The Difference Is In The Detail II

 Daisy button pendant, 'Jinny'   by  Handmade by AMO'R

Last week I  blogged about the quality and detail found in handmade items: The difference is in the detail. The post spawned the idea of a regular spot for my blog, honing in on fab little details in work by fellow Irish crafters, artisans and artists.

A natural place for me to start is with work by talented friends, fellow Irish Etsy peeps who have shown me kindness and some of my super duper blog followers! (Oftentimes these are one and the same.)

 Kitty cat detail on child's tufted coat by HeliMG

 Oyster shell detail on wire-wrapped pendant by Balanced

Crystals and flowers on baby girl card by Good Moments

Button details on heart wreath by Quirky Apple

Researching items for this post was such fun and very inspiring.  I hope you enjoyed this close up of the wonderful little details you wont always get in mass produced goods.  

To be continued.......

Inspirations II. Ticknock Forest & Hill walk

 

 View of Dublin Bay from Ticknock, April 2012

I took a few days off over the Easter break to spend time with my sister, who is home from abroad for a couple of weeks. I feel like I've just been far away myself. It's always good for the soul to catch up with loved ones and have a laugh. It's also great to take a couple of days off, away from work routine and even, dare I say it, from crafting. Like everything, absence makes the heart grow fonder. And a break certainly refreshes creativity.

courtesy of Google Maps

We didn't have the glorious sunshine of previous weeks, but at least it was fairly dry so we managed to get in a hike in the Dublin mountains - which, I've humorously been reminded by my dear Spanish friends, are not mountains at all! Well, yes, there's a reason we call it hill walking I guess. But as I am not long back in my hiking boots after several years absence, the Dublin Mountains feel plenty high to me! In fact, when I first hit the steep forest path, my lungs wanted to kill me then and there.

Rest stop, Ticknock

When we were kids, Ticknock was one of my Dad's favourite places to bring us for a Sunday walk. It's still one of my most loved places in and around Dublin. It's handy to South Dublin, with a choice of easy to moderate trails and offers diverse terrain through shady forest paths, up rough and rocky hillsides (my fave) and over wild and open moorland.

'Fairycastle' Cairn, Two Rock Mountain

Moorland trail leading in the direction of Three Rock Summit

Rolling hills

There are several trails branching off the main forest path. last Wednesday we chose the rocky path up to Fairy castle, atop Two Rock Mountain and did part of the loop, descending before we hit Three Rock mountain, as we thought we felt rain and it was already a bit marshy after recent showers.

Turns out it didn't rain, though we did see some spectacular rain pockets over the city below. Sorry about my photography - I'm so used to using macro for shooting my jewellery up close, that I haven't a clue how to capture distant scenery yet. But I've had fun editing my worst photos to try get something out of them:

Close Encounters on the Moorland?

Even the traditional, post-hike pint by the fireside in nearby The Blue Light pub, inspired me to get arty.  Now, it's time I logged off and used all this inspiration to do some actual crafting......I'll be back with the results before long.

click here to see photos of previous walks and the jewellery they inspired

 

A Snippet About Connemara Marble

The region of Connemara is an area of natural beauty in West Connaught, Ireland, namely in West County Galway. It is only here, in this unspoilt land that Connemara marble, described as our national gemstone, is found.

Connemara marble is an extremely rare and beautiful stone. It has been  mined and carved for centuries. This stunning green stone is over 600 million years old. (Here comes the science bit...) It is a metamorphic rock made up of recrystallised particles. (Ok, that is about as much science as you are going to get out of me but I did find this more technical info online.)

Love Spirals pendant, Connemara marble with Swarovski crystal

It is a hard and durable stone that can take a high polish. Considered to be the world's rarest and most exquisite, true green marble, it comes in a wide range of tones from pale, grey-sage to darkest forest green, with every shade of lime and leaf in between.  On occasion a yellow ochre specimen can be found. It is highly variegated so it is not unusual to find several contrasting hues  in a small piece of the gemstone.

OOAK Connemara marble pendant, Legends

Traditionally it has been used for making worry stones, rosary beads, jewellery, household items, ornaments, and so on.

It is also used as a durable, aesthetic building material not only in Ireland but around the globe. Famously it can be seen in the Chapel of St Patrick and the Saints of Ireland at Westminster Cathedral, London, for example. Here, in Dublin, the reception desk at Leinster House's new pavilion is topped with a fine example of sleek, Connemara marble.

Irish pub ornament or Christmas decoration, Connemara marble

When I started out beading and wire-wrapping, I never expected to be using Connemara marble among all the other exotic stones I found. I am so glad I discovered its unique beauty and am proud to use this and other, unusual, indigenous Irish materials in my work.

 Kilkenny Marble Earrings             Cork Red Marble Earrings

(these earrings sold, but you can watch Handmade by Amo'r on Etsy for other designs)

Etsy Treasury Time Again

Once again it's time to show off a few recent treasuries (showcase collections of Etsy items artfully curated by Etsy members.)

Here's one I made yesterday to promote the Crafty Ireland Team:

 Soft Spring Tones  by  Handmade by Amo'r

Some of my own items featured in a few treasuries by international Etsy members this week. Fellow Crafty Ireland team member, Agnieska of Good Moments put together this clever treasury featuring Irish and international crafters. Thanks so much Agnieska for featuring my larkivite and crystal earrings.

Irish Weather by Good Moments

 I was honoured to see my teal beach glass pendant featured in this pretty, floral treasury by Lynn Corrigan, one of the nicest Etsonians I have had the pleasure to cyber-meet. Thanks Lynn for everything, not least this gorgeous treasury of posies by international crafters and artists:

 Pretty Posies for Sale by Lynn's Creative Crochet

Spring is really in the air on Etsy now. Asta Kundelyte of AstaArtwork captured the essence of the season with this beautiful butterfly collection. Thanks Asta for adding in my red and black button pendant with all these other fab finds. Much appreciated!

Fly, Fly My Butterfly by Asta Artwork

And finally, tonight I was delighted to find my seafoam beachglass pendant featured among these gorgeous items in one of my fave shades. Thank you Erin of Erin Go Paint (love your shop name too!!!)

Dreaming of the Sea by Erin Go Paint

If you like Etsy treasuries click here for all my posts about treasuries

How To Keep Your Jeans Zip from Falling Down

Yes, I know the title sounds comical, but in all the years I've been wearing jeans I never knew this handy little trick for keeping your zipper up when it should be up.

Sometimes you get a pair with a wonky zip that is 'afraid of heights.'  I currently have two pairs like that in my wardrobe and rather than suffering along with a dodgy and sometimes dangerous safety pin, I decided to find a better solution.  

And then I came across this clever fix that is so simple I feel like slapping my forehead. How come I never knew about this or thought of it myself????

 Simply attach a plain split-ring keyring to the zipper pull.

Zip up and hook the ring around your button

Button up as normal, without a trace. 

If you're thinking 'pah, I knew that old trick' then why oh why didn't you tell me about it, eh?! 

I hope this helps someone somewhere from losing their dignity or getting pranged by another pin.

Agate charm for your jeans belt tag or purse zipper

Puppy Love key ring

For handmade charms, keyrings and zipper pulls please pop into the keychain and charm section of my Etsy shop

How to Clean Silver Jewellery (Tips 4)

How to Clean Silver Jewellery

The  4th in my series on Jewellery Care looks at cleaning silver.

Sterling silver, fine silver and Italian silver and many silver plated items will take on a darker patina with time. This is caused by sulphuric compounds in air. It can be beautiful in its own right. However, sometimes it can look very brown and dirty, but it is possible to brighten it up again.

Obsidian, Onyx and Oxidised Silver Bracelet, Midnight

Pre-oxidised silver is deliberately given an accelerated patina that gives it a beautiful, vintage look.  It is very handy if you don’t want to worry about cleaning tarnish. It generally doesn’t need cleaning, other than to wipe with a piece of kitchen paper or uncoated, soft felt cloth to remove oils, cosmetics and grime.  It is not usually recommended to attempt to restore this silver to a shiny state. I tried it once as an experiment and ended up with a dull, matt and dirty looking piece of metal, which wasn’t very pretty.

Tibetan Silver Bail on Button Pendant

 Other darker silver metals such as Tibetan Silver (a zinc alloy), Mexican silver etc should not be cleaned with chemicals, acids, bread soda etc. These metals are darker by nature. A barely damp or soft dry cloth will remove grime.

If you want to keep your shiny silver bright as long as possible, there are several measures you can take. Click here: for tips on preventing tarnish on sterling silver and silver plate.

When the metal shows signs of oxidising, catch it early by using a soft, silver cleaning cloth. You can buy these at jewellery outlets and online.  If you haven’t cleaned a piece in some time, it will need more than this.

One of the gentlest ways to clean such silver is to wash in mild, soapy water. This is particularly recommended if you are cleaning stones, amber and pearls set in silver as they won’t withstand harsher cleaning methods. Gold should also be cleaned in this manner by the way. Afterwards, rinse,  pat dry with kitchen paper or a soft cloth and polish the silver with your silver polishing cloth.

Sometimes you need something stronger for resistant tarnish. Silver plate and silver-filled items will generally stand up to a quick bath in a solution of water, lemon and salt (as will natural copper.)  So should sterling silver, but it doesn’t always do the trick so test a tiny area first by dipping a cotton bud into the liquid and rubbing it on. Check for any side effects or if it actually works before subjecting the whole piece to the solution. Do not splash this acidic cleanser on stones, pearls etc. Glass, including seaglass, is fine and in fact, will gleam after the bath. Again, rinse well, dry and polish.

 

If you are sure the piece is sterling silver, you can use a bread soda (bicarbonate of soda) solution. I previously posted how to do this on the Etsy Ireland blog.  For full instructions click here

I hope this helps!

More in this series:
How to Care for Seaglass Jewellery
How to prevent tarnish
How to look after pearls
Quick tips for jewellery care

Forward Spring

 Teal beach glass pendant 'Ocean Flora'

 The Spring weather has been a little erratic here in Ireland of late. Last week an unexpected burst of sunshine saw us wiping the dust off our sunglasses and flinging on the sandals. Every Irish man and woman knows to grab those rays no matter how weak or fleeting as it might be the only look at the sun we get all year.  But it's back to cold reality this week with plummeting temperatures and even reported snowfalls on higher ground. Come back winter woollies, you're not done yet!

        'Susie'                                                   'Trudi'                      

 

                         

     'Jilly'

With the first hint of Spring, I was inspired to temporarily move away from gemstones and beach glass and create a new line of young, fun and affordable button pendants.  These cutsie pendants were first launched in my shop on the Irish site, Fondelifair and come in a range of bright, pretty colours and designs. As they are so girlie and feminine, I chose to give them all cute girls' names.

 

   'Maddy'                                               'Sally'                                                

 'Tilly'

This week I introduced the pendants to my more established shop on Etsy. The button pedants are fresh and feminine, perfect for your Spring and Summer wardrobe. But I won't tell if you wear yours in winter too!!

I've also been working on new earring designs in Connemara marble. Above is a sneak preview of what is to come very soon.  (Update 5th April; just listed, 'Irish Fairytale' earrings)

Below is work in progress:

One of the most frustrating things about rare Irish marble is the lack of variety in available beads. Luckily, once or twice a year I commission unique pendant shapes to be cut specially for me to work with but no mason is going to make up a small quantity of new bead shapes for me. It's not worth their while. Working on a custom order this past fortnight, I had to find ways to get around this inevitability and a result, ended up a with several new design ideas. As a bonus, I accidentally found tear drop beads that are already drilled the whole way through. Yay! I can't wait to make up some new designs and list them over the next few months.  Watch this space to see how I get on.