Skip to main content

What Do You Do With Kids During The Summer?

This is the time where I should be cranking away in the studio experimenting.
Yeah...that's me!  
but I am completely shut down for an entire month.

And to be honest it makes me cranky!

I have kids for at least a month in the summer.  They do not go to camps cause they are kind of old for that and they are constantly asking, "what are we going to do today"?
Buuuuut...
sometimes you can take opportunities like this to use them as guinea pigs!

An opportunity to hone in on my teaching skills.  I used to teach grad students in the lab so why not in the studio?

Stepie #1 is kind of a geek.  He is into all that Minecraft gaming stuff and decided he wanted to make a pendant for himself.
Stepie #1 being all Zen with the saw.
This was his first time doing salt water etching.  His first etching experience was with ferric chloride.  That was when he first learned to saw.
  
Etching Station (nothing fancy)
I love the colors we get after etching.

A close up.
That picture above reminds me of the copper mines in Arizona.  It is called the Queen Copper Mine.  I never knew the name of that pit.  I just called it the big hole in the ground.
Gemologytidbits
I used to drive by this pit as a child often and thinking that we would die if we drove off the road and into the pit of darkness.  
hahahaha...SEE!  
I was thinking about impermanence even back then!

Oh...back to the subject.

Here is Stepie #1's finished product.
Minecraft Pendant - Salt water etched, brass, and patinated on leather chord
I tell you what.  
Teaching kids has to be the easiest and most fun thing to do.  
They are so open and free.

He actually got a commission out of this.  I cannot tell you how excited and a little serious he is about this.  When the order was placed he immediately started working on it.  He was planning and asking how much he has to pay me for supplies!

Cute!
Have a great Thursday everyone.  I have to go clean the studio because it is a mess!  I do not know how Stepie #1 worked in there.  It just goes to show how free they are.

ॐ
Namaste
Kalaya
Labels:

Comments

  1. Libellula Jewelry™June 12, 2014 at 10:43 AM

    Fantastic! Don't you just love how well young people take to metalsmithing?

    I'll be doing my first demo day for the MS guild on August 1st so, I'm trying to figure out what I can do that won't be too messy (I'll be inside the Biloxi Craft Center Gallery) yet actually shows what I *do*. Decisions, decisions...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kalaya SteedeJune 12, 2014 at 10:47 AM

      That's wonderful Libellula! You have so many good pieces in etching I'm sure you will think of something. I still need to get some pnp paper. Do you have a good source?

      Delete

Post a Comment

I would love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

The Risk to Bloom

It all started with an acorn button and grew from there. In an earlier post I mentioned this button swap blog hop, that I am participating in, and how I was immediately drawn to the acorn button.  Every day I would hold it in my hand, feel its essence, exam it, and then put it down.  This lasted for about 2 weeks. Then I remembered I had etched an oak tree on to brass when making buttons for my partner Kylie of Lotus Out Loud .  And... so begins the journey of creating something with this wonderful acorn button, which only started yesterday. Haha!  Etched brass was copper riveted to a piece of oak.  Merci beaucoup Papi for finding some oak!   I am using what Jesse taught me in his workshop .  It was the first time trying his technique.  It worked beautifully! The riveted brass was then captured with a piece of pierced copper. Voila! And then the day came  when the risk to remain tight in...
24 comments
Read more

Pepe Jump Ring Maker...New Is Not Always Better...

For the follow up (2014) on jump ring makers go here . Introducing Pepe's new AND improved Jump Ring maker... When I received my new jump ring maker I knew the new model was more compact but did not expect it to be so unstable.  It was precarious but I accepted it.  After all I will have jump rings galore with a single swipe!  The outcome outweighed the little difference and yes...I am lazy!  hahaha!!! To the bench I go to test things out. Test No. 1 The first set of jump rings turned out great!  I was satisfied.   ☺ I then received an email saying that the top plate (cover) that came with the system was too thick and needed to be replaced.  Okay.   I receive the new plate but did not test it out until some friends were over and wanted a demo.  Well...it was difficult to place the handpiece collar over the plate.  It did not fit over the coil holding device very well.  I had to finagle it to go in ...
7 comments
Read more

Helloooo...Is Anyone Out There?

Yes I know.  I have been off the blogger for awhile.  I swear I've been working!  ;) I have been busy trying to find my own path and I think I have finally found it. Ha!  A lot of "I"'s in that sentance.   So that being said, what exactly have I been doing? Participated in an Upcycle show at RHINO Gallery. In this show we were to use at least 75% recycled material.  This piece was  inspired by the 43 students of Ayotzinapa that were taken on September 27, 2014 and presumbly met a violent death at the hands of corrupt officials and a drug gang. . The initials of all 43 students were etched into the .38 caliber casing. I cried after comleting the piece.  It was so powerful to me. Ghosts   Designed and made earrings. Astro Earrings Sugar Skulls Did a commission. Comission Annnd made one big pendant. Louisiana Opal, sponge coral (grandma's), oxidized silver, 14KY, 22KY Am I having fun yet? ...
5 comments
Read more