Blog update: Wild Wire Women retreat signups

I can't believe this much time has gone by since my last post! Yikes, and I meant to do so much better this year than last with regular blogging. Well, since I last wrote, a lot has happened:
• I turned 51 (and I feel great about it!).
• I'm in conversation with the folks at Interweave Press about producing another wire and metal-arts book (very excited about this).
• All of my dad's medical test results have come back A-OK, and he's 91 now... no heart disease, no cancer, no nuthin! That's something to celebrate.
• Downton Abbey got its well-deserved Golden Globe for best TV miniseries, good for them! LOVE that show, love it, love it! The new season is fantastic.
• A sweet friend of mine who has been very ill for the past several months passed away this morning. I'm sad to see her go, but I know that she is pain-free now and with Jesus in Heaven, where she has always longed to be. I'm happy for her, actually, but also praying with concern for her family who will miss her terribly.
• I saw The Iron Lady and was bowled over by Meryl Streep's phenomenal performance. The movie itself was just OK; a little slow, and a bit depressing!
• Four ladies have signed up for my March 22-26, 2012 Wild Wire Women retreat and two more have expressed strong interest. That means there are only two openings available for this date. Spring is a wonderful time to visit Idyllwild and enjoy the daffodils and other springtime flowers while avoiding the heat of summer. If you're interested in joining us, we'll be exploring:
• Wirework including beginning to intermediate techniques that can be used in many different jewelry designs...
• Metalsmithing basics including designing and cutting out metal shapes with shears and a jeweler's saw, forging and shaping, texturing with hammers, punches, stamps, and more, riveting, and (time permitting) some etching too!
• Introduction to torch-fire enameling including headpins, cutout metal shapes, and wire cage beads (pictured above).
Naturally we'll also do some jewelry photography, make our own headpins, design and finish original jewelry pieces, eat lots of great food, and have a terrific time. I'm really looking forward to it. For more information on my Wild Wire Women retreats, click here.
To email me for information, click here.
Hope to see you in Idyllwild this year!
Happy wrapping,
Sharilyn

Contemporary Copper Jewelry book & DVD download

 

My recent book, Contemporary Copper Jewelry, is now available as a digital download (eBook) with instructional video for the terrific low price of just $19.95!
I can't imagine how the publisher does it, but it's great good news for anyone who is trying to clear her shelves of books and fill up her computer with downloads instead. That it also includes the instruction from the DVD packaged with the book makes this a really terrific deal.
To read more about it, click here: CCJ eBook with video download

And, as mentioned in my previous post, my newest book Wire Art Jewelry Workshop with DVD is also available as a digital download (eBook) with video download, both for just $19.95.
Amazing.
Here's the link: WAJ eBook with video download
Happy wrapping,
Sharilyn

New eBook & Video combo!

I just discovered that my publisher, Interweave Press, has launched an eBook version of Wire Art Jewelry Workshop packaged with a video download! You can order both for just $19.95; I think that's a real bargain.
To read more about this offer, click here.
Happy wrapping,
Sharilyn
p.s. And congratulations to my dad, for today is his 91st birthday! He's in good health and very happily living independently with my mom in their cherished mountain home.
We are grateful for so many things this year...

Happy New Year 2012!

I just want to wish everyone a very happy, healthy, and creative year in 2012. We've been through some stressful times and there may be a bit more to come, but I believe that we have hope for a turnaround in this country if we all work together and help each other through it.
One thing that I started doing in the past few months is to make a conscious effort to buy goods that are made in the USA—whenever possible. I also shopped locally (in my small town of Idyllwild, California) for Christmas presents last December. I'm ashamed to say that I have never done this before, and I've lived in this town for five and a half years!
In 2012 I intend to take even more care with my purchases and look for a "made in the USA" label on everything I buy. This isn't always possible of course, because so many of our goods are made in other countries, especially China. But, we can all try this and purchase American-made products over foreign-made items of comparable value. I'm also keeping an eye out for handmade items, and hope to support local artists (as my budget allows!) by purchasing their small art pieces.
Since we are all coming out of a recession, perhaps we might consider offering budget-friendly items to our customers. I have a rep in the Dallas area who sells my handmade jewelry for rather high prices, which is great of course, but I'm going to be making more earrings and small pins and things of this nature for her, which will be more affordable for everyone.
If we all made a resolution this year to purchase just one piece of handmade art or craft made in the USA, imagine the impact that would have! I'm excited about the possibilities...
Happy wrapping,
Sharilyn

Happy Christmas 2011

A very happy Christmas to one and all!
It's become an annual tradition for me to create a new necklace for my mother around this time of year, so I thought I'd share my latest creation with you. It was made with lots and lots of sterling silver wire, which is pretty amazing since silver has gone up so much over the years (I haven't purchased silver wire since it was $7 a troy ounce!). Most of the time I use copper wire, which I like nearly as much as silver.
The necklace also features some beautiful raku-fired ceramic beads purchased last March in Santa Fe, a glass focal bead and some of my own enameled cage beads.
Enjoy!
Happy wrapping,
Sharilyn

Wild Wire Women Retreat 2012 Dates Posted!

I just posted new dates for the Spring 2012 session of workshop retreats in my Idyllwild, California studio:

March 22-26

April 19-23

April 26-30

May 3-7

May 10-14

May 17-21

May 24-28

If you've always wanted to come out for a Wild Wire Women retreat, the spring of 2012 is the ideal time to do it!

I'm now offering a wide variety of workshops in wire jewelry design & craftsmanship, metalsmithing techniques, torch-fired and kiln-fired enameling, form folding, etching, and more. Come and learn the latest techniques in very small classes (limited to six adult females) from an artist with over a decade of experience in jewelry making with wire, metal, and beads.

The fee of $825 includes:

Three very full days of workshop instruction in small class sizes

Workshop handouts

All materials (with the exception of beads) such as copper wire and sheet, enamels, etc.

Four nights shared accommodation in my beautiful mountain home

Welcome wine & cheese reception followed by dinner at Cafe Aroma

Four big breakfasts and three delicious lunches, beverages & snacks

All FOUR of my instructional DVDs, a $120 retail value!

24-hour access to the studio and its vast library of books & periodicals

The fee does not include transportation to/from Idyllwild (out-of-area students usually rent a car) or three dinners (Friday-Sunday nights); Idyllwild boasts a variety of terrific restaurants for you to try, suited for all budgets and tastes.

I hope to see you in Idyllwild soon. More information can be found at this blog:

http://wildwirewomenretreats.blogspot.com

Or feel free to email me, anytime:

SharilynMiller@mac.com

Happy wrapping,

Sharilyn

Wild Wire Women Retreat: Day 3

It's the end of Day 3 for us, and, as always a bittersweet feeling accompanies the last supper, the last sip of Tuaca, the last laughs of a weekend filled with fond memories and much laughter. We also made lots of jewelry and learned many new techniques in wirework and torch-fired enamel jewelry making.
The picture above shows the bracelets we made during the Silver Sampler Bracelet workshop—obviously we used copper wire!—which included a variety of techniques: hook & eye clasps, coil-wrapped beads, tapered worm beads, heart links, twisted wire jump rings, and more. It's an intensive, full-day workshop, but we also managed to fit in...

...torch-fired enamel jewelry, including enameled headpins and multicolored cage beads! What a blast. I mean this literally, because we had to open the windows to the studio to let in some fresh air, and it came in with a blast! We're having some very cold weather just now. But what fun to form our own cage beads with heavy-gauge wire and roll them in a variety of different colored enamels, torch-fire them, and enjoy our own creativity.
This project is also featured in my latest book, Arty Jewelry IV.
I am so proud of my students, who were fearlessly creative and threw themselves into their arty explorations with such abandon! And they made some truly gorgeous jewelry. What nice ladies they are, too. I will miss them very much!
Happy wrapping,
Sharilyn