EAR WARMERS AND HALLOWEEN JEWELRY

Even though I live in Arizona it gets cold here in the morning.  Today it's 58 but in no time it will be in the 90's.  But, in the winter, mornings are pretty cold and when I play golf I take the golf cart and my ears get cold or when I walk my friends dogs my ears and forehead get cold and then I get a headache.  While I was down with my foot surgery I decided to make myself an ear warmer.  My friends saw them and asked if I could make some for their grand kids back home in Wisconsin.  We are meeting for lunch today and they are leaving to go back in a week so I had to hustle.  They all have handmade buttons. The dog and duck button have been altered slightly.  Most of them are from polymer clay.

This is a Green Bay Packer ear warmer for my friends grandson.

I was sewing the buttons on with Nymo thread because it's so strong.  One night we saw Buster running around with something hanging out of his mouth.  We chased him around the house for 5 minutes before we finally got him.  He took the thread off my table and there was a needle on it.  The needle was hanging out of his mouth.  He had swallowed the thread.  I pulled on the needle and got the thread out.  When he was little he would get in the garbage cans and take the dental floss and eat it.  He also loves Fireline so I can't leave that out when I'm beading.  Most cats like yarn, NOT HIM.  He's going to drive me to drink.


CLAY CAMP

This is the first time in 8 years I've missed going to camp with my clay guild.  That foot surgery really did me in.  I'm just now able to put shoes on and not for long.  The nerves are still making sure I know the foot is there.  My friends have been sending me pictures and it looks like I missed a great time and a lot of great demos.  Hopefully, I'll be able to make it next year and things stop breaking on me.

HALLOWEEN JEWELRY

My niece goes to a lot of dress up Halloween parties so I thought I would make her some jewelry.

The bracelet was done with Kumihimo.  Now I only have 12,000,000 Megatamas left to work with.

NOW WHAT DO I DO?

There were no winners in the Guess Which Earring They Chose contest.

But, I am surprised.

They chose:

Number 3

Since I only had two guesses and one was anonymous (who are you), I'm going to have a special pair of earrings for Lupe Meter.

Check out her blog with the Breast Cancer (let's wipe that nasty disease out) necklaces she made.

http://gesmpccorner.blogspot.com/

Today I had breakfast with my 3 friends from high school who live here in Arizona.  We sure are more fun now than we were in high school.  At least we laugh a lot more.  I love those girls they are so much fun.  I'm really glad we were able to get together and talk bad about some of our classmates.  LOL

I have an order for 6 American Flag bracelets.  I finished one and was putting a clasp on it that I just bought and the clasp broke.  For many years when I bead, I add an extra thread on each end just in case something like that happens or if you have to shorten or lengthen the clasp, you don't have to tear the bracelet apart.

I'm doing a couple in Delicas and my eyes are starting to cross.  For those of you who don't know what Delica beads are, they are teeny-tiny perfectly cut beads but very very small especially for my old eyes.  I'll post a picture of the bracelet when I'm done.

BUSTER FANS

Today I was doing laundry and when I went to get the basket, guess who was doing Pilate's in the laundry basket.  And you wonder why I have black and white hair on my clothes????

Wish I could do that.

WHICH ONE WILL THEY CHOOSE AND THE DARLA PENDANT

So far this year I've made 287 pair of earrings.  That's why I have no nails.  Some of the girls that I bowl with are going to Reno to bowl in the Ladies National Bowling Tournament.  They asked me to make earrings to match their shirts.  I made 8 pair of royal blue earrings and they picked out the one they wanted and I made 6 pair of matching earrings for them.  Now two of the girls who will be bowling doubles wanted earrings to match their shirts.  The color of their shirts was a strange lavender, purple but light.  I have never seen that color before and can't describe it.  So here are the earrings I made, which ones do you think they will choose?

The people who pick the winner will have their names put in a drawing and I'll have my better half pick the two winners of the earrings and I'll send you each a pair of earrings.  I'll know tonight which one they pick but I'll give you till Friday at 3:00 o'clock Arizona time to vote.  I'll post the winners on Saturday.

This is what I'm going to call Purple 1.

Purple 2

Purple 3

THE DARLA PENDANT

This is Darla one of the sweetest ladies I know and she's holding my favorite (only) kitten.  He's only 7 months so until he's 1 year old, he's still a kitten.  Darla was visiting last week and she's an awesome beader but was curious about polymer clay, she thought I painted it.  I took some pieces of clay off my desk and showed her how I do different things and when I was done, I had a Darla Pendant.

She thought there was a butterfly that appeared in the middle just for her.

This is the second one I did with the clay that I had left.  I'm glad there was pearl and translucent clay in the mix, it really popped the colors.

Get those earring guesses in, I think I'm going to be surprised by their choice, I was at the royal blue ones they chose.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture so you won't get an idea of what they liked.

 

EARRINGS AND A SILLY CAT

My 96 year old friend who sells earrings is at again.  She sold 40 pair over Christmas and is asking for more.  I made a few different ones for her.  I prefer doing clay but I also do wire and beads for her.

Angel Earrings

 Her girls at the nursing home like long earrings.

SILLY CAT

This cat is hysterical.  Today he got in the garbage can in my office and wouldn't get out.

Buster is the sunshine in my life right now except I had to put all my breakables away.

Now he sleeps with his head on my pillow and makes sure he is as close to me as possible.

Hope to be getting back to clay soon.

CLAY ON HOLD - WHY DO THEY CALL THEM EARRINGS?

This was going to be my clay week.  I finished the mask and made beads for my golf stroke counters and used my bead rollers to make beads for earrings (why do they call them that?) and then Jane called from the nursing home.  In a previous blog I told you about my 96 year old friend who is selling earrings and jewelry and sometimes right out of her ears.  I had to put the clay away and get out the beads and wires and findings and tools.

Her clients all like long and chunky.  I have 26 pair that I'm sending her so far.  The blue and magenta are polymer clay.  I had sent her one of my crosses with earrings to match and she saw a lady wearing cross earrings and pulled her into her room and sold her the cross set :0).  She just tickles me.  Every time I talk to her the excitement in her voice is amazing compared to before she started doing this.  I think I owe her a big bottle of vodka.

One of the pairs of earrings that Jane requested was for large, chunky crystals.  I have a whole box full of antique crystals from old necklaces that I had and things I found at estate sales.

These are 3 inches long and really aren't heavy but they sure do sparkle.  Hope she likes them.



BIRTHDAY PRESENTS

We are taking my friend Bev out for her birthday tonight.  She requested purse blings as a gift.

The one on the left is her dog Honey.  The one on the right is an old ring that she had but the band was broken off.  I made a polymer clay backing for it.  You can click on the picture to see it closer.  I'm unhappy with the picture of Honey.  I put Mod Podge on both sides and let it dry.  I used Mod Podge to adhere it to the frame and let it dry.  Then I put Magic Glos on it, twice.  After 24 hours, the picture started doing things.  Maybe I should have left the Mod Podge dry a little longer.

I need to get back to clay and finish my pieces for our retreat.



THANK YOU BEADUCATION

I mentioned the other day that I got an email from Beaducation http://www.beaducation.com/ saying I had won a $100 gift certificate.  I was thrilled.  I go to their website all the time because they have wonderful little tutorial videos about all kinds of jewelry making tips.  Today I was making earrings and my round nose pliers went goofy.  Instead of the tips being together they started crossing.  I've made 130 pairs of earrings in the past month.  $8.00 pliers don't cut it.  I went to Beaducation http://www.beaducation.com/ and ordered new German made tools.  I'm so excited.  Check them out.

POLYMER CLAY CROSS AND EARRINGS

I don't know how many times I've mentioned how much I love Penni Jo Couch's molds from http://www.bestflexiblemolds.com/.  One of her molds is a Renaissance Cross and it has little crosses in the same mold.  I use many of my polymer clay canes to use in this mold.  I also use Magic Glos on them.  Some of them I drill a hole in the bottom and put beads in them. 

I just finished this one using the Mokume Gane that I showed in a previous blog.  This is going out to someone special for her special friend.  You can click on it and see it larger.  The good thing about her molds is, you can put them in soapy water and wash them to get out some of the old polymer clay.  I also spray a little Armour All in them when I use them and the pieces pop out and the Armour All doesn't hurt the clay.

MORE EARRINGS FOR JANE

This is three of the 14 pairs I made in the last two days.  I like the bottom ones, I think I'll have to make a pair for myself.

Today is my husband's birthday.  I bought him two pieces of cheese cake from the Cheescake Factory.  I've never seen such a happy guy.  White chocolate, macadamia, carmel and Dutch Apple Carmel.  I'm going to have to get him some elastic waist pants..  Why should I be the only one wearing those things????



HOW NICE IS THAT?

I just got an email from "Beaducation" http://www.beaducation.com/ saying I won a $100.00 gift certificate.  I'm so excited.  I love their stuff and I love watching their tutorials.  I can buy some new tools.  My round nose pliers are all twisted and I need new wire straighteners.  This is so exciting.  Go to their website and check them out.  Lisa Niven Kelly does some awesome videos.  Thank you Beaducation and Lisa.

LIZARD TAILS

As I mentioned before, I took a class from Julie Picarello and she showed us how to do lizard tails with left over clay.  Wednesday at our beading club I did a class on Stamped Mokume Gane and lizard tails.  The girls loved it and they had some beautiful stuff come out of it.  I forgot to take pictures.  I chose 6 colors to use for my Skinner Blends.   I was trying to use up some old clay.  This is how my piece turned out:

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this yet but I see some pendants and earrings and beads in there.  Not sure I like the orange but it's there now.

I had some pieces of this clay left over and made a big lizard tail.  I cut out a couple pendants.  Not done with those yet and had some more left and made another lizard tail.  Had enough to cover a light switch plate.  Husband said the colors "were interesting and the room would have to be white".  He's funny.

I textured this with 100 grit sandpaper and put light green Perfect Pearls on it to change the whole pink thing going on with it.  It's been sanded and buffed.  Click for close up.

Beadwork Magazine had a neat pattern for a covered pearl in it.  I made a pair for Jane.  Told her it was her June bonus for selling so many earrings.  I ordered some 2mm round Swarovskis.  That's what the magazine calls for.  I didn't have any so I used Delicas, 11 seed beads and size 15 Myuki's.  She'll sparkle plenty.

Back to sanding. Phooey.

EARRINGS, EARRINGS AND OH YES, MORE EARRINGS

My 96 year old friend Jane who is in a nursing home back in Wisconsin is having the time of her life.  I haven't heard her this happy in a long time.  In a prior post I mentioned that she dresses up every day and in the past 8 years I've made her earrings and necklaces to go with every outfit.  In the last month she's started quite a little business out there with the nurses and employees of the home.  They all saw her earrings and asked if she could get more.  She's been selling earrings for me by the dozens.  My fingers are sore from bending wires.  I talked to her yesterday and she gave me an order for 9 more pair besides the pink ones I was trying to finish.  She sold a pair right out of her ears (she asked if it was ok that she used the money to buy a bottle of vodka).  They bring her a martini every night.  When 4 o'clock rolls around she calls it "Martin Hour".  Now she got a pad of paper and is designing earrings.  She tells me how exciting it is.  I'll see her in September when we go back for my nephew's wedding.  This is what I have been doing all weekend.

This is the pink set.  You can click on the picture to see them up close.

I like these with the black pearls.

Everything for this lady had to be in silver.

She also wanted chunky and turquoise so I put posts on the front ones.  They aren't as heavy as they look.

Next request was long, coral.  Must be silver.

Burgundy and dress up.

This lady wanted long and fun, I like these too.  All three women that I'm making earrings for are over 6 feet tall.  I told Jane "that's quite a height requirement for working there".

More long and fun.

Black and white and silver.

I wish I had bought more fancy headpins and lever back ear wires.  They all wanted lever backs.  Made some of my own headpins and hammered them.

I'm going to sit on a heating pad.  My back is tired.  Now I just have to pack them up and mail them.

Hey Booboo, I'm doing better but I think about you every day.   I think this Halloween in honor of your birthday I'm going to eat tuna fish all day and sleep in the closet.

HOPE FOR THE EARRINGS AND EARRINGS FOR HOPE

My friend Jane from the nursing home called me Friday and said one of her nurses was there and wanted me to make some earrings for her.  She loved the ones I made for Jane.  She put the nurse on the phone and we got acquainted.  Her name is Hope and she is 6 feet tall and has longer hair and likes "far out" earrings that hang a little long even though she's 49.  Nothing like throwing a few challenges at me in one sentence.  Then she proceded to tell me what colors she would like.  Challenge number 2.  Then she said she would like "at least 6 pair, maybe more".  Challenge number 3.  Good thing she didn't say she needed them by Monday.  So, when I wasn't cleaning or washing I was making earrings.  Today I talked to Jane and she asked if I used leverback wires on Hope's earrings because that's the only kind of ear wire she likes.  I guess I missed that one.  Have to go back on a couple and change them.  Then she said, don't forget the navy blue ones.  I missed that too.  I bet that's the only color bead I don't have.  I told Jane my fingers were going as fast as they can.

My friend Evelyn came over today and saw the coral ones and just drooled over them.  She doesn't know it yet but I made her a pair tonight.

I "HOPE" to get at least 3 or 4 more pair done before I send them so she can take her pick.

Janie is having so much fun with all her earrings.  Someone asked her today if she had earrings for every outfit.  She answered "I believe I do".  She's pretty good for 96.  She said some of the other women come over to her table at breakfast to see her earrings.

Dear Booboo, I found 4 more of your rubber balls.  Thanks for hiding them on me.  I'm still looking for the other 20.  You forgot your catnip when you left.  Have fun at Rainbow Bridge. luvu

SHE WILL SPARKLE PLENTY

My 96 year old friend Jane is the classiest woman I've ever met.  She's been in a nursing home now for about a year.  I've known her since I was 5.  Her nephew and I were sweethearts in first grade and I won't even tell you how long ago that was.

Jane worked in a shoe store and a high end gift store for almost 60 years.  I visited her in the gift store and she talked me into buying my first ever Gucci purse.  I wore that purse for 3 years.  I loved it.  I digress again.  Jane gets dressed to the nines everyday as I mentioned in a previous blog.  I talked to her this morning and she said it's really exciting in the nursing home now because the nurses and the aides come in to see what earrings she is wearing every day.  She was so excited with the last bunch I sent her.  She said "I SPARKLE PLENTY".  I asked if she needed any other color and she wouldn't tell me but as we finished our conversation she said she would love a pair of pearl and silver earrings.  She is so funny.  She said it was no hurry.  She forgets she's 96.  She really tickles me.  When I have a problem and don't know what to do, I call Jane.  She always leads me down the right path.

She was beautiful when she was young and is still very stately.  These pearl earrings went out in the mail to her today.

White Pearls

Black Pearls

Green Pearls

The polymer clay swirl bead in the picture with the earrings was made with:

this cane.  I sanded it starting at 320 grit and went up to 3000.  It was buffed on a high speed buffer and for those of you who don't know much about buffing, it's not hard but you have to remember to shut your buffer off every couple minutes to let the buffer pads cool down.  If you don't, the hot pads can distort your clay because of the heat.  Been there, done that.

NEW CANE

I love making canes, they don't always come out the way I expected them to.  I made this one yesterday.

Then I cut it in half and doubled it.

I made some cabochons with the cane.  They have been sanded with 320 and 400 grit.  I have a ways to go yet.

With the leftovers, I'm making beads to make a necklace and bracelet.

I taught this cane yesterday in a little polymer clay group that we have that meets at our beading club.  I forgot to take pictures of everyone's pendants when they were done.  They turned out beautiful.  I really like this cane, I want to try it in different colors.

Have a claying good time.  As Rose would say "When you're claying your Playing".

Goodnight my dear Booboo.  Is there Catnip in Heaven?