"Eastern Fusion" Mjxed Media Pendant

I was invited to do a new piece for Synergy3....either collaborative or of mixed media.

I work with both resin and polymer clay, but I've never combined the two...so I thought, perfect time to try it...

Here is the result....the piece in the center was cast from a mold I made of my original....I cast resin(polyurethane plastic)with dyes and real brass metal powder....then I popped it out of the mold and buffed to a high shine with steel wool....then I added a Skinner Blend to the background of this, and made polymer clay cane adorned drop and bail....and hung it from a multistrand steel necklace....the pendant is 3" wide by 6" long

I'm pretty happy with it....and I think there will be more to come.....

A New Etsy Treasury

I'm in an Etsy treasury today....yay!

Earrings....mostly

Since I did those two pieces the other day I've been making things like crazy...I'm in love with colors against black....and I've been mostly doing earrings, which is something that lends itself well to this style and I'm so glad because I've usually had problems coming up with earring ideas....these aren't the greatest photos but I just wanted to get some up here to show you where I'm headed....I keep thinking of refinements and how to make them better and I'm loving all the ideas I have....the only problem is....these are way different from the style that got me into Baltimore lol....so this should be interesting....trying to integrate this colorful style with the earthy pendants I was doing when I applied...sigh...always something huh....

Some New Work...and a workshop pendant

I've finally photographed the pendant I did in Kathleen Dustin's workshop in October...she is such a lovely, gracious woman...it was a total pleasure to learn from her. It's easy to tell which one is that pendant....it has the layers of color and pattern that is her signature...it was a joy to create and I've learned so many invaluable lessons...even things as simple as the proper temperature to bake Premo at(285 degrees)...and how to use a heat gun to get really good transparency....using prismacolor markers and pencils on baked clay.....so many things that I never knew...thanks so much, Kathleen...you've done more to advance the acceptance of polymer clay as a valid art/craft medium than anyone else I can think of....I'm so glad I had the chance to take your workshop...

So now what? lol...In the weeks I've been back I've gone round and round trying to figure out (still)what it is that makes me passionate about polymer clay...and what direction to go in..

I've had several false starts and got to that place where I felt like I was up against a wall creatively....it's not so much that I don't have any ideas....it's that I have so many that I don't know which is the real me...you know? So I've done what I try to remember to do when I hit that wall....walk away and do something else....so the hallway has been painted and I even have groups of framed pieces lying on the floor to be put up when the mood strikes me...and during that time several things seemed to come to the surface.

I've always loved black...with lots of colors...so I'm playing around with that...here are two pieces I've done to start....

I also want to figure out how to incorporate some wonderful things I learned in the workshop...but that's for later...for now...this is sort of fun all by itself....

Happy To Be Home

I'm so happy to be home....had a wonderful time in Florida, great workship with Kathleen Dustin(she rocks)and it was incredibly wonderful to see friends and family....but there's no place like home.

Soon I'll have some new work to share....the workshop was chock full of great ideas and techniques I doubt I would ever have figured out on my own....

Oh, if you were thinking of taking a vacation in Florida in October to beat the heat...think again.....lol

Off To A Workshop!

I'm leaving today on the train for Orlando...where I lived for 28 years....to visit some friends and family and to take a workshop from Kathleen Dustin! I'm very excited to be learning from her, she's always been my favorite polymer clay artist.

I'll let you know what we did when I return in two and a half weeks!

I GOT IN!!

I am so psyched....I just found out today I got into the ACC Baltimore show!!! I got into the wholesale part and am wait listed in the wholesale/retail part....

I really needed this....the last three shows I tried for I was rejected....they were small shows in Florida, but still, it hurt....worse, it started to drain me and made me feel like what I was doing wasn't good, or worthwhile pursuing...now at least I can feel some hope that I'm on a good road...

Plus...I signed up for a workshop with Kathleen Dustin mid October....how wonderful will that be?

Yippeee!!!

You'll Never Guess....

lol a new one....

And a New Treasury...

Another Treasury

I love being in Etsy treasuries....

Etsy Treasury

I love discovering my work in a new treasury...and this one is so wonderful, it's hosted by this site

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6043390

check it out...it's one of those incredible Etsy stores you come across in which all the work is donated and will go to a charity....how can you resist?

Three More Pendants

I like the one on the bottom best....I keep trying to get simpler, but it's so hard to do because I just don't know when to stop lol...

My Premio Meme Award

My Premio Meme Award

I was given this award by Tonja

http://tonjastreasures.com/wordpress/?p=1707&cpage=1#comment-407

To be worthy of accepting the award, I must tell 7 things about myself and pass on the award to 7 more bloggers.

1-I like Three Muskateers Bars

2-I met Gloria Swanson at a film festival in the 1970's

3-I grew up in Levittown, PA

4-I used to hate Rutabagas but now I love them

5-I once painted a dollar bill on the floor of an indoor art show and watched as people tried to pick it up

6-I can wiggle my ears

7-I own a tiny piece of the Berlin Wall

ok, now I"m passing along this special award on to 7 of my favorite bloggers

1)http://janiceabarbanel.blogspot.com/

2)http://polymerclaydaily.com/

3)http://rubarbdesertdesigns.blogspot

4)http://beadbunny.blogspot.com

5)http://polymerclayworkshops.com/

6http://mosaicmoods.wordpress.com/

7)http://lifeonearthand.blogspot.com/

A New Pendant

I've been toying around with the idea of doing more layers with my pendants....and I saw this wonderful video from Dan Cormier and Tracy Holmes about how their SHARK tool works....you can use it to make large graduations smaller...which is such a great thing to be able to do...I've been trying to get them small enough to work in my pendants and have had no luck....so I ordered one and can't wait to use it...

Their work(as well as their tools)blows my mind....

http://www.dancormier.ca/DanCormier/HOME.html

Anyway, here's a new pendant....

Featured

What a nice surprise today...featured in a blog
http://www.visart-dali.com/2009/07/funky3.html

A Few New Pendants

Well, the hand is coming along...I've been able to work on my show orders and even do a few new pieces....the deco piece is a bit TOO deco, but it was fun....

"Handmade"

had surgery on the other hand yesterday so this will be short...but it does gi ve you new respect for everything you do with your hands....which is pretty much everything....

if you have been having pain or numbness in your hands, please ask yor dr about it. don't wait for years like i did....the surgeries are very easy.....and you can do irreperable nerve damage if you let it go untreated...not a lecture, just hope to help anyone who might be putting it off

ok, hope to be back in commission soon....peace

Mosaic Monday

One of my pieces has been featured in "Monday Mosaic" on the site "Craft Gossip"
http://polymerclay.craftgossip.com/monday-mosaic-purple/2009/07/06
How nice.....and purple being dear to my heart!

A New Pendant

Nothing fabulous, just a new pendant...

Etsy Treasury

How fun to find out I'm in an Etsy treasury!!

I just joined the PCAGOE and found a great site

while reading their forum....

http://www.craftopolis.com/

just go there and enter your Etsy user name and see

when you are in a treasury...how cool is that?

Some Funky Pendants

.

For some reason, this format has stuck with me....I did two right before the wholesale show and they sold well...

So Now I'm doing more of them...and it feels good....just playing with textures and colors and patterns and shapes and not worrying about content....well, it's relaxing and exciting at the same time.

So I think I'll do more...

A Live! Presentation on EBSQ

I belong to a wonderful online artists' community-EBSQ....I've been a member for quite a few years now and have made some great friends...it's a place where I can go to talk with people who have the same types of struggles and joys as I have because they have similar backgrounds. For a very small fee I get a website presence for my paintings or any other type of art I want to list, there are monthly competitive art shows, forums, chat rooms, and tutorials. Monday night, June 22, at 9 Eastern (6pm Pacific) I will be Live in one of their chat rooms giving a presentation on Polymer Clay Basics.....and you're all invited...
Just go to http://www.ebsqart.com/ and register as a Patron....it's a totally free membership and it will allow you access to this Monday's Live presentation.....where hopefully I'll see you!

Getting Ready

Well, the hand is coming along very well....I'm able to type with both hands now and in a few minutes I'll see how well I can work with clay....I finally got a motor and foot pedal added to my pasta machine and am excited to try it out....

I will begin to fill the orders I got at the wholesale show and some others I need to fill...really looking forward to it. Also excited about starting some new pieces...

Here is a pic of my display at the ACRE show in Las Vegas...

Hand Surgery

recovering from hand surgery...hardto type with left hand..back in action soon

The Show

I've lived vicariously for the last three days....texting, phoning, emailing....the show was good, Muriel took some nice orders and now it's over.
Phew....what a lot of work, but what an exciting ending(beginning)to all that work..

And it's funny...you never know what's going to sell and not sell until the show comes....the larger flower necklaces were admired and passed over as too big....ok, I like them enough maybe I'll scale them down...
And I'm thinking the more colorful pieces were the ones that sold....and that's good, because I love color.

Hopefully I'll have some pics in a few days to show the booth display...

Faux Ivory and Turquoise

This is the last piece I am making for the show.....but I did have fun with it lol.....anyway, I'm off to finish up getting things ready to ship.....

I'll let you know how the show goes...it's next weekend and a good friend is doing it for me....she is a wonderful artist and a great person and I can't think of anyone would could do a better job...I'm so excited...

Thanks, Muriel...

Leaves

For some reason I went this way today....it felt good, although a big derivative....but who knows where that might go...I have to go reread "Art and Fear"......

Playing

Well, to make things even more uneven, I went off on a tangent the last few days with alcohol inks....I made the mistake of painting directly on pearl Primo clay instead of putting down silver leaf and had a bunch of long beads made when I realized it....they turned out really nice though...more sutble, more colorful, than the ones with the leaf underneath(although I am a sucker for shiny things)and I found myself playing with them and came up with these two pendants...which to me couldn't look farther from the work I've been doing....so I am in a quandry....do I keep going in this direction or stop....try to see if I can combine some of both styles....or am I just not seeing the forest for the trees?

Deadlines

ARRRGGGHHH.....only two weeks til the wholesale show in Las Vegas....less than that really because I have to ship ahead of time....so I'm approaching a deadline quickly and I couldn't be more unsure of what my line will be for this show....

So I thought I would past a few of the pieces I've done over the last week or so...and see what they look like all together....

Over The Top?

lol...I sure had fun with this one, but I'm not sure that it didn't go over the top....but then again, who cares?

Red Flower Necklace

I'm pretty happy with this one....I've been trying to pick up where my Spring Flower Necklace left off but it never seemed to happen til yesterday....so here it is....

Stacked Pendant

I just finished a new piece...I combined a few techniques-the top bead is make using alcohol inks and silver leaf, middle one is ivory colored clay with stamping and piercing, the bottom is a push mold from one of my own leaf shapes....I'm pleased with this...although I think it's a bit fussy....

In An Etsy Treasury...

I was delighted to find myself included in a lovely Etsy treasury...

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=54865

Thanks, Busybeadlady!

Friday Fun

More Pendants...

They seem to keep evolving....:)

More Pendants

I just finished these also, more of the same split pendants that I'm having a great time doing....