Long Time no Beads

by Staci Louise Smith

I know this blog has been vacant for sometime now.  Life gets in the way like that at times.  However, it has been calling me back. I miss blogging about my creative life.  I miss that interaction with everyone, because you know what?  We inspire each other!  

I am prepping for Bead Fest Philly again, and have been hitting the polymer clay after a bit of a hiatus.  I am both intimidated and excited.  This year I have some new work that mixes polymer clay with two part epoxy resin and crystals- I must say, I am loving these so much!  

Dragon Eye bead / polymer clay, epoxy resin, crystals, paint, other mixed media stuff

Due to life's complexities, I know I am not going to have the amount of beads I like to at Bead Fest this year.  I do know I will have enough.  I used to freak out and work 16 hours days prepping for this show making everything I know how to.  This year, I am focusing on making what my heart is telling me to, rather than what I think others would want to buy.  I am listening to my intuition.  I will have a table full of unique items for sale in addition to my beads, like I have in the past.  I will have my jewelry, ceramic offering bowls and other things.   

You can find all that event info here on my Facebook page.  Please follow it if you have not in the past.  It is the best place to keep up with where I will be and what is going on in my creative world.

I also recently finished converting y Gold Rush class I did for Craft Art EDU into a PDF file you can purchase in my shop.  I was so very sad to see Craft Art EDU disband, but I am thankful they gave us our classes.  The tutorial is an entire class in one!  You learn to form the polymer clay beads, do the faux gold, cure and paint them with a crackle to make them look like stone, and then it even gives complete instructions to make two different necklaces.  You can purchase that here if you are interested in learning some techniques.  The best part is that this class is so full of different techniques and tips, you can use them many different ways.  I really believe this class can take you on a creative journey to new places! 

Well guys, it feels good to be back!  I am hoping to also do some posts to highlight some of the wonderful tutorials we have on this blog.  Click the tutorial link above to see a list of all the wonderful tips and designs posted by various artists over the years.  

Wire all the Way Around

by Staci Louise Smith

Long necklaces have always been difficult for me.  I find that when I create shorter styles, the composition just flows for me.  However, when you do a long necklace, making it flow together is more difficult.  You have many many more elements that need to work together in order for the composition to look right.  More shapes to balance, more colors to carry through.......it's a challenge.

I finally took the dive though and began making some for my mom and I think I figured it out.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I still take them apart and add and take away....on and on.............until they are just right.  But I am no longer intimidated by them.

One thing I have found, that is the saving grace of the long necklace, is wire.  Using a consistent wire all the way around, and using it periodically as a design element itself, is crucial.  It is the uniting element that carries the onlookers eye through the whole piece.

Remember those wire ball bead from last week?  I love adding one of those in.  
I usually start with one piece and make a wire frame for it.  It's a good starting point.

As I lay the beads out, I often don't think they will look right, but as I add wire to them, and wrap it around them, and between them, it all begins to come together.....

and at the end, it looks cohesive.

I do a lot of taking apart and re-doing on the longer pieces.  It takes some fiddling to make sure things lay right, and that they still  have balance of color, shape and size.  I am enjoying the challenge now though!

AND- I am falling in love with wire all over again!  It is not merely a way to connect things, it is a part of the design itself.  

While I was on the wire kick, I took time to make some of my wire components for charm necklaces, because who doesn't love a good charm necklace?

And here are a few of them all filled in.  

Endless possibilities with wire!

So I encourage you to tackle a design you haven't mastered, and to have some fun with wire.  It really can be anything you want.

Check out our tutorial page, and scroll down to wire work.  There are many tutorials and blog posts to try out if you are new to wire, or just want to explore something new.

Maybe you can do some new wire work for our upcoming blog hop on October 25th!  Celebrate Dia De Los Muertos with us by making a piece inspired by the holiday, or sugar skulls!

Dia De Los Muertos inspiration..and latest fall porcelain creations

Carol Dekle-Foss

The colorful shades of autumn and the crisp air have finally arrived here in Northern California. This is my absolute favorite time of year for so many reasons. My creative juices are alight with fire and I find myself losing time playing in the studio.

This creative stirring has been very productive!

For one, I have accepted Karen's Dia De Los Muertos, a celebration of life challenge. Are you participating? We would love for you to join us! For me, this holiday was somewhat of a mystery. I knew the basics, but to help me with what I wanted to make for the challenge, I set out to learn more about this special occasion.

Some very cool facts I found interesting:

The Ofrendas or altars, are built inside and are decorated with many obejects, including the loved one's favorite items, photos, Cempasuchil or Marigold flowers, pan de muertos and sugar skulls. The children's altars are decorated in a special way to include miniature toys, tiny food etc. The Marigolds are also used in many other ways including decorating the graves. 

They widely display beautiful Papel Picado, or cut paper banners. I love the fact that there are still artisans in Mexico that hand cut these banners. Here's a short video in English on the history the Papel Picado if you're interested.

I think what amazes me most about this beautiful tradition, is they portray the dead as humorous, happy, and fun, and not macabre in any way.  Also that the children are included in the celebration honoring their deceased loved ones. I have a new appreciation for this holiday, and plan to attend a local celebration to learn more. Here is a list of events in the United States as well as a few abroad if you are interested in attending one. How amazing would it be to go to one of these celebrations in Mexico!

  I was so inspired by Sherri's shrinky dinks and hand-drawn shoes that I thought I would try and draw my own sugar skull. I used common motifs and then embellished with a bit of my style. 

These pendants will be included in a shop update tomorrow. 

 

I think they are adorable! I've saved a few for the challenge, and will probably end up keeping the finished pieces to wear during Dia De Los Muertos.

Here are some new designs coming out of the kiln as well.

 I love the intricate stained glass look of these leaves.

And more leaves.

Another skull design.

Ronnies beads. He nailed the fall colors!

All beads and pendants shown will be included in the shop update that will be happening tomorrow.

We hope you join us for the Dia De Los Muertos challenge! You can find out more details here.

David Bowie Blog Hop

by Staci Louise Smith

"The stars look very different today" - Space Oddity

I think this lyric really sums up how it feels with no David Bowie in our world anymore.

So we are excited to honor him, to keep his stardom shining through our art.  

If you have made a piece to honor David Bowie and blogged about it, please add the blog link to the inlinkz below.

An InLinkz Link-up

Back to the Metal...at least for now!

by Staci Louise Smith

I have been working with my polymer and wire so much, that I haven't made time to get into the metal studio (that is, the other side of the studio for me).  

Man, do I ever miss it!  I have accumulated quite a few cabs this year.  I have bought lots of silver since the price is down, and I am determined to make some really fun rings and necklaces in silver!

I know I still won't have a lot of time to work on metal with Spring

Bead Fest around the corner (I need to prepare my classes!) but I am hopping to have some playtime to get back in the game.

I thought this would be a good time to remind you all that we have quite a few tutorials and such on wire work, cold connections and soldering.  We also have some on cleaning your metal, patina......you name it, we may have a little something on it.  

You can check our tutorials tab to browse!

Here are a few that I think are very informative when starting out, or in my case, starting again after a LONG hiatus! 

Here is one on how to set a tube rivet from Patti V!

http://lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.com/2015/05/how-i-set-tube-rivet.html

Balled Head pins is always a good one to know!!

And I think you learn a lot about heat and your torch when you make them

http://lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.com/2013/01/art-jewelry-challenge-balled-headpins.html

Here are some liver of sulfur tips as well!!!

http://lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.com/2013/01/art-jewelry-challenge-balled-headpins.html

So I hope that you can find some useful information here to help you in your studio endeavors.  I will keep you all posted as to my metal playtime progress.

DON'T FORGET THAT WE HAVE THE DAVID BOWIE BLOG HOP HERE ON March 10th!!!

Have fun and create something inspired by Bowie, a song of his, or just something you think he'd wear or be happy to see on someone.  Be bold, be fun.....reach for the stars!

Hope to see you here!!

My first attempt at Precious Metal Clay..and latest creations

Carol Dekle-Foss

I have always wanted to try precious metal clay, but I was under the impression that I couldn't fire it in my kiln sitter kiln. I was very happy to discover this is not the case! All I have to do is use cone 014. Easy! After I realized this, I immediately bought a pack of  PMC+ 45g to give it a try. So on top of practicing making rings in different sizes, I have also been playing with precious metal clay. Here are my latest creations over the past couple of weeks.

First, I have been obsessed with plain stacking rings and bands and have been wearing this set ever since I made them. 

I then decided to make a ring using the reticulated silver I made a few weeks ago. I tried to make it a size 9 but it ended up being size 10. Oops! Oh well, it's meant for someone! I listed in my Etsy shop here. 

The crescent moon and pleiades ring was made from precious metal clay and then soldered to a ring shank made from sterling silver crazy-8 half round wire from rio. I love this wire for ring shanks because it's super comfy to wear, sturdy and easy to use.

I was able to get more detail from the metal clay than if I had rolled sterling silver sheet through a rolling mill. The stars and moon are a bit more puffy and show up more after being polished. I learned quite a bit about metal clay making this ring. I also nailed the size as well. Win! I love how it turned out, and will be making more, but I want to set a tiny faceted gemstone in a stepped bezel in the top left hand corner. More techniques I have to learn! 

Here are some more precious metal clay pieces I was able to complete. 

After I finished the below piece I realized it had a tiny air bubble. I tried to fix it by sanding but it just made it worse. It looks like a little crater, and unfortunately it's not part of the design. Lesson learned! Porcelain gets air bubbles too, but at least you can somewhat cover them with glaze. Air bubbles in metal clay can wreck a piece!

These pieces are fired but still need to be brass brushed and tumbled.

Overall, I love working with precious metal clay.  I think the design possibilities are endless and it's fun to work with. What I don't love is the price. Holy moly it can be pricey. I would have to mark up my pieces quite high to make a profit. Hmm. I am still debating on what to do about that. I may give white copper clay or bronze a try, we'll see.

If you want to learn more about metal clay, there are tons of tutorials online and on Youtube. Our very own Staci makes beautiful pieces in metal clay and has done quite a few posts on Love My Art Jewelry. In fact, if you haven't read it yet, she recently tried steel clay and did a post here about her experience. And here's another post from her on white copper clay. Thank you Staci!

Never stop learning and growing!

Thank you for reading. 

Reticulation Silver Experimentation

Carol Dekle-Foss

Rain has finally come to California. Hallelujah! The weather has been BEAUTIFUL. The rain has been coming down is soft sheets, and it's comforting knowing it's filling the empty lakes and reservoirs. I made a visual for you guys, so you can see just how bad the drought was. Look for the arrows showing a rock as a landmark. This is a park near my house that has a walking path along the South Fork American River. This river is one of the major rivers in California and flows from Lake Tahoe.

We are on the right path to putting a big dent in this drought. Thank god! It was heartbreaking watching its effects on the landscape and animals.

Okay, on to jewelry making! I wanted to give reticulation silver a try because I just LOVE the look. 

The texture reminds me of ridges and valleys of the earth's landscape. So beautiful! 

 I bought this 3" x 1.5" piece from Rio. It cost me about $3.80 per square inch. Not too bad considering sterling silver sheet in the same gauge is about $3.50 per square inch right now. They have another type called Crinkle silver. The texture is smaller, and it looks amazing, but it's so expensive! I guess it all depends on what you are making and how much you are willing to charge.

It's simple and fun to do. Here are some instructions from Rio on how it's done and what you will need. 

I only used half of the piece I purchased. It didn't shrink all that much like I thought it would, so you still get almost the same size metal to work with after its reticulated.

Here's a close up video of me doing the reticulation. I sped it up so it's less than a minute and plays one of my all time favorite songs by Katie Melua. Pretty cool watching the silver follow the torch flame! 

So yesterday, while I was getting ready to try reticulation for the first time, a video came through on my Youtube feed from Nancy T Hamilton. The title was "Fusing Silver and Reticulation on Copper". I thought, what perfect timing! I tried the reticulation on copper part so I could show you guys the results and do a mini comparison! 

I cut a piece of 20 gauge copper about 1.5" square and added little scraps of sterling silver. I also had to use a larger tip on my torch to get the silver to melt. Below is a short, less than a minute video of the melting process!

Here's how it turned out.

VERY cool texture. Its more wavy , sorta looks like tree branches to me. Here's a side by side comparison.

You can really see the difference in color. Also the one with the copper backplate has a bunch of teeny pitted holes. I think next time I will flux the backplate to see if that will help. Still, not a bad texture for metal that's already lying around the studio!

I've yet to create jewelry with these beauties because I've been busy opening a brand new Etsy shop for our ceramic pieces! 

I'm offering a 25% off discount through the end of January. Just use coupon code winter25. Etsy has a 'bug' right now, so my shop isn't offering Paypal as a payment option as of yet. If you would like to pay that way, all products are on my website, and the same discount code will apply.

Thank you for reading!