The Jelly Queen of Gasconade County

Missouri wild plum jelly, made by the Gasconade County Fair Jam & Jelly Queen *heehee*

Once upon a time, there was a City Girl who fell in love with a Country Boy.  She longed to please him and acquire his Country skills, so she learned how to hunt, fish, garden, and make jelly.  Of all the City-Turned-Country Girl's skills, jelly making was the one that pleased the Country Boy the most.  He encouraged her to enter her jelly in the County Fair, and lo and behold . . . she won the giant purple ribbon!  The Ball Award/Best of Show in Soft Spreads.  It became an inside joke between the Country Boy and his City Girl ("Ball Award Soft Spread Queen") but when he bragged to his friends, he called her The Jelly Queen of Gasconade County. This made the City Girl smile, for she knew her Country Boy was proud of her Country skills.

One day, the City Girl started a jewelry business. Soon the jars of delicious homemade jellies that once lined the shelves of the Country Boy's pantry disappeared until there was nothing but an empty space.  The Country Boy pleaded with the City Girl to work up the wild plums in the freezer and the gallons of tart pie cherry juice in the pantry and turn them into jelly.

One day the City Girl decided that she would surprise the Country Boy and spend the day making jelly.  The Country Boy was so happy, that he took jars of the sparkling jelly to share with his friends at their weekly Country Boy Shed Party/Washer Tournament.  He bragged and bragged about his City-Turned-Country Girl Wife, and they lived happily ever after.


*giggle*

Here's my jelly making day in pictures . . . . Enjoy!!

Everything you need to make the perfect jelly, right here: juice, sugar, pectin, big ole dancing jelly pan, long wooden stirring spoon, wire whisk, spatula, big ole measuring cups, hot pads, dark towels (juice stains!) and jars.

Missouri wild plums. Cover with water, bring to a boil until the skins start to split.  Foaming is normal - they're loaded with pectin!

I use an old potato masher to smash them up a bit to release more of the juice and to make the sieving process a bit quicker.

Ladle the hot juice/plums into the sieve and mash to release the juice.  Don't worry about the pits, there will be plenty of good juice without removing them.  I try not to get a lot of the orange-ish pulp in the liquid.  You'll definitely have some unless you use a cheese cloth or a jelly bag, but I like a little pulp. Too much of it ruins the good wild taste - in my opinion.

After all the mashing is finished, I transfer the leftover pulp and pits into my steamer pan. I add 1.5 to 2 cups of water and let it run through the mash again.  I don't squeeze or mash or anything, just let the water run through.  It gets the last bits of juice out of your mash and gives you some extra liquid in case you're short on a full batch.

Isn't it gorgeous!?!  I mix all the juice together to get the pulp distributed evenly, then separate into 5-cup batches.  Jelly is always a 4:6 or 5:7 ratio of juice to sugar so it makes the process run smoother to have batches measured in advance. 

I add the juice to the big ole dancing jelly pan (see the video clip to watch it dance!) and whisk in a package of pectin before it heats up. 

Once it gets near boiling, I start whisking in the sugar a little at a time until it's all added and dissolved.  Then I switch over to stirring with my big ole long handled wooden spoon.

I stir constantly in a rotating figure eight motion the whole time, with the heat on high.  Once the mixture reaches a rolling boil that will not stir down, I start counting.  Two full minutes into this rolling boil I do my first plate test. I also watch for the mixture to turn "glassy" as an indication that it's time to test consistency.

I use the plate test to determine when the jelly is the right consistency.  You want your finished (cooled) jelly to move as a whole unit inside the jar.  Watching the run of the jelly on the plate tells me if I'm at the right stage yet.  I'm looking for it to move very slowly - a creeping run rather than a dripping run. 

Once it reaches the right consistency, I pour the batch into my big ole graniteware pourer.  I bought this piece especially for making jelly and I rarely use it for anything else.  It's the perfect size for a batch of jelly and it's sturdy enough to withstand the heat of the liquid and multiple scrubbing between batches.  Here I'm removing the foam that forms on the top.  I think it's the high pectin that produces the foam.  Anyway it's unattractive, so I remove it.  I don't throw it out though.  I add spices and a little olive oil, rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic and liquid smoke and use it as a glaze for pork - HEAVENLY!

Ready for lids and a hot water bath for 20 minutes, then pop! pop! pop! to make sure they seal.  Once they cool, they'll line the shelves of the pantry once again!!

And here's the dancing jelly pan, doing its happy "I get to make jelly" dance:

Green Druzy Bezel Set Stone Ring 2.0

Second attempt bezel setting. I've added some tendrils that remind me of pea vines.  I think these elements compliment the color of the stone and add more interest to the ring.

The sterling has not been buffed or finished, just pickled after firing.  I'm toying with letting some of that texture remain to blend with the druzy texture of the stone. 

Face-up view

Green Druzy Sterling Bezel Set Ring

Just finished the January issue of Art Jewelry Magazine, and what a stroke of luck it was!  Everything I was set to tackle for a client's custom order was in this issue and it helped immensely.  Here are some photos of the process - made easier by this month's issue!

Original sketch for this ring. Thanks to Art Jewelry Magazine's January 2013 issue, I revised my steps!

Sanding the bezel even so it will lie flush with the ring base.

Check fit and file the solder line smooth

I found my tripod worked better for soldering.  Not sure my ceramic soldering board is the right one.

After soldering using hard paste solder.  Perfect join the first time!

Checking the fit after soldering and pickling.  Using dental floss under the stone makes it easy to remove - great tip from Art Jewelry Magazine January 2013 issue!

I measured the two wires for the band then soldered the space at the back about 3/8" in length.

Had to do this step twice, as I didn't have the greatest fit on the first try.  My second attempt was more successful.

It's looking a bit more like the original sketch now.  Next step . . . sawing.  Stay tuned!!

Beading for Kids

I'm blessed to be spending two weeks with my grandkids over the holidays.  I have six grandchildren ages 16, 15, 13, 4, 2 and 9 days old.  A mixed bunch!!  Needless to say, it's important to have some activities planned to keep them occupied.  This idea is simple and keeps the 4-year-old occupied for about an hour at a time, the 2-year-old for about 10-15 minutes. 




I picked up a package of brightly colored pipe cleaners and two tubs of assorted plastic beads at the Hobby Lobby nearby.  I spread a white bath towel on the table to keep the beads from rolling to the floor and dumped the tubs carefully onto the towel.

The pipe cleaners work well because they work for the varying sizes of drill holes in the beads, and they keep your little one's creations from sliding off. Since they're bendable, you can make bracelets, rings and necklaces that hold their shape too!

You can work in other activities like sorting and counting as well.  When you're finished, simply pull up the edges of the towel to make the beads pile up for easy pickup!

Of course, common sense cautions are a must.  Little ones must be supervised during the entire process to avoid eating the beads and stuffing them up their noses . . . but hey, you already knew that.  :)

E2R Turning Vintage Earrings into Rings

I had a blast recently tearing apart a shoe box full of "onesies" earrings from the 80s and 90s.  Bold gem tones and animal prints and big loud shapes . . . ah, glory days. 

A half tube of E6000 and 48 hours later, I had nearly two dozen fun fashion rings that are sure to chase away the winter blahs.

Available here.

Artisan Created Jewelry: Not Made in China

I discovered Regretsy recently, thanks to the suggestion of my friend and comrade, Thelma Farrah Diaz.  If you haven't seen it yet and you want a good laugh, check it out. 

It got me thinking about the most challenging aspects of my business:

1. People want me to make another artist's design.  Only cheaper . . . AND
2. Competing with cheaply made Chinese goods at rock bottom prices which make my stuff appear "expensive".

By the way, that's NOT the world's tiniest violin playing in the background, and I'm honestly not whining. But how are people going to know the difference between something that is artisan-created and something someone bought on eBay from China for resale, unless the artists educate their clients??

Here's an example of challenge #1.

One of my potential customers saw this design and wanted me to make one like this.  I was hugely flattered that the client thought of me and wanted to give me the business.

 Problem is, it's not my idea.  This idea was the creation of Moon Raven Designs. If you love it you should by it from Michael Doyle, who thought it up and then created it (after who knows how many hours of trial and error!)  It's only $59 which is very reasonable for such a unique design and quality workmanship. 



Now THIS is my idea.  I have the original drawings and the prototypes created in copper to test drive the design before attempting it in silver. I named it the Growing Family™ Charm Holder Pendant.  I copyrighted the design - not that that will stop someone from copying it.  It's virtually impossible to prevent the theft of an idea, unless you have a team of lawyers and a healthy bank account.
Shameless Plug:
It's available for order in my Etsy shop or on my Facebook page.  It's cheaper on Facebook because I don't have to pay commission, that simple. 

Here's an example of challenge #2

The  charm shapes I use to represent children for these pendants are gender-distinct and include the birthstone for the child, a design I also created.  Each one is made by hand in sterling silver and must be formed, soldered, pickled, tumbled and buffed before delivery to the customer.




They're $6 each or 3/$15.  Sad thing is that you can get a sterling silver "boy" or "girl" charm online (made in China) for half that price.

Check out what it takes to make ONE of my charms:

I start by cutting uniform lengths of sterling silver wire and bending them roughly in half.

I wrap the wire evenly around my round nose pliers to create the "head" of the boy or girl charm - an improvement on my original design that allows for more uniformity and faster processing time. 










Next, I bend the "shoulders" which will eventually be square for boys and rounded for girls. 

Now the charm is ready to be fused using a butane micro torch.  Since the wire is a smaller gauge, it easily fuses with a medium pinpoint flame. 

Once the soldering is completed, the charms are placed in an acid bath to remove firescale, and given a good scrub with a brass brush and Dawn.  I use pliers to create the final shape (girl/boy) before putting them into the tumbler for 2 hours to burnish and work harden. 

Of course, there are some items I simply can't afford to make myself and I buy them from a supplier - but I do make every attempt to purchase from a US manufacturer.  (For example, the tiny 8mm x 5mm sterling alphabet charms I use on my charm rings and most of my finer chains are from a supplier.)  But the vast majority of what I make is created with my own two hands.

Don't get me wrong . . . I understand the desire for cheap goods in this economy or any other.

Like China's.     Which seems to be doing really well lately . . . . .

Introducing the Growing Family™ Charm Holder Pendant

My latest creation, the Growing Family™ Charm Holder pendant, with gender-distinct birthstone charms.

Completely customizable to represent your family.  Add gender-distinct charms with birthstones - even add parents' wedding month stone on a charm in the shape of a heart or bell.

Charms are a breeze to add!

This necklace expands with your family for a lifetime.  Add children as they arrive, then later add their spouses.  When the grandchildren arrive, you can add those too!