection

Rose Garden Collection Collections seem to sort of just "grow" for me. Some are intentional and others just seem to happen. The Rose Garden collection started with someone asking me to make a special-order gold filled medical alert bracelet. They loved the bracelet as I did but I had extra gold filled rings. The "Flower Garden" bracelet used the extra rings. I added some Swarovski crystals (the flowers) and used my favorite Chain Maille weave, which is often called a Mobius. Three (or sometimes as many as 5) rings are woven together. You will recognize that as part of my logo and also my "Signature Pendant" Here is my logo, see the three rings? And here is the Signature Pendant (Also available in Gold Filled) Oh, yes, there are also earrings. Click on the picture for more info. The "Flower Garden" gold filled  bracelet looks great on my wrist. Click on the picture for more info. Because I had lots of copper rings on hand, it was a natural progression to make a copper version. Adding fall color Swarovski bicones, "Fall Foliage" became the  second piece in the collection. The original has been sold but I recently made one like it. (Never exactly the same!) Click on the picture for more info Another special order resulted in "Coming up Roses".  The Swarovski crystals are "Rose"pink and clear crystals. This is also sold but I certainly can make another. Send me an email if interested. The snow in February and March was the inspiration for the next one, "Snow and Ice". Click on the picture for more info If you want to see all of the Rose Garden Collection you can click here. (PS there is a new one called  "Blue Skies") Plus remember you can always ask for different colors. For example, someone suggested, children's or grand children's birthstone colors. Just let me know. I made a new video of the Rose Garden Collection. You can watch it here. Remember Mother's Day (May 10) is coming soon.   Send me an email with any questions or to order. Until next time, Bev Website:  www.ringbyringdesigns.com also available at Easton Shovel Town Cultural District Art/Gallery Co-op 50 Main Street Building 9 North Easton, MA Saturday and Sunday 11 AM - 3 PM

Finished Resin Bracelet

Finished Resin Bracelet Well, almost anyhow. I'm not rally satisfied with all of the charms. I learned some things in finishing. As I added the final coats, deciding how much to add was one thing but the most important thing was to use enough light so I could see exactly where the resin was going. Sounds simple doesn't it? I do plan on tweaking some of the charms on a nice sunny day. Remembering to use good lighting while adding the resin. I watched several videos from the lady who invented the brand I'm using. I also did some searching looking for ideas of what to use in the charms. (The design aspect) Fun! I'm looking forward to making more. Here is a look at the (almost) finished bracelet: When you look closely, can you see the flaws. Mostly resin not going to the edges or not enough resin. But I really like it. I'm thinking that because there are endless possibilities it makes a problem. Strange but true. So, any suggestions? Here is another view: space space space Here is a close up of one of the better charms. I think it would look  nice as a pendant in a larger size. What do you think? Remember Mother's Day (May 10) is coming soon. Here is a video I made with some suggestions.  Send me an email with any questions or to order. Until next time, Bev

Resin Charm Bracelet Saturday, I spent about 4 hours learning a new technique (new to me anyhow) at pflora beads in Canton, MA. We had a lot of fun but I was a bit tired when I came home. I didn't finish  the bracelet but the charms were mostly finished. Phyllis had many samples of what we could make to choose from and I chose the antiqued copper version. So, this is what I'm aiming for: It has a total of 15 charms and other dangles. We learned how to make our own bezels from (in my case) copper wire. (A bezel is the frame that contains the resin) We made circles, ovals, tear drops plus some that were just free forms. (Though Phyllis insisted on naming them)  After shaping the wire I treated it with liver of sulfur to give it that Antique Copper look. I admit sometimes I wonder why people intentionally tarnish metal but it really does look nice. I do, though, hesitate to do that to silver. Maybe just me?? Here is a picture of the charms I made. They are not finished yet. More resin needs to be added to give it that "domed" look. Because we made our own bezels, they are two sided. The ready made ones you can buy are more tray-like and have a bottom. While double sided is a very cool feature, it takes more time. Plus I'm a slow designer, it seems. One of the other students finished her bracelet. It was beautiful and entirely different from the one above. Here is a picture of the reverse sides, though it is hard to tell the difference in some. The ones that are dull looking don't have the final coats of resin and should look better when finished. Since the resin is "cured" with ultra violet light you can use the little UV lights you see when you have your nails done. We used these but the trays only hold three charms. So, since Saturday was a great sunny day, we took lots of charms outside to cure. That is what I need to do to finish my charms. Unfortunately, according to the weather forecasters, it won't be sunny around here until Thursday. Oh, well, I do have other things to do.. Depending on the weather and other projects that come up, I may have a finished bracelet to show you next week. I'd like to know what you think of this new technique. Send me an email. Until next time, Bev Website:  www.ringbyringdesigns.com also available at Easton Shovel Town Cultural District Art/Gallery Co-op 50 Main Street Building 9 North Easton, MA Saturday and Sunday 11 AM - 3 PM