Mixing Hobbies

I have primarily worked with polymer clay the past 10 😳years. Painting and drawing have been my peaceful place since I was a teen.  I started needle felting about 5 years ago. This works for me because I get bored with one medium and move to the next.

Needle felting has become my obsession this year because Fall and Christmas decorations are so beautiful in needle felting.

I have made and collected Santas for many years.  I enjoy making needle felted Santas but the eyes are a  bit of a challenge. This year I decided to mix my hobbies together. I made polymer clay eyes for my Santas and gnomes.

I purchased glass eyes and have needle felted eyes which looked okay.

The one on the left has glass eyes and the one on the right has needle felted eyes.

I have to say though the clay eyes are so realistic!

Have a joyful holiday and a Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!

Seaside Villages

Working on miniatures for upcoming fall shows has been fun. I love the rich fall colors  and textures.

However, I needed a break from that so I created some Seaside Villages.  Fall at the beach is my favorite time to be there. We live in Delaware and can get to the ocean in a short drive.

These miniature villages aren't what we have here... more like something found in the summer romance novels across the pond.

I also am working on sailboats.

I wouldn't mind a camping weekend at the beach.  Relaxing by the water and smelling the sea air...

Fall, My Favorite Season!

It's been a little cooler the past few days. My grandson collected acorns, seeds and some colored leaves yesterday.

It will get warm again but I'm in the groove for the next season.  We had a good hot summer here in Delaware.  Time to move on....

I've been doing lots of fun things and they are finally coming together.
Needle felting, hand dying old linens and having fun with polymer clay!

Playing with surface treatments on polymer. Pan pastels, Krackle, silver leaf and gilders paste.

I used aluminum foil armatures under the clay.   My happy place is in my art room working on something...
Not sure what these are... but it was fun making them.

Gearing up fall and holiday shows! Time passes so quickly!

Fairy Garden Mushrooms

We moved to the woods... being surrounded by the tall trees and crackle of the underbrush has brought to mind the fairy and wood sprites that might be living close now.  Of course only if you believe in that sort of thing.  Since I believe that there is so much that we don't see that is really around us, I have been working on making fairy things like this magical mushroom!

 Of course you may think that a red mushroom seems more magical!

They both have a wire in the stem to keep them standing!  Check them out on MsPlace Etsy shop!

Bead and Button Magazine!

My friend and business customer Meg Mullen owns the company Bead My Love.  Bead My Love sells supplies for bead embroidery and carries polymer cabochons made by me.  This summer Meg asked me to design a scarab cabochon for her.  She was designing a bead embroidery piece.  I will tell you that her work is stunningly gorgeous!  I was honored to do this design for her! She made me proud!  Not only does she do awesome bead design and bead work but she is a really sweet person. 

The Scarab Bead Embroidery Design by Meg Mullen

The bead embroidery piece (with my scarab cab)  and the tutorial designed by Meg is in the February 2015 issue of Bead and Button  magazine!  For those of us in the jewelry making business Bead and Button is one of the best publications in the industry. It is exciting for me to see my artwork and name in Bead and Button magazine!  I am also so proud of Meg and that her design is being showcased.

The scarab beetle is an ancient Egyptian symbol for "rebirth".   A perfect project for bringing in the New Year! If you are interested in making this project Bead My Love has the complete Bead and Button Scarab Design Kit on their website.  They also carry seed beads and have the smaller stone cabs that are in the project.  I have the scarab cabochons in my Etsy shop MsPlace.  

Thanks for stopping by and happy beading!

Drop Earrings

Loving the look of white clay with chalk and guilders paste.  Made these this week. 

 

 

 Green Drop Earrings

 

 

Had some fun wire wrapping too!

 

Hope you have a very Merry Christmas week!

 

 

Happy Fall!

Busy listing new cabochons in my Etsy shop!

  Happy Fall everyone!

Etsy Shop Again

Msplace on Etsy is again open for business.  I have been making cabochons for bead embroiderers.  They have been selling at bead shows through Bead My Love beads.  I decided I would open my Etsy venue again and stock it with my polymer cabachons. I made a mold from a belt buckle with a horse head on it and added some flowers.  I have been having fun with chalk and guilders paste.

 

Stop by MsPlace and check out the other cabs I have listed!

Boho Bead Embroidery

I think I have a bead embroidery virus.... I keep wanting to bead around everything! More polymer cabs keep coming out of my clay oven!  This cab is colored with chalks as the cabs in my last few blog posts. I also used the lovely dyed lace doilies.  Love boho... yes I do!

 

 

Vintage with a twist...

 

I drilled a hole in the center and beaded in it!

 

 Fringe is flirty!

 

So ready for Spring... one more snow they say!  I am hoping the bright colors will cheer you up! 

The Month of Pink and Red

It is February!  Hard to believe a month of 2013 is over already.  What have I been doing?  Trying not to hibernate... I could just stay under a blanket this time of year! 

I have pulled some of my stash together and made a happy piece that makes me think of Valentine's Day!

 I made the polymer focal a few years ago actually.  I did some macrame with pink yarn and wrapped some cord with darker pink yarn a while ago too.  So I finally put them together to brighten up my day!  I was given some really pretty glass rose beads from a friend and they fit right in there.

Hope your winter is peaceful and cozy!  I am starting to think about spring!  Yay! 

A Little Bit of Polymer

If you have read my blog in the past you will know that I make bigger beads on bigger pieces of jewelry.  I have gone in a new direction and have been making smaller accent beads out of polymer.  My new interest in "Czech glass beads" has caused this new focus.

So here are a few of my new creations with just a little bit of polymer...

The green round bead in the top left is the only polymer bead in this piece!

The brown nut bead in the bottom right is the only polymer bead in this piece!

There are three polymer beads in this piece but they are still small beads!

I am having lots of fun with all of this and that is all that counts.  Size really doesn't matter all that much now does it?

A Donation

I was asked to make a piece of jewelry for a fundraiser for ALS.  ALS or Lou Gherig's Disease is debilitating and there is no cure for it at this time. 

When someone asks me to donate my artwork for a fundraiser I have a difficult time saying "no".  I want to help.  However I have experienced some frustration because of donations I have given in the past to the point that I have learned to say "no" when asked.  I do donate to charities of my choice and prefer to give monetary donations rather than my artwork.

This time was different.  The person asking had purchased a piece of jewelry from me and they were very appreciative of my creativeness and the time involved in making the jewelry.  I couldn't say "no"!

I created this piece for the ALS fundraiser.

I tried patina on the copper for the first time.  I was surprised at how quick and easy it was!

I started out with the polymer yellow, green and orange beads.  It needed a pop of color so I added the blue.

I think someone will enjoy this late summer - early autumn necklace! 

A Collection of Fun Things

Thrift stores entice me.  Yard sales call my name.  I could spend a day in antique and collectible shops. I can spend hours treasure hunting.  I have been trying really hard to spend time making some new treasures from all of the "finds" I have brought home with me!

This piece has a mix of old buttons, charms from found jewelry, czech glass beads, an earring from my collection of jewelry from an aunt who passed away and it is on a chain I found at the local thrift store.
It also contains some polymer beads that I made.  I purchased a small Wedgewood plate from an antique shop.

I made two polymer molds from the raised relief on the plate.  I made a ball of neutral colored polymer and put a pin in the center for a hole.  Using the two molds I pressed on two sides of the ball of polymer with the pin in it.  This made a coin shaped bead with the same relief that was on the plate.  After baking this bead I antiqued it with acrylic paints.

I love how it all came together!

It is a wearable story... especially when you think about where those buttons have been!

Czech Glass, Found Objects and a Little Bit of Polymer

I am a collector of "found objects"...so you know what that means!  I have a bunch of junk-stuff-treasures.  I cannot pass up perusing the thrift store or hardware store for my collection and I tell everyone to save their grandmas button box for me.  My treasure box is full!

I have also been overly attracted to czech glass beads lately... so I have  been working on using up my stash of  beads and found objects.

The button is from the winnings of a drawing from a button swap by Michelle Mach last year.  The key looking charm is a lamp finial from the hardware store.  The czech glass beads are from an Etsy shop Mountain Shadow Design.  I have also included some small green polymer clay beads that I made with green and translucent clay.

 I love making polymer beads but have started making smaller pieces to work with all of my other treasures.  I will share more of those soon.

I also made these earrings to go with this necklace. 

These are made from copper head pins, czech glass beads and some pearls from a "treasure find" from an old piece of jewelry.  I love repurposing old and beautiful things.  There is always a story behind buttons and jewelry that have been worn by someone many years ago.  Something to think about anyway.

Enjoy the summer sunshine and warm days!

Inspiration or Copying!?

I am spending way too much time on Pinterest!  I really enjoy looking at so many awesome and beautiful pieces of polymer clay.  I have recently pinned the following polymer clay bracelet from Pinterest.  It was made by Keila Hernandez and can be found on flickr by clicking on her name.

I am all about texture and color.  I love the "antiquing" that brings out the details of the leaves and flowers on these beads.  So I decided to make some similar beads.

Mine are a bit different in color and design but not much.  In my opinion I copied this design and would not call it an original.  Now I have kept creating with this style and have come up with these beads... not an exact copy but an inspired copy.

I used different colors of clay and different designs.

On these purple beads I used different designs and made designs on the front above and back below.

The following picture is of beads that I made a year ago long before I saw the first picture shown of Keila Hernandez' beads.  I have been using texture, antiquing and layering of clay since I started working with polymer.

The inspiration for these beads came from looking at Christi Friesen's work.  Not a copy but definitely inspired by looking at her creations.  The first polymer book that I purchased was one of Christi's books.

I asked Keila for permission to use her beads in my blog as I talked about copying and inspiration.  She gave me permission to do so but said that the idea of those beads came from Barb Fajardo on Flickr.  Barb made a similar bead in 2007 with a swirl lentil bead.

   

My question is... what is my original work?  I am not mass producing or trying to win any contests with these as "original designs" and I wouldn't enter them as originals but it raises a question in my mind. What is a copy and what is an original idea? What is your opinion?  

Leaf Angels

Last year I made a leaf angel with a foil base and polymer.  She has been hanging in my studio overlooking the coming and going of all of us.  We use the door in my studio as our main entrance.  I have had a few people want to buy her but I didn't want to part with her.  I kept thinking I would make more angels someday and wanted her there as a reminder of what I did.

Here she is watching over us as we come and go!

I have a special order for a leaf angel in turquoise, blues and greens so I have been working on a few different ones.  I worked on sculpting a face but didn't keep any of them.  I have a simple design that works for now.  These are the two Leaf Angels that I have made in turquoise...

This one is holding a nest with a blue egg in it and the sign is hanging from her arms.

This one is a little smaller and has a sign around her skirt.

I can see from taking pictures that they both need shorter hair.  That is easily fixed.  I really do need to come up with a better face.  For me it will have to wait.  I think I am ADD when it comes to creating.  I don't like to do the same thing over and over again. 

It is so nice out today!  Happy Spring!