As part of my pledge to design more, I’ve been screwing around with Photoshop. I’ll admit, my Photoshop skills are not where they should be. Luckily there are tons of great tutorials available on the Internets. Today I learned how to easily fake a letterpress look from puglypixel.com.



So easy and so cute. After a little trolling around on Pugly Pixel, I also learned how to do glitter and tinsel…





… and now I’m pissed I didn’t know this before the Holidays. ABL — Always Be Learnin’

I would’ve said that earlier, but I’ve been jet-setting around the country like a proper Business Lady. I flew to Dallas last week, and to Vegas the week before, where a casino fortune teller told me I should start writing more… and that I’ll fall into a romance with a salt & pepper-haired someone in March or April. We’ll see about the romance, but at least I can do something about the writing part. I promise to post on Bell Street way more often in 2012. I’ll be posting my metal works, as well as the design work I’ve pledged to do this year. Looks like a lot of 2012 promises, right? Oh look, here they are in one handy doodle…


I also collaborated with my sister to make a birthday card for my mom, and in the process remembered that I own a really great printer and am a terrible person for not using it more.


And of course the metals. My crazy work schedule has kept me from making as much as I’d like, so in 2012 I’m choosing complexity over quantity. I’m focusing on box construction. Gonna get in-depth with hinges and clasps and finishes. Today I worked on a little tube box that swivels open on both ends.






The two end endcaps swivel around, opening up the center tube. The center tube is divided into two compartments. In order for a solder join to stick, you have to make sure the two pieces being soldered fit perfectly together. Filing a circle of copper to fit perfectly inside the center tube was tough, but in the end I murdered it. I’m not sure how I’ll build the clasp… I’ll probably build it awesome, though.

2012.