Faux Bone Sculpey Clay Bracelet Stacks

Sometimes I make something that I immediately fall in love with.

Enough to want to wear it all the time. 

 That is how it is with these bracelet stacks.

I used some of the faux bone polymer clay pieces I made in these.

I combined the clay with two of my favorite materials: wire and silk.

My husband and I worked for a couple nights balling the wire with his torches.

Then I brought them inside and wrapped and created.

I love the combination of textures.

They, along with a few other bangle bracelet stacks were featured in the Winter 2016 issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine.

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Buried Treasure Challenge

One of my very favorite blogs is Art Jewelry Elements.

I love that several of my favorite artists are gathered in one place and share things regularly that inspire me.

Recently Jenny Davies-Reazor challenged everyone to use some of our art bead stash.

This is right up my alley.

2016 is the year I dig into all the things I have been "saving".

This is why...

I have decided this little quote says it all.

So I dug into some beautiful components that Melinda Barnett sent me.

You can find her blog, Bees On Pie here.

I was saving them because they were so pretty.

She had sent these lovely clay disk components so I incorporated them into this necklace that has my hopes for the year.

Each disk is hand-stamped with a quality or characteristic like honesty, courage, peace, faith, health.

Things we might want or aspire to have or be.

I made a chain of my own wire heart links and added her components.

The two red bar pieces are from Melinda as well.

And then I finished it off with some silk.

I love silk.

I actually increased my stash of silk recently with a big order of luscious colors.

So this necklace will definitely be one of my favorite pieces this year.

I used components made by a dear friend.

I love the overall design.

It has my hopes for the year.

And it is a reminder to use the things you love.

I also made one more piece for the challenge.

This bracelet also uses a focal from Melinda Barnett.

I believe this one is made from paper clay. 

 It is very light and wearable.

I added my wire links and some silk that I hand dyed.

So that is a great beginning for a new year.

I hope you make something gorgeous with pieces you love as well.

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Blue Boho Polymer Star Earrings

It feels like it has been a while since I shared some rustic polymer clay pieces.

So here are these sweet little boho star earrings.

They combine three of my favorite elements: silk, rustic polymer, and steel wire.

The silk softens the whole piece.

I would wear these...

Would you?

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Fern necklace

This necklace does not use polymer clay.

I love polymer clay, espcially Sculpey.

You know that.

This necklace uses an air dry clay that I found in the clearance section.  

It is a kids' clay. 

 Mine was pretty dried out so I added some water, closed the lid and waited.

A few days later, soft clay.

It was fun to work with because it was very similar to earthen clay that you fire.

But this just air dried.

I did seal the pendant with Varathane to be on the safe side.

I love the mix of beads in this piece.

And I always seem to reach for silk in my designs at some point.

I really need to build my natural stones stash up...

I love how they look with clay.

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Do You UTEE?

Last winter I discovered the magic of UTEE.

I had read about it, but had no idea what it was: Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel from Ranger.

Why didn't someone say so?

Anyway, it is essentially little beads of plastic that you melt in their little melting pot.  

Then you can dip all kinds of things into it.

They end up getting coated with a clear plastic coating that looks like glass.

My favorite things to UTEE are paper flowers and paper leaves.

Come see how they look in some designs.

To make a hole, I put a wire in a votive flame to heat it and then just held it on the petal to melt through.

Sometimes I twist a little as I do it as well.

See how they look like glass?

I often make little leaves from discarded book pages.  Each leaf has a piece of floral wire sandwiched between 2 pages so I can give them a little bend before I dip in the UTEE.

The UTEE makes each leaf so much more sturdy but it still looks delicate.

I added a bit of green tint to the UTEE batch for the leaves.

If you have never tried it, I do highly recommend it.

It is addictive though.

It is also worth the investment to buy the mat. 

It gives you a place to put everything while it cools and any extra UTEE just peels right off when it is cool to be used again.

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Pink Set

I showed some pink pieces before here.

They were outside my comfort zone/normal style.

Today I will show you some pink pieces that are more like me.

A bit more bohemian and rustic.

The components such as waxed linen cord, steel findings and recycled silk strips give very feminine pink beads a bohemian edge.

These are pieces for the girly gypsy.

I made them for the same magazine challenge.

They were not chosen.

That is ok.

That means I get to either wear them or sell them.

Here is the fun triple strand bracelet.

I like the braided silk strand.

It adds a softness to the piece.

One of my polymer beads in the focal.

I love the bracelet most of all.

I wear a lot of scarves, but not a lot of necklaces.  

I do wear bracelets though.

I think this one is headed right for my wrist.

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Oh My Stars! Rustic Polymer Clay Set

Do you ever think about why some things are interesting to you?

My style is ever-changing and my interests are broad and varied.

I am eclectic.

I love cottage chic, country, primitive, tribal, steam punk, modern, classic and more.

I have a friend that says she can tell my pieces...that they have a voice.

I don't always see a connection between the different series.

These grungy, primitive disks and stars are so much fun to make but once they are done, they sit in my printer's tray and wait to become a part of a whole.

When I made these pieces, they were for a magazine challenge.

The colors and stars are not normally something I would do.

But I liked the challenge.

And I like the way they turned out.

I find lately I love fibers/silk and I love steel findings.

Sort of the strong and soft together....

And I like the colors though they are not ones I would have created without the challenge.

I have been thinking a lot lately about artists.

How some create a body of work that is a slow progression through their medium.

And about others who try multiple styles and mediums...exploring as much as they can.

I am definitely in the second group.

I love a new challenge.

To me, there is no such thing as failure....

Just learning a way NOT to do something.

For me, there is great joy in re-purposing things and creating things.

I cannot imagine a life without those two activities.

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Some Favorite Pieces from the Pages of Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine

On newsstands now is the Spring 2015 issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry.

I am so pleased to have some of my favorite pieces in the magazine.

This piece can be worn as a necklace or a wrap bracelet.

The beads are hand crafted, as are the clasps and loops.

The silk strips are repurposed from silk blouses and then overdyed.

I love the verigated color of the silk.

This bracelet is one of my all-time favorites to wear.

The silk is wrapped around and between the beads and adds a very bohemian gypsy vibe to the piece.

I love the muted color palette in this bracelet.

It goes with almost every outfit I put on.

The bird bead adds a touch of whimsy to the bracelet.

The very last piece from the article, actually was gifted to a very dear friend so I cannot show it to you now.

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Be Enchanting

More polymer today...

This necklace does not have the crackled primitive look that many of my pieces have. 

 These have a touch of shimmer.

These beads and focals already have wire connectors.

I connected them with heavy steel wire links.

Be enchanting...

If only more of us tried to do this....

My Nest necklace seems like a fairy forest piece.

I picture a lovely woodland pixie wearing this...

That tiny blue fairy hut makes me smile...

Silk strips weave in and out of the beads.

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