Talent of any kind is not innate but as a result of practicing an aptitude until a level of achievement demonstrates expertise – and hence then, is an artist born.  The same can also be said of becoming a wire jewelry artist – you’re not born one, you develop yourself into being one.

What then are the steps?  First of all, you need to discover if you have an innate talent for creating “things” with your hands that match what you envision in your mind.  Many would love to be an artist, painting murals or figurines, even pottery or designing glass sculpture.  But, if you can not realize through your hands what you see in your mind, you don’t have the artist access required to become that artist.

There is also the requirement, when working with wire jewelry, to be able to think in 3D.  Why?  Because the craft of making wire jewelry requires thinking in dimensions, placement, color and texture.  Without being able to integrate all of these elements, it is difficult to be this kind of artist.

If you have some innate talent as described above, then you are ripe to become an artist at wire jewelry making.  The next step is then to practice it.  Practicing each step then is what is necessary – first practicing the art through another expert’s knowledge either in a course or through reading / video demonstrations.  Follow the instructions and then reach beyond them adding in your innate knowing to improve upon the piece.  Continue to improve upon what you learn.

Finally, after you have repeatedly learned and followed good techniques and expanded upon them to make them your own, you are ready to start designing your own pieces from within yourself.  Start small and build upon it.  Then get feedback from an expert.  Find encouragement.  Learn about yourself and find out exactly where your “sweet spot” is.

At the end of the day and about 10 years later you will be a wire jewelry expert with a reputation and a following.  Experts aren’t born.  They are developed and it does take about 10 years to become one, in any field…most of all enjoy your journey there!

September 15, 2009—Salt Lake City, UT.  Wire-Sculpture.com has announced the winner of their 2009 “Inspired Druzy” Jewelry Contest by naming Ms. Rhonda Chase, with her piece entitled “Crystal Cave,” the Grand Prize Winner.   As the Grand Prize winner Ms. Chase will receive a “Wired Retreat,” a convention held in Buffalo, NY, in October.

The value of this prize is $1797  and will feature instructor Dale “Cougar” Armstrong, an expert in the art of wire jewelry making.  She has several projects planned as well as some fun surprises for all participants!

Ms. Chase also receives free accommodation at the retreat, being hosted at the Buffalo Hilton Garden Inn, as well as meals.  The Grand Prize did not include transportation to and from Buffalo.

The essay submitted by Ms. Chase is poetic and is included herein along with a photograph to demonstrate what it takes to create a winning masterpiece when making wire jewelry.

“Plink. Plink. Plink.
A drip.
A faint glimmer.

The moonlike gleam of a stray ray of sunlight. Walk into the dark. Quiet. The world is gone. A new world awaits.

Turn on a light. And see. Like you’ve never seen before.

Enter the cave. Resplendent walls of crystal with fabulous spires and drops. A spectacular shining cavern and a silent secret river sliding past the stone. At the center of it all, a magnificent still pool, saying nothing, but drawing great attention by its beauty. Crystal formations lie just beneath the waters’ surface, shimmering with uncanny light in this dim world. On the banks of the pool, banded layers of gemstone laid down over eons. “

A crystal cave was the inspiration for my Druzy artwork. These fabulous caverns present a world within our own, mystical in appearance, but completely earthbound. The very core of the earth itself–rock. My beautiful Druzy looks like a still blue pool at the base of the cave. Look into the pool, and see the sparkle of crystals beneath the water, the reflection of gems above. Look around the pool and see a liquid silver river winding slowly past it and through the cavern. The Druzy appears to float in its setting so that it is not obscured from light or view.  I have enhanced my crystal cave with Botswana agate and Swarovski crystals carefully chosen to match and accentuate the Druzy. You can see the river break into swirls and eddies as it splashes into these formations. And as the water comes around the far side of the crystal pool, five free-hanging rivulets of fine sterling chain and hand-wrapped links create small, gentle streams. After this, the river will continue on, the cave will continue on, but we can see no further.”

Beyond the Grand Prize, a Public voting and the favorite pick by Wire-Sculpture.com staff prizes went to Stephanie Eddy for her “one Man’s Pond Scum” pendant and Marie Parker for her “Life’s Hope” piece, respectively.   Ms. Eddy won a $100 Gift Certificate from Wire-Sculpture and an autographed copy of Dale Armstrong’s new “Wire Working” book with personalized comments about her entry.  Ms. Parker also received the same for her wire jewelry entry.

The contest required that each contestant create an original piece of wire jewelry using at least one Druzy Gemstone  Cabochon, submit a photo and write an essay about the piece describing where the inspiration came from to create it.  Each entry was judged for its originality (30 points), for its creativity (30 points), and for the artist’s ability to tie in their inspiration for naming the piece and their essay with the created wire jewelry piece (40 points).  There were over 50 entries in the contest.

The term “Druzy” (also spelled as Drusy or Druse) refers to the tiny crystal which is formed within or on another stone in a large number. When the ground water that carries dissolved, silica is through force pushed into the porous area of rock, rapid cooling occurs and it causes the formation of minute crystals.

Wire-Sculpture.com offers wire jewelry making supplies, ideas, and education to hobbyists and professional jewelry-makers and as a result provide the jewelry-making community with a platform to run competitions.  These contests are not only fun but help jewelry makers find inspiration, learn new techniques, and build a community of artists that love to create jewelry pieces.

craft projects for

If you’re looking for special projects that will teach your kids to be environmentally friendly, then why not get them involved with crafts? Ordinary items around the house like coat hangers, CDs and DVDs and old clothing often end up in landfill sites when they can be used to make functional and attractive items for your home, office or garden. In this article, we’ll show you some simple crafts for kids that will make our world a little greener.

Tin cans can be used for a number of craft projects after their contents have been emptied. Turning tuna or cat food cans into candy containers is a practical craft project that is so simple that anyone can do it. After you’ve washed the can thoroughly, paint the outside white. Punch two holes near the top edge on opposite sides and use light weight craft wire or a pipe cleaner to make a handle. Now the can looks like a little basket. To cover the wire, you can use felt or pretty ribbon. To decorate the outside of the can, you can use stamps, stickers, glitter or more craft paint. Line the inside with plastic wrap, paper doilies, or colored cellophane. The candy container will look really pretty and artistic once you put the candy inside.

Napkin rings are an attractive addition to any table even when you’re having a casual family dinner. Save your silver napkin rings for formal occasions and make paper towel tube rings for every day. This is so easy, and is one of safest crafts for young kids to do. You’ll need an assortment of dried beans. If you want a flashier look, you can use plastic gem stones. You’ll also need an empty paper towel tube, glue and scissors. Cut empty paper towel tubes into 1-1/4″ rings. Use the glue to attach the beans or gems to the entire surface area. If you want to make a simpler looking napkin ring, cover the paper towel roll with shelving paper in a pretty pattern before cutting the roll into pieces.

CDs and DVDs often end up in landfill sites where it will take hundreds of years for them to decompose. Because they are shiny and reflective, they are in fact perfect for crafts. Here’s how to turn old or unwanted discs into a high tech letter holder. You’ll need some foam, three or four discs, fabric of your choice, gems or flowers to decorate, a serrated knife, a candle stub or paraffin, a ruler, a wide flat paintbrush, paper towels, scissors, a glue gun and glue sticks, and white craft glue. Cut three or four 5-1/2″ squares from the fabric. For each CD, spread a thin layer of white glue over the label side and smooth a fabric square over glue. Let dry and trim the excess fabric. Cut two 1-1/2″ x 12″ strips from the fabric. Glue the strips around the edge of a foam heart, overlapping as needed. Clip corners and fold excess fabric to bottom and glue to secure. To make inserting the discs easier, first cut 3/8″ deep, equally-spaced parallel grooves into the top of the foam heart. Apply a thin line of white glue along each CD slit and press discs 1/2″ to 3/4″ deep into slit. Glue your choice of decorations to each side of discs and you’re done!

Everyday household items like towels, sheets, pillowcases, canisters and coasters can all be made at home using items that normally would end up in the trash. By turning waste into fun and functional crafts, you’ll save money and protect the environment from being cluttered with unnecessary garbage. So, turn on your imagination and have a great time while filling your home with unique, one-of-a-kind, handmade items.

art and craft

Getting crafty is a fun way to spice up cold winter days. Art and craft projects are a great way to get the kids together and create pieces that you’ll cherish for years. There are a number of craft ideas that are suitable for kids of all ages, so let your imagination go wild. In this article, we’ve got some fun and easy craft projects to get you through the cold weather.

Christmas cards don’t have to be just for Christmas. They are so beautiful that they can be used for a variety of art and craft pieces. Collect cards that have beautiful winter scenes on them and turn them into scented sachets that are decorative enough for any room. To make the sachets, simply glue the bottom and side edges of the card together and then slip a small amount of potpourri or cotton balls dampened with your favorite scent into the space. Use a hole punch to make two holes on the top edge, through which you can thread a pretty ribbon before tying a bow. Leftover or recycled ribbon from Christmas is ideal. If you leave a loop in the ribbon, the sachets can be hung on door handles, coat hooks or hangers.

Old greeting cards, ornaments and even buttons can really come in handy. Collect small glass jars or buy some cheap candle votive jars. Cut out pretty scenes, flowers, or shapes like stars and squiggles, and glue them to the jar. You can even collect letters to spell out your name. Gold, silver and sparkly/glittery objects look especially beautiful when the candlelight shines through the jar. Simply glue the cutouts to the jars and you’ll have beautiful, personalized candle holders for your home.

If you love the beauty of stained glass windows, then you can get the same look at home in no time with glass paint motifs. You’ll need paints specifically made for craft ideas involving glass, a glass paint outliner in black, a stable acetate sheet and a template. You can make templates yourself out of cardboard. Candlesticks, religious icons like crosses, and butterflies are all popular choices but you can make whatever interests you. Start by laying the acetate foil over the pattern. Trace the design onto the foil using the outliner paint. Once the paint is dry, you can paint inside the lines either in one solid color or a variety of colors. Once the colors dry, cut the motif out and fasten it to the window with scotch tape with the painted side facing out.

If you’re looking for simple craft ideas, then hop onto the internet or look for some craft books. You’ll be able to find ideas and patterns for ornaments, greeting cards and other decorations. Before you drop a fortune at expensive hobby shops, look around for inexpensive materials at dollar stores and sewing shops. Even old Christmas cards and decorations can be recycled into new arts and crafts. Most importantly, get creative and enjoy the time with your family.