A Peak Inside: Metal Jewelry in Bloom

My second book, Metal Jewelry in Bloom, is scheduled to release March 12th. This book is organized very differently than other metal project and technique books, so I thought I'd give you a sneak peak into it.

My goal with this book was to provide you with a toolbox of skills that would allow you to create nearly any flower in the world, all using metal shears. To accomplish this, the Metal Garden System was created.

The Metal Garden System

This system breaks down flower creation into the following steps:

-Petal Count
-Petal Shape
-Edge Treatment
-Surface Embellishments
-Center Formation

Combine these with overall texture and color and you have everything you need to make an infinite number of different flowers.

Petal Count and Shape

The book provides 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 petal templates for flowers with cutting lines that create spear, oval or round petals. These templates can be used alone or stacked to create flowers with beautiful dimension and complexity. Thorough cutting instructions are included, and are the real key to accomplishing these flowers.

Edge Treatment

Eight different ways to create interesting petal edges are reviewed, from punched and tattered to dimpled and rolled. You'll learn to use a variety of common pliers and punches to create life-like effects on the edges of your petals.

Surface Embellishments

The book treats the surface of the petal as both a place to create decorative embellishments and a way to add dimension to your flower. Metal stamps and punches and different types of bench blocks are used to create lines, dots, and dimples (among others) while also sculpting its overall form.

Center Formation

Finally, nine different ways to represent stamen and the overall flower center are reviewed. In this section we also review ways to tab set and weave beads into the center. Riveting is thoroughly reviewed as both a way to add dynamic centers and to connect together layers.

So that's the Metal Garden system! All in all, there are 36 projects, from individual flowers, vines, and branches to leaves and jewelry designs that pull all of these components together...including projects that use my newest favs...Faux Bone and leather.

In a future blog, coming soon, I'll introduce you to some of the flowers in Chapter 2. Until then, thanks again for stopping by. More tips, tricks and projects are in the works...so be sure to subscribe to the blog to be notified when new articles are posted.

Create recklessly,

Melissa

Metal Jewelry in Bloom will be available through most major booksellers, Kalmbach and my website (where you can find an exclusive bundle of the book with a CD of digital templates).