Clare Stoker

EtsyMetal's Project Runway Season 9

2011-08-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

My metalsmithing group, EtsyMetal, follows each season of Project Runway and translates the episodes into jewelry challenges.

This week's challenge was "Pet Project". We were tasked with going to a pet store and picking out items to make a piece of jewelry, using as little metal as possible.

I selected a Cat Dancer and a platic cord with ball, bell and feathers. The end of the cat dancer was the inspiration; I wanted to make a necklace with a toggle clasp.

I cut off the "dancer" part of the Cat Dancer (don't tell my cats!) and trimmed and curled it to form the structure of the necklace.

I took apart the toy and threaded the plastic tubing over the wire, then formed the loop of the toggle. The wire was difficult to work with as it is spring hard and very brittle. I used binding wire to attach the plastic cord and divide it into sections.

I added the bell to the loop of the toggle as, as with my regular jewelry, I like to have a decroative clasp.

Garden - Progress

2011-07-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

Solar energy. I'm "going green" and that's the story I'm sticking too.

Semi de Paris 2011

2011-06-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

I'm in this photo, somewhere.

Painting

2011-06-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

A few shots of the painting process.

Living Area

We went back and forth between Benjamin Moore Super White and Benjamin Moore Decorator's White. We have Super White in our current apartment and I really like it but, after a few coats of each, decided Super is a bit too harsh for the new space. These are "progress" shots. The darker paint is the new paint. Note the primer covering the Maroon the previous owners used on the skirting and window trims.

Passage

The passage wall will be a salon wall for all the art. Originally it was going to be white as well, but my friend Laura Cattano suggested black. I'm a big fan of black but didn't think I was brave enough to try it in such a small space. It's incredible how much it opens up the room and accentuates the height of the ceilings. I tried a few shades, and went with Benjamin Moore Witching Hour, which dries down to a soft black.

Passage After the First Coat

New Home

2011-06-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot going on over the past few months, most notable being my new home. I closed on my first property last week and have been busy renovating and preparing to move in.

Here are some photos. They were taken from the Appraisal so have the previous owner's furniture etc.

The Garden (the reason I bought this place)

Living Area

Bedroom (There's a Murphy Bed against the wall, so the room's actually larger than it looks here)

Kitchen (with massive American fridge)

Paris

2011-05-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

MoMA

2011-05-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

Pink Carnations

2011-05-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

New/Old Work

2010-11-23T17:22:00.000-08:00

I made this pendant over a year ago. I had only just started setting stones and found it too challenging and put it aside. I found it over the weekend while unpacking my studio and finally set the stone.

I'm really pleased at how well it turned out and has inspired me to start working with these melted silver nuggets again.

Small Touches

2010-11-21T16:52:00.000-08:00

Today I replaced the plastic towel hooks on the back of the bathroom door.

The new hooks were cream and pink when I got them. I went back and forth about whether to paint them silver or black. I purchased some silver spraypaint, but exchanged it for black. I'm really happy with how they turned out.

Before

Now

Poor Man's Art Restoration

2010-09-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

A few years ago our apartment was destroyed in a fire. We lost everything except for some photos and a couple of paintings, which have been in storage ever since. As my project this year is framing my art, I decided to take another look at them. They looked quite bad; but it was obviously soot rather than burn damage, and the years in storage had really helped with the smell.

Having nothing to lose I tried to wipe away some of the dirt with a damp cloth. The results were incredible. After about an hour, the first one looked as good as new.

I'm sure professional art restorers everywhere are clutching their chests in horror and I wouldn't recommend it unless you had no other choice, but I'm really pleased with the results.

The pieces are currently at Make A Frame, getting the frames they deserve.

Bathroom Vanity Renovation

2010-08-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

I recently moved into a new apartment; it's a rental, but I've decided to put a little work into making it more the type of place I'd choose to live instead of just living with other people's tastes and strange decorating decisions.

My initial plan was to paint the walls Benjamin Moore's "Deep Silver" then paint the mirror frame and vanity their "Wrought Iron". The darker colour looked too dark for the space so I gave the frame and top panel on the vanity a distressed gilded finish to lighten up the area and add a some of texture. Below are some process shots.

I also switched out the handles. The old ones would have worked well enough, but these tie in the gilding.

Next tasks - putting up shelves, a second medicine cabinet and hanging art.

Paintings

2010-08-21T13:01:00.001-07:00

Paintings, originally uploaded by clarestoker.

My big project this year is getting all my art framed. I've bought quite a few pieces over the years and they've been roll-up in the closet, out of sight until I could get around to get framing them.

A few months ago I decided to get started. It's been a long, pricey process, but absolutely worth it, especially since now I'll be able to hang them all on the walls instead of hiding them away.

I'm working with Make A Frame on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. They do superb work and really work with me to make sure I get the right frame. On average it takes me about 40 minutes to pick a frame for each piece, so they really do spend a lot of time with me.

The photo is of two I picked up today. The one on the left I picked up in South Africa in 2007, the one on the right I picked up at the DUMBO Art Festival in 2005.

Making a Ring

2010-06-29T17:38:00.000-07:00

This ring is a US size 6.5 with a bezel that sits in a hammered shank. As metal stretches when hammered, I cut the gold for a smaller size. There's no real formula for this, as the degree of stretching depends on the thickness and type of the metal. A feel for the behavior of each metal comes with practice.

I usually get it right, but if unsure I err on the side of "too large". It's easier to cut away excess metal than it is to add extra.

Once the shank is shaped, hammered and sized, I file the ends so that they fit flush with the bezel. A good tip is to mark one side of the shank and one side of the bezel with permanent marker to keep track of which sides fit together.

When filing the shank go slowly and check often. Again, it's much easier to take away than to add.

Once the fit is perfect, it's time to solder the pieces together. I use a third hand so that I can concentrate on my torch.

After the pieces are soldered together, the ring goes into the pickle to clean off the flux and oxides generated by the heat of the torch (you can see the orange tint on the metal in the below photo)

When the ring comes out of the pickle, I brush it using a brass wire brush to remove any residue and the chalky coating. Setting the stone is the last step before polishing. Setting involves cutting a seat for the stone so that it sits level while leaving a lip of metal to push over the stone to keep it in place. I do this using a variety of burs. The time it takes depends on how well the stone is cut and how well the bezel is made. Some stones fit really well, others are a bit of a challenge.

Once the stone fits correctly in the bezel it's time to set it in place. First, do a final check of the size, as this design is difficult to resize once the stone is set.

Push the metal over the stone at the north, south, east and west points using a burnisher. Then go around pushing the metal over until the stone is secure and the setting looks smooth.

Black and Gold

2010-06-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

It's been ages since I made a piece of jewelry. I've had this design in my head for about a year and finally sat down and made it.

With this piece I chemically treated sterling silver to turn it black in order to get the contrast with the gold that I had pictured when coming up with the design.

Visitors

2010-03-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

I've had friends and family visiting from back home over the last two weeks. It's been fantastic seeing everyone again and it has felt a bit like I'm on holiday too as I've spent the time visiting galleries, museums and markets during the day and restaurants and bars in the evening.

Melody came over with her dad Merlin, my friend and former colleague, and her mum Charlie.

Food

2010-03-03T15:43:00.000-08:00

In an effort to save money I've been trying to cook at home more. In an effort to be healthy, I've been trying to use more whole foods.

This dish probably isn't the healthiest (or "healthful" if you're American) dish out there (it has bacon, cheese *and* heavy cream), but everything in it is organic and/or local. I don't usually eat dishes this rich. It was a nice change, but I won't be doing it again any time soon (well after the leftovers are finished).

The photo was taken using my friend's Canon 50mm 1/4 lens.

Strummer @ 1.4

2010-03-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

My friend lent me his Canon 50mm 1.4. I've had my eye on this lens for a while now and I was really excited to get a chance to play with it.

It's a great lens and definitely one that will be going in my kit.

Strummer, as seen through the lens.

Sofa RX

2010-02-28T12:55:00.000-08:00

I bought my current sofa about a year ago from IKEA when I wanted something inexpensive for my current apartment. My cat, Martin, destroyed both arms in about two months and I've been living with it since. I don’t want to buy a new sofa just yet so I decided to see if I could repair it to the point where I can bear living with it for a while longer.

I went to La Casita Yarn Shop and found a perfect match to the sofa colour.

To mend the arms, I trimmed the loose threads as close to the fabric as I could and then darned the massive holes Martin had made.

The yarn and darning needles cost $12 and it took about an hour and a half to do the first (and worst) arm; though I don't sew so it may take you less time if your cats have forced you to take similar steps.

It's such an improvement. The entire room looks neater and the cat-clawed mess is no longer the first thing people notice when they walk in.

10/365 -I'm Feeling Stabby

2010-01-11T18:37:00.000-08:00

Inspired by a phrase from one of my favorite writers, The Blogess. It sums up my day today perfectly.

Scissors, Sterling Silver Wire, Rutilated Quartz Briolette

9/365

2010-01-11T18:27:00.001-08:00

Air-conditioner Insulation, Sterling Silver Wire, Amethyst.

The thing I find most challenging about this project is that you get these great ideas, then when you start working with the materials you realise that they don't behave the way you expect them to and then you have to adjust and re-think.

9/365

2010-01-09T22:09:00.001-08:00

Sand Paper, Gold-Filled Wire

RAD 8/365

2010-01-08T18:49:00.001-08:00

Cats love to pull threads from our carpet. Tonight I found an orange one on the floor and thought that it would look great with gold, so I wrapped it with gold-filled wire.

Carpet Fibre and 14kt Gold-Filled wire

RAD 7/365 & Alice!

2010-01-07T20:11:00.000-08:00

I curled some holigahic-like green ribbon with a pair of scissors. Simple but effective. Tonight was a challenge as I had boot camp again and we welcomed Alice into our home.

Paper Ribbon

Strummer meets Alice

Alice is currently hiding under the sofa, but I expect her to warm up to us all soon enough.

RAD 6/365

2010-01-06T19:16:00.001-08:00

My work is usually very clean and modern, so I'm surprised by the pieces I've created for this project.

Fern, 14k Gold-Filled wire, White Topaz briolette, Peridot briolette

RAD 5/365

2010-01-05T19:09:00.000-08:00

Tuesday evenings I go to Warrior Fitness Boot Camp where two marines encourage/guilt me into moving until I can move no more. I wanted to do a simple paper ring tonight but I saw the green netting on the organic garlic and was inspired to make this piece. It’s not as neat as I’d like, but I can barely move my arms.

Sterling silver wire wrapped ring, green plastic netting.

RAD 4/365 – Back to Work

2010-01-04T16:33:00.000-08:00

In honour of the first work day of 2010.

Magnetic strip from MTA Subway pass, 14kt Gold-filled wire

RAD 3/365

2010-01-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

This was a lot of work for a very, very short time with the ring.

For today's ring I made a mold of a ring I'd made from 14kt gold. I filled the mold with water and froze it. Freezing destroyed the mold, so I only got one chance to take the photo before both the ring and the mold were lost.

I tried to get a shot of the ring on my finger, but it melted too quickly. Overall I'm pleased with this and I think I will try it again, but next time I'm going to make the ring out of ice rather than a simple ice version of an existing design.

Ring A Day 2010

2010-01-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

My friend and fellow metalsmith Nina suggested the Ring a Day challenge to EtsyMetal, a group of metalsmiths who sell on Etsy.

Initially I wasn't going to do it as I have a fairly demanding day job and working out of a tiny home studio means I am very limited in what I can do.

Looking at the first set of rings, and seeing Kathryn Riechert's interpretation of the challenge expanded my vision of what a ring could be and made me realize that imagination is the most important tool, so I joined in.

Kathryn's "Ruby" Ring

Here is my first ring

Stem from a bunch of grapes, 14k gold-filled wire, faceted White Topaz briolette.

Window Shopping

2009-08-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

I am on a buying hiatus while I sort out my apartment (nothing is allowed to come in until we find a place for everything I currently own), but that hasn't stopped me looking.

DaisyCakeSoap's soaps and MirasolFarm's jelly are consumables, so technically won't take up permanent residence in my home, but still I'm sticking to the original plan.

Once I'm done though, I'm rewarding myself with these and TwoTtringJane's Avant Garde Handmade Gold Studded All Over Leather Ankle Boots, and I'm sure I can find some wall space for BethRetroPhotography's ethereal print.

Toronto Style

2009-08-10T18:09:00.001-07:00

I went to Toronto in July to visit my friend, and fellow metalsmith, Tosca. She took me to milliner Wildhagen Wear to see a hat she thought I'd like. She was right, I did. So much so that I ordered one and it arrived today.

Though as NYC hit 90 today I won't get to wear it for a while.

Cleaning My Clutter

2009-08-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

A colleague lent me Karen Kingston's Clean Your Clutter with Feng Shui early last year. Since reading the book I have donated, given or thrown away more bags of clutter than I care to admit, yet I still feel over whelmed by my space and the stuff that made it through my marathon cleaning sessions.

I have decided to hand the problem over to the experts and am meeting with Laura Cattano, an Organizational Design maven tomorrow morning.

Just looking at Laura's website is a calming experience and after seeing photos of her beautifully put together apartment I knew I had to work with her.

Photo from ApartmentTherapy.com

Admittedly, I'm a little nervous about having someone become so intimately acquainted with the depth of total chaos and lack of style that make up my living and work space, but not as excited as I am about finally being comfortable in my home.

I'll make sure to post before and after pics.

Toronto Trash Strike '09

2009-07-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

The Toronto garbage removal people are striking.

Currently businesses are paying out of their own pockets to have private trash removal companies pick up their waste. Obviously this is on top of the taxes and fees they already pay for this service - because us small business owners have the cash to pay for such "luxuries".

The trash is being dumped into PUBLIC SWIMING POOLS while the city workers are walking around taping up trash cans with plastic.

Union jobs for all!

Pride, 2009

2009-06-29T19:40:00.001-07:00

Sunday was the Pride Parade. We caught a bit of the parade in the West Village and took a stroll through Pridefest, the street fair.

It was actually a day of street fairs as Sunday was also our local one so there was lots of food, music, dancing and friends.

Sunday also marked the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, an event which is credited with the rise of the US Gay Rights movement.

Given the ongoing battle for basic rights likes like marriage, military service and adoption (to name only a few), it is more important than ever to get involved and support the LGBT community.

Advocate
Marriage Equality NY
GLAAD
The Audre Lorde Project

Brooklyn Tornado

2009-06-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

Tonight when I got out the subway I noticed that not only was it very windy and a bit dark, but all the families who are usually in the playground next to my apartment building were leaving the block.

After a strong gust of wind that made a little boy cry, a neighbour told me that our part of the 'hood was under a "30 minute tornado watch".

It wasn't that hard to believe as both of us were having trouble walking down the street and we both remembered the '07 Brooklyn Tornado. But still, tornado watches in Brooklyn?

Fortunately (not least of which being that my apartment building shakes when the downstairs neighbor's kid runs down the hallway), we just got some rain, wind and awesome cloud formations.

After the storm passed the sky gave off an impressively unnatural bridesmaid's pallet of lilac and pink that I wasn't quite able to capture.

Sony Cybershot DSC T-90 vs Canon Rebel XT with 50mm/2.8 Macro Len

2009-06-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

Is a dSLR really necessary? Is a macro lens worth the money? Common questions on the Etsy forums (and I'm sure many other online selling venues).

As I have both a dSLR and a Point & Shoot I decided to put them head-to-head and see for myself.

I took these photos using a tripod, my Ez-cube light tent and three lamps with high-output daylight balanced compact fluorescent bulbs.

Below are the best shots I got from both cameras during this session.

Sony Cybershot

Canon Rebel

I was happy with the results I got with the Sony, but taking the pictures was a lot more difficult.

I had to remove the camera from the tripod, hold it over the ring and angle it at really awkward angles to get the shot.

The camera seemed quite bothered by the lights, and had a bit of difficulty focusing on the metal (something I remember well from my days of shooting with my old Nikon Coolpix), whereas with my Rebel I could leave the camera on the tripod, take multiple shots and focus wherever I wanted.

I had to take a lot more shots with the Sony before I found one I was happy with, but I think the shots I'm happy with are very good.

The shots with the Sony do not have the depth and the ring doesn't pop as much. I also wasn't able to get the shot as stylized as I usually like for my product photos as I had less control over lighting and angles.

In my opinion the shots really show that a dSLR and a macro lens are worth the money if you're going to be shooting for sales.

That said, with good lighting and some creative angles you can get perfectly serviceable shots from the Sony Cybershot DSC T-90.

Money Tree (Pachira Aquatica)

2009-06-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

When my neighbor moved back to Atlanta she gave me her Money Tree. I was quite excited as she works with plants professionally so it was in great shape and I've never been able to keep store-bought plants alive.

It did really well for about 6 months until I started to feel bad that it was in such a tiny pot. From my limited knowledge of plants I knew that they should be re-potted so they can grow (you know what they say about a little bit of knowledge).

I re-potted the plant and it started looking sickly. I tried everything I could but it never picked back up. I still have it, and it's still rather poorly looking.

I needed a plant for the corner of my lounge and on Sunday when I was in Pearl River (one of my favorite stores) I saw a selection of large Money Trees and decided to get another one.

This time I looked up the care instructions and it turns out that they like to be "root bound", which basically means not to re-pot them into much larger pots

On the upside I also found out that they eventually grow into their pots, so fingers crossed I'll have two happy, healthy Money Trees.

Sony Cybershot DCS T-90

2009-06-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

I have a Canon Rebel d-SLR which I love, but sometimes I just don't want to lug a big camera and lenses around, not to mention the worry that I'll leave it all in the back of a cab or some random bar, so I decided to get a little Point and Shoot that I could carry around.

My main criteria were "small" and "shoots well in low light". After doing some research I found out that poor low light performance seems to be the price we pay for small cameras.

I tried out a few at J & R and decided on the Sony Cybershot DSC T-90.

It's super slim and has a nice weight to it. It fits perfectly into the back pocket of my jeans which is a bonus as I rarely carry a purse and I almost always wear jeans.

One of my favorite features is the touch screen. I was a bit skeptical at first as I'd read mixed reviews, but it makes operating the camera really quick and easy. The icons are also intuitive and I was able to use it without opening up the manual.

Like all P&Ss the T-90 has a ton of preset modes, but what I really like about this camera is that it allows you to easily set manual options for settings like white balance and ISO, something my previous Point and Shoot didn't allow.

I haven't tried it for product shots but will take a few next time I set up my light tent just for comparison.

Overall I am pleased with this camera and feel it does what I bought it for.

Kyoto - Smith Street, Brooklyn

2009-06-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

Whenever I fall off the Vegan wagon (which I do more often than anyone who calls themselves a Vegan should), I go to Kyoto.

Everyone who works there is enthusiastic about the dishes and proud of the restaurant, and rightly so; the sushi is some of the freshest I've ever eaten and definitely the best on Smith Street.

The Sake menu is limited. While they have a decent selection of mid- to low-priced Sake, you won't try anything new.

The food however more than makes up for this. The menu is full of seasonal specials, the current highlights being live scallops and baby yellow tail.

Though the storefront is nondescript, don't walk past it as the food is anything but and they have one of those hidden urban gardens out back.

Cocktail Hour – Classic Martini

2009-06-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

My favorite drink is the classic, extra-dry Martini.

The secret to a good Martini, or any gin-based drink, is to store the gin at room temperature and to stir, not shake the cocktail. Gin is an infusion and gets its flavor from botanicals so it's easily bruised by extreme cold or rough treatment.

I use Beefeater in my cocktails as it's a good, dry gin perfect for mixing. Gins like Tanqueray and Bombay Sapphire have strong flavors that are overpowering in classic cocktails.

My Classic Martini Recipe

Fill cocktail glasses with water and ice. Set aside to chill.

Add ice cubes to your cocktail shaker and pour in one dash of Dry Vermouth for each glass

Pour in gin and stir with a cocktail stirrer or similar. Do not stir for more than 20 seconds. The drink mix should be transparent and a tiny bit viscous.

Dump out ice in the glasses

Strain drink into glasses immediately after stirring - the worst thing you can do to any drink is to leave it sitting in the cocktail shaker so the ice starts to melt and dilute your carefully mixed flavor.

Add classic cocktail olives and enjoy.

In The Studio - Flush Setting Tools

2009-06-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

These are the tools I use for flush setting stones.

1. A broken bur with the tip filed to a 45 degree angle and set in a pin vise. To shape the bur I used sharpening stones.

2. A graver which I use to clean up and polish the metal around the stone. I bought this pre-polished and cut set from Rio Grande.

3. A burnisher which I use to polish and clean up the area around the setting. I have a flat and a curved burnisher, both of which I got at Metaliferous (my favorite tool store).

Here are some of the rings I've created with these tools a

Rivet Tube Setting

2008-12-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

I wanted to create a cold-connection setting for this ring (which I originally intended to be a simple band).

I made a rivet out of thick walled tubing. Once I'd secured the rivet through the band I cut a seat into the tube using setting burs.

Tools
I use these tools from Otto Frei when setting stones in tube settings.

Materials
Metaliferous sells thick-walled tubing which is perfect for creating your own tube settings.

Shop
Tube Set Rivet Ring