Ornaments and a Product Review

by Staci Louise Smith

Every year I make ornaments from polymer clay.  This year I was sorely behind.  I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to do.  Last year I made my usual styles into ornaments, and did a run of Blue Moons to commemorate the blue moon that occurred in December.

This year, nothing was coming to me.  I thought, how can I commemorate this year?  Its been quite a year, with the election and all the great singer songwriter poets we have lost.

And then it hit me.

I wanted to make some ornaments to embrace peace, love, and acceptance.  

First I decided to honor Leonard Cohen, and make something inspired by his song Anthem.  I love the line, "there is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in".  The other part of that inspiration was Karen's post that included a picture of this sculpture by Paige Bradley, which I LOVE.

So I decided to make a heart, with gold shimmer in the cracks, and wire wings.

I added the lyrics and dated them as well

Then I made some star ornaments, to honor David Bowie, aka Ziggy Stardust, aka Starman

On the back I wrote "turn and face the strange" because I think it really fits for every single day of our lives. They are also dated.

 I also wanted to make something to do with Peace.  This election has caused so much chaos.  So I made a new design, a peace sign, with wooden textured parts.  It was really fun to make.  On the back, trying to stick with lyrics, I wrote, "Imagine all the people living life in peace".

So, my ornaments are finally done and listed in my destash group. (How my destash group workds: just click that link, ask to join if you are not a member, and then claim items in comments.  I invoice you for them and ship)  

Better late then never, right?  (on top of the normal holiday rush and business, I have had sick kids.  I am so behind).

Anyhow...................since I made a new ornament, I had to make a mold for it!  Thus, the review portion of this blog....

I have been wanting to try that molding plastic, the one that you put in warm water and mold it.  I thought it may capture detail better, or yet, last longer then my typical two part silicone molds.

I purchased this brand, InstaMorph, from Amazon.

I followed the instructions carefully. 

I used water that was 150 degrees as directed and poured in some of the little white plastic balls.  They are supposed to congeal into one piece.

But they never lost their ball shape textures.  So I started again, because the cool thing is, you can re use this product over and over again

 I heated the water again, this time making it between 160-170 degrees

These looked a bit more transparent this time and congealed.

 So I smooshed them together and tried to make it as smooth as possible, but it was hard to get the ball texture out of them

I went ahead and covered my peace sign anyway, hoping that it would smooth out by applying pressure

 While that was setting, I tried again and went a tad hotter.  It did get much more moldable- however, the work time is quick, by the time it cools enough to handle it, and you begin to work it smooth, it begins to harden.

When the plastic was cool, I tried to remove my mold.  it stuck to the polymer a bit, and it did NOT make a smooth mold at all.  As you can see- it never lost that ball like texture- and the sample I did in polymer on the lower right side is terrible

 So, even though I think this is a cool product, and it is amazingly strong, not a fan of it for molds.  I will find a use for it, but it was way more trouble then it was worth.  I ended using my good old trust two part silicone molds.

I actually have an article in the current issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry on making molds with two part silicone.  

(I am also honored to be the Designer Collection in the current issue).  So grab it if you want to have a copy of my mold article- or take a peek at the issue because I was so happy with the pieces they picked to be showcased in the
Designer Collection (12 pages of my jewelry!  squeeee!).

You can pick up the current issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry here, or at some local art and craft stores as well as Barnes and Noble.

I know I haven't been blogging much lately, so I hope you don't mind that I crammed like 3 blogs into one!!!!

Christmas is in 3 days, and I know everyone is just mad busy!  I truly hope you enjoy your holiday, no matter what you celebrate, may it be filled with love, and family and friends, peace and wellness.  

A Breathe of Fresh Air

by Staci Louise Smith

I have been really busy the last couple months, and I had hoped to have a tutorial sort of post today, but alas, I barely got unpacked from Bead Fest (you can read about that here), and it was time for School and then Labor Day at the shore with the kids.  

And I still have not unpacked from that.

So........................

I thought I would share a little bit of my vacation.  I love the shore- even if it is stormy, which it was- the ocean was rough and the winds were harsh at times over the holiday due to a hurricane off the coast.  We still managed to take in the wind (fresh sea air) and walk the beach.  We had one good beach day and were able to swim, and another sunny day we got to spend in the bay since the beach was closed.  

If you know my work, it should come as no surprise that my pieces are often inspired by the sea, sea creatures and finds / treasures left on the shore.

Here are some pictures that inspire me from the weekend, whether its the colors, textures or the shells I have found.  I even included a couple of shot of how I display these things around my home to keep the inspiration going.

So I am ready to clean up tomorrow and get into the list of things I need to get done in the studio.  My juices are itchin to play though, because I am always inspired when I come home from the shore.

Do you have one place that seems to inspire you more then somewhere else?

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!

LEAP! Oh wait, did I look?

by Staci Louise Smith

I unfortunately tend to say yes to new things; to more shows, to new ventures, to deadlines, with no planning on how they will all get done!  Thankfully I work good under pressure, though as I get older, my body and mind don't appreciate it as much.

(tired me guzzling coffee)

Sometimes though, leaping, without looking, allows new and exciting things to come into my life and business.  I find often if I put too much thought into something, I will find a million reasons not to do it.  And really, what is happening, is I am letting my fear and doubt rule my decision making.

Now, don't get me wrong, somethings really do need to be thought out.  And my brain, is not your brain, so, my method may not work for you, and maybe you never talk yourself out of things.

However, what I am trying to say, is don't be afraid to try something new.  You can always choose not to do it again if it doesn't work out.

So this year I cut out some Art Shows I was doing that were not bringing in the money I needed.  I added some new ones to try out, and decided to spend more time teaching.  Since I have three kids and am not able to travel, online teaching seemed the thing to do.  So I signed a contract with Craft Art Edu.  You may know them, because Sherri Stokey teaches there too!  

Here is her most recent class, Drunkards Path

http://craftartedu.com/fiber/whats-new/sherri-stokey-drunkards-path-micro-macrame-bracelet

Anyhow, with some encouragement from Sherri, I signed up with them.  It was a long learning process for me, but I got my first class up and I could NOT BE MORE HAPPY I LEAPED!

I learned soooo much about creating an online class.  My editor was always available to answer my questions (sometimes over and over again).  It took me longest to do the voice over, because apparently, I hate hearing my own voice, and I was really critical of it.  It was also hard to find quiet time in my house.  I share the office with my hubs and I have 3 kids and 3 rescue dogs and a parrot.  There are small quiet windows in my day!  lol!

Anyhow, I picked a big one for the first class, because I could NOT wait to share this with you.  It is called 

Gold Rush: The Rustic Crackle Technique

You can watch a free preview and order it here

http://craftartedu.com/polymer-clay/polymer-clay-whats-new/staci-louise-smith-gold-rush-the-rustic-crackle-technique

I called it Gold Rush, because I honestly came up with this technique in a rush.  Its a spin off a traditional technique, which I totally messed up, and I found a way to turn my mistake into something I ended up LOVING.  I spent time re-creating it and experimenting and timing and combining......and finally had enough information to make beads and my class.

I was chatting with another teacher recently, and we talked about people hesitating to play during their creative time.  Let me say this: just dive in!  Trust yourself.  All of us teachers want you to try new things.  Take the techniques we teach you and begin to ask yourselves "what if I used it with this?"  Or changed the back ground color?  Or added this?  Almost as if you are doing science experiments.  Because that, my friends, is where the magic happens!

This leap I took went well for me.  Both the experimenting with a new technique and joining Craft Art Edu have been great!  Not all of experiments do.  I promise, I have piles of "not fit for human eyes" beads and wire graveyards........but its how the really good stuff happens.  So to me, its worth the mistakes.  Its worth the cast offs.  It's worth the time.

So I challenge you to play.  To take a technique you know, or have been wanting to try, and then take it a step further.  Push your boundaries and LEAP!  Even if you don't know where you will land.  Like I said, you can always choose to not do it again if it doesn't work out.  But you may just end up with something unique and that you love too!

Combining Techniques

by Staci Louise Smith

I love learning new things.  Each time I learn a new technique, I begin to realize I will probably never ever use it the way I learned it.  Or worse, get to do it again.

I make beads and jewelry.  Occasionally other things, but most of my time is spent making beads.

So, when I get to use techniques, that were perhaps supposed to be for something else, in my beads and jewelry, its a happy day.

I got into carving beads around the time I got into Lino Cuts. I love lino cuts, and one year, I gave myself some time to play, and actually made a few.  It reminded me how much I like to carve ( the photo's below were the few lino cuts I made, used in mixed media pieces).  

But alas, my beads weren't going to make themselves.  Some other events happened and carving was on my brain, and voila, I was carving beads!

My bead carving has come a long way from where I started, and I must say, I LOVE it.   

So, now I am on this Zen Stone kick.  Where my carvings carry all the way around the beads.  I LOVE THEM.  I love to make them, I love how they look and feel.  I have been making big batches for something lately.

Another technique I have been playing with these days, is my Gold Rush technique.

Anyhow, I am loving that one too.

Well today, as I made huge batches of the Zen Stone beads, I wondered if I could make a Zen stone bead, that looks like it has a vein of gold running through it, and then carve it, marrying the two techniques.  So out of all the beads I made, I tried ONE.  Just in case it was a big fail.

Well..........................................

THIS TIME IT WORKED!  

Let me tell you, it doesn't always work out like it looks in my head.  But this one did, and I am so glad!  Looks like pyrite in a carved stone.  

So, now I have a new direction.  My wheels are turning to try other veins in stones too.  Like boulder opal beads, or imaginary ones even.  

Anyhow, let this encourage you, to learn new things.  Even if its not something you think you will not use.  You may end up using it in a different way.

And PLAY.  Combine techniques.  You will never know where your creativity can go unless you try.  You will never know if something works unless you just do it and see.  

Have fun and PLAY today!

Art is a Blessing: Polymer Play and Mixed Media Musings

by Staci Louise Smith

Art is such a blessing.  I think someday's I take creativity and that I get to do this for a living for granted.  Art is such a huge part of who I am.  I see art in almost anything.  I take in colors, and textures and composition no matter what I look at.  It leaks into all parts of my life, and for that, I am grateful!

It's that time of year, where I have spent the entire year making beads and jewelry.  I try to allow myself some playtime around the holidays.  It allows time to make gifts for people and get out some of my other art supplies.

One of the blessings, is that my children get to be creative too.  they learn the fun of play, and the business of selling their work too.

To start off the season of creative playtime, Julia and I worked on some polymer pendants for the Hereford Bazaar.  It's a craft show her school puts on.  All three of my kids made stuff for it and I got them a "real" crafter table there!  

It was a lot of fun to prep for a show that was NOT my own.

Now, Julia (age 11) is not known for her organizational skills, and she brought me these bags of polymer clay.  They contained every color of the rainbow and then some.  So I said, how about we mix them up and swirl them, and then she could use that as a base to stamp her designs onto!  

We had a blast putting odd colors together and running them through the pasta machine and finding the  surprise patterns that arose.  She is a color junkie, so she was in rainbow heaven!

After that was done, she stamped them and cut out the circles to add to her bezels.

I had so much fun with the kids in the studio.

Collin (9) made little owls and got to use alcohol inks for the first time.  I showed him how to make these easy little "squish" owls and he picked it right up!

My oldest, Aiden (14) makes jewelry.  

Here they were at the show- they all did really good and had a blast, and I must say, IT WAS THE MOST FUN SHOW I DID ALL YEAR!

Here they all are, and yes, I am a proud mama!

Here are Collin's key chains and bracelets he made

Here is Julia's set up, with magnets and necklaces in polymer

 And here is Aiden's work.  He loves working in gemstones and beads, but has started doing more wire work and polymer too

So, that was a great week to get the creative juices flowing.

As you may know, I have dabbled in mixed media before.  But I have wanted to add more of my polymer into the mix.  I have had ideas, but no time to try them.  

So finally I gave myself a week to play.  It's almost up, and I am almost done these piece.  They are finished, all but the three in the lower right corner.  I hope to make a few more today and finish these, and then its back to business for a week.

I love being able to pull from all the different media I have worked in to create art.  It is such a blessing to my soul to be able to freely make what is in my head and heart.  It is also nice to know that I get to use all those things I have learned through the years, a million different ways.  I REALLY encourage you to always keep learning new techniques and mediums.  You never know when the skills you learn will pop back up!  

So be blessed and create art!  Never stop learning and playing.  It's all part of the process.