June 28, 2014

Moving On...




I am thankful for the days when I feel most creative and the ideas just flow. This week was one of those weeks. One thing lead to another. And, sometimes, moving from one step in the process to another can be brutal. Feeling cozy in designer mode, I absolutely did not want to move onto sorting and glazing. The only thing that is pushing me forward is the idea of seeing these new designs with some color. Although, the idea of these done in copper clay, it quite an exciting idea….  These should be ready on Monday. Monday, Monday, Monday...

June 23, 2014

Summer in the Studio...

Getting into the spirit of warm weather, picnics at the park, ice tea and summer! If you can believe there are a few more designs. I am so excited to see these with some summer color! So much season, so little time...

Super duper, large lace frame cherries pendant

Simple frame cherries

Lace frame cherries

Cherry blossom bead.

June 21, 2014

Summer Buzzzzzz

I had played with Art Clay Silver 650 a few years ago and loved that you could torch fire it. As the price of silver has skyrocketed, so has the price of the art clay. Which was such a bummer! Over the years I yearned for the less expensive (but equally lovely) copper clay to be torch fired. THEN IT HAPPENED! Art Clay Copper can be fired with a torch! YAY! Cool Tools has it for a great price and shipped it pretty darn quick! It takes a bit longer to torch than the silver clay but is well worth it when you consider the price of a new kiln. Here are the fruits of my labor…


Knowing I had to keep a sharp eye on the pieces as they were being torched didn't stop a few from melting a bit. I find them to have their own charm! With a busy production schedule it isn't always easy to carve out time for something new, so when a bit of time poped up, I JUMPED to play with these new charms! The honey toned gemstones have been in my stash for years and were perfect for what I had in mind… the Honey necklace is one of my favorite pieces….





When I posted the original charms on my Facebook page, Staci Louise Smith of Staci Louise Originals was kind enough to offer me a bit of advice on testing the readiness of the copper charms. She told me about the hammer test where you tap them with a hammer and if it dents and doesn't crack or break the pieces should be fine. These passed the test! Another trick I read about was to drop the pieces gently on a hard surface. If they sound like metal, with no dull or hollow sound they should be good to go as well. I welcome all constructive advice and information, so please feel free to share any of your tips with copper clay in the comments!

June 20, 2014

Inspired by Summer!

It actually feels like it's been summer since January, but I am feeling particularly inspired! Here is a preview of the new sets to be listed in my shop on Monday, June 23rd at noon PST. Have a wonderful first day of summer!





















June 4, 2014

June? June!

Can you believe it is JUNE? The kids will be on summer break soon and I am looking forward to lounging in a pool with a cold drink in hand and some awesome tunes on the radio. In reality, I will be sweating and working hard trying to find time for that scenario by my nonexistent pool!! 

This is what happened this week….

 A few of these designs have been on the back burner for years (hello star banners!) I am glad they came to be before another July 4th passed me by! Ok. Back to work!!!! *Whip cracks*