On my work table - fusion of silk and colours, wire and beads...

They are still not finished so just for you a short impression what I am working on for... weeks... no... months now. Not all the time, but you know, here a stolen moment and there another to keep going even if it is slow. I got beautiful silk stripes from urchinflower. We both took part in an event at crafts (the Package Pals!). It took me some time to know what I wanted to do with it. Not due to the lack of ideas but rather the tendency to keep them. You know the kind of keeping where you are afraid to waste them ;)

But then I had a bunch of small metal bangles or bracelets that I bought at a sale. Some of them I already showed you wrapped in embroidery thread. I thought of covering them with polymer clay just to see the silk next to the clay box.

What takes me so long are all the layers and discovering what works for me or not while going on. The first layer are always the stripes of coloured silk. Then I used silk or cotton thread to tighten them and especially to add more colour. I love the rough and open texture, still it is really durable! Maybe you can also see the thin coloured wire I wrapped on top of the thread. My sister Lachafa made such a great christmas box for me including a lot of crafting and jewelery material (all found somewhere in Barcelona :)). A set of bright coloured wire was included. Süße, it is nearly empty now! All used up for the bracelets!

Now I am at the last stage... stages... I add stringer wire as accents and as foundation to hold glas beads and metal findings. Old and recycled glass beads, sparkling czech glas, bird charms and flower caps. And at the end I somehow have to dull down the bright brass and copper wire. Still thinking of how to do this without damaging the silk. 

So probably it will take some more weeks... but at least I could show you a little snap shot of what is on my work table at the moment :)

From the growing bead tile one my table.. finally some finished ones!

As finished bead I see a bead that I have maybe carved a little bit (especially the string holes), added and removed several layers of paint and of course sealed with gloss or something similar. Here we go with some of them... a snail/nautilus like bead. Below you see the backside that I also really like.

I am still trying to figure out how to give an idea about the size of the bead. I am not too happy with images of my hand holding the bead but on the plus side: This gives a good impression. But I am stil thinking just about other objects... only not coins, I think this coin comparison images somehow quite... ehm... bah!

This is the third bead I made for the "Winter wonderland" challenge. But here I added some yellow colour to the bead that was not part of the inspiration picture so I didn't use it. Also I already had the two other beads to create the earrings so I used the third one to play a little bit more.

And again an image so you can get an idea about the size :)

I also always like just small beads useable a drops for earrings. The colour I used on the white clay is not black but Payne's grey. It is dark but the contrast is not so hard.

Maybe you can see that it is rather a dark grey with a blue hint. I completely changed from using black to this kind of grey.

A lot of drops. Not even all but it seems that some where lost on my working table... ^^

I know how great you can work with these tiny drops. The only problem is that they make so much work to create them while being just so tiny. Nearly the same amount of work that goes into a bead ten times bigger due to the same work steps necessary.

Bird skull - somewhere on the way I got there...

With a bird skull made out of polymer clay (fimo classic) it seems to be like with a lot of other "topic" beads. Somewhere on the line... I also make one. I also made owls. And other things... ;)

I like the look. Just to go freehand without the pressure to be perfect. The imperfections are what make the look organic... and gives it a rather tribal feeling. I added copper wire and oxidized it with the green patina from swellegant (Christi Friesen).

I was also asked to create one with night-glowing polymer clay! On top of my polymer clay to-do-list!

"Winter wonderland" - earrings

This are the earrings I made for the "Winter Wonderland" - 11th Blogger/non-blogger challenge. The inspiration was a painting from Dini Bruinsma ("Winter forest"). I made the beads out of polymer clay (fimo classic in white) and added several layers of acrylic paint (Reeves) to get all the different shades. I like the organic structures and the feeling of movement inside. 

For the earrings I added two old glass beads I found in a second hand/independent clothing store (Miss Hippy in Leipzig). They had a small bowl with broken jewelery and even just the single parts like the beads. I took all of the glass beads I could find. They are not expensive mostly just pressed glass but I like the feeling that I took something broken that already had a history behind to create something new! Even if the colours are mismatched they complement each other. 

Back to the challenge: The final voting time is now paused because in the same facebook group (yes, fb, I said it....) there will be another event taken place. But even if it is put on hold, if you find the time, go over and write "favorite" under my earrings here (or just like it).... as it is... of course only if you like it ^^ 

For this kind of shape of the beads... I think I will start exploring it a little bit more :)

Oh, and that fabric on top is silk. Just a little more organic touch!

"Memories..." - Picture frames

I struggled with this blog entry. You may see why: Too many pictures... and what picture to put on top? I now went quite randomly because I honestly couldn't choose! 

I made picture frames with polymer clay (fimo classic) or rather I covered bought picture frames with polymer clay. I went for some cheap frames made out of wood so I could bake them. There were at the bigger frames some plastic parts attached but I could remove them safely and attach them back on later. If you also want to wrap frames in poylmer clay, have a look if you really can bake every part!

This said: I also used kato polymer binding medium or paste on the smaller frames. I was afraid that the polymer clay would not have enough grip to attach securely to the smooth surface. It was a mess but worth it: Was holding perfectly (yes, I tested it). It was not necessary for the bigger frames because they hade some rather ugly "raw" wood structures on top. Real wood made looking like fake cheap wood. Strange world. Afterwards I used the swellegant paint line from Christi Friesen to create this old and worn look.

It was late in the nights while I was working on these picture frames. Hey, at least I made some pictures of the process. I sadly forgot the first ones as comparison where you could see the original polymer clay colour (it looked weird ^^) but I have several ones to show you the process of adding the swellegant paints and patina on top.

I added several layers of brass or bronze paint from swellegant on the baked polymer clay. I always waited to let it really dry before I added the next one. Just with the last layer I added the three different solutions to let the metall oxidise while the paint was still wet. The solutions overlapped of course but I added them still at different spots. Just tipping generously on the surface. You see how beautiful the patina is blooming?

I also love this look when the patina is dried. The green and the light spots...!

But I wanted to have more layers of colour so I added a lot of different oxide dyes on top. I think I nearly used all the shades of blue and green avaiable from swellegant and also some purple and white. 

Again I added it randomly over the frame. It is hard for me to do this but I know that this creates the effect I am aiming for. 

I already rubbed of some of the patina and you can see the brass beneath ^^ Just because I am working really in a generous way with the paint, acids and dyes!

Afterwards I rubbed on some more of the metall paint on top. Just with a nearly dry brush I took a little bit paint, went over a paper several times and then went over the frames. This allows me to get paint on every small structure without just overpainting it. And yes, for this I am using a brush and not my fingertips (normally I am adding acrylic paint on my polymer clay pieces my hand ;)).

Just a comparison before and after rubbing on new metall paint... also the first layer of the sealant is on top of the right one. That is why it looks a little bit wet.

 And here the overview of the finished frames: two made with brass and two made with bronze.

I think the bronze makes better images... but seeing the frames in reality the brass is more striking and the bronze more subtle. 

The discussion now would be what to put inside... I would be voting for simple black and white or sepia pictures but as all four of them were christmas presents, I don't have a vote ;)

But I so need to make one for me. At least one... but you know how it is with creating something for oneself? Always at the end of the list somehow.

 And sorry... but I just can't delete more images. Believe me, I already deleted a lot from this blog post!

Just look at all the small details...

As you may already have imagined from the repeated and quite similar structures: I made molds from either super sculpey firm polymer clay or from two-part silicone. 

I also know where every piece came from originally: Pieces found on formentera, pieces gifted from friends and their trips abroad (yes, I get shells and glas and wood and strange items as holiday gifts from friends. they know me so well!)

I not only used sea life "structures" like shells but also ornaments and flowerlike structures. 

And now, even if the images are always difficult with the contrast, I also have to show you images of how the reflect in the sunlight! 

Uhm... by the way the pictures were made at the last minutes possible before being wrapped and Rumpel and me heading on our way from Leipzig to Göttingen at the 24th. 

All these shades... love them.

And of course ammonites. Everything needs at least one, nai?!

Here you can see how different the metal and the colours is looking in the sunlight and in the shades. The upper part was bathing in sunlight and the lower was in the shadow.

And you really have this change also on reality! 

PS: Can you find the tentacles? ^^

New organic structures! My first beads in this year...

...or rather my first finished ones. There is a lot more laying on my table waiting to be sanded and painted and sealed. Maybe not all in this order! Next to started necklaces (yes, like last year I want to grow on creating them), silk wrapped bangles, a lot of beads (hey, I have to really see them next my beads to see if they connect somehow...!), new silicon and polymer clay molds and pattern stamps, paints and papers... and... ehm... all not in my work room but rather in the living room! I don't want to work alone, I want to sit next to Rumpel!

The first three images show pendants or focals rather. All of them have three stringing holes at the bottom because I love beads dangling from a pendant! I used fimo classic in white. While I normally love to work in bright colours I wanted to go for a rather not so "loud" colour scheme this time. Therefor I used paynes grey (acrylic paint, Reeves) at a first basic colour before I added the shades of blue and green. Like moss grew over them with time...

For the following beads I went for my different shades of brown colours I had at hand. I really like the effects and especially with the "curl" of the bead to the right I have to play more. 

I am not sure if I want to use these rather large beads in a single necklace or just the one in the middle as focal and the other two creating earrings.

Last but not least: One of my tribal and organic style I am preferring more and more. Especially with the large hole on top that allows to incorporate this bead into nearly any design and material. 

I already told you how many more beads are waiting to be painted...? Also.. ehm... from last year? ^^