A bear in the camp and jewelry making experiments

I started working on this set when I was camping in N. Carolina. Mikey went fishing for six hours and I needed something to do.

For four hours he said. Probably, I often lose track of time. Especially when I'm in my creating zone. Time disappears.

My materials: an empty soup can, left from my previous dinner, that I have thrown in the fire the night before. 

You don't want to leave any food out or anything that smells like food next to your tent when you go camping in the woods. Unless you want to share your campsite with a bear. And that wouldn't be fun, believe me. Despite all our precautions (burning the cans and the paper plates, washing and storing everything away in a big metal tool box, etc etc), a bear has "visited" us the second night we camped there.

Mikey has returned from his four hour fishing adventure proudly holding the two gorgeous trout he caught, and grilled them later that evening ~ I must say I was excited to have wild caught trout for dinner. Fish is the only meat that I like, other than that...meh. I'll stick to my veggies.

My tools: a pair of pliers Mikey forgot in the camp, a block of firewood as my bench and some rocks as hammers.

 I'm guessing the bear smelled it and got excited too, because he/she/it came to see if we left him/her/it some. At three o'clock in the morning. Sneaky bear. He tried to open the big metal box where we kept all the food by lifting it up and smashing it, but it was locked. That box was heavy and it was making a lot of noise.

That's when my little beasts started growling and barking, scaring the bear away. That's Stewie yawning, he doesn't mind the camera.

Pig doesn't like to have his picture taken, but I took it anyway.

 Look at his little face, so cute, even when he's trying to look annoyed! Sorry, Pig, I'll stop.

Okay, where was I...yes, the soup can. Have burnt the lid a few more times in the camp fire, bending it with the pliers and "hammering " it with my rocks...

...Until I got something like this:

This part became the pendant. 

I cut this piece in half, hammered it and made it into a pair of earrings when I got back home.

Well, not quite, still working on them...I've ornate them with Amber, Rubies, Amethyst, Peridot and Milky Quartz.  Love them already. They're big and look heavy but are light as feathers. *Happy dance*

I looove chunky earrings!!

The pair above was a lucky experiment. I added two tiny fire Opals and solder spheres. I got so many compliments on them, I couldn't believe it, people thought they were made of shells!

Four pieces of fire Opal and a few more solder spheres on the pendant. It hugs on a silvertone chain adorned with small peacock pearls, a cute touch since it kinda looks like a shell. Oh, and a touch of gold alcohol ink on the whole set, forgot about it. Love the gold-black contrast.

What else, you ask? Well, I made this cool ancient looking pair a few days ago. They look like they have just been unearthed from an ancient tomb. Their shape makes me think of Hypatia,  a female scientist, philosopher and mathematician, born in Alexandria,Egypt possibly in 370 CE . She has a very interesting story, sad ending, but interesting life story.

They're made out of two pennies that I heated up too much with my torch and when I started hammering them, have exploded, leaving tiny drops of melted zinc on my face and neck. I knew they're not 100% copper, but I didn't know that in 1982 they changed their composition to 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper! Goodness gracious!! I should read this stuff first, then try to melt things...Thank God it didn't get in my eyes. Safety glasses are a must from now on!

Enough information for one blog post, my mind needs a break. I need some funnies!

Have fun and stay inspired!! :)

Love, Laura xo