Uncategorized – Wendy Hearn – Contemporary Jewellery

Deb Karash Workshop

It is very rare these days that I get to attend a workshop as the student. As I am usually the teacher at the front of the class. Although recently I had the opportunity to attend a Deb Karash workshop who was teaching at the Sydney Jewellery School.

Deb Karash is an amazing artist who does a lot of work in coloured pencils and copper. Check out Debs work here: Deb Karash

I really enjoyed the workshop and found the technique very relaxing. Took me back to being a child and sitting there colouring in.

Below is a picture of the piece that I created in the workshop.

Silver, copper and prismacolor

Monthly Keyword Reading Challenge 2013

One of the great pleasures in life is curling up with a book and getting lost in a different world. Reading was something that I did all the time, I could chew through a couple of books a week. It is something I love to do yet I can’t remember the last time I took time out and read for pleasure rather than something that is work related.

This year with my increased travel time I have decided that I will this time reading a novel! ooohhhh how luxurious. To keep me motivated I found a reading challenge on the internet.

Bookmark to Blog is hosting two different reading challenges for 2013. The first challenge being “the nerdy non fiction” reading challenge. I decided against this one as non fiction is all I seem to read at the moment. The other challenge is the Monthly Keyword reading challenge. Each month you are given a list of keywords and the book you read has to have that word in the title.

I decided that this was the challenge for me. I would start with the goal of one book a month and see how I progress. I would like to see that by the end of 2013 I am reading a couple of books a month and rediscover my love of reading for pleasure.

Now to decide what I will start the challenge with………

2013 Jewellery Challenge – Brooch a Week

Happy New Year to you all!

So it is time to set yourself challenges, resolutions for the coming year.

As a jewellery artist I love to learn new techniques and at the begining of each year i write myself a list of things that I want to learn for the year. This year i decided to do things a little different. Each Year I have followed the weekly challenges on flickr, each year being a different challenge such as rings the sets an so on.

This years theme is Brooch a week. Brooch A Week

To participate you need to create and post an image of your brooch each week. That is 52 brooches in 2013. That is alot of brooches and the challenge is scaring me a little. Being the begiing of the year you are full of such hopes and bravado for the year I jumped in and thought why not! I can do this.

There is only one little hiccup in this challenge and that is I have never ever in my entire life made a brooch. It is the one piece of jewllery that I don’t wear and was therfore never intersted in making. I steered clear of workshops and silversmithing classes where you had to make a brooch.

So I am a little excited about this challenge as I set out on my journey for the year in Brooch making. I am excited to document my progress and can’t wait to see how far I have come by the end of 2013 and who knows I may actually start to wear them in 2013.

Wish me luck!

Anyone else brave enough to join me on this challenge?

Funky Eye Rings – I see you!

I have been making these rings for a couple of years now. I love the one I made for myself and always get a reaction from people when I do. They either love it or they hate it because it freaks them out.

These rings have recently become popular again and I currently have 2 custom orders in the works for people who loved them.

They are quirky and fun to wear. It is a double ring with the eyeballs sitting between the fingers. There is somthing about these rings that evokes a sense of play. Try wearing one and not turning your fingers into noses like you are playing shadow puppets or freaking out people on the train to simply amuse yourself of a morning.

Please be aware that if you would like one of these rings for Christmas the last date that I ma taking custom orders is Saturday the 8th December.

Cabochons Sale – 15% Off

Super Cabochons Sale in my Etsy Shop – Cabochons Galore

Receive 15% discount during checkout on all Cabochons purchases. Use the code “christmas” to receive the discount.

Glass Cabochons, Dichroic Glass cabochons, glass donuts, Gemstones, Gemstone Pairs.

Day Fourteen – Immersion – 14 Day Photo Challenge

Sound the trumpets and roll out the red carpet I have officially made it to the end of the 14 Day Photo Challenge inspired by the Triple J’s hottest 100 albums of all time. I have really enjoyed the challenge and pushing myself creatively each day.

Its amazing what you learn and what you can achieve when you set aside a little time each day just to be creative and have fun. I would like to thank Samara from Maddabling for organising this challenge an allowing me to participate. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself.

So our final challenge was “Immersion” the album title of the group Pendulum. This type of music is workout music to me. Should be sweating it out at the gym boxing or cycling like you are racing Tour de France.

The definition according to the free dictionary online is:

immersion – sinking until covered completely with water, dip – a brief immersion

immersion – (astronomy) the disappearance of a celestial body prior to an eclipse

immersion – complete attention; intense mental effort

immersion – a form of baptism in which part or all of a person’s body is submerged

immersion – the act of wetting something by submerging it

So thats when inspiration struck me…. Dip – A brief immersion…

Now for my final challenge photograph i give to you……. Drum roll……

Biscuit – A brief immersion in Hommus.

Day Thirteen – Human Frailty – 14 Day Photo Challenge

Second Last day of the 14 day Photo Challenge and this one nearly broke me. The challenges became harder as we progressed further into the challenge. It might also be the fact that the first week provided more opportunities for me to be out and about that I have not had for the second week. I have always come up with something and today I persevered.

Challenge was “Human Frailty” album title of Hunters and Collectors. An Australian iconic band that most would have seen live at one time in their lives.

I went with a song title on the album called “The Finger” an you will be happy to know I behaved myself and take a photo o my “rude Finger”.

Don’t forget to check out what the other participants have been coming up with for the challenge.

Maddabling Blog – 14 Day Photo Challenge

Day Twelve – Three – 14 Day Photo Challenge

Day twelve of the 14 Day Photo Challenge. Today’s challenge is “Three” the album title The John Butler Trio.

My photograph is a trivet on a tripod casting a trio of shadows. Only Two more days to go until we reach the end of this challenge. I am a little sad that it will be ending as I have really enjoyed the creative challenge.

Day Eleven- Tea and Sympathy – 14 Day Photo Challenge

Nearly at the finish line, we are at Day Eleven.

Today’s inspiration for the 14 Day Photo Challenge is “Tea and Sympathy” the title of Bernard Fanning’s album.

I was aiming to do a photograph of song title “yesterday is gone”. I tried a few shots but they just weren;t working for me. I soon lost interest in what I was trying to achieve and became fascinated with my cup of tea. This was not what I was trying to achieve and I think I failed this particular challenge miserably. Any sympathy for me?

At least I amuse myself.

Day Ten – Lovers – 14 Day Photo Challenge

Nearly across he finish line. For today’s inspiration it was “Lovers” album title for the group Sleepy Jackson.

I actually enjoy this album, nice to have playing whilst brainstorming at my bench.

This photograph was taken early this morning. I have been trying to get a shot for days and days of the two of them. I was woken up by the VERY loud conversation that the two of them were having. It is the strangest sound two cats having a conversation. They just sat there chatting, didn’t fight just talked at the top of there lungs. I wish I had audio so that you coul hear the conversation.

So my photograph is of my cat Leo and his “Lover” (basement cat) No wonder I couldn’t get a photo of them with the other being black.