One of these is not like the others......

by Staci Louise Smith

Last week I did a post on Doing it All (or NOT doing it all, actually ).

In last weeks post I touched on some ways I have been trying to make my time more efficient in the studio.

One of the ways I do this when making beads, is to make molds of them.  

  It is a great way to save yourself some time in the studio- and a way to preserve a design you were really happy with.  Here is a post I did awhile back on how to use a two part silicone compound to make a mold of your polymer clay beads.

http://lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.com/2013/04/i-wanna-do-that-again.html

The only problem is, I never want to have too many beads that are too similar out there in the world.  I want everyone to be able to make unique art with my beads, so the beads themselves need to be different.

I paint them each a million different ways, the colors are never the same twice.  However, there are other ways to change it up too.

I have recently been making these awesome Gold Rush beads, with the gold crackle, and then carving them as well.  The carving of each bead is immensely time consuming, and then you have the painting on top that too.  I just could not make them fast enough. 

So I decided to make a mold of them.  I made blank white beads, and then after curing them, I carved the parts I wanted designed.  Then I made molds.  That gave me the carved design quickly.  Then I was free to add my crackle and other embellishments to each one.

For example- here are some of the molds I made.  You can see the shapes and carved pattern are the same, however, I have added elements such as crystals, and holes and other textures to make each one unique.  They are painted different and the gold crackle on each is a little different.  

At first I felt a bit like a sell out not hand carving each one.  However, I was quite happy with the results, and found it allowed more time for other details to be added!

Also, here is ONE fossil Ammonite (shown at the bottom of the picture) I use as a mold, and all the many different designs I make from it.  The key here is to play, and try things a different way so you don't get stuck in a rut!!!  I mean, you KNOW I love ammonites!  So I am always trying to do them in a new and fun way.

So what is the take away here?  Make a mold, re-create your favorite beads, but you don't have to stop there.  Use your texture tools to add dots, or stripes or embed beads and crystals, layer them on top of patterned bases.  Make each one unique anyhow!!!  There is no limit to what you can do!

(Please note that you may not re-create MY beads.....the carved crackle beads are my design and not to be replicated, as well as the spins on the ammonites.  These beads are not shown to be copied but merely as samples of what you can do to your own handmade beads to make them original while using a mold- THANK YOU for respecting that!)

Speaking of the Gold Rush technique and carving polymer, I can finally announce my two pieces got accepted into the Polymer category of the Bead Dreams Competition, which is held at the Bead and Button Show.  Right now voting is open for the Peoples Choice award.  If you are so inclined, you can vote up to 5x per day.  You just need to create a login or login with Facebook.  Here are links to my two pieces that are entered.  If viewing all the pieces- the polymer ones are one page 6.

Sunset Gold Rush

to vote for this one go here

http://jewelrycontests.upickem.net/engine/Details.aspx?p=V&c=236447&s=83027944&i=1

and Zen Cairn

To vote for this one go here

http://jewelrycontests.upickem.net/engine/Details.aspx?p=V&c=236447&s=83027960&i=1

Thank you for the support!

Teaching.......I think I like it

by Staci Louise Smith

So, I taught my first "real" class at Beadfest this year.  I was beyond nervous.  Now, I wasn't nervous cause I didn't know what I doing, and I wasn't nervous cause I thought I wouldn't be able to convey it in words (if you know me, you know I have no problem talking for hours on end)......I was nervous, because we were making these in 4 hours.

Painted Polymer Fossil Talisman

 The class was designed so my students would learn to organically form the polymer, learn to paint it, using my crackle technique (I have a tutorial on the painting alone you can purchase here).....and then, they learned to make the whole thing in to a necklace.  

I really hoped they would walk away with some new polymer skills they could play with and incorporate into whatever art they do, and that they would get to have some fun using wire and mixing art beads to create an asymmetrical necklace.  

All in 4 hours.

My panic came from knowing I am not naturally organized.  And what I found from my practice class I held, was that this was going to have to be timed.......with a schedule, and I would have to stick to it in order to finish.

My friend Jenny Davis-Reazor was also teaching for the first time this year, and she came out to stay with me, and help out, and be moral support on Wednesday night.  I was so thankful for that!!!!  We also found out that another friend, Linda Landig came in early for the show, and she volunteered to help me with my class!  

Here we are having dinner and drinks

 meet the teacher

 this is where they could pick their kits....they got to pick colors and beads to truely make it unique

just waiting for the students to arrive

I don't think we would have finished the project if I had not had Linda's help in the classroom.  Jenny helped out in the morning, but then she had to run to pick up a friend at the airport (have I mentioned what a whirlwind Beadfest is???)  

Anyhow, the class rolled in one at a time, which allowed me to introduce myself and get them all started picking out their colors for their kits...........and then we were off.

I was thankful that Linda is not only a teacher herself, but she works with new teachers (student teachers) so she was wonderful at giving me prompts and tips so I took time to explain things here and there that needed more.  I learned a lot!  

(she also took picture of the class for me, since I was busy.....i never realized I look so much like an opera singer when I talk....lol)

and I make funny faces.....I think Linda caught them all too!

Class rolled along and I stuck to my schedule, which had time frames, and what had to be done within them, all mapped out.  It worked wonderfully!

I think my students enjoyed their time and learned a lot as well.  They seemed happy, and everyone got to go home with a piece of jewelry they made.  I think that is important in a class.  Not just to learn a technique, but to go home and be able to wear something you made!  

Student work

  I was very proud of my students, because we had to really hustle to get it all done, and they dug right in and did it!  I think many of them were pushed out of their comfort zone and they just went with it!  We had mistakes, which were great opportunities to show that you can work them with mistakes, and sometimes fix them, and sometimes go with them.  

For me, I enjoyed seeing them each put their own spin on their pieces.  The variety of sizes, and textures and shapes was great.  Although they are all similar necklaces, when you look close, no two are alike.  

So overall I loved it.  I thoroughly enjoyed teaching.  (did you know I actually majored in secondary education for a time in college??)  I plan to teach more in the future, and may even do this same class again in the spring at Beadfest, as well as adding another.  So if you didn't get to come, you may have another chance to do so!

Thanks for the ladies who came out and created with me, and thanks to the women who supported and helped me with my class!