Wire-wrapping Class Dec. 21, 2013, at Graceful Customs Studio, Gilroy, CA

Learn basic techniques of wire-wrapping with Jennifer Le on Dec. 21!  You will learn to wrap a natural stone and learn about the necessary wire materials used in wire-wrapping.  $85.00 all material supplied;

e-mail Grace@Gracefulcustoms.com

Silver-smith/metal working Techniques-June/July at Graceful Customs Studio

Wow, look at the talent of our new instructor coming to our Studio!  Joy Raskin is an accomplished metal worker who loves different types of media to work with!  Look at her talent!  She will be here to share some of that talent with us, starting with low-tech techniques and moving on to silver-soldering, cold connections, hinges, clasps, tube setting, & box-making!  Check our calendar for specific dates and class descriptions, starting June 27 through July 4, 2012!  You can see her work and bio at www.joyraskin.com E-mail me if you are interested, all classes are one-day classes, 15% discount if you sign up for 2 or more class!  Class size is limited.  Classes range from $80 to $125.

2011 Christmas Boutique

Visit us during our Christmas Boutique on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, 1:00 pm to 6:00 p.m., lampworking glass bead making demonstrations, open torch time (make a bead yourself), finished jewelry, soaps, quilts, lapidary stones, and other handmade crafts by various artists available for sale! Hourly raffle of gifts. Snacks and drinks served! 10730 Center Ave., Gilroy, CA 95020, grace@gracefulcustoms.com

Sept. 25, 2010, Open House & Up-coming Events

We are excited to invite our friends to an open house on September 25, a get-together at our place, starting at 1:00 pm, where we are hosting the monthly meeting of our Northern California Chapter of Society of Glass Bead Makers. It is a pot-luck with demos from very talented and accomplished lampworkers, open torch time (you can also show us your favorite technique), as well as other artist demonstrating their talent in rock-carving, silver-smithing, wire-wrapping. We also have invited any crafts/artsy persons to display their wares for sale or trade, so come to shop also!

AND Ed Ferner will be here to teach another 2 chain maille patterns on Oct. 9, 2 sessions, the morning, the Byzantine Weave Bracelet, in the afternoon, the Calypso Weave Bracelet. Hours 9-1 pm and 1:30 to 4:30 pm. Cost $60.00 for both sessions or $35.00 for one session. Light lunch and drinks provided! Small supply fee, you will take home finished bracelets!

AND Ed has also offered an Open Chain Maille Workshop (free) for those of you who attended the April's class and will be attending the Oct. 9 class, on Nov. 20, to make a necklace or a second bracelet from the weaves learned in those classes.

AT this Nov. 20 open workshop, you can (1) finish any work not completed on the two projects from those class sessions, or (2) make a necklace or a second bracelet from either of the two weaves.

Or, You may select any chain design Ed has a sample of and make either a bracelet or necklace from those weaves.

This is a great opportunity to learn from Ed not only the many patterns he has
learned but also gather the important information of using the various gauges of wire, jumpring making techniques, and see his new instructional video on jumprings!
The class will be limited to only 7 participants!

May's Monthly Get Together (MGT) Friday, May 14

Wishing all Mothers a Happy Day today! Our son is barbequing for us today, maybe not outside as it is raining lightly. Nevertheless, I will enjoy not cooking today and being with my kids and our extended family. I am also spending some time social networking on Facebook with friends & nephews & nieces and looking at their pics with their kids! Where did time go?

Well time marches on here also, at Graceful Studios! Frank is busy, designing new tools for our Lampworking community and Jelveh is testing all tools in-between her bead making! I have been practicing my beads with Jelveh's patient instructions, here are a few. I have also been practicing with a new tool, a "grove" making bit for my glass grinder, it makes a shallow cut on the side of cabachons to fit silver wire around it. You don't think the glass pendant is too big do you? Come by on Friday 3:00 - 7:00 pm, torch time is free! Come practice, Jelveh will be demo-ing blowing glass to make small vessels and making chards! We will have 1/4 inch hollow tubes for you! And Jennifer will be here to demo some of her wire-wrapping techniques! Bring her a challenging item to wire-wrap! Have goodies to sell? Bring them, we love to shop! Refreshments served & gift drawing at 6:00 pm.

2009 Christmas Boutique, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Are you in the spirit yet? If you are looking for original and well-designed gift ideas, come to our Christmas Boutique to see the latest in lampwork beads & jewelry designs! Jelveh from Jelveh Designs will be on hand to demo new Lampwork designs! Ron Martinez, Master rock carver & his wife, will also be here to show us how beautiful a rough stone can become with a little knowledge of stone carving and polishing techniques; and Jennifer & her husband Jim will showcase polished cabachons wire-wrapped in silver wire. Maybe Jim will share some of his techniques for forming and polishing natural stones. We have other artists showcasing their jewelry and arts as well. Our studio may still be under a little bit of construction, so forgive us! We are getting prepared for the 2nd Wire-Wrapping Class with Jennifer on Jan.17 (I will post more info on this soon), monthly get-togethers with local artists, another Rock-carving class, another Lampwork Bead making class with Corina Tettinger, and other events. Keep in touch, sign up as a "Follower" on this blog to get an e-mail with new posts!

Wire-Wrapping Class Here!

See Jennifer's wire-work designs below. We have a few openings left for her class, Sunday, Nov. 15.

We're officially open!

Well last weekend's open house was well-attended with many already well-known glass and jewelry artists and interested local neighbors! Jelveh from Jelveh Designs had a 5 hr basic lampwork class early morning, with 3 totally new students and one already established artist, Garnet, who told me she always learns something new and improved from Jelveh! The class was followed by an open house with snacks and jewelry sales by 5 artists. Jelveh continued to burn the torch, giving demos to visitors who never saw torchwork before (they all wore glasses). She made a small vessel, a fish, a pumpkin, and other beads!
We had many requests to list new classes and are in the process of developing a newsletter. Jelveh will be having a basic lampwork beginner's class about every 4-6 wks, a wirewrapping class to be taught by my friend Jennifer Le is being planned, I will post her jewelry soon. Torch time is also available in the studio.
And Corina Tettinger from Corina's Beads has agreed to conduct a 2nd session here. The first session of Sat & Sun, Oct 24 & 25 is sold out, the 2nd session, Wed & Thurs, Oct 28 & 29 still has a few openings. We are so excited to have her here and hope to show her South County's local sights!