MEMORIAL JEWELRY FROM MOM'S ROSES

These are the pictures of all the jewelry I made with the polymer clay beads that have the dried roses in them from my Mother's funeral.

 I'm still making more with some new silver "Grandma" charm beads.  I'm also going to make some key chains with beads that I made.

MISS YOU MOM.

LET'S GO GOLFING-------FORE

Many years ago a friend of mine bought me a very expensive golf stroke counter and it was made of plastic.  It was nice but my friend said "why don't you make some of these with your polymer clay beads?"  The first time I put them in my Etsy shop I sold 10 counters in a week and got orders for more.  For a while, I wasn't keeping up very well with my Etsy shop but I decided it was time to get back into it.  I sell the counters for $15 and shipping and I know with all the work I put into them I'm not making any money but if I raised the price, I wouldn't sell any either.

These are a few of the latest ones I put in my shop.  I make the beads, bake them, put three coats of glaze on them and bake them again.  Every counter has some glitzy beads on the bottom.  They can be used to keep track of how many times you walk around the block and how many times you let the dog out.  

Here's my Etsy Shop check it out.

I'm going golfing.

MEMORY BEADS (CONTINUED)

 These are made with white and pearl clay and green alcohol ink.  They also have the crushed rose petals in them.

These are made with pearl clay, the crushed roses and cranberry alcohol ink.

I used some of the pink beads to make a Shambala bracelet.  I promised I would make at least 20 items with the rose petals and I'm trying to make different pieces so each one in the family can take their choice of what they would like.  This has been a challenge.

This is a key chain/purse bling and I used one of the pink rose petal beads with some great white caps but I can't remember where I got them.  I think Michael's but not sure.

This is a polymer clay cross that I had made and it has glitter and resin on it.  Can be a purse bling, key chain or wall hanging.

This silver bezel has white clay with the rose petals in it and resin on the top.  The white cord is made using Kumihimo.  

It's pouring here in Arizona so taking pictures is difficult today.  I usually use natural sun light.  I bought one of those picture taking set ups but the little lights that go on the side are so hot I'm afraid they will cause a fire.

I had to put a picture of Buster on here.  He loves this afghan and on this day he took a four hour nap with his foot sticking out.  He cracks me up.

More to come when the sun comes out.

WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE INVENT A SLEEPING BAG FOR OLD PEOPLE?

Last Wednesday to Sunday I was at our Arizona Polymer Clay Guild's retreat in Prescott, Arizona.  We stayed at a camp where we had 3 cabins and each cabin had 4 bedrooms and each bedroom had 4 sets of bunk beds.  I had my own room so I had my choice of bunk beds.

I made the mistake of buying a sleeping bag at Wal-Mart.  Brought it home washed it and couldn't get it back in the bag for two reasons.  I couldn't fit it back in and Buster was using the bag to hide in.

 

So I put the bed in a space bag and sucked the air out of it.  When I got to camp I took the bed with the double plastic mattress thinking it would be more comfortable.  I put the fitted sheet on and then the top sheet and unzipped the sleeping bag so if I had to get up to go to the bathroom I wouldn't get stuck in the bag.  Being that the mattress was doubled, the room between the bottom and top of the bunk was very limited.  I bumped my head getting in bed and every time I bent over to get something out of the suitcase that was on the other bed.  The sleeping bag was that slippery material and kept sliding off the bed so I took the top sheet off and just used the sleeping bag.  I wish someone would invent a sleeping bag for older people.  It would have to have lots velcro, a place to put the Alleve, heated an vibrating would be nice.  The next day I had zipper marks on my chin because I had the bag upside down and needless to say I didn't sleep well.  For four days I banged my head on the side of the bed and fought with the sleeping bag.  The showers were made for little skinny 14 year olds.  If you drop the soap, you had to slide down the side of the shower to pick it up because there was NO bending over in there.  When you get out of the shower and you bend over to dry your legs you bang your butt on the shower door so I learned to move over to dry myself and then I saw the biggest spider I've ever seen going up the wall.  I killed him with my rubber slipper.  WHACK!

 

There were some good things about camp.  It was cool, the food was good, we had a lot of laughs and I had things made the first day.  Usually I can't figure out what I want to do.  Another great thing was I won the challenge prize.  I didn't know we were having a challenge and I still don't know why I won.

 

But, this is what I won.  It was made by my good friend Lupe Meter of Gems PC Creations.  She does gorgeous work and it goes with every thing I wear.  LOL

 

My good friend Rose (a BFF) and I shared tables together.  She made me laugh for 4 days straight.  She can condition clay by hand faster than anyone can with an electric motor.  I think she made 150 beads and pendants while we were at camp.  We really had a good time.

 

 

These were some pendants I made with the help of Moe from Aloha Moe except I forgot what she told me and forgot two things that I was suppose to put in them.  This is a crappy picture but in person they are really pretty and look like granite.  I told my husband I was having camera trouble again he said I wasn't that it was operator error.  Famous last words.

 

These are some swirly lentil beads I made from cane ends.  We did a barbed wire cane and a Bettina Welker's Pixelated cane.  Those extruders were really working hard.

This is my "I AM WOMAN, DON'T PUSH YOUR LUCK" pendant.  Screws for arms and a butterfly in the crotch.  Don't ask, I can't explain it.

 

These are my wrapped smoosh beads.  These are fun and will be a great focal pendat on a Kumihimo necklace.

 

I know this is long this time but it's been a while.

 

As Rose would say "When your claying your playing".

 

 

 

 

WEDDNG'S GETTING CLOSER, NECKLACE IS GETTING LONGER

This is taking a long time but it's starting to get longer.  Had to order more Preciosa beads.  Didn't realize how many beads this would take.  Ordered 1200 so now I have enough for a bracelet and earrings too.

Netting is great.  It makes the beads slinky and soft feeling where Herringbone would have made this necklace stiffer.  Click to see it bigger.

NURSING HOME EARRINGS

I just made my 100th pair of earrings for my friend at the nursing home.  She's a great sales lady.  She also asked for a bracelet and earrings to match.

This is the 10th pair of magenta I did.  They are polymer clay with wire wrapping and chains.

More requests for long and chunky turquoise.

The large beads are polymer clay made from a cane I did a while ago.  Wish I could remember what colors I used in it.  She requested a stretch bracelet with lots of silver.  I would not normally do it with stretch cord with that much silver but I used a 1mm size cord so it should be ok. 

25,000 GIVE AWAY

I will soon have the 25,000th visitor to my blog.

When that happens I am going to do a give away.  I'll be leaving for Chicago in two weeks for the wedding so I'm not sure when this give away will be or what I'm going to give away.  Leave me some comments and let me know what you would like (but not the netted necklace).  I'll be in a nursing home before I get another one of those done.  I need some ideas.  Earrings, bracelets, polymer clay pendants.  I'll keep thinking about it though.

Tomorrow is my birthday and I hope someone bought me red licorice.  That's what I usually get.  Or, a box of Good and Plenty.  Have to fit in the wedding outfit so I better go ride my bike.