Mokume Gane, Gold & Glitter

In March, I shared a couple of polymer sheets that were made using the mokume gane technique on layers of white polymer clay covered with pan pastel colors, a sheet of composite gold leaf, and a piece of lace impressed into the clay layers.  I have made a couple of other sheets, and I've been making earring sets with them.  The earrings in this post have all had a resin layer of Magic Gloss added on the surface. This helps protect the gold leaf, adds dimension and depth, and lots of shine.

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.

 

Maquetry with Polymer

These earrings are made using the more detailed and refined techniques that Bonnie Bishoff shared at the workshop.  In addition to using the marquetry approach, I also decided to go big!  I realize these earrings are not huge by some standards, but they are the largest I've ever made, and it was fun to push my own self-imposed boundaries.

Bargello Earrings & a Textured Cuff

I was working on some more bargello earrings.  The first two photos here show the pieces I was working on first.
 

Then I started experimenting, making shorter lines of clay, cutting my slices thinner and changing the shape slightly.

These two pair on the left were my first sets made this way.

Next I made the earrings below in gray and black.  The super thin slices give these an airy somehow elegant appearance.

Finally, I took one of the short striped sets I had, and decided to see how the slices would look in a channel cuff.  The texture on this piece is really amazing.   

You'll see more of this thinner cut used in some new ways soon!  

Architectural Earrings

Hello!  Once again, I tried something a bit different for me, and I really like the results.  These earrings are based on a process developed by Nikolina Ortzan.  She has some really incredible ideas and designs, and many of them are available as tutorials or as completed products online at Etsy.  I made a few alterations in my version of these earrings, and I'm sure I'll try more variations in the future.

I liked that these were open so I could add beads, pearls and crystals.  I also made up my own shapes and styles. These earrings are fun - and they're unusual!

One tip:  if you use a softer clay like Premo!, make sure your clay strips are a bit on the thick side.  If you make the earrings larger, like the ones I made in coral and lime, clay that is too thin will not hold up under too much finger pressure.  A clay like Kato will be strong enough to be used thin, as long as you are sure to bake it at the recommended temperature.

New Earrings for Summer

The Westerly Gallery is gearing up for our June show, and I figured it would be fun to experiment with some new earring styles.  So here are a few of the designs I've made.

These three earring sets are topped with small cubes of pearl clay that has been covered with super thin slices of various translucent clay canes.  The color comes from striped translucent canes in which I had used just a tiny bit of color to separate the white stripes and add some interest.  The hammered pins holding the crystals add a different dimension, and the sparkle from the crystals are just the right touch.

The earring sets to the right were made from slices of petal canes that I made at the Carol Simmons workshop weekend. When I have made a cane in a workshop, and still have some left over, I'm always curious what else I could do with it besides what the instructor had us try.  Hence, these tiered and layered petal earrings.  Fun look and good colors for summertime.

These next two pairs are roll-up beads I made from a couple more canes I made at Carol's workshop. I used stone beads to embellish the ends of the rolls for a different touch.

Finally, I used translucent canes and some simple petal canes to make teardrop earrings.  This shape was inspired by these new earwires with attached caps that I got from Donna Kato. It's a fun shape and something new to play with.

Earrings, Earrings, Earrings.....

Perhaps you can tell from the title of this post that I have been enjoying an earring-making binge.  It really got started at a workshop with Marie Segal from California.  Thank you Marie! If you ever have a chance to take a class from Marie, or to get her book, do so!  She is filled with information and ideas that don't quit.

This particular workshop, sponsored by the Southern Connecticut Polymer Clay Guild, focused on the use of translucent polymer.  Marie has used a wide variety of translucents, and introduced us to her favorite:  Cernit.  Cernit translucent proved to be an incredibly versatile product, and we couldn't find enough time to play with all the different options.  I particularly liked using the colored translucents mixed with the clear, and incorporating composite goldleaf into the clear translucent.  Pictured in this post are several pairs of earrings demonstrating different applications.

The round disk-shaped earrings demonstrate the translucent qualities the best.  Light shines through these earrings from the back, giving them an overall glow.  The blue and purple earrings have colored translucent swirled on top of clear.  Marie showed us how to make narrow tubes of swirled lines and I couldn't resist making the leaf shapes with them. The aqua earrings have a smaller disc of pressed gold-leaf composite, and these discs really sparkle.

The pairs in red and gold highlighted both the true red color of the Cernit clay, as well as some other techniques that Marie helped us develop.  

In addition to disk earrings, I made some of my favorite triangle shapes.  I added pearls and crystals.  Because of the shape, the clay took on a different look and did not seem quite as transparent.

These last earring shown here are not made with Cernit translucent.  Instead, these are made from canes I made using Premo! polymer clays.  I used special ear wires that I could include in the design.  These are really pretty and fun to wear. The long wire in back is especially nice since it not only adds to the design but helps ensure a secure fit.

 

Sweet Floral Dangles

Here are some new earrings I've been making - sweet flowers and hollow buds.  I must admit that these were an off-shoot from the Moroccan beads I was working on a while ago.  The idea to go small and add some three dimensional dangles for fun just sort of evolved.  And here they are!

I have them hanging from a wire "earring tree" that I spray-painted white.  It was a black and brass color, and just didn't shout "spring" and flowers.  I'm happy with the white.  It's surprising sometimes what just a simple change of color can do.  The tree and earrings are to the right.

Here are a couple more close-up photos of some of the earring pairs.  I made a couple pairs for myself. They're fun to wear, and they've been drawing attention.

Earrings on a Moroccan Theme

Continuing on the Moroccan theme, I decided to use the cutters and the leather imprint stamps to make some fun and colorful earrings.  In a couple of the pairs, I added a silver daisy bead, while others I left open with a tiny Kemper star-shaped cutter.

These go well with the hollow Moroccan pendants, and can certainly be worn on their own. It was fun to cut these cheerful shapes while I experimented with colors.

"Happy Flower" Earrings

A recent email from Donna Kato regarding a free tutorial on CraftArtsEdu reminded me it's been a long while since I made what I call "Happy Flower" earrings.  The perkiness, color and simplicity of these earrings make me smile, hence the name.  They can be made from almost any cane or clay colors you may have lying around.  There are different ways to turn them into earrings, and certainly size can vary.

I had some Ikat pieces and some wedge canes around, and set to making up a few pairs.  I decided to make most of these dangling off ear wires, attached to jump rings on the earring backs.

The pink and purple pairs are based somewhat on the dogwood blossoms that will soon be opening around here.  Yay, Spring!  Note the purple niobium ear wires on the right.  They matched perfectly!

The pairs to the left are smaller than the others. Not sure what I like the best.










Just one pair ended up having posts attached. Something tells me I'll probably be making more soon.....

Concave vs. Convex

Here's something else I'm playing around with right now.  These earrings are longer and larger than my usual pieces.  Somehow, the double layers and the pearl dangles just seemed to need more space. I used Kato clay for these.  I did try Premo! but again it didn't seem to have the "body" and feel I wanted for these earrings.  I really like the way the Skinner blend and the texture contribute additional contrasts to the curved forms. The green earrings curve forward at the bottom while the blue pair curve backward.












This new pair of convex earrings, sports crystals instead of pearls.  Love the summery colors, too.