Just Some New Stuff

Still playing around with polymer clay and having fun although I’ve wasted a lot trying out different techniques. Some of them are morphing into completely different pieces to what I had in my head. This one below has quite a contemporary feel to it even though I was going for a totally different look. But I like it.

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This one has a frame around it and if it wasn’t for Carmen and her fantastic strong hands it wouldn’t have eventuated.  I bought an extruder gun that is absolutely useless unless you’re Arnold Scwartzaneger (sp). Poor Carmen nearly popped a vein in her head trying to squeeze the clay out of the gun.

Here I’ve just used white clay and hand stamped a design on it. It has a different stamp on the back so it’s reversible.

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Now I think I’ve finally worked out the faux ceramic technique without having to use the translucent liquid sculpey, which can work out to be quite expensive. I’m really happy with the way these turned out. The square piece will end up being a toggle clasp I hope.

Only two more sleeps till our girl returns from 3 months back packing around Europe. I’ll finally breathe a sigh of relief when she steps off the plane then I’m going to smother her in sloppy kisses and bear hugs and if she hasn’t brought me trinkets from Paris……well she just better get back on that plane quick smart lickety split!!!!!!

I Wish.......

.......I was one of those jewelry designers that made cohesive sets of pendants or bracelets or necklaces and named them wicked things like Tribulations or Sand and Fog or New York nights. But alas and alack I'm not, I'm still fumbling my way around things and my mind seems to go in all different directions. I can be in the middle of making a piece and an idea pops into my head and I'll stop what I'm doing and start something entirely different. I blame it on the fact that I don't have a studio. I'm sure if I had one I'd be ever so organised and creative and I would make cohesive sets with names like Sweet Studio Things, or Static Studio or Studio Stibnite.....stibnite? it's a word? yes it is...get out your dictionary. I'd sure as heck make sure I had the word studio in the title somewhere.
Anyway this is what's come out of my humble little corner of the family room this week. Another gorgeous pendant from Summers Studio in shades of blue and green. I know they should never be seen, but these shades work.

I strung some pale green beads that I think are agate, my SIL brought them back from Bali without any info on them, along with some blue glass beads.
Attached some chain that is an unusual mix of brass and gunmetal depending on the light.
Added a brass coloured floral connector and toggle clasp.
And a charm and some beads on the end of the pendant.

It's listed in my Artfire shop.

Testing Live Writer

I’ve had so many problems with blogger lately and now that the old editor will eventually disappear and we’re stuck with the new editor I decided to find some other way of doing my blog posts. Well thanks to someone on the blogger help forum who suggested downloading Live Writer that’s exactly what I’ve done. So this a test post to see how it works. The beauty of it is not having to log onto the internet to write a post so if you have timed internet this would be a bonus.

My biggest problem with the new blogger post editor is with images. You are supposedly able to put images  exactly where you want them and also to be able to move them around if you want to change the position of some. Well I’ve never been able to do that with the new editor, they were stuck where they were and no amount of clicking, dragging, or swearing would move them.

The photo above I’ve been able to put it exactly where I want it. I’ve added rounded corners and I’ve chosen ‘colour pop’ to brighten the colours a little. Not sure what that will look like once I publish it to blogger.

There’s all kinds of different effects you can choose for your photos from the size to changing to sepia or black and white etc.

So far, so good. I’m liking it and I’ll keep playing around with it. Right now I’m going to save it as a draft and go and find a link and come back and see if I can add the link then publish this post.

It's Pink and a Bit Girly

Well these certainly aren't pink and girly, but it's a novel way of using a piece of 12 gauge copper wire. I guess I better get out needle, cotton and a button because I don't think DS will get around to it. Lucky he's a sparky and there's plenty of wire on his work sites or the situation could have been a bit awkward.

Thought I'd try something a bit different and try a new design to match the shabby chic polymer clay pendant I made. Strawberry quartz with some handmade polymer bead caps.
Gorgeous pink rhodocrosite rondelles with bronze coloured tiny pearls.
Here's the pendant. It's patterned and coloured both sides.
Some pale cream old fashioned lace wired to the beads and long enough to be tied at the neck with a floppy bow.
Not my usual colours or design but I'm liking it.
It's feminine and pretty and lacey. Unlike the work shorts above.

It's Friday the 13th and I've gone Goth.

I made these polymer clay pendants the other day. I was trying to mix up a beige colour but some how got this washed out pink (don't ask) and decided to just keep experimenting and playing around with things even if they end up in the box with all the other mistakes and mishaps that I've made (that box is almost full I might add) and thinking to myself that the colour couldn't possibly go with anything. Well lo and behold as I was wandering around the shopping centre the other day I noticed that a lot of the spring and summer fashion is very pale creams and washed out pinks and lots of antiquey looking lacey stuff and I said to myself, even though most of the time I don't listen to myself, that maybe I'm onto something, so I do actually have plans for these.

I really like this one. I rubbed Stazon Timber Brown over the raised areas and after adding the polish, the ink ran and turned this rose kind of colour. Noice!
Now onto the Goth part of this post. Black beads wired together and a silver toggle clasp.
Some white beads with little silver charms.
Black polymer clay cross. I bought this Krafty Lady mold the other day and not being a particularly religious person there was something about it that drew me to it. I think the beautiful embossed pattern is what grabbed my attention.
So I molded, baked and then added silver rub n buff to the raised areas. Added a silver bail and put it all together. So hard to get a photo to how it sits when it's worn. But hopefully you get the idea.
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So that's my Friday the 13th post. Don't walk under any ladders or let black cats cross your path. Maybe my gothic cross will protect you.

A Winner

We have a winner:

Stacy:

I must have the heart if I win. They are a part of my signature - I love hearts! They stand for love, sharing and kindness to me.

Congratulations on the milestone. I'm going to tweet this and post it on my fan page. Also adding you to my following list of blogs as well.

Have a great Day!

Congratulations Stacey, please email me your details and I will post the the heart to you ASAP.

Thanks to my other lovely commenters for taking the time to read my blog and enter the draw and Carmen you're always a winner just for being my BFF and you know the top necklace is yours.

Give Away

I've done it again...thought the last post I did was 199 and this was my 200th, but in actual fact this is post 201......oh well, me and math never got along too well and what's one or two posts between friends and bloggers. So this is number 3 of the pieces I made a couple of weekends ago. (At least I think it's number 3).
Polymer clay faux raku technique, round toggle clasp.

Pendant with a dingly, dangly whats it.

Black enamel chain with the toggle clasp designed to be worn at the side rather than at the back. It's quite long and I wasn't sure if I liked it. But Carmen came over one day last week and tried it on over a cream top she was wearing and we both agreed it was quite striking on.
So onto my 200th or 201st blog post as the case may be and let's not get pedantic with numbers, I said I'd have a give away. Well here it is:
You have the choice of this piece. A silver necklace with a beautiful metal clasp made by Summers Studio.

Baubley bits and bobs made from various beads and gems and one of Summer Studios hand made silver bead caps.
It has a little sparkly bling as well.
This is another piece designed with the clasp to be worn on the side. Who wants to hide that lovely piece of hand made gorgeousness at the back.

Or you can choose a bit of whimsy. Red polymer clay heart that has been embossed and highlighted with black rub n buff. I've stamped a pattern on the back as well but forgot to take a photo.
Black enamel ball chain with a gunmetal toggle and clasp.
So what do you have to do? Easy, just leave a comment telling me which piece you'd like, you can become a follower too if you aren't already but it's not essential to be in the draw. You can Tweet, blog or face book it as well. I'll leave this post up until next Monday 9th August and then I'll pull a name out of a hat, or a bowl, or cup, or a thimble depending on the number of comments left. Good luck.
Now I'm off to cook dinner...Portuguese chicken with pumpkin and zucchini and I'm going to try and infuse it with a bit of love (DS always complains I never cook with love). That's not true......I always cook my polymer clay with heaps of love!!!!