Mixed Media Necklaces & More

Our weather has been much nicer, we've even had several days of rain, the grass is getting green again.

I've been going for walks and working in the yard, going to doctors, doing a little shopping and I've been playing with clay and wire.... finished a couple necklaces and some odds and ends.

I'm working on a gift for a friend,  a mixed media Cardinal brooch.  I finished the wire frame, now need to back it with clay.   I made a flower cane that I may use for  the background, I will have to see how it looks.  I used the cane to make a pendant/brooch.  I also made a wire wrapped ring.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

Close up of the pendant and cane. I used gold PearlEx  on the border of the pendant and in the center of the "dots".  

Close up of the wire cardinal.

Close up of the wire wrapped ring.... it looks really cool on... my attempts at taking a photo with one hand didn't work so you'll just have to take my word for it.

I also finished a "pumpkin patch" brooch that I've had laying around.

Here is the first of the two necklaces I finished.  I like the colors for fall. I used brown wire,  goldstone and blue fluorite beads for the chain.

The second necklace is a long twisted bead in the center with metal cones on each end. I made matching beads from the same clay sandwiched between lacy metal links and finished the necklace with silver rubber cord.

That it for this week.  I'm working on new canes that I hope to have done in a few days.

Thanks for stopping by.

Polymer Clay Mica Shift

I know "all good things must come to an end". Alas.... tomorrow is the last Clay Pen Chat.....  A BIG "Thank You" and lots of hugs to Jackie for being our most capable host for the last 8 years, she has done an outstanding job and we all love her for providing a  friendly warm place for us to get together each week.   I am sorry to see it end, it was a joy to get to know so many fellow clayers, share ideas, and get to know them and their families.

Our final theme is Mica Shift.  

I made a few critters and a brooch.  Click on the photos for a closer look. 

              Three little mice beads and a crazy cat.  I love that stamp. 

               Another cool cat and the same little mice from  the other side. 

 I also made a brooch in Shades of Autumn Gold. I used a leaf design texture sheet for the design.  I filled the center with tinted cultured pearls secured with amber wire. 

I had planned to make some "under the sea" mica shift tiles but time go away from me... I'll save them for another time. 

I've been working in the yard.... it's looking pretty good.  

Check out the Morning Glories on top of the gazebo, they look good with the trumpet flowers.  Hummingbirds love them... me too! Most are purple, a few are pink.  Next year I'll plant blue ones too. 

Close up of a purple morning glory.

I can't recall the name of this flower.... I'm sure it will come to me later. 

The zinna's are starting to fade but this bunch still looks pretty good, I like the pastel colors. 

I planted autumn mums today, I'll take photos tomorrow. 

Okay.... That's it for today.

Thanks for stopping by. 

Border Cane Jewelry

Now that the weather has cooled a bit and I can work in the yard I am feeling much better. Nothing like pulling weeds and trimming trees to get the blood flowing again. I even bought mum plants to replace some of the summer flowers in my pots that are looking straggly.

I go back to my surgeon for a final check up today.... at least I hope it's final.  Everything looks and feels fine to me.

On the clay front I made a few pieces of jewelry with some of the Border Canes.

This is a matched set... necklace, bracelet and earrings.  Click on the photos for a closer look.

Close up of the bracelet.

Another view of the bracelet.

Close up of the necklace, I'm not crazy about that chain, I may have to change it.

When I trimmed the ends off the last Border Canes I used the scraps to make a couple pendants.

This pendant with matching bead is from the yellow & blue Border Cane.  I finished the necklace with waxed cord in a complimentary blue.

I used scraps from the red and dark silver Border cane for the next pendant.

I love this chain, I got it on sale at Michaels a while back,  now I wish I had bought more!

I also made a stamped tile highlighted with PearlEx and sealed with liquid Kato.  Not sure if this will be a brooch or pendant.... or maybe both.

So you can see I have been having fun with clay again.

Right now I am playing with Mica Shift.  The theme for Clay Pen Chat this week is Mica Shift , I hope to have several new pieces to share.... Chat is on thursday, hope you'll stop by and say hello.

That's it for today.

Thanks for stopping by.

BJ

Polymer Clay Quilt Block Cane & Border Canes

Recovering from surgery is taking longer than I thought, I am feeling better, still nap a lot but at least I am able to clay a bit too.

 I used a quilt pattern to make a Quilt Block Cane. Click on the photos for a closer look.

First I made the one on the left, reduced it and made the one on the right.  I wish the lines were a little cleaner but it turned out fairly well.

In order to get the right consistency for the extruder I combined 1/2 Kato clay and 1/2 Premo clay.

I used the scraps to make the small cane and a pendant.

I used the square disk and the isosceles triangle disk to make the quilt cane. I had lots of left over extruded triangles so I used them to make border canes. All three of the border canes were made using the triangle logs.

Red and Silver Gray  Border Cane close up.

Blue and Yellow Border Cane close up.

Green and Silver Gray Border Cane close up.

The green & gray cane looks like leaves to me so I added little flowers and made a pendant.  The pendant hasn't been cured or sanded so it's a little rough. I will take more photos when it's finished.

Thats all my claying so far. I have plans for more "quilt block canes".  It takes me forever to condition the clay and mix the colors, thank goodness I have a motor on my pasta machine!

Last Saturday was the annual "Highland Art on the Square"  Local artists use colored chalk to create amazing painting on the streets around the square.  There is also local artist selling their wares and food vendors with food, my favorite is a guy who makes the best pulled pork and home made barbecue sauce, his cherry chipotle sauce is to die for!

In the past it has always been a 2 day event, this year it was just saturday.  The dedicated artists worked in over 100 degree temperatures. Here are a few of my favorite chalk paintings.

I love the colors in this one.... would make a pretty cane.

This was the only one with a political theme..... features President Obama and Governor Romney duking it out.

The artists were still working on this one. Look at the details, amazing!

Plenty of sun for this pretty sunflower painting!

                                        This artist really gets into her work!

                                         Here is the finished painting.

                                         Wonderful detail on this tiger eyes painting.

                                        More artists at work, that pavement has to be hot!

                                        The little stuffed toy was the model for this painting.

                           This is my favorite... done by our next door neighbor and her daughter.

These folks were getting help from their little doggie.... not sure that is allowed!  If you look up in the right hand corner you can see our house peeking out (the 2 story brick house)... it's a good location, we can see all the fun on the square from out front porch.

This was just a few of the paintings, there were over 40!  We have had an extremely hot summer so I was surprised so many artist showed up.  Not many vendors set up this year, only a hand full. My favorite gourd artist wasn't there which was a disappointment,  I saved my birthday money to add a few of  her pieces to my collection. Guess I will have to wait until next year.

Thats it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.

Still Alive

Sorry for the long silence, I had to have emergency surgery on the 11th and just got home from the hospital a couple days ago...... so I haven't been able to blog or clay.  I should be up and running again soon.  I must be getting better cause I'm starting to clay in my dreams.... maybe my muse will come up with something cool.

My sweet daughter has worked very hard to keep my flower gardens alive even tho the heat here has been terrible.

Hope to see you soon.

Thanks for stopping by.

Polymer Clay Border Canes and Beads

It is very HOT here and I don't have much energy... so this will be mostly photos, my mind is mush!

I made a few more border canes and some beads.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

I had several Skinner blend canes and bulls eye canes that I used to make the square cane.

I used scraps from the square cane to start these WIP pieces. See the owl in the mirror image tile?

I used scraps from the blue border cane to make a few beads.

Beads and air filled pendants from border cane # 3

This border cane was made from left over extruded canes from previous border canes. I used the scraps for the pendants. 

I also made Flower Beads. I like using these little flowers on beads and pendants.

I made beads with the cane and then added a row of Forget-me-not flowers.

Forget-me-not flower beads.

I added leaves as well as flowers on these beads and tinted the flowers and leaves with PearlEx.  The background is striped in shades of green.

Another work in progress... I have a lot of those! I backed these stamped pieces for a necklace with variegated Skinner blend polymer clay.

That all the PC for today.... I  have flower photos too.

This is my gazebo with the trumpet flowers in full bloom. It usually attracts several hummingbirds but so far I've only seen one.  Then I discovered that bumblebees drive away hummingbirds and there are gobs of bumblebees and honey bees in the back yard.

The bee balm is at the front of the gazebo and is always a favorite of hummingbirds..... and bees.

Close up of one of the bumblebees..... he didn't like having his picture taken and let me know it..... no wonder the hummingbirds don't like these guys, he didn't have any trouble chasing me away!!

That's it for this week..... thanks for stopping by.