If there's one thing I don't like, it's people like me who don't update their blogs often. So I'm guilty as charged. I have been having trouble with photographic issues, as I've mentioned previously, but I'm working on it. In the meantime, B'Sue Boutiques is sponsoring a Messy Workshop Blog Hop, and I want to prepare for that. The key is to show your workspace, be it in still pix or video, the way it really is, disorganization, mess, and all. I should be able to do that well considering my table runneth over with unbaked polymer clay beads, wirework, and all sorts of other things, some pretty much unidentifiable. :)
Last month I did set up a work area using two tables and some storage bins, but the spillover into the living area is still a problem. That's ok, though. For this blog hop, people want to see what it's REALLY like in your space. I hope my camera cooperates so that I can join in with some decent photos, or maybe even a video. Wish me luck! Until then, happy dreams!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Bracelet Day!
Here is one in a series of bracelets I worked on today. It is a large manipulated filigree finding, quite lovely piece from B'Sue, with a double handmade linked chain and lobster claw clasp, in the fantastic Silverware finish. I did not mix metals on this one, although I am in the process of completing an Iris bracelet in silver with large black & small silver chain...debating on the clasp and it will be finished. :) Also worked on the Chan Luu style wrap bracelet design today...interesting weaving technique. Oh, yeah, I wirewrapped a blue star pendant today, working on the Viking weave to hold a cab in place with ... magic! ;) No, the weave is what holds the cab (or beach glass or crystal or other object) in place, and I like to wirewrap the clasp into the design for aesthetic appeal and practicality. I'm getting good at spirals - woo hoo!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Order Arrived, New Beads, No Pictorial YET!!!
Paper beads are child's play? I think not. I made a bunch, covered them in ribbon/eyelash yarn, and strung them for safekeeping...awesome. Working on chainmaille techniques and wire-
wrapping every night. Spirals and loop-de-loops are soo therapeutic. Learning the chainmaille techniques is NOT coming easily to me but I'll keep trying. My fingers are sore from all the manipulation!
On a brighter side, my order from B'Sue Boutiques arrived today. In the goody bag, along with organic tea and candy, I got amazing beads. You just never know what those people are going to send you, but it's always something amazing - the good stuff! And my order, the stuff I did order, has plenty of charms, jump rings, filigree brass stampings to manipulate (some of it I'm going to have to wire), colorful seam bindings, and lovely velvet ribbon that was so worth every penny. I also got more wire (wirewrapping is addictive), Viva metallic paint in Mother of Pearl, Sculpey glaze, E6000 (which I use sparingly because it's toxic), a jumpie tool, and on and on. Took me a good part of the afternoon to open everything, ooh and aah over it, and get it in some semblance of order for close storage. B'Sue never disappoints, that's for sure.
I've been thinking about what makes this little family owned and operated business run so well. I've concluded a few things. 1) Brenda Sue is doing what she loves to do. 2) She is doing it with people she loves. 3) She is offering us the best of the best, the same things she uses to create her jewelry art, the same stellar quality. I think that's the formula for success. Enough ruminating ... time to enjoy the spoils of her success.
On another level, total change of topic, I haven't posted any photos yet because I am having PC issues. I'm not going to be able to enter the Easy Peasy Bracelet Challenge Contest because today is the last day for picture submissions, but that's all right, I'll catch the bead blog hop in March. And I can still make Easy Peasy bracelets, especially now that I have all this new stock in findings and stampings. So it's no tragedy, that's for sure.
wrapping every night. Spirals and loop-de-loops are soo therapeutic. Learning the chainmaille techniques is NOT coming easily to me but I'll keep trying. My fingers are sore from all the manipulation!
On a brighter side, my order from B'Sue Boutiques arrived today. In the goody bag, along with organic tea and candy, I got amazing beads. You just never know what those people are going to send you, but it's always something amazing - the good stuff! And my order, the stuff I did order, has plenty of charms, jump rings, filigree brass stampings to manipulate (some of it I'm going to have to wire), colorful seam bindings, and lovely velvet ribbon that was so worth every penny. I also got more wire (wirewrapping is addictive), Viva metallic paint in Mother of Pearl, Sculpey glaze, E6000 (which I use sparingly because it's toxic), a jumpie tool, and on and on. Took me a good part of the afternoon to open everything, ooh and aah over it, and get it in some semblance of order for close storage. B'Sue never disappoints, that's for sure.
I've been thinking about what makes this little family owned and operated business run so well. I've concluded a few things. 1) Brenda Sue is doing what she loves to do. 2) She is doing it with people she loves. 3) She is offering us the best of the best, the same things she uses to create her jewelry art, the same stellar quality. I think that's the formula for success. Enough ruminating ... time to enjoy the spoils of her success.
On another level, total change of topic, I haven't posted any photos yet because I am having PC issues. I'm not going to be able to enter the Easy Peasy Bracelet Challenge Contest because today is the last day for picture submissions, but that's all right, I'll catch the bead blog hop in March. And I can still make Easy Peasy bracelets, especially now that I have all this new stock in findings and stampings. So it's no tragedy, that's for sure.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Fun with Polymer Clay
There are seven minutes left until I have to get my new beads out of the oven and I will make good use of the time. :) Today I worked with Sculpey III in Blue Pearl and made a bunch of large spiral beads, probably for use in a necklace and/or bracelet. Sculpey III is easy to condition (I did not need a pasta machine) and works well with the warmth of my hands. I have blue fingertips but that doesn't bother me anymore than wearing any of my art does, and this after two (2!) scrubbings of my hands! I believe a working artist can and should wear some marks of what they've been doing, much like the callouses on the fingertips of a guitarist.
I also made a floral design (this clay really holds shape well) as a focal piece for a large piece of jewelry, and some rosebuds embedded with wrapping wire to use as another focal. This is so much fun! I buy almost all of my supplies at B'Sue Boutiques but do shop eBay for beads, but there's nothing quite like the feeling of creating my own beads. I'm only limited by my imagination and I have plenty of that!
Ah, the true test - time to take the pieces out of the oven. &.....drum roll.....they're perfect!! My finer pieces held their shape perfectly and it looks like I'm not going to have to do any sanding. The Blue Pearl Sculpey III has a shimmery effect to it that shows up better after baking, but is still, IMHO, very subtle. All in all, a productive afternoon. The beads are cooling and I'm excited about using them.
Two days ago I made my first wire wrapped tree of life pendant using silver wire (use a thicker one for the frame and a thinner one for the beading and wrapping) and jasper beads that look a lot like an abstract tree when the leaves are windblown. It turned out well. I was surprised that the whole project took less than two hours, and I even handmade a chain for it out of jump rings. Amazing!
Yesterday I worked on a memory wire bracelet that gobbled up my rather extensive supply of beads (no worries, I'll make more, lol) and it was so much fun to do. I have some coral branches and "teeth" - curved large beads in a deep red - and I couldn't wait to use them. So now I have at least five coils of bracelet to wear. I used mother of pearl, several kinds of jasper, the coral, of course, wonderful filigree bead caps from B'Sue and tablet Bali beads that are scrolled. It's heavy, chunky, and perfectly fits my style. I still want to add a few B'Sue charms to the little hoop ends for a little more flow and movement, but I don't think I'm selling this piece since it has so many of my favorites in it. And it's so big that no one else I know would wear it (my mom suggested making two bracelets out of it but I think not), so I'm not in danger of giving it away. Haha!
I will be taking photos of these pieces but I'm losing the natural light today and I still have to figure out the whole image thing so it won't be today. BTW, if you want to see some lovely and very well done Tree of Life pendants, search Ethora at YouTube for some excellent video. She does amazing work and is terribly precise...and Uncommon Goods is now selling three of her pendants, which is great. They are $140 something so I won't be buying right now (why buy when you can make your own?) but they are really spectacular.
Waiting on a large order from B'Sue to enter the Easy Peasy Bracelet Challenge...oh yes, and also to play and have some more fun with the new findings, chain, velvet ribbon, etc. that I ordered, I admit it. But how cool is that? I will let you know when the package arrives...I love their packaging and the goody bags, too. It's like my birthday when an order from Brenda Sue and Shelley arrives.
& I'm just a big kid playing with my toys today. At least I'm creating. There are some deeply disturbing things going on in my life right now that affect my entire family, especially my baby girl Amanda (25), and this is a great distraction. So it's say a prayer and work, work and say a prayer. But I have faith that everything will be just fine with time. In the meantime, thank God for the arts. We all need to make sure we value them more because they are the lifeblood for a human.
My seven minutes of writing time has passed and then some. I should know myself well enough by now to realize that would happen. :)
I wonder if my beads are cool yet.....hmmm.
I also made a floral design (this clay really holds shape well) as a focal piece for a large piece of jewelry, and some rosebuds embedded with wrapping wire to use as another focal. This is so much fun! I buy almost all of my supplies at B'Sue Boutiques but do shop eBay for beads, but there's nothing quite like the feeling of creating my own beads. I'm only limited by my imagination and I have plenty of that!
Ah, the true test - time to take the pieces out of the oven. &.....drum roll.....they're perfect!! My finer pieces held their shape perfectly and it looks like I'm not going to have to do any sanding. The Blue Pearl Sculpey III has a shimmery effect to it that shows up better after baking, but is still, IMHO, very subtle. All in all, a productive afternoon. The beads are cooling and I'm excited about using them.
Two days ago I made my first wire wrapped tree of life pendant using silver wire (use a thicker one for the frame and a thinner one for the beading and wrapping) and jasper beads that look a lot like an abstract tree when the leaves are windblown. It turned out well. I was surprised that the whole project took less than two hours, and I even handmade a chain for it out of jump rings. Amazing!
Yesterday I worked on a memory wire bracelet that gobbled up my rather extensive supply of beads (no worries, I'll make more, lol) and it was so much fun to do. I have some coral branches and "teeth" - curved large beads in a deep red - and I couldn't wait to use them. So now I have at least five coils of bracelet to wear. I used mother of pearl, several kinds of jasper, the coral, of course, wonderful filigree bead caps from B'Sue and tablet Bali beads that are scrolled. It's heavy, chunky, and perfectly fits my style. I still want to add a few B'Sue charms to the little hoop ends for a little more flow and movement, but I don't think I'm selling this piece since it has so many of my favorites in it. And it's so big that no one else I know would wear it (my mom suggested making two bracelets out of it but I think not), so I'm not in danger of giving it away. Haha!
I will be taking photos of these pieces but I'm losing the natural light today and I still have to figure out the whole image thing so it won't be today. BTW, if you want to see some lovely and very well done Tree of Life pendants, search Ethora at YouTube for some excellent video. She does amazing work and is terribly precise...and Uncommon Goods is now selling three of her pendants, which is great. They are $140 something so I won't be buying right now (why buy when you can make your own?) but they are really spectacular.
Waiting on a large order from B'Sue to enter the Easy Peasy Bracelet Challenge...oh yes, and also to play and have some more fun with the new findings, chain, velvet ribbon, etc. that I ordered, I admit it. But how cool is that? I will let you know when the package arrives...I love their packaging and the goody bags, too. It's like my birthday when an order from Brenda Sue and Shelley arrives.
& I'm just a big kid playing with my toys today. At least I'm creating. There are some deeply disturbing things going on in my life right now that affect my entire family, especially my baby girl Amanda (25), and this is a great distraction. So it's say a prayer and work, work and say a prayer. But I have faith that everything will be just fine with time. In the meantime, thank God for the arts. We all need to make sure we value them more because they are the lifeblood for a human.
My seven minutes of writing time has passed and then some. I should know myself well enough by now to realize that would happen. :)
I wonder if my beads are cool yet.....hmmm.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Bsueboutiques.com
The above link, www.bsueboutiques.com, is a huge reason why I am on this journey today. At this website's shop, you will find vintage style brass findings in raw brass and metal platings as diverse as brass ox to chocolate ox to silverware silverplate that is 3! mils thick. This is the go-to first stop for anyone, like me, interested in creating jewelry. Brenda Sue Lansdowne, affectionately known as B'Sue, offers jewelry findings of all kinds - over 4000 items & counting - at affordable rates. The stock is excellent quality, the packing is impeccable, and the shipping is FAST! I hope you will help support my friend in her effort to provide these tools to us. Sometimes she has one-of-a-kind items that are very special, so one never knows what they will find in this great little shop of wonders. I'm a repeat customer and will remain one for a long time to come...I hope you check it out if you have an interest in mixed media and altered art jewelry. B'Sue is also a wonderful teacher and has a number of excellent YouTube tutorials on her site (and on YouTube, of course) that have helped me understand so much about this art form. I can't recommend her highly enough and you will be seeing a lot of the items I purchase in my jewelry as I post images here at the blogspot. She's such a goodhearted and caring person, with a wealth of knowledge deep in breadth and scope...just wanted to share that with you because it's like uncovering buried treasure. I truly believe that. I'm a B'Sue addict now, and as L. Cohen might say, I have no intention of ever going clear. (obscure song reference, oops, that happens with me a lot!) Go meet B'Sue!!!!!!!!! You will thank me. :)
introduction
I'm new & just learning. I'm learning about myself, my art(s), mixed media & altered art, & wondering why people name their dogs Spot. I'd name a goldfish Spot, but not a dog. It's all totally irrelevant at the moment, though, because I don't have a dog or a goldfish. What I do have is creativity. Lots of it. Sometimes too much of it, as in there aren't enough hours in a day & a night to do everything I feel I need to do. Time is the enemy. Sleep is a stranger. Yearning to create is a part of who I am. Learning to create comes easily. This blog (& time) will tell. Yes, everything worth knowing is telling so I'm here to share my yearning & my learning w/you.
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