Mixed Media Polymer Clay & Wire Critters

 I know, I know, I have badly neglected my blog but a lot has been going on.  What with scary storms, yard work and vision problems I haven't been doing much with clay.

My vision has been bad for a couple months so I finally gave in and went for new glasses..... or so I thought.   Without glasses the only letter I could read on the eye chart was the large "E" at the top and even that was a little blurry. The Doc says glasses won't do the trick this time.... I have cataracts and must have them removed.  I have an appointment with the surgeon on June 3rd and I hope to have the surgery soon after that... of course they can only do one eye at a time so I'm not sure how long all of this is going to take but everyone assures me it will be worth it..... "like having new eyes" .   We shall see.... at least I hope we will!!

A friend asked me to make a purple kitty, she wants it for a birthday gift for a friend. I have until the end of June to get it made but as I will be preoccupied with with my vision quest I thought it best to make the kitty now... I made two, so she can have a choice... which do you like best?  

Click on the photos for a closer look.

Purple Kitty #1

Purple Kitty #2

I also made a couple Wire Doodle Critters. I will back them with polymer clay once I decide what colors and designs I want to use.  

The first is a Squirrel 

I have a thing for owls... so this one is my favorite.

I hope to do better with my blog... I really like blogging but real life things keeps getting in the way.

Oh... I used Pardo Art Clay for the Kitties..... it is fast becoming my favorite clay, just wish it came in metallics too.  I am going to try mixing it with some of the soft Kato Pearl and see what happens.

Mixed Media Odds and Ends

Hi friends, I'm back! At least I think I am. I've had some kind of summer flu for the last couple weeks and my muse was on sick leave.....  I feel better now and  spend the whole day in my clay room.  I cleaned off my work area, lots of half finished things lying around covered with dust and cat hairs so I tossed them in the trash.  It felt good to have a clean area to clay in so I got to work. 

I made the wire portion of this pendant some time ago. I made a kinda peacock cane to back it with but didn't like the way it looked so  I got out a striped cane and used it to back the pendant and then made beads to match.  I like it with the stripes. Now all I have to do is figure out a bail for the pendant.

Then I made a mixed media "Heart Strings" pendant with assorted beads, colored wire and metallic clay. 

The last photo is of  the "peacock" pattern that I originally made to back the first pendant.  Instead I used it to  make a pendant and matching beads.  I used some of the new Premo colors mixed with old Kato pearl.  I like working with metallic clay, it's fun to sand... I like shiny shimmery beads.

I am disappointed that the new Kato and and the new Premo are soft and sticky, it's hard to work with gooey clay... and I just bought gobs of both.  I will have to leach and leach and leach.  In the mean time I am going to get out my Pardo Art Clay. 

Mixed Media Silk Ribbon & Polymer Clay

I bought these lovely luscious Silk Sari Ribbons from a shop Designtalentedone , on Etsy.  They are a perfect setting for some of my pendants.  The shop owner is a delight to work with,  the service was prompt and friendly and the shipping costs very reasonable. She has so many gorgeous colors I had a hard time picking.... as you can see!!

Heather was over the other day and I was whining about how I never get around to finishing necklaces... oh woe is me... sniff, sniff...  that kind of thing.... ( I've been taking whining lessons from my friend Moe)  so Heather took pity on me and strung a couple of the pendants on the silk ribbon.   She did a really good job... take a look.

The first one is a mixed media polymer clay pendant decorated with wire and beads.  Heather added coiled wire and beads for a touch of pazazz.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

The other one is in the same color palette with a pendant of  metallic clay and gold leaf.

Heather has also taken over the photography and the listing duties for our Etsy shop... how great is that?  Check out our Etsy shop, Knightwork Studio " for our new listing.  

Mixed Media Rabbit & Cat

I dreamt about claying last night . In my dream I made lots and lots of pretty hearts for Valentine's Day.

So after I had my coffee, checked my email, checked for new posts on Polymer Clay Central, checked for new items on Flickr .... did a few chores... this is my morning routine.... I headed back to the clay room to play with clay.  I was there to make hearts,  but then I saw my nekkid wire bunny and kitty, they really needed to be finished.  I get side tracked so easily.... so, no hearts today... but I did make these.

Click on the photos for a closer look

Another funny bunny

and his kitty friend

Tomorrow I will add pin backs on my critters and then I am going make hearts.... lots and lots of  hearts..... really .... you believe me don't you? 

Polymer Clay & Colored Wire... Mostly Wire

I haven't blogged for awhile... time flies when you're having fun and even when you're not.  I've had a bit of a cold so I've been sleeping or sitting in the recliner with a cat on my lap. Our weather has turned a little chilly and cats are good heating pads.

First let me explain the photos. I have this Jello Cook Book that I was going to list in my Etsy Shop, Swan Song Antiques. I was thumbing though looking at the illustrations and thought the magician  would be fun to use with my most recent creations. 

I have mostly been playing with wire, I can do that sitting in my recliner...without a cat on my lap... but I did make a few things with clay as well.  I am still using Pardo Art Clay. 

Click on the photos for a closer look.

I made the wire frame first for this one and then added the clay by pressing the wire down into the clay and trimming around the outside with an Exacto knife.  Before curing I place a piece of parchment paper over the clay and smoothed with the back of a spoon and my finger to give a smooth even surface. I can't sand clay when I combine it with wire without sanding the color off the wire. This is another thing I like about the Pardo Art Clay, you can get a very smooth surface without sanding. 

The next piece is 18 gauge bronze wire wrapped with pink 26 gauge wire and I used yellow seed beads along the edge of the curled section. 

This one is 18 gauge amber colored wire wrapped with 26 gauge amber wire and adorned with goldstone beads. 

This one is really cool, the photo doesn't do it justice. It is 18 gauge brown wire wrapped with 26 gauge burgundy and tangerine wire. I used glass seed beads on the bottom loops and a Swarovski  crystal bead on the drop. The center is a textured vintage button. I think I will put this one on a copper chain. 

I like this one too, these are my colors. The center strip is a mirror image with strips of gold Pardo Jewellery clay on each side. I used my ripple blade along each side and added the pieces of orange and black cane in each of the ripples. This was a experiment to see how well the Art Clay sections bond.... and it works very well, the piece is strong and secure.  I added the black wire bail and Swaroski rhinestones for interest. 

I used 18 gauge amber wire and 26 gauge wire with iridescent green seed beads to make this one.  I used a hammer to flatten the curly cues.  I need practice hammering but it doesn't look to bad and as you can see the color on the wire doesn't hammer off. 

This next one is more wire weaving using 18 gauge wire and 26 gauge yellow lemon wire and faceted peridot crystal beads.  I may add something clay to this one.... haven't decided how or what... so you may see this one again 

This last one is one I showed before but without the bird. Please forgive the lousy photo, I tried and tried to get a good one and this was the best I could do.  Everything about this piece was a struggle.  Things were going along really well, I used a mold Heather made for the bird, placed him on the pendant, highlight with PearlEx powders to give his feathers a shine and popped it in the oven. After it cooled I brushed on a thin layer of Kato sauce and cured it again.  When it came out of the oven I was using the heat gun to clear the Kato sauce... this is where bad stuff stared to happen...  because I was jabbering away to Heather I wasn't looking at the pendant... glanced down and saw a curl of smoke..uh oh... I burned the clay above the bird... the white/gray striped canopy. I'd put a lot of work into this piece so I better come up with  way to fix it...right?   After it cooled I decided sanding the burned part might work.  Not so. Sanding didn't remove the burn but it did remove color from the wire.  Now I have two problems, a burned canopy and copper wire showing through the green.  Fortunately I had a small piece of the striped clay left so I used it to cover the  burn. I covered the paint loss with fringe beads and 26 gauge wire, I like it.   Problems solved.. here it is.  (just don't look to close, not that you can with that lousy picture!).  

Okay, now tell the truth, wasn't the magician fun? 

This Old House

Our house was built in 1914, in four years it will be a true antique. Poor old gal is in need of a face lift so we are making arrangements for a new roof, new gutters, and the trim painted. We'll have brick work done later.

Hubby was suppose to take care of the details but as always happens he got the ball rolling and I'm stuck with all of the day to day details. A neighbor from down the street is our contractor. He's the one who pointed out to DH that the roof needs to be replaced... and while they are at it may as well do the gutters too. He's a nice young man but stops by and calls at odd hours, mostly in the late evenings, called the other night at 10:30.... I guess since he is a neighbor and can see our lights on he thinks it's okay. It's beginning to bug me, especially the dropping by part, I don't like to answer the door once I have my jammies on. It will be a week or two before they do the work and it's suppose to be done in one day.... we'll see.

The other thing that is my occupying my time is cleaning the basement. When I closed our antique shop I shoved most of the stuff in the basement. I now want it all out of there. Most of the stuff needs to be boxed up and taken to the auction house. A few things will be neatly arranged in the back room. My daughter and grandson said they would help. It's a bit overwhelming when I look at all the stuff down there..... maybe I should be on that "Hoarders" tv show.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

I still managed to do a little claying, I made a couple little deco style canes.....
....and used them to make tiles. The clay is a mixture of Fimo Classic and Kato. You'd think by now that I would remember Fimo always darkens in the oven and add more white to lighten it. Thats one of the things I like most about Kato the colors are pretty much the same after curing. I like these but I wish they were lighter.

And I made some wire leaves to use as part of the chains.

Polymer Clay Mixed Media Necklace

After the "Thing A Day" challenged ended I took a couple days off from claying. I concentrated on wire work instead. Believe it or not it took me a couple days to make the three layered chain for this necklace. When the chain was done I needed a pendant so I headed back to the clay room. I made a couple other pendants but this is my favorite and the one I feel goes best with the chain.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

Polymer Clay Red Moon Pendant

Progress is being made, I made it to the store for my cookie ingredients, that's a good thing, I'll start baking tomorrow... maybe. And the Christmas tree is in it's stand and sitting in front of the window in the living room, it's not decorated but it's up, that's progress, right? It's in a new spot this year which has me a little nervous, my oldest grandson, Nick, is a stickler for tradition and he like things to remain the same year after year.... maybe he won't notice. I also hung the Santa wreath on the door.

Anyway I only had time for one piece today... all that holiday stuff got in the way.. and here it is. I know it should be a blue moon but IMHO it looks better with red so red it is.

Click on the photo for a closer look.

More Mixed Media Jewelry

Shhhhhhh.....don't tell anyone... I'm still paying with clay. I know, I know. I'm suppose to be getting ready for Christmas. I have cookie to bake, candy to make, a tree to put up, a house to decorate inside and out... all the garland, lights, ornaments, Santas.... everything still in the attic. For some reason I think I have lots of time and I know I don't. It's da muses fault, she keeps whispering in my ear....

Click on the photos for a closer look.

This is one of my favorites, I like the colors and the design. The fringe beads remind me of Grapes. I am going to hang it on copper chain.... as soon as I find the chain.
Not to sure I like this one, it's a little funky, looks like a crab or a bug creature. The swirly bead is much prettier in person.... have I mentioned I need a new camera?
This one is BIG, I call it Big Red. I made the frame first and then used a cane for the polymer clay center. It's more attractive is person too... camera Santa, I need a camera.

Polymer Clay & Colored Wire

We are having a Holiday Challenge on Polymer Clay Central forum, the goal is to post a photo/comment each day in November of something you are working on for the holidays... gifts, decorations, items to sell etc. We would love to have you join us or just stop by and see all the cool stuff folks are working on.

This is my offering for Day 3. I dug the triangles out of my "to do" box sanded and buffed them and got out my wire and beads. I know most wire artists prefer silver or gold filled wire... I have some of that too... but my favorite wire is the colored wire, so many luscious colors to choose from and of course it's less expensive so if I mess something up I can toss it without feeling guilty. This is the front

And this is the back. I almost like the back better than the front. Now all I have to do is decide how I want to finish it. I'm thinking either satin or rubber cord. Another thing for my muse to decide.

More Polymer Clay Brooches & Necklaces

Yes, more brooches. I am determined to put pinbacks on ALL the brooches in the "to do" boxes before I make anything new. The jelly belly kitty pin is one of the first things I made over 3 years ago and the poor thing has been sitting in the "to do" box patiently waiting for a pinback, now she has one... she is a happy kitty, I can hear her purring.That poor turtle has been sitting around for a while too... not as long as kitty... but over a year.
I like the 3-D flower pins in this photo. I like the others too, they are made with alcohol inks on gold and silver leaf then sealed with liquid Kato.
And I finished a couple necklaces too!! I used copper wire, faceted crystal beads and copper bead caps to make the links.
And last but not least a Mica Shift pendant. I'm a big fan of copper so once again I made the links with glass pearls & lacy bead caps, glass cathedral beads, copper wire and chain. The back of the pendant is pretty too... I forgot to take a photo... I'm old, I forget things, okay?