New Earring Styles

Hello!  I realize this blog has been quiet for a few weeks.  With all that has been going on in the world, I have been pre-occupied.  Just recently, I have begun to feel some inspiration to "play with clay" again, and have been making some earrings I'd like to share.  The first two pairs are some of the longest earrings I've made:  3-D triangles of deceasing size, all connected separately for maximum motion.  The lighter set is made from one of the pastels, gold leaf and lace sheets I made and spoke about in an earlier posting.  The purple set on the right is made from an Ikat cane.


These next three pairs of earrings are a different form of 3-D triangle.  I've used this shape before.  The difference here is that I've used a contrasting solid color for the inside of the earrings.  This pop of color really makes the earrings seem to glow from inside.  I've posted 2 photos here - one a front view, and one to give a better image of how the inside looks in contrast.

More earrings soon!  Be well.

Puppy, Again!!

Over the years I've kept this blog, I've posted when we've add to our little "family."  Just a day ago, we brought home another Aussie to join our two older girls.  Let me introduce Keiko, shown here with two of her litter-mates as she was getting ready to come home with us.  Her name is a Japanese girl's name that translates as "happy child, rejoicing."  This is indeed one happy, playful pup, and we're all enjoying getting to know her and watch as our group makes
modifications to give her room to grow and fit in.

Of course, this is my creations blog, so I thought I'd show you a couple of pairs of earrings I just finished. They obviously have nothing to do with the puppy, they're just earrings, but shouldn't each posting have some polymer in it?

The first blue pair below has a thin gold plated bar that swings back and forth as you walk.  This is the first time I've used something like these bars in earrings.  All the patterns were made using Mokume Gane technique with gold leaf inside the layers.  There is a quite a sparkle to the gold, it just doesn't show well in the photos.

 

Pendanitas!

Most of my pendants are of a medium size, and, as I experiment with some processes, they sometimes get a bit larger.  However, there are those who prefer smaller items, and with the holidays in sight, I have been making some smaller pendants.  I call these pieces "pendanitas" or little pendants.

Here are a few samples, in different styles and using different techniques.  The black pieces are pretty self-explanatory.  I like the juxtaposition of the simple geometric black shapes contrasting with the 3-D flowers and butterfly cane.









The pieces below on the left are made with gold leaf composite, alcohol inks for color, and other bits and pieces such as gold flakes.



The two rectangular pieces are part of my "faux opal" collection. This is a process that keeps evolving, and I'm having fun with it.

An Oriental Frame of Mind

There is something about oriental style that has always appealed to me, even when I was a child.  I've been meaning to try my hand at some cylinder bead for quite a while, and finally sat down to do just that.

This is the first bead I made.  I impressed texture into the clay, then formed the tube. After an initial baking, I applied a dark mix of acrylics to enhance the design, and baked the piece again to set the acrylic.  The end caps are made from circles of clay and wired to the tube core to ensure strength.  The metal chain tassel seemed just the right touch.

Then I decided to use black and translucent clay decorated with gold metal leaf, alcohol inks, and permanent black archival ink.  The red and green cylinder beads were my first results.  I do like the metal tassels.




I still had some of the decorated sheet left, so made another gold and red cylinder bead, and then decided to make a large pendant.

 I really like this piece. The colors are deeper in person that the photo indicates.  I'm going to have to play some more with these shapes and decoration techniques.  I've only just "scratched the surface."

Pretty Mokume Gane

I was asked to do something with earrings and bangles that would be festive for the holiday season. I love the combination of white, gold, and black, so I got out some polymer and some composite gold leaf, and made a nice mokume gane stack. Part of the request was to make some earrings that were larger than I usually make. The first shot is of 2 bangles and a smaller pair of earrings. The photo below is of the larger earrings. I love the way the gold sparkles against the contrast of white and black. Anyone for a party?