Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you’ll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.
This week’s winner is Marlene! Congratulations! You have won a beautiful leaf from Shannon! Send Shannon an email with your address and she will get it right out to you.
This week we visit the studio of Lynn Davis, who is having fun with button reproductions and ring blanks.
I found a new way to use my hand cast pewter button reproductions, and they are lots of fun!
These buttons were loaned to me, the originals are antiques that were found after the floods in Galveston, and I took castings from them to reproduce them. I wanted to make something fun and wearable with them, they remind me of little sculptures.
I found adjustable sized ring blanks, and used them to turn the pewter castings into rings! Even the large buttons look great this way. I can see using any kind of art bead or handmade ornament, and creating a fun wearable ring out of it this way. I used a two-part epoxy to put the two pieces together, after wedging the ring part into clay to hold it steady and level.
If you’d like to win one of my handmade rings with an adjustable metal ring back, answer this question by commenting on this post:
“What would you like to make into a ring with a ring blank? Do you have a special lampwork bead, ceramic button, cabochon or other beautiful handmade item that you haven’t figured out how to use, and would love to wear on your finger? Do tell, and share the ideas!”
Posted by Lynn Davis, who loves jewelry and would wear a ring on every finger if she could!
Alice
August 27, 2011 at 12:20 pmWhat a fantastic way to use those hand cast pewter buttons! So clever.
I have yet to venture into making rings, but when I do I want to make one with a round etched copper blank which a lovely lampwork bead sits upon.
Cillaw
August 27, 2011 at 2:44 pmI love your work Lynn and would like to win anything you make. I would use a flower cabochon to make a great ring.
Cilla
http://www.tellyourgirlfriends.com
Boot ~C
August 27, 2011 at 3:20 pmI think I'd use some coins~maybe even using cold connections? & I love the cherry casting,it has been a fave since you did it!
TesoriTrovati
August 27, 2011 at 4:07 pmAwesome! Of course I can't win, but I felt compelled to comment!
I am now making rings of my new 'simple truths' designs. I love them! I am getting a big shipment of bezels and such ordered today. I hope they will be something that others like, but I like to wear them, so perhaps I will have a whole new accessory for my own wardrobe!
Enjoy the day, Miss Lynn!
Erin
Erin S
August 27, 2011 at 4:52 pmI am not a big ring person. Usually I just wear my wedding ring, but I do have a fondness for turquoise and jasper cabs!
Erin S
Strings Attached Beads and Accessories
August 27, 2011 at 7:30 pmWould love to win….I won Studio Saturday a few weeks back. I was so excited, I emailed the address given with my mailing address twice and no response. I have never won anything in my life but I am not giving up so let's try this again. I love rings and the are beautiful. I would make something with polymer since I just got my oven and pasta machine.
Tari of ClayButtons.com
August 27, 2011 at 7:56 pmStrings Attached,
Were you the winner on Aug. 6? Your name listed was as Cindi? I wanted to double check.
Let me know (send me your info also) and I will shoot Heather an email. Her life is extremely hectic right now.
Her house is packed to move so it may take longer than usual for anything to get mailed out.
Tari
baglady
August 27, 2011 at 8:58 pmI love your castings of buttons- I have some old brass ones too but they aren't as pretty as yours. I would love to made a resin mini scene on a ring blank- I have been collecting bits and bobs to put in resin but haven't tried it yet.
Shirley
August 27, 2011 at 9:59 pmThose are awesome! My daughter and her friend got the opportunity to have a train run over a penny for them, so it's really cool and flat, with just a hint of the design left. I think it would be cool as a ring. 🙂
Lucid Moon Studio
August 27, 2011 at 10:54 pmOooo…I love those! I just found some great cabochons by Loupiac on Etsy and was trying to think how I could use them! I want to learn how to make a bezel for one, but it would work very well on a ring blank.
Skye
August 27, 2011 at 11:28 pmSo cute! I have lots of ornate little buttons, a few of which I'd love to wear as jewelry 🙂 I'd probably use one of them to make a ring…or perhaps my little pineapple coin from Hawaii 🙂
RivkaBelle
August 28, 2011 at 1:19 amOh wow – those are gorgeous!
I have some really great shells and small stones and pieces of sea glass that I'd like to experiment with as rings I think — I haven't been able to figure out exactly what to do with them, but know I want to be able to *wear* them, this might actually be a solution! :o)
Marianna
August 28, 2011 at 1:29 amThese are beautiful! I love to wear rings and I make lampwork glass beads. I have all these little bits and blobs of glass that fall to my tiled work surface at the torch that are basically accidental cabochons and I can't ever seem to bring myself to throwing them away. I would love to be able to fuse them down into one big colorful cab to add to a ring blank 🙂
For My Sweet Daughter
August 28, 2011 at 2:08 amI love those rings! I have yet to make rings but get asked to all the time I need to venture into it soon I guess. I would love to make some rings with some porcelain cabochons.
Shannon C
Sherri
August 28, 2011 at 11:40 amI love these rings!!! Just gorgeous!
beth
August 28, 2011 at 2:45 pmI love to use old button earrings and they have been a big hit for my customers!
Beadroe
August 28, 2011 at 8:56 pmThose buttons are gorgeous. They would make great clasps for necklaces. I would love to take lampwork beads and made them into rings.
Cindy
August 28, 2011 at 11:10 pmI have been following some of your magazine pieces four a while Lynn. Can't believe you will actually, maybe, read this! I would love to make a ring using Genea's Coffee Lovers focal (or another bead from that line). I am not a coffee lover, but I collect coffee mugs! I have close to 400 mugs from around the world. A coffee mug on my hand would be great!
Klassy Joolz
August 29, 2011 at 4:26 amBeautiful as always!!! I love rabbits and it would be cool (to me anyway) if you were to some how incorporate a rabbit into one of your designs and I would love to make a bunny ring with it.
Smiles, Pam
thecolorofdreams
August 29, 2011 at 2:54 pmGreat rings. I have a stash of old buttons and will have to take a look at them again.
Susan Z
August 29, 2011 at 3:54 pmI'm always losing one of my pierced earrings and I can't bare to throw them out. They might make great rings!
Cynthia
August 29, 2011 at 9:35 pmYour rings are fabulous! I guess I'd likely make a ring out of old buttons, or an old broken pin. (I like stuff that looks old)
I will keep my un-adorned fingers crossed, that they might be adorned soon!
Bead Lola Bead
August 30, 2011 at 1:50 amYour rings are amazing Lynn!!! I would use a ring blank to create a colorful, sparkly, three-dimentional mosaic with the tiniest beads I could find!
Ashleigh Becker
August 30, 2011 at 8:09 pmI like to turn vintage earrings & buttons into rings! They are so cool!