New Workshops !!

Well, I just can't wait any longer for the studio to be finished..... I've planned my next workshop, to be held at the East Kurrajong School of Arts Community Hall in East Kurrajong.

You can make this gorgeous Cicada Wing Pendant in sterling silver and brass (which looks like gold!) in a four-hour workshop. All materials and the use of tools are provided, so all you have to do is turn up and get stuck in. The pendant is beautiful and the two elements move as you move, creating a lovely effect. Imagine the compliments you will receive, especially when you tell your friends you made it yourself!

For more information, or to book your place, please email or call me on 0402 448 926

And please pop over to Facebook, like my page and share with your friends. My Facebook page will be updated much more regularly than this blog and is the best way to keep up to date with what's happening.

The first Saturday class is fully booked already, so get in and secure your place!

I hope to see you there......







 

New Facebook Page

Just a quick note to let you know I have launched a Facebook page for Tracy Kelly Jewellery Design.

Most of my updates will be posted there along with photos and news of upcoming events.

Click to go to my Facebook page

Penola Workshops & Studio Update

I recently travelled to Penola, South Australia, for the Penola Arts Festival. I was invited by Rachael Messenger to do four jewellery-making workshops over two days. It was a great success and a lot of fun!

The classes were aimed at beginners, but seeing the final results, you'd never know that most of the ladies had never made any jewellery before. Each class ran for four hours and students completed a matching set of two jewellery items made in Sterling Silver, with a couple of pieces also incorporating copper.

Rachael was a wonderful hostess (she even cooked us scones!!) and we really had a great time being creative and making lots of noise.

Sterling Silver rings made in class.

Looking forward to doing it again next year !!

Studio Update
Still making progress on the studio, slowy but surely. I have so many workshops planned that I am just dying to get it finished. Still, a good thing takes time and it is looking good.....

The ceiling is up.....lookin' nice

Makin' Progress

Just a quick update on the studio. Gyprock is up and it's looking more and more like a real studio every week. Still a slow process but it's getting there....

It's been getting cooler and we've had some rain...and when there's rain, we get visitors...

Well, like I said, it's just a quick post today. 

See you soon !

Rediscovering Inspiration

Wow, I've been busy....and not in the fun way! Seems there has been so much going on lately that I've been barely able to spend any 'fun' time at the bench. Until last weekend that is..

It's kind of a long story, so stick with me. A few months ago, we had some rain. Not just some rain actually, a whole LOT of rain. This brought out the cicadas, big time. Phil called me outside one day when he found a cicada emerging from its shell on the side of our house. It was fascinating. The wonders of nature never cease to amaze me - how beautiful and complicated some creatures can be. Over the next three hours, we watched the cicada transform from a dirty, creepy looking thing into a stunning, if somewhat alien, creature. Of course, I was there with my camera......

Meanwhile, I'm guessing millions (OK, maybe not millions) of other cicadas were doing the same thing.....and what's a cicada to do after emerging from a long sleep in the ground? Sing, of course!!!

So for weeks, we were driven nuts by the sound of cicada love...really, really nuts...(but let's not go there). Anyway, while walking back to the house from my studio just after Christmas, I found a perfect cicada wing on the ground. The shape and the glimmery iridescence of it really caught my eye and I just had to pick it up and bring it inside. I placed it on my bench, just knowing that this shape would inspire something creative in me. But there was work to do, matters to attend to, the usual day-to-day stuff, and the wing sat there on my bench for weeks.

Last weekend, I was planning some jewellery-making workshops and was working on ideas for non-soldering projects for upcoming classes in South Australia. I saw the wing and sat a while, trying to use the shape for inspiration. Then it hit me. It was perfect just as it was, there was no improving it, no stylising or tweaking neccessary. So I scanned it, actual size, saw-pierced it and came away with the most gorgeous pendant. Sometimes you can try an try to come up with something creative only to find it's been right in front of you the whole time.

I'm so happy with this piece and very pleased to be able to offer it as a half-day workshop, so you too can make your own cicada wing pendant. The project is designed for beginners and will really get you used to using the jewellers saw. Not to mention the compliments you will receive wearing this little beauty, trust me, I've been wearing mine and people comment all the time.

The back plate is brass, but looks just like gold (it will be our secret) and it looks great on a leather cord.

 If you're interested in attending a workshop, or getting a few friends together for your own group session, drop me a line and I'll be happy to give you some details.

Help a Great Cause....

One of my Grafton Artsfest students, Sally, who has also become a good friend, is taking on a massive challenge and riding a push-bike from Sydney to Surfers Paradise. Now, I know what you're thinking.....she's mad!! Well, maybe, but she's going all out for a great cause and that is a wonderful thing (and it kind of cancels out the craziness).

 The Macsim Sydney to Surfers Charity Bike Ride is in its 13th year and raises money for Father Chris O'Reilly's Youth Off The Streets.

Sally leaves on 30th April for the 7 day, 1,000km ride and is hoping to raise $3,000 for Youth Off the Streets. It's a great charity and a huge effort by Sally, so I'm asking you to please be generous, show some support and make a donation. 

Just visit the website and be sure to enter "Sally Spillane" as the supported rider, so the donated funds go to her tally. Let's get her to that $3,000 goal, she's certainly working for it! 

Good luck, Sally.......

I'll post some updates soon on the studio as well as some possible classes that will be available soon.

Thanks for visiting and please check back soon. 

Back for 2011

Well, a slightly belated "Happy New Year" to you. Now that it's mid January, I guess I really should take down my Christmas tree.

I've been working on upgrading and updating my websites these last couple of weeks. Wow, websites are going to be the death of me for sure. As a temporary measure, I have built one of those free websites that are quite easy to deal with while I try and decipher Joomla. Oh my head hurts just thinking about it! Please have a look at the new site here and let me know what you think. Once I get my head around the whole uploading and hosting stuff, hopefully, it will run smoothly, un like the current sites which give me constant grief. I know, you're wondering why I have such problems....well, it's a long story, the short version of which is that I had a lovely lady doing my site building and maintanence. She did a great job, but moved away and due to her explanding business was unable to continue with me. She assured me Joomla was easy and that I could maintain it myself......she overestimated me and now I'm in this pickle. 

The studio is coming along quite well, still a lot to do but it's certainly getting there. We now have bathroom walls and a floor! It's starting to look good, I can't wait.

Workshop Tip:

  When I'm finished using my saw-frame, should I take the blade out or leave it in?

I get asked this fairly often and I have come across many forum discussions about it with both options being pretty evenly recommended. So, I'll put my two cents worth in here and give you my opinion.

Definately leave it in... You'll notice that if you take a blade out of the frame that you have been using for a while, it will have a big bend in it. While the blade is in the frame, it stays straight due to the tension, but it warps once the tension is gone for any length of time. Now, if you put that warped blade back in the frame to use it again it never seems to get back into its right shape and you will find that although the blade looks straight in the frame and "pings" the way it should, your cuts will go off to one side. You'll think you're just having a bad cutting day, but really, it's your blade that just got too used to being relaxed (kinda like us when we get back from holidays!)

Speaking of holidays, we had a great Christmas. As usual we totally pigged out on oysters.

Who pinched the one in the middle???

 

And here's one of my latest jobs, a remodel of an emerald engagement ring.

My client had a traditional claw-set cluster engagement ring with a plain wedding band against it, but wanted to remodel it into something more modern that combined the two rings into one. Protecting the emerald was a big factor as they are quite fragile. I used her original gold, diamonds and gemstones and added a new baguette diamond on the side of the bezel, creating a "secret window" as an quirky design feature.

Thanks for visiting. 

This year I promise to blog more often!! 

Tracy

Getting There......

It's been a busy few weeks with preparations for Grafton Artsfest, which is just a week away. Hard to believe it's been a year since the last one. It's always a pleasure to come up with new projects, the problem for me is that once I start, my mind starts off on its own little track and I end up with notes and scribbles that I then have to decipher later on. My bench is a mess, but that's nothing new, and my partner says it's like living in Santa's workshop, with the tap tap tap of tiny hammers going on all day. 

A lovely Artsfest student, and now friend, Sally, was recently married and I made a lovely ring for her which we designed together. Not your traditional engagement and wedding ring, Sally chose a single ring, which is becoming more popular. It's a lovely design with sapphires and diamonds and with Sally's gorgeous slim hands, it looked just stunning.

And here's another ring I have made recently, an 18ct diamond engagement ring.

The studio is really coming along now. Still doesn't look much, but lots of structural work has been done. I'm so excited and just can't wait for our first class. Right now though, Grafton is my main focus and I'm just finishing up the project instruction folders and making plenty of lists so I don't forget anything! Problem is, I need a list to keep track of my lists....

Well, back to the bench for me. Still plenty to keep me busy. As busy as I am, I'm enojoying it. I was chatting with a jeweller friend the other day, who had just sent me a photo of a ring she had remodelled. She had used a particular technique she hadn't used in some time and we were discussing how great it is that after years of 'doing what we do' it's still so much fun. There's always something to remember, learn or create - always another direction you can take it to keep it interesting. 

I'll leave you with a "before" photo of the studio. Like I said, it doesn't look much now but just wait..... 

Book Review - The King & Dr. Nick

I'm an avid reader and always have a book on the go. I'm particularly into crime fiction but I do stray to other genres from time to time. Anyway, my love for reading led me to BookSneeze. They have a range of books to choose from, which they will send you FREE (that's right, free.....don't get much for free anymore huh!) so long as you agree to review it on your blog and a commercial site that sells the book. Now that sounds like a bargain to me. So, here's my review of The King and Dr. Nick.....written by Dr. George Nichopoulas, Elvis Presley's personal physician.

Welcome to 2010.....

The last couple of months have been hectic to say the least. With Christmas approaching faster than ever and a mad rush to keep up with Snake Jewellery orders, November and December went by in a heartbeat!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas break. We had a lovely time in our new home with both our families visiting. Christmas day, although a little on the humid side, was thankfully nowhere near the temperatures of the previous week.

So now for some catching up........

As promised in my last post, I have some photos of Grafton Artsfest to share.
Here is returning student, Leslea, deep in concentration at the soldering station.

As always, we had a wonderful time with the class consisting of many familiar faces as well as some lovely new people whom we now consider friends. The students made a wonderful array of creative jewellery and I was once again amazed and inspired by the quality of work produced.

Unfortunately, my camera decided to get lazy (yes, I'm blaming the camera!) and the photos of the actual jewellery turned out pretty dismal. Being the high-tech gal that I am (not), I couldn't even photoshop them to a suitable degree to post here, so you will have to take my word for how well the students did.... My photography skills, on the other hand, could use some help.

I also had my photograph appear in the local Grafton newspaper with Richard, the only boy in the class!! He is holding a lovely brooch that he made.

Grafton Artsfest 2010 is running from September 25th to 30th. A discount is offered for early payment, so if you are interested in attending, please visit their website Grafton Artsfest 2010 for more information or email me for details on what you can expect in our 2010 class.

On the home-front things are progressing. Work on the studio should begin this month, although a few other things have cropped up which need to be taken care of first, such as the hole we discovered in the concrete water tank.

I have been very busy with my Snake Jewellery website and have also been making some interesting pieces for my friend, Bronwyn's new gallery in San Remo, Victoria. Bronwyn is president of the Gold & Silvermiths Guild of Australia and the Goldsmiths Gallery is her new venture, showcasing guild members from around the country. Here are a couple of pieces I made specifically for the gallery.

I'm looking forward to a very busy and creative New Year. I have a pile of new designs ready for the making, with nothing stopping me but time!! Class programs are being prepared for when the studio is up and running and I have a couple of exhibitions coming up throughout the year as well. So, for me, 2010 is looking like a very full but enjoyable year and I hope you will share it with me. Don't forget to keep checking in. Better still, click the link to follow my blog.

Thanks for visiting. I wish you all the very best for an exciting and prosperous 2010 and hope to see you at my place sometime........

Settled In

Hello Again (finally!)

Well, we have moved and are pretty much settled in our new home.

We are absolutely loving the new lifestyle out here in the bush. There is always something new to see out here, including the biggest goanna I have ever seen!!
The photo doesn't do him justice, he was HUGE !!! Being a reptile lover, I was thrilled to have him wandering through my place.


Grafton Artsfest was a great success! We had a lovely class of six and the creativity was certainly flowing. Great to see some friends of previous years as well as some new-comers. We had such a good time, as always, and shared a lot of laughs, ideas and chocolate!!

The student exhibition drew a lot of attention our way, with visitors very impressed at the quality of work produced. Returning student, Tracy, again worked her magic on the computer and made us very classy name cards for our display. Thanks Tracy!!

To top it off, a photograph of myself and our only male student, Richard, appeared in the Grafton local paper a couple of days later. I have some photos of our workshop and the finished work, but they need a bit of cropping and resizing so I will get them posted as soon as I can.

Enrolments are being accepted for next year, with the class almost half booked out already, so if you are interested in attending Artsfest in 2010, visit their website or shoot me an email for more information.

Back to the home front and the work will begin soon on the new studio. It is quite a task, but I am hoping to be ready for classes in February 2010. I will certainly keep you posted on the progress once we start. In the meantime, if you are interested in learning to make sterling silver jewellery or would like more information on the type of workshops that will be running, just email me and I'll give you any information you require. Don't forget, you can also subscribe to this blog so you will be up to date with what's happening.

Will have more pics posted soon. Thanks for stopping by.....

Still Moving.......(well, packing!)

Another quickie this time from amidst the piles of boxes.......
Because I can't keep the same internet provider at the area I am moving to, I cannot keep my current email address. Please use the following email address to contact me.

tracy@tkjewellery.com

Be back soon!!

New Postal Address

Just a quick post this time to let you know of my new postal address:

TRACY KELLY JEWELLERY DESIGN
P. O. BOX 7401
WILBERFORCE
N.S.W.  2756

We're Moving !!!!!

Exciting news.... We're moving!

We've found a wonderful place, with a gorgeous studio. It needs a little work, but with all things going well, we should be ready to start classes early next year. The studio is situated in a lovely bush setting on 25acres in the Hawkesbury region of NSW.

Of course, I'll keep you posted on the progress. If you are interested in attending jewellery-making classes in 2010, drop me a line and I'll let you know when we're ready to go.

Because moving the current workshop (and home) is such a big task, I am not taking any orders or custom-made work until mid-October. I apologise for any inconvenience, but there is just no way I can work through the move.

Will post again soon......so busy!!

The Lunch-Break Ring...

Finally got some spare time to update The Jeweller's File. It's Sunday and I've just done my end-of-financial-year stuff, so I deserve a bit of me-time, don't you think?

I have a couple of interesting things to show you this post, firstly (as the title suggests), The Lunch-Break Ring !

OK, it has nothing to do with food....here's the story behind it.

I work (as a jeweller) in a retail store a couple of days a week and a ring came in for repair which caught the eye of one of the sales people, Donna. She just loved the general design of the ring and asked me about making a similar one for her. Being a simple, no-solder design, I suggested she try making it herself and I set her the challenge of making it in her one hour lunch-break. Donna, being the fiesty chick she is, was definately up for it. So, lunch-breaks sychronised, we set to the task.... and so created The Lunch-Break Ring!

She took to the tools really quickly and had a great time making her own version of the ring (and yes, she did it with those nails!!). It looks fantastic and really suits her. OK, Donna, next step......the torch!!!

Another custom design order I recently made was for a snake neckpiece. I was contacted through my Snake Jewellery website and quickly realised that Jenelle and I were going to get along well. She had this fabulous idea of a snake neckpiece and I customised a design to suit her. The neckpiece was just stunning. Here are some photos of the process and the finished piece. The pictures, unfortunately, really don't do it the justice it deserves; it's a gorgeous piece.

I'm also putting together the projects for Grafton Artsfest....plenty of fun things to make! Don't forget, time is going fast so enrol now if you are planning to join us.

Hope to see you there !

Time Flies

Well, they say "time flies when you're having fun"..... or if you're a frog, "time's fun when you're having flies". (OK, I'll stop with the corny jokes)

But seriously, where has the year gone? Who can believe it's nearly July? And that wretched end-of-financial-year paperwork is looming......ugghhh !

It's almost Grafton Artsfest time again. This year, Artsfest runs from Tuesday October 6th to Sunday October 11th. If you are planning on booking in to any of the great courses available, I'd recommend you do it soon as time really is running out.




My class will cater for beginners and those with some experience. Most projects will be adaptable depending on the skill level of the student. If you have any enquiries about my "Precious Metal Skills" class, please feel free to contact me and if you would like a printed Artsfest guide, which lists all of the courses and events, just let me know and I'll pop one in the post for you. You can also visit the Grafton Artsfest website http://www.artsfestgrafton.com/ for an online version and, of course, to make your booking.


I've been busy, not only creating some great jewellery, but also designing. Now all I need is the time to make the designs a reality! Following the Lego ring, I was asked to make two Scrabble tile pendants. My client is giving them as a gift to two of her close 'scrabble-playing' friends overseas. I just love these.... I'm going to make a whole lot more of them when I get the time. The back is also silver to allow for a personal message to be engraved.

Aren't they great? These are made with the classic older style tiles. When you actually look into it, there were quite a few variations of the humble Scrabble tile. Who would have thought!

I have lots more to show you, but time is getting away from me again, so check back in a day or so when I'll post again......

Thanks for stopping by.

Blast From The Past

Well, I've had a lovely day, working on something FUN!

Today I decided to just play. It seems everything old is new again. Those 70's and 80's toys are getting some good dollars on ebay and anything "retro" is definately in. That in mind, I dug out my old box of Lego and made myself a ring. Here's how it went.....


I made the 'setting' with stamped silver. The setting is tight, so there are no gaps visible down the sides of the Lego brick. The Lego will be glued in, so a snug fit is essential.

I soldered a wire post to the ring and drilled a hole in the centre of the brace under the setting. This helps to centre the setting on the band and helps hold the pieces together when soldering as you can see in the picture below. The post will also become an anchor for the glue.


Here's the ring and setting ready to be soldered together. I curled the post so that it is more secure when glued in. A straight post can pull out easily, this one's going nowhere! I thought the Lego brick was a bit chunky and sat up too high in the ring, so I lowered it by cutting some off the base of the brick.







And here's the finished ring.........

I used a red brick for the construction pictures, because red showed up best in the photos but I used a black brick for the actual ring. (see photo of me wearing it at top of this post)

It really is surprising how the humble brick of Lego can become such a striking piece of jewellery. Who would have ever thought !!

Now, I'm off to raid the games cupboard....

One-Day Workshop Coming Soon : Canberra

For those of you who are wishing to get some hands-on jewellery making experience, good news!

I will be holding one-day workshops in Canberra in the very near future. You can make a fully-finished sterling silver jewellery item in just one day.... One project is the Flower Ring pictured on the right side of this page. Set with a cabochon garnet, this delightful ring will certainly impress your friends. Why not enrol and make it for your Mum.....Mothers day is not too far away. Better still, enrol WITH your Mum and spend an enjoyable day of creativity together.

Other project options will include sterling silver pendant with cabochon Jasper, or two tone earrings using sterling silver and copper. If you have something particular in mind, let me know. Classes will run with minimum of four students, so why not get a few friends together and make a day of it.


More information will be coming soon, but if you are interested in attending a workshop, email me now and let me know your preferred day (weekday or weekend, day or evening) and any preference in terms of projects.

Stay tuned for more details..........

Turning over a Silver Leaf.....

It's been funny lately... seems I'm doing dribs and drabs of all sorts of things, but not getting anything finished. Don't you hate that feeling ?? So today, I sat down at my bench, determined to do something from start to finish without getting sidetracked.

A few weeks ago (maybe longer..) I made a few wax pieces. There was no urgency to get them cast, so I gave them to a friend of mine who has a casting set-up at home and whom I know does a good job. Last week, he returned my waxes in silver. Yayyy !

When the silver model comes back, there is still quite a bit of work left to do cleaning up and polishing, so I spent this afternoon doing just that.

Here's a picture of the waxes. The one on the left is the one I had cast.

The wax comes in thin sheets.

I heat the wax gently until it's just softened and then press a real leaf into it and allow the wax to reset. Then I carefully cut around the leaf with a scalpel. The leaf is then peeled away and some strengthening pieces are added to the back if needed. This leaf is actually a tomato leaf out of my garden.

When the cast leaf comes back, it needs a lot of work smoothing edges, shaping, adding a bail and polishing, but the end result is amazing.

I'm really happy with how this one turned out. It looks great on the leather necklace.

Another job I started and finished today was a sample for an upcoming workshop (see pic below). This class is specifically designed for beginners. It incorporates all of the basic silversmithing skills and comes together quickly once the components are made. By completing this project, students will have learned the basics of sawing, filing, soldering, shaping, texturing, polishing and design skills, in just one day....Phew!! Sorry the picture is not too good, I was running out of daylight by the time I was ready to photograph. All of the silver components of the bracelet are handmade, even the fancy silver bead!

If you're interested in paticipating in a beginners workshop, drop me a line. I'm also looking at holding some open day workshops (bring your own project, or something you're having trouble with) and also some set-project workshops in Canberra in the coming months, so once again, if you're interested, let me know and I'll send you details and dates once they're finalised.

Well, that's about it for this entry. Must be wine o'clock by now !!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back soon.

Happy New Year !!

Wow, 2009 already.. Where does the time go?
I had a wonderful Christmas with my family and made my very first Gingerbread House. To be honest, it may well be my last too. Don't get me wrong, it was fun, but so time consuming. Of course, I am perhaps a bit too fussy when it comes to this sort of thing. Well, I was at first... but, being Christmas, the champagne was flowing, so after a while I became somewhat more 'relaxed' about the whole thing.

Everyone got in on the action. Mum helped with the design and construction, Dad added the reindeer in the chimney and assisted with the 'disposal' of unused licorice allsorts and freckles. My boyfriend, Phil, made toffee for the windows and we had little lights inside. It looked spectacular at night. When it came time for the demolition, the boys got to work, rigging up a golf ball on a string pinned to the roof....a miniature, dimpled wrecking ball!


Anyway, Christmas over, it's time to get back into things. My creativity seems to be on overdrive at the moment, although getting all that 'stuff' out of my head and onto the bench is another story. I'm developing some new workshops, which I hope to be holding in both Canberra and Moruya at some point in the first half of the year. I am also looking at moving house, with the aim of setting up a permanent workshop for regular classes. Of course, Grafton Artsfest is on again this year as well.

I have also been working on some new Snake Jewellery designs and have been doing some wax-carving, which is a lot of fun.

The Australian Frog and Reptile Expo will be on again in May and I hope to be there again this year with a whole bunch of new designs.


Well, I think that's it for this post. I'll leave you with a photograph I took recently of a big moth that took a liking to a red t-shirt on my washing line. Being a keen, but very amateur, photographer I had to take his photo before moving him to a more appropriate spot. I'm amazed at the macro shots my digital camera takes. This moth was about 8cm long, quite large and he was the hairiest little thing I've ever seen!