Canes, Beads and Wire work

First....before I forget... I want to recommend you visit my friend Anita's blog she has a helpful list of "My favorite 25 Polymer Clay tools, Gadgets & Glues" on melobeau blog .

It got me to thinking about  the tools and gadgets that I use most often.... hummm...maybe I will make my own list to share ....  and you all can add your favorite things  too.....  good idea?  Just thinking out loud here... I could blog about one or two items per day instead of a long list all at once.... to much work..... and the one or two item thing per day would get me back to blogging more often  again.... yeah, that sounds like it would work.  I'll start that tomorrow.... right now I'll show you what I've been working on the last few days. 

Here is what is on my work table right now.  I made some Skinner canes, bulls eye canes and border canes and ended up with a bulls eye cane with a border.... 

 Click on the photos for a closer look.

Heather and I went to Michael's yesterday... polymer clay was on sale for 99 cents.... and they had lots of other things on sale too..... yikes!!  They had designer paper 50% off, storage units 50% off.... beads and findings 40% off.... plus I had a 20% off coupon which included things on sale... well who could resist all that?.... not me.  I don't do scrap booking but I love those gorgeous pads of designer paper... and  I can find other uses besides scrap booking...  right?..... They make great background when I take photos... so be prepared  for lots of coolness!

and here is a close up of the cane on a cool background

Assorted beads made from scraps.... they haven't been cured yet. 

I used gold, amber and brown wire to make a wire goldfish.... and took the photo on another cool background paper... I'm trying to decide if I want to back him with clay or leave him as is....

This is one of my "weird" creatures.  I have a drawer full of weird creatures.... I don't plan them, they just happen. (Note the cool background)

I also made a mixed media necklace.... and used a chain I bought at Michaels, it wasn't on sale but remember I did have that 20% off coupon....  and it looks really good on yet another gorgeous paper background. 

it also looks good on this background...... I couldn't decide which photo to post... when in doubt do both.

I used a multicolored bead surrounded with a woven wire design and metal beads.  I like to mix different color metal wires and beads.

Okay.... That is it for today.... 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Mixed Media Cardinal Brooch

I finished the Cardinal...

I was going to back him with the flower cane that I posted last time but the center of the flower was a problem, he looked like he had eyes on his body.... I should have taken a photo... but I didn't.  Oh well.  I also made more pendants in the same colors.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

Instead of the flower cane I used a jellyroll cane on a kinda plaid background.... here's a close up

Though you might like to see how I did the back. 

I had fun playing with the flower cane and some scraps from a Skinner blend cane.  I made pendants and a couple beads.

I have lots of odds and ends beads. I was sorting through a box.... here are a few I like.  Do you have a stash of orphan beads?  Hummm..... maybe one of these days we should have an orphan bead swap.

Okay, that's it for today, mainly I wanted to show you the cardinal. Hope my friend likes him.  Shhhhhh, It's a surprise... no one tell her.... okay?

Thanks for stopping by.

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.