My latest adventure in metalsmithing: a bar bracelet I made in copper.
The bars were originally straight. I wore it around for a few days and realized that by curving them, its much more comfortable on the wrist.
I like that it’s simple, but interesting. Shined up, it kind of has a nice rose gold finish.
I’m calling it the Curved H Bracelet because from the right angle, it looks like an H.
Forge on,
A couple months from now I will be in Japan, a trip we’ve been looking forward to for so long it doesn’t actually feel real. We have a lot of planning to do still, but at the moment I’m choosing to focus all of my attention on one task: Finding a stylish backpack. One to hold all my travel essentials during the trip, and then my everyday junk in real life.
If you recall, baby backpacks were the thang in the 90s. I have a theory that backpacks fell out of favor in the early 2000s (lost to the messenger bag) but now the Olsen twins, princesses of the 90s, have created a surge to bring them back.
I am fascinated by the twins. “You got it, dude,” and “Oh puh-lease,” are like, ingrained in my psyche. Now they’re these full-blown designers who love fashion so much they literally engulf their itty bitty bodies in it. And they’re not sorry. Ashley and Mary Kate don’t care about looking “cute” or “classic” or “cinching in their waist,” they are DED-I-CATED to fashion.
And the twins love a good backpack.
That alligator number by The Row costs $39,000. Yeah no, that comma is in the right place. A few months ago the alligator backpack morphed into an even more expensive bag with pharmaceuticals glued all over it:
It kinda makes you question what world we live in. Those Olsen twins!
All this is to say, I want a backpack. Maybe one of these?
1. Alexander Wang | 2. Nasty Gal | 3. Nasty Gal | 4. ASOS | 5. DVF | 6. Top Shop
Guess what? Politeness week is OVER,
So remember when I asked you all to help me chose which Warby Parker glasses to get? I know you’ve all been in utter suspense ever since, but there have been two little problems that have come up and kept me from blogging about it.
Problem One: I realized I needed to go back to the eye doc first to make sure my prescription was up to date before ordering new glasses. Sidenote: It’s the same. This should be good since I suppose that means my vision is not deteriorating, but I was a tad disappointed. Both of my eyes are the same prescription and have been for awhile now. I find this suspicious because in the past, my eyes were always two different prescriptions. How did they even themselves out like that? I had this theory that the eye doctor was just generalizing the state of my eyeballs. Like, “Eh, close enough. Just make them the same.” And that maybe if I had the correct prescription, I would put on my new glasses and it would be like a whole new world of crystal clear shapes and colors and I’d get that amazing feeling of seeing the leaves on the trees again. Anyone who has ever had glasses understands the “leaves on the trees” thing – the car ride home from the eye doctor when you get your first pair of glasses, and you’re like, “I can see EVERY SINGLE INDIVIDUAL LEAF on every single tree!” So, I explained my suspicions to my doctor last weekend questioned if it was weird that my eyes were the same. She said it’s common to have the same prescription in both eyes and said I was completely normal. (But her laugh said otherwise).
Problem Two: I asked you guys to vote for the pair you liked best, and, this was the biggest problem: You all chose wrong. No one liked the ones I liked best! Wa wah. My favorite are these, a frame called the Bensen:
This is probably not the best picture and the reason you didn’t vote for them. I think we all know that I should have used a controlled variable and had the same face in every picture. Science fair fail. They’re really cute in person though, trust me. Todd, who is the only person to see the glasses on me in real life, liked them best. They’re oversized but not obnoxious, have a cute tortoise shell pattern, and are thin and lightweight (as I said in my last post, I’ve had a problem with thick, heavy glasses hurting my nose in the past).
But you liked these the best:
I can tell you for a fact my “Oops!” Coppertone baby face are what sold you on this pair more than the actual glasses. Unfortunately, these particular frames are actually not right for my face in real life (a little too narrow). But, I LOVE the round frames and think they’re so fun and different and obviously you guys like that style too, which is awesome and made me really excited.
There is an obvious solution here: Buy two pairs! I am going to start with the square Bensen’s and then eventually get a second, round pair (there are a few I’m choosing between that are wide enough). I like the idea of having two pairs so I can switch things up, and at $95 per pair (includes prescription lenses and shipping) I can actually afford it.
Problem solved. Thanks, everyone!
Though I would love nothing more than to fill your inboxes and readers with my daily blubbering, in between posts I’ve got to make a living (because other than self-satisfaction, this blog pays me jack). So when that pang of sadness from missing your favorite blogger hits you, just hop on over here to find me:
Sales Check is a shopping and fashion events column that focuses on local sales, boutique openings, and retail news. I write a weekly online column on chicagomag.com and a monthly print column in Chicago magazine. You should sign up for the weekly newsletter here because I find out about the BEST sales that could legit save you $1,500 a year.*
*A theory not supported by actual math.
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Of course, I will still be blogging right here for all of you–not for profit, just for funnsies!
Latest creation:
This little guy started as a block of wax. Now, he chills on my finger.
More adventures in metalsmithing going on the past few weeks. Check this out:
I made that stuff!
My favorite of all the things I made so far is the faceted ring.
To make it, I first had to carve a ring out of wax (literally, like whittled away at it until it was the shape I wanted). The wax carving is used to make a mold, and that mold is used to make a metal ring. That’s the short story. The long version involves kilns and blow torches and centrifugal force and it’s all so COOL. You have to heat little bits of metal with a blow torch until it becomes fluid, and then force the molten metal into your mold using this contraption that spins it around really fast. The process is called casting. We’ve done it once so far and my teacher told us it would be an adrenaline rush, and it is. Because you’re really relying on physics (or for us non-physicists, COMPLETE BLIND FAITH) to keep this molten metal from flying up at your face.
Here is the ring I carved out of blue wax:
And here it is after being casted in bronze:
Pretty!
Some of the facets are smooth, others have a rough, filed texture. I love it because it looks like a big, chunky gemstone.
Here it is stacked with another ring I made with the wax and casting process. The triangle piece on my ring finger is a simple guy I made when we were first learning to solder (fusing metal together with heat).
PS, my nail polish is OPI Glitzerland and Essie Splash of Grenadine. This diagonal business is easier to do than it looks. If you’re confident/lazy, just freehand it. It’s not as that hard, really. Unless you are a perfectionist, and then it will drive you crazy. In which case, use tape like in the Scotch tape nail tutorial.
Lastly, a pendant I made out of brass. Actually I made two, a small and a large. It’s hammered and rough and has a worn look to it that I really like.
Solder on,
I’ve been talking about wanting to take a jewelry class forrrevvvverrrr now (as some of you know) because I have all of these vision of jewelry designs that need to exist in reality and not just my head. So after my sewing class ended, it was time to get serious. I enrolled in a metalsmithing class and a wax and casting class at Lillstreet Art Center–which started last night! Our first task in becoming metalsmithers was to create a simple pendant out of brass or copper. What I love about this class already is that right off the bat, we were allowed to create our own designs. It’s not as if we all created the same pendant–we were told to sketch out whatever we wanted and go for it.
Here’s what I made:
It’s the state of Illinois! And, if you look closely–a message for my fellow Illini fans.
I actually created two, but I want to go back over the larger copper piece and physically cut out a little letter “I” to mark where Champaign, IL is.
To make this piece, I started by sketching the design on paper. I knew right away that I wanted to do the state of Illinois, so I looked up a map on my phone and drew it out. I am not taking credit for the concept of a state necklace–the idea came from a something I’d seen before. There are many versions out there, but I like to think my little “I-L-L” brings some originality to the table.
I sawed out the design, filed it smooth, drilled a hole for a jump ring and connected it to a chain.
My teacher said to make sure we keep our first pieces, because she likes for us look at them at the end of the program and see how far we’ve come. So what you’re saying is, I should be embarrassed of this? Because I might never take it off. Then again, I love absolutely anything with a U of I connotation. I kind of owe everything to this school: my career, my friends, my husband for crying out loud.
In front of Foellinger Auditorim, my favorite picture from the engagement photos we took in Champaign after Todd hired a photographer off Craiglist for a grand total of $50.
For my first attempt, I’m pretty much in love with this necklace. Maybe I’ll design an entire U of I collection. Who wants a KAM’S necklace?
I’m coming off of vacay high right now. This past weekend Todd and I took a little east coast tour of DC and NYC. DC was filled with great friends, lots of history lessons (like learning it was the 43rd anniversary of the moon landing) and tons of fun (like using the 43rd anniversary of the moon landing as an excuse to take celebratory shots. “To Buzz!”).
Good ole Honest Abe.
NYC was filled with first anniversary celebrations, good food (slash bad for you food), Newsies on Broadway (phenomenal) and…fabric! While walking back to our hotel, Todd and I stopped in Mood Fabrics–THE Mood, of Project Runway fame. I’m basically BFFs with Tim Gunn, so it was a must. Also, I really wanted to buy some fabric for the projects I’m working on in sewing class. Sidenote, Chicago has a dismal selection of fashion fabric, at least for non-designers. Lame.
So in comparison to what I’ve seen here, Mood was sensory overload.
So. Much. Fabric. Now I know why those PR contestants run around like maniacs.
I shopped quickly because I’m pretty sure the last way Todd wanted to spend his anniversary was in a fabric store. (Weird). Luckily, I found two fabrics I loved pretty much immediately and scooped them up. I’m going to make straight, short skirts out of them. (Hopefully).
Yelp alert: The staff at Mood is extremely nice. Twice I was asked if I needed help and the guy who cut my fabric was friendly and helpful. The store was busy and there was a mix of obvious tourists and real shoppers, but they had plenty of staff to handle everyone. So if you’re in NYC and thinking about stopping by Mood, do it!
Thanks, Mood! And happy first anniversary, Todd!
As you all know, my sister got married this past weekend! I’m going to save blogging about the actual wedding until Lauren gets her professional pictures back so that it can really be done justice. In the mean time, I’d like to invite you to a little side party I hosted:
My dress was a combo of dark and light blue, hence the color scheme. Lauren let us choose our own dresses and accessories because she is the coolest bride ever. This allowed us to show our personality a little and I felt comfortable going kind of bold because Lauren isn’t a subtle girl herself.
Bracelets were collected over time, which made it like a fun treasure hunt.
From left to right (unfortunately, most aren’t online): Juicy Couture, Ann Taylor, Bloomingdale’s Outlet, Kohls.
Hope you enjoyed the party, thanks for coming!
I interrupt my lack of posting (resuming next week – promise!) to bring you this special message: MY SISTER IS GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW! I am crazy excited. I’m actually so excited that I almost don’t want it to happen because then it will be over. I’ll have to do a post of the aftermath because this will be the most creative, fun, fashion-forward event of the century. In the mean time, I’d like to take it back to our roots for a moment. All credit for this fashion show goes to our mom, who made all of our dresses for us on her sewing machine!
After this, we stilled dressed alike but only in Looney Tunes XL apparel, so I’ll stop now.
Happy pre-wedding day, Lauren!
