Craftside

Interview with John Sartin author of The Complete Photo Guide to Making Metal Jewelry

Today I have an interview with John Sartin author of The Complete Photo Guide to Making Metal Jewelry to share with you. And in honor of John's book being released, QbookShop.com is offering a code for 30% off his book-METAL13 and all others good until Midnight CT, March 3,2013.

1. What does your workspace/ design space look like? 

 This is half of the building. I'm remodeling the other half. 

 
2. Do you save your mistakes or designs you don't love right away, or do you ditch them?

Sometime mistakes are not mistakes. Serendipity has been a good ally, but if I am not happy with the finished product it is taken apart and recycled.

 
3. What's on your "next to try" list?

More traditional Japanese metalworking techniques. I have been exploring the traditional technique of Mokume Gane and it has piqued an interest in other aspects of Japanese metalwork.

5. Do you ever work with recycled materials?

All the time. All of the silver and gold materials I use are either recycled by me or purchased from a reputable supplier of recycled precious metals.  

6. What music do you listen to when designing?

I have a incredibly wide range of music I listen to everything from bluegrass to jazz to classic rock, all depends on the mood I'm in on a particular day.

7. How long does a design take you to create?

Designs bounce around in my mind, sometimes for months, before they are put down in a sketch book. But once the kinks are worked out, depending on the complexity of the design, it takes me anywhere between 30 minutes to 3 weeks.

8. How do you organize your supplies?

Pop on over to John's blog to check out on how he organizes his supplies.

9. What books/magazines do you read?

As far as the jewelry trade, I read: Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist, Art Jewelry,  and any resource that I can get my hands on.

10. How would you describe your personal style?

I'm a casual jeans and t-shirt kind of guy.

11. How do you determine what a design is going to be made with? 

There are several aspects that I take into consideration: the finish or surface texture I want to achieve on it, the working characteristics of the metal, and what the finished piece will be used for (i.e. ring, pendant, bracelet). All  are taken into consideration during its design. 

12. Do you have a collection of anything?

As a metalsmith I'm a tool junkie, so that's what I collect; anything that has been, will be, or can be used in the studio. 

13. How did your book come to be made?

A friend of mine, Lexi Erickson, recommended me for this project.

 

14. And the all important question (from Ravelry) what is your favorite swear word?

Turds! And if I'm really upset, Double Turds!

Thanks John for taking the time to share a little bit about yourself and your creative world!

More about the new book from CPi:

The Complete Photo Guide to Making Metal Jewelry

by

John Sartin

With beautiful illustrations and step-by-step instructions, this how-to book includes all the techniques involved in crafting metal jewelry, including:

—Cutting and filing

—Cold connections

—Soldering

—Texturing

—Forging and forming

—Setting stones

—Applying specialty finishes

The book’s clear organization provides easy access to information with straightforward directions and hundreds of full-color photos. You’ll also find easy projects for trying the techniques, as well as a stunning gallery of metal jewelry pieces by experienced designers. Find beautiful jewelry examples and gain skills and inspiration with The Complete Photo Guide to Making Metal Jewelry!

John Sartin designs stunning, unique handmade jewelry in gold, silver, copper, brass, and precious and semi-precious gemstones. His jewelry has appeared on the cover and in the pages of Lapidary Journal, and he has also been published in Art Jewelry magazine and other Lark publications. He has won numerous awards for his designs. He lives in Albuquerque, NM. Visit him online at http://www.johnsartindesigns.com.

An accomplishment energy pill concept from the book The Most Effective Ways on Earth to Boost Your Energy

When it gets cold, I have a hard time getting my energy up, which is why this tip that "accomplishing stuff causes your energy to improve" is a great piece of advice. It's featured in the book The Most Effective Ways on Earth to Boost Your Energy. I suggest accomplishing a project, such as finishing one you started. The best way I know how to get that going is to start cleaning off a work surface (since that's where a lot of my "U.F.O."s are waiting!) Another is to sort through a box of supplies. I just went through my box of silk flowers and I thought of 2 projects I could make! I will be sure to share. Gotta go make 'em!

Click on this page from The Most Effective Ways on Earth to Boost Your Energy to enlarge and read about how accomplishing things is a great way to boost your energy.

More about the Fair Winds Press book:

The Most Effective Ways on Earth to Boost Your Energy:

The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about Using Nutrition, Exercise, Supplements, Stress Relief, and Personal Empowerment to Stay Energized All Day

by

Jonny Bowden

 The Most Effective Ways on Earth to Boost Your Energy shows anyone how to get more energy out of their body—naturally. Nationally known health expert Jonny Bowden presents small changes anyone can implement up front for big energy—such as what to eat for all-day endurance, when to time a workout for the biggest brain boost, or how working with (or against) natural light cycles can make your sleep restorative or slump-inducing.

Energy starts with attitude—you'll learn how to “think” like a high-energy person and use breathing techniques, meditation, and exercise to bust stress, beat fatigue, and boost stamina.

You'll also learn how physical factors such as toxins, eating patterns, and nutritional deficiencies can sabotage strength—and how they can be corrected with proper diet and supplements. 

Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S., is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition, and health. The author of seven acclaimed books, including The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth and The Healthiest Meals on Earth. http://www.jonnybowden.com

  

A bunch of great tips for sorting your stuff from the book The Fast and Furious 5 Step Organizing Solution

If you are a creator of things (and I assume you are if you are here reading this), then I bet you work hard at getting your crafty bits of this and that organized as well as the rest of your life. Well I give you these helpful hints and tips from the book The Fast and Furious 5 Step Organizing Solution: No-Fuss Clutter Control from a Top Professional Organizer to help you out!

Click on these pages from The Fast and Furious 5 Step Organizing Solution: No-Fuss Clutter Control from a Top Professional Organizer to enlarge and read how to weed and sort those "I don't know" items.

Like these bits of organizing help and want more? Then grab yourself a copy of:

The Fast and Furious 5 Step Organizing Solution:

No-Fuss Clutter Control from a Top Professional Organizer

By

Susan C Pinsky

Feel like you’re buried in clutter? Are you in desperate need of an organizational overhaul? Having trouble finding your first-born underneath all those toys?

With this book, you can turn your chaotic casa into a peaceful palace by simply applying this simple, time-saving method throughout your home:

Step 1: Plan
Step 2: Weed and Sort
Step 3: Remove
Step 4: Name to Create Boundaries
Step 5: Containerize

Author and professional organizer Susan C. Pinsky will show you the perfect and most maintainable method for every room and space in your home and how to achieve it in the fastest time possible. She’ll also provide you with tactical strategies and simple solutions for something you never thought possible: keeping it that way!

Filled with inspirational and instructional photos—including real-life before and after photos of every room in a typical home—The Fast and Furious Five-Step Organizing Solution will show you what you need to do to achieve the results you only thought possible on television. Your dream home is just five steps away!

Susan C Pinsky is the author of the best-selling Organizing Solutions for People with Attention Deficit Disorder. She is a top professional organizer and member of the National Association of Professional Organizers. She lives in Acton, Massachusetts, with her husband and three children.

 

3 of the ideas from the book 500 Ideas for Small Spaces: Easy Solutions for Living in 1000 Square Feet or Less

I don't post too much about decorating here at Craftside but today I have a page from 500 Ideas for Small Spaces that gives three fun tips about keeping and displaying art, which is what we do post a lot about how to make here!

Click on this page from 500 Ideas for Small Spaces to read decorating tips #342 and #343 about rotating artwork and photographing your child's artwork to keep it from taking over. And the picture shows a great way to mount the drawings and paintings on black paper to create a frame that gives all the pieces a cohesive look and forms a collage. Want 497 more decorating tips? Grab yourself a copy of 500 Ideas for Small Spaces. Oh, and want to see more now? Pop on over to this link to the Qbookshop page and click on the Google Preview button.

500 Ideas for Small Spaces:

Easy Solutions for Living in 1000 Square Feet or Less

by

Kimberley Seldon

All over the world, consumers are discovering the merits of the small space lifestyle, abandoning the work and burdensome expense that goes with living in a "McMansion" in favor of the elegance and practicality of living in cozier spaces. From young homeowners who have rediscovered the joys of loft-style homes in the city , to empty-nesters who prefer smaller, more manageable living spaces, millions of homeowners have migrated to the "not-so-big" style of living.

500 Ideas for Small Spaces is a practical guide featuring 500 real-life remodeling, organizing, and decorating tips for making a truly small home look and function better. Today, living in a small home isn't a compromise, it is the preferred choice for growing numbers of homeowners.

Kimberley Seldon is the Decorating Editor of Style at Home magazine, the executive producer and host of the hit television series Design for Living (seen in 65 countries around the world), a regular guest on City TV's popular CityLine, a columnist for the Toronto Star, and one of Canada's most in demand speakers on design and decor.

She lives in Toronto, Canada.

Recycled film canisters are transformed into pretty and practical storage

Another cool inside peek and fun recycled storage idea from:

Art Making & Studio Spaces

Unleash Your Inner Artist: An Intimate Look at 31 Creative Work Spaces

By

Lynne Perrella

Art Making & Studio Spaces is a visual studio tour, an opportunity to turn the key and discover the inner workings of artists in their ultra-personal, unique workspaces. The mission of the book is to look inside studios in progress, amidst the throes of the artmaking process, and to investigate the thoughts of the artists within.

This book reveals the interplay between artist and studio, and explores how each workspace reflects a different, distinctive creative journey. Photography by Sarah Blodgett, plus contributed photos by some of the artists, combines with personal insights to provide an incomparable studio tour that will inspire you to create your own private work space. Pages from Lynne Perrella's art journal are included, to give further insight into this bottomless topic of "art and where it happens."

Lynne Kendall Perrella is a mixed-media artist, author, designer, workshop instructor, and incurable collector. Her interests include collage, assemblage, one-of-a-kind books, and art journals. She conducts creativity workshops in the United States and abroad and exhibits collage in galleries throughout the Berkshire Mountains. www.lkperrella.com

 

Click on the image to enlarge and read about the very talented artist Keith LoBue.

As you can see, Keith transforms recycled film canisters into pretty and practical storage. I have done this too. Here in Los Angeles all you have to do is make friends with the camera crew and you are very likely to score film canisters if you ask nice!

 

To keep things organized within the film canister, I recycled bottle caps in two of them for tiny chain and findings. For another, I cut a toilet paper tube into about 1/2 inch sections and pinched them into "eye" shapes so I could fit more compartments into the canister. This is good for organizing larger chains and bigger bits. I didn't glue anything in place but if you are in the habit of knocking stuff around you might want to secure all the little bottle caps and toilet paper tube sections.

Holiday Goodness Giveaway Time!

Here's how it works:

• We ask a question each weekday.
• You leave your answer in the comments section each day to the question (and you can enter each day!).
• We will randomly pick a winner each day to send a free book to!

Today is DAY 10 of 19!

Question:

What is your favorite storage container? Do you use the modern plastic style stuff or have you come up with a fun way to recycle some other type of container? If so, SHARE! We all love to get great ideas on new ways to store our stuff.

My answer:

Film canisters are my fave, but I also use cookie tins and cigar boxes, both cardboard and wood. I do love the convenience of clear plastic totes, drawers and Zip lock baggies but I don't love the way they look.

Be sure to read the comments of others; maybe you can pick up a good idea, a new place to find your inspiration, or just a good giggle!