debVdesigns

Paper Mache Displays work better when they are weighted down!   Let me show you how. I've never liked the velvet displays as they are hard to pack and show up lint, especially when photographing jewelry on them.  During my search for something better, I came across these macrame bust displays which are a heck of a lot better to pack for shows.  The nestle into each other tightly vs. being so bulky.  The only drawback was that they were light and could easily topple over.  My dear husband (DH) came up with a way to weight them down and I've been using them for over a year now and they work perfectly (for me anyway). Here's a quick video on weighing them down.

Adventures in Silver Broom Casting I invited a few girlfriends for lunch today and one of them suggested we do broom casting.  Two of the ladies took a class recently and the other two (myself included) were intrigued by the concept and willing to give it a try.   With a new crucible, the first step is to flux it.   First lesson:  "do not add borax (flux) until the crucible is very hot" or else it will fly everywhere. Makes sense, right - LOL I retreated to my bench to do the deed.  Once I  heated the crucible, I added a little borax (flux) to coat it. My first casting was using brass (copper for my second).   It took forever to melt, even with the addition of an additional torch. There was more success with the brass casting vs. the copper (exact opposite  of what I expected).   Not sure if the type of fuel is important, but I used mapp gas which could have been part of the problem, along with a slight breeze. I ma...