Imagine This

Ok, Ok, One More Challenge Project.

Mixed Metals Earrings

Hey, remember Deryn's challenge project? She challenged us all to work through Mary Hettmansperger's book. Wrap, Stitch, Fold, and Rivet? Well, there are 20 projects and I had done only TWO! Deryn has finished all of the projects and posted Project 20-Twisted Wire Choker Necklace - although she didn't do a necklace. She did these gorgeous earrings:

(Photo by Deryn Mentock)

She will be drawing a name from those of us who participated in the challenge to give two prizes (pieces she created during the challenge.) We get to have our name in the drawing for as many of the projects as we did. She encouraged us to do one more before she has the drawing so I took her up on it.

I did Project 6 - Mixed Metal Earrings. Here is a look at Mary's Hettmansperger's Project 6:

Earrings by Mary Hettmansperger
Photo from her book.

Of course the idea here is to use different kinds of metal in one pair of earrings. After digging through all the metals pieces that I have patterned and patinated, I actually ended up using copper for both major pieces in these earrings... yuk, I forgot about mixing metals. That's the way we artists are -- once the muse hits we lose control of the work! Oh well, I consider the copper pieces, the little silver tag I used to screw the pieces together at the top, and the brass bead caps all count as mixing metals.

Peek-a-Boo Earrings

The required techniques for Project 6 are:

• Applying heat-treated patinas 
• Using liver of sulfur patina
• Installing eyelets and brads
• Making wire-wrapped loops

I pretty much did all this except I used itty-bitty screws and nuts instead of brads.

I love how the little turquois nuggets peek out of these brass filigree bead caps. They almost look like clappers in tiny brass bells.

Capped Bead Dangles

One thing I learned though - - next time I make a "peek-a-boo" element, I will not use a tired ole head pin. When someone inevitably turns the bead cap up to get a better view of what is in there, I want something showing that is a little more creative than a head pin -- like maybe a paddle or spiral end on the wire.

A-a-a-anyway, I want you to have a look at the great patinae. (Click on the image to get a better look.)

Patinated Copper

The bottom piece is copper that I think I used liver of sulfur and heat to patinate. However, it was so ling ago I don't really even remember where I did it or how. All I know is how ecstatic I was about the pink color I got in the copper contrasting with the black. The top copper strip I created in Susan Lenart Kazmer's class at a retreat in Seattle. I wrote with black sharpie on the copper piece before I used green patina solution on it and let it patina overnight. What a rich green patina you get if you are willing to wait.

If you would like to see other mixed metal earrings in this challenge project just go to Deryn's challenge blog and find Project 6 listed in the left sidebar. Each artist who did this project is listed there. Clicking on a name will take you to that person's blog post about that project.

 

Now, I need to go post this entry so at least I'll have my name in the drawing three times.

See ya back here soon . . .

Camp T, The Girls, Day 2, 2009

Starting with breakfast in the studio - Day 2

The girls hit the studio and took up where they left off last year -- making "money" from bottle caps. (Actually, they started last night.) Then they were served the first course of breakfast -fruit and cream. Papa T cooked breakfast for us on the grill outside.

Shades of Charlie's Angels.

The girls decided that today would be a "mess around Huntsville" day. They had lots of fun with these bead wigs. In the car, they would entertain themselves by putting them over the front seat head rests so they could "style" them -- pigtails, braids, etc. Kids can be very imaginative if left to their own devices.

Waiting on the adults to get ready for exploring Huntsville, the girls set up a domino "fall." Notice the bead wigs on the floor. Beads are a nuisance to setting up dominoes.

Here is a look at the show:

Did you notice that the bead wigs were back in place for the big show? A few hours later, Carly told me that they wanted to re-film the whole thing because she did not like what she said at the end. I agreed to film again and here is what happened:

LOL. A little lesson in the technical difficulties of filming "live"!! I don't think that was quite the ending they had planned. Oh, well. . . on to the next activity. BTW, did you notice that today is pigtail day?

   

 

  

Girls sign in while Papa T waits

 

 

On the path to the statue, there is a duplicate Sam Houston face. Our custom is to climb the back of it to take pictures and to sign the back of it. The girls found Korie's name from last month.

All of this while . . .

 

Papa T Waits!

Back on the path to the statue, I couldn't resist the ever popular "feet" shot.

 

Then I got the shot of a lifetime for the Sam Statue.

 

We were still on the path around at the back of the statue. I crouched down right behind the girls and nearly fell over! I manged to get the girls and the statue right up to the head. This statue is so huge that usually you see people backing up (to the highway) to try getting their loved ones and the statue in one shot -- impossible. I finally hit on a way to do it. Yea!

    

See, from the front of the statue, I could only get a part of his legs in the picture and not even his feet! The base alone is taller than any of the grown-ups. So might as well get a good close up of the girls!

 

Last year we discovered a rather cruel form of graffiti - scraping and scratching writing into the leaves of a plant. This plant was still alive this year thank goodness. Don't people know that it is the leaves of a plant that take in the sunlight and turn it to nourishment for the plant? Carly said they couldn't really see the graffiti in last year's pictures on-line so I made a large one:

 

(Click on any picture to see a larger version.)

Next it was out through the secret path to meet up with Papa T and take a sashay through the gift shop.

 

 

 

In the gift shop, the girls donned these great cowgirl hats in honor of pigtail day!

 

 

After the Sam Houston Visitor's Center, we went to Hastings to rent movies (another tradition) and then to what used to be King's Candy (a Camp T tradition as well.) There is a new owner and alas, we don't like it as much. The candy was moved to the back so it doesn't show well. The food was different, too. Bummer.

 

After a late lunch at Kings, we spent some time working on shrink plastic minibooks. these will be little spiral journal books about 1" X 1.5 "!! But the covers are made from shrink plastic so they start out at about 3" X 5" or more. When we work hard, there are fewer pictures. Forgive me. Notice that a couple of Barbie dolls are making it onto the work table, too. We're thinking about altering them.

For dinner, we selected a command repeat from last year -- hotdogs with chili!

When the day cooled off, about 7PM, we went back out to the golf course. (Mimi was too tired to take pictures of the three holes we played. They would have looked very much the same as the last ones you saw anyway.)

This picture represents a couple of little girls who came in, kicked off their shoes, and went to bed!

Believe it.

 

Tomorrow is a big day.

Camp T for Girls - The 10 Year-Olds

Carly, Mairead, and Korie buckle up to ride with us to the restaurant.

Camp usually starts at a restaurant with lunch for the whole family. Since we met at the kids' house this time, all the girls wanted to ride to the restaurant with us. They were giddy with excitement -- partly because of Camp T but mostly because they each had a purse with a surprise in it for Papa T and me:

Our beaded jewels!! This is what was in the purses.
(Aren't those headdresses fantastic?)

Lunch at an old favorite - - Willies:

Of course dessert was the best!
 

CAMP TURLINGTON, Session II, Day One

After we arrived in Huntsville, Carly and Mairead had a surprise for us themselves:

(I took these 2 pics with my iPhone. So far I'm not too good with the photos. Sorry)

After unloading the car, the first adventure is buying groceries. You remember that at Camp T, the campers get to select ANYTHING they want from the grocery store for eating all week. Can you say "sugar-high?" Since our new, one-and-only Target opened the day before, the girls decided to try buying groceries there.

WooHoo!!!! We have a TARGET!!! (I know. I know. But it's a little town remember.)

 
I remembered the girls holding hands last year and wondered if they would still do that. Isn't it precious?


Well, we DO like fruit but Kroger has a better selection so let's see what else Target has.


Yeah, let's get pencils and then go to Kroger for food.

So we left Target -- to the tune of a rainbow!

And, off to Kroger . . .

Now Papa T has a weird affliction -- maybe more than one -- but we all think this one is strange. He can't stand to touch a peach... no I mean literally touch. He likes to eat peaches but says that to touch that fuzzy skin makes him feel the same as running fingernails on a blackboard. Isn't that wild? So the first thing the girls want to do is get peaches for teasing Papa T!

Did we get enough popsicles?

Papa T told them to get only one to share (he meant one package of 50!) Carly said, "I can one all by myself! (Shethought he meant for them to share one single popcicle!)

This brings me to a first for Camp T. At the end of the shopping, Carly asked, "Can we get some candy?" And in a loud booming voice, Papa T said emphatically, "NO!"

What??!? Camp T's first "no!" But as you could probably guess, Papa T gave in by the time we got to the checkout stand and we got candy! With these kiddoes, he is such a pushover.

Having taken care of the essentials, we headed for the links. Carly might end up being the golfer in the family. Doesn't that warm Papa T's heart?

 

Alrighty then, one hole down and we're approaching evening. If you click on the images you'll get a better view of what's going on . . . like dancing a jazzy walk, trying to chip from the lake, and in the next batch you'll see some "flag core" moves. (Did you have a flag core that performed at games in high school? We did.) So, anyway, Mairead drives us to the next hole.

Is anyone having fun yet?

Here are the pictures of the "flag core" on the putting green. Also, notice the putting happy-dance.

So, Carly's putt ends the evening - a couple of holes, a couple of hours -- as the game is called due to darkness!

We had showers and selected a dinner of Spaghetti-Os. for a few minutes, the girls worked in the studio making bottle cap "money" as they did last year. they pretend they make money for the government of a small country. They take orders, make the money and sell it. Clever, huh?

We also took a look-see into the studio to begin thinking about art projects. The girls spend time in their room working in their diaries - a gift from Papa T and Mimi.

Stay tuned for minibooks and altered Barbies!