Students Work, Ted Posing It Up & The La Vidalerie Race Car !

May and June have been very busy months for us with lots of workshops and wonderful students making lots of beautiful Jewellery using a variety of techniques from silversmithing to fold forming, riveting to glass fusing.

You can click each of the photos to go into the individual FaceBook albums to see more details photos and read a little more about them  – you’ll see some of the new project we have added to the workshops too.

Margaret – Wonderful Week of Jewellery May 2015
It was lovely to see Margaret again, this time she wanted to explore fold forming, silversmithing and riveting.  She made some really beautiful jewellery including earrings with half drilled pearls and a riveted copper and silver pendant.

Lourika – Introduction to Silversmithing May 2015

Lourika came for 2 days of silversmithing, she had been making a lot of beautiful stamped jewellery in aluminum (and fabulous personalised books) and wanted to expand her skills into silver. Look at all the wonderful things she made in just 2 days !

Paula – Silversmithing & More June 2015

Paula tried our new project incorporating seaglass into a pendant as well as pearl drilling to make this riveting pearl ring.

Sally – Silver & The Sea – June 2015

Sally came back to explore more ways of bringing sea glass and the sea into her jewellery, her 3 days included silversmithing, wire work and stamping and our new project – a sea glass ring.

Larrissa – Silversmithing & Tube Setting – June 2015

Larrissa wanted to learn how to solder and this 3 day workshop gave her chance to learn the basics along with an introduction to tube setting and stamping. Here are some of the beautiful pieces she made.

Sarah – Introduction to Silversmithing – June 2015

Sarah came for Fold Forming but stayed for Riveting & Silversmithing 😉 3 wonderful days of interesting techniques and lovely jewellery – Here is what she made.

Gail & Ruth – Silversmithing, Stamping & Wire – June 2015

Gail and Ruth had a couple of days of jewellery making as part of a holiday, in two short days we visited silversmithing, riveting and wire wrapping.

Barbara – Silversmithing & Riveting – June 2015

Barbara came to us for our Introduction to Silversmithing but found time for riveting and stamping too.

Iseult – Silversmithing & Tube Setting – June 2015

Iseult wanted to come back to La Vidalerie to expand her silversmithing skills to include tube setting, here are the beautiful things she made in just 3 days !

Mary – Silver & Glass – June 2015

Mary joined us for a 3 day silversmithing workshop but wanted to include a taster session of glass fusing.  She made a beautiful (and difficult) textured anticlastic ring and it was her first experience of silversmithing.

Stephanie – 2 Day Introduction to Silversmithing – June 2015

Stephanie came to La Vidalerie for a 2 day Introduction to Silversmithing – Here are the lovely pieces she made.

Laura – Wonderful Week of Jewellery – June 2015

It was lovely to see Laura again for a fabulous week of jewellery making – She wanted to include silversmithing, etching & riveting. Here are the beautiful pieces of jewellery she made (including a gorgeous pair of etched copper and silver cufflinks).

Little Ted
Tim has had so many pictures to take of jewellery in the last couple of months it’s just as well he had Little Ted to help him 😉

La Vidalerie Race Car

Those of you who have met Tim might be aware of his interest in Scalextric racing – this is his work in progress, it will be branded with our logo and will eventually race against Steve’s Hotel Solomiac’s car 😉  Boys !

Return of the Salamanders, Fast and Fabulous Workshop and Christmas Ideas

Finally catching up after our pre-Christmas rush of orders (I wish I was so organised 😉

Salamanders
Most years around this time we are visited by a Fire Salamander or two, this year I was lucky enough to see 4, here is one of them.

They are on their way to meet other salamanders so they can hibernate together.  They are stunning and always make me feel a little blessed to have seen them.

Latest Workshop
We are just getting over our latest workshop – Sara arrived in the evening and left 2 days later at 5am (Tim isn’t a morning person but managed to take Sara to the station in time, mind you he looked like a zombie for a couple of days).  In the two short days she was with us she wanted to expand her existing skills with new techniques – here are some of the beautiful things she made –

Click on the image for more photos and information.

I hope Sara enjoyed her visit as much as we did.  As you can see from the photo she made a beautiful etched silver pendant from one of her sketches and managed to fit in stone setting, riveting and fold  Sara is a very talented jewellery maker and you can see more of her work on her etsy site https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SWebsterCollection

Mistletoe
I mentioned seeing the mistletoe in my last post, well I managed to remember my camera on one of my more recent walks with Choo Choo – it looks wonderful and I wish I could have done it justice.

Christmas Gift Ideas
I have been a little slow this year but have a look at some of my Christmas jewellery, gift and findings ideas by clicking here.

 

Etched Trees, Mistletoe and a GiveAway Draw – Day 31

Yesterday I saw my first mistletoe complete with white berries, there is always a lot of mistletoe in the trees but the berries made me feel suddenly Christmassy (I know it was still October but I’ve been making orders for Christmas charms and findings for a while now).  It prompted me to do a GiveAway draw for a pair of my Christmas Holly Earrings – you can wear them as the are or add beads – either way they’ll look fab !

Holly Hooks – £9 Handmade in Sterling Silver – They arrive in a cute aluminium tin

Just follow my blog or add a comment to be in the draw – Draw ends Sunday 2nd midnight.

In yesterdays blog I showed you a photo Tim had taken for me of trees up on the Aubrad – I spent some time making the image black & white (grayscale doesn’t work) and printing it onto PNP paper then transferring the image onto copper sheet for etching – here’s how the images turned out-

Copper & Silver Charm – 17mm x 30mm – £10

I used liver of sulphur to oxidize the pieces and bring out their detail.

Aubrac Trees Etched Pendant 3cm x 3cm on leather – £20

Well that’s the end of my October Make & Show month – please do follow my blog as I will keep posting my makes along with the back story of how some of them were made.

I you like my jewellery have a look at my website for items for sale, handmade findings & ear wires and more information about our jewellery making holidays in France – come and learn how to make your own jewellery !

A Day Off and A Picnic on the Aubrac – Day 30

After a strange summer we are having wonderful weather, chilly in the morning and hot in the afternoon.  Yesterday we had a day off to reminded ourselves why we came to live here in the Aveyron.  We took Choo Choo up to the Aubrac, a beautifully unspoilt high plateau where the cows graze during the summer and skiers visit the ski stations during the winter.

Here are just a few of the photos Tim took to give you a taste of the beautiful area we live in.  We started off with a picnic at a deserted lake (clicking on the photo should take you into a larger version).

Followed by a (for me) very long walk behind the Royal Aubrac, a large building originally built as a sanatorium for patients to benefit from the pure clean air.  We met cows on the way and here’s Choo Choo hairing (well he is a ball of hair) back to us after deciding the cows were rather larger than he thought.

First or last crocus

Tim found this beautiful crocus, the Aubrac is famous for it’s rare orchids but you also see wild daffodils and narcissus in the spring – I don’t know if this is the last crocus of this year or the first of next (if that makes sense).

Dry stone walls – these are all over the Aubrac and around us – it never ceases to amaze us how much work must have been put in to make these.

I was keeping an eye out for etching subjects and Tim took some photos of trees including this one….

…that I have edited in the hope that it will be suitable for etching

.

This is the image so far – I will need to make it completely black and white before printing it onto PNP paper for transferring onto metal.

Join me tomorrow and see if it made a good subject for etching.

Irresistible Etching – Roses, Believe & a Cute Dragonfly – Day 28

Well I have to say my current love is silver etching.  It can still be a little hit and miss but so satisfying.  This is a ring I have wanted to make for a while, the resist is made out of vinyl and I made and soldered the ring before etching.

I could pretend I planned it this way but to be honest this ring ended up slightly more etched on one side than the other and so when I came to stretch the edges to give it its anticlastic shape it bent slightly more on the more etched side (hope that makes sense) but I think it make it even more unique 😉

This actual ring is size N to N.5 and is for sale at a reduced price of £25 due to it’s slight eccentricities. Otherwise you can order it though my website by clicking the photos above.

Your Words
Let me know if you would like something different etched and I’ll let you know if it’s possible.

Etched Roses
I also made a pair of earrings using nail art plates and nail varnish as the resist.

Etched Roses – £20 including postage and they arrive in one of our cute aluminium tins.

I etched a sheet of silver, cut the earring to shape, sanded and curved them then soldered silver stud posts on the back so they just hang straight from your ears.  They are oxidized to give them a darker look and to bring out the detail of the roses.

Etched Dragonfly Charm
Most of the etching I have done so far has been applying my design as a resist, I made this charm by applying the surround to the design as a resist so the dragonfly was etched – I’m thinking about making a ring in the same way with dragonflies or butterflies.

Silver dragonfly charm – £7 14mm x 10mm

Today I have a fab idea for a pair of earrings using riveting and old film – It could be great if it works !  Join me tomorrow and see.

October Make & Show Challenge – This month I have set myself the challenge to make something and post about it everyday – follow my blog for automatic updates.  Some of the jewellery featured is available for sale here  – http://www.lavidalerie.com/BlogJewellery.html

Jewellery for Twitchers & Walnuts & Blackberries – Days 26&27

Walnuts & Blackberries
I haven’t gone brambling since I was a child but when we had the dormice staying I collected blackberries for them everytime I took Choo Choo for a walk.  Now of course they are back in the wild but I must admit I still pick  the blackberries and eat them – it takes me right back to being a child !  Another silly pleasure is looking out for the walnuts – today I found 3 on our walk – now if I could only find a way of making them into jewellery 😉

Jewellery for Twitchers & A Leafy Ring for Brenda

Love Bird House Pendant – £28 inc postage

One of our lovely students bought my Love Bird Pendant before it reached our website and I have only just got round to making another – the birdhouse and bird started off as silver sheet and with the help of a saw and sanding sticks became this very cute necklace (ideal gift for a twitcher 😉

Etched Leaves
Don’t worry if you are think you are suffering from déja vue, I did make a similar ring recently but this one is for Brenda who liked the first one and wanted one made in her size – due to the making process each one is different.  We’ll be running etching workshops next year so do contact me if you’d like information when it’s available.

Etched Leaves Ring – £15 or £20 for the thicker version.

Today I’m doing more etching with a new pair of earrings and a BELIEVE ring so join me tomorrow to see how they turned out.

In The Clouds
This time of year we often wake up in or above the clouds, one morning Tim took his camera out early and here are a couple of his photos

Lunet – This is our nearest village  – I take in this view each morning when I walk Choo Choo

Four del Mas – a farm just down the road looking very sleepy in the morning

October Make & Show Challenge – This month I have set myself the challenge to make something and post about it everyday – follow my blog for automatic updates.  Some of the jewellery featured is available for sale here  – http://www.lavidalerie.com/BlogJewellery.html

Wonderful Week of Jewellery with Fran & Sue

We were really looking forward to Fran & Sue’s visit as their previous workshops with us had been such fun to do.  Their wish list included glass fusing, more riveting, a taster session in enameling and lot and lots more !

Here are some of the wonderful things they made

Clicking on the photo above should take you into the album on our FaceBook page which shows each piece in all its glory !

I thought I would show you just a few of the pieces and how they were made.

Sue etched a piece of copper, circles were cut out and Sue domed them then soldered on stud backs to make these…..

…gorgeous earrings

Fran textured one of these pieces of copper and used press forming to make a heart which she riveted with felt to make this ….

…wonderful pendant

Salt Water Etching
Here are a couple of their etching designs and what they became (the designs were stamped then scanned and printed onto PNP paper then ironed onto copper sheet then etched using the salt water etching method

Sue made her etched design into a really nice key ring.

Fran made hers into a lovely brooch, the liver of sulphur really brings out the detail of the etching.

Brooch back with handmade pin.

Do visit our FB page to see more of their lovely work and our website for more information about our jewellery making holidays.

Days 21 to 25, Step by Step Etched Earrings & Twisted Vines

Well it turns out that sometimes I just can’t fit in running a workshop, packing orders, making orders and taking Choo Choo for his walks and updating my blog, especially when our lovely students take us out to dinner 😉

So here are a couple of things that I made in  the lost days.

Etched Cosmos Earrings – Copper & Silver

The chains hang behind the copper and add lots of movement – One of a Kind Earrings – £24 – Click on the photo to buy

Step by Step

Applying the Resist (the parts that don’t get etched) This is a sheet of stickers for card making.

Using tweezers I applied some of the circles to my piece of copper and packing tape on the back so it doesn’t get etched.

Copper after etching using the salt water etching method

I cut the copper into two pieces and curved them

Handmade components – Tiny handmade silver spiral charms added to pieces of silver chain * balled ear wires ready for pickling

I polished the copper by hand to keep the lovely soft colour and tumbled the chains and ear wires 

If you fancy a go at etching email me about our jewellery making workshops !

Here are another pair of earrings I made last week – Twisted Pearl Vines

Tiny leaves cut from silver sheet and textured with real leaf skeletons with stud backs and long twisted wire makes a vine holding a small black/peacock freshwater pearl – long, extremely elegant and the pearl add a flicker of movement.  Very Cute ! – £25 – You can click on the photo to buy these.

Students Work
On Friday we were very sad to say goodbye to Fran & Sue, we’d had a great week of jewellery making and I’ll be posting the photos of their creations this afternoon on FaceBook and on an extra blog posting here so follow my blog for automatic updates.

 

 

Day 20 – Free Day for Students – Lots and Lots and Lots of Ear Wires for Me !

Yesterday was a free day for Fran & Sue but they still managed to do lots of hammering & riveting 😉

Lovely riveted copper and silver bangles by Sue

Fran incorporated a fair trade bead onto her second bangle.

Whereas I spent the day making lots and lots of lovely handmade silver ear wires and findings for our orders.

Click on the photo to find out why so many people buy our beautiful findings !

Today was a very busy day for Fran & Sue with more etching, glass fusing & jewellery making, I made a super pair of etched earrings and find out what Sue made out of her etched copper from a couple of days ago

October Make & Show Challenge – This month I have set myself the challenge to make something and post about it everyday – follow my blog for automatic updates.  Some of the jewellery featured is available for sale here  – http://www.lavidalerie.com/BlogJewellery.html

Student Etching & I Must Make Myself a Pair of These ! Day 19

Yesterday was Day 2 of Fran & Sue’s Wonderful Week of Jewellery and here are just some of the things they made.

Etched designs ready to be used tomorrow

The previous nights homework was to produce some designs to etch.  Fran & Sue used stamps to create their designs and these were scanned in and printed onto PNP paper.  This was then ironed onto copper sheet and etched using the salt water etching method – as you can see the etch was very successful visit my blog over the next few days to see what they made out of these pieces.

We explored other ways of creating a resist for etching including using nail art plates and nail varnish – Here are the earrings Fran made, they will be oxidized later but also look great bright.

Copper & silver etched earrings

Sue had taken a fancy to a riveted prototype pendant I had made and came up with this lovely design in silver.

The two rings are held between two long pieces of silver which have been textured in the rolling mill then riveted together – the chain just slips between giving the pendant lots of movement.

Today was a rest day but Fran & Sue decided to keep on working on their own, drop by tomorrow to see what they made.

I Must Make Myself a Pair of These !
I have been busy with orders recently and making theses earrings for Louise reminded me how much I like them – I really must make myself a pair – I’m sure I deserve them 😉

Blown Away – Handmade in silver – £18 and they arrive in a cute aluminium tin.

Gorgeous dandylion heads are stamped onto handmade silver discs and given a slightly sanded finish then hung on handmade silver ear wires.

Just me tomorrow to see what we all make !

October Make & Show Challenge – This month I have set myself the challenge to make something and post about it everyday – follow my blog for automatic updates.  Some of the jewellery featured is available for sale here  – http://www.lavidalerie.com/BlogJewellery.html