Cast Your Vote for the Final Featured Weave of 2013!

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THE POLLS ARE OPEN – VOTE NOW!

Submissions for December’s Featured Weave Contest are closed – which means it’s time for YOU to cast your vote to determine the winner. Thank you so much to everyone who submitted their mobius design. This is going to be a tough vote. The choices are stellar!

If you share this survey, we recommend copying the link to this blog post and pasting that in any emails, blog posts, or social media pages. (We’ve noticed some weirdness in the past with sharing the link directly. It sometimes likes to bump people out of voting who haven’t already. Thanks!)

 

10 Tips for Cleaning Metal Jewelry + FREE jewelry care sheet (PDF download)

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We often receive questions about the care and cleaning of metal jewelry.  While there are many products out there that promise to make your bling blindingly shiny, you might be surprised to learn just how simple (and inexpensive) it can be to clean your jewelry using common household products.  Check out our 10 tips for cleaning metal jewelry below and be sure to visit our FAQ for even more finished jewelry tips.

JewelryCleaningTips

 

Giving a handmade gift this season?  Download our FREE jewelry care sheet to print out and give to your recipient so they can keep your work looking as beautiful as it looks right now!

1. Keep pieces in an air-tight container when not being worn.

The absolute best way to keep your jewelry looking beautiful longer is to store it in an air-tight container such as a Ziploc® bag when you’re not wearing it.  Even though the cleaning methods below are pretty gentle, it’s best to not have to clean your jewelry more often than you need to.

 

tumblr_inline_mj3y3szzSa1qz4rgp2. Use blue Dawn for general cleaning.

At Blue Buddha Boutique, we go through a heck of a lot of blue Dawn.  Why?  Because it is the perfect soap for cleaning almost any metal.  It’s super gentle and super affordable.  To clean most metals (sterling silver, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, niobium, and gold-fill), soak jewelry in soapy water for several minutes. Then lather with soap and gently but briskly rub the jewelry between your palms. Rinse with warm water and let air dry, or use a blow dryer on lowest and coolest setting.

white_vinegar3. Use plain vinegar to remove tarnish.

If you prefer your copper and jewelry brass pieces to stay bright and shiny but don’t own a tumbler, you’ll love this trick.  Simply soak pieces in vinegar for 5-10 seconds. After removing the piece from the mixture, lather with non-lotion dishwashing soap and water, and rub the jewelry briskly but gently between your palms. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Dry the piece completely right away with a blow dryer on lowest setting to prevent water spots. Make sure the piece is fully dry before you return it to its Ziploc® bag.

4. Cold water and air ONLY for tarnishable metals.

Hot water and air will cause tarnish to return to your freshly cleaned piece so use cold water and air only when cleaning pieces made from copper, jewelry brass or silver.

HP3in1-800px5. For pieces with mixed metals, cater to the most “delicate” one.

We often have folks ask us how to clean pieces that use multiple metals.  Our rule of thumb is to cater to the metal that needs to most careful cleaning.  For example, cleaning a piece that combines aluminum and copper?  Use lemon juice and cold water only.  If your piece uses anodized aluminum along with any other metal, the cleaning method for the base metal should be just fine for the AA, however you’ll want to clean the piece less frequently to prevent color-fading.

6. Speaking of AA, never use polishing cremes or clothes on anodized aluminum.

These products may cause the color to rub off of anodized rings – a total bummer!  Anodized aluminum will come clean using our general cleaning method described above and can even be dipped in lemon juice if it’s in a piece with tarnishable metals (see above.)

7. Invest in a small tumbler.

You can polish most chainmaille in a tumbler. Use stainless steel shot, or simply add a bit of water and non-lotion dishsoap. If not using shot, make sure to tumble several pieces at once so that there is enough friction to shine the rings.

8. Pieces with glass or crystal components are actually pretty resilient.

You might be worried that a piece that uses these components would be hard to clean, but actually they are quite easy to take care of.  You can use most of the methods above to clean pieces that contain glass or crystal components.  (Yes, even tumbling!)  However, if your piece contains foil-backed crystals, be careful as the foil can be scratched off.  We recommend cleaning pieces with these components by hand.  For more information about cleaning these piece, check out our blog post “Care & Cleaning: Chainmaille Jewelry with beads, crystals, and glass rings“.

9. Use ArmorAll to shine up rubber pieces.

Yes!  ArmorAll can be used to shine and condition pieces that use rubber rings. To condition your chainmaille, place the item(s) in a Ziploc® bag. Spray items 2-5 times with the ArmorAll.  (A little goes a long way!)  After closing the bag, place between your hands and rub them together (like you’re trying to warm them up) for roughly 30 seconds. Once removing your item(s) from the bag, you may choose to simply wipe the excess away with a clean dry towel, or rinse the piece under running water. Dry item(s) with a towel or rag after rinsing. This process is generally safe for all other metals that might be combined with the rubber, however it can cause anodized aluminum to fade more quickly.  For tarnishable metals, make sure to use cool water if rinsing.

10. Don’t rest your sterling silver jewelry on wood surfaces.

This one might sound a little odd, but wood surfaces, especially oak, usually contain acids that can mar the surface of sterling. Once again, it is best to keep your piece in an air-tight container.  It is also recommended to store silver away from direct sunlight.

Meet the B3 Artisan Market Artists, Vol. 2

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This is the second post in our blog series introducing you to the talented folks behind the fabulous, locally made, hand crafted items that fill the Blue Buddha Artisan Market. Also, head on over to our B3 Chicago Retail Store Facebook page and Like it to be notified about new items in the Artisan Market, B3 classes, special events and more!

Poise.cc | Cinnamon Cooper

CCCinnamon Cooper taught herself to sew on her Holly Hobby sewing machine and made the cutest outfits for her cats and dolls. But her tastes matured as she did, and about the same time, she had the urge to help save the world. Cinnamon began making and donating bags to raise money for non-profit organizations, which evolved into Poise.cc. She sources 95% of her materials from American manufacturers, which means everything is vegan, sweatshop-free, and eco-conscious. She’d rather you carry a heavy bag, than a heavy conscience.

Do Bats Eat Cats? | Darlene Ostrowski

BatsCatsSkullAnother artist we’re proud to have as a B3 team member–Darlene Ostrowski. A lifelong Chicagoan, she wandered into a chainmaille class years ago, looking for a creative outlet to help relieve stress. She wasn’t expecting to get completely addicted to linking lots of rings together one at a time! When she’s not weaving, can be found teaching chainmaille classes, filling orders, and quality-controlling rings here Blue Buddha. She also vends frequently at local festivals, anime events, and sci-fi/fantasy conventions with her handmade gothic and fantasy-inspired chainmaille jewelry.

LuDesigns Creations | Lucy Clasen

LClasen_ScarfletteIn 2010, Lucy Clasen–a wife, mother to two grown children, and a retired bank president–took metal smith classes at Lill Street Art Center to enhance her burgeoning artistic education. Today she continues to study jewelry making while growing her art business, working with both metal and fibers. Several versions of her lovely “scarflettes” can be found in the B3 Artisan Market. Last but certainly not least, Lucy is a member of the Chicago Craft Mafia, and enjoys volunteering and traveling around the U.S., Europe, and her favorite, the British Virgin Islands.

 

B3 Artisan Market – Meet the Artists!

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1452212_407558379346767_480810720_nIt has taken a lot of time and construction dust, but the Blue Buddha Boutique retail store in Chicago is up and running. We love teaching in our spiffy new classrooms and chatting with passers by – most often introducing them to chainmaille for the first time! While our true love is chainmaille, we didn’t want the store to carry only maille. We want it to be a place for the community to shop for locally handmade goods of all kinds. Enter, the B3 Artisan Market. Stop by and you’ll find everything from chainmaille pieces (of course!) to knitted scarves, reusable coffee sleeves, photography, greeting cards, children’s clothing, and soap. With this kind of variety, it’s entirely possible to make one-stop holiday shopping a reality.

We understand not everyone can visit us in Chicago (it’s snowing and 12 degrees out today; we get it), so this post is the first in a series where we’ll introduce you to the amazing artists who sell their work in the B3 Artisan Market.

Omni Mee | Entropyware

photo 1You might recognize Omni as B3’s Knowledge Navigator, one of our helpful customer care specialists and a  chainmaille instructor. But even before B3, Omni always had a passion for creating things, particularly with metal. He still remembers the first time he was finally able to shape metal into what he saw in his mind. Nearly 25 years later he is still experimenting, creating, and making objects in metal. In 2009, Omni started Entropyware which originally featured his chainmaille jewelry, and within a year carried cuffs and rings.

Omni works with both base metals and precious metals, and depending on the tools used he creates a bracelet with a surface that ranges from smooth to dimpled or rough, and form the shape of the piece, ranging from from a classic flat cuff or modern shapes. He then polishes or patinas the piece for color and shine, and finally coats it with renaissance wax to protect the finish.

Edgewater Soap | David Melis

photoWhen not making soap, David Melis facilitates access to information as a public services, reference, and cataloging librarian. His personal goal as an information professional is to encourage and nurture in others the natural curiosity and love of learning that have enriched his life – and led him, among many other things, to become a soap maker.

David explained, “I love making soap because it’s both an art and a craft, and it has just enough chemistry thrown in to be a science as well. In addition, because my goal has always been to use natural botanical, plant-derived, or mineral ingredients to the greatest extent possible, developing new products is always an exciting challenge.”

He continued, “My soap makes people feel good. They feel good emotionally because they both look and feel better after using it, and because buying a handcrafted soap is a wonderfully simple way to indulge or reward themselves – or, if purchased as a gift, someone they care about. And they feel good intellectually because they know their purchase of a product with natural ingredients is ecologically responsible.”

When Rings Dream | Daniel Rychtarik

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When Rings Dream started when a box arrived at Daniel Rychtarik’s home. Inside was enough jump rings to start creating and selling chainmaille to his friends. Wanting to learn different weaves and more applications for the craft, Daniel furthered his chainmaille education, and after a few weekends of creativity and collaboration with Joshua Diliberto, Daniel was determined to make this hobby a lifestyle. Soon Courtney Hardcastle came aboard and they headed to the Renaissance Faire as their first public event. To keep up with the increasing demand, Rachel Billich joined the team.

And here at Blue Buddha, we’re lucky to call Dan one of our own; he is B3’s Journeyman Weaver and Patron Emissary.

When Rings Dream continues to grow, teach and create quality custom chainmaille designs.

We hope to see you this weekend at the first
Blue Buddha Boutique Holiday Trunk Show!

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Free Holiday Jewelry Project: Red & Green Scale Maille Bracelet

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The holidays find many crafters in a making frenzy and it seems like no matter how much you plan, there’s always that one last minute gift you end up discovering you need to make in a hurry. Below is a super-quick jewelry project that comes together easily but will still impress your recipient. (Plus, it’s so quick to make, you’ll even have time to whip up an extra one for yourself to keep!)

Happy Holiday Weaving!

Holiday Scale Maille Bracelet

by Blue Buddha Boutique

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Materials List:

1 pack of 25 red anodized aluminum scales
1 pack of 25 green anodized aluminum scales
1 pack of 100 F18 green anodized aluminum jump rings
F = 5/32” (4.0mm)
18ga SWG = 0.048” (1.2 mm)
8 size D18 jewelry brass rings (for clasp)
1 gold color Cursive Toggle

Or simple purchase our Holiday Scale Maille kit – available through December 31st!


Prep: Pre-open all size F18 jump rings.

scale-maille

1. Using a small ring, connect one end of your clasp to a scale.










2. Add the next scale by aligning it with the first one, and weaving a small ring through the holes on either side of the clasp ring.












3. Add the next scale by aligning it with the second scale and weaving through the holes on both scales on either side of the project.




4. Continue step 3 until you reach your desired length.





5. Finish the bracelet by attaching your clasp as shown.


KIT-HOLLY-EAR-100pxCheck out our other Holiday Projects!

If you enjoyed this scale maille project, you may also like our matching Holly Berry earrings, available along with several other festive projects on our Seasonal Kits page!