Humble Elements

Re-purposed Copper Washers and Wire

The unpretentious lines of this textured copper bracelet comes from humble elements, copper wire and simple, re-purposed copper washers! The washers are all hand forged with two different textures; dimples and tiger-like stripes! I love my texture hammers! They help me achieve interesting designs in the metal, and also assist in releasing daily frustrations!

In between each washer you will find a simple figure-eight link. These are made with heavy gauge copper wire formed by hand with round nose pliers. With just a little hand forging, they become strong and with a slight texture. The swan shaped clasp also textured for strength and interest and you can close this bracelet with just one hand!

The copper elements of this bracelet are untreated so they will develop their own unique patina over time. If you prefer your copper jewelry to remain bright and shiny, soak your bracelet in a lemon juice bath for ten minutes and it will be like new again!

This textured copper washer bracelet is 7-7/8 inches in length, perfectly made for wrists 6-1/2 to 7-1/4 inches around. If needed, additional links can be added to make the bracelet longer. Please be sure to convo me if you need any adjustments to the size!

Thank you for looking!

Blessings,


Heart's Desire Beading Company 2010 © - All Rights Reserved

'Keep Calm and Carry On' by heartsdesirebeads

Ahhh! Come in and relax in this peaceful, soothing treasury. All these soft and tranquil colors where found while searching through 148,811 items listed under the word "unique". Please be sure to view each item and leave a comment about the items you like best! Enjoy!

Wedding Couples Nam... braggingbags $9.99	Lampwork Bead Penda... sarahhornikjew... $65.00	Japanese Chiyogami ... tofashi $12.00
Holiday Handmade Gr... PaperandBling $15.00	Cottesloe Porcelain... MaaPstudio $98.00	Matte gold love bir... DelicacyJ $27.00
Mint Green Organza ... mojospastyle $38.00	Trio of Mini Accord... MadRiverStudio $10.00	SALE White Rose ... DBoutique $16.00
8x10 Customizable O... ModGenesDesign... $14.95	Handmade XL 38x50 U... BowWowBeds $43.00	Luck Necklace - Sim... BeauAndStella $38.00
Hand Smocked, Hand ... rabbitwhiskers $190.00	PINK RIBBON WITH FL... SIMPLYCHARMlNG $6.99	Vinyl Wall Art - Ta... janeymacpress $85.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Blessings,

Sediment ~
A Lovely Combination of Lampwork Beads and Copper

Layers of brown and olive green changing to seafoam and light teal green, reminiscent of layers of sediment in rock! In fact, when most people see these gorgeous lentil lampwork beads, they ask, "What kind of stone is this?" Smiling, I reply, "It is a lampwork glass bead!"

This is was what captured my imagination from the moment I saw these beads! They were not your average run of the mill glass beads, but something with an organic ebb and flow to their design! My second thought was they would be perfect with copper wire, and with those two thoughts in mind, I purchased two strands of these awesome beads! Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end! This bracelet is made with the last of those beads!

The Sediment bracelet is made with copper wire that has been hammered for strength and beauty. Each element is lovingly constructed by hand, and will last for generations to come when cared for properly! The bracelet is 8-1/4 inches long, perfectly made for wrists 7 to 7-1/2 inches around!

For instructions on caring for your copper jewelry, please see this blog posting: http://heartsdesirebeads.blogspot.com/2010/07/caring-for-your-copper-jewelry-over.html

Thank you for looking!

Blessings,




Heart's Desire Beading Company 2010 © - All Rights Reserved

More Eye Candy!

Here are some lovelies for you to enjoy!

You can find them at http://heartsdesirebead.com/

Blessings,

It's Hammered Time!

Get out you hammer and bench block and take out your frustrations on some copper washers and wire! This modern bracelet is my take on an awesome project presented by Sharilyn Miller just a few weeks ago on her Wire Jewelry Lessons blog!

While reading the instructions, I remembered seeing a box of copper washers in the garage, left over’s from an auto repair job that my husband had done some time ago. He was more than happy to give them to me, saying that he no longer needed them and couldn't wait to see what I would use them for!

Hammering those washers into shape was very noisy and fun, not to mention the stress that was relieved that night! Unfortunately the project came to a halt because I was missing a tool needed to make the extra large figure eight links, bale making pliers! In the mean time, the kids had fun playing with my hammered treasures, they stacked, sorting, counted and tossed them for a few days!

On a trip to one of my favorite bead stores, I discovered the pliers needed to complete the bracelet and purchased them (Yea!) Upon returning home, I got busy making those all-important links to complete the project and because I didn't review Sharilyn's instructions, my bracelet is slightly different than her design.

In her tutorial, Sharilyn used two figure eight links to connect each pair of washers and a different handmade clasp; I used a single link and textured them and the clasp to match the washers. Also, instead of using liver of sulfur to age the copper, I used my torch to heat the metal producing a different patina!

While working on this project I thought of some other things you could do with the copper washers, here a few:

1. There are loads of metal stamp designs available, so texture your copper with your favorite designs!
2. Use letter stamps to put words, names or phrases on the washers.
3. Make a necklace to match your bracelet!
4. While you’re at it, make some earrings with smaller washers!

Altogether, I am very pleased with the way my bracelet turned out and will make more of these textured washer bracelets and much more! Many thanks to Sharilyn Miller for sharing this tutorial and sparking some new ideas!

Blessings,
Debra

Copper Half Bangle Bracelets

My Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine arrived in the mail two days ago, much to my surprise and delight! My husband handed it to me and said, "You have some new play pretties!" I began to wonder why they had sent me another magazine, since I decided to not to renew my subscription before Thanksgiving. Trust me, I love this magazine because it gives me so many ideas and valuable information, it was not an easy choice! But there were too many other things that needed to come first! I said to my darling husband, "Wonder why they sent me another magazine, I didn't renew my subscription." He responded with, "Merry Christmas!" I just started to cry, then gave him a big hug and kiss! What a wonderful surprise, so totally unexpected and so very appreciated! His response to my tears was quite humorous, "Next time I'll just get you another magazine instead of jewelry!" LOL! My response.....honey, go right ahead, I'll make the jewelry you just get me the magazines to feed my imagination!

The inspiration for these two half bangle bracelets are from Sharilyn Miller's article in the current issue of Step by Step. Both are made with natural copper wire and have sterling silver accents. The bracelet in the top picture has some awesome turquoise beads, which pair so well with copper wire! The other bracelet has 8mm round agate beads in a beautiful deep green. The thing I love about both bracelets is you can shorten or lengthen them to fit any size wrist by adding or removing the handmade copper links!


Thank you for stopping by!


Blessings,

Debra

http://www.heartsdesirebead.com/

Element 29

A Copper Wire Wrapped Bangle Bracelet

Copper: Element symbol - CU
Element number - 29

Copper is a very important metal that has been used for over 5000 years. It is very malleable, and is a good conductor of heat and electricity second only to silver in electrical conductivity. Its alloys are brass and bronze; Monel and gunmetal also have copper in them. Large copper ore deposits are found in the United States, Canada, Chile, Peru, Zaire, and Zambia. (Did you know that you were going to get a science and geography lesson today?)

This handsome copper bangle bracelet has lots twists and turns with the main focal point being an awesome ceramic copper bead! There are also two amber glass beads that coordinate perfectly with the copper wire! It is a 7-3/4 inch bracelet that will fit comfortably on a 6-1/2 to 7-1/2 inch wrist. The hook closure is easy to open and close with just one hand and is sturdy enough to keep it secure on your wrist!



The Element 29 bracelet is made with natural copper wire, not a coated craft wire, so it will patina nicely over time! If you prefer your copper to remain bright, just pour a little Worcestershire sauce over it, rinse with water and dry with a soft cloth. Thank you for looking!

Heart's Desire Beading Company 2008 © - All Rights Reserved


http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14725600

Knoxville Farmers Market!!!

Come and see me at the Farmers Market in Market Square, downtown Knoxville, TN! This week I will be there Wednesday, June 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m and Saturday, June 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you have not been to the Market yet, come and see what Knox county has to offer! My two favorite booths are the butterfly lady and the cookie lady (the fried pies and lemon iced cookies are so yummy!). I will have lots of new earrings, bracelets and rings that I do not have listed on Etsy!

Blessings,
Debra