Kande

I'm moving the blog....

I'm making a lot of changes lately and one of those changes is moving the blog over to Blogger.  I hope you will come and visit me at www.kristinahenning.blogspot.com/

7 Bad Habits of Insanely Productive People

A friend sent me an article this morning and I thought I would share it with you - The 7 Bad Habits of Insanely Productive People. 

I saw a lot of myself in this article - thin-skinned..check, flaky...check, easily distracted...check, self-doubt... check, etc.  This article took traits that I consider to be my "faults" and shed some light on how these can be assets for someone trying to build a successful business.  I especially like the part about "productive paranoia"!

It cheered me up and I hope it might do the same for you.

Have a great day,
K

Sunshine and Laundry

This past weekend got off to a rocky start with lots of rain Friday night and early Saturday morning.  By mid-morning, the sun came out and blue skies appeared again...just in time for my clothes dryer to die. *Big Sigh*  I took advantage of the sunshine and brisk breezes by putting up a temporary clothesline in the backyard.  I had forgotten how good clothes smells after they have been dried outside. 

I took a few more pics while I was enjoying the sunshine and then tried out my new Florabella actions and textures.  I'm still working out the kinks, but each time I use them the results get a little better.

Jack hanging out on the back porch.  Someone dumped him on our road a few months back and he adopted our family.  He is such a sweet boy!

Wisteria growing along the back fence.

Bee & clover

A girl and her torch

Yikes!  Its amazing how easily a week away can turn into 2 months.  Its been incredibly busy around here -  I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to blogging!  I've been learning new techniques and trying to improve others - working with fine silver clay, soldering, using gilder's paste, and more. 

Here's some pics of a pair of earrings I made using a mold of an antique button, fine silver clay (PMC3) and a handheld torch:

In this picture, the clay is dry and ready to be fired.  I fired my pieces with a handheld torch since I do not have a kiln.  I do all of my torch work out on my back porch so I don't get fumes in the house.  You can see from the picture that it was a nice sunny day.  I now do my firing later in the day so that it is easier to see the color of the clay as it heats up.  For those of you who haven't worked with fine silver clay before, you have to keep the piece at a certain color (this indicates the temperature) for a certain amount of time. 

Here's a pic of my beloved torch which I bought at Home Depot.  I get the refills at Walmart and I always try to buy as many as I can afford at a time.  The last time I went, I bought 12 refills, a bottle of denatured alcohol, a large jug of mineral spirits, paint thinner and some spray paint.  The cashier kept giving me suspicious looks....I think she thought I was hatching an evil plan to blow something up, lol. 

This pic shows one of the fine silver clay pieces after it has been fired (left) close to one that hasn't been fired (right).  As you can see, the clay does shrink during the firing process.  Because it was so bright outside, I had a hard time judging the color during the firing process and a small part on the right side got a little too hot - you can tell because it looks silver instead of white.  When I saw it turn silver, I immediately pulled the torch back a bit to bring the temp down and continued firing.

And finally, here is the finished pair.  The blue in the recessed areas is Gilder's Paste. 

On the backs of the silver pieces, I soldered on sterling silver ear posts.

It had been a few years since I soldered and I really struggled with it.  I used solder paste which comes in a syringe.  This was my first time using the paste, but now that I have the hang of it I like it. 

This past weekend, I tried another project with the silver clay and had a better experience with it.  The more you do it, the better you get - its true! This time I fired the silver clay pieces closer to twilight which made it super easy to see and hold the right color during the firing process.

Acacia Earrings - fine silver, labradorite, smoky quartz, tourmalinated quartz, fluorite, moonstone, saltwater keishi pearls and sterling silver

I used another mold of an antique button and silver clay for the discs at the top.  Before the clay dried, I made the holes using a pick.  Once the silver clay dried, I made the holes larger and smoother using a round file.  After firing the silver, I gave the discs a patina with green and gold Gilder's Paste.  Once the paste had dried for 12 hours, I buffed it and then oxidized the pieces in liver of sulphur.  After the final buffing, I added wire wrapped gemstones to dangle from the holes.

And this time, I soldered the ear posts without a hitch - yay!  Now I just have to wait for my next shipment of silver clay....which really is the hardest part of this whole process.

Have a great day!

Kristina

Fresh Idea. Twisted Ponytail.

I found this fresh take on my best friend, the ponytail.  Thought some of you gals might like it too.  I'm heading to the store tonight to pick up some bobby pins so I can try this hairstyle out tomorrow.

Source: thebeautydepartment.com via Kristina on Pinterest

 

You can get detailed step by step instructions on their website at www.thebeautydepartment.com. 

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Studio News

I'm taking a little vacation this week to relocate my studio to a new space.  I can't wait to get everything moved so I can get to work again!  I'll be back next Monday and will also have new pieces for the shops as well.  Till then, I'm having a Valentine's Day Sale on my website, www.KristinaHenning.com, and in my Kande shop on Etsy.

Pasha Earrings - No. 2
Opal quartz, pink topaz, moonstone, gold

Enjoy the week! Warm wishes, Kristina

Sweet Sixteen

Yesterday my sweet baby boy turned 16.  As we always do on his birthday, we talk about the day he was born, which to me seems so much closer than 16 years ago. Elijah has filled the last 16 years with joy and laughter and love.  It hasn't always been easy.  It hasn't always been fun.  But I wouldn't change a single day of it.  I thank God every day that he chose me to be this sweet young man's mother.

Happy Birthday Elijah!
Love, Mom

My earrings are featured in Bead Style Magazine! & a GIVEAWAY

Can you believe it?!?  Lots of the happy dance happening in the studio this weekend. 

Here's the story:  I was contacted by Naomi Fujimoto, Senior Editor of Bead Style Magazine, back in November 2011 about featuring a pair of my earrings in their March 2012 issue.  These earrings -

So I packaged them up and shipped them off to be photographed, but I was afraid to let myself believe this was really going to happen.  I kept telling myself not to get excited, don't tell anyone yet, they might have to cut your earrings due to space issues or something like that.  Basically, I've made my life a living hell worrying over the details.  But Friday morning, guess what I found in my mailbox?

And even better - Look at page 16!

Yep, those are my earrings!  This is heady stuff for a small town girl like myself!  Needless to say I have been flashing my magazine at family and friends all weekend.  I have since renamed the earrings Naomi as a small thank you to the lady who made this possible.  If you get a chance, check the magazine out.  It will be arriving in bookstores across the U.S. on January 31.

I want you to be included in the excitment, so I am having a GIVEAWAY!  Up for grabs is a pair of the Naomi Earrings, as featured in Bead Style Magazine.

To enter this giveaway is simple:

Visit my website www.KristinaHenning.com and tell me (in a comment to this post) what your favorite piece is or what you'd like to see more of.

For multiple entries:

1. {Like} my Facebook page

2. Sign up for my Newsletter

This contest will run until Friday, February 10, 2012.
{The winner will be selected using a random number generator so anyone can win.}

Big News Coming Monday

Sorry I was missing in action yesterday.  I've had a sick kiddo at home, but no worries!  He is feeling much better and is back to school today.  I thought I would pop in today, say hi, and let you know that on Monday I will have some big, awesome news to share with you.  I can hardly wait to spill the beans!  See ya then, K