Art Bead Scene October challenge reveal

This month’s challenge piece at the Art Bead Scene has a beautiful palette.  I had many an idea but I was still a bit stuck on September.  Here’s Revolving by Kirt Schwitters



I love the colour palette Brandi Hussey created for ABS, above.  [side note, I’m just started her ecourse Editing with Elements and I’m excited!]  Many ideas came to mind and this one ran out of time to really pass the prototype stage, but I’d like to share it with you all the same.  I’ve said it before, but one of the best parts of working with polymer is you are only really done when you add something that can’t handle the oven.  Add things, take them away, again and again, that piece isn’t really done until you say so.

I created a video, my first attempt, to give you the feel of what I was going for – for how it should work.  I could point out all the things I was trying to say, but I think you’ll be able to fill in the gaps.

I did carve and chip away the polymer, exposing the magnets. When I started out with this design, I knew the contact point would be in a more stressed position than a protected one.  I just had to try though and see how it fails. You can learn a lot more by actually going through the process.  It’s hard some times to go through the time and materials, but it’s an investment in future pieces of all kinds I tell myself.

If you are in the storm’s path tonight, please be safe and sound.  I finished two pieces for the upcoming Finally Friday, where the inspiration goes by the name “crashing blues” – that’s a little freaky.

So close and yet so far

I’ve had several projects getting close to a point to share, but for one reason or another not quite.  So consider today a bit of behind the scenes catch up. Yeah, that works, right?

First up, I finished my piece for the September Art Bead Scene challenge.  See the resemblance?  That’s Flora by Giuseppe Arcimboldo on the right and a ruffle adorned lady I created, in part, on the left.  I say in part since her face is a Gaea pendant which I backed and built into a polymer focal.  The swirl “body” is suspended below and moves freely and independently.


A few more of the details.  I’ve used some sari silk, larger seed beads, gifted budha beads alongside my polymer.  For this inspiration I wanted to see what floral references I could create without specific blooms.  More spirals, ruffles and folds of polymer round out the piece.



Next up I was hoping to finish up an entry for the Hooters Challenge over on Artisan Whimsy.  I wanted to complete a necklace and I tried it on too late last night to correct it and photograph it properly in time. Here’s the “checking it out in the powder room” shot.  Left side is how it should look, the tree trunk running north-south, but move around a bit and the heavier wood beads find the centre and uproot my tree sideways.  Damn.  A little pruning and it will hang straight.



Still with me? I think I will save my very first video to share with you tomorrow.  It’s very basic, and I wish I had collected my thoughts a bit before I hit record, but it gets the point across.

I’ll give you a hint

Random tidying

A bit of a random theme for today, that seems to be the way I’m operating these days.   I still have polymer out from the Challenge of Travel, it looks like I just stepped away for a quick break, only that was more than ten days ago.

Averleigh is back to herself, thanks for all your well wishing.  Here she is sitting still a brief moment in Grandma and Grandpa’s backyard (photo credit Grandpa).



I found the answer to setting up some things in the garage today. When you are short and your step ladder only goes so far, what you need is a set of BBQ tongs.  Trust me.  This worked much better than the tape and telescoping paint roller stick thing at getting an extension cord plugged into the ceiling of the garage. I finally have power to the workbench, with built in power bar, that my dad made me some time ago.  We had worked on getting the whole garage neat and tidy at the start of summer, and it’s holding strong.  I’ve got a few other things to set up out there, although once the cold hits, I’m not sure how often I’ll be out there.  I want to be able to do some of the loud things outside of the house: like hitting wire with a hammer, running a pasta machine motor, running a tumbler, …anything with a torch, you get the idea.

I also took advantage of the back to school sales to buy this little bookshelf which I’ve turned on it’s side and placed on my main (indoor) worktable.  I’ve got organizing to do but so far I think it’s going to be a great addition.  I thought of taking some before pictures to share with you all, but I jumped into the project late night and it just didn’t happen.  But I swear I’ll give you proper coverage of the results.  I really need it functional again this week.



Yesterday, we did some browsing at the book store.  I’ve never caught the audio, but Averleigh gives a very sweet “oh wow, beads!” and a drawn out “wooooow” whenever she sees the latest thing I’ve made.  It’s very encouraging.  Anyways, she was making her way across all the copies in the bottom shelf repeating the above and I could see other customers giggling to themselves.  That girl makes someone smile every time we leave the house!  I did actually wrangle this copy of Belle Armoire Jewelry to bring home too.

Last night I figured out another furniture storage solution in the basement, near the massive chase, for all the things it can’t hold as they either don’t fit or it’s awkward.  The bones are there now, but there is more organizing to do.  So three work zones, all in a bit of a state of upheaval, all readying for a busy season ahead.

If you have any great systems for managing your jewelry works-in-progress I would so love to hear about it, right about now.

Thrift store blog hop reveal!

Reveal day is here and I have one finished bracelet to show you.  I have plans for more but nothing else materialized in time.  Let’s go back to the top on this, Sarah Goode of Pookledo challenged us to make a piece of jewelry from a thrift store find for less than £1.  I told you about my find at $1.40 that just squeaked in, as a reminder here is what I started with



Since I work with polymer, my radar is always tuned to finding anything that will produce a texture so that was what initially drew me to this little link bracelet.  My first step was to use it whole to impress a stack of polymer (like a rubber stamp) to create a mokume gane effect.  I will have to share that with you another day as the resulting veneers of polymer haven’t been made into any finished form yet, just patiently waiting sheets of polymer. 

Let’s just skip to what I do have to share!



Pardon the lighting differences, I missed the best times of day for a great shot.  I created those diamond shaped blue beads by impressing the polymer with one single link and then squishing from all sides to concentrate the texture.  I then used tinted liquid polymer to create a glaze on the top surface.  The bracelet came together with some other polymer beads I had made a few years ago that just happened to have the right shade of blue.  Throw in a few Swarovski pearls, seed beads and some memory wire and voila!  In the end I didn’t use any of my starting piece in the bracelet, oops.  Here’s what I’m left with



If you are a real detective you would have seen the original is made of ten links and there are only nine above.  One is tied up on my worktable in a stage of being partial covered in polymer, but I haven’t decided yet if it is done.  That link alone above will stay on my worktable for future patterns and textures.  That leaves me the two with the clasp and the remaining string which I may or may not break up for some earrings, still pondering that.  One plan I had was to tint the metal itself with alcohol ink but it was a complete fail so I have to embrace this metal tone, a stretch for me.
Thanks for coming by for a visit, I hope you hop on to see what everyone came up with from their thrift store finds

Sarah - www.pookledo.blogspot.co.uk
Deb - http://greenshoot.blogspot.co.uk/
Kimberley - http://goddessesandbeads.blogspot.co.uk/
Skye - http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.co.uk/
Ambra - http://chicandfrog.wordpress.com/
Beti - http://stringingfool.blogspot.com/
Emma - www.apolymerpenchant.com <--- you are here, thank you!
Shelley - www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com
Tammie - http://ttedesigns.blogspot.co.uk/
Leah - http://beadyeyedbunny.blogspot.co.uk/
Denielle - www.somebeadsandotherthings.com
Keri Lee - http://www.pinklemonade.typepad.com
Rochelle - acreativechelle.blogspot.com
Pam - http://pamelas-studio.blogspot.com/
Ingetraud - http://ingetraud.wordpress.com/
Audrey - http://esperianterra.blogspot.com/
Julie Anne - www.thepeacefulbead.com
Sharyl - http://www.sharylsjewelry.blogspot.com
Micheladas - http://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com
Lo - http://thecreativeklutz.blogspot.co.uk/
Kala - http://maybejustperhaps.blogspot.co.uk
Jo - http://jobunkum.blogspot.co.uk/
edit to add Dyanne - http://deelitefuljewelrycreations.blogspot.ca/
Oh I almost forgot, there was one other thing I brought home with me from the thrift store that day for a whole $2.80


It’s not great quality, and it’s in rough shape but I really like how the top lifts and the two side pieces flip open  - like so



I’m thinking that with a little TLC it could become a great display piece for my next show.  Any and all ideas welcome since it’s been a month and I haven’t touched it yet.

Ok now get hopping!

Keeping the creativity moving

Well I tried today to go back to my clay and make some special beads to become bracelets for the ABS challenge. A few minutes in and I decided to just put it all away.  Wrap it up. Put it away. Go do something else.



Do you ever do that?  I was at the point where if I didn’t just get it out of sight I’d keep fiddling and ultimately make all those colours into one mud pile. 

So instead, to keep something moving creativity wise I got to work on a logo.  The real push for this was a sale at Moo that I wanted to be sure to catch, ending today.  I’m mostly happy with it.  I’m no graphic designer, just doing what I can to get something cohesive going.  Once I had that I created some stickers and minicards which I think are going to be awesome.  That then lead me to trying my hand at a blog header…which lead to a changing up the colour scheme…which somehow lead to some wackiness in the sidebar (even thought I didn’t touch it).  After what must of been an hour fiddling, much frowning and muted swearing – I give up.  For the most part though, I like the new look, it’s pretty bright for me, but hey it’s summer!

Hope you are enjoying the weekend.  Monday I’ve got a new feature planned.  One I think will be a regular occurrence, hope you come back to check it out! Small hint – it’s handmade focused.

A bit stalled out

I was so excited to get to work on this month’s blues of the ABS challenge.  But I’m totally intimidated by bracelets I’m realizing.  So I’ve stepped away from the worktable most of the week to give the work some breathing room.  I think I like it, but then I am not convinced.  Waiting for the bead soup to arrive is hard to do patiently.  I had packages come Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but none was the much anticipated bead soup.  Busy weekend ahead so hopefully that means it will come tomorrow since I won’t have time to play.

I did a little shopping this afternoon, just a few things we needed but mostly to get out of the house and just look around the shops a bit.  Our Winners/Homesense is under one roof and the gourmet type food aisle seems to grow every time I go.  I stopped myself from buying a $15 tin of tea since I just liked the tin and it wasn’t a type of tea I like. I have purposefully not taken a picture since then I’d want it more! Basically shades of blue elephant with London skyline across the bottom.  I thought these tigernuts looked like they’d make great beads, but decided to leave them on the shelf too.

Crack the WIP

...as in the Work In Progress

I prefer WIP to UFO (UnFinished Object), mostly because the former just sounds a bit more promising. These are about the size of a penny and on my work table today. That photo is in situ, it's just a peek afterall. I have a few different ideas I'm working out in these ones, and they are on the thin side, so some roadtesting will be in order.  One of my favourite qualities of polymer is that you are never done until you say so. This is raw state, but if I bake and then decide to add more clay, I can repeat this cycle over and over.  That is a wonderful thing! Right now I'm picturing doming the ones with three holes and leaving the ones with two flat. I like the rustic lean they are taking so some burnt umber may be in the future too.