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Etsy Finds: Baby Things!

Once in a while, I'll feature some fellow Etsy crafters on my blog. This is a hand-knit baby hammock by Tricky Knits!

Check out my hand-picked collection of baby things!

In the Studio: My Other Studio Cat

My adopted cat. She loves my studio. Photo by Emily Wiser.

My other studio cat is a real sweetie. Her name is Tabitha. We adopted her from a shelter in Chicago. She is blind in one eye from an infection when she was a stray. She is the gentlest cat ever, and she really loves being in my studio!

A Yurt!

Crooked House. Copper, Brass, Patina, Lacquer. House & Photo by Emily Wiser

My instructor at my jewelry school mentioned in passing today that she had a pet sheep. Every year her sheep needed to be shorn. She didn't know what to do with all of that wool! She tried to give it away to the Kindergarten so the children could do crafts. It turned out that even the Kindergarten couldn't use a whole sheep's worth of wool every year! She began to make diamond and dyed felted jewelry, which I think sounds just fabulous. Then she told us that she finally got together with a friend and they took all those years' worth of wool and made a yurt (a traditional Mongolian house)! Imagine that! A fantastically dyed, bright purple and pink and red and orange yurt! I can't stop thinking about it. I really want to get my own pet sheep and make my own yurt.

While I'm slowly working on the yurt, you can see a photo of my own little portable house, which I made out of copper in the photo above. I've engraved every single bit of it with the nursery rhyme "The Crooked House."

Above & below: close-ups of my Crooked House. Photos & House by Emily Wiser.

Daydreaming: Procrastination, Bits N Bobs

Prototype for my engraved book. Engraved poem "The Wave" on a locket.
Copper, patina, colored pencil, lacquer. Engraved locket & photo by Emily Wiser.

January is almost over. I didn't work on my engraved book! It's a confession I had to make. It's why I like making jewelry for clients. An order comes in, I get to make it, get to work with the gold or silver, get to make something that's pretty, get the satisfaction of working with my hands and seeing something born. I also wonder about who will wear it, what sentimental occasion it's for, and I'm happy when I can help commemorate important events in people's lives with rings.

When will I work on my engraved copper book, my (paper) vampire novel (lol), and the other new pieces of jewelry I've sketched out for introduction in my shop? I'm just going to have to schedule time in for it. That's what I've done before when I needed to get things done. It's how the big projects, the dream projects, get done. Anyways, here's hoping. Wish me luck!

How To Get More Twitter Followers

Sterling silver & aquamarine briollette earrings. Earrings & photo by Emily Wiser.

I know a lot of my readers are also Etsy sellers. So, I'll share some tips on how to get more Twitter followers.
1) Reciprocate. This means following people back and retweeting people who tweet you first.
2) Participate in Follow Friday. Type #FF and then @TwitterName to tell all your followers.
3) No Bots! Don't use any of the bots to send automated tweets. Don't you always hang up on those computerized telemarketing calls? People don't want to read robot tweets.
4) Twitter client. I use Tweetdeck. It works great. It allows you to make columns so you can actually sort and read your tweets.
5) Conversation. Don't just spam people. Tell them about yourself. Talk about something else once in a while besides what you're selling.

The New Year

A little while back, I wrote and published a true short story about being pregnant. Maybe you'd like to take a look at it. It's just as much a part of me as my jewelry.

The New Year by Emily Wiser.

In the Studio: Stacking Rings

Emily Wiser's Jeweler's Bench. Photo by Emily Wiser.

I'm in the middle of making a 14K white gold tube-set stacking ring with faceted gemstone and a sterling silver stacking ring with black onyx. Here's a picture of the rings in progress. You can see 2 3M radial bristle discs on mandrels. They're used for polishing. You also see large and small jeweler's files, a round-nose pliers, some scrap silver, and a 12mm black onyx cabochon.

Here's what the 2 rings will look like when they're finished.

Above: Sterling silver and black onyx stacking ring. Ring & photo by Emily Wiser.

Above: 14K white palladium gold stacking ring with sapphire. Ring & photo by Emily Wiser.

In The Studio: Adventures in Enameling

Turquoise enameled copper scrap on tripod. Photo and enameling by Emily Wiser

I'm trying enameling for the first time. No teachers. No guidance. I'm learning on my own. But, I did find a great article at ganoskin.com. Here's a picture of my first enameling attempt. (Well, it's not really my first, but it's my first successful one, LOL.)

This is a piece of copper sitting on a steel screen. The screen is set on a tripod. I applied the turquoise opaque enamel 4 times, fixing it with Pantene hairspray. I heated it each time with a propane torch from underneath. I got the really deep color by adding a 5th layer of translucent turquoise enamel.

I'm going to make some cute enamel disc earrings and enameled flowers. Pictures soon!

Thank You!

Aquamarine & Sterling Silver Stacking Rings. Photo & Rings by Emily Wiser

I would like to thank all of my clients who have written positive reviews on my etsy page. Thanks for being so supportive of me! I do read all of your reviews, and it makes me feel so happy to see that you like and enjoy my jewelry. One of the best parts about making custom jewelry is working with wonderful clients. Here's a small highlight of your wonderful reviews:

megynjory says:

My new favorite seller! Not only was shipping and communication flawless but the ring itself is perfection. The fact that she hand makes her jewelry makes it even more special. It's so comfortable I'll wear it daily. Thank you Emily Wiser!!

stephaniemh1 says:

I love this ring!!! It is more than I could have imagined and will buy a ring for my mom with the grandkids birthstones.....! Beautiful and very happy! Thank you!

ghanagyrl says:

Absolutely gorgeous rings! They arrived in a beautiful package, and once I tried them on...I never wanted to take them off. I am saving up my money to buy the same style in rose gold. I love them!

hazydazy14 says:

Pretty, delicate ring, I love it, thanks.

selena43 says:

Wonderful fit and customer service as Emily kept in touch with me and provided timely status updates. Thank you!

TheBarkingTree says:

She totally loves it!!!!!!!!!! Perfect!!!!!!!!

erinmchugh says:

Lovely, understated ring arrived today. Very light to wear, perfect with everything! Very pleased with purchase, thank you!

kirbylynn says:

We had a bit of drama with the USPS but Emily was just so patient and kind--really above and beyond what was expected. My ring just arrived and I'm enthralled, it's beautiful, and I can't wait to order more pretty things from you in the future!

TiffanyTalavera1 says:

It is the perfect amount of elegance and simplicity. Thanks Emily, you always leave as a happy customer.

librariangirl says:

Lovely item and more beautiful in person. I will be a repeat customer!

robynsquyres says:

Emily is WONDERFUL! She really went above and beyond. Thanks a million!

StarlitPotions says:

Got the ring today, it's really pretty! Couldn't be happier. Turn around time was fast and the item fits perfectly. Would buy from again. Thank you!

britbart says:

Love the rings, I've been showing them off for two days straight since I received them. People will soon think I'm nuts, but the work is awesome. Great customer service as well. Thanks!

sewcutefashions says:

my grandmother LOVED it!! made her cry (in a good way)!!

primeval75 says:

lovely rings - very friendly seller - thank you so much *****

ammullins says:

The artist got them to me so quickly, I was impressed. They are very well-made and beautiful- my mom LOVES them!

Love2BInspired says:

WOW!!! THIS IS PERFECT I TELL U!! PERFECT...Do I sound excited? Everything about this ring and my earrings are wonderful..I love the stones, the band is so cute, the earring backings are wonderful..the packaging was great, and fast shipping. I felt like a princess and will be wearing my ring everyday!! Thanks so much..def. coming back for more of this wonderful artist pieces.

LiciaBeads says:

Adorably petite everyday wearers, I love these little guys! They have a sweetly handmade quality that I appreciate a lot. Thanks Emily!

krislea79 says:

love, love, love these rings! Thanks!!

In the Studio: 14K Rose Gold and Aquamarine.

Here's a picture of the 14K rose gold with 6mm aquamarine setting being made. The swirl is the end of a rawhide mallet, a jeweler's tool. You see some 6mm aquamarines scattered about and part of a 14K rose gold bezel setting. It's all sitting on my jeweler's bench (which I carefully shield with cork lol).

How To Make Sturdy, Inexpensive Workbenches

My husband made these fabulous work benches for my studio this weekend! We got one heavy-duty steel frame bookcase. Then we supplemented the wood shelving by laying thick plywood on top. Finally, we stuffed weatherstripping in between the sides of the plywood and the metal shelving brackets. Voila! The best part is one bookcase makes two benches! There was a really nice guy working at Home Depot who showed us how to make it.

On my workbench, you'll see my anvil, plastic mallet, planishing hammer, brass head mallet, ring marking anvil, and bent shank ring stamps, and a coil of sterling silver wire. Pretty fun, huh?

Below, you'll see some of the rings I make on my workbench. They're 14K white gold stacking rings set in tapered tube setting with faceted gemstones: white topaz, red garnet, and blue sapphire.

Sterling Silver Stacking Ring Celebration!

I'm having a sterling silver stacking ring celebration! 9 sterling silver stacking rings for $45 plus free shipping to the U.S. and Canada. I love hammering out these little rings.

Do you want to know how I make these rings? Here's instructions on how to make sterling silver stackable rings!

Materials Needed:
16 gauge sterling silver round wire, half-hard
blow torch, propane or butane
fire brick or soldering pad
jewelry pickle (see my organic pickle recipe) in a crockpot
jewelry tumbler with steel shot and ivory soap chips
silversmith's anvil
silversmith's hammer
steel ring mandrel
jeweler's file
400 grit sandpaper
600 grit sandpaper
jeweler's cutting pliers or jeweler's saw
hard silver solder (you can use sheet, wire, or paste. i'm using sheet solder)
flux
copper tongs

Instructions:
1. With the cutting pliers, cut the length of sterling silver 1-2 sizes smaller for the ring size you want using a ring sizing chart.
2. File the ends of the wire with the jeweler's file.
3. Bring the ends together to form a circle.
4. cut a silver solder chip and put it underneath the ring.
5. spray the flux on the ring or dab flux on using a paintbrush
6. Heat ring with a blowtorch in a circular motion.
7. Wait for ring to cool, then put in hot pickle.
8. Once ring is shiny again, take it out of the pickle using copper tongs. You must use copper, not any other metal tongs, for this.
9. Sand or file any rough edges.
10. Hammer the ring on the anvil horn to get a rough shape
11. Hammer the ring on the ring mandrel to get the size
12. Lay the ring flat on the anvil. Tap it gentle to make sure that it is straight when it lies flat. This is called "trueing" the ring.
13. Put the ring in the jewelry tumbler half full of water and add ivory soap flakes. Tumble for a half hour.

Your ring is done!

I'm on HGTV

Earlier this year, my HGTV appearance on the craft show "That's Clever" finally aired. The shoot took all day long. They had one director, a producer, a camera man, and a sound technician. It certainly took a long time to get a short segment. We had to do a lot of shots over again. But the crew were all very nice and it was a lot of fun.