The first picture was taken indoors and really looks more bronze than copper. The base I use is the copper Swellegant. The next day I had good weather and more beads finished and I took the pictures outside. The color is a more accurate representation than the first picture. The two larger sizes are hollow beads but then I went crazy and started coppering everything. The two small beads with squares are mosaic beads that i really didn't love, but now they have a whole different look. Then I coppered a couple birds from my TAD challenge, along with clay acorns and small heart that had been hiding in the mess on my worktable. I have always wanted to work with copper clay but PMC is just too expensive for me. I think this gives a very close facsimile of that metal clay without the cost. Ah, I have found a new obsession...
I have been lax posting lately, partly due to family obligations and partly that I have been having fun experimenting with new stuff. Thanks to Kathi at Dragonsglass I obtained some dissolvable beads to use as a form for larger beads. I like the idea of hollow beads cutting the weight significantly, on large beaded necklaces it can be quite heavy. At the same time I purchased some Swellegant from B'Sue's and was eager to try that out. The first couple beads were a disaster and I threw them out - so bad I didn't even want a pic! Then it seemed like everything clicked, and as Hannibal Smith (A-Team) says "I love it when a plan comes together!". The first picture was taken indoors and really looks more bronze than copper. The base I use is the copper Swellegant. The next day I had good weather and more beads finished and I took the pictures outside. The color is a more accurate representation than the first picture. The two larger sizes are hollow beads but then I went crazy and started coppering everything. The two small beads with squares are mosaic beads that i really didn't love, but now they have a whole different look. Then I coppered a couple birds from my TAD challenge, along with clay acorns and small heart that had been hiding in the mess on my worktable. I have always wanted to work with copper clay but PMC is just too expensive for me. I think this gives a very close facsimile of that metal clay without the cost. Ah, I have found a new obsession...
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.....the wonderful lady who helped me with my banner. I am not the easiest person to work with and I often will accept something just to keep from being a pest. I know, it's not good to be like that; I am trying to improve. Anyway, I have been making lots of changes in my website and needed my etsy banner changed also. I had someone make one but then I took another look at my website and just wasn't happy with it. I'm basically a "grit and grunge" person and I finally realized that no matter what I do it isn't going to change ME. So I tinkered with the site one more time. So of course I needed a new banner. Some kind person on Delphi Forums told me about Tejae Floyde. Tejae is a wonderful polymer artist and very patient lady. Through a series of emails she drew out what I really wanted, honed it and smoothed out the rough edges and viola! Done in a day! She even gave me some good feed back on my website. I am eternally in her debt and will sing her praises to anyone who will listen. So when you get finished reading this go visit her site and check out her tutorials and lovely objet d`art hearts. And just look at the picture (above) of the exquisite work she does! Wouldn't you love to own one of those beauties? For weeks now I have been busy with my latest creations; I have received a lot of positive feedback and generally was feeling pretty confident about it. It had been years since my last show and then it was with a totally different product, so basically I was starting all over. Since this was a small show I wasn't too worried about having enough product. I hoped for the best but would accept whatever...for now. Unfortunately it turned out to be 'whatever'. The show was not well promoted even though I was assured it would be. It also seemed as though it was geared to a different client than would be interested in my funky boho style. I guess I could be discouraged but somehow I'm not. In the booth next to me was a very nice man who had some fantastic jams and jellies. We chatted to pass the time and talked about our grandkids. Some one else gave me a tip on an art show that would be more suited to my style. After an absence of more than eight years I had forgotten how to pack for a show, so this was a good chance for a 'practice' run. And while re-packing I discovered something that would help enlarge my displays but actually reduce the amount of things I had to truck in and out. So even though is was a poor show (sales traffic wise) I had a whole different attitude than I might have had 8 years ago. Some of that might be that I have mellowed with age; might also be that I have an upcoming appointment with a lady who would like some of my jewelry for her cute little shop. So I can only go up from here-right?! During the month of February Polymer Clay Central had the TAD (Thing A Day) challenge and I picked up the gauntlet. I never thought that I would last the whole month but I did and I'm now doing a little happy dance. Here is a slide show of the past month's work. Thanks to all of you on Polymer Clay Central and elsewhere for all the kind comments and for stopping by to look! Now I guess I no longer have an excuse to put off house cleaning! Here we are on the last day. I never would have believed that I would make it through but I did and am rather pleased about it!
Today's thing went quickly as I used a combination of polymer and torch-made beads that I already had in my stash. The ivory shell-looking bead on the top is polymer. Then going clock-wise is my 'faux Roman glass' bead, and then faux sea glass; all the beads (except the ivory polymer) are glass that I created using a torch. From my other beads, it's obvious that I like old, worn, vintage looking things. This might have been dredged up from a tide pool somewhere! The clasp is purchased but the 'O' connector and the chain I made myself. When I spent a whole day carving beads for a slew of bracelets I was left with two things - a huge blister on my hand and a tray full of chips carved from the beads. I kept thnking I could do something with all that clay even if it was cured. My son said I should combine it with other uncured clay; I thought perhaps if I put it in my (clay) dedicated food processor I could grind it into a fine powder. Well it just wouldn't grind down, staying instead in little divot-like pieces. So I added some opaque black and translucent. The first photo is after it's blended and rolled out. Photo two, formed into beads showing bits and pieces sticking out. Last one is after curing, sanding and polishing. The beads show the variegated blue and white bits smoothed down and looking a lot like stone. I haven't decided what I am making with them yet, so they'll just go into my huge stash.
Thanks Byron for the cool idea! But sometimes it can be a refreshing change from riotous color, even though I love intense color. The Spring Craft Expo is connected to a charity (so I've been told) and they want a donation for auction, so this will be my auction piece. If you are in the Cincinnati area it is being held on March 10th at the Cincinnati Marriot. See yah!
I know this isn't polymer per se, but I needed to start on the elements of display as March 10th is fast approaching. I needed an earring display and it had to be fast and cheap. My tendency is to jump in with both feet when it comes to my displays (well, ok with anything) and just buy what I need. But since this is my first (jewelry) show I just wanted it to be more of a learning experience. So I have been doing much of the displays myself. I have seen some wonderful ideas on table top displays but until I see how this is going I don't want (and don't have) to spend time to test them all out. I had some 1x 8's left from when I did wood-working (told you I have ADD!) so I used that and a wrought iron easel to make this. I really would like to do a tri-fold earring stand with the 1 x 8's but that will come sometime this summer.... Taking this picture also shows me that while the cardstock I used for the earrings is cute - individually- all together it looks unprofessional. So that will also be on my list after the show - getting my "look" together. Then I got a wild hare (or is it hair?) and decided to set up my existing display on my kitchen table. I will have a 6 foot table (provided) at the show; if I can make a decent display on my 4 ft. kitchen table I should be ok. So right after breakfast I hauled everything out and started playing. I soon realized that the earring display is too big and clunky for the rest of the display, so scratch that! I guess I will go up to Michaels and get a small, inexpensive earring tree. The center bracelet rack will get painted black to match the other pieces. I found that you can paint white leather with acrylic and it looks fine, just use two coats and finish with Krylon. So the following pictures are what I ended up with. Took the photos with my phone so I can use them for reference when I set up. If anyone has any suggestions I am happy to listen! All the "rocks" and "artifacts" that I have made finally made it into bracelets. I like this theme and hopefully it sells because I want to further explore this one. It is a good use of scrap clay for the rocks and the twigs as well, and putting it together couldn't be simpler ~ string it on buna! Gotta love simple, especially when you are in a time-crunch.
Not a whole lot to say about todays TAD; I went digging again in the rubble that is my workshop (but that I secretly pretend is in some far away land where I am conducting an archaeological dig) to find more components and pendants. I continually amaze myself at how much sheer stuff I have....anyway this will also go to the show with me. It may be a good lesson on what style actually sells.
The picture on the left is an assortment of several different projects; while the picture on the right is the result of my experiment in 'torn paper' method. They are all finished and made into pendants, some with a copper bail, some with just a hole drilled. The pendant in the upper right of the photo shows what I intended to do with them; a simple stringing on a buna cord with copper trade beads. |
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