On my worktable.... body parts again!

Since I seem to start more new projects than being able to finish them... again a blog post about what is on my work table right now. Oh, I am okay with all the projects since the main reason to create is to "keep me sane". If I have an idea, I try to follow it. Sometimes there is not enough energy left in me (the beginning of the dark time of the year makes this always worse) but at other times my head is overflowing of ideas and images. 

I made a little comic style skull again. The last ones I made at the same time of the year in 2012. Still love them! I also had this etched piece of brass lying around and decided they would go perfect together. This kind of ideas just develop in the total chaos that is surrounding me ;) But really, I have to see everything to keep my brain working. Still not sure how some kind of order with this desire to have everything in sight may ever be combined. I am open for every idea!

The brass piece still has to be sanded (I love gently and smooth edges!), pickled, and oxidized and sanded again... and before all this maybe solder some prongs to hold the skull. That was also the reason why I stopped working on it. Soldering... would take to much time to set up everything. Next week is full with work even in the evenings (one symposium, one conference and guests from Korea at the  institute) as well as we have family staying with us the whole week. Did I mention the chaos...? ;)

The arm was first wrapped in a cut piece from a metal flower (these scrapbook "stuff") and wrapped it with copper wire. Will oxidize it for a darker look.

Last but not least: I got little felt balls from Tine (Belle et la Bête) and started to play with them. I stitched a little bit, put some seed beads on top and finished them off with bead caps. Still, not perfect but I do love them!

Just look at the bright colours and the beautiful shape!

They are really light weight. Not sure what to do with them... ;)

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...

After a long time... ceramic clay again!

This beads are my first ceramic clay beads after a long time. I love to use different media in my work. Somehow I more see myself in the visual impact I want to create and not as a person defined by it's medium (like a painter, a silver smith, a potter). 

Mh... okay... I am also not officially trained in any of this too, still, I enjoy to create and there is a part of me in my work. So for me my creations are not about the material and but all about the person, the process and the perception of the piece!

Why did I come back to ceramic clay as medium? I just stopped because it was to stressful and often timewise not possible to go to a ceramic workshop. Now I joined the makerspace (this was my christmas present for Rumpel and myself: our membership there) and they got a kiln donated! 

A kiln I am responsible for now! Yay! They also got a lot of material and tools donated, but it all has to be sorted out (I am already nearly through and now know what is still needed or has to be replaced... the kiln shelves have some non removeable glaze because they were not goo prepared...). The glazes are all dried, but this is a solvable problem. I also bought new clay to test and play with... 

Makerspace logo... in black ;)

I bought different colour of clay with different properties but also for myself paperclay! So... can't wait to test the glazes (okay... I also bought some new ones) and a lot of techniques. My polymer clay molds already work wonderful!

I will also give some workshops in the future, about making copper earrings, polymer clay beads... and whatever else.

...and teal... very steampunkish!

If you want to have a look (but it is in german):

http://makerspace-leipzig.de/
https://www.facebook.com/makerspaceLeipzig?fref=ts

On my worktable...

Just some impressions of ongoing projects, some may be finished soon...

 ...some may become (strangely ^^) UFOs. These light beads are bone beads recycled/upcycled from some old necklaces from Rumpel's mum!

I started knotting necklaces or also rather some pieces usable for necklaces or bracelets. I like to have a lot of ready to use pieces at hand. The flower beads are from the last Kit from Rebecca's Curiosity Club!

There is just pure beauty in matte etched beads.

Also some numi-sticks on their way to become earrings! This will be finished soon because only the ear wires are missing.

But... this is also somehow the longest step in the earring creation process because I don't like it too much ;)

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 ;)

Chain ideas - Playing with material

Okay, one of my own self-inflicted challenges is to create more necklaces. I am getting there, slowly and one step for me is to play a little bit with chains or rather with chain-making. I wanted to show you some of my ideas / experiments.

This one is just a connection between donut/rondelle glass beads (they are lovely and quite irregular in size). This chain moves beautifully, falls nicely and adds a nice weight without being heavy.

I also connceted thwin beeds with jump rings. Because the holes in the twin beads are relatively small and I aso had to use tiny jump rings, I could just fit one bead on one jump ring. Hence there is always a connection jump ring in between. 

It looks lovely and normally I am more bold in style but this fragile looking delicate chain I just adore :)

Quite easy one but also effective: Connecting big jump rings with small ones. For me I need to balance this by adding more of the smaller jump rings between the big ones.

This is how the chains started ;)

Or how about connecting vintage mother-of-pearl buttons with bronze rings? I never can decide which side of the button I prefer: The shiny one or the organic, rough one with the rest of the shells visible :)

An example of just wire wrapping beads and connect them. This are some of my precious (although originally cheap ones!) pressed glass beads. They have a feeling / looks that always brings past times into my mind. If you know where I could get more, please tell me!

Okay, I couldn't edit this image! I already have more chain versions on my table but need some more time to take pictures. :)

On my worktable

Truth is: This was my worktable in 2014. Still it looks quite the same and most of the projects are not finished up until now. Above you see my little soldering set-up (also where I torch fire my bronze clay... in case you wondered why there is such a big hole already in my coal block ^^). I was already getting some experience in metal work when I was in the 9th grade. If you know my blog, I already showed some of my pieces I did then. Honestly? I am more impressed than ever what I did back then!

I already know the theory, I did this internship in the 9th grade as well as a weekend workshop end of 2013 (where did the last year go?). What is missing is the practice and more importantly: The feeling for the material. There is no reading, watching, whatever helping... except for practice. So, I am on my way!

What else: I am playing with chain ideas. More of this the next days, just as a small impression this little chain fragment made with swarowski bicones. I got them from a friend and used them all up. Now I need to get some more. I really like the look and movement this simple chain gets and with the wire wrapping the bicones really looks great. I am not a too big fan of shiny with more shiny things but the antiqued wire combined with the clear sparkles of the bicones is something, that speaks to me.

I am a little bit stuck with this necklace. Even though I already love it! It is a piece of ceramic a friend found at the ocean and gave it to me. I bought the tutorial "Starry Shards" from fanciful devices / Marina but insteadt of making the starry shards I framed/soldered the ceramic piece. The little white bead is one of my polymer clay beads and I also used several glass, stone and metal beads. I just run out of fitting pieces... so I am still incubating ideas in my head how to go on.

The lampwork beads I caught in a facebook auction and are made by Sue Reynolds (aren't they lovely?) and combined them with some hammered wire (silver filled with copper). 

Some more polymer clay beads in various stages of creation. All of them far away from being finished.

But you may already get the organic, rough texture...! 

On my table...

On my table: Since I am not showing you all the stuff I am working on... don't get enough daylight anymore to take pictures... or just have too many work-in-progress pieces... that I decided to join 

I am making a lot of earrings at the moment. These little ones are always my bestseller on fairs. For me there are a great opportunity to test new treatments and colour combinations, pattern and structures... but they don't cost to much in term of material and time. Okay, for time it is only true if I make a lot at the same time... otherwise they will take long. But since this is also something I would also do to test and play, it is a win/win to also have something to sell. 

They are also the little dots of colour people like to take away from markets because they are not too expensive. My little sister Lachafa told me (and she is one not having a lot of money to spend at that time) that if she is going to a market or a fair she wants to buy something. Take something with her. She was right because I am like her. If I visit a fair I want to find and buy something beautiful even if it is just a great postcard! A small treat for myself... :)

I also played with techniques, new pattern, made some mold from vintage buttons (a friend visited me with her whole button treasure box!), new stamps, new powders I bought (from a nail art store by the way)...

While I love the text and the colour, I am not sure whether this butterfly pendants may be a little bit too big. I used a wooden base (scrapbooking area at the craft store ^^), glued some old paper on the backside and used polymer clay on the front. 

And while we are at crafting stuff... I also played with old book pages, stamp ink, crackle paint... I am using this for my boxes :)