Charms, Fun & More

Next month, I'm heading out for my first summer art adventure to the ZNE Castle in the Meadow event in Detroit, Michigan. In addition to a fun castle art project, tour of the Dodge Castle home, and wine and cheese tasting, all of the attendees are going to particiate in a "charm" swap. I've never done a charm swap before. I have been experimenting with solidering and want to do more. So here is my project. I have the initials of the participants and have taken scrabble tiles, "double face" taped them together, applied the copper tape and jump ring...and started solidering. Each one is of course unique ....since there is no quality control. But I am pretty pleased with the results....not bad for a beginner. I have tied the charms to a coffee stained tag with a bit of red twill tape.

I use these giant tin snips to hold the charm, I ordered some steel bench blocks this week from Otto Frei I think they will help in the whole process. Sally Jean Alexander uses them in her book "Pretty Little Things", and suggests them for her workshops. ( which I hope to be able to take in August....more on that later.) Here's the little charm with just it's copper tape and jump ring ready for solider.
I've set up a little "portable" solidering spot on the back patio. We need to do a lot of work out there to clean up from the winter ( and last summer and fall and spring) but I'm not comfortable doing the solidering in the house yet. ( My father's daughter, obsessing about "hot" things left plugged in!)


Of course you have to have some music, even on the patio. Today we listened to Voices of the Wetlands. Check out this musical line-up.
Doesn't this look tidy....the only thing in the whole house ( in or out). It all stacks up on the vintage gingham trays to be stored on a shelf in the house, you don't want to leave your solidering equipment out in the elements. Rust is good, but not on your anvil or other tools.
The table, coat rack, and vintage trays are "rummage sale" treasures.