Steampunk Bling!

OK - I just had to try this out. Now, you can google "steampunk" and decide for yourself where it came from and what it means....but I am going to give it my own definition.

Steampunk is recycling parts from previously used items that moved....such as watches, clocks, fans...and you take them apart and reassemble them onto a new background into a new shape. So my background is a heart made out of layers of Friendly Plastic Pellets....and I'm using watch parts, micro washers, jewelry parts, crystals, and chains.....to create a piece that just makes my creative spirit want to move. I added the "bling" because I love using crystals and think it just makes steampunk a little more feminine.

It's all about movement! And I just absolutely love, love, love how this turned out!!!



and on a different background:




There's a bit of depth and I twisted 2 colors together:



Hey San Diego - want this as a class????

So I know, I'm supposed to be working with paper and diecuts and inks this week.....but I tell you....Friendly Plastic is just calling out my name and I can't let go. I have so many ideas and had to quickly put this one together as well.....more steampunk bling under glass:



Remember the snow??? It's still here! Thought I'd show you just how unhappy our little puppies are.....they just don't like the snow especially when it's deeper than they are!




And my back doesn't like shoveling all that snow either. Gives me an excuse to just sit and play a little while longer!

Friendly Plastic Image transfer

I think this may be my favorite technique so far. At first sight, it looks just like a wild piece of jewelry. Gorgeous to say the least....but there's more to it than it just being a piece of wearable art.




The center of the pendant and the earrings came from this photo:



And that photo is my Chico's t-shirt that I scanned in. So....Now I have wearable art that matches the top I'm wearing. Beyond cool!!!



Simply melt Friendly Plastic pellets and run them through the pasta machine. Yep, while they are still a little warm. Then you do a fimo gel image transfer from a laser print to the pellets. You got it.....Friendly Plastic pellet image transfer.



(OK, I'm trying to dangle my earring so you can see it! LOL) Linda made the pendant, I made the earrings to go with it and I tell you.....I feel like I just accessorized with a million bucks! Let's face it....not just everyone has jewelry that literally matches the clothes they are wearing. I can see myself doing this for every new outfit I get!!!

Another amazing reason to play with Friendly Plastic pellets!!!

Now, if you want to see how badly we trashed my studio this week (I call it my studio on steroids!!!) pop on over to Linda's blog and wait for the video she just completed!!! And don't forget to check the Friendly Plastic blog....the buzz is growing by the minute!!!

Friendly Plastic Teasers

Sometimes a photo is worth a thousand words. But tonight, since I've just returned from a "girl's night out" and overdosed on chocolate.......perhaps photos are better than words! LOL!!!

Left over scraps - not too bad, huh?

Image transfer - yep - to Friendly Plastic!  Oh! Wow!!!

It's going to be a bracelet...so check back in a few days!
Layered Friendly Plastic...this one is going to be for mom:

My version of "spash"

My "altered" spash.....so simple, but I truly love this. I think it looks like watercolor:

Is this gorgeous?  My sister, Colleen, designed these molds for Krafty Lady and you can buy them from After Midnight Stamps.

Friendly Plastic on a wood bangle which you can pick up at After Midnight Stamps as well:

A couple of inlaid pieces....but I decided to keep the one on the left not so inlaid.  The blue and white petals are a blended technique.

And a whole lot more that I haven't finished, haven't started, need to work on....there just aren't enough hours in the day to play!!!

Well.....after all, we took a few hours out today to have chocolate!  Oh!  What fun!  I think I'm ready to play until midnight once again!!!

Coiling Gizmo - Product review

I've had this so long I can't remember where I bought it, but I finally decided to play with it this week since I'd been making ornament hangers:



You can see the website here.  It makes an absolutely perfect coil. Great for 26 and 28 guage wire.

You can make this as short or long as you want.

It clamps onto anything.  And works quick and easy.

I simply shaped a piece of heavier guage copper into a shape

Then slide the coil on top of it.

Cover as much or as little of the wire as you want.....

Should make some fun ornament hangers!



Just google "coiling gizmo" and several sites come up where you can purchase this. This necklace used a similar technique and would have been so much easier if I'd had the coiling gizmo back when I made this one:



I'm thinking an updated version with fun little charms hanging from the coils would be quite fun!

Bangle Bracelet Class

Oh! Doesn't this make you just want to hop a plane to San Deigo???



Jammed with fun techniques




And you'll definitely learn how to wire wrap anything!



And how did I find bottle caps with sails on them? Just perfect for San Diego! We'll be flatening them in the Wizard and then embellishing them, both front and back.





Only enough stuff to make up 20 kits, so best call the store and sign up fast! Sat, Sep 13, 11 - 2. Now why did I only give 3 hours for this class? Oh my, I think we just upped the fun factor! LOL!!! And finally, I will have a bracelet to go with my What-a-trip necklace!

OK, who's hopping a flight out? You know you want to! Come on! Isn't it time to play?

More jewelry published

Belle Armoire Jewelry is out! I have TWO articles in this magazine and just a whole bunch of jewelry. Some is pewter, but most is Art Clay Silver. Just look for the articles written by Jen Lowe.

And enjoy!

More metal clay in glass

Oh, I do love to tease!!! So I'm sharing my "worst" pieces here! The stuff no one wants! Yesterday I shared the gekko under glass. So, what do you do with the negative? You fuse it as well! I do love my experiments. This was on a rather lumpy piece of dichroic glass...so I didn't like the end results as well. And I barely polished it....but it still remained silver during the refire and did not go white on me. For this, I used black backed dichroic glass, the negative paper type, and clear glass on top.



I think if I wrap some silver around the outside of this....clay and/or wire...I will end up liking it just fine. But what a great way to use every ounce of the paper type silver. In fact, when I teach classes, I've started buying back the negative space from my students at $1.00 per ounce. They love the "discount" they get.....and I love having all the little scraps!

And what do I do with the scraps? Well, you will just have to wait until Belle Armoire Jewelry publishes those pieces! Like I said, I do love to tease!

Belle Armoire and Belle Armoire Jewelry

Yesterday, we were in LA at 8:30 am and I met with Jenny Doh at Stampington! Hang on to your hats!!! She took 19 pieces of jewelry and ordered 10 more pieces to do a total of SIX articles for upcoming magazines!

WOW!

I think I'm still on cloud 9....I just can't believe it!!!

My deadline for all those pieces is October 15. I am going to be so busy the next couple of weeks...I don't know where to start...my head is just spinning! But I'm sure that once I sit down in my studio...it will all just fall into place!

Jenny asked me how long I had been a jewelry artists...and I said, "Oh, I'm not a jewelry artist at all...I'm a scrapbooker and altered artist!" Hmmmm....maybe I will have to change and be a jewelry artist....it really is so much fun! But I seriously doubt I could ever give up my love of playing with paper!

Today is a day off from creating. Kerry is having foot surgery. So it's a day to take care of him and make sure that he is on the road to recovery before I head back to my studio for a creative blast! I'm sitting here in the surgery waiting room, sketching out thoughts for more jewelry, how to take the tools I use for scrapbooking and stamping and altered art into a whole new world! What fun! What a great way to play!