raven's craving studios blog

Steel Jewelry and Oxidization

2012-01-15T12:35:00.000-08:00

I got an email from a customer asking about how to protect steel jewelry from rusting. Although I think that rusty steel can be pretty dang neat, not everyone wants their jewelry to rust. I understand. :)

In the pictures below you will see the difference that time makes to steel jewelry. Dark annealed steel wire jewelry starts out looking dark gray or black, and after a few months will develop a rusty patina, reddish brown areas will develop and grow.

Here's some tips and tricks that might help people who want to keep their steel jewelry looking new.

If you have a piece of steel jewelry and it's begun to rust:

1) You'll need to buff the rust off of the piece using a very fine grade of steel wool. 0000 or 000. Buff in small movements "with the grain" of the wire. If you get some little hairs of steel wool stuck in the cracks and crevices, you should be able to pull them out with your fingers or a tweezers.

2) There are a variety of different treatments you can apply to the steel to help prevent it from rusting again. I would recommend a couple of light coats of rustoleum or another acrylic-based spray. This will evenly coat the piece without forming globs in the cracks and losing fine detail. You can also rub or brush on a layer of wax, but this tends to gunk up pieces like the ones pictured above. If you want to wax, use TreWax or a heavy-duty car wax. Then wipe with a lint-free cloth. (Old t-shirt material works great.)

3) The process will need to be repeated whenever you notice the piece has begun to rust again. Length of that time period depends largely on how much wear the piece is getting, as the protective coating will wear off as it rubs against skin or clothing.

If you are creating a piece of jewelry with steel wire:

1) If you want to brush the wire to bring up the shine and show the silver color underneath, do so before you begin working with the wire. Use a fine grade steel wool (0000 or 000) for shine, or a green scotch brite pad for matte finish.

2) Rub on a layer or two of wax. I recommend TreWax or a heavy-duty car wax. Then run the wire through a clean, lint-free cloth. (Old t-shirt material works great.)

3) Create your piece and spot treat any areas that your tools may have worn away the wax.

4) You may seal the piece with a couple of thin coats of rustoleum or another clear acrylic-based spray, if you choose.

Resolution

2012-01-01T21:53:00.000-08:00

My new year's resolution is to actually post in my poor neglected blog.

I will be getting at least one day off work a week starting this month so I will officially have "the time," though mostly it has to do with "the energy." :)

I was gifted with some fantastic photographical accessories this holiday season: a directional digital flash and an extension tube set. Got to play around with both of them this weekend and am pleased with how easily I have achieved excellent results. I love it when it's easy. Makes me a very happy girl.

Here's a snapshot of the mini-photography-studio I have set up in my workspace.

It's pretty ghetto. But that's just how I roll.

An ottlite and part of a roll of baby shower wrapping paper, plus some of my photo props, just add jewelry, camera, and directional flash!

Here's some previews of a couple of necklaces that I will be listing in my shop this week.

Be sure to check back soon, or subscribe to my rss feed.

Happy 2012 to you all.

Kickstarter!

2011-06-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

I submitted a proposal to kickstarter.com, a website that basically houses several fundraisers for creative projects. People pledge money to the project, and if the project reaches its funding goal, the creator gets the money, and pledgers get a reward (something created from the project!) There are several different levels of rewards for pledges ranging from $1 all the way to $1000 and everywhere in between.

My proposal was accepted! Yay!!

So now I have to make a video to put on my site and get crackin.

I'll have a link to my kickstarter page soon, check back for more details. :)

Spring cleaning!

2011-06-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

I updated some stuff in my shop today, tidying up listing descriptions and polishing my shop policies. That's all nice and feel-goody inside, but not the most exciting part!

I also made a new banner and logo for my shop, and I am diggin it. :)

Check it out!

Etsy Finds Email

2011-06-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

My creative tagging on this lovely item got me featured in an etsy finds email!!! WOOHOO!!! I got over 2,000 hits in my shop in just a week :)

Click here to view a copy of the email :)

Another treasury

2011-06-17T16:24:00.000-07:00

Hello there blog.

Here's an interesting treasury I made, featuring weird and creative things I enjoy. :)

Click here to view the treasury!

Gifts that give more!

2010-09-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Some of you have already started shopping for gifts to give this holiday season. I know I have!!

Why don't you support a good cause, buy handmade, donate to charity, and buy something fabulous ALL AT THE SAME TIME??

There are 3 necklaces that were donated by raven's craving studios left on the Help The Gulf Coast's etsy site that are waiting for a home. They are all $15 and under, with free worldwide shipping.

Why don't you give a gift that gives more?? :)

Click on one of the images above to go to the Help The Gulf Coast's etsy site and purchase!

I won!

2010-08-19T23:24:00.001-07:00

Thanks so much for everybody who voted for my necklace in EtsyVeg's July challengs - Ocean Breezes!

As a thank you, I am offering a one time 40% off coupon for any one item in my shop for the rest of August! To redeem it, just type in "blogger40off" in the notes to seller at the time of your purchase and I'll send you a revised invoice with the discounted total.

Look for my blog graphic on EtsyVeg's blog!

Poll: Vote for your favorite "Ocean Breezes" Entry!

2010-08-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

Poll: Vote for your favorite "Ocean Breezes" Entry!

Click on the link and vote for my "Ocean Breezes" necklace in the July challenge for the EtsyVeg Team! [Ocean Breezes by ravenscraving]

Look here, Robert Redford!

2010-08-05T11:52:00.001-07:00

Here's another treasury of Sundance-y things I made on etsy today. :)

Click here to view the treasury!

Interview with ME!

2010-08-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

A lovely student from Cornell College in Iowa published an interview with me on Associated Content this week. Yay I'm famous. :)

Click here to view the article!

Front page of Etsy!

2010-08-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

EEEEEEEEEE! I made it to the front page of etsy today!!

Molly earrings by raven's craving

The story behind these earrings: I had lost my wallet in a restaurant parking lot, and was freaking out! I called the restaurant like 14 times a day to see if anybody turned it in, and nobody had. I was less than 12 hours away from going through the major pain in the --- of canceling all my credit cards, an entire book of checks, and really not looking forward to having to get a new drivers license, ETC!

Ring-a-ling-a-ling! Some girl named Molly calls me and says she found my wallet -- and sorry she looked inside but she didn't know what else to do -- and found my phone number on my check book. Molly, my hero. A testament to human kind not being an entirely bad race full of identity thieves and scoundrels.

I rewarded her with these and another pair of earrings, and named them in her honor so that I will never forget the name of the girl who saved me from a lot of headaches and time wasting!

Thank you Molly for being the girl who found my wallet. Even if just temporarily, you resurrected my faith in and caring for the human race. If I start to doubt humans as a whole and begin that cycle of misanthropy I am prone to, if I remember Molly... a little bit of sunshine peeks through the clouds! :)

click here to see the treasury list that was on the front page of etsy

How I'm Helping the Gulf Coast!

2010-07-31T11:20:00.001-07:00

Here's a preview of the necklaces my coworker, Roberta, and I collaborated on.

Holey rocks that were collected from the Gulf of Mexico last winter are featured, accented with sterling and hill tribes thai silver, vintage brass, and Howlite.

She is the collector of the rocks, the designer and maker of the necklaces. I am merely her product photographer, shipping manager, and etsy medium. :)

They will be up for sale on http://HelpTheGulfCoast.etsy.com soon :)

How I'm Helping the Gulf Coast!

2010-07-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

One of my Vintage button necklaces sold almost as soon as it was listed this morning!

Woohoo!!

100% of the proceeds went to helping the cleanup efforts in the Gulf.

Learn how you can help, here!

2010-07-27T21:09:00.000-07:00

Here's some items that I just listed in my latest treasury on etsy.

Eat your heart out, Robert Redford!
(a sundance themed treasury)

click above to view the actual treasury!

I want them all.

How I'm Helping the Gulf Coast!

2010-07-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

So I was piddling around on etsy last night, lurking in the forums and generally getting into trouble, when I came across a phenonmenon that piqued my interest!

There's a shop on etsy - HelpTheGulfCoast - which is comprised of items donated by etsy sellers and 100% of the proceeds are donated to OxFam America and the National Wildlife Federation to help with the cleanup efforts after the BP Oil leak. So far these generous artists have helped raise an amazing $8,000!! BRAVO!

Just a couple of weeks ago, my coworker Roberta and I were discussing making necklaces from the holey rocks and shells she collected on the gulf coast last winter, and making them into necklaces to sell and donate the profits from. I should have known that I was not the first person to think of that. :) If HelpTheGulfCoast pushes the deadline of July 31st back a bit, we might be able to get our necklaces into their shop.

In the meantime, I have donated these two Vintage Button Necklaces to the HelpTheGulfCoast's etsy site.

They should be available for sale shortly!

I also took it upon myself to write to all of the local news sources for Madison, WI and let them know about this great story and great cause! So if you see it on the news it's CUZ I TOLD EM! :D I am hoping that this will generate some more publicity for HelpTheGulfCoast on etsy!

New Undertakings

2009-12-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

For the Holidays this year I was lucky enough to receive everything I asked for off my "Creative Wishlist" which included all the stuff to start learning how to solder -- THANKS MOM!!! :)

I also got two pairs of Lindstrom Pliers-- every wire workers' "in-your-dreams" pliers. YIPPIIIIEEEEEE :)

Now I am making my own headpins (just ordered some fine silver wire to reduce firescale issues) with my mini torch, and I will begin soldering something soon. I'm sure I'll have a post about that as soon as it happens. :) I am really thankful that youtube exists! What a great resource for learning.

I will be teaching my *first ever* class at the Bead Bin this spring. Viking Knitting. Very cool. Sort of like a cross between knitting and chainmaille. It's actually pretty easy! I am a little nervous because I hate public speaking, but also fairly confident beause customers have been begging me to teach a class for years. It should be interesting, and I sure hope people sign up!! LOL

My last show was sensationally successful, and I am looking forward to my next show in the Wisconsin Dells in January. It's the "world's largest ice sculpting competition," with a big art fair under a heated tent in the parking lot of a restataunt next to one of the big resorts. It seems to be the most well-attended art fair in Wisconsin that month, so I'm thinking about cranking out some ice-and-snow-themed earrings and seeing how it goes!!

Will also be scheduling my annual Valentine's Day show with my step-aunt-in-law (I love that relation) who sells cards and stampin' up stuff. This will be held in Stoughton, WI at the Comfort Inn sometime in February. More info on this later.

Hoping the New Year brings bountiful success for everybody!

Back into the swing of things!

2009-11-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

After a wedding in Florida, and extremely time consuming Halloween costumes, I am ready to get back to work!

This week I will be working on replacing and updating some items that have emptied from my inventory, and hopefully gearing up for a home show in Stoughton, still waiting on approval from the hostess :)

I think I may go away from shiny sterling for a while, and work in oxidized sterling and vintage brass exclusively... trying to create a distinctive "image" for my jewelry.

Yes, everything I make, I make because it's "pretty," but I think it might be more memorable and alluring if it was a bit more cohesive. This will be a challenge for me to limit myself, but if majoring in art in college taught me one thing, it's that I work more freely when limits are applied. If you just let me run free with a "do whatever you want," the hardest thing for me is deciding what I want to do, and then I lose all of my creative momentum.

This may be a very good move for raven's craving studios!

Arts and Crafts Open House

2009-10-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

There will be an open house at my house on October 17th and 18th!! Featuring a handful of local artists with items such as jewelry, beads, prints and paintings, handmade cards, screen printed shirts and purses, lip balms and other bath items, HOLIDAY GIFTS GALORE!! :)

Please comment or email me if you would like any more information, or if you would like to book a home show yourself!

Fall Open House

2009-09-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

I am planning on having an open house at my house October 17 and 18! Right now I am working on finding people who sell things other than jewelry to participate :)

New Etsy Listings!

2009-09-05T20:57:00.001-07:00

I listed all these earrings on etsy tonight:

As well as updated a few images on other earrings! Whew!

What I'm working on!

2009-09-03T16:25:00.001-07:00

Tonight I'll get started on these ornaments.

I'm using a Styrofoam ball and wrapping it in the ribbon, whereas in this book they use a wooden bead. I'm making "jumbo" versions. We'll see how it goes!

Middleton Good Neighbor Festival Pics

2009-09-01T13:49:00.001-07:00

Here's a couple pictures of our booth from last weekend!

Saturday it was so cold we were wearing our winter coats and huddling under blankets! We tied our tent down with 40lb bags of salt on two corners, and there were very few moments of chasing our things that have blown away, though the wind was brutal!

Sunday it was warmer because the sun was out. It was less windy, but still chilly. After the parade there were lots of people shopping, and I did pretty well. My displays this time were satisfactory, though I don't know if I'll ever be compeltely happy with them!!! (The artist is her worst critic...) We were getting lots of compliments on how nice our booth looked.

All in all it was a decent show. The weather could have been nicer, but there were still enough sales to make it worthwhile! :)

2009-08-31T19:14:00.001-07:00

Hello readers!

Just wanted to post an update about what shows I will be at this year.

So far I have only scheduled two home shows, one on Sept 12th in Bloomington, IL, and one in Joliet, IL on Sept 13. If you are interested in attending either of these please leave a comment and I will get you the info.

October, November, and December shows will be scheduled this week in the greater Madison, WI area. Stay tuned!!

Fusing Plastic Bags

2009-02-20T13:02:00.000-08:00

So I saw this video on youtube from the etsy how-to series!

I like how she says at the end "I gotta warn you, you're gonna mess up a lot!"

Well ain't that the truth!! I have yet to master this technique, but I'll admit, I gave up after only about 7 tries.

Can I get a heat setting?? I tried at first on the hottest setting, and ended up with a frighteningly-fast-shriveling effect. Down a few notches and kept on trying until I'd tried it all and I still end up with either an overly shriveled piece, or the layers are not sticking together.

I came to the conclusion that my problem is the bags I'm using. They must be too "good," and I can't find any cheaper crappier ones to test it out on.

My friend Margo got it to work and even was able to make a bag by fusing the edges together, too. I was planning on sewing on mine and making little zippy pouches kind of like the sample in the video. I need to ask her what the secret is.

Just wanted to share this and wish any of you who want to try this better luck than I had!!!

Fundamental Truth goes head-to-head Ethical Issues - Need a Tissue?

2009-02-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to write this post for months, but just haven't had the mental energy for it until now! After getting married, planning and going on a honeymoon (http://www.heibelhoneymoon.blogspot.com) and various art fairs, I have rested enough that I feel like writing business again!

One of the biggest gripes I hear about jewelry on etsy is copy-catting. People are constantly complaining in the forums "my original design was ripped off," and it usually ends up breaking their "calling-out" rule and getting the thread shut down.

Let's just get it out of the way, the law states that once and artist has created something, it is copyrighted. You don't have to go get some fancy form from the government or call inventors hotline, it happens all by itself. However, if you created something TRULY original and you are afraid of copy-catters, it would be wise to get it physically copyrighted.

I have done some research (mostly asking my coworkers at the bead hole - as we so lovingly have donned it - what they think) and I have discovered, to my surprise, that everyone agrees with me. So I can confidently say that when it comes to jewelry, for the most part, there really is no such thing as an original idea.

Putting aside truly original pieces, such as these two from etsy.com (click to view shops): one would be hard-pressed to replicate extremely organic, freeform, artistic jewelry that has sprung forth from nothing else besides the artists' imagination and the materials they have chosen to work with. It is a rare occurance that a piece of jewelry someone creates is not influenced by, inspired by, or is just another person's rendering of a trend or personally appealing idea. I have actually read an etsy forum thread where a particular girl was complaining about her designs being copied, and a reader pointed out to the complainer that items almost identical to her "original" design have been seen in bead magazines and books, (including the name of the design!) and therefore she can just as readily be called the copy-cat.

Now, one could go on about how a truly original piece of art would use materials nobody else has used either, and in the beading world it could be said that any freeform bead weaving you created is not original to you if you used a stitch that was invented by someone else. This is all very nitpicky and lame.

Things such as these two items from etsy are certainly original works of art, but it is really quite obvious that they were created out of desire to follow a trend. Who sets these trends? Nobody can really quite say, and some trends go back to prehistory, or only mother nature herself can claim credit.

The only truly ethical "wrong" copying is a complete and total duplicate. Obviously, things like scrabble tile pendants cannot be claimed as an original design whatsoever, but lets say I created a complete duplicate of the silver leaf bracelet above. That would be wrong. That would be unethical copying, and copyright infringement. I could create a bracelet of a similar design with a twiggy-leafy influence (a huge jewelry trend), put my own spin on it, and call it my own. It would be my own. It would be following the trend.

Trends are good. Trends guide artists towards creating what people really seem to want, which makes both the artist and the buyer happy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being "trendy," unless of course you are an emo kid in 11th grade. Then, trendy is bad. (But isnt emo a trend, too? bwahaha) I have embraced my trendiness, I love getting ideas from other jewelry designers, magazines, books, tv, etsy shops: you name it.

Yes, copying other people's ideas is hurtful and unethical, but the truth is, it was never really completely that person's idea to begin with.

If you feel that you have been a victim of copy-catting, I can tell you I commiserate with you. When I see another shop with jewelry similar to my designs, it hurts, and I get angry. But I can also suggest that you take things a little bit more lightly, because really, is there such a thing as an original idea? ;)

Green Home, Green Business

2008-08-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

After getting into a discussion on an etsy street team forum, I wrote this article about how I'm trying to be more green. I hope it provides people with some insight and some ideas on how to make their lives, and businesses, greener!

So what are you doing to be more earth-friendly?

The old adage goes "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" but these days I think most people just take that last R as being R-enough. What they don't realize is that the three R's are ranked by importance! Reducing your waste is the single most important thing you can do to help the environment. When you can't do that, Reuse. And finally, when you can't do that, Recycle.

I Reduce my waste in a variety of ways. This includes using big canvas bags when I am grocery shopping--which not only saves plastic or paper, but also makes the groceries infinitely easier to carry. Your grocery store likely has some you can purchase during your trip. I got 4 of mine for $3. I reduce the amount of water that I waste by turning the water off when brushing my teeth, and by taking showers only every other or every third day. I only run the dishwasher when it is completely full. I fill up an aluminum Sigg bottle with filtered tap water, instead of drinking bottled waters (which, by the way, are usually just filtered tap water put into plastic bottles anyways. Check out this article from the Vegetarian Times.)
I turn the lights off when that room is not in use, and I have installed power strips on the locations in my home that waste the most electricity - namely the computer area and the tv area. By putting your electronics on a power strip and turning that strip OFF when they are not in use, you can save 75% more electricity than if you didn't. These electronics draw a charge even when they are off, which is most of the time!

I don't buy items that are packaged in ridiculous amounts of unnecessary plastic. I hang my clothes out in the sun to dry when I can. I keep my car's tires inflated properly for better gas mileage, and keep up with oil changes. These are things everybody should do at home.

As for things you can do for your business, whether you are an "office monkey," a "wage slave," or a small business owner such as myself -- there's always something that can be improved.

Reducing my waste at work involves keeping packaging that can be reused, as well as incorporating many of the habits I have at home, such as turning the power strips OFF.

Reusing at home and at the workplace are both very important. As I mentioned, I keep packaging (such as padded envelopes, tissue paper, bubble wrap, boxes) to reuse and I do reuse it! Pretty much, if I think I can reuse it, I keep it. (This makes me a pack-rat, but I DON'T care. This also makes me learn how to efficiently organize!) If I think someone else might be able to use it, I either sell it on craigslist, donate it, or put it in a garage sale. I make all of my pricetags for my jewelry from "upcycled" kleenex boxes. At home, I wash and reuse ziplock bags. One small box of those quart-sized freezer bags has lasted me about 6 months... and still going!

Recycle. It's the end-all of the three R's. Recycling at work is as simple as this: do it. Start by making sure that your workplace DOES recycle. If they don't, you better step up and get them to. Even if it means buying a garbage can, slapping a sign on it that says "RECYCLE" and taking the bag home with you every week, it's worth it.

I also purchase green (solar, wind) energy credits to offset 100% of my energy use. Your electric/gas company may have a program for this, check out their website. It only costs me $10 more a month at the most.

We are also integrating more organic foods into our diets as often as we can afford them.

I am a vegetarian. I know, it sounds weird to say that this is helping the earth... but did you know that meat agriculture produces more pollution than ALL of transportation in the WORLD? You think driving your car pollutes the earth? Think about this next time you're cooking up that hamburger helper!! Check out these thinks to learn more about meat agriculture pollution:
http://www.goveg.com/environment.asp
http://inthefray.org/content/view/2407/161/

That's all I can think of right now... please, guys, add to the list! What do you do?

Fun video on what you can do with all those plastic grocery bags: How to fuse plastic bags!