"Winter Solstice" - Ornament swap

Some of the rare few pieces that turned out as I imagined it! But... and there is a huge "but" involved, there were a lot of times I nearly threw it away! There were a lot of new ideas, material and methods I tried for the first time and way too much went wrong during the creation process!

Kimberly Rogers started the "Winter solstice ornament swap". What a great idea and I joined! My swap partner was Karin Grosset Grange. How perfect since I love her work! Maybe not as perfect for her... since my ornament arrived way too late at her... *sniff* I will show you the gorgeous ornament she send me as soon as I get the right light! I already tried but didn't like the results. So... will try again soon :)

First thing going wrong: My material order didn't arrive in time. I waited... and waited... oh... and I waited!  

The back is actually a postcard from the Grassi museum (just around the corner where we live). It is an old arabic pattern and the heavy car board was impressed as well as gilded with gold effects. To make the first cut was really hard but the pattern reminded me so much of the rays of the sun!

I also bought the sculpey face mold. Yes, a commercial mold but I wanted to have the mold for years! All these little moon faces are so lovely! I used super sculpey firm now one my absolute favorite polymer clays ever. It holds even the tiniest details so perfect and really firm even unbaked. Sadly only available in grey but grey was perfect for this ornament. The baked face was antiqued using acrylic paint and I added the gold details complementing the background pattern with gold (coloured) leaf.

The back is also covered with gold leaf. Both sides are then covered with resin. I added some purple powder in the back but the effect is a little but too subtle to really see it ;)

Some chains and czech glass beads to add some dangling because every ornament and jewellery piece gets better with "dangling"! The etched yellow drop just seems to glow.

I don't want to go to all difficult parts nearly going wrong. Just the worst (the one I wanted to start crying and throw it away): Putting resin on the back side it started dropping to the front (the piece was put on a little stand) and I didn't notice it. I saw it just the next day when it was hardened: A big purple drop around the nose. All the work that went into this piece, for nothing? But I remembered reading something about this resin cold glaze (it is only for adding a surface layer, not for big pieces): That is adheres to paper and metal and wood and... and... and... but not on plastic. So what is polymer clay in the end? Plastic! I carefully started to try to rip the resin blob off... then with a little bit more force and it worked! 

Now I just love this piece, my version of "Winter solstice" and if I am honest, I think I love it even more because of all the difficulties I had to overcome :)

"Morning dew" - Bracelet

Something simple, still a piece of work I am a little bit enchanted by! Maybe also a good example for an easy knotting bracelet with a tiny wee bit of macrame, if one wants to try. 

Etched green seed beads that seem to glow, combined with waxed linen threat (from "The Curious Bead Shop") and cotton thread, a mixture of czech and other glass beads as well as a gorgeous lampwork glass button made by Sue Reynolds.

She actually send me some of these buttons as a gift after I won beads in a fb auction from her (thank you again Sue)! Simply because I told her how much I love them but just didn't have any idea how to use them. She told me that they are mostly used as clasps and send them to me as a challenge!

...and here we go... I also "just" used the button as a clasp.

But I already started a pendant with a completely different way of incorporating one of these buttons! I just started it... months ago... ehm... ^^

A nice little bracelet, that would also look great combined with other bangles and bracelets!

If you want to catch this one, you can find ir here in my shop :)

"Frozen time" - New years first post and, of course, earrings!

It may be a little late to wish you all a happy new year, no? The time before christmas was just running away with work, more work and even more work, combined with christmas markets, workshops I gave and last but not least the creation of advent calendars and christmas presents. The time "between the years" ("zwischen den Jahren" in german) was filled with family visits and family dramas. What else? Thankfully most of them had a happy ending. Especially with the young dog of my little brother ("higher" than me by the way ^^)... he had a car accident. But he is getting better and better after the first critical days. 

I made a lot of "stuff" too. Some of it already sold (yes, it happens to me again and again that I forget to take pictures.... or that it is too dark to take them) and others I still have to take pictures off. Quite difficult since I need daylight for my camera and there are just a few hours every day. Normally they are gone when I am back home from work.

But these beauties, what shall I say? Made last year (how long ago that already sounds ;) ) with gorgeous rustic, crusty and organic blue lampwork headpins made by Kimberly Rogers from numinosity. She also send me some silk with it. Originally for some other earrings, but the dark purple was just meant to be with all the shades of blue frozen in glass.

The wire is wrapped with steel wire, combined with dark oxidized sterling silver ear wires. They have a good weight, move and dangle beautifully and before all, they are just magical. Frozen time was the name instantly coming into my mind. There is a feeling of old in the blue, of a hidden, deeper meaning, of stories untold but just below the surface... 

You can find them here in my shop.