ATC - "In my dreams"

This little ATC arrived in its new home. I had a hard time to part with it but love the idea that it may inspire someone else (at least I hope so ;)). The background is made with acrylic paint and stamped with some of my handmade craft foam dot stamps. The work really great. Okay, they won't last forever but they are so easy and fast to make and the costs are really low.

The lace was painted with black gesso and then the back was painted with dark red acrylic paint. You see how it comes through. A subtle effect that creates a lot of depth. The face and butterfly are made with polymer clay and some molds, easy and fast and lovely. They are also painted with black gesso for the matte effect. This allowed me to create the clear and glossy teardrop on top.

I really like this little one... makes me smile.

Wings to fly...

My last wings for some time due to different reasons. First and foremost: I used my last material. I still have some butterflies to finish but nothing to create new ones. Second: Rumpel and I will finally go to have some holiday!

Third: They look so small but actually they are a lot of work to make, a lot of steps to do.

These ones I made because I was asked very nicely (and she already had some of my wings :)). Also she had a lot of patience! She waited several weeks for me to finish them!

Still, seeing them before me, I have to say, I just love them! 

This time I went for a deeper etching and I changed again back to only a black patina. This creates a harder contrast (especially with the brass ones). I can't tell what kind I prefer, the more greenish imperfect organic look or this clean stark contrast. Maybe this will always depend about how I would use them :)

They will be on their way later today and I will see whether I may get some new material when I am back from holiday and also whether I may find some more motivation to make them. I need to change what I am doing quite often, otherwise I get bored ^^

On my worktable... (right now)

Summer is full of colours... just have to add ear wires to them all!

A tiny wee key I got from a friend to use in my work combined with some of my new ceramic beads...

More wings in copper and also brass this time... (I was asked soooo nicely, I couldn't say no... but now I run out of wing material... but will also have some new brass butterflies)

Embroidery yarn is perfect for everything! Wrapping old metall bracelets...

On my worktable...

On my worktable right now!

Maybe this needs to be clarified: On a part of my temporary worktable also known as living room table in a lot of piles and boxes lying and standing around. Also the term temporary is used in a very broad definition. It started somewhere and it might end sometimes, that could be called temporary, or not?

I drilled some plastic toys a long time ago. Time to wrap and use them finally! I like miniature animals. They are as weird as they are cute!

I found some old crocheted rings I made years ago. I made a lot of earrings with them and then I got bored of creating them. Now I may be tempted again. Or I may even find some more already finished rings ;)

I also bought a box with copper wash rings. Difficult to get, I had to order them online! Nowadays they are mostly not made from pure copper anymore. 

After annealing I played with texture, oxidised them, polished them again... Aren't they all ebautiful?!

Look at all the pattern made with only two hammers. All the not roundish ones are made with a simple household hammer. My favorite hammer ever!

In my hand you see my absolute number one textured copper ring! The secret? More force, less control ;)

I also can show you a lot of necklace UFOs...

This could also just be a bead assembly for a market ;) But I combined some cermaic beads from Karen Totten with some of my polymer clay beads and a pendant. Actually I love how they work together. Just the worst to come: What kind of chain/string/necklace to add?

This is an older polymer clay pendant I made. I love the bird and the bright blue but until now it was just colelcting dust. So, I had to start somewhere!

I made a pendant from a uglibead headpin made by Julie. I could wrap it after making a double loop! The golden leather and a lot of the czech glass beads are from several Curiosity kits Rebecca is selling at her Curious Bead Shop.

I also started using one of my bird skulls! Oh, I just love all of them! With crackles and metallic spots... 

Here you can see how I actually start: Randomly assembling beads that are just telling me that they belong to each other. I don't know how the elefant jumped into the imade. He was not meant to be there... but you have to see how well he looks on the numinosity bead made by Kimberly (the etched glowing one)! Is there a organic rustic playful style? I don't know but he will stay ;)

Uhm... the picture of the new wings is actually not very good. They reflected the evening sun to well and were still on the paper towel drying. But I made some more! I used one for myself (one of the small ones at the top) and will start adding some of the other to my shop. I was asked for these and so here we go. They will probably also be my last for a long time. I can't stand too much repetition ;)

"Black wings" - Earrings

Sweet little dangling earrings, I am trying my best to create earrings that are me but may also be a little bit smaller. In the last time I tend to make really long earrings. I love that and also wear really long earrings but they are not for all. So here we go with little black butterflies!

The butterflies dragonflies (somehow I got stuck on butterflies, sorry for that ;)) are brass stamping that I oxidised with liver of sulphur (yes, it is tricky, but I got the trick now... in about 50% of my tries ;)). The ear wires are made from oxidised copper ball pins I made.

The tiny lampwork beads just add a touch of colour: Dark and still bright red! They are made by Michelle Bryant.

They are sweet and still dark and a little bit rustic and... sweet! Okay, it is early in the morning, still drinking my first coffee and in my head it makes "awww...." seeing them, so I just keep repeating myself because nothing more intelligent comes out of my neurons right now ^^

I still have to think about a surprise for my first shop customer (there has to be one that is for sure!). I also added these black butterflies dragon flies to my new etsy shop here. 

"Purple wings" - Earrings

Okay, just as a warning: In this blog post are way too many images from the same earrings. Always the same... just maybe a different ancle or whatever. I was just not able to edit them any further. After some struggling I thought: Why not? It is your blog. Don't waste too much time with editing if you could otherwise create something new. 

Also add a warning, here it is ;)

The lampwork beads are made by Julie Wong Sontag from uglibeads (I always want to write Sonntag being german ^^). Lovely shades of colour, yet subtle and with a certain amount of playfullness...

...they were just waiting for the wings to be! I started my first etching trial this year since the temperature go up. You may remember by necklace from the Swap 'n Hop Blog hop (have a look here) with the butterfly. I made several and under one butterfly there was an airbubble and I just had part etched. 

I cut the butterfly apart and cut out the useable parts thereby craeating these small wings. 

They go so perfect together... what would I have done without the airbubble? ;)

And both earrings and lampwork beads a little bit more in detail :)

Newspapers, paint and thread!

I had to start creating things. I just brought some needles and thread, crochet hooks and yarn with me. I can do a lot with that kind of supplies but... it really couldn't occupy my mind enough. It took me some time but I found some great air-drying clay (it has a really strange consistency... and now I know why they don't use polymer clay here... most apartment don't have an oven. They are cooking and frying a lot but they usually don't bake in korea). I will show you what I made with it in the next days. Still have to finish the painting. 

But... with some newspapers lying around.. and some cardbord from the cereal box... I started playing around. Some paper beads, some cut outs (still just single pieces, nothing done with it yet) and this card! And... mh... I bough three copics and a white laquer pen ^^

The shape of the butterfly was roughly sketched on the newspaper. The several layers were sewn together to create the body. Afterwards I cut the shape out. The rest was playing with scribbling, doodling and painting all over. The butterfly was then glued on the card. 

Can you see all the layers? The effect is really something which I will repeat in the future!

And it is already on its way to germany. Next to this card I played a little bit with blank envelopes. Just with the new pens... To doodle around is quite relaxing. All of them are also on their way to germany... and next tuesday I will also head home.

Just fly to the stars!

There is not too much to say about this posting except that it features some earrings (and a pendant) I made with flying things like butterflies or a bird and of course with stars!

Some of the material I already showed you... mh... months...? (last year even?) ago. Some of them I painted, other got little holes made with my dremel... and all of them are now used! 

And in case you wonder where I got all these stuff like the different butterflies: A lot of them are decoration material! If I stumble other some butterflies or other things, the first question coming into my mind is: Can I make an earring out of it!

So yes, christmas decoration, scrapbooking items, wooden little things... all that stuff comes with me!

Also old and broken or just some strange jewelery on sale if there are items I can use for my jewelery! I got the great little glas pendants from some... not so beautiful... earrings. 

And nearly all of them got a new layer of paint and lacquer!