Polymer Clay Miniature Pendants

Humming Bird Pendant

Fall is in the air here in Florida, anything in the 70's is considered a cool spell in the Sunshine State! Hoping for a cooler winter this year too, maybe I'll even get to wear a sweater! The brisk weather has inspired me to add a bit of the outdoors to my work. I'm trying something a bit more organic & using more earth-tones. Take a peek at my miniature 1" square pendants.

Bronze & Turquiose Swan

Peacock Feather & Brocade

These pendants are currently available in my Etsy Shop Beadazzle Me

Making a Pendant Setting

Currently, I'm working on designing some pendant settings, to use with small cabochons. I'm making my own molds with Premo clay, by impressing found objects, then cutting them out with metal shape cutters. I used a mix of Premo metallic clays to make the pendant setting above. After I baked it I applied some Burnt Umber to give it an antique look. A few dabs of Treasure Gold added the highlights.

Now, I'm trying to decide what color cabochons to make as the insert. Here is a Turquiose, Metallic Tan, & White abstract cab. Whatever cabochon I use, I'll put a thick coat of resin on it to give it a fabulous shine.

Silver clay with black accents, cabochon added

The Colors of Summer... New Work : Coral Sea & Sunset

I'm trying some new sparkly color combos with some of my rubber stamps & ink.

I love the browns, golds, & orange tones. White House Black Market is featuring 

some new hues for summer: Coral Sea & Sunset, a delightful pairing of

red-orange & beige linen colours.

Sunset Dangle Earrings

    

Tangerine/Gold Donut Pendant

    

Find these new pieces in my  Etsy Shop Beadazzle Me

Polymer Clay & Resin

Some of my latest creations feature a nice thick coat of Enviro-tex resin.  I never liked working with resin, but I decided to give it another try. Finally, getting the hang of it! Seems it takes some fussing with a toothpick to keep it evenly at the edges, or else it doesn't stay and shrinks back as it cures. It takes some practice, that's for sure. Being the impatient person that I am, I couldn't wait 8-10 hours for it to cure either! I popped the pendants in my craft oven at 200 degrees and after about 15 minutes...Wha-La!!

 

 

Blue-Green Paisley

 You can find my new pendants in my Etsy Shop

Under the Sea: Starfish, Shell & Freshwater Pearl Bracelets

Peach & Melon Starfish Bracelet

Silver & Turquiose Starfish Bracelet

Back to my favorite private beach last week-end, where I find all my lovely shells. You can only get there by boat, it's very secluded. We always take our dog Teddy along with us, he's very good at sniffing out the best shells!! I hope you like my new Starfish bracelets, they are loaded with a nice mix of Scallop shells, Orange & white Jingles, Pointed Augers, Freshwater Pearls, and my new Mini 10mm Pillow Beads.

Click this link & come visit my Etsy Shop to see my Starfish Bracelet & and many more unique jewelry designs.

Seafoam Starfish Bracelet

Teddy is hunting for shells

Strawberry Fields Polymer Clay Pendants

We are so lucky to have this family owned farm just down the street from our house.

You can pick the strawberries yourself, and also a variety of other fruits & veggies.

All this berry picking inspired me to create my latest polymer clay pendant. It is available in my Etsy shop

Made of Premo clay in a rich mouthwatering, ruby red. Sprinkled with flecks of real gold leaf & topped off with a stem of metallic gold. I antiqued it with a dab of Burnt Umber, to finish the look.

What's New for 2011- Black & White Bangle

I love making Bracelets! Black & White with a hint of Limey-Olive is one of my favorite color schemes! This  bangle was made using Kato clay because it's so strong & it polishes up so nicely too! I used a large cookie cutter for the center of the bracelet & a flexible tissue blade to cut the outside curves. Lots of sanding & a couple coats of poly-varnish to finish.

My Bracelet won Second Place in Voila!
March 9, 2011

Polymer Clay Discoveries in Mokume Gane & Mica Shift Techniques

I'm currently working on a series of cabochon pendants using the mokume gane and mica shift techniques. These are 2 of my favorite techniques to explore, the combination's and color palettes are limitless. Of course, I love working with Premo Metallic clay, I really think it performs the best, especially with mica shift applications. I'm also experimenting with Pardo Translucent Art Clay, it has a crystal-like clarity that I haven't found in other brands. Using extremely thin layers of the Pardo Translucent, silver leaf, and some of my unique Mica Shift canes to create a cabochon with more depth & sheen. I must admit I have this terrible habit of not writing down the different techniques I create and then wondering how in the world I did it!

 Below are a few pics of the process, making up my metallic color blends, the impressed mokume gane sheet.

                                                              

Polymer Clay Handmade Watercolor Round Earrings

My Watercolor Round Earrings are stylish & eye-catching, just right for the long hot days of summer!

I created the cane used for these earrings by combining left-over ends, (I save everything!) a series of stacked skinner blends from another cane. I never expected them to be so popular. Next time, I'll take photos, so I remember exactly how I mixed the colors & assembled the cane.

Leaping Lizards

Polymer Clay Lizard Cuff Bracelet

We live in a tropical climate on the West Coast of Florida & our yard & patio is crawling with these little creatures. They inspired me to create this Lizard Cuff bracelet.  Some people call them Geckos or Skinks. My favorite's are the Green Anoles or Chameleons. They get their name from their ability to change their skin color to suit their environment. The more common Brown Anoles were brought here from the Bahamas & Cuba. I love to watch the males as they puff their orange throat flap in & out. Our dog Teddy loves to chase them around the pool deck, I have to watch him so he doesn't catch any!

 This bracelet was made using Kato black clay. I chose Kato clay for it strength & durabilty, so the bracelet would hold up to taking it on & off. I used Pearl-X powders for the lizard's iridescent skin, his eyes are flat Swarovski crystals.  

                                                        My little lizardy inspirations

Polymer Clay Denim Blue Pod Bracelet

This Stone-washed Pod Bracelet really came about quite by accident. Late one night, I was trying to create a new cane out of a blue skinner blend, I tried stacking them on top of each other, smooching them a bit & wha-la! the Pod bead was created. Then, I made the small faux-cork beads in a golden color with an antiqued Burnt Umber glaze. The textured wobbly disc beads, in mossy green & midnight blue, were sprinkled with faux carrera marble dust to add to the natural look. The finishing touches were the natural Jade semi-precious stone beads, with their time-worn look! I think the bracelet has a whimsical style. It is strung on clear elastic cording. I also made matching earrings.

Another version of the Pod Bracelet is this Cymbidium Orchid with Grape pod beads & semi-precious stones.

Polymer Clay Dangling Leaves Necklace

Dangling Leaves necklace was created using Premo polymer clay, with white pearl as the base & tinting each leaf with bits of either blue pearl or red pearl, to get just the right shade. The raw leaves were rubbed with Pearl-X powder. I used inset glass beads in the top of each leaf instead of using a metal eyelet, I think it adds color & sparkle too!

Polymer Clay Faux Dichroic Bangle Bracelet

Faux...Faux...Faux!  This is a bangle bracelet I made on a base of Kato Clay, formed around a Coke can as an armature. I cut the Coke can in half so it will just fit inside my clay oven. I always use a base band of Kato because it makes the bracelet extremely strong, yet slightly flexible. I created this in 4 layers, with 4 separate bakings. After the final baking I wet sanded it, inside & out, then hand buffed it to a silky smooth sheen! Try making a bangle today...it's so much fun:)

Polymer Clay Faux Geode Bracelet

The Faux Geode bracelet is made with a cane similar to the one I used in the Faux Geode necklace (shown in an earlier post). I used Fimo translucent clay with a tint of Premo purple & violet. The bracelet is strung on purple jewelry wire, I also added charcoal colored glass accent beads. I love making these unusual pieces, I never sell them, I just keep adding to my collection that I display in my craft studio.

Polymer Clay Faux Geode Necklace

This necklace was created using a Faux technique. I used Fimo Classic translucent for this project as it is a firm clay suitable for caning. I mixed tiny bits of Premo in Violet & Purple to make the clear colors, edged in a translucent black squiggles cane I created.

I’m still wondering whatever possessed me to create this piece, it must be my ongoing love of Rocks & Geodes. Ever since I was a little kid I’ve had this fascination with rocks:  Large river rocks, amethyst geodes, quartz, mica…just about any form of rock & I will collect it! I think I picked the wrong place to live when I moved to Florida…no rocks here! Just shells (another obsession) & lots of sand! You actually have to buy rocks here & are they ever expensive too!!

I absolutely love the smooth river rocks, I paint them with whimsical designs & bright colors, so they can decorate my flower garden. Of course I also have my indoor rocks too! I paint those to resemble cats, dogs, bunnies & raccoons! I save the smaller smooth rocks to use as paperweights covered with colorful polymer clay canes.

I’ve also gotten in to trouble with my rock addiction. Every vacation I just have to gather a few rocks as mementos of our visit. Well, one winter vacation we all flew to the coast of Maine. Needless to say, I was in rock heaven! My family looked on from the comfort of the warm car, shaking their heads as I gathered handfuls of granite in the freezing weather. I had so many rocks packed in my suitcase & handbag I could barely zip them, much to the dismay of the officers checking through the baggage for contraband. I don’t know if it was a coincidence or not, but many people were asked to voluntarily get off the small commuter flight out of Bangor, due to excess weight. Do you think it could have had anything to do with my precious collection of rocks?