~~~~ !!!! ~~~~ Metal Stamp Set Giveaway ~~~~!!!! ~~~~

Contest is now closed -- stay tuned for a post on the winner!

I was recently contacted by PJ Tool & Supply, a jewelry and hand tools supply site.  (Tools, ah... tools.  I own more hammers than my husband does, I swear!)

PJ Tool & Supply asked me to test out their new line of ImpressArt letter stamps.  I chose one of their cool designer fonts, Ballroom Boogie, in lower case.

The letters are small -- 1/8" (3mm), so you can really get a lot of words on your stamped jewelry.  This font is whimsical, including a-z and a question mark.  The stamps are made of hardened carbon tool steel and can stamp precious metals, soft steel, aluminum, and even wood.

My first test project is a bit unusual.  I wanted to show you how to use letter stamps as pattern stamps.  Using heart-shaped copper blanks, I used the letter stamps l, o, v, e, but instead of stamping the traditional "love", I randomly stamped the letters all over the copper.  

As you can see, the whimsical design of the four letters creates a super random pattern.  Think of it as a secret message!

After stamping, I used a silver tube rivet, then patinated the entire piece and polished it with fine steel wool.  This leaves the dark patina in the stamped section, giving the earrings a rustic look.  Oxidized sterling silver threaded through the rivets and copper ear wires finish the look.  I call these "Secret Love".

My last project is a personal one, a stamped name plate for a bracelet.  I want to make a bracelet (in alllllll my spare time!) for myself, and rather than a traditional "mommy bracelet", I wanted something really unique.  To that end, I stamped my son's name onto a piece of copper and riveted it with brass to a piece of silver.

To make this, I used a texture plate to texture the silver, and after stamping the name, a riveting hammer on the copper to create cross hatch marks.  I riveted the two pieces together with brass tube rivets, and then punched large holes for jump rings.  

(Confession time -- I goofed up -- the rivets should have been where the holes were and vice versa.  But it'll work.  Quirky is good).

A patination bath, brushing with steel wool, and I have my own centerpiece for a name bracelet.

I took this photo with acorns that Zack and I collected on our walks around our neighborhood.

Now, I'm not a metal stamper.  I've taken two classes where I stamped exactly two pieces.  I tested these ImpressArt stamps a few times on a spare piece of copper for about three minutes before I made these pieces, and I'm pretty darned pleased with how they turned out.  So ANYONE can use these!  They're pretty, and even though the letters are small, they're easy to read.  A couple of hard whacks with a 2-lb hammer is all you need to get a good impression.

Now you get to own this set, a $70 value!

First, let me thank PJ Tool & Supply for this opportunity. 
Please visit their web site by clicking here!

To enter:

1.  Post about this giveaway on your blog (don't forget to link!)

2. Extra points -- one for Twitter, one for Facebook.

3. Comment that you did these things, and the links to them.

I know, hoops to jump, but guys -- these stamps are WORTH IT!

$70 of fun for FREE!

Winner will be announced on Tuesday, January 25th, 

sometime after 12:00 noon EST

GOOD LUCK!

Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs, and wrote the blog An Artist's Year Off.  She's also a contributor to Art Bead Scene.