"Wood and bone" - Earrings with old bone and wood beads

Wood and bone, bronze and steel... All of the beads are from old necklaces that I took apart to reuse the beads and elements in new ways. The bone beads are old and taken from different necklaces, like the black wooden beads. 

They are old and worn and not at all perfect but beautiful in their very own way. Combined with steel wire and bronze they are a little reminder of ancient human history. Tribal little artifacts. 

The ear wires are brass. You can find them in my shop here.

"Forgotten" - Earrings

You may say that I am really fond of this style of chain. This time I gave the brass fish bone chain a light brown patina combined with some green patina It is always a more random than controlled process but the result is so stunning organic, weird and ancient looking!

The earwires are made from oxidised copper wire, the same material I used to wrap the czech teardrop glass beads.

Look at the blue and green colours! It reminds me of old artifacts found in the sea or deep down in a dark and old forrest.

They could fit into tribal or post-apocalyptic jewelery (thanks Julie for that category, yes, soooo me! ^^). It also looks organic and alive and weird but still beautiful.

And again, one step further, you can find them here in my shop :)

Just like carved bone...

As I already wrote in my last post: I have a lot "stuff" made that I didn't show you. There are several reasons for this, like a lot of work due to a deadline, being still so full of pain (that always makes me very unsocial... I try to hide from myself) and something very mundane like a camera that is working nicely anymore. I am already looking for a new one, again a digital camera, good for macros but not too expensive. Until then taking pictures will cost me a lot of nerves. So as I am not in a mood to make these pictures again (or even already used / gave some beads away), I hope you will be okay with these :)

I used white polymer clay and dark brown (burned sienna) acrylic paint. These beads have such an organic feeling to me, a little bit tribal, I am really into them. The earrings were a gift for a friend. She was seeing (as well as liking) my first attempts with white clay and brown acrylic paint. She also like the earrings I made in the past beads combined with metal bronze rings on top, so this were just meant to be made for her :)

Some little round shaped beads that I sanded roughly down after adding the paint. You can see how many of the lines already are fading creating a worn texture. 

Just some kind of drops, again for a highly organic texture with the dots on the surface. I like to play with them in my hand, to feel the structured surface. Still unsure what to make with them.

And here one of my first experiments with the white and brown combination. I used cheap earring loops I got at a sale (like the one I used for this pair of earrings made with thread) and covered them with polymer clay. I added swirls and dots, cut the surface to create more surface for the colour later to set in.

Like the whole earring is a big large bead ^^

Can you see all the stripes where I cut the clay with a sharp blade? 

I tried with less brown paint in the beginning but I prefer this heavy stained look. 

Maybe not fitting to all the beads above but made in the same work session. Another friend saw the beads I made with the texture of an old stamped spoon (I also used it in my yellow challenge here) and asked for some smaller ones... in plain matt white. I am so curious what she will make out of them!

Beauty to be found

Yes, this is a little bone! You can see where the teeths were located! I found this beauty last year on formentera. Together with several other little bones which all still await their use for jewelery. The bones were dried and bleached in the sun and if anything eatable lies around, the ants will eat it immediately!

I drilled tiny holes (with my dremel, can't image what I would do without it!) in both sites so I could add a focal bead and a silver ring . I just have to look out how to find or create the perfect necklace for this pendant.

By the way... next to bones I found a lot of shells and other organic stuff from the ocean, which also makes great pendants! Like the one below! I just try to follow the natural form to enhance and also neglect its original form at the same time!

By the way: There is a lot to show to you. But it may still need some time because starting with this morning my nerves are all over the place! We have wednesday... and friday I have to defend my thesis (and survive the rigorosum!). My heart tries to explode inside my chest! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......................................!

Trotzige Herzen - Canis lupus

It all started with the idea of an image transfer. I had a lot of emails and talking andexperiments with Silke (from "für große Mädchen") about image transfer. Some of you may remember my image transfers with aceton. But there are a lot of other techniques around the net and the idea of image transfer which is not digital (although I also love and use digital image editing possibilities) has something tempting. An image you made with your hands during every step has another feeling, at last for oneself (or for me). Every step was made and touched with the own fingers. I love to fell the different structures, all the used papers, the paints and the acrylic media. This picture is for me. Or in other words: A lot if not all of the picture is me. Captures the moment. 

What happened during the night at late hours was simple. I was writing at my thesis. I love and hate it at the same time. There are so many ideas and solutions for scientific problems I had to solve. So much which I learned the hard and long was and in the end is a big part of who I am and rather important also of who I want to be. Science is about a never ending curiosity. The same drive which keeps me crafting. painting, sewing, whatever, keeps me in the laboratory. But this also represents the biggest problem. I don't have a real distance to something which in the end is work, a job. And with every work comes politics, small societies with their own rules, being completly dependent, nececessities which have nothing to do with the actual work in the lab but are sometimes even more important. This all is also in my thesis and to be honest: I can't stand it anymore. It will be finished (no if, no when!) to the end of july. Maybe some little corrections... but nothing more.

Yes, Michelle (from "Mich L in LA", have a look her mystery guessing is going on again!), for me it is like giving it away. :) All the weight which comes along with it. Do I fear a little bit what may come after this? Of course. But also I am eager to go this way. A lot of job applications already went their way, also an application to study a second time (medicine) and there is the possibility of apllication for research grants (already there are some people and ideas behind). One of this will work out :)

The "doctor" in germany is translated into english with PhD. But like with a lot of things there are differences due to the systems in the different countries. I have my diploma in biology. This is like having a bachelor and master. So I am a really traditional natural scientist. During my main studies in the third and fourth year we had to chose three main courses in biology and one main course from another discipline (the first two years are the same for everyone with really verything, from zoology to physics, from microbiology to informatic). I had neurobiology (I guess most of you are not surprised ^^), microbiology, genetics and for the non-biology topic, molecular medicine.

After my diploma work (which is done in the fifth year after the oral exams) I started with my doctoral work. This is a research work for about three to five years (for a Dr. rerum naturalis or short Dr. rer. nat, yes, all our doctor titles have different prerequesites ^^). 

I already gave you in my last blog post the link to PhD comics but maybe just have a look at this youtube video and listen to the song: So true! One wants to laugh and cry at the same time. This video was sent in minutes through all labs and institutes! 

But in the end it is not only a work which teaches ones a lot about the own research but also about oneself. A lot of people go through the same experiences like me. At least, I am not alone ;) 

Back to the night... I just had to work with my hands and not on the computer. A small and little project I thought because time is limited.

 I transfered the wolf (Canis lupus) skull on old paper sites (from the book - Trotzige Herzen, which means defiant hearts). I played with several transfers and then started to paint on one. I had an old newspaper lying below to protect my table. After adding more and more details to the old book paper and the skull I thought that it would be a good idea to add a body and just started to expand my painting from the book site to the newspaper.

I used laquer pens, acrylic colours, water acrylic paints, 3D acrylib body art medium, pens and a paint which is named Inka-gold from viva decor (I used lava green). I applied it with brushed, sticks, paper and my fingers. Especially the last I used a lot of times. I found paint in my hair, in my face, on my lips and also on my nails at the next morning. ^^ 

Sometimes this happens with me: Painting in a rush without thinking. I belive that it keeps me sane and that the result is something which has a lot to do with me. And yes, I can find myself in the picture and even with all the negative influences, for me, in the end it is not negative at all (but that'll be all what I am writing to this topic).

This was my first try. You can still see that I was to fast working because some colour is missing (or smeared) and some paper is left. But it is nevertheless really easy. I am preparing a blog entry for the future about some results with different glues and acrylics for their use in image transfer. The pictures are already there for some time but the text is still missing. ^^

The pictures are from Karen "the graphics fairy". I already used a lot of her bones and skulls pictures! :)

The lines of the lung are to fine to really pop out from the background. I'll keep that in mind for future projects. By the way: All the pictures were printed with a laser printer!

Bigger glas magnets...

With my crow...

...and of course again the little chameleon and snake skeleton from Karen (the graphics fairy)!

I am still experimenting how to get the snake with the best effect on fabric ^^

I displayed my magnets on an empty whisky package which is made out of metal. 

Okay, without glas nuggets some stars. But I also love them :)

The horse silhouette I also created from a graphic from Karen and the tree from a foto I made.

Some stamped airdrying clay... i didn't smoothe the edges... I wanted to see the effect it created.

 

Post it's with magnets on the back... like the ones of the advent calenders last year.

...and even some colour under glas ^^

Fish bones stamp...

This is such a fast project, shame on me to even post it ^^

Although I normally make my own design to carve I couldn't resist when I saw this little school eraser with a fishbone... 

Just carved the outlines (and changed the end a little bit) and that was it! The rubber was perfect for carving! Softer and better than most erasers I tried so far :) I only used my lino cutting tool with the little V-shaped blade.

Cute little bones III - envelopes

And my third little project with cute little bones (and pictures from graphics fairy... I didn't search for pictures, I saw the pictures she put on her blog and had to do something with them! So that's why there are this three small and easy projects :) ).

This are all the envelopes I prepared to work with later... I just print the desired pictures out and fold them into envelopes. I use the space beside or under or above the picture for the adress label and the stamp.

You could just set a frame or a speech bubble next to this one...

This one could get the adress as the "species label". ^^

This skelett shows on the recipients adress... It would look cool just like this! Or a frame could be added...

Also smaller versions of a picture are nice. This one just says loud: Give me a speech bubble! ^^

One way to create backgrounds for labels, speech bubbles and / or frames is just paint with artistic water colours on paper. You can see that I am still in love with my shades of brown...

The three upper colours on the left side. Aren't they beautiful just standing alone?

I cut out some shapes freehand (no, they are not perfect ^^) and glued them on black cardboard and cut them out again so they get a little black frame around the corner. You could also just paint a black boarder with a laquer pen.

The little "nails" are dots made with a silver laquer pen.

And put together with a skeletal one...

And then use all the artistic water colours again... I used my three shades of brown and gold. The black paint is an old waterproof mascara ^^ The brush is perfect, nearly empty of paint and after drying resistant against water!

See the gold shimmer...?

Looks a little bit bloody... ^^ not intended but I like it!

Again the finished one :)