A sense of mystery

You may remember that I posted a while ago about that "Rocky path" tutorial that I had so much fun with. Well as it turns out,  Christy (the author of that tut) is a fan of my CaBezels. Lucky for me she took a pic of the pendant she made before wearing it out one day 'cause someone bought it right off of her neck! Way to go Christi!

To me this pendant evokes a sense of mystery. Maybe it's the colours,  or maybe because the rectangular cabochon holds symbols that make me think of a full moon in the night sky? Hey, is that a doorway on the right?  I wonder what it leads to.
I love to see how you guys have used the CaBezel molds. Please feel free to send your images my way and I'll see about posting them!  worlowski@sympatico.ca

The biggest garage sale around

We "creatives" seem to have many things in common, one of which is treasure hunting!  Yes, we love the thrill of the hunt and the act of  turning other people's trash into treasure. There is something magical that takes place when we can change something "old" into something "better" with our own hands.  That's why I just had to blog about the upcoming garage sale this Sunday.  This is an annual event that has been going on for many years.  I've been attending for about the last 5.  It always takes place the second Sunday in July so this year it falls on the 10th. 
It takes place on Beach Blvd in Hamilton, right on the border it seems where Hamilton and Burlington meet. Not only do many of the residents take part in this 2 kilometre long garage sale but people from all over come and set up their wares.  Some are vendors from flea markets too.  There is lots of parking on the street but you might want to get there by 8am to get a good spot. If you come from the Burlington end of the street I would drive for a few minutes to park closer to the Hamilton end of the street.  Wear comfy shoes, bring some water and something to carry (or wheel) your purchases in.  There is some street food available and washrooms too. (for those that might want a bit more info you can Google "Jimmy Lomax" operation Santa Claus but the info is pretty scarce) or click http://www.inform.hamilton.ca/record/HAM0870
For those of you using a GPS here is the address, 231 Beach Blvd., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8H 6V8
Maybe I'll see you there!
  

If only jewelry could talk!

I was reading the recent e-newsletter from Art jewelry magazine yesterday where publisher Linda, tells a story about loving flea markets and talks about one of her great finds. That reminded me of my wonderful find a few weeks ago here in Oakville. A church very close to my home has an annual "free garage sale" Yes, you heard me correctly. Everything is FREE!! Since my husband and I were up early anyway, we decided to wander over and have a look.



I found this beautiful piece looking for a new home. As you can see in the 1st photo it is made up of a series of loops of beeds that twist slightly as they make their way around. The total length is almost 36" so it actually hangs down 17" when worn and it is about 1 1/2" across at the widest point. The photo with my hand in it is just to help give an idea of the scale.
I would love to know the history of this piece. If only jewelry could talk!!

I'm so proud to announce my new line of rubber texture sheets!!!! (almost!!)

I just wanted to give you the heads up.   I'll soon be launching my own line of rubber texture sheets. I have come up with 5 new designs to start with.  I have MANY more ideas floating around in my head too but I decided to start with just 5. These ones are "same all over" designs. I have worked with most of these in the past in one way or another and I love the results that I achieved so that is how I chose the first 5.

Many of you are familiar with Bev's line of texture sheets "ImpressIT!" Bev has decided not to produce these any more and she has  graciously let me take over  some of her designs. You can see which ones I am taking over below.  I have changed a few of them so that the design will decrease in size from one edge to the other. I'm hoping that I'll have some ready at the end of May.  For now though Shades Of Clay is still offering any of Bev's remaining photopolymer texture sheets. (But once they're gone, they're gone!)

    

                                                                                 

New PolymerCAFE issue

I guess that I forgot to mention it here but the latest issue of PolymerCAFE is out on the newstands now.
 The magazine had a "Steampunk" challenge and the winners were published in this issue.


 The editor thought that it would be a good idea to include a tutorial for some steampunk jewelry in the same issue so my article shows how to make a large pendant using a lot of "upcycled" bits and pieces.(of course it also shows yet another way to use the CaBezel Jewelry Molds. You can see 3 of them used in the piece here)

As part of this tutorial I showed how to create your own texture sheet using some ballchain, a zipper and a few other things to help you create some long thin lines of texture. These lines were then used to wrap around the edge of a clay circle to help create the illusion of an old timepiece or watch.

I have been using molds like these for over 2 years now . I really like the way these thin lines finish off edges.   Here is where the big news comes in.  I have decided to make this idea into a rubber texture and make them available for purchase.  I was hoping that it would be available when the magazine was released but after a few delays it just wasn't possible. I will tell you more about my new line of rubber textures in another post.  I'm hoping that my first group of textures (this one too) will be available by the end of May.

Rocky path results

Well, here are the results from the Rocky Path tutorial that I purchased. I managed to make a few dozen pendants. (i even spliced my small bits together 'cause i didn't want to waste any of the yummy patterned clay) Some are strung on ribbon and/or cord while others are hung from cables or chains. I'm hoping to finally use the Etsy account that I signed up for soooo long ago. You can click this link to check up on my progress to see if I actually mange to list any on Etsy

Crackle technique with Inka-Gold

I received my 2nd order of Inka-Gold paints.  The colors are amazing.  Unfortunately i haven't had a chance to even unscrew the lids to look at them.  That also means that haven't has a chance to work with them to test to see how permanent they are.  I did however email Trish (of poly clay play where I ordered the paints) and here is what she said Viva Decor states that it is permanent after 24 hours.  I would believe that but, since I like to add just a little shine I almost always use PYM II Spray Varnish
 Of course it's always best to do a bit of your own testing as there are always so many variables but Trish's email sounds pretty promising. I have yet to experiment with the Preserve Your Memories II spray varnish but I will get a can and try it out.  Trish does sell the product however for those of you that prefer to buy in Canada it can also be purchased online here
I did however manage to try the "crackling" technique at the request of one of my guild mates and I am happy to report that it was successful.  For those of you that may not be familiar with this technique, it is simply applying paint, letting it dry and then stretching the clay  by running it the the pasta machine and therefore causing the paint to break apart.  Some paints actually stretch with the clay but i found that if i applied the Inka-Gold thick enough (i did 2 coats on the blue) it crackled quite nicely. (there is only 1 coat on the green side so it didn't crackle as well)