Entry #10

This week I have strictly been into making more earrings. For my earrings I've been using different types of wire. I've been using a harder wire instead of the soft wires that I typically use. By replacing my older wire I've found that I save way more time than usual. Lately I have also been getting into more detail with the pieces by incorporating a variety of colored beads that compliment the shades. I find it visually more appearing when the shades look good with one another. The earrings that I've been making lately has a lot of complexity. With that mixture, the earrings in my opinion are visually appealing. The wires that I've been using have been very easier to work with and it's quicker than the ones I've used before. The wire that I use was purchased from Michaels as well as the beads. This week has been very productively, and I personally find making earrings less challenging than making necklaces. I hope that my work becomes more detailed in the end.

Entry #10

This week, I came upon crimp beads at Michaels Craft Store as provided in the image below. Crimp beads are used for bending wire. I use crimp beads at the beginning and end of my beading work. The process is simple, all I do is slide the bead and use my pliers to crush it on to the string. With that process, the beads won't fall off of the end. It's basically like tying a knot but a lot easier. Using this new technique has been helpful because they assemble a strand of elements for wire wrapped jewelry creations. At this point, I have learned many new techniques and substitutions that make my jewelry last longer and stronger. Finding out about new tools that work efficiently with my jewelry has been pleasant and it has saved me lots of time. This week has consisted of trying out new things and in this case it's crimp beads. I'm having a great time and I am awaiting the final result.

Blog #9

I've been working on color patterns this week and seeing which shades of colors compliment each other the most. I find that I like to work with the more pastel shades over the primary ones. I think that color combinations are very important in jewelry making because it must appeal to the person who is wearing the jewelry. I usually stick to the light shades but I don't really have a preference. Lately I've been looking at color charts which is provided in the picture above. I really love http://www.brandigirlblog.com/ because she shares all of her color inspiration to the world. I realized from her which colors compliment different skin tones or anything basically. For example, on pale skin pastel colors would look fresh and for dark skin bright colors would complete the look.  Picking out which color combos has been a fun experience because I get to experiment with different shades of the rainbow. I've drifted away from actually wire wrapping the jewelry because I was so amazed about all of the different colors of beads I saw. It was definitely bead heaven. All in all, this week has been fun since I've changed my course of direction a bit. 

Entry #8

I found a really cool way to shape my jewelry without using pliers. Instead of adding pressure to the wire by pushing the flat nose plier, I used common household items. For instance, I grabbed a flashlight which was laying in my garage and I just wrapped the wire around it. It took less than three seconds and then the wire formed into a perfect circle. My newest method is shown in the image that is provided. This is one of the new techniques that I've been working with which has improved the pace of my progress. I save way more time by doing this since the shape is already formed on the flashlight instead of making the shape. Last week I realized that the pace that I was going with was kind of slow so changing it up this week is super relieving. Some things that have bothered me is that I need to restock on beads because I bought some that didn't have holes in it. The beads without holes are pretty much useless since the wire wouldn't go through. This week was filled with very interesting things and using items from home to assist in my jewelry making was definitely a life saver. Overall, the project is going smoothly and I'm excited to see the outcome.

Entry #7

New things have happened involving this project. I'm finally comfortable with making the jewelry and  it's all starting to come together. Although I am not finished, I already can see the end result already. Lately I've been just trying out new methods/techniques that will make the jewelry stronger and longer lasting. I think the pace I'm going at is a bit slow, but it just gives me more  time to perfect my product. Seeing the end result come to life is what's  making me excited for the finished project. The thing that bothers me is how many mistakes I've made involving this project. Many materials have gone to waste because  I wasn't being gentle enough. I've learned that you have to have a delicate hand when making wire wrapped jewelry because the wire is super sensitive and can break if used incorrectly. Something interesting that has happened is that I was able to use my broken wire to make a little  bead ball. The image that I provided is the wire that is very similar to the one I use to create my jewelry and also shows what you need to do to make the jewelry stay in place. The picture shows the wire wrapped in a circle so that the bead won't slip out. Overall, I'm having a pleasant time with this project and despite the challenges I've faced, I've come along way from having no experience whatsoever with wire-wrapped jewelry. I'm anxious to see my end product and to know if this was a success of failure.

Entry #6

Accomplish your goal in order to showcase your talent of wire-wrapped jewelry. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DYhpC8f0Us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DYhpC8f0Us

During my update presentation, I was super concerned about whether or not I would achieve my goal in time for the update. Luckily, I did because I knew how important this project meant and how hard I would have to work to accomplish it. During the update presentation, I was super nervous and I felt a lack of confidence coming up to present. Hearing all of these inspiring projects and progress made me rethink a little and ask myself if I was working hard enough. But in the end, I knew I was. I knew I was determined to finish what I had wanted to do all along. Although it didn't seem like that in my presentation, I have made a lot of progress so far and I continue to do so as the time comes. Lately I have been working on the details of the jewelry itself and taking criticism from my mentor, my mom. She has told me what I need to improve and her advice has really helped. I'm working at a good pace and I can't wait for everyone to see the finished results. 

Entry #5

http://www.pinterest.com/adallen56/wire-wrapped-jewelry-tutorials/

I found this website when I first searched up wire wrapping jewelry. As I stumbled across this website, I noticed that it showcased many creations of wire-wrapped jewelry. This website is helpful to me because I can recreate the jewelry shown on the site in my own little twist. The pictures shown on Pinterest inspires me to create a different type of wire-wrapped jewelry and incorporating the different techniques used into my own. It's also a good reminder to look back on and see how my creations compare to the one shown on the site as time progresses!

http://www.allfreejewelrymaking.com/Wire-Wire-work/13-Simple-Wire-Jewelry-Making-Instructions-for-Beginners

I found this website when I first searched up wire wrapped jewelry. As I browsed through the site, I bookmarked it on my computer instantly. The site provides a beginners guide to jewelry. Being a beginner myself, makes me relate to the website much more. I've learned a lot about wire-wrapped jewelry that I didn't know before when I clicked on this website. It shows many tips and tricks that all wire-wrapped jewelry enthusiasts need to know. The site is very resourceful and it has the answers to all of my questions and concerns about wire-wrapping.

Entry #4

A challenge that I am facing as of now is trying to find that perfect wire to use. In the picture above, I've included tarnish wire which is one of the many wires that most wire-wrapped jewelry fans use. I'm having some troubles with the wire because the wire is the most important part of the jewelry. The wire holds the beads together as well as holding it onto your neck,ear,finger, wrist, etc. If I don't have the correct wire, than my jewelry can easily crumble into pieces since the wire isn't strong enough to hold them together. Another difficulty involving the wire that I face is making sure I'm using the right amount of wire. I don't want to use too much of it or I'd be wasting it. All in all, my goal is to overcome the challenges that this project has given me by trying to find the most sustainable wire. 

Entry #3

As of right now, these are a few of my sketches that I've made for my project. I hope to see more detailed and complex sketches that I can turn into my own creations. At this point, I am still figuring out what exactly to make and sketch. I  thought that it would be easy to do but it sure isn't. Drawing is difficult itself, and adding my own twist to the designs is even harder. I want my designs to represent who I am as a person so my drawings will take a considerable amount of time. The first necklace is a more complicated one, it consists of a variety of wires with one big stone. The second drawing is more simple, it has multi-colored beads surrounding the necklace and uses only one type of wire. I've also been looking at other creations and using them as inspiration to incorporate into my sketches. Hopefully by the next blog entry I will have a complete idea of what my jewelry will look like!

Entry #2

I strive to create a jewelry set by utilizing wire-wrap techniques that require no heat.                 
Presentations make me super nervous even if it's towards a small crowd. However, since we have the option to record our Pitch, I feel pretty confident about the presentation. During presentations my anxiety level typically rises because of all the pressure of it being graded. Prerecording the Pitch has many benefits, it prevents mishaps, and I get multiple chances to rerecord my mistakes. My concerns about the presentation is how to use my time efficiently while stating everything required. It's pretty difficult to manage the time given and trying to explain the project all at once. After all, the time limit requirement is 30-45 seconds. The most important things that I need to talk about would be: why I chose wire wrapping, what I'm going to achieve from this project, and how I will use the information that I obtained from these websites to help guide me through this.

http://www.scientificpsychic.com/etc/jewelry/wiring.html

Entry #1

When this project was assigned to our class, I was so confident that I could find a topic that interests me. However, as time progressed, my confidence in this project started to deteriorate. I honestly had no clue what to do. But, when I spoke to my mom about this, she recommended me to step out of my comfort zone and do wire wrapping. At first, I was a little iffy to attempt this since I'm not the crafty type, but after further analysis I decided to try something new. The 20% Project is made for us to find ourselves in life and experience new things and wire wrapping is something new for me. If this project turns out successful, I can possibly be able to sell my handmade jewelry for other people to wear.

en.wikipeda.org/wiki/wire_wrappedjewelry
When I searched "wire wrapping" this was the link that popped up. As I browsed through the site, I learned that wire wrapping is not easy as I thought it was. It consists of using alot of different materials, but I want to challenge myself so this website is super helpful in doing so.

http://www.pinterest.com/valerielynmap/wire-wrapping-ideas/
I found this site by simply searching "wire wrapping" and this was the second link that popped up. The website shows creations made by others and this gives me a good idea of how I should make my jewelry.