Lisa

  • LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Saltwater Etching

    This week I'd like to share a behind the scenes sneak peek into a technique I have been using, called Saltwater Etching, to make my new Custom Brass Heart Belt Buckle with Etched Motif.

    This type of etching uses a saltwater solution and small amounts of electricity to chemically alter the surface of an object. It's a relatively simple process that doesn't require harsh chemicals or expensive equipment. 

    I start by shaping and sanding brass sheet metal for my base design. Once the shape is done, I use a fine tip Sharpie pen to draw a surface pattern design. The Sharpie acts as a blocking agent and prevents that part of the metal from being etched. I drew a vine-like design, and the black is the portion that won't be etched. I also line the back of the brass buckle with duct tape to ensure the back is protected during etching.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Saltwater Etching - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    Once I have my pattern outlined, I mix the saltwater solution. All it is is distilled water and Kosher salt!! Kosher salt is recommended because it is free of iodine and fluoride that could potentially alter the reaction. 

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Saltwater Etching - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    Now it's time for the chemistry experiment! For this step I need copper wire, a scrap piece of copper metal and a battery pack with alligator clips.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Saltwater Etching - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    I hang my brass belt buckle from a copper wire and submerge it into the saturated saltwater solution. Then I take the second scrap piece of copper metal, hang it from copper wire and position it parallel to my belt buckle within the solution. Each piece of metal now has a long tail of copper wire that I attach the alligator clips and battery pack to.

    I take the red (positive) side of the battery pack and attach it to my belt buckle copper wire, and attach the black (negative) side of the battery pack to the second piece of copper wire. Once the electrodes are in place, the chemical reaction begins and the brass metal starts to erode around from the black sharpie design.

    As the brass metal deteriorates, the water turns brown from the eroded copper residue. I remove the heart belt buckle every 15 minutes or so to rinse off the residue build up and touch up my drawing. 

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Saltwater Etching - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    Once I am happy with the depth of the etching, I pull it out of the saltwater solution and clean it up! I use acetone to remove any residue and Sharpie pen marks still left on the belt buckle. Here you can see how the etching creates a relief pattern in the metal.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Saltwater Etching - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    Next I need to build the pin tube that will be placed on the back of my belt buckle. Then a rectangle ring will slide through the pin tube to allow the leather belt to connect to the belt buckle.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Saltwater Etching - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Saltwater Etching - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    I position the pin tube in such a way that the heart will hang just right when you put it around your waist and solder it in place.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Saltwater Etching - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    Because the brass heart belt buckle has a high content of copper, when the metal is heated it comes to the surface. The copper must be removed and polished off in order to see the brass finish again.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Saltwater Etching - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    After all of the components are in place, I blacken the brass belt buckle to give it my signature LPDstudios look!

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Saltwater Etching - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Saltwater Etching - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    I love the way the blackened finish accentuates the relief look of the etching in the final belt buckle.

     LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Saltwater Etching - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Saltwater Etching - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    If you are interested in trying saltwater etching at home, I highly recommend this YouTube video! She breaks down the steps in an easy to follow guide.

    Stop by LPDstudios to see what else I'm exploring in the studio!

  • January Fun- Personal Projects

    I love January, it gives me time to reflect, design and of course work on personal projects that I did not get to during the year.  I have been wanting to create a new watchband for my beloved Schmutz Rabbit watch.  This watch is special not only because it was a gift, but I do not think the Schmutz company is in business anymore. If they still are, please let me know so I can tell them how much I adore their watches.  the finished watch band
    I needed to decide what color I wanted my new watchband to be. I choose a color from the water stain swatches I use in my collection
    I decided to use the color burgundy, it reminds me of a cabernet, plus it brings out the colors in the rabbit. First, I cut the leather, distress it, shape the watchband with my leather punches and apply the water stain. 
    After applying leather balm and shining the leather on my rag wheel, I am ready to begin. I wanted to keep the original buckle, because it has the Schmutz logo engraved on it. I wrap the band around the buckle and watch springs, and start sewing everything into place.
    Finally finished, I can't wait to start wearing my delightful Schmutz Watch again. 
  • LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff

    I've made custom belt buckles, I've made custom leather cuff bracelets, but I've never made a custom buckle cuff! Today's Behind the Scenes is a sneak peak into how I created this one of a kind bracelet.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    This custom project combines two distinct components and materials, the bronze flower medallion and the hand dyed leather bracelet bands. The combination of materials is one of the things I love most about this piece. 

    Starting with the bronze flower medallion! If you haven't read about how I work with metal clay, you can take a look here. The post breaks down the steps I use when working with metal clay from beginning to end. I used bronze metal clay for this particular project, and you can see how the bronze flower medallion transforms before and after the kiln firing process.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    After I hand cut, clean and fire the bronze flower medallion, I apply a blackened finish to give it my signature LPDstudios antiqued look.

    The next component is the leather cuff bands for the bracelet, which starts as a single piece of raw leather. I cut the leather bands slightly bigger than I want the final measurements to be, which allows me room to shave off length and width when I smooth and shape the leather.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    To coordinate back to the weathered look of the bronze flower medallion, I use hand tools to distress and wear-in the leather. This gives it the look and feel of a well loved, and worn bracelet. After the leather is distressed, I add a little bit of color! I apply several layers of dye to the leather until I achieve the desired richness. It gets a little messy, but totally worth the stained fingernails!

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    Next I had to decide how I wanted to join the two pieces together. I decided on cold joining the bronze medallion to the leather bands, because the alternative of soldering had the potential of damaging the leather. 

    In order to cold join, I made two brass plaques (with the LPDstudios logo on them of course!) and four posts. I fed the posts through small holes I made in the plaques, leather bands, and bronze flower medallion.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    Next I gently hammered the brass posts down until they made a wide head that keeps all of the components in place. I taped around the area I was hammering to make sure I didn't damage any of the metal or leather.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    And now this custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff is ready to go to it's new home!

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    LPDstudios Blog: Behind the Scenes - Custom Bronze Flower Medallion Buckle Cuff - LPDstudios was created by designer artist Lisa Parmer Ditty. All of her designs are handcrafted in her Pennsylvania studio. She has merged her love of leather, metal and metal clay to create a unique collection of custom leather handbags, metal and leather jewelry and even pet collars. Follow her studio blog and see what she is designing next.

    Check out LPDstudios Custom Page to see more one of a kind work!

  • My Mothers Wrangler Bluebell Denim Jeans

    My Mothers Wrangler Bluebell Denim Jeans
    Wrangler Bluebell Jeans
    As I was folding my Mothers Wrangler Blue Jeans, I realized that these pair of jeans have been worn for over 65 years by three generations of women in my family.  I remember my mother wearing her "old" jeans during her home improvement projects.  I always loved the shape and color of these wranglers, from the stove pipe leg and side zip waist, to the unique wrangler patch on the back pocket.  My Mother told stories of how she wore them in high school, rolled up with penny loafers.  When I was finally big enough to wear these fabulous jeans, I stole them out of her closet and they became a staple in my wardrobe all through my high school years.  I never purged these denim jeans and carried them with me throughout my life, they kept me connected with my mother throughout my adult years.  When my daughters started high school, the tradition continued and they raided my closet, just as I did, and started wearing these unique Wrangler Blue Bell Jeans. But this time, not with penny loafers but with there own twist of footwear.  Everytime I see one of my daughters wearing these jeans, I snap a photo and send it to my Mother, to remind her of the unintended tradition she started 65 years ago. 
  • LPDstudios Blog: Style- Mothers Day Brunch

    Just because your a mother doesn't mean you can't have a bit of style fun on your own special day!  I just love the bold graphics of this dress from Mara Hoffman Raylin.  The embroidered floral pattern gives it that extra special touch.  And, we can't forget the accessories. We paired this amazing little number with our very own Shiny Citrus Yellow Mini Shopper Tote with Bird.  For your ears we've added our Vintage Pumpkin Orange Leather Floral Earrings with Sterling Silver Hoops and Rivets.  Finally, this Monett Strappy Pump by Athena Alexander in blue suede with its pointed toe and skinny heel adds a bit of class to this dress's whimsical charm. 
    Stop by any time to see what's new at LPDstudios.

Success! Feel free to continue shopping or head to your cart .

c