The December 2014 Newsletter is available. This month we are giving away a customized flower engraved necklace. You can read all about it by clicking the caption above.
I can’t believe another year is coming to a close! Looking forward to 2015…
By customer request I am now engraving the International Babywearing Symbol. I’ve developed a necklace available in silver or gold and paired with a Swarovski crystal or pearl (or no embellishment for a small discount).
Be sure to check out Natural Mother Magazine for more info on this symbol.
New keychain sets also come in both silver or gold plate. Choose from a double or triple set.
Bulk orders for events are always available, simply contact me for a quote. All pieces are manually engraved and assembled at time of order.
**SALE EXTENDED!*** DISCOUNT WILL BE APPLIED TO YOUR CART AUTOMATICALLY UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2014 11:59pm EST
Thank you for all your support in 2014. Looking forward to 2015!
For a limited time save with a bulk discount when you buy multiples on bb3.ca.
Buy any 2 items and you’ll save 10% off your entire order;
Buy any 3 items and you’ll save 20% off your entire order;
Buy any 4 items and you’ll save 30% off your entire order;
Buy any 5 items and you’ll save 40% off your entire order.
Free standard shipping with Canada Post included. Not combinable with any other discount or on 3rd party sites like etsy. Not available on sale items or gift certificates.
Discount automatically applied at checkout.
Currently running until December 3rd, 2014 (edit: now extended to December 31st, 2014).
Must get back to work!
I’ve dabbled in the past spinning bouclé, but I never liked the results and I felt it was too time consuming. I realized after reading up on the technique that I was missing the most important element: mohair.
From my research, I found out that mohair (from the angora goat) gives the most perfect little loops. It cards to a straight slippery fiber and because of this texture the loops stay round and don’t collapse on itself like sheep’s wool would. Also my research stated it works best if you spin it in a fatter single and ply it on a thinner yarn.
So I got digging in my bins and found the perfect fiber to experiment with: some mohair roving I had bought from an individual at a wool show a couple of years ago as a destash. I couldn’t believe the price for the roving (cheap!). After spinning it, I wished I had bought more!
I ended up with 6 bobbins full of mohair singles. I had some commercial cotton that I picked up at a thrift store making it the perfect (and affordable) base for this yarn.
I ran the commercial cotton through the spinning wheel once in s-twist (spin to the left) to add more energy. This is so that after the final ply, spun in the opposite direction (known as z-twist), you end up with a balanced yarn. I know spinners are mixed on this practice. I don’t always do this but after examining the cotton it just felt like the best course of action.
So fairly soon I got a rhythm with making loops. You basically hold the 2 plies loosely with one on either side of you (2 lazy kates in other words on either side of your chair) and start pushing up the mohair onto the base yarn until they make loops. Once I got into it it was so much fun and I didn’t want to stop. 🙂
The loops will still move around, until the final step of plying, where you take a thin thread and ply in the opposite direction so that the loops stay put. You can see in the photo above I used a purple cotton thread to do the final ply. The next step is to dye the skeins. I ended up with 6 skeins all together – and the dyeing stage will be discussed in an up-coming post.
UPDATE November 23rd, 2014: since spinning these I have also experimented with making bouclé with alpaca handspun singles as well as handspun silk singles. The results are totally different but the lover of textured yarns I am, is totally digging it! I’m glad I got the technique down with mohair first, now the possibilities are endless…
November’s newsletter is available…you can read it by clicking the image above. This month there is another chance to win the “Wings”Memorial Necklace. 🙂
I am bringing back an older design – just in time for holiday parties. The “Bridget” earrings are named for their original recipient, and are now available in a selection of colors. Currently, I am offering these in the 12 birthstone colors, as I am guaranteed to stock these Swarovski crystals. You may also request a particular color for your event, but please allow some time as I will have to order in the color. I’m also offering discounts for bulk orders (starting at 5 or more), making these great gifts for your bridal party, prom friends or party favors.
This product is now available in 14kt gold filled as well as the original sterling silver.
It was a Saturday, 6 years ago today that my mother suddenly passed away. She was only 54. I designed this angel wings necklace with her monogram as a way to wear her close to my heart. I vowed to never reproduce it, but I decided that that this could help heal others. It has since become my #1 best seller.
In her tribute I am giving away a “Wings” necklace to one lucky winner. You will be able to choose chain length and engraving (1, 2 initials or monogram). To enter the draw simply fill out the form at: http://bb3.wufoo.eu/forms/wings-memorial-necklace-giveaway-from-bb3ca/
I’ll take entries until November 1st, 2014 & the winner will be announced in November’s email newsletter.
If you wish to purchase the necklace I am offering 60% off this piece until Wednesday, October 29th, 2014 (the exact day 6 years ago we laid her to rest). Because shipping is included the sale price covers my costs only; I am donating my time to the creation of each keepsake so that others may have their loved ones honored as well.
Simply use the code: ANGEL60 at checkout to receive the discount. The “Wings” piece can be purchased by clicking here.
You are looking at this year’s take from the NYS Sheep & Wool Festival (aka simply as “Rhinebeck” – as in the town it takes place, Rhinebeck, NY). 3 bags of alpaca, 1 bag of mohair, 2 of cormo (excited about this, since I have not worked with it before) and 1 bag of icelandic (sheep). I need this much more fleece like I need a hole in my head! I have gotten so behind in fiber production since keeping (contentedly) busy with engraving jewelry. That said, I regret *nothing* and this has only boosted my passion for hand processing fleece from raw.
I still have some merino to finish dyeing that I picked up in Maine this summer, and then I will dive into scouring the cormo. I will most likely blog about each fleece as I go, but until then take a look at the crimp in this alpaca! I took this photo with my macro lens so perhaps it is too detailed…in any event, it is so soft, and the color is drool worthy. Caramels and creams seemed to be the color of the season this year, I even picked up some dyed silk in a similar colorway. I’m thinking my next art batts will be named after desserts! 😉
I’ve been experimenting with variations of tailspinning locks of fleece (in this instance mohair locks). This would actually be classified as a faux tailspun as I sandwiched each lock in between 2 plies of handspun via my spinning wheel and then re-plied it with metallic thread for added strength/definition. Typically tail spinning is characterized by spinning the locks around a core. I like to play around with different ways of doing things and this came about simply because I have a bunch of one plies done that I am bored with plying together to make traditional 2-ply or 3-ply yarn.
Once spun the sample skeins went into the dyepot. The orange sample had locks spaced approximately 3/4″ to 1″ apart, while the purple sample had locks sandwiched approximately 3 inches apart. Although I like the overall fullness of the orange sample the purple was fun to knit up as well, and honestly they don’t look that much different in the end. It’s all about the size of needles used. The orange skein would make a fab scarf on its own, don’t you agree?
This is the orange knitted with a #17 needle. I had my macro lense on my camera so this may be a tad too much detail. I went with a larger needle size to let the locks spread out. You could easily use a smaller size as well if you want a tighter knit.
Here’s a quick shot of the purple sample. I used a #10.5 needle. The locks are more spaced out in this sample. I should also mention I knit every row in both samples.
So what to do with this? I could see it as a beautiful scarf, trim for a hat, or I was thinking the shoulders of a shrug. What about a stuffed animal friend? I really appreciate yarn hat resembles the animal it came from – it is probably why I am so drawn to artistic textured yarns. I’d say the experiment was a success. Definitely more of this on the horizon…
The October 2014 Newsletter is hot off the press and into subscribers’ inboxes. You can read it by clicking the image above. Don’t forget the giveaway!
Until next month,
The most popular pinterest board that I have to date is all about owls. I’m glad I’m not the only one fascinated with these creatures. Back in April I did a giveaway to my newsletter subscribers where everyone who responded would get a free product from me. This allowed me to bring some new products from paper to fruition. I always love to have a muse or energy to work towards. A few of my subscribers received this piece, and it is now available for purchase. Choose one or 2 initials for engraving.
If you are a knitter, you may also like my owl stitch markers. 🙂
For the month of October save 30% off the skulls and spiders sections on the website. Simply use code: COBWEBS30 at checkout.
Offer valid until October 31, 2014 at 11:59 EDT
I’ve been combing fiber like mad while we’ve been here in Nova Scotia. After watching Robin Russo’s DVD Combing Fiber I was convinced to give it a try, and purchased her St. Blaise combs the next time we were in Vermont.
Of the interesting tidbits I found out in this DVD, like St. Blaise was the patron saint of wool carders (who knew there was a patron saint of wool carders!!), I also gained a greater understanding of the difference between woolen & worsted yarn. It goes beyond how the wool is spun which I naively thought, and also about how the fiber is processed. In a worsted yarn, all the fibers are aligned in the same direction prior to spinning. Half of the fiber is discarded as waste product leaving only the smoothest best quality fibers (aka: top). This is what gives that smooth even texture many knitters and crocheters enjoy.
Robin reviews the different types of combs and their pitches and what fleece is combed with each. In the end I was convinced her own designed St. Blaise combs that are made in her studio in Vermont would be the best option for me as a well-rounded go to comb.
I definitely was not disappointed, and thanks to her instruction via the DVD, I was combing fleece like a pro in no time. Although I own a drum carder I wanted the combs for working with a fleece requiring a little extra TLC. The combs do a stellar job at removing VM (vegetable matter) and are a must-have for separating the longer/coarser strands found in fibers like icelandic sheep or llama. The other plus is that they are portable, so now I can continue processing fleece while we are in Nova Scotia and leave the drum carder behind in the studio.
We’ve been travelling so I’ve been quiet on the blog front. You can read about the latest in my newsletter, as well as participate in the giveaway…
Click on the above photo to read the September newsletter in entirety. 🙂
I’m going to do something different starting this month, and that is putting the newsletters on here as soon as soon as they are released rather than archived the month before. That way, if you stumble upon this post and want to enter the current giveaway you can, just remember you need to be a current newsletter subscriber to qualify.
Sign up here: http://bb3.ca/newsletter
Click on the image below to read August 2014’s newsletter:
Click on the image below to read July 2014’s newsletter.
To subscribe, go to: http://bb3.ca/newsletter
I love it when a new product evolves from an existing one. I have a basket on my work desk of “rejects”. Manual engraving is a skill. Being able to line up the font just perfectly, not scratching with the diamond tip, and making sure the blank is totally immobile so that it doesn’t move during the process are all things I have going on all at once. Sometimes I goof on the placement, accidentally scratch the surface or the blank will move because it just wasn’t quite tight enough. These are all thrown into the reject pile. Normally what happens is that I engrave “SAMPLE” across the mistake and use the other side for engraving examples. Waste not, want not, as they say.
Concentrating on all these things, I also have to make sure I have the initials in the right order. I have been known to reverse them, and upon a double check discover my mistake. These blanks are perfectly fine, they are just not fine for the customer expecting the initials in the proper order. 😉
This new Awareness ribbon piece evolved out of said boo-boos while engraving for the “Wings” memorial piece. In order to do an interlocking monogram, I engrave the outer initials first, then over lay the interlocking middle initial. So here a I had a couple of blanks missing the middle letter, as I had realized my goof before finishing the engraving. So what to do with this large gap? I came to realize that an awareness ribbon fits nice & snuggly in between.
The awareness/memorial piece was born. My main intention was to create an awareness piece, pairing the charm with different Swarovski crystals in colors of a variety of causes. But after it was finished I realized that this could also serve as a memorial piece to honor a passed on loved one (or loved ones as the 2 initials could be two people). Whether one is a supporter, a survivor or honoring the loss of a loved one this necklace has the ability to tell the personal story of the owner. It is truly unique to one’s situation and becomes a conversation piece for a variety of good causes. This is in essence why I enjoy doing what I do, to help with the healing process, and an ice breaker so help one tell the story of their journey.
I currently have 18 different colors to choose from that signify a variety of causes from cancers to diabetes to caregivers. Some colors stand for more than one cause. I have chose to list the symbolism that I happen to know about/is most common, but I encourage you to choose the color that has meaning for you. If there is an awareness color that you would like to have I am more than happy to take your requests. The possibilities can be endless with this topic, and I had to stop somewhere or this piece would never get listed. Browse the listing to see the colors currently available but do let me know if there is another cause you would like represented.
So much more still on the workbench. To keep my sanity I list a little bit every month. More new items coming soon… 🙂
I’ve added some more cute culinary grade pewter charms to this series (culinary grade = lead free!). I cannot help myself: the detail the manufacturer puts into these make them absolutely irresistible. The total to choose from currently is 10. Here’s a quick run down of the new offerings.
You can view these combinations as well as the original 4 on the website. I am carrying these in limited quantities to gauge their popularity before making them a permanent supply.
The June 2014 newsletter has been archived. You can click the image above to read it. To signup to receive the monthly newsletter, and therefore able to enter the monthly giveaway, please enter you name & email here. Many thanks for your support!
I got a chain order the other day, and with it I had a design epiphany, about my child’s flower necklaces. The epiphany was: what I found off putting about it, was the style of chain.
I am notorious for over analyzing my work. I have to tell myself to put much of what I do away and revisit it, when I can be less emotionally invested in the design. This was a little different, because I always liked this piece, just something was…off for me.
Originally because I designed this piece just for kids, I attached the only 14 inch chain I had in stock, which happened to be a sterling silver box chain. And thus it remained for no other reason but convenience. I also had the undesirable task looming of putting up my price for this piece, because I have officially ran out of my original wholesale lot of chain, that I acquired years ago at better prices. So I either ordered more of this chain at a higher price and therefore a higher price for my customers, or find an alternative.
With this new chain, which is for both for a good quality silver plated and gold plated rolo chain, the necklace just looks right to me. It’s not something I can explain. It is a feeling – the energy – of the entire piece. I think I find this chain more youthful than the box chain. Seems like a lot of thinking just about style of chain, but that is what you can expect out of handmade work. We put a lot of heart & soul in everything we create, whatever it may be!
Switching this chain out means I don’t have to raise my prices on an item that is in a limited run. In fact – I was able to put the price of the gold version down $2 to match the silver! It also comes in 30 inch length for silver, and 26 inch length for gold. That means I can offer customers any chain length they desire under that maximum length, making the child’s flower piece suitable for teens, young adults or the young at heart. 😉
We have a 100 year old project house in Nova Scotia. Now, I hate painting. I love the look of a freshly painted wall or trim but I don’t necessarily enjoy the execution. One painting project I was looking forward to, was the back door. Mostly because of the size of the project (small!). It’s a vintage dream: the side that is towards the outside has this gorgeous natural crackle from years of exposure to the elements and layers of paint. The brass door knob from years gone by would take a skeleton key if I had it; now it is secured with the modern day deadbolt. It was dingy white, and it screamed to be blue, to match our new roof. I could not wait to see the final product.
Although a roller would have been a lot faster, I opted for a brush. I’m not sure why, but soon I was enjoying the rhythmic back and forth motion watching the door slowly transform. I realized in that moment something that I had never done before: became present in this mundane task. Normally when I paint I’d let my mind wander & think about everything but, just trying to get through the chore. This time, I was aware of every stroke, every glop and drip, and the awareness that this door will never look “perfect” (brand new) ever again, no matter how much paint I applied. And yet, with every imperfection, the door is a true gem. Probably one of my favorite features of the house. Brand new, and perfect would look totally out of place in a house that has seen so much life in the past 100 years.
Painting the door that morning, gave my creativity a huge boost. Once done I immediately sat down at the sketch pad and to-do list. Problems were solved. Decisions made. New potential products were given its first one dimensional life on paper. I also realized something else. This door is delicious despite its imperfections. It is in many ways like handmade. The skill to create by hand will never be with machine precision but the slight imperfections are what truly make the piece vibrant, alive and soulful.
I hope you find much creative inspiration as you go about your day, and if the whim hits you to do something totally out of the ordinary, take the leap, regardless of your level of knowledge or skill. As the old saying goes, you never know unless you try! 😉
June’s new product offerings include necklaces & bookmarks featuring the International Breastfeeding Symbol & The Image of the International Child for Genital Autonomy. Perfect gifts for the Lactivist/Intactivist in your life. Manually engraved (handmade) in my home studio near Montreal.
Back engraving is available on these products for an additional fee. Click on the images to be taken to the listings. The breastfeeding necklace is available with or without the pearl. Coming soon to my Etsy shop. 🙂
I’m posting and dashing this evening. I’m desperately trying to catch up all while having a family vacation. The studio is still closed but the computer seems to be my constant companion when I can steal away a moment here and there. Off to work on my overdue newsletter…
Last week the fam & I had the privilege of attending the 2014 Maine Fiber Frolic. It’s been on our list of shows to check out for a few years now, but the timing has never lined up. We love Maine and love a chance to go visit, and this year we just so happened to be in Portland on the same weekend of the show. So we drove the hour and ten minutes out to the Windsor fairgrounds to check it out.
The show was absolutely charming. Totally chill and laid back like I would expect in Maine. It wasn’t at all as big as I had imagined, and I say this in a good way. As much as we love to immerse ourselves in the thousands of folk at Rhinebeck, We’ve always enjoyed a slower paced laid back show where we are free to take our time and linger looking at animals, exhibitors & vendors without feeling like we’re in the way.
Of course I enjoyed the fleece sale barn the most with the food vendors being a close second. 🙂
The family was in agreement – Stone Fox Farm Creamery is the *best* ice cream we have ever tasted – and best of all no egg, which my children are allergic.
Although I did not get a ton of fleece this show (The NH Show was just in May and I came home with 6 big bags of fleece and roving from that one) I did nab 2 bags of raw merino to play around with. I love a challenge especially when it means I can get my hands on Merino at bargain basement prices. 🙂 Takes a little more elbow grease on my part but I love to see the progress from a dirty fleece to a clean one. 🙂
If we happen to be in Maine same time next year, we will certainly be checking out the show again!
A customer recently asked me if I could do a pearl instead of a Swarovski crystal for her flower child’s necklace order. I had some 4mm freshwater pearls on hand, and I loved the result so much I decided to add it as a permanent option for both silver & gold versions of this product. Now added on the website and coming soon to Etsy (my Etsy shop is closed as I am currently travelling).
As an aside, I get asked every now and then if the blanks I use are black. What you are seeing here is the reflection of the camera lens. Often the glare is so bad on these very shiny blanks I cannot capture the detail in the engraving. Often times the best way to take a clear picture of the engraving is to have the reflection of the camera lens absorb the light. So in the closeups this is why sometimes the blanks look black. My photography skills leave much to be desired, I know. 😉 I try to post several photos to help best represent the piece so always browse through them all to get an overall feel for the product. Photos are so flat and one dimensional they do not do my work justice. I think most – if not all – online sellers are feeling my pain, here. 🙂
