"Mechanical Blooms" - Earrings

Sometimes it is good that I am quite impatient and show my work in fb in artist groups before I blog about it here. The reason why this is good, is quite simple: You get beautiful comments and descriptions!

One of these was from Meridy from "Two Trees Studio". She said (and I hope she don't mind :)): 

"Very cool--love the similarities (color) and the juxtapositions of differences!"

Gosh... honestly? My process is involving a lot of thoughts about colours, shapes and especially also movement. But it is not a pure rational process, it is rather the opposite: A highly instinctive process. This is also the reason why it takes me often a long time to figure out why I am distracted from certain properties of a finished piece. I would love to be able to describe my process so clearly like Meridy did! :)

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Can you see how they are slightly tipping to the front? They look good worn but it took me some time to accept this. Sometimes the small details are the ones that throw me off. As I said: Interesting to see how the own brain is working! ;)

The enameled pieces I got from a destash from Lori (you can find her here) and are from Sue beads. The chain elements are actually recovered / upcycled / recycled chains I found at the flea market. Last but not least, the glass flowers... aren't they also just gorgeous? They are recycled glass beads from africa. I couldn't resist buying them when I saw them at the Grassi fair at the Grassi Museum.

They are not too heavy but they are also not light weight. Difficult to describe but you'll feel their movement.

Edit: You can find them now here in my shop :)

"Another time" - Earrings and buttons!

I spend a day sorting through my room (work and crafting room). It is chaotic, still not even sorted completely from our move (1 and a half year ago... uhm...), overfull... *sighs* A day is not enough but that was all energy I could invest. I got rid of a lot of things... some in the trash and more to friends. I also gave old buttons and crochet lace away (I asked in facebook who would like to have some for their work). I still have a lot more crafting stuff to give away... and even more to sort out... we will see.

But even while I sorted out a lot of buttons... there were some I kept. Like these tiny mother-of-pearl buttons. Really old and just beautiful... and since my rule is: If I want to keep it I also have to use it (no too precious stash anymore! ...or at least... not soooo big...). 

So here we go. 

 One of my biggest problem was: Which side of the buttons shall I use? Have a look at the (also original) back side: You can see the rest of the shell! How absolutely stunning are these buttons to see where they come from?

It is always a little bit difficult to catch the sparkle of glass beads in the sun with all the high contrast and dark shadows. Still the earrings look especially beautiful in the sunlight so here I tried to catch at least an impression :)

The clear beads as well as the blue and green reminds me of water... so fitting for mother-of-pearl buttons...

...and again a contrast that I also love, the perfect facetted czech glass beads and the old rough pressed glass beads...

Both earring pairs make me smile and seem to have a story of their own. This feeling... a little bit vintage, colourful bohemian and playful steampunk... just a little bit of all combined...

"Dirigible" - Earrings

Hot-air ballon... ^^ Yes, somehow this was my first association. Even if for this the light blue beads below the "ballons" are a wee bit to big. Still, looking at them makes me smile :) They are colourful, playful and of course, they have movement (in the moment I just love the word "dangling"!). 

Czech glass beads (I think I got them in a mix years ago, I only had two of this light blue colour), bronze beads I coloured with vintaj patina (yes, I am addicted... and I even got more colours from a person destashing them for a great deal), bronze metal drops (don't know how I could ever go on without them) and last but not least purple and turquoise swarowski bicones.  

"Hidden memories" - Earrings

I had these gorgeous glass beads for a long time now. They were part of a random selection kit and I never found the shape and colour again. It was hard for me to use them but I try more and more to integrate all (most) of my little treasures because it is also not right just to let them collect dust. They have to be adored and loved and be shown! 

I added the last tiny piece of the violet silk I had as a colour accent. I repeated the colour accent with swarowski bicones at the top. A little bit of "dangling" quality had also be added (needless to say or?). And the key charms.... puh... I thought they are a wee bit over the top but this wee bit that you sometimes need. 

"Winged" - Polymer clay pendant

I made this some time ago... I really like it. I am just struggling to create an necklace out of it. But I am still trying ^^

"Cosmic whispers" - Necklace

Since I like to give the jewelery pieces I make names, I try to find suiting ones. Not always but more often than not recently. Since I made this necklace with beads from a surprise bead selection kit named "Whispers" this had to be incorporated in the name. Just that.... mh... the piece has a kind of steampunk feeling for me combined with... Saturn. The colour, the ring... the planet saturn just came into my mind. Since saturn and whispers is a not so perfect combination I tried to figure out what feeling the neacklace projects to me. Cosmic whispers fits for me into a Jules Verne idea of science fiction. A little bit whimsical, mechanical and last but not least, the necklace speaks to me like is has a story to tell.

You see the big bronze ring? I bought it in my sewing store in the city center of leipzig. It is normally meant for a belt (if you want to sew one). A nice and sturdy quality, already meant to be worn and not too expensive (not cheap either to be honest ^^). They have them in a lot of different sizes and colours.

The other pieces I made with the "Whispers" bead selection:

"Whispers and flowers" - Bracelet

"Whispers and flowers" - Earrings

"Urban whispers" - Earrings

"Far, far away" - a kind of steampunk and overdue challenges

It is still not finished... What if I told you that this was from our january / february challenge at the german polymer clay forum I am participating (polymerclaykunst)? The topic was "Gestirne / Metall" (celestial body / metal). 

I painted my own little galaxy behind a cabochon using different nail polishes. It reflects the light just stunningly and it seems to go very deep (shades of blue and violet). I tried to catch this on the photo but it is difficult. 

The pendant I made with polymer clay (fimo classic) and coated it in swellegant bronze that was treated with darkening and the blue patina (the paint line from Chriti Friesen and I still don't know how I managed to live without it ^^). 

Coming to the next challenge topic: "Traumzauberbaum / Mosaik" (dream-madic-tree... sorry, german just allows beautiful word combination that are not translateable / mosaic).

Here is a preview of the piece I am working on for this challenge. A mosaic of leaves and wigs and flowers... here you can see the patina solutions of a copper surface.

And of course a hidden dragon fly... :) Just now need to go on with these projects...

Steampunk buttons - polymer clay

This was an order I made. Already some time ago. The person who this got wanted together with a small button some going together with scarf pins... and also a really big button for display. This is also the person who got the steampunk polymer clay box because she looked around my blog and my shop and just send me a lot of things which I could use for molds or to make my cards! Really generous, I was a little bit speechless. And because I still was I made that box as a thank you. I am better with creating things for people than with the words...

And here are a some pictures of the process of creating. Like my template for the big button so the button holes would be sitting at the right place.

By the way: Don't let your unbaked polymer clay stay in contact with paper for too long. The paper will soak up all the polymers and the leftover will be brittle...

Of course buttons... (this pictures were all made at night, the time I am working with clay)

The first layer of acrylic colours: Black...

My "Written" or my steampun version....

Some of the daylight pictures (also not perfect but you know me and my time issues ^^)

The backside, one I tried to be removeable so the pin could be used for more than one "button".

Covered in polymer clay - steampunk box

This metal box I made as a special thank you. I know I don't write too often in the last time. But this is not only a problem I have with my blog but also in real life. So my way of showing that I care is rather by creating something for the person. Better than words, at least for me :)

This is an old candy boy out of metal. Very thick and high quality metal in this case not the thin cheap ones. I covered it with polymer clay (Fimo classic), used some glas nuggets and stamped a lot of textures in the surface. Of course I also added more polymer clay on top, little balls or snake like things. 

The original colour of the clay is a dark brown. A good colour should be the basis for such a project because even thought it seems that all is now covered with acrylic colours, the basic colour always comes through! 

At first I went with black, wiping most of it away before it was all dried. Then I added several layers of other colours, like copper and bronce (all with Reeves acrylic colours). In the end I used some aqua acrylic colours (even if most stores don't have them, try to get them, they are such a great addition!) and of course I lacquered it with shiny gloss. It is intended to be useable ^^

And because I can't decide which pictures to skip... I just show you all of them! ;)

Leather flower brooch - more steampunk

Another item which suits for me for my feeling and style of steampunk. I formed the leather pieces to the flower by using hot water and even hotter air (my embossing tool!). I love how the strong and thick leather looks floral! 

As center one of my polymer clay buttons and a metal brooch pin glued and sewed at the back :) A way to use up small leather parts, it works with thin as well as with thick leather! 

Buttons going steampunk!

This buttons all seem to belong somehow together. I call this my steampunk series because of the colours and... more than everything else... because of my mold with gears and clockwork which I love to use! 

But also the colours... bronze, copper, brown and black... go together very well and create this certain steampunk flair for me. Yes, I like it. Hey, I was a little goth during my youth and still am deep inside my heart. There is still this kind of aesthetic which I love! A kind of dreamy, forlorn, dramatic and longing, which goes deep down. I also love the mixtures which are quite often used for fusion tribal (belly dance)... and it is just a little step from there to steampunk. Or maybe a step sideways?

Also some scripture and flowers... stamps and my beloved molds which are not only perfect for earrings but also for creating buttons out of polymer clay (fimo).

Last but not least: My favorite mold (you hate my use of the word favorite, nay? But hey, it is really one thing which makes so much fun for me: Creating and using molds!). I used poppy seed capsules for this!

Out of the molds...

At least the earrings I made with my new molds :) 

Some of them are made with polymer clay (fimo) and some like the molds with airdrying clay. 

I either used black polymer clay or painted them with black acrylic colour. 

Just to add the metallic effects also with acrylic paint. 

As I said... no sun! Therefore I had to use artifical light to get som pictures :(

I hope you get at least a little impression how they can shine in the light!