Sometimes a Great Idea/Sometimes Not:B'sue Queen of Glue

Planning and Why You Should Be a Planner

What does PLANNING have to do with creativity?

EVERYTHING.

Most people start a new design with a plan.  (I don't so much, I usually surround myself with a batch of cool new components that have just arrived, and see where they take me.....but then, that's the business I'm in, it's easy for me to be surrounded with an over-kill amount of cool new components.  Not everyone is in that situation, so......they have to plan.  They can't just go out into a warehouse and snag a bag of headpins.)

PLANNING AT B'SUE BOUTIQUES:

For us on the website at http://www.bsueboutiques.com, we find we run outstock on about 50-75 items on the site at any given time.  We need to be better planners, buy stock on certain things deeper and discontinue the stuff that didn't sell well and get it out of the way.   We're working on that.  FRANTICALLY. 

FOR YOU, IF YOU INTEND TO SELL YOUR WORK:

The beautiful stampings you see on our website are made by large companies, toolers that house veritable libraries of old dies.   These tooling houses call the shots in the design business, because they work when they want to.  They go out on hiatus the the second weekend in December and stay out til til beginning of January, and they also go out in the summer for the first two weeks of July.  Many of them work banker's hours, some even close up shop at noon on alot of Fridays.

If it's say, June 25th and whoops! all of a sudden, we run out of spinner heart charms....well, that will PROBABLY be too close to fax or call a quick order for tooling to be run, have them sent to be finished and plated, before they all go out on two week's vacation the end of the month.   See what I'm saying?

If you anticipate doing a production run on a certain piece and you think you will sell quite a few of them, buy a half gross AT LEAST of your key component.   I know, I know, you run the risk that way of maybe being stuck with alot of something that didn't go over.  AGAIN....planning.  Do your market research.  Check the trends.  See what's out there, envision:   where is the next place current trend/design can go?  How does MY STYLE as an artist fit in there?

But if it takes off, you'll need a BUNCH of that part FAST.   The sad truth is....if we are outstock and your other favorite suppliers are outstock (or in our case, given that we have finishes that were made for us at bsueboutiques.com and NO ONE ELSE WILL HAVE IT) you might have to wait 2, 3 or even FOUR weeks to get that part in.   We have to have it made, finished, plated and polished, inspect it for quality, inventory and then send to you. If the houses are out on vacation, you might be really STUCK.

So if you are designing your fall/winter line for shows, Ebay, Etsy, home parties, store accounts....YOU SHOULD BE ORDERING IN, PLANNING AND STARTING WORK NOW.  Otherwise, you may not have what you need, when you need it.   And if you wait til the last moment to try and get something that's critical, you might not be able to get it AT ALL.

We're gearing up for fall and trying to anticipate demand.  For us it's very hard, since we never know who will find us and clean us out on a component, all of a sudden.  You may actually be able to anticipate your demand a little better than we can.  OR NOT.

But it all begins NOW.   In fact it should have begun a couple of months ago, but, it's not too late to start.  ;-)

Feel free to contact me at bsue1441@aol.com if you have special needs or comments.

Manipulating Filigree to Fit a Medallion

Here's a great example of how you can take a simple filigree, like a snowflake pattern, and wrap it AROUND a medallion to make it hang.   Just measure your medallion and look for something maybe 10-15mm larger in diameter, so you have room to play with.  Be sure the motif of the medallion allows you a border to clip into with the filigree. 

I like to start at the bottom and do two, then go to the top, do two, and then catch the rest.  For this one I used a small, fine round nose pliers.  The top of the filigree had a hanging hole, I just rolled it in.  This piece will still hang nicely, but the prongs look more the same all 'round, because I rolled it in.   

This is fun and easy to do.  Sometimes you have to do a little practicing, and you might actually ruin a few in the beginning but with each one you will learn something that will lead you to eventual success.

NOTE:  This works best with raw brass, our Russian goldplated finish and our ox finishes such as copper ox, pewter ox, brass ox.  Gunmetal and antique silverplate, goldplate tend to be a little too brittle, they work-harden too easily, and sometimes are disappointing when manipulated.

Paint on Metal in the China Paint Style

Did you ever think or imagine that you might paint on plated metal the way that china painters do?   Well, you can.   Use acrylic brush and some fine paints, practice your technique a little on scrap paper...and go for it!  When the paint dries, top with Envirotex resin and let cure.   Glue on a pin back....and there you go.  You could also glue on paper scraps and ephemera and top with the resin, just paint it on.    This plaque is PERFECT for that application, it's about 32x32mm, pewter ox plating, made from the old jewelry tooling.  You'll find them in our Ebay store at http://www.stores.ebay.com/bsueboutiquesjewelrysupplies, along with lots of other examples that will work great!

Faking Vintage Jewelry, A Big No-No

Having discussed what cagework beadery is and directing you to vintage volumes for examples, my conscience is pinging me to make this post as well.

It is NOT COOL to buy vintage parts and try to fake a legitimate vintage piece.

Opportunists have done this frequently over the years, and it's created trouble in the collecting market.  I have to tell you, though, collectors have gotten wise.   There is little they haven't seen.  They know an incorrect clasp, even an incorrect jump ring.  They know an incorrect technique.   Even when some have found signature tags from the old warehouses and placed them on recently-fabricated work, a real collector will  still figure it out.

In the Haskell book by Gordon and Pamfiloff, it shows pieces that have been faked.  The techniques might still be useful in craft, for you to view.  But it shows how smart collectors are.

So if you thought, hey, maybe I could fake a Haskell, think twice.   Your work might be as good ANY DAY....it might even be better.   But build pride and value in your *own* maker's mark by good marketing and good business practices.   Don't hide behind another company's name for the sake of a quick buck.

You're better than that.  ;-)

Is There A Book that Can Teach Me More About Cagework Beadery?

I'm sure there are.   There are books about French Beaded Flowers and beaded embroidery.  Both styles have techniques that you can employ in doing cagework.

Two books that helped me more than anything, however, are The Jewels of Miriam Haskell, by DeAnna Farneti Cera, and Miriam Haskell Jewelry by Cathy Gordon and Sheila Pamfiloff. 

These books are beautiful volumes full of Haskell jewelry, many very rare pieces.   By looking at these wonderful pieces you get the sense of what might be done, and design ideas.  In the latter volume there are actually pictures showing how the jewelry was made.  These are very helpful.

Our Russian Goldplated findings found at http:www.bsueboutiques.com are the closest thing you will find ANYWHERE to the finish that was used on the old designer findings.  The old finish is no longer made because it employed chemicals that are no longer available to platers.  Our finish is a true goldplated finish as well, and there is a tiny bit of real gold in the mix.  About the only way you can tell it from the 'old stuff' is to compare, side by side, there is a teensy difference.

Our findings are sealed and should hold up to air and moisture better, over time, as well.  You should DEFINITELY try them.

What is Cagework Beadery Anyway?

I should probably address this in a post to this blog once a month!   Because I get asked all the time.

Basicly, it's sort of like embroidering with fine plated wire onto filigree, but instead of making stitches with colored thread, you are couching down components onto a filigree base, or grid.

You can do it on raw filigree, or plated.  If you use raw filigree, however, I recommend that you first seal it with a light spritz of clear lacquer, the kind you get in a can from the hardware or craft store.

This will show you the inside of a caged piece I made some time ago.  Do you see how I used several types of filigree, bent and manipulated them, then wired them together?

Here is a side view.  I used 28 gauge goldplated wire, this is the best for strength.   The collectable designers used 32 gauge, and often it was raw brass.   Really I've found it's best to use plated wire, as air and moisture can break the wire down, over time.  If you are going to this much trouble to make a piece, you want it to last for decades.  ;-)  Also, I think 32 gauge is too weak.  Only use it for very fine top layer parts, like rose montees.....and then, only if you MUST.

This is the finished piece.  I used old cold paint enamelled flowers and vintage rose montees.   You can EASILY mock the look of cold paint enamel with degreased raw brass findings and a can of spray paint.   Basicly, that's all cold paint enamel ever was, anyway, LOL.

I took no classes to learn to do this nor do I feel anyone else needs to.  It's something a little time and patience will yield.  If you know how to pick up a needle and thread, you can work out a caged pattern.  You just need an idea, some cool filigree or grid, the wire and some beads and components you can wire on....and go for it.

What You Can Do With a Clear Resin Cuff Bangle

We sell this cool resin cuff bangle at http://www.bsueboutiques.com in the Cuffs, Bases section.  Item number SKU:  clearcuff.

It's maybe an inch and a half wide, thick.   Clear with an amber glow; that amber glow give you this fabulous vintage effect.

You can actually stud them with flatback rhinestones, vintage style.  That's one way to go.

But look at the pix here of what I like to do:

I like to collage them on the INSIDE with old paperscraps....photos, parts of old letters, postcards, tickets, memorabilia....whatever you like.  Things that mean something to YOU.

Start with the small pieces first. Then the medium, then the large, or what I've come to think of as 'facing' pieces.    I use a glue stick to the face of the scrap, press in place, let set for a half an hour or so and gesso over the inside rim.   Let that dry, then paint over.  I like to go over the top and bottom rim with a metallic paint pen, to give it a finish.

Let it cure up well...then wear!

Colorizing Raw Brass

Lots of ways to go about this.

If you go back to my post "Cool Things to Make You Think", (I think it's in the November archive) you'll see a cool dangly piece that is actually plated brass, but it's been painted on with pearly pastel paint pens, like you'll find in the crafts store.

I like Zig Painty Markers, but there are lots of other brands that work great too, if you want to pop a little color into a plated piece.

But RAW BRASS poses the best possibilities for a finish that's uniquely yours.

For years I've had success with a combination of mixed brown and black acrylics, painted on, wiped off, painted on, wiped off, and highlights tweaked into the piece with Topaz Brown Color Magic (stuff is in a bottle, you paint it on like nail polish.)

Some like permanent markers.   They color the piece and wipe off with a piece of paper towel or a flat rag (no lint) that's soaked up some acetone nail polish.  Just watch out if you wear fake nails, acetone will ruin them!   

Others have had success by spraying a combo of black and brown spray paint into a tumbler along with a few drops of paint thinner, adding their components and tumbling for several hours.   Let the components dry on wax paper or newspaper (probably newspaper is best) til dry.  You could also apply the paints FIRST, and THEN tumble.  I honestly have not tried this but my gut says it should work very well, I hear good things about it from others.  What I like about this, too, is that you should have very little exposure to solvents, just maybe put a respirator on, when you spray the paint into the tumbler.

Anytime I can avoid harsh lacquers or solvents, I'm all for that.

Another thing you can try is the buffer  on a Dremel tool, or, if you have access to a big buffer, that's cool, too.  I actually have a great big old bad buffer with a double wheel, in my workshop.  I've used a soft buff with tripoli on raw brass and oh baby, it looks LOVELY.   The yellow in the brass shines up just GORGEOUS, and you get alot of darkening into the crevices of the piece to bring out detail.  So you might like to try that.

Others like Liver of Sulfur.   Warm your components first; you might try just using a blow dryer to do that.   Then dunk 'em in liver of sulfur solution per the instructions on the package (you can get it from a lapidary,  or just Google it, not hard to find a supplier, this stuff is not uncommon) til you get the effect you want.   Let them dry.   You can buff in some highlights with a buffer.

There are other chemical dips you can buy for brass AND copper, most of them require care in use as they are a bit noxious.  Remember, anything you get on your skin isn't that much different than if you ingest it; it will get into your system.  People forget that.   So if you decide to use chemical agers on brass, FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS.....KEEP IT OFF!!! YOUR SKIN.....and DON'T WORK WITH IT TOO OFTEN.

There are some cool books out there on the subject of patina on metal, I keep reminding myself to buy them but have given them pause more than once when I visited Barnes and Noble.  If you're into learning more, check out Barnes and Noble online, or visit Amazonbooks.com. ......you know them, they have everything.

Be fun!  Check out my raw brass stampings at http://www.bsueboutiques.com, and BE SAFE.

What to Expect from Raw Brass

I sell raw brass stampings on my website.   

While most of our crafting crowd would rather work with plated material, there are some cool things about raw brass:  you have a bare, clean playing surface that you can colorize any way you want.

The price of brass sheet has risen dramatically in the last few years, and I find that many of the stampings I offer cost fully twice what they did 8-10 years ago.  Toolers are scrambling for any sort of sheet to work with that they can get.   Because the market is lately more volatile and sheet harder to come by, you may see some fluctuation in the color of raw brass stampings.

I prefer to offer what I call 'mellow yellow' stampings....a rich, warm, low golden color metal.   But sometimes they'll be a little dark, a little grey, even a tad bit red.   I welcome the difference, personally, and many times will throw some of those odds back for altered art projects or to sell in lots.

Whoever you get raw brass from, you need to know the stuff will age with time, whether it's in a warehouse, at my place or at yours.  It will even begin to turn in the package as it sits on the shelf.

If you get brass that's starting to turn a little bit, no big deal.  Remember, there's no finish on it.  So just go after it with a bath in Jewelry Joose and a good spit-shine with a Sunshine cloth, and it will come right back up.   If you get it to a color you like and want it to STAY that way, you must seal it.

A light mist with some clear spray lacquer from the hardware store on both sides, should do the job.

Cool Stuff to Make You Think

Everyone needs to keep back a box or baggie or drawer full of stuff that inspires them, little bibs and bobs they pick up along the way.   

This is not stuff you will maybe ever use to make jewelry.  OR...you might.  Just stuff you keep and fondle, look at, think about.  Stuff that leads you to new ideas.

Below you'll see one such piece.   This is a combined stamping, that is a stamping that's soldered onto another.

I just think this is awesome.  The color on it was achieved with pearl paints.  You could do that with acrylics, or maybe heat-set alcohol based paints for altered art and scrapbooking.

This coiled vintage wire just makes me think.....hmmmm.   Maybe cut it and make a necklace and hang stuff all over it.   But I know there is more to it than just that.   That's why I want to save it and just go back to it, again and again.

What would you do with it?

Keys are always fun.   What would you do with this bunch of little sterling-plated keys?

I like to layer keys with heart charms or hang them two or three at a time from one jumpring.

These would also be good on a vintage style card made from handmade paper, combined with maybe some old watchparts, vintage lace, and a cool image under some resin in a bezel, or under a lens like we have on the website at http://www.bsueboutiques.com

These are WONDERFUL old gingerbread brass guilding-weight stampings made in France.   They are what I call industrial stampings, not because they are mechanical or anything, it's just that they have an old fixture-hardware style look to them.   They have little depressions in them; they were orignally meant to be pave'd with little tiny stones.

Well.....that's the obvious, isn't it?   But, get it out of the can and into the hand!   THINK DESIGN POSSIBILITIES.  What can be DONE with this piece, what unsual use can there be?   Save it til you figure it out, in your  rainy-day inspiration box.

These are just a few things that are special to me.   Do you have an inspiration box?