Chrysanthemum cane

I finally got a link for the tutorial on how to make the chrysanthemum cane. I love the look of this cane and apparently there are many ways to make this one. Once you make it you start thinking about all kinds of different effects you can get with it. Here is the link to the cane instructions in case your interested. The translucent clay in the cane really enhances the affect and no cut of the cane is ever the same. Here I made a heart and a pin with the cane ends, I can never just wad them up and throw them in the junk pile. No wonder I have no junk clay to use for bead cores.

Stained glass cane

I used Lorrene Davis' "Stained Glass cane" technique featured in the Spring 2006 issue of PolymerCafe magazine today. I didn't get the cane to look exactly like Lorrene's but I still love it. I covered a bracelet blank with the cane. I love the way it came out. Also shown, another bracelet blank I covered with the "happy accident" mentioned earlier on my blog, I knew that cane would come in handy eventually.

Photo trials and tribulations

I am still having trouble getting good photos of my jewelry. Here is a necklace that I just finished. I had made the beads some time ago and wanted to get it photographed so I could put it up on Etsy. Just not happy with the shadows. I have a small photo box with lights but I am still getting the darn shadow. Guess it's back to the drawing board tomorrow.

Photography

My first try at using the little photo box I got. I have had it for quite awhile and have been in denial about how to set it up and actually use it. For instance, what the heck do I point the two little lights at? The object or behind the object. It was interesting for sure. I can see that I need to find a book and practice. How little I actually know about taking photographs. The necklace is also a first for me. I decided I better try making something out of all of the beads I have. This is the first try at actually making something. Good grief, there are so many findings out there. How does one ever decide what to use and what to put with what and what to string it on and then you have to decide what to use to finish the ends. I just wanted to play with clay and now here I am with the realization that I need to learn how to do something with the stuff and then photograph it. Where is retirement when you need it.

Clay day-what a trip

Finally got to play with the clay. I had some leftover canes that weren't used in the kaleidoscope class and wanted to try another cane. I got lucky and love what I ended up with. I call it my snowflake cane. The first photo is the finished cane, the second photo is the first set of triangles that I put together, something just didn't look finished so I decided to make it into a triangle again and reduce. The third photo were some end cuts that I played with. As usual, not sure what I will do with them. The fourth photo was the second thing I wanted to try. I made a rainbow skinner blend, when it was done I sliced off about 3/8" and added it to a sheet of pearl clay. The resulting cane is a really nice pastel rainbow blend. The trick is to continue to fold the clay just like you are making a skinner blend, this keeps the blend true across the sheet. I'll be trying this again. As for the kaleidoscope cane, it will be sliced up to make pendants at some point. Whew, I feel myself relaxing already. The fix is kicking in.

Hostage sock and the negotiations

I have had a week without clay. Not good for the psyche for sure. Until I can play tomorrow I offer you this: We have a wonderful little Westie named Piper. We use to play a little game with her that has now become what can only be described as the hostage sock game. My husband has a bad habit of leaving his socks on top of his shoes in the bedroom. Piper will go in searching for a sock, every day. If she finds one she comes in with it in her mouth, proudly parading around with it just begging for someone to chase her. We know better than to bother, of course, she is much to fast for us. Unless we gang up on her and corner her there isn't a chance of catching her with it. The only way to get it away from her before it leaves a widowed sock behind is to negotiate with her. We go get a treat and call her in to offer it up in exchange for the sock. She happily drops the sock in exchange for the treat. Yes, we are enablers. But what would you do with a face like this?

The flower challenge, a journey in itself

A photo of some flowers were posted to our polymer clay list. We were challenged with trying to replicate it in clay. Sounded like fun to me. Unfortunately I had no idea how to create the colors in the petals. I used skinner blends sliced and layered, that would have worked except I had to reduce what I created and that's where it went wrong. Well the petals anyway. The center is a mess. Wrong green, way to strong yellow/orange center. I should have reduced it two or three times. And I used so much for the center I have enough of it for two or three more of these flowers. I'll save it and use it for a kaleidoscope cane at some point. I now have enough of this cane to last a long time. Not sure what to do with it. I have plans for the large cane but the smaller ones.....who knows. I didn't have enough translucent so I used white for the outside. All of my other flower canes are translucent so this one can't be used with the other ones. What was I thinking? Anyway, here are the photos of the flower and my results.