Lifeus Interruptus

I intended to get in the studio and stay there all weekend, but several things happened to prevent me from being able to do as I planned. I did make a few new vintage look floral pendants and brooches, and I finished a custom order for a client. Since the styles and techniques are so far apart, it was a little jarring to go from one to the other, and it took me a few minutes to wrap my mind around what to do for the client.

Several months ago, when I first started experimenting with using embossing powders for texture, I made a series of beads I called "Gunpowder and Gold". They were made from Black and Gold clay, and I rolled some Gold snakes in black embossing powder to make this little pendant, which measures about 1 1/2" by 1". I made myself a necklace from it, and my friend Catherine saw it, she asked me to make a necklace for her with a bigger, more squared pendant in the same pattern.

This is what I came up with, after my mind shifted gears from image transfers. I hope she likes it.

These are the image transfers I cured Saturday, and sanded and buffed yesterday. I think I am going to have to take a course on flower names, though. Does anyone know if the purple blooming flower is really a delphinium? That is what I have been calling it.



Tangerine Lily Pendant











Burgundy Carnation Pendant











Watercolor Butterflies Series - Red Gold and Blue Black

In The Zone

I spent the weekend surrounded by image transfers. I had big plans to work the entire weekend to get some Spring themed items in the Etsy store. I got up at 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning and started cutting and trimming a few hundred images, picked 50 of my favorites and dived in, only to come to a screaching halt when I ran out of Premo Pearl clay about halfway through the first batch. So I had to stop, take a shower, get dressed, put on makeup, fix my hair (I don't go anywhere without hair and makeup, people. I would scare small children!) and make the 215 mile, round trip from the boonies where I live to the nearest craft store, a Hobby Lobby, only to discover their inventory of Pearl was hard as a brick. I bought 2 small packages anyway and some Premo clay softener, which I had never used before, and crossed my fingers it would work.

It worked, but put me behind about 6 hours, so I ended up pulling an all-nighter Saturday night. I'm sure you know how it is...when you get on a roll and forget time and food and the doorbell and phone...you're in THE ZONE.

It took me awhile to get my momentum back, but I ended up making 30 new pieces brooches and pendants and bird beads from my new collection of vintage book illustrations of flowers and shells and Japanese postcards. I ended up going to bed about 5:00 a.m. Sunday.

The only bad thing about making so many new pieces at one time is that they all have to be sanded and buffed, which I normally don't mind. In fact, sanding is very cathartic, but 30 pieces took all day Sunday to complete, but my elbows and arms feel like lead weights this morning.

You can see more of my weekend efforts at my flickr photostream. And I ordered several one pound blocks of Premo Pearl this morning with express delivery, so I should be good to go again by Thursday! Next up, those vintage shells on ephemera backgrounds I didn't get to, and some historic places images!

The Saga Continues

Here are my latest efforts in the Bird Bead series, good but still working on the color. I wanted to try a little darker background than the original beads, but think the next ones I make will be with much lighter backgrounds. Overall, I'm pleased with these, but I've still got some ideas I want to try. I think I'm going to wait for my new embossing powders to arrive, though. Hopefully, they will be here by the weekend and I can play with them.





This pendant was made with the last little bit of the original colored clay. I really like it. I call it Ghost Bird because he's a mere shadow of his former self!

My Bird Beads Are Featured At Polymer Clay Daily Today!

Cynthia Tinapple took a liking to my little Bird Beads and featured them in an article today at Polymer Clay Daily. Cynthia, I can't thank you enough. This is so exciting!

I worked up several batches of clay last night for new Bird Beads in different colors, and I ordered the complete line of Ranger Distress Embossing Powders from Blockhead Stamps. I wish now that I had taken photos of the clay. It took me several hours, but I finally got the colors I wanted and hopefully will be able to make a nice selection tonight, that is, if I get down off Cloud 9!

Thank you again, Cynthia! I love your wonderful blog, and it is such an honor to be included among the talented artists you showcase.

As my friend Linda Riopel would say "Big circles, big circles!"