Weaving Wednesday - Sterling Silver & Rainbow Moonstone

This is a piece I created recently with Sterling Silver wire and a beautiful Rainbow Moonstone.

Here's the finished piece.

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

I started with a basic chevron weave and created the frame.

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

 Next I secured the frame and started on the bail.

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

 I pulled four of the frame base wires around to create a basic figure eight weave for the bail.

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

 After securing the bail I started on the two side wires.  I created a circle for the bail with one side.

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

 And some loops around the front on the other side.

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

 Here's a look at the base weave on the side of the stone that frames the stone in place.

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

 And a look at the front.  Man, that Moonstone shimmers!

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

 Finished piece.  Love it.

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

You can purchase my pieces on my Etsy shop or over at my Facebook page.  The etsy lnk in on the side rail of this blog and my facebook page is here - www.facebook.com/baublesmith

New Bern - A Witch's View

Here are some shots I took in New Bern, NC this past month.

New Bern NC - Photo Credit - Renee Olson

New Bern NC - Photo Credit - Renee Olson

New Bern NC - Photo Credit - Renee Olson

New Bern NC - Photo Credit - Renee Olson

New Bern NC - Photo Credit - Renee Olson

New Bern NC - Photo Credit - Renee Olson

New Bern NC - Photo Credit - Renee Olson

New Bern NC - Photo Credit - Renee Olson

Weaving Wednesday - Labradorite Tear Drop

This is a laboradorite tear drop I worked on a few weeks ago.  I'm adding the raw photos first and then will follow up with the tarnished ones.

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson

A Witch's View - Outside

This time I'm sharing some of my favorites from outside.  Little bit of everything.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson 

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

TDOR 2016

https://www.glaad.org/tdor

Today we remember all those Trans people who have been taken from us this year.  The violence against our Trans family seems to be increasing.  This election has many of us afraid.  Afraid for our LGBT, Women and POC.


Take a moment today and reflect on those lives lost and what you can do to put an end to anti-transgender violence.

Let's see if we can make that number go down next year.


To see the list of names of those lost - click here.



Resources

http://transgenderlawcenter.org/
http://www.nclrights.org/
http://www.itgetsbetter.org/

Pinned Down

Photo By Jcadamson

Today I sit here looking at my screen watching the trending stories on social media and wonder what in the world we have done.  I see my friends sharing stories of wearing safety pins while others share another story of a trans person being attacked and mocked just for being who they are.  I watch the stories come in of others saying that a pin does nothing. It is simply a hollow gesture that does not actually impact any change at all.

I sit and watch and I'm scared.

I see those I love welcoming into office, people who would take my rights away.  People who may very well be the start of interment camps and death for people like me.  People like my friends and family. People who are not like them.  And I think therein lies the real issue.  They are more afraid of us and I really don't understand why.

My brain is scattered and I'm not really sure what I can say to help those scared people be less scared. Maybe if we take it one fear at a time.

Three of our Fears

1. Immigration - Our country is only our country because of those immigrants that came here searching for a better life.  Those ancestors didn't come in and treat the people who were here well at all.  They basically took it from those living here.  Is that what you're afraid of?  Are you afraid that those people you hailed those founding fathers you so love to celebrate are going to come here and take away your home, kill and rape your wives and children?  If we look back, it is what we did when we came here.  But we have learned so much since then. We are better people now.  We care about each other.  Can't we take that fear and place it into a bag and mark it as to what is really is. Ignorance and Racism.  We can open our doors to those tired, weak huddle masses and still keep our family safe.  We just have to want to do it.  In 2016, no child should be kept awake at night listening to bombs explode.  No family should be turned away from our doors when they are fleeing oppression. We need to spend more time loving each other and learning to be good to one another.  We just need to do it.

2. LGBT Rights - This has always confused me.  Why do you straight people (some straight people, not all) care what other grown adults do in the privacy of their own home?  I don't get it.  Some people actually eat raw oysters.  EWW   Some people actually eat deer!!  YUCK - Guess what?  It isn't my business.  As long as they're not eating PEOPLE it is their business.  As long as Gay men are sleeping with ADULTS, guess what?  IT ISN'T YOUR BUSINESS!  As long as Trans* people are consenting adults, guess what??  AGAIN!  Not your business!  LGBT couples don't want special rights, they want the same rights you have.  That's all.  They want to be able to see each other when one is sick and in the hospital. They want to have inheritance rights and be able to use the same insurance.  No matter what Rush Limbaugh or Alex Jones says, they are not coming for your rights. OH and that shit Pat Robertson said about forcing Christians to have anal sex?  Yeah that's bullshit. And just to put it out there, I've found in my personal experience the ones that claim Christianity are usually the more freaky in the sheets.  Just saying.... 

3. Abortion  - This seems to be a big one.  I can fully understand someone wanted to protect an unborn child.  I can also respect the fact that I do not have to feed, clothe or raise said child.  I do not have to make the sacrifices that it takes to raise this child.  I do not have the right to tell another person what to do in this situation.  It is not only a very personal choice to become a parent but also a choice that is full of financial and emotional commitments.  Now, let's think about this for a second. If person A has an abortion how does this impact me?  A perfect stranger?  The fact is, it doesn't.  Everyone should have equal access to health care.  We have addressed that over the years many many time in court.  A woman has the right to say what she will or will not do with her body.  She has a right to say, No I cannot raise a child right now.  Keep in mind this isn't some willy nilly choice. This is a hard choice that many women face. No one is walking around just aborting babies for shits and giggles. That doesn't happen no matter how much Dobson or any of those other folks at Focus on the Family want you to believe. Don't don't even get started with the whole "late term abortion" bullshit.  Do you really know who has late term abortions?  People with cribs and nurseries. People who have had baby showers and are waiting for their big day.  These aren't people who are just like, Oh shit I forgot let me run down and grab an abortion.  These are people whose lives are at stake and have no other option.  Seriously.  Stop and just think about where you would be if you were in this situation.  No matter what our President Elect says, Abortions DO NOT happen in the 9th month. Just stop it.


As I see it, if we can learn to accept the truths about these three topics we will be well on our way to becoming more open minded and giving people.  I'm pretty sure I heard some of your just say in your head, "Well my religion doesn't support ......."    Yeah well that's too bad. Also that's YOUR religion. Your religion doesn't make laws.  It doesn't enforce laws.  Religion is a choice.  You choose to be Catholic, or Baptist.  You choose to be Heathen or Wiccan.  You cannot choose to be gay.  You cannot choose to be black or white.  We take these descriptive characteristics and put them into little boxes and try to make people conform to those standards.  Guess what?!  I'm vegan.  That means I don't consume animal products.  It doesn't mean I lobby the government to make eating meat or using animal products a crime.  It means I....  *I* don't do it.

So what can we do now?

Looking at the choices that the President Elect has made for his cabinet I can say quite frankly I'm scared.  I'm scared for the PoC in our nation. I'm scared for the LGBT.  I'm scared for myself and my family.  But what can we do?  

Let's start by paying attention in local elections.  Make those votes you cast count.  Every time you cast a vote make sure it is for someone who supports a policy of inclusion. Make sure they are people who support the values you want to see in this country. When I ask the political affiliation of judges, I always get back, "This is a non partisan office".  Yeah bullshit. I want everyone from the dog catcher (figure of speech) to the President to appreciate PoC.  I want them all to respect women.  I want them all to understand that LGBT people are just people.  Just like they are.  So every ballot I cast reflects that.

Make donations to organizations that will help in making our world a better place. Focus on those that offer services to everyone.  I mention this specifically as the "bell ringers" are starting to gather in front of shops around your city.  Did you know that the Salvation Army denies services to LGBT people? So find those groups that will help.  I recommend avoiding large organized charities or parties that discriminate against others.  Find local places, volunteer at a soup kitchen, help a local animal rescue.  You can start to make a difference in your world just by stepping outside the box and offering to help.

Look up social justice groups and try to share good (accurate) information to your friends on social media.  I see a lot of shares that are from less that quality news sources.  Here are a few groups that I recommend.

Southern Poverty Law Center
American Civil Liberties Union
Amnesty International
National Center for Lesbian Rights
The Trevor Project
The Transgender Law Center
Lambda Legal

And most importantly, support your friends and family.  Be there for them when they are hurt. Recognize that when a Trans person is attacked, we are all attacked.  When our citizens of color are attacked, we are all attacked.  Don't be pinned down!  Take a moment and embrace our diversity.  We are a melting pot.  Let's care for each other as though we were family.

Back to Copper - Weaving Wednesday

Due to the flood I've been taking a few weeks off to get things back together.  I decided to start with a copper piece to get back into my flow.  This is the first piece I did.  This one hasn't been tarnished yet, but this is how it looks so far.


Here's the finished product

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

I started with a base weave on 6 wires and wrapped them around the tear drop shaped stone.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Next I joined the top together and circled the back to create the frame.  Using the weaving wire I created the bail by using a simple figure eight weave.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

 Once the bail wires reach the back I pulled them around to continue to access the front of the piece.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

 Here the bail wires are woven with a three three pattern and then attached to the front frame of the piece.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

 The second set of wires are also woven with that same three three pattern and attached to the frame.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

 This photo shows the back of the piece where the stone is framed in as well as the spirals I created along the opposite side of the stone.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

 And the finished piece.  I still need to tarnish the copper.  I'll be doing a video of that for the blog a bit later.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

 You can find all of my creations for sale on my Facebook page shop - www.facebook.com/baublesmith

A Witch's View - Fall

The cold has set in early for us here.  I'm excited to see the leaves fall.  I thought I would start off with some of my favorite photos from the last few years.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Weaving Wednesday - Labradorite in Sterling Silver

I found a stunning blue labradorite that was simply amazing.  I wanted to put it in sterling silver.

Here's the finished piece.

Labradorite in Sterling Silver

Here's my process.

I took five, 12 inch wires in 20 gauge and 1 length of 26 gauge weaving wire and started a chevron type weave.  Using two wraps on each base wire before moving to the next level.

Labradorite in Sterling Silver

 I continued that pattern until stone was completely wrapped in the weave.

Labradorite in Sterling Silver

 I then made a slight bend in the tops of the wires to crisscross the front two wires around the back to lock the frame.

Labradorite in Sterling Silver

 I then use the weaving wire to secure the two wires around the back of the stone.

Labradorite in Sterling Silver

 I ended at the bottom, trimmed the excess wire and created spirals to end the wires neatly.

Labradorite in Sterling Silver

After completing the bail with a figure eight type weave, I used the end of the bail wires create the decorative weave for the front and sides of the piece.

Labradorite in Sterling Silver

I used the weaving wire to create the main weave.

Labradorite in Sterling Silver

I used the weaving wire to lock the weave in place by looping once around the frame in places where it came close to the stone.

Labradorite in Sterling Silver

 This is the finished piece.  it turned out really well.

Labradorite in Sterling Silver

You can purchase my jewelry at my Facebook Shop and learn more about me on my website.