Polymer Clay Octopus Pendant with Matching Clasp

There's nothing like Pinterest to get me all fired up to craft!  I've fallen deep into polymer clay as I realize how many possibilities this medium affords.  Like my other favorite hobbies, there's seemingly no end to the crafty artist ideas.  No other medium can replicate cloisonne, glass, plastic, acrylic, metal, and so many others quite like polyclay!  And the amazing thing is that it's so easy to do!

I ran into some really cool octopus designs and suddenly I am absolutely taken by this subject.  Here's an example of my first one, and allow me to say that I was so surprised it turned out so well!  A little big, but still awesome!  I also found a great tute on making buna cord clasps out of polymer so I could stick with my color theme--notice I even threw some little suckers on it.

Here's the result:

Easy, elegant floating crystal necklace with FREE tutorial!

I found myself on curious.com one day looking at a tutorial on beaded crystal bracelets and ran across a tutorial by the O'Neil sisters.

Most jewelry works by hiding the wire in beads, but this one is a fast, simple necklace that actually emphasizes the beauty of the crystals by showcasing the wire as part of the necklace.  Really pretty!

Again, I can't emphasize how fast and easy this project is.  Go check it out: The O'Neil Sisters Floating Crystal Necklace Tutorial

I believe the first lesson is free when you sign up.

Nearly done!  This photo really shows the colors in the crystals.

Done!  So hard to get a good pic off crystal!

Get Organized: Favorite jewelry wire/thread organizing tool.

For a spastic jewelry maker like me who loves trying all sorts of new media and techniques, I find I spend a lot of my beading time just organizing my stuff, especially after a big clearance sale.  One of my biggest obstacles was keeping wire and thread untangled in my drawer.  It was a constant irritation.

One day, while shopping in a discount retailer, I saw a tiered pants hanger and thought, EUREKA!  That's the solution!  I only paid a couple bucks since it was being cleared out.  Not only is my wire and thread contained easily, but it's easy to see what I have in stock and what I need to purchase.  Plus, it hangs in the closet, so it doesn't have to look gorgeous.

Stamp Jewelry

I was digging through our arts and craft cabinet when I came across a bag full of old stamps I had gotten in the mail.  Knowing one day it might come in handy, I shoved them under some cardstock and forgot about them.

One crazy thing about  jewelry making addiction is that pretty soon, anything becomes fair game.  As I pawed through the stamps, I realized there were some really interesting and gorgeous fare for making jewelry!  It was like free material!

Knowing they'd be too vulnerable to stand on their own, I rolled out some polymer clay on the largest setting of my Amaco pasta machine.  With a 1/8th hole punch (the same used for making shrink plastic jewelry), I punched holes in the stamps, laid it on the clay, cut out the clay, and then used a small metal dowel to make holes in the clay.  After cooking the clay, I used Mod Podge Gloss to adhere the stamps.  Once that was done, I sprayed a Mod Podge finish on and allowed them to dry over night.

Today I used larger oval jump rings to create links in the stamps and then used two jump rings each to connect the stamps.  With chain, jumprings, and a magnetic clasp, I finished it up and voila, a gorgeous stamp bracelet!

Tip:  For large stamps like these, be sure to connect the bracelet for a somewhat snug fit.

Glues, Adhesives, Finishes

When walking down the craft aisle for adhesives, your mind may become boggled in the broad choice offered.  Which is best for sticking polymer to plastic?  Which will give a nice finish to paper beads?  Which is going to stick its middle finger in the air to all that hard work by warping everything in its site?  These were my questions.

The other day, I found a used stamp collection in the craft bin that I had totally forgotten existed.  These things are going to make great jewelry, I thought, and began Googling possibilities.  I knew I had to stick them to something and then find a way to finish them.  As anticipated, there were many possibilities:  glass slides, bails, polymer, wood, or cardstock to name several options.  Since I already had wood, polymer, or cardstock, these seemed my best choices.  But I began to experiment to see which media would give the best results.

My criteria:
Warping
Expense
Shine/Overall Appearance
Time
Ease of Use
Problems with Bubbling

I used several adhesives and finishes:
Diamond Glaze
White Glue
1/2 Glue 1/2 Water Mixture
Mod Podge Gloss
Mod Podge Spray (Matte)

Testing was completed on cardstock.

Results:
Most of the adhesives warped.
The shiniest was the Diamond Glaze, but this was not the best result.
The best results came from the Mod Podge Gloss (sealer, glue & finisher).  Whether used to adhere & finish, it came out best.  Also, using it in conjunction with the Mod Podge Matte to seal also worked well.

Below I scanned in images from the results.  Unfortunately, the scanner did too good a job making everything look good, so it's hard to tell the difference in photos.

Sadly, although I wanted Diamond Glaze to be the end-all panacea of finishing my pieces, I've just not enjoyed the success I get with other products.

Beading: The Creepy and the Downright Odd

Beading:  The Creepy and the Odd

People’s tastes vary in the extreme when it comes to creative jewelry making.  In my case, I don’t want to put time into a project that I wouldn’t want to wear, even if I’m making it for someone else.  As I was thumbing through beading books and online artist galleries this week, I came across many designs I didn’t exactly love, but these pieces seemed particularly uncanny!

1.        I see you…and you, and you, and you!  This oddball eyeball necklace comes from Lucy Chalmers and is called “Lucy’s Pearls.”  Makes you kinda wonder who this Lucy person is and who had the misfortune of last laying eyes upon her.  Yes, stupid pun intended.

2.        Betsy Youngquist’s collection of eye necklace pendants seemed a little disturbing also, until I found her other works.  Do yourself a favor and Google her work.  Your morbid curiosity will thank you.

3.        Wow.  Just…no.  Why?

4.       Many designs are inspired by nature, but this one's a little seedy.  Get it?  Seedy?  Seed bead snake?  Nevermind.  Anyway,  Patty Haberman’s “Theif Necklace and Brooch” crosses the boundaries of extended metaphor and symbolism in all the wrong ways.  What would the Freud say?

You have to admit though, the idea of a necklace connecting to a brooch was clever!

5.       There’s a fine line between mysterious and downright creepy.   This necklace by Margie Deeb, called “Veil,” throws off the shackles of the enigmatic to embrace…well I’m not sure what… oppression of women by the Taliban? The sheik’s conquering of his favorite new concubine? Middle Eastern human trafficking?  Yikes! 

6.        If you’ve ever seen The Princess Bride, this necklace may conjure up an image of the albino in Count Ruben’s torture chamber.  It’s like they’re twins.  In the words of Westley, “Dear God, what is that thing?”  I was a little relieved when I read Jennifer Vanbenschoten’s comment on her necklace that she calls “Lady in the Lake”:

"When I created Lady in the Lake, I was more concerned with telling my story articistically instead of making a necklace that could be worn every day" (BeadingDaily.com).

But then I began to think about it a little more.  So by making something you wouldn’t wear every day, does that mean she’s saving it just for special occasions?  Like creepy séances or pillaging the local cemetery at a midnight meeting of Satan worshippers?    And what the heck kind of a story brings this kind of inspiration…forgetting to take your Risperdal when picking out the focal piece?  Ooh girl, hit the Kaiser pharmacy with a quickness!

7.        When I first saw this I was taken aback, much like the Aztecs when Hernan Cortez rode up onto the scene.  Are we supposed to worship this bird-god or sing along with it?  Evidently, the spread double talon is the inspiration for Felieke Van Der Leest’s “Peace Parrot.”   I'm guessing it's a pendant???

Speaking of peace, or pee anyway, Van Der Leest has many unique beaded creations, such as this one:

8.       To give the artist the benefit of the doubt, maybe my interpretation is wrong.  Because if that really is a golden stream, what on earth is happening in the back??  Whatever it is, the horse looks as surprised as I am.

Feast your eyes on more of his, eh…unique creations here:  http://klimt02.net/jewellers/felieke-leest

9.       This is Dixie Gabric’s “Do You Really Know Me?”  While I do admire the concept of hiding behind a mask created solely for public acceptance,  maybe I would have chosen something a little less reminiscent of a puss-filled, yeasty eye infection.  Ew.

10.    Wow, look at those spikes!  Can you believe women used to sleep in these things?  

So here's my question:  is this a comparison of the agony of the crucifixion to the pains of fitting into society’s notions of beauty?  Nah.  Juan Riusech de Haro probably just ran out of beads and was suddenly inspired by (desperate to find supplies) his wife’s stash of pink curlers.  This lovely crown of thorns also doubles as a necklace.  Goody.  

(Be a pro and read Goody sarcastically while knowing it's also a brand of hair accessories.  Yes, I know, my puns and allusions need professional help.)

 Bonus:  “The Monkey King” brooch by Jeannie Bench.  While I’m not exactly sure what message the artist is giving with this piece, I do know I’d feel a little weird wearing this partially disembodied simian-man out in public.   Maybe like Jacob Marley in “A Christmas Carol,” he’s a spirit of admonition:  “I say, children, heed the doctor’s warning:  No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”

 Well, that's it!  Stay tuned for a less snarky look at unusual jewelry pieces!

Jewelry Making Must Have of the Week

Like most people embarking on a new hobby, I have shamefully wasted too much money.  Buying the wrong tools or solutions flushes your bead money right down the tubes!  So frustrating!  When I first caught the beading bug, blogging had just become a trend, yet I couldn’t always find good advice on what I really needed to purchase and what I could do without.  These are the must haves of the craft!

 

 

I found this gem (no pun intended, for reals) at Tuesday morning.  Just the day before, I had been ogling it at Hobby Lobby.  Luckily I didn’t buy it then, because I saved $10 by picking it up at the discount store.

My new favorite is this portable bead mat.  I’ve seen some bulky ones with bead boards, but this one proved slim & streamlined for my busy life.  I love the pockets on the sides for my tools and supplies.  When I fold it up, my project keeps pretty safe and sound.  Love this thing!

Next week I’ll show some great, affordable storage solutions and how to get the best price.  I’ve tried several systems, but these are the ones that save me a lot of time in finding what I need quickly without frustration.