But when I do think to use it, I get so excited that I continue to use it usually at least for a few days, or even weeks.
A month or two ago, I made this piece...
The background texturing was done via a rolling mill and a wonderful design texture page from Rolling Mill Resource on Etsy.
A lot of you have seen my rolling mill "tulle" snakeskin design...
... and my jewelry made with the rolling mill and real leaves...
... but today I am sharing one of my most awesome resources... The shop with a huge array of texture designs: https://www.etsy.com/shop/rollingmillresource
I actually first used their texture sheets when I was working on metal clay.
I purchased the texture sheets while at a bead show in Oakland several years back. And then a few years later (yes, that's how I role). I noticed the name of the company. Rolling Mill Resource. Ha ha ha!
So that Larimar piece (above) was the first time I used these texture sheets in a rolling mill. LOVE the effect. What a great way to texture as an alternative to hammering or etching.
Here are my recent pieces...
Yes. Definitely having fun.
Now you may ask, why is Laura sharing such a great resource? I like to think I'm a sharing kind of person, but mostly it's because this company does what I think sets us small businesses apart from very large businesses.
Aside from offering a great product, they have outstanding customer service. Customer service is a deal maker or deal breaker for me.
Let me segue for a second and tell you a little story from 23 years ago. I was in the market for a car. I had arranged via multiple phone conversations with a dealer about 60 miles from me for the car I wanted at a mutually agreed upon exact price. The night I was to pick it up, it was pouring rain, I was in rush-hour traffic forEVER and I had my infant son in the car with me.
Got to the dealer and they showed me the paperwork with the price on it. I said, "This is $80 more than we agreed upon."
"Well, there were things we didn't account for."
"Well," I said, "We agree on THAT price not THIS price, so THAT price is what I'm willing to pay."
"So," the dealer said, "You're willing to lose this sale over $80?"
"No," I said, "You are." And I left.
I know lots of people think I'm insane or stubborn beyond all reason. After all, what's $80 when you're talking about a $35,000 car. But for me, it was the point of the matter. I felt I was being manipulated. They thought once I had driven all the way there and was so close to getting the car I wanted, I'd surely think nothing of forking over another $80.
But to me, a deal is a deal.... and I don't like feeling like I'm being taken advantage of.
So as far as *I* was concerned, THEY are the ones who lost the deal over a measly $80.
I ended up getting the exact car I wanted from a local dealer for a better price than that first offer.
That experience stuck with me as an example of bad customer service. There have been others. But there have also been many experiences of good customer service.
I was reading an article a couple years ago that was talking about how we (small, independent businesses) can set ourselves apart from big-box competition. One of the most important is customer service.
So to bring it all back, I want to tell you that Rolling Mill Resource has exceptional customer service. That makes me want to tell all my friends about them.
It has been my experience that, aside from selling great products, they go above and beyond to ensure the customers are satisfied and happy.
If you use their products, I'd love for you to comment here and share images.
And don't forget this cool tip for cleaning your rolling mill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXKTIddduG4
