Experiment: Oxidizing Raw Brass

A few months back I saw some fellow designers using a vintage brass bar chain that I fell in love with. After some research I was able to find an online vendor for something very similar, Earthly Adornments. I purchased 15' of chain because it was super inexpensive. When it arrived in the mail last week I was a bit shocked to see that it was in the raw brass state and was not aged as I had hoped. Guess I missed that little caveat in the item description, lol. So, I got online and did some more research as to how to oxidize brass chain with things you can find in your kitchen cabinet. I didn't want to go out and buy any chemicals for the process. I quickly found this blog that outlined an at home method for aging brass chain. It's as simple as clear ammonia, a glass bowl, and knee high panty hose.

Off to the store I headed to pick up a bottle of ammonia and some panty hose. Quite a combination huh? Sounds like I'm planning some sort of science experiment or worse! When I got home I grabbed a glass bowl with a tight lid, filled it about 1/3 full of ammonia, stretched the knee high over the top and placed my chain, in 12" lengths on the top, then secured the lid. I checked the first batch after 15 minutes and it wasn't as dark as I would have liked. I decided to check it in 5 minute increments after that. 21 minutes seemed to be the perfect amount of time for the color I was looking for. Before placing the chain in the bowl to fume, don't forget to wash it thoroughly with warm water and soap because the chain comes with an oily coating from the factory. This will most definitely deter the ammonia from oxidizing the brass. Once all the chain was aged I rubbed it with some Renaissance Wax to seal the patina. You can readily purchase this wax on Etsy.

I have now added another successful technique to my jewelry making arsenal. It was very fulfilling to see my chain turn out as well as it did. When it first arrived and I saw it was raw brass, I thought to myself, "What have you done?". I was certain that I had just wasted $30 on chain I wouldn't be able to use.

Try this out for yourself if you have any raw brass items such as chain, charms or connectors. It's super simple, inexpensive and gives great aged results.

DIY Dry Erase Board

A few months back I was over at Candie Coopers' blog and saw a DIY Dry Erase project she had posted about. I knew I had it try it. So, a few weeks ago I headed over to the thrift shop and picked up a $2 11x14 picture frame.

All you do is take out the chipboard backing and collage anything you want on it. I used old book pages from a 1950's trigonometry book I have. I put them down with Mod Podge, then did a wash of Goldens' Titan Buff fluid acrylic to mute the background. Next, I pulled out some scrapbook papers in the colors of my kitchen and did a banner type border. I added a few of my favorite brown Bo Bunny rub-ons as accents, cleaned the glass and put everything back in the frame.

Voila! A DIY Dry Erase board for grocery lists and appointments, etc. All for the low, low, discount price of $2.00. It was a quick project you can personalize with color or photos and it only took about an hour to do.

If you decide to try this project, leave me comment with a link.

I'd love to see how yours turns out!

My Mini Quilts on Ebay

I just listed these 2 mini quilts in my Ebay shop!

These are paper-pieced and feature high quality 100% cotton batik and traditional fabrics.

They are 7 day listings, so you've got plenty of time to bid.

Here's the link to the house quilt and the link to the pinwheel quilt.

20% OFF in my Etsy shop!

SALE

20% off everything in my Etsy shop until April 10th.

Use coupon code "SPRINGBREAK20" at checkout.

Thank you!

Gifts and Trades

The 5 pics above are some goodies that I have received in the mail over the last month.

Recently my friend Lori Ramotar contacted me to see if I would be interested in having some of her metalworking supplies that she no longer would be using. I told her I would love to have them, so she sent me a bunch of copper and bronze sheets, some copper cut-outs and a grouping of metal stamps. I was so thrilled to see all the goodies that she had sent me. She is a talented artist and jewelry maker. Thank you again, Lori!

The second pic is of an original painting by Aimee Wheaton of Mazer Design. Aimee had contacted me about trading for a piece of my jewelry. This painting entitled "LoveAbull" was my pick. He's just so cute and the colors are great! Thanks again, Aimee!

The third pic is an original collage by Julie Nutting. I contacted Julie to see if she'd be interested in trading for some of my jewelry as well. She was thrilled to do it. This piece that I chose had a caribbean theme and great colors. Julies' work has been featured in various Somerset Studio magazines and she also has a new book coming out soon. Thank you, Julie!

The last two pics were surprise gifts from my friend Jen Swift over at Bird From A Wire. I had mentioned to Jen earlier that I really liked her photo holder that she makes from old books. The scribble heart was a welcome surprise also. Jen also has a new book already on store shelves called Creative Bloom. Thank you, Jen!

Thanks again to all these creative ladies who were willing to share their talents and art with me! Please head over to their websites and Etsy shop.