NATASHA BEAD, PARROT BAG, GLASS PENDANT AND THE BABIES

Today I'm doing laundry and cleaning carpets and playing.  In between those chores I'm trying to finish some pieces that I'm either going to put in the craft fair on the 20th of March or put them on Etsy.

This picture is of a Natasha Bead that I had made with some scraps of polymer clay that turned out to be very south west looking.  I wire wrapped it and then couldn't decide what to do with it.  I started making a turquoise, herringbone necklace for it and when I was half way done decided I didn't like it.  I put the chain on the bead and started tying it in knots.  It really looks good that way even though the picture isn't so great.

I put this on black ribbon and put a rhinestone studded, magnetic clasp on it that is easy to put on and take off.

FRONT

BACK

This is a canvas bag that I made for my mother and she said she had enough bags so I kept it.  I'm thinking about putting my buttons that I got from the button exchange on this bag, haven't decided yet.

Last week I was going into Joann's and I heard someone yelling my name.  It was my friend Suzanne who teaches polymer clay, beading, dominoe stamping, she's an artist and does murals in peoples homes, this girl has more talent in her finger than most people have in their whole body including me.  The first time I met her I was stunned.  She's about 6 feet tall, has a body that doesn't stop, she's drop dead gorgeous and has 5 kids and the most incredible thing about her is that she's the sweetest girl I've ever met.  She's got the whole package and she's a heck of a teacher.  Anyway, I was wearing my necklace that I made after the Tory Hughes class and Suzanne raved about it.  She was having a class that morning and she pulled me in so I could show everyone my necklace.  Then she made me sit down and make this pendant with the rest of the class.  She had gone to Tucson to the bead show and brought all this stuff back with her to teach in classes and it was really fun.  Thanks Suzanne.

And last but not least I had to put in a picture of two of my best friends.  Scooter on the left and Annie on the right.  They play so hard they wear each other out.

Yesterday I went down to the Goodyear Swap Meet with a couple of friends and we had a great time.  I bought some more tee shirts and stuff to use for polymer clay.  There is a store there that sells beautiful Victorian things and I have bought some table cloths and runners for the dressers and she always has some great little plaques.  I saw one yesterday that really made me chuckle.  It said:

"IF IT WEREN'T FOR CHOCOLATE, THERE WOULD BE NO NEED FOR CONTROL TOP PANTYHOSE"

I remember the days of control top pantyhose, everyone was wearing them and we all hated them.  I bet I spent $300 a year on panty hose.  WHAT WAS I THINKING???????

DOREEN'S BLOG AND THE BOX OF BEADS

After the big flood in my office I started organizing some of my "STUFF".  I found 4 boxes of polymer clay beads that I had made.  There are about 200 beads in all.  I decided I was going to make a necklace like the one Rose made out of the beads I gave her.  Believe me, this necklace goes with everything.  It's not the prettiest necklace I own but sure is one of the most fun ones I own.

One of my dear friends from the Arizona Polymer Clay Guild has a beautiful blog.  Her name is Lupe and her blog is http://miramecreations.blogspot.com/.  She makes beautiful jewlery and books

 from polymer clay.  Today she mentioned a blog by Doreen Willey who has beautiful beads

 and she's doing a give away.  Lupe has won about 3 different things in the last month or so and I hope she wins again but I thought I would put Doreen's website on my blog so I will get an extra chance to win her beads.  It's  http://doreenwilley.blogspot.com/, check it out and check out Lupe's blog, she has great music.

A ROSE IS A ROSE IS A ROSE UNLESS YOU ARE THIS ROSE

Tonight my blog is not about me or my polymer clay or my wire wrapping or my animals.  Tonight I want to blog about my friend Rose.  I've mentioned her before and told you what fun she is and how cute she is but I never really mentioned how talented she is or how giving she is.  I've know her for about 5 years and she never stops amazing me.  We belong to a beading club and when people need help, she's the first there to offer her help.  I've seen her work with people that I'm not sure I would of had the patience for.  Anyway, Rose has done some incredible polymer clay things in the past couple weeks and since she doesn't have a blog, I'm going to blog them for her.  Get ready to be amazed.

These pink and yellow beads are polymer clay.  She made them from Studio by Sculpey and they match the new sweater she bought.  This is so fun and well done.  She better make more, I know my sister is going to want one of these.  She sees things in stores and goes home and makes them.  I can't because I forget by the time I get home.

This beautiful bracelet was made with canes that Rose collected from all the clay days that we had together in the last 5 years.  Most of them are hers and some are mine and I'm not sure who else contributed but this is the piece that I think would look better on me. LOL

This is a necklace that she did with a Mokume Gane technique.  She really has a way of putting beads and baubles together.  I love this necklace.  It says "ROSE" all over it.

These two pictures are of beads that I made while my husband was recovering from open heart surgery.  I had just gotten a new bead roller and couldn't make much noise so I kept making beads.  I threw them in a box and left them sit for about a year.  One day Rose came over and found my beads.  I told her she could take them if she wanted them.  Next thing I know she's wearing these gorgeous necklaces, getting tons of compliments and SHE WON'T LET ME TOUCH THEM.  Can you believe that?  I would never have thought to throw them on a bed and put them together.  That's what she told me she did.  I don't know if that's true or not but I still haven't been able to handle them.

I mentioned after Christmas that a couple of us girls got together and had a bead exchange.  This is the one I got from Rose and I wear it very often.

This heart reminds of Rose, bright, shiny and VERY ROSE.

Thanks for being a great friend Rosie, I've enjoyed the last 5 years with you more than you will ever know.  Hope we have this much fun when we are in the nursing home together. LOL

POLYMER CLAY MOULDS AND OF COURSE BOOBOO

After spending two days with Tory Hughes and then watching her DVD's all week I went in search of things that I could make moulds of.  The above is an elephant earring from a set that my mother gave me many years ago.  The trunks up so I thought it would be good luck.

This is some scrap clay that I had.  Make the mould, baked it at 265 for 3 hours.

I used Premo Pearl, made a ball, covered it with Pearlex Gold and put it in the mould.  They are about the size of a quarter.  I lightly antiqued them with burnt umber but the paint didn't stay on very well because of the Pearlex.  I coated them Sculpey Glaze to protect the pearlex, wire wrapped them and will be giving them to my friends Rose and Evelyn tomorrow for good luck.

This is an antique Cameo pin that I thought would make a great mould.

Here is the mould.  Baked for 3 hours at 265 degrees.

The base was done with scrap clay, the cameo with Pearlex powders and both were antiqued, but as you can see, the Pearlex doesn't hold the paint.  I made the base of the pendant thick so it would sit up from the base.  (Still working in the dining room so my pictures are less than perfect).  Will be back in my studio next week.  Glory, Glory Hallelujah.

These are the earrings I made out of the scraps that were left from the pendant.  Rose said I should post them because they are so different.  Thanks Rosie.

This is a mould that I made from the plastic button on the left.  It's good for stamping into clay.  So now I know I can make moulds out of anything in polymer clay.   Thanks Tory.

And last but not least is Booboo helping me crochet.  Since he was a baby he has had to be right there on top of me when I'm knitting or chrocheting and he lets me put yarn on his head and doesn't care.  It's been 18 years of his help, not sure I could crochet without him

If you have a pet, treasure them dearly, they give unconditional love and don't care if dinners late or the toilets get cleaned.  LOL.

TH EARTHY INFLUENCE NECKLACE

THE TORY HUGHES EARTHY INFLUENCE NECKLACE.

This is the necklace I've been working on since I took the Tory Hughes class two weeks ago.  I wasn't able to finish it right away because I had to finish the buttons for our clay guild's exchange this Saturday.

We took two classes from Tory.  One was called mixed media and the other one was hinges.  This necklace was made with mostly Premo clay.  I textured the front and back and then antiqued it with acrylic paint after it baked.  The necklace is made of deep brown chips and small pieces of turquoise.  The toggle is a beautiful antique copper piece that I found at a bead store.  The top hinge was made from 20 gauge copper wire that I bought from A Beaded Affair http://www.abeadedaffair.com/.  She sells beautiful copper wire and has an Etsy page also http://www.etsy.com/shop/abeadedaffair.  I love this wire and won't use any other copper wire.  I got spoiled.  The bottom pieces are 18 gauge copper wire (also from A Beaded Affair).

This is the back of necklace.  I guess I could wear it either way.

As you can see on the top, it leans down to an angle.  I wasn't sure how I was going to do this so it would hang straight so I used the 16 gauge copper wire and made eye pins and attached them to the piece and put the chips going between the eye pins.  The single turquoise piece on the bottoms swings freely which I really like.

I'm still working in my dining room because of the flood in my studio and the new window won't be in till the 24th of February so, I guess I'll be here at least another two weeks by the time everything is done.  I guess I should be thankful.  It could have been a lot worse, at least I can still do clay and my 18 year old cat Booboo is sleeping right here next to me.  He got a blanket in the mail from Humane Society of the United States and he loves it.  He sure snores loud though.