Rings and things and resin!

I started thinking about what I was going to write this week....and then....absolutely nothing!!! Don't you hate it when that happens? Nothing funny or bright or even remotely interesting crossed my thinking path. Were my creative neurons on strike? What to do, what to do? Then I started reflecting on what was going on around me, and came up with a few ideas! The first one is freeform related (see last Wednesday's post), and has to do with my obsessive need to try out everything that interests me.

Karen Williams posted some delicious little Valentine rings on her Baublicious blog. I drooled and obsessed for a while, and then decided to give it a try. Her idea for the starting string of beads is solid, but of course I didn't end up making mine that way! No little charms because I don't own any....but I do reserve the right to add a few in the future. How about a little Swarovski heart or a sparkly dangle? Pretty but fragile....I wonder? The blue/green ring is my first and it's a little large, but does fit my middle finger. The black/grey one turned out just right, and I absolutely love it! I'm simply enchanted with this process, and predict many more rings in my future (and perhaps even a wee workshop). It's amazing how much design you can pack into these little treasures!

Next obsession, resin! When you forget to bring along your personal supply of bezels (to the workshop you're teaching), you're forced to improvise. I had a "what if" moment and decided to turn more trash into treasure. I've used metal bottle caps before, but I wondered what would happen if I included some rayon thread ends (saved from my fibre days) and then added Ice Resin in to a larger plastic cap. The metal bottle cap (with a few small shells and a bit of birch bark) turned out great, but the plastic cap was certainly not awe inspiring! Mainly because the colourful threads darkened considerably, and seemed to suck all the light out of the piece. Not entirely daunted, I decided to add some teeny stones, a bit of dyed silk cocoon, and a final sprinkle of fine glitter (to represent pond scum). It's not perfect, but certainly improving. I still need to disguise the white plastic, but what if I made a bead embroidery piece, cut a hole in it and then inserted the little pond? Wouldn't that be interesting? I'll probably cover up the white plastic with Apoxie Sculpt (I'm giving a workshop on that tomorrow evening), Gilders Paste, and perhaps a dash of Vintag Patinas! I know, I probably should have done all this before adding the resin, but oh well!

Improvise, improvise, and improvise some more! If you're obsessed, it probably means the universe wants you to do something about it. Also remember that creativity sometimes takes a vacation, but will always return!!

What's on my bead mat?

Or perhaps I should say, "what's on my bead mat", and rolling around in my head, this week? I had a lovely, quiet holiday, and find that when I have time on my hands, my hands just naturally turn to creative pursuits. During the holidays, I watch sappy movies, eat more snacks than normal, and search for projects to play with. Although, I do start new projects, I confess that I love to dig into some of my UFO's (unfinished objects)! Not just components (stash), but projects that I've started, and haven't found the the time, or inspiration to complete. I'm happy that I managed to finish my free-form peyote beaded bead, but both dolls, are still works in progress!

The starfish (doll form, purchased from a friend), is a definite what if? What if, I used freeform peyote, to bead a doll? What if, I combined it with intuitive bead embroidery? What if, I resisted the internal urge, to finish the doll quickly? Interestingly enough, this doll is turning out to be quite challenging. Freeform is all about problem solving, and some problems, just don't want to be solved quickly! I'm a lot further ahead, but my mind needs rest, before agreeing to unlock more of the puzzle pieces. The second doll (designed and stitched by yours truly), was started in my last doll workshop. She's a little sad, but is sitting patiently on my messy worktable, waiting for me to throw her a few beads. Poor neglected baby!

On the mixed media front, I spotted a simple tutorial, somewhere on the web (sorry, but I didn't save it), showing someone making beads, out of two-part epoxy clay (either Apoxie Sculpt, or Crystal Clay), grommets (or were they eyelets?) and wooden beads. Of course, I just had to try it, and then expand on some of the steps (my mind just never stops). I painted the beads with Vintag Patinas, distressed them, and then added Iced Enamels and micro beads (but only to the larger one). Not perfect, but the technique definitely shows promise. In addition, I made a rather sloppy attempt, at a flower cabochon, while using up some of my leftover clay (remember, I'm still not a sculptor...). But what's happened to those pearls, you say? Absolutely nothing! I did make a little bracelet, for a future Inspiration, but ideas for my pearls, are just not coming......Perhaps next week! Right now, I seem to be more interested in my rusty cloth, hand embroidery project (I'll sneak a few photos in, one day!).

I've also been getting up close, and personal with more than a few blogs. One of my favourites is The Altered Page, by Seth Apter. Absolutely nothing to do with jewellery, but his mixed media, graffiti style, does fill my eyes with colour, and my head with trends and techniques. If you're interested, check out this post! You'd be surprised at how easily transferable, some of his colours, ideas and trend watches, are to your jewellery projects.

Rest, relax, and try to finish off just one more project, before the year ends. Be safe, and I promise that we'll chat more, next week, and next year!

Inked, brushed, heated and altered!

Dwyn presented me with a bit of a challenge the other day, when she handed me a string of metal, brushed silver beads, and asked me to work my "magic" on them. Not being one to shy away from such a challenge I decided that it was time to play! As I didn't want to wreck my gifted beads, I rooted around in my stash, until I found a couple of older ones, to mess about with. I decided that I liked the direction I was taking, so jumped right in, and started altering the challenge beads. Hmmm, should I use Baroque Arts Gilders Paste, Vintag Patinas, or my trusty, Adirondack Alcohol Inks? Well, the AI's won, mainly because they gave the beads such a cool, distressed, look!

I need to warn you, that the process of working with Alcohol Inks is downright messy! I highly recommend protecting your work surface (parchment paper is good), and also wearing gloves, unless you like scrubbing your hands raw. Ask me how I know? I dabbed a few drops of the Pitch Black and Eggplant AI's on my blending tool (another Adirondack product), pounced it on all bead surfaces, and then waited for the beads to dry. The bead holes were way too small, for me to safely suspend the beads on a toothpick, so I had to resort to my Amaco, Bead Piercing Pins (originally intended for polymer clay). You could also try wire, or long embroidery needles (beading ones are too fine).

I decided to break out one of Susan Lenart Kazmer's, Iced Enamels, in my favourite colour of German Silver, brushed on the Iced Enamels Medium, sprinkled the powder, and then tapped off any excess. Now, what the heck was I going to do? I knew from my earlier experiments, that I needed to suspend and cage the beads, to prevent them from moving around too much, so I piled up some ceramic tiles (in a U formation), arranged them on my heatproof surface, and then suspended the beads (supported by the bead piercing pins) between the tiles. Now the fun begins! Hold your heat tool (embossing gun), an inch or so above the surface of the bead, and wait for the Iced Enamels powder to melt and bubble. Use a toothpick, or wood handled tweezers, to carefully rotate the bead, until all surfaces are heated. Warning, the beads will spin around in the heat, and they are very hot, so you must wait for them to cool!!! But wait!! There's still more to be done, but not today.....in the next few days, I'll need to give the beads a quick UV spray (Protect Your Memories II, or Krylon UV spray are good ones), let it dry thoroughly, and then carefully brush on a thin, protective coat of Ice Resin (again, carefully suspending the beads on the pins). I may give the pins, a quick dip in Vaseline, to make sure the resin doesn't stick. In reality, I probably won't coat the ends with resin, because I certainly don't want the beads to get permanently stuck on the pins! Eeeek!!!

BeadFX carries a good supply of the metal, brushed silver beads, in many shapes and sizes. A little birdie told me that even more are coming in the near future! They also stock Ice Resin, Iced Enamels, Iced Enamels Medium, gloves and wood handled tweezers. For safety sake, you should always work in a well ventilated area, and for those with chemical sensitivity issues, a respirator, gloves and eye protection are a must!! I absolutely love the results, and plan to alter many more beads (and other stuff, of course), in the future! How about you? By the way, I have necklace plans for these beads, so keep tuned! You'll need to be patient though, because I doubt that I'll be able to pull it all together, before the holidays.....