Image from the book Soldered Alchemy ©Laura Beth Love

"You will never look at wire wrapping OR
 soldering the same way again!"  

That's my reply when asked to describe my book, Soldered Alchemy! 

Image from the book Soldered Alchemy ©Laura Beth Love

Learn how to make this amazing necklace pendant!

This project is entitled Ocean Talisman Pendant and the directions for 

how to make it are on pages 68-71 in Soldered Alchemy.

In my first jewelry instruction book, Boho Chic Jewelry, I taught you how to solder using a soldering iron and showed you how to make your own beautiful jewelry using upcycled things like old broken china plates, pieces of old lace and leather, buttons, old belts, and other salvaged, recycled, repurposed items. 

I enjoyed hearing how people loved learning how to make their own jewelry from these items (and if you create a project from one of my books, please share your photos on my Facebook page!)

Now we continue our exciting journey into the world of soft soldering with my new book, Soldered Alchemy, where I introduce exciting new techniques for both solderers and wire-wrappers alike! 

You will LOVE the beautiful projects inside!

What exactly is soft soldering? 

Soft soldering is melting and binding metals using an electric soldering iron (instead of a torch with a flame) and lead-free jewelry solder. This jewelry solder has a lower melting point than other harder metals such as sterling silver so you do NOT need a torch or any kind of open flame to melt it and work with it!

You can create soldered jewelry at your kitchen table! You do not need a workshop or flammable cylinders of gas or open flames. Solder is amazing! And it is SO much fun to work with! Anyone can learn how to make soldered jewelry. If you haven't tried soldering yet, you are missing out!

What's so special and amazing about this new

book, Soldered Alchemy? 

I can't wait to tell you! 

In Soldered Alchemy, I have created an entirely new jewelry making technique where I combine wire wrapping with soldering. The end result is jewelry that has a unique, magical look - a look unlike any other jewelry making technique out there!

In Soldered Alchemy, I teach you the basics of soldering (for first time solderers) and also the basics of wire wrapped jewelry (for first time wire wrappers) and then I show you how to combine the two together to create 24 fabulous projects! 

I teach you to create every single project in the book from start to finish with beautiful, eye-candy full color photos and easy to follow, step by step instructions. Even if you are a complete beginner, this book contains everything you need to know to learn how to solder like a pro.

If you are an experienced jewelry maker you will love this book for its new ideas and inspiration! Or maybe you are a beader and have never soldered and have never made any wire jewelry - wait till you see how you can incorporate some of your favorite beads into these unique designs. You will be inspired!

Image from the book Soldered Alchemy ©Laura Beth Love

Learn how to make this amazing necklace pendant in Soldered Alchemy.

You can use any type of bead for the center of this pendant. I used a teardrop shaped

briolette stone bead. This project is entitled Perfect Storm Pendant and the directions for 

how to make it are on pages 52-55 in Soldered Alchemy.

Image from the book Soldered Alchemy ©Laura Beth Love

front cover

Image from the book Soldered Alchemy ©Laura Beth Love

from the back cover

This book also gives you the full list of tools and materials you will need to get started. It's my hope that you will learn from this book, that you will be inspired by it, and that you will enjoy it!

Have you already read Soldered Alchemy? If so, I'd love to hear what you thought about it, so please feel free to leave me a comment on my facebook page or Instagram page and let me know what you think. 

Last but not least, if you purchased the book on Amazon, I would be so grateful if you would take a moment and leave me a review! 

Image from the book Soldered Alchemy ©Laura Beth Love

Image from the book Soldered Alchemy ©Laura Beth Love

As always, if you have any questions, leave me a comment or drop me a line and I will do my very best to answer. I value your opinion and would love to hear what you think! Until next time, don't forget to join me on YouTube for jewelry making videos!

Laura

Check out my new DIY jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

   

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!


My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

This post was originally published on 10/28/2015 and has been revised and updated for 12/1/2022

A Look Inside My Jewelry Instruction Book Photo Shoot

It's hard to believe that my first book, BoHo Chic Jewelry, was just released this past March 
2014, and there I was last week, only six months later, flying off to Cincinnati, Ohio for the
photo shoot for my second jewelry instruction book, Soldered Alchemy. I feel so grateful and
fortunate to have the opportunity to share my ideas and designs with the world, and I really
hope that my books not only help to teach people new skills and techniques, but that they
inspire people to explore their own creativity in new ways! 

This was a busy summer! Within a span of less than three months, I wrote an entire book. 
A few people have asked me what writing a jewelry DIY book entails. Do I write the text? Or do I just create the projects? The answer is yes, I do it all. It basically begins with 
brainstorming project ideas, about 25 or 26 projects that all are cohesive yet different from one another, each with varying difficulty from beginner to advanced. Everything has to kind
of mesh together and coordinate in a certain way (that's the cohesion I was talking about) but at the same time, every project has to be unique unto itself, and there has to be a nice
balance of different types of projects. It's not an easy task to accomplish!  

In a nutshell, I brainstormed possible project ideas, and then sat down and designed each 
project. Next I made each project from start to finish. This is when I also wrote the step by 
step text for each project, while at the same time snapping test photos for the step by step photographer along the way. I did this so that once we were at the photo shoot, we would 
know where to stop and take those important photos that displayed what was explained in 
the step by step instructions described in the book. Once all the projects were completed 
(and they had to be perfect, as these were the actual projects that would later be 
professionally photographed for the book), I then worked on what's known as the front 
matter, which is the beginning section of the book that contains the materials and 
basic techniques sections, as well as the introduction and dedication. Oh, and I almost 
forgot to mention, I was working under a deadline! That being said, there is not much time 
to leisurely create. You really have to be focused, have great ideas, and know what you're 
doing to do this type of work! But I love it. 

Taking a moment to recharge before my flight. 

There's no better feeling than putting your bare

feet in the grass for a few minutes!

Once all of the text and projects are finished, it's time to fly to Cincinnati to the publisher's

photo studio so that they can take all of the step by step photos that accompany the text in

the book. For this, I have to pack up my entire workshop - all of the tools and materials that

I need to create every project in the book - and ship them out to the photo studio so that

when I arrive we can get right to work! Once I arrive, I unpack everything, set it all up, and

then remake every single project while the photographer takes the photos. 

Sitting in the airport, waiting for my flight.

Yummy bagel I had in the airport.

Goodbye Detroit! On my way to Cincinnati. I flew from where I 

live in Pennsylvania to Detroit and then to Cincinnati. 

Arriving in Cincinnati

"I'm in Cincinnati!" Hotel selfie before work to send to my boyfriend hehe...

Arriving in the photo studio the first day...so nice and clean! Just

wait till I get all of my supplies and materials laid out! 

All of my finished projects that I had completed beforehand were

laid out on a table so that I could double check them for reference.

Some of my materials and tools, and in the bags were all of the

parts and materials that I needed for each project. It pays to be organized! 

Here is where I worked! 

My text was put into a layout and I used it as a guide.

In the middle of working on a project.

My fabulous photographer Christine Polomsky hard at work editing the step by step photos.

We worked from Monday through Friday, Christine taking photos at every step while

I made every project. It was a lot of work, but Christine is just awesome and we had a

great time all week! On Friday after we wrapped up the last chapter we packed up all of my tools and materials to be shipped back home to me and then I headed to the

airport to fly home. Next the photos will be edited and put into place within the 

manuscript, and then in a few weeks I will do a review of the manuscript where I

answer any of my editor's questions, making any needed corrections or clarifications, 

making sure that each photo matches up correctly with the text. Once that is complete, 

more editing reviews will be done, the beauty photography will be done (those are the 

pretty photos at the beginning of each chapter and on the cover), the fabulous designer 

Brianna will work her magic, and then off to the printer it goes! 

The book shown being created in these photos is entitled Soldered Alchemy,

and it is being published by FW Media, and will be released in May 2015. Once it is available for presale on amazon I will announce it here on my blog! 

Until then, check out my previously released title, BoHo Chic Jewelry!

What do you think?

Learn how to make jewelry from old broken china and

other unique salvaged materials in my new book! 

I hope you have a great week 

Love, Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!

Writing A Craft Book: The Fascinating Rewards That Come From Sharing What You Know

In my last post I wrote about why I think it's so important to share your ideas. 
I explained how for me, it's all about teaching other people and inspiring others to create. 
 When you pass on what you know, whether it's a skill or trade, 
or just something  you know a lot about, not only are you helping 
others by teaching them, but you are giving them the ability to learn and do something new. 
After all, good ideas are meant to be shared, and I think people should inspire other people.

Book process photo: Choosing coordinating components for a project

But I also discovered - unexpectedly - a fascinating reward throughout the whole process of 
writing my craft book. What was this reward? I found that as you give away what you know, 
out of nowhere, completely new ideas come to you, and you discover brand new things. 
The reward was, in giving, you open yourself up, and you open up your mind, to new and 
different ideas. It's almost like a blossoming. 

Book process photo: Choosing plate patterns for projects

As I created the projects for my book, BoHo Chic Jewelry, not only was I designing and 
making the projects with my hands, I was also writing out all of the step-by-step 
instructions, and at the same time writing down little notes here and there about what my
 inspirations were for each project, snapping photos of each step so that the photographer 
would have a reference point for what photos were important to take during the actual 
photo shoot, etc. That was the work. So I began with project number one and worked my 
way through; thinking, making, writing, and taking photos. Sometimes re-thinking, 
re-making, and re-writing, and re-taking photos! But I was working my way through.

Book process photo: Choosing flatware patterns for projects


And then, while I worked, a wonderful thing started to happen. New ideas came. 
First as a trickle. Then as a flood. 

And let me clarify: these new ideas had nothing to do with the wonderful projects I had 
already designed and created for BoHo Chic Jewelry. These were new, unassociated,
completely different ideas. And they wouldn't stop coming. So every so often when I would 
take a break from working, I would jot the new ideas down, and set them aside. 
As I gave away, I received. 

I'm not sure how or why this happened. Where did these new ideas come from? And why
did they keep popping into my head when I was working on something else? I honestly 
can't answer that. The closest thing I have to any kind of explanation is that maybe that is 
just the nature of giving. Maybe it is universal flow. I can't explain it, but I can say, with
all honesty, that this is what I was meant to do. 

May 14, 2015....
...fast forward one year later and those new ideas have been collected and organized, 
polished off and perfected, written down and submitted to my publisher, put into a 
new book and offered to you, the reader, the jewelry maker, the artist. My second book, 
Soldered Alchemy: 24 Jewelry Projects Using New Soft-Solder Techniques, 
is fresh in from the printer and on its way to a bookstore near you! And that was 
the gift that I received from giving my ideas away to write my first book, BoHo Chic Jewelry. 
What a fascinating reward for giving away what I knew and sharing what I learned. The
moral of this blog post? If you discover or create something new and interesting, a new
 technique or method, a new style or idea - share it. Don't keep it in. Once you give it 
away, so much more will come to you. 

What do you think?

Check out my new diy jewelry books on amazon!

    
Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!

I hope you have a great week 

Love, Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!

Writing A Craft Book: Why It's Important To Share Your Ideas

(Note: I originally wrote the following blog post on March 3, 2014...since publishing this 
post, I have now published my second book, Soldered Alchemy):

A few days ago I got an advance shipment of my new book, Boho Chic Jewelry,
and I couldn't be more excited! Yay! It's finally here!

Hot off the press!


Writing the book was tremendous work, but so worth it. To be able to share ideas
and inspire other people to create is priceless. I know that many of you who follow
this blog are artists of one medium or another, so I think you can understand what I 
mean when I say that you can't rush creativity. Working under writing deadlines
is hard work and can be very stressful, but the rewards of having a finished book in 
your hands are greater than you'd think. It's all about sharing what you know 
with others, so that they can learn and create too!

Back and front covers of BoHo Chic Jewelry book

When my publisher first approached me about writing the book, it was a lot to think
about. A couple of friends and relatives asked me things like, "Do you really want to
give away all of your secrets and techniques?" and, "You worked so hard to build
your business up to what it is today, why would you want to give all of that away to
strangers?" But I didn't have to think about it for very long at all. 

First of all, writing a book is a huge opportunity, and most folks go about it by putting
 together proposals and approaching publishers on their own. Because the publisher 
approached me instead of vice versa, I actually felt completely honored that they thought 
my work, designs, and ideas were good enough to warrant publication. I had been creating
 my china jewelry for many years. But I also create other types of jewelry too!

Probably the one thing that ties all of my work together is that I use unusual
materials in most of my designs. I saw this (publishing a book) as not just an 
opportunity to show others how to create jewelry from broken china, but to 
show others how they can create jewelry from all types of other materials too. Writing 
this book was a chance to help other people explore and use their own creativity! 
What could be better than that?

Pendants made from an antique glass buttons by Laura Beth Love - DIY instructions  can be found
 in the book BoHo Chic Jewelry


 For this book, I had to put together twenty five different projects...that isn't just a lot 
of ideas, it's also a lot of different ways to give people to look at things creatively! 
So most importantly, in writing this book, I had the opportunity to inspire others.
 That was reason enough for me.

But little did I know of the rewards that would come once I started writing and putting 
 the projects together. They were greater than I ever could imagine.
(continued...)

Read on to the next post in this series:
Writing A Craft Book: The Fascinating Rewards That Come From Sharing What You Know

What do you think?

Check out my new diy jewelry books on amazon!

    
Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!

I hope you have a great week 

Love, Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!