The Meadmaking has Begun!

Posted by Laurel Collins , Friday, October 29, 2010 1:37 PM

I finally started my Maple Mead a few days ago. Yay! Sadly, though, I had a bit of a mishap with the stove/boiling honey. It boiled over quite a bit, so I lost a bit of the water/honey/maple syrup that should be in the jug. Well, it will be ready to be tested in a month when I rack it (move the liquid from one jug to another to filter out the particles), so we shall see if it is the right sweetness/taste then. If not.... then it will be time to add in a bit more honey and maple syrup!



So exciting! The one thing I find frustrating with brewing though, is how long it takes to make a mead. Many recipes I have seen call for the drink to sit for a year before it can be consumed! Crazy!

In all this mead should take three to four months before it is ready. I can't wait for the taste testing!

Moving on...

Posted by Laurel Collins , Thursday, October 14, 2010 4:05 PM

Here is another wire wrapped labradorite pendant! This time I added in a bit of copper and I am really loving the effect!



Additionally I have been trying a new type of crafting. Recently my boyfriend has become interested in brewing. It is an interesting process, so I am going to try a bit of brewing myself. He likes to make beer, but I am interested more in wines and mead, so this weekend I am going to start the process of creating a Maple Mead. I found the recipe here. Should be interesting and I definitely can't wait for the taste testing!

Finished Oxidized Pieces

Posted by Laurel Collins , Sunday, October 3, 2010 12:39 AM

Here are a few of my finished items using oxidization. I just love how it makes a wire wrapped piece look so elegant! I think I am going to keep doing this technique with future pieces I make. It gives them a depth that you don't see in a normal polished piece.



Oxidizing Metal Wire

Posted by Laurel Collins , Friday, October 1, 2010 5:07 PM

So, I think it went quite well today! My first oxidizing experience seems to be a success! It was crazy how quick the oxidizing process takes. As soon as I dropped the metal pieces in, they were already turning black! Here are some photos:

Before:


After:


Later after a bit of polishing:


I seriously love how these turned out!