Sneak Peek

The removable clasp system seems to work pretty well.

I have two copper chains done for pictures, three more to go. I'm going to put up made-to-order listings that will offer a choice of metal for the chains. When ordered, simply tell me which metal you'd like. It'll save me money on listing fees, and I think it's just an easier way of doing it. Of course, if a miracle happens and I get a whole bunch of sales, I may have to reevaluate it, but somehow I think my customer base will be small enough to keep up that way.

My wife took the elfweave chain out for a stroll yesterday to see how it worked practically, and she loves it. The clasp makes its way down to the front because it's heavier than the chain, but I think a pendant would balance that out. She also says that the basic clasp looks nice enough that it works well as a simple focal piece, which is the point. I'm not fond of the S-shape down in front, but she likes it. I'm going to try an M/W shape so it hangs a bit more evenly. But the experiment seems to be a success, so I'm going to go in this direction.

And now, a sneaky peek of the clasp in question:

Coming Back to Etsy

There will be pictures eventually. I still need to set up a photo station, which will probably be outside. I've got a nice little area with lots of indirect sunlight for staging.

I've been refocusing my design work and trying to find an identity for the shop. I can't in good conscience sell anything made of polymer clay, at least not the dragons and magnets I like to make. The clay is too fragile to last. I may attempt to do beads again, but not for a while. I'm experimenting with plastic to make durable magnets and figurines.

In the meantime I'm developing my lamp working skills. I really enjoy messing about with molten glass. I took a beginners' workshop and enjoyed the heck out of it so I bought a hot head torch set. Man it's amazing what difference better tools make! The safety glasses that came with the set supposedly filters out UV light, but it washes out color and actually makes the flare more yellow so I can't see what I'm working with. The torch itself is also much different, but not necessarily inferior. I just have to get used to it. So my few beads so far are a little sloppy, but I'm just working on bead shape at the moment. I'm working on getting a handle on the basics: heat control, flame awareness, basic gestures and motions, bead shape, dotting (adding dots to beads). I'm not getting too complicated with things yet, and I'm keeping my color choices to only a couple of colors. Right now, just black and white.

I do have a couple of beads from the workshop that I really like, though, that I'll be making into focal pieces.

Speaking of focal pieces....

The new focus of the shop is chainmaille and glass. I'd like to be able to make my own focal beads and play around with artistic wire for color and excitement. And because silver is expensive. ;) The focal pieces themselves can also act as clasps for what I hope will be a signature design for Crifmer Creations. It's simple, just some rings at either end and a removable clasp system, but hopefully it'll be nice and distinct enough to identify me.

I've got a checklist of things I want to keep in stock, and I'm working full steam ahead. Hopefully I'll get the store up sooner rather than later. And there will be pictures soon.