Rustic Wrappings


Book Description

Explore a rustic approach to making beautiful jewelry with exciting surface effects. Rustic Wrappings is packed with over 24 wire and art bead jewelry projects and reveals the surprisingly artistic effects of applying items such as salt, vinegar, bleach, sawdust, potato chips, or baking soda to your copper, silver, brass and steel wire projects--high-end effects with low-tech techniques. Achieving these innovative effects using household products will not only inspire jewelry makers but mixed-media artists as well. Advance your technique skills when you learn how to use patinas to add rustic, weathered effects, create unique and natural-looking color combinations, and use metal wire to embroider designs on metal jewelry pieces. Beginners will benefit from detailed technique instruction, while skilled designers will enjoy the introduction to more advanced techniques. With tons of information on customizing effects for unique metal finishes, Rustic Wrappings will teach you to re-imagine your wirework jewelry projects and create fresh designs that showcase your new skill sets.







The Art of Forgotten Things


Book Description

Discover a masterpiece that gives new life to found objects in The Art of Forgotten Things. Imagine necklaces and bracelets using one-of-a-kind components that hint at fragments of stories that exist only in the mind, evoking a mysterious past. Author Melanie Doerman will teach you how to take esquisite mementoes from history and make them into meaningful works of wearable art. The Art of Forgotten Things offers a brilliant new take on expressing your story within a jewelry design. Melanie shows how to create delicate beaded frames, clasps, nets, and components with seed beads and combine them with mixed-media elements for jewelry with an evocative look and feel. You'll also find an extensive techniques section that includes instructions for flat and tubular peyote, right-angle weave, bead netting, bead embroidery, and picot edges and fringes; basic jewelry techniques such as wire wrapping; mixed-media techniques such as foiling; and additional embellishment. Detailed step-by-step instructions are provided for each project. You'll learn about various types of beads used in the book's projects, from tiny seed beads to crystals, pressed glass, pearls, and more, as well as other materials, tools, and "treasures" that make each creation unique. In addition, Melanie explores using readily available materials and items that you might already have in your collection, along with directions for locating more unusual or vintage items. The Art of Forgotten Things is truly a one-of-a-kind masterpiece for all imaginative jewelry artists.




Wire + Metal


Book Description

Easy-to-do techniques at the comfort of your kitchen table! Authors Denise Peck and Jane Dickerson introduce simple wire- and metalworking techniques that have big impact. Working with precut metal blanks and thin gauge sheet, as well as with inexpensive and readily available tools, you can produce results similar to much more complex metalsmithing techniques. Explore lashing, stitching, simple weaving, coils, spirals, twisted wire, and incorporating beads with wire. You'll be exposed to metal pieces being hole-punched, dapped, hammered, textured, colorized, and patinated. This book features thirty step-by-step projects that require only basic jewelry-making skills, but will result in stunning contemporary jewelry. Wire + Metal covers a wide range of styles that will appeal to beginner to advanced jewelry makers.




Unexpected Findings


Book Description

Give new life to your jewelry designs by using common jewelry findings in surprising ways. Readers will enjoy this book as it takes a completely new approach to working with jewelry findings by focusing on nontraditional uses for them: bead frames become connectors; toggle clasps become pendants; filigree can be rolled to create tube beads or bails; and so much more. Author Michelle Mach offers a thorough overview of the many different jewelry findings available, essential tools, and other materials, such as beads, wire, and cords and ribbons. Tips for modifying purchased findings with patinas, beads, hammering, painting, and other jewelry making techniques are also provided. Fifty jewelry projects showcase one or more findings used in a new or unusual way. The designs include necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, some of which can be taken apart and reassembled to become different pieces of jewelry. Basic jewelry making techniques, such as stringing, simple wirework, and basic metalwork, are also covered along with a thorough list of resources.




How to Wrap Five Eggs


Book Description

Traditional Japanese packaging is an art form that applies sophisticated design and natural aesthetics to simple objects. In this elegant presentation of the baskets, boxes, wrappers, and containers that were used in ordinary, day-to-day life, we are offered a stunning example of a time before mass production. Largely constructed of bamboo, rice straw, hemp twine, paper, and leaves, all of the objects shown here are made from natural materials. Through 221 black-and-white photographs of authentic examples of traditional Japanese packaging—with commentary on the origins, materials, and use of each piece—the items here offer a look into a lost art, while also reminding us of the connection to nature and the human imprint of handwork that was once so alive and vibrant in our everyday lives. This classic book was originally published under the title How to Wrap Five More Eggs in 1975. The eminent American designer George Nelson praised the work featured here, saying, “We have come a long, long way from the kind of thing so beautifully presented in this book. To suit the needs of super mass production, the traditional natural materials are too obstreperous . . . and one by one we have replaced them with the docile, predicable synthetics. . . . What we have gained from these [new] materials and wonderfully complicated processes to make up for the general pollution, rush, crowding, noise, sickness, and slickness is a subject for other forums. But what we have lost for sure is what this book is all about: a once-common sense of fitness in the relationships between hand, material, use, and shape, and above all, a sense of delight in the look and feel of very ordinary, humble things. This book is thus . . . a totally unexpected monument to a culture, a way of life, a universal sensibility carried through all objects down to the smallest, most inconsequential, and ephemeral things.” Now, over thirty years later, this revived classic on the art of traditional Japanese packing may leave us with the same response, and the same appreciation for the natural and utile packaging presented in this book.




Game On


Book Description

Embark on an unparalleled culinary journey with "Game On," the eagerly-awaited eBook that delves into the savory universe of jerky making. Revel in a labyrinth of flavors, extend your food preservation repertoire, and attain the pinnacle of homemade jerky craft with methodologies that span from the ancient to the contemporary. "Game On" ignites your journey with an introspective look at the jerky's illustrious history, unearthing the burgeoning plethora of health benefits that elevate this time-honored snack from convenient to consequential. Venturing forth, equip yourself with quintessential knowledge by selecting the right protagonist—the choice cut of meat that will anchor your jerky escapades. From the rich tapestries of beef to the novelty of game meats, navigate this foundational decision with informed confidence. Preparation is key, and so you are guided through the meticulous art of meat slicing, marination, and tenderization. Each section is a building block toward mastery of the jerky maker's craft, ensuring your creations resonate with flavor and finesse. Stoke the flames of flavor alchemy by concocting unique spice blends and marinades that tell a tale as old as time, yet as refreshingly new as your next bite. Techniques unravel within the compendium, leveraging the subtle secrets of air drying, dehydrating, and smoking to arrive at the perfect texture and taste. These processes, both old and new, coalesce to lend your jerky a personal and unmatched quality. As you journey deeper into the shrouded realms of jerky varieties, encounter unexpected flavor horizons, from the comfort of classic revisitations to the thrill of exotic meats and global spices. Embrace the robust realm of vegetarian options, presenting a vibrant vista of plant-based delight, while expertly troubleshooting common jerky-making quandaries that even seasoned veterans face. "Game On" prepares you for the grandeur of jerky presentation and preservation, ensuring every strip ignites the senses and endures the test of time. Transition into the arts of jerky plating, pairing, and even throwing the ultimate jerky tasting parties that will be the buzz of your social circles. For the aspiring entrepreneur, discover the keys to taking your artisanship to market. Leave no stone unturned from food safety regulations to the nuances of branding – your journey might just scale the heights of a burgeoning business. Within "Game On," find resources that will prove indispensable to the jerky journeyman, explore the paradigm of community engagement through shared culinary exploits, and celebrate the versatile role of jerky as both an endearing gift and a communal offering. Finally, cast a gaze into the future with an inspiring exploration of innovation and sustainability within the jerky-making domain. Beyond recipes and tools lies a community vibrant with dialogue, diversity, and the shared passion for the noble craft of jerky making. "Game On" is the quintessential tome for both the novice adventurer and the seasoned snacking sojourner. Whether your path is forged in the pursuit of flavor, the art of preservation, or the joy of shared experiences over handcrafted cuisine, consider this the definitive guide to triumph in the endlessly delicious world of jerky making. The adventure awaits; are you ready for "Game On"?




The Gift Wrapping Book


Book Description

This guide offers 150 inspirational and practical gift-wrapping suggestions plus more than 25 projects that employ a wide variety of techniques. Step-by-step instructions and color photos show how to beautify any gift.




Handcrafted Metal Findings


Book Description

Metalsmiths reveal new findings in jewelry trends! Following up their best-selling book Handcrafted Wire Findings, Denise Peck and Jane Dickerson give jewelers more techniques, more (and different) findings, and more inspiration. Handcrafted Metal Findings features 30 step-by-step tutorials for metal findings that require only basic jewelry-making skills. Working with precut metal blanks and thin-gauge sheet metal, Denise, Jane, and several contributing artists have created great-looking findingsâ€"head pins, bead caps, bails, charms, connectors, cones, and more--all without a lot of effort. All the metalwork can be done with basic tools--no saws, no flex shaft, no oxy/acetylene tanks. Metal pieces are hole-punched, dapped, hammered, textured with stamps and tools, colorized, oxidized, and patinated. Construction techniques include simple soldering with a micro torch and cold connections such as riveting. Finished gallery pieces that incorporate some of the findings provide additional inspiration in this inspiration- and information-packed book.




The Missing Link


Book Description

Explore the most fundamental and versatile--yet overlooked--component of jewelry designâ€"the wire link! Unlike many transient jewelry fads, it is one aspect of jewelry making that is consistent and relevant to nearly every style. Get all the details of essential tools and wire techniques as well as a collection of 30 custom links and step-by-step illustrated instructions for creating them. Join a variety of contributors that have created 15 jewelry projects, each incorporating one or more of author Cindy Wimmer's links. You'll see how any single link holds limitless design and functional possibilities. In addition to creating different links, Cindy will show you how to create different effects with the same link design by using or combining different colored wire, changing wire gauge, or changing the size of the link itself.