Crazy About Copper

I love copper and I love chain maille. Put the two together and I'm in heaven.

Some people prefer the shiny new copper and it is very nice, but I like the antique look of oxidized copper. When I'm putting on airs, I say it has a patina but you and I both know it's actually tarnish. Whatever we call it, the color of oxidized copper gives it character. It feels old and you can imagine that it has a story surrounding it.

Don't be worried about your skin turning green from wearing copper. Wear it at home for a few hours and see what happens. If you do turn green, it will wash off. But don't clean the copper. You body's natural oils will coat the jewelry and protect it and you from future Martian impersonations.

If you do prefer the shiny new penny look of copper, there are several ways to clean it. There are many preparations available at jewelry stores and online. But I wouldn't waste my money when I have the materials in my own kitchen. You can use lemon juice and table salt if you like. But my favorite copper cleaner is ketchup. Done laughing? Good. All you do is put a little ketchup on the copper and rub it in. If the piece has a lot of nooks and crannies, use an old soft toothbrush to get to them. Rinse it really well under running water and ooh and shh over the shine. To be extra safe, you might want to use some baking soda when you rinse it to offset the acidity of the ketchup.

Shine or patina, copper is a gorgeous material and is perfect for casual jewelry as well as high fashion.

Happy Earth Day!

There's a lot of talk these days about being green. You can't turn on the TV or radio, read a magazine or go shopping without someone imploring you to be more environmentally aware. I don't think we've been this conscious of Mother Earth since the late sixties and early seventies. At least I haven't.

So, how green are you? How green is too much? Is there such a thing? Do we need to go hog wild and completely change our lifestyles or is even a little bit enough? We could go crazy trying to find definitive answers to these questions. Some think we already have.

I do my part, albeit in a small way. I use a reusable water bottle that I fill with tap water. I don't use paper cups or paper plates. I save plastic grocery bags for a variety of uses. They make great packing material for Christmas ornaments, etc. and I use them as tote bags and lunch bags. I even put customer purchases in them at craft shows.

My absolute favorite contribution to the green movement is what is now being called upcycling. In a nutshell, it's taking something that otherwise might sit in a landfill and making something new out of it. I love to give things new life, especially discarded jewelry. Give me broken, tarnished or ugly jewelry and I'll play around with it until I end up with something beautiful, funky or interesting. It might not be everyone's taste, but it won't be boring! Buttons are a favorite but I'll use an old clasp, beads, charms or pretty much anything. One of my biggest hits with customers was a necklace made from a rather garish pair of leaf earrings. The leaves were so cool but they were a bit overwhelming as earrings. I made them the focal point of a necklace and it was a huge draw whenever I showed it. As a matter of fact, when it sold, I had several people disappointed because they had intended to buy it themselves. Remember, when it comes to one of a kind anything, you snooze - you lose.

Today, I'll be at the Earth Day celebration at Lynchburg College. If you happen to be in the area, stop by and say Hi! If you tell me you read this blog entry, I just might have a special Earth Day deal for you.

OMG!

I cannot believe it's been almost 3 months since I updated this blog!

I became unemployed in December and all my efforts have been directed towards finding a job. I even started a blog about that at http://timetomakethedonuts.wordpress.com/. Because of that blog, I found a job and start this week.

Now I can relax a bit and focus my free time on the jewelry, this blog and my web site. I hope to completely redo that eventually. I may even do away with it and just combine all the information here on the Sweet Pea Creationz blog. Decisions, decisions!

Anyway, I'm still at the Heritage Crafters Gallery in the Lynchburg Community Market. I'll have a table at the Lynchburg College Earth Day Celebration on April 22. I've even got a few pieces at the Faery Godmother boutique in downtown Lynchburg. Please check it out if you're in the area.

I'll be starting to give beginner chain maille classes soon, so stop by the Community Market and sign up.

I've got some other ideas flitting around like butterflies inside my head (and it tickles!) but will keep them secret for now until they settle down and I can see what they actually look like.

So, how have you all been? Please leave me comments and let me know how your 2009 is going so far.

I'm not quite sure if my readers are jewelry shoppers, jewelry makers, or people who wonder just what the heck a Sweet Pea Creationz is. But I want to make it worth your time to come and visit, so let me know who you are and why you stopped by. Introduce yourself and don't be shy!