Monday, May 10, 2010

MORE IS MORE, LESS IS A BORE

Last week I was fortunate to spend Saturday and Sunday with Debbie Anderson in her classes.  On Saturday she taught us how to make porcelain beads and I have to say it was a lot more intense than I thought.  I had problems with my translucent clay, it kept breaking and I couldn't get it thin enough.  We had the oven on too hot for what we were baking and my first bead burned and cracked and the second one cracked but I decided to finish it anyway.

The concept was great but my pens and my translucent clay let me down.  The pens bled and the clay didn't clear.  I think it was the temperature but it was a good lesson.  I love cats and I love this bead so I smothered it in copper.  Will be trying this again.  I have some new pens and I'll be very careful about the time and temperature of the oven.

MORE IS MORE LESS IS A BORE



I think Lisa Pavelka coined that phrase but it's really really me.

This pendant was made using the Tina Holden Shimmer Batik tutorial but I did something weird to the top and didn't like it so I put some fine glitter on it and some Magic-Glos and wire wrapped it.  Now I like it.

INCREDIBLE CANES BY AMY GEBHARDT

Amy Gebhardt is a member of our clay guild and she does some of the most incredible canes I've ever seen.  She makes beautiful pods and interesting items.  I was fortunate to be able to watch her build some canes last year at our annual retreat.  I was amazed.  At one of our meetings Amy gave me two pieces of one of her canes which I carefully wrapped up and brought home.  I baked them, sanded and buffed them and let sit in front of me for months.  I thought what great inspiration.  I finally decided to do something with them.


One has curlies and one doesn't.  I like my earrings to be different.  People look twice when you are wearing two matching-unmatching earrings.

My pictures aren't very good tonight.  Had to take my photo set up down because my husband needed the table.  It's like having one car.  Drives me nuts, short drive.

SPORTY LOOK

Almost forgot.  I finished some more golf stroke counters today.  Tried some wooden beads on them to see if it would be more of a sporting look.  Kind of like it.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love what you did with your cat pendant...looks good in copper! Maybe during the retreat you can show me how to wrap or make the golf counters. Yours are beautiful!

Phaedrakat said...

Love your Cat bead, your Batik pendant, and the gorgeous cane slices by your guild-mate! The wire you added to make the cane slices into earrings looks amazing! I've never seen that before -- what a cool technique! Actually, I see all kinds of beautiful goodies around here I like. And that pasta machine! Wow, I think I'll save up for that. Seems like heaven to be able to clean so easily. Anyway, love it all. Have a great day!

Melobeau said...

I think that cat bead has A LOT going for it and I hope that you continue exploring that technique. They are very appealling and the copper really adds something extra special. Those beads would sell especially well at a humane society shop or auction fund-raiser. I like your newest Tina Holden "Shimmer" piece. The addition of glitter definitely makes "more IS more" that REALLY works.

We're back home now after an abbreviated vacation due to van mechanical difficulties and I'm devoting my energies into trying to make inventory to get my Etsy shop up and running soon (ish?).

Alice Stroppel said...

I love all of this, but I really like the cats the best. Very coll.