Week Thirty Five - Necklace Contest

We haven't used nearly enough monkey images on pendants. So - for something different - here's a fun image from an old St. Louis Zoo postcard... The contest is easy: make a comment here as to what you think should be on the back side of this image. If your suggestion is chosen on Friday, you will win a necklace!

The Italian Peasant Wins the Parade Necklace!

Lots of great ideas for the back of this 4th of July pendant, but "Ready For The Parade" is so perfect! The Italian Peasant submitted this great idea and will be rewarded with a necklace to wear on the 4th of July (and every other day, if she wants to). Go visit her blog! She's having a give-a-way! Gioni - please send me your address and I'll mail you your necklace!

Thanks to everyone who played - hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

Last Week's Winning Necklace

I know you're all holding your breath to see last week's necklace -

Heather - it's on its way to you!

~~~::exhale::~~

Necklace Contest - Week 34

Next week it's July - which means that the 4th of July is on Saturday. Seward, Nebraska is America's 4th of July City - it's been featured on Good Morning America several times and brings in thousands of guests. It's a great day. That's why this week's image is patriotic - the winner will have a necklace in time for the 4th of July! The contest rules are: respond to this post with a suggestion for what should be on the back side of this pendant. On Friday a winner will be chosen and rewarded with a soldered glass pendant on a 24" chain.

If you are in Seward on the 4th of July, please stop by the Liberty House {corner of 4th and Moffitt} and peruse the great antiques, primitives, crafts, and jewelry. I'll be there with tons of stuff. So will Leah from Moxie Photo and Design. Jill from Jill Ruth (if Jill's not there, visit her at Gatherings on the Blue). Deb from Heart Creations. There are many others also. If you like the really big craft fair scene, walk to the town square. There are a gazillion crafters, people, foods, demonstrations, old cars, apple pie, cloggers, etc.

Fine Silver Workshop

On Thursday and Friday last week, six curious women gathered here at the Two Dog Pond Sweatshop to learn from Deb Brooks of From the Heart Creations, how to make fine silver jewelry. Deb teaches PMC classes and is available to come to your house and do this with you and your friends also....

PMC, Precious Metal Clay, is composed of micron-sized particles of silver, a cellulose-based binder and water. When the dried clay is heated, the binder burns away leaving fine silver. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver, while fine silver is 99.9% silver. It is beautiful.

Above is a picture of the clay which has been pressed into some patterns, layered, and a stone added. Below are some photos of the finished pieces. (these are all Shelley's) Shelley used some tiny grape leaves and pressed the clay into that to make the earrings and the leaf pendant.

If you're like me, you'd like to quit reading right now and just look at pictures...

{I apologize for the quality of the photos - both cameras batteries went dead while attempting to capture these images}

There are going to be more classes and workshops scheduled soon. It's always fun to learn something new - or to share what you know with others. If you would like to lead a workshop or attend a workshop or have an idea for a workshop - please let me know!

Winner Week 33 - This Week's Winner Is....

...the Anonymous HeatherJ! Her entry of "Rise Above and Hold On Tight" is this weeks winning necklace. But why no photo? Because yesterday and today we're having the PMC Fine Silver class at Two Dog Pond....there's too much fun stuff sitting on my workbench to be able to make the pendant today, but HeatherJ - have no fear! I'll get it in the mail to you in the next day or two - just send me your address, please! Meanwhile - here's a quick glimpse into what's going on out here -

Wish you were here!

Shrine to the First Egg

Last Summer I was all excited when one of the chickens laid the first egg in the new Chica Casa. I blew it out, washed it, covered it in many coats of sealer and then stuck it in a box with some things I though would make a great 'shrine'. Just finished it. Right now - when I should be cleaning the bathroom and making beds and setting things up for the PMC Fine Silver workshop that's happening out here at Two Dog Pond tomorrow and Friday. What is my big fat problem? I know, my priorities are whacked. Anyway - the feathers are from Cocky Rocky, the meanest rooster in the world. The photo is my dad wearing overalls. Not something you would see very often....especially by the time he had his Doctor of Divinity Degree. He used to say "he's a good egg" so the brass piece hanging from the wishbone is stamped "GOOD EGG". The background photo is from when Leah, of Moxie Photo and Design, came out for a field trip and took lots of photos. It's the inside of the chicken house with the sun coming through the stained glass windows. I'm not sure what that vintage metal thing originally was, now it's an egg holder. There's a number 1 in the upper right corner, and a compass in the lower right corner. The glare is just glare - couldn't be helped. Shrine is done, house is dirty; it is what it is.

Learning to Enamel

After asking everyone and their dogs if they knew how to enamel, Lynn from Silver Works said she wanted to learn too and that she would talk to the Powers That Be at the Lux Gallery in Lincoln - and within a couple weeks had it all coordinated. So this weekend I had the privilege of taking a two day enameling intensive class. Deb from From the Heart Creations came out from Hastings, Lynn was there, and 6 other curious women. We learned to fire with torches and talked about using the kiln also. Above are the first exercises we did...

There were other cool things we learned, most of mine looked like vomit.

However - I really like how these two bracelet links turned out, and I do plan on making more. The piece in the middle is fused glass soldered on a piece of copper after which I patinaed the solder copper...So this morning I ordered some supplies so I can finish my bracelet and hopefully make some more jewelry.

Meanwhile - I'm workingon this mosaic mirror to hang in the Shop in Two Dog Pond. My fingers are getting cut up, but I love doing mosaics.

Visit Lynn's blog - Silver Works - to see what she made :: and go to Deb's blog - From the Heart - and see what she made in Enameling 101.

Necklace Contest - Week 33 - Beach Style

Here's a fun Summer image - Perfect for a Pendant.

The contest is simple - submit a phrase/comment/quote that you think would be perfect for the backside of this image. Enter as often as you wish - encourage your blog buddies to enter as often as they wish. On Friday morning an unbiased panel of judges made up of the PMC silver class at the first Two Dog Pond workshop (more on this later) will choose a winner who will receive a pendant with this image and their own perfect phrase on the back side. But wait - there's more! Along with this free pendant you will receive a 24 inch ball chain necklace to hang it from. Act now! Don't delay!

And - here's hoping that all of us land-locked-bloggers will make it to a beach at least once this summer.

Miss Wendy is the Big Winner

There were some great suggestions this week. It was a tough decision, but after giving it some thought - I just kept coming back to "What's in YOUR toolbox?" So - Miss Wendy - you are this weeks winner! Congratulations. Just send me your mailing address and I'll mail you your necklace.

Out of curiousity, dear blogheads - What IS in your toolbox?

Turtle Competition

Rumple found this giant turtle strolling down the path.

I found this teeny little turtle (he's sitting on a lettuce leaf now) while tending the vineyard.
I'm going to glue some rhinestones on his back and put a collar around his
neck and wear him for a pendant.
{Not really - Gavin is going to raise him as his own. He has an aquarium and some turtle food ready to go. The adoption is planned for later this week.}

Necklace Contest - Week 32

This photo/postcard was taken in 1910. Quite the fashion statement.

So - here's the contest: you submit a word/phrase/comment that you think would be perfect for the backside of this image. Enter as often as you wish. One lucky winner will be chosen on Friday and will receive a soldered glass pendant with their clever comment on the back side. The pendant will be on a 24" ball chain perfect for wearing right out of the box.

If you have a minute, check out my new etsy shop:

www.twodogpond.etsy.com

There's not a lot in there yet, but hey - I finally did it!

Winner Week 31 - Kate and her WHAT?

Congratulations to Kate Spike and her KatS!

There really were some good comments this week. Clever women out there.

I like Kate's entry of "What poem by Yeats?" -

BUT - I can't believe that none of you entered "That was a good session, Doctor. Just put it on my bill." I would have....would that have won? Probably not. It just cracks me up.

Meanwhile - if you haven't visited Kate's blog, go there. I lost about 25 minutes this morning just watching her Johnny Depp show.

And now - I'm off to deadhead the irises.

Have a lovely weekend ladies! Kate and your Kats, don't forget to e-mail me (rachel@twodogpond.com) your mailing address so I can send you your pendant!

Thanks, Girls

Tim cut the grass last night. The yard is beautiful this time of year.

I went to take some kitchen scraps to the girls...

They left me some eggs.

Gotta love the country life.

Necklace Contest - Week 31 - "Conversations With a Swan"

Welcome {back} to the Two Dog Pond Necklace Contest. This is where you submit a comment/phrase/word/quote that you think would be perfect for the back side of a soldered glass pendant. On Friday a winner will be chosen to receive said necklace with their words on it - on a chain. Yes - it's that easy and that fun! Enter often~complete rules are on the sidebar.
Let the games begin!