Polymer Clay Pod Necklace

I used the "pod" that I made from my last border cane to make an asymmetrical necklace.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

I added woven wire and faceted glass beads in complimentary colors to the pod and finished the necklace with a lavender aluminum chain.

I hammered flat the squared wire at the top of the pod before I added the woven wire and bead.

Here is how the back of the necklace looks.

I have a couple more border canes in the works, they are lying deserted on my work table. My polymer clay muse took a break.  That happens to me from time to time.  I've kept my hands busy with wire and knitting but I feel like claying today so I think I will go finish the canes.

Thanks for stopping by.

BJ's Polymer Clay Border Canes

I took a few days off from blogging but I continued to play with clay.  I made another border cane, this time in pastels and black.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

I combined white with green, blue, magenta and purple to make the pastes.  I buy large amounts of black and white clay but it never seems to be enough.... I'm out of Premo black and getting very low on white.  I went to Michaels on thursday hoping clay would be on sale but no luck.... I did get a new Ott light though, 40% off,  and some Easter toys for Lily.

Here is the border cane with a mirror image tile that I made with the end scraps.

Heart tiles for pendants made from scraps.

The black backed heart has a border in lavender and pink along the side. It was hard to get a photo showing the edge... here is the best I could do.

I put a blue and green border edge on the green backed heart.

I made a Pod Pendant with the rest of the scraps.  I will add wire to this and make a necklace.

Another angle of the pod. I like the organic look and feel of pods. 

Here is the back of the pod. 

I was rearranging my border canes in a storage container.... they looked so cool together  I thought you would like to see them too.  Pretty snazzy, right?

Cool colored canes

Warm colored canes

Thats it for today.  I will try to post a couple times a week from now on, time does get away from me though.  I am planning a tutorial but can't promise when it will be done. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

2012 "Thing A Day" Day 28 & Day 29

Today is the last day for our "Thing a Day" challenge. It has been a fun month. I enjoyed making something each day and especially enjoyed seeing what my fellow clayers  made. And it gave me the opportunity to make new friends and get to know some of the "old" ones better.  I'm sorry to see it end.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

Here are the beads I made for day 28.

Swirlie beads are another way to use scraps.  I still have to sand these. I know they are a bit of a bore to polymer clayers but they are a big hit with the public.  Trust me, if you want to get ohs and ahs  dazzle them with swirlie pendants.

This is what I made for the Final Day..... I had hoped to have two new canes but the weekly lunch date with my daughters was moved up a day so I didn't get the 2nd one finished.

I really like cane, hope you do to.

and here are a couple pendants I made with it.  I will make more of the square beads to go with the  framed pendant.

Close up of the shied pendant.  I used the cane end scraps to make the mirror images on both pendants.  I will use one of the "ribbon" beads plus black cord to make it into a necklace.

I used the cane to frame this mirror image. I still have to seal the PearlEX with Kato liquid clay and then I can sand and buff.  There is a large Swarovski rhinestone at the top.

So that is the end of  our 4th "Thing a Day" Challenge.  I do hope everyone had as good a time as I did!!

Thanks for stopping by.

2012 "Thing A Day" Day 26 & Day 27

I am combining two days again... I watched the Academy Awards last night and didn't have time to blog.

I am making good use of my border cane. For Day 26 I made a pendant by combining the border with mica shift.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

I then made some beads to go with the pendant.

Then for Day 27 I made a necklace using the pendant and beads.

I made the bail with colored wire and a rainbow fluorite bead and glass seed beads.

And I added more rainbow fluorite beads, woven wire, bead caps and seed beads  to the polymer clay beads to make the links.

Then finished the necklace with copper wire and clasp.  I like it.

That's it for today.

Thanks for stopping by.

2012 Thing A Day Days 24 & 25 Border Cane & ATC's

I got a day behind so I'm catching up today  I made another border cane yesterday and today I used it... and the left overs... to make beads and pendants.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

Here is the new cane I made for Day 24

Here is a couple small "left over" canes.

I made these for Day 25. A couple Mirror Image tiles and an oval cabochon and two flat oval tiles for earrings.

The cabochon also has a band around the side.  I am going to make a beaded necklace with this one.

Okay, now for the really fun part.... the ATCs I received from the other swapper.

The first one, top row right, is from Vesta. The photo does't do it justice, it is translucent and will look pretty hanging in the window.

Top left is by Trina, it has a lovely textured pink background highlighted with Pearl Ex and then decorated with "Love" charms.

Bottom left by Elizabeth, a shimmer textured background decorated with Zodiac signs and gold stickers.

The bottom right is by Denise, a pretty faux fabric design stamped with dainty gold flowers and pretty cane flowers in the  gathered center.

Top row right is "Moonrise over the Alaska Range" by Beckie Fox

Top left is a mixed media ATC "Tempus Fugit"  by "Cosmic Beads"

Bottom left, Lovely shimmers in brilliant colors by Angela.

Bottom right,  Fantastic prancing horse by Janette

Top row left. Sweet little Bird in a delicate bush of pearly flowers, by Jackie (the host of the swap)

Top row right, A delightful owl sitting on a winter branch above a blanket of snow.  by Susan  (I love owls)

Bottom row left,  Another of Janette's  awesome horses... I spotted these on Flickr before I got my box, I had my fingers crossed I"d get one.... lucky me I got two!! (Just goes to show finger crossing works!)

Bottom right, I absolutely love silhouettes.... this one is by Jeanann.

Top left, Pretty spring cottage by Sandie

Top right, "Good Morning" by Linda... the message is so true!

Bottom left, Shimmering Golden butterfly wing with rhinestone by Helen.... very pretty, it has a deco look.

Botton right, Lovely hanging garden scene... by Denise

Top left, pretty blue and white flowers scattered across an aqua background, made by Dori.

Top right, Paisley design by Eva.  Looks like tooled leather to me, my Mom had a hand tooled leather purse with a similar design... reminds me of good times.

Bottom left, Gorgeous cane ATC by Matt.... "BigKerm" makes fantastic canes.  (check them out on Flickr)

Bottom right, Lovely 3-D  "Floating Flowers"  by Kelly. Don't they look like they are floating on a summer breeze?

This was a great swap!  Jackie kept us well informed, cracked the whip to keep us moving and gave us lots of encouragement. She did a SUPER job.  Except making us wait to open the boxes!!  She didn't open the boxes until they all arrived, I would never have the will power to do that, I wanted to fly out to Nevada and rip open those boxes.... (and I'm afraid to fly!)  guess that's why she's the host and I'm not.

 I'd never  made ATC's before so I had great fun making them and even more fun opening the package and finding all the mini treasures.   My next project is to find a special spot in my clay room to display them... I'll ask Heather to help me, she is good with things like that.

Okay Jacks.... I'm ready for the next swap!!

Hope you enjoyed your visit...Thanks for stopping by.

2012 "Thing A Day" Day 23 Practice Bangle Bracelet

Today was a good day. I got my ATC's , it was so much fun opening the box and seeing all the ATC's that fellow clayers made. You will have to wait until tomorrow to see the photos.

Thursdays has become lunch day with my daughters and little great granddaughter Lily. Today we went to a favorite restaurant, Cleveland Heath,  in Edwardsville.  The name is a little strange but the food is excellent.  After lunch we went to this really cool little gift shop, Beyond Timbuktu.  It was my first time there and I enjoyed looking at all the goodies.  They had some Oxacan Woodcarvings Critters that I couldn't resist.  I bought four but I wanted all of them.

According to the literature  they are hand carved by native woodcarvers in southern Mexico.  The carvings are done at home using machetes and kitchen knives. The figures are sanded and then painted with color fast house paints. The whole family helps in the sanding and painting.

Here are the four I purchased.  Sorry about the yellow cast to the photo, I was to pooped to haul everything down stairs to the light box.

I'm thinking this style of critter would be perfect for polymer clay.... don't you?

I didn't get much done in the clay department.

I condition several sheets of clay....

and I made one practice bangle.  I don't want to use any of my border canes until I know what I'm doing.

I didn't reinforce it with anything so I hope it doesn't break.  I think I'll try a core of wire next time. And I want to make the next one wider.

It's been a long day.... time for  milk and cookies and then off to bed.  See you tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by.

2012 "Thing A Day" Day 22 Mica Shift

For my Day 22 of Thing a Day I combined one of my "border" canes with Mica Shift.  I took these photos so they are not very good, I'll have Heather take better ones tomorrow.

I mixed an olive green then combined it with Kato silver, stamped it with one of my new texture sheets to make the mica shift.

Close up of the round pendant.

I used the center from the above pendant and a couple smaller circles on a black and green background.

The last items in this group are a couple odd shaped beads and a small pendant.

Tomorrow I'm going to do something with purple..... already conditioned some of the clay.

Thanks for stopping by.