Tag Archives: holidays

Jewelry Notes, New Work, Studio News and Notes, The Muse

A Quilt and a Copper Cuff – Story of Handmade

Posted on by Nancy Lee

Here’s an excerpt from my December 2013 newsletter, with a bunch of progress photos from making copper cuffs. A story of warmth for a chill December day!
Last night I went in search of my other blanket – the quilt made by my grandmother. My hands smoothed the pinks and purples and greens, snippets from garments she had made. I felt the love as I drifted off to sleep, finding the comfort in something handmade that I will own forever.

This morning, as I slipped on the copper cuff I wear daily, I thought again about the handmade. It’s a simple thing, this cuff. Seeing it on my wrist every day brings comfort. It is pretty, it feels good, I made it, it will last forever. I can have as many as I care to make, but I only wear this one almost every day.
Two blankets. One cuff. Sometimes it’s not about more. It’s just about having something beautifully meaningful. This Christmas season, I encourage handmade, meaningful things in small quantities topped with warmth, and human connection.
Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Here’s how these cuffs are made, skipping a bunch of steps!
Cut a bunch of copper, then file the edges and sand it all over.
Anneal the copper, then hammer it in overlapping hammer blows.

 

 

Tip the edges of the metal over a steel block held in a vice

Anneal the copper, and bend it around a bracelet mandrel
Handmade Tipped Edge Copper Cuff Bracelet by Nancy Lee
Studio News and Notes

Handmade Jewely in time for Christmas!

Posted on by Nancy Lee

So, I’ve been spending a LOT of time at the bench lately. And the chiropractor (the wonderful Bob Dixon!). Plus Mercury is in retrograde. And the Winter Solstice is just days away! I think there is a full moon in there somewhere. And I’ve been having a @#$*load of weird dreams as icing on the freak-flag cake. What to do? Be responsible and practical with my blogspace.
In order to keep from saying really dumb things, I’m going to post a bunch of photos of my work. Plus I now have Photoshop Elements 9 and I’m pretty happy with the four functions I’ve figured out so far:

  1. crop
  2. auto-sharpen
  3. auto-correct
  4. change image size

That’s really all one needs, and that’s about the size of it. Except, I have waaaay more beautiful handmade jewelry available than is pictured here! And most of it is not on the shopping page, but is nonetheless available.
Please contact me if you are interested in these items. Thank you so much, and enjoy your holidays in the happiest, safest, and warmest way imaginable.