these icy sage green beads look yummy with the metal birdcage design. and these need to be sanded still....sometimes i am 6 and 6 on whether i should leave the gunmetal oxidized surface. hmmmm........especially in the previous pic of the opal chandelier.
more...
new earrings. i haven't sanded them to bring back the silver surface yet...but i love the slightly ivory opal look to these beads :O)
chandeliers.earring
here is a take on the polyp ring but in an earring style. these look like miniature chandeliers.
lolli...sweettart.seasponge.clownnose
yummy....these look good enough to eat. yep, that's the ticket. these rings were inspired by one of my favorite candy's as a kid.....the pop ring lollipop. now i just need to make some with the band open at the bottom so it's adjustable like the plastic ones from the pop ring lolli. these are made with sterling silver and polymer clay. i have used polymer in my work before but only as pieces that are formed, baked and then set like a stone. this is my first attempt at making them as the ultimate focus...without any embellishments or metal accents. i hope to incorporate this idea in a necklace or earrings. i also want to make some rings with two candy lobes....one candy would be polymer and the other lobe would be a fabric pillow inside a metal cage system. geez, there is not enough hours in the day......i better get busy.
now that they are finished i think of:
a clown nose for the red ring
a sea sponge when i see the blue and orange one
and a sweettart when i see the pink one....all things lovely, wonderful and worth appreciating
"found".beaver island.bracelet
this bracelet is for rebecca made with some of her rocks from beaver island. the black, red and brown (my favorite....i love the drusy affect without be super flashy) are rocks from her adventure. the sage green pebble is a beach pebble and the creme one is a shell that i found on one of my sea excursions. i really loved making this bracelet. it is the color palette of my very beginning endeavors in jewelry making (all earthy colors....believe it or not :O) but it has been updated with my current whimsical and slightly edgey metal work.
abalone.claymarble.earrings
the pair of earrings to match rebecca's triple pendant below. sterling, abalone shell, clay marbles. these were super fun to make.....i haven't used a prong system since i was in college. i may have to throw those in the mix on occasion. the fun thing about the clay marbles is they are not static. i used the prongs to hold them in place but set them with enough room to roll around.
earthy creme triple
here is a new necklace that i made for a woman in houston. she sent me a box of rocks she collected from beaver island, michigan. i used two of the stones she collected (the center is a pebble and right stone is a shell) and the stone on the left is a piece of abalone shell. i am making a pair of earrings to compliment the necklace too. rebecca, thanks for sending me these ancient treasures and giving me the opportunity to make them into a wearable token of your travels and the beautiful nature that surrounds.
seafoam triple pendant
this is a triple pendant i made for a customer in new york. alisa gave me a few pieces of ancient glass to use in a necklace for her. the two stones on the left of the glass pieces from her and the stone on the right is a piece of found plastic.
blue polyp necklace
here is one of new necklaces with the polyp bead design.....i made this before the handmade austin women show this past weekend. i wanted to get this posted before the show but it didn't work out that way. i'll post some pictures soon of the show as well. it was a really great experience and so much fun.... great energy, beautiful environment, top shelf work...just an all around enjoyable show. i'll post more soon!!
polyp ring.s
the rings pictured are an exploration of my love for repetition, candy colors & mobility. one of these beads alone is not so exciting to me but to put them amongst a collection of the same and give them a way to freely move about brings these rings to a life all there own. just like with my dangle earrings with the sterling or copper balls but with these rings they have the addition of color which i love. these rings remind me of the little polyps that make up the beautiful creatures that live in the ocean. i had many a fish growing up....and still have great fondness for little guys that swim in the ocean or as it were...my fish tank. it started with a gold fish in a bowl (RIP: Shoeshiner) and then graduated to a 75 gallon tank with a dozen or more fish. i always thought when i grew up that it would be the best thing ever to have my own salt water aquarium with the live rock that would grow and become a grand collection of sea anenome with all of their tubular, free flowing polypy under water waving glory. i was in love with the little clown fish and the trigger fish. i guess childhood daydreams are meant to inspire jewelry.......at least that's what it is in my case :O)
i would like to make some that have beads that i fashion out of the plastic handle from a toothbrush, or a broken reflector, or maybe some sewn pillows out of a beach ball. i am excited to see what feeling or mood these pieces will take on by changing just the color of the beads or size of the beads, whether they are handmade and irregular or commercially made, or even the opaque or transparent quality of the beads. i think all of these little shifts will change the overall feel of the piece. some may seem to crafty or sewn teddy bear-like, which is the fine line i am walking and definitely not the look i am after. we'll see how the experiment goes after some time and studio hours pass.........
p.s.--i actually love sewn teddy bears and other little softies....just not in my work
sage & lime
a couple more necklaces that i am made for the show this weekend.
the aqua necklace is made of amazonite, limpet shell, plastic
the limey necklace is made of glass and prehinite
pinkypeach.white
a couple necklaces i just finished for my show coming up in austin next weekend, handmade austin women. the yummy pinkypeach one is made of a plastic "screw in" puppy nose that i bought at a michael's craft store. the soft curved triangular shape is obviously the nose and the secondary ribbed piece is the part of the nose that is used to screw into the wood or armature to create a lovable huggable stuffed toy.......but instead i had to use both parts for the double pendant :-)
the white necklace is made of a found shell and a vintage tile.
go to www.handmadeaustinwomen.com to get the scoop on my show next weekend.
tippy tap
some new "tippy tap" earrings for rebecca made out of tiger eye to go with her tiger eye single pendant. the little pieces of carefully squished tubing remind me of little dancing feet....or fast happy toes.....like in the flinstones when fred & barney get the car a-movin' :O)
shell.shell.shell.
YIPPY!! i have finally finished the commission necklace for vel. i am really happy with this piece and it's given me a bunch of other ideas to pursue.....i would love to make a necklace in a similar style in a sage green and pale icy lime........or an orangey pinky one. we'll see if i can make some time to create those for my next show at the beginning of may.....www.handmadeaustinwomen.com :O)
this piece is made with shells & coral.