TruCreations

Fairy

2011-12-30T11:44:00.001+02:00

I’m not really the fairy making type, but a customer wanted one, so I tried. She is a full sculpt polymer clay art doll, no molds. Her hair is synthetic and she has a fabric flower crown. Her wings were made from a lovely tutorial from Jean Bernard. I think the wings are my favourite part. Her outfit is a combination of fabric and cellophane with micro beads for decoration. This doll is also the smallest I have ever worked. She is about 8 inches tall with a one inch face. Whew! Made me appreciate people who work in this size and smaller all the time. I don’t think this will become a habit..

Doctor doll commission

2011-12-30T11:32:00.001+02:00

This is a full sculpt doll and was made for a lady whose husband is a radiologist. He has a wire armature and the rest of him is all polymer clay. The x-ray is an actual one of my brain… so if you see any anomalies, never fear, I have been living for 43 years with it.

Chameleon commission

2011-12-30T11:24:00.001+02:00

This project was a commission from a lady that gave me a cute forwarded email pic of two live chameleons reclining on love seats. This is my attempt at sculpting them and I am quite happy with the way they came out. She will get them in the new year and I hope she will be happy.

They started out with a wire skeleton, built up with foil and strengthened with Apoxie sculpt. I then sculpted them in polymer clay, baked in fazes and painted them in acrylics. The eyes are black glass beads and the couches, which I tried to make myself at first, are store bought.

What do you think?

ADO welcomes me

2011-11-07T06:22:00.001+02:00

Thanks you ADO for the warm welcome! It is inspiring to be part of a community or art dolly people here in the furthest outpost of South Africa. There are only a few of us here in our beautiful country.

To read the feature, click the link!

Barrel babies

2011-10-28T11:18:00.000+02:00

They make me giggle. Credit for the original design goes to Trolltracks. Easy, fun and weirdly cute. Enjoy with me!

Wedding excitement

2011-10-28T09:40:00.001+02:00

So I volunteered to do some goodies for a wedding our church is giving to a lovely couple. Everything is a surprise for the bride, the only thing she has asked is that the colors turquoise and brown be included.

Below is the bride’s bouquet in progress, I’ll probably add a lot more roses and some gyp on the day.

This cute couple will grace the top of the wedding cake which is going to consist of cupcakes.

These two arrangements I plan to have either side of the pulpit. What a fun time it was creating something different!

Featured in a Etsy treasury

2011-10-05T08:58:00.002+02:00

This treasury celebrate our Grandma's. Enjoy it with me.

My beautiful daughter's artwork

2011-09-27T21:06:00.000+02:00

I lift up my eyes

2011-09-27T21:05:00.001+02:00

Three wise men

2011-09-26T22:30:00.001+02:00

Enjoy with me please, my latest creations. Inspired by Dawn Schiller's fabulous class I just completed, these three brothers ended up with very different personalities. The eldest sit proudly on his horse, dressed in his finest.

The middle brother has only one desire, and that is to enter dreamland.

And of course the youngest takes nothing seriously and is having a ball of a time taking a bath.

All three are made from polymer clay. The older two have wire and cloth bodies, the youngest one, well... we don't know and we won't ask. The pj's are made from off-cuts from my very own hubby's pajamas.

WIP

2011-09-12T00:20:00.000+02:00

Tree and ballerina update

2011-09-10T11:21:00.000+02:00

This piece started as an expression of joyful dancing of nature and us together. It has developed into something very different though. Probably because of all the hard things we have been going through in recent weeks, this is becoming a piece speaking of being entangled in life's stranglehold and looking upwards for salvation and freedom. It is not exactly sad, but to me it speaks of our very real struggle from birth to death.

He has purple pants!

2011-09-10T10:38:00.000+02:00

I enjoyed making him wear purple pants since I would never... To be continued.

Update on wise men wip

2011-09-09T13:43:00.000+02:00

This character is coming along. Just finished the shirt with purple buttons and now to purple pants! He is no wallflower.

David - art doll

2011-09-01T21:09:00.000+02:00

Three wise men - art dolls wip

2011-09-01T21:03:00.001+02:00

I am enjoying these guys. They are made from a tutorial by Dawn M Schiller - Odd Fae and Autumn Things ... Great fun to make, can't wait to do the rest!

Three sisters–Art dolls

2011-08-26T16:11:00.001+02:00

These pillow-form figures just finished! They are from a tutorial from the wonderful Jessica Acosta Hamilton. The torso, head and arms are from polymer clay. The base includes epoxy, wood and paper.

Miniature hat picture tutorial

2011-08-18T09:58:00.001+02:00

This is how I made my Grandma art doll’s hat.

Maureen Carlson

2011-08-18T09:55:00.001+02:00

This wonderful polymer clay artist was one of the first to inspire me to try my hand at something different than jewelry. Her characters are whimsical and a lot of fun to make. Check out her site at http://www.weefolk.com/index.htm

This little character is from another one of her beautiful books. Thank you so much Maureen!

Rabbi Aaron–art doll

2011-08-15T12:04:00.001+02:00

Rabbi Aaron is a serious scholar. He is studying the Torah, these are a set of real miniature Torah books. His head, hands and feet are polymer clay. The rest of his body is soft sculpted with a wire armature.

Flute praise

2011-08-06T20:05:00.000+02:00

Hannah art doll

2011-08-06T19:49:00.001+02:00

Fantasy chair

2011-07-27T15:28:00.003+02:00

Another wonderfully fun project, this time free, from Jean Bernard. Find it on the Aves site. I made a bit of a mess as I did not have epoxy to start with, tried polymer clay and had to patch broken pieces. Still, it came out fine, fit for a queen.

Thank you and harp,vessel and stool.

2011-07-27T12:30:00.001+02:00

First of all thank you guys for your response to my plea for help with a name for my lady doll. She will be Iris!

Then I want to show you my holiday efforts from a project by the wonderfully over-the-top-bling-artist, Jean Bernard. This is the most fun I’ve had since I have been a child! Tactile, messy, colorful and shiny. Go check out her classes, they are amazing.

She has no name…Help!

2011-07-23T21:36:00.000+02:00

Try as I might, I cannot find a name for this, mmm… unique lady. If you can help, please do!

Her head and limbs are polymer clay. Her body is made from cloth with a wire armature. Her hair is wool and her bodice is made from paper. She is carrying a wire basket with golden polymer clay eggs and on her left hand rests a butterbee… my own word, sorry.

Art doll bust–The Light of the world

2011-07-20T17:55:00.002+02:00

New full sculpt art doll WIP

2011-06-28T10:05:00.002+02:00

Oh, my. I said I would never do a full sculpt again, and here I go again…. A friend came over yesterday so we could sculpt together and she is trying to do a full sculpt. To share in the joy/misery, I decided to follow.
The plan for this one is based on the feelings of joy and dancing, specifically referring to the following scriptures:
Isa 55:12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
PSA 30:11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy
I want to make a dancer-tree. The pictures are not very clear, but no worries, in my mind it is…

So, here goes. Hope I can overcome the cracking and moonies this time, and also get the proportions better.
O yes, here are the pictures that inspired me. Credit goes to Carol Lynn Fraser of Edmonton, AB, Canada for the amazing tree and to Sandria Savory who used computer programming on an original photo by Richard Calmes.

WIP – Art doll bust

2011-06-25T19:18:00.002+02:00

I have had an absolute ball in this project. It is from a tutorial by Jessica Hamilton called Secret Bust.

The head has a wire and foil armature. This is my first time working with Prosculpt as well, so I was doubly excited.

The face is taking shape, still some elements off-kilter. I made eyes, this time with nail polish for colour – the only problem was, when the head was baked, the nail polish started to bubble! Oh well…

The bust is taking shape and getting stronger. Below is a picture of some of the stash that I want to incorporate in the bust.

Another first – Aves apoxie clay! It’s sticky, but with the smoother it reacts really well. I added fabric at the bottom of the bust . Now I’m off to do the hair. Toodeloo!

More work–men this time

2011-05-20T12:14:00.000+02:00

This guy has quite a strange face but I still think I can use him. His body is cloth over wire as I am working on needle sculpting the bodies of my dolls. I do like that I can pose the doll in any which way with the cloth and wire bodies.

This little fellow is going to be an African drummer.

What to do, what to do…

2011-05-20T12:13:00.000+02:00

This fancy lady has no name yet and is a work in progress. I am very stuck with her, not sure about her hair, her headdress, what she will be doing and her pose.
For now, she will go on a cabinet here at home till I figure out what to change. I did have lots of fun making her clothes though.

Some more pics

2011-05-20T12:12:00.000+02:00

Grandma got a chair instead of a swing, but she seems happy and is off to be sold.

My warrior princess is as finished as can be and will join grandma on her trip.

WIP - Warrior princess

2011-04-11T17:37:00.000+02:00

This is my sculpt after the final baking – phew, at last. There is a whole lot of sanding and polishing to be done before I can start painting, dressing and wigging her.
I have learnt a lot from this sculpt. This is a fairly heavy figure and I needed to support her quite a bit during baking to minimize cracking. Also, this, my first full figure was a tremendous challenge in terms of proportion and shape. I refered quite a bit to Pose library, go check them out, there are quite a few free poses.

Grandma is finished! …well, almost

2011-04-01T08:31:00.000+02:00

I am so proud of her! Not perfect, but after more than two weeks working, sweating, changing and fiddling with details, I am finally happy with her.

I might still change her jewelry, I think she is a bit more classy than what she’s got on.

For photographing her, I put her on a cabinet but I am going to make her a swing to sit on.

Love how the shoes came out. I made it from real thin leather and added tiny jump rings and made laces.

Isn’t her hat just lovely? I feel it gives her some personality and flair. Tell me what you think please, but be gentle….

WIP lady art doll

2011-03-30T07:17:00.000+02:00

I have actually attempted to do a full figure sculpt! I have to blame Mark Dennis (Madsculptor) for that, since he has the most beautiful sculpts in extraordinary poses. Go look on his blog, he generously shares tutorials.

Grandma art doll –WIP some more

2011-03-18T11:21:00.000+02:00

Poor Granny is hanging from her neck, but for a good reason. I shortened her body to give the caricature effect, i.o.w she is not the correct seven and a half, or eight heads high. Now I am waiting for the epoxy on the joints to dry that I can stuff her full of goodness! Her hair is almost finished being stuck on, next is styling. I am quite happy with the way the colour turned out – a greyish brown. She dyes her hair, but only once per year… Takes after me.

WIP–Grandma art doll

2011-03-17T09:14:00.001+02:00

So I sculpted the face, and I have to say, I love it. My inspiration was Annie Wahl style dolls. She is absolutely fantastic on my list of doll making masters. The dress fabric have tiny flowers, the hair still has to be died gray. She will be knitting – see the mini piece of knitting in pic, and her body needs to be stuffed. Very nervous and excited about this one.

Oh yes, I have to make a grandmotherly chair for her to sit in. Any suggestions?

Queen Esther

2011-03-11T19:46:00.000+02:00

This lady took me almost two weeks to finish. She was another one of those that almost ended in the trash. But being my never say die self, I finished her. She is in a small gallery as of this afternoon and I look forward to some feedback.

My dolls at Paljas art show

2011-03-01T22:12:00.002+02:00

So I decide to show my dolls in public once again and my knees shake… This was a new gallery at a backpacker inn with a twist. Look at the pics and you’ll see that it’s quite funky, a mish-mash of elements and a place with some wonderful potential.

I met some wonderful new friends there. This lovely young guy make garden furniture and ornaments out of steel. I told my daughter she should marry him in about ten years. She was not impressed with me… His name is Frikkie van Kradenburg and he would like to call his future business “Frikkie buig staal”. In English it means Frikkie bends steel. Sound cute and like he is very strong! For my South African friends, he can be contacted on 0735777384. Give the boy some business!

This guy is an amazing new artist. His paintings were lovely, but his drawings of fantastical creatures were amazing. I forgot to take pictures of those, but trust me… Selwyn Slamdill is his name and he wants to try and earn a living from his art. (Know the feeling, brother). He is going to call his business “Artrageous”. He’ll do murals as well. Phone him up if you’re in my valley on 0840267062.

This lovely gentlemen’s name is Pieter Opperman and he makes objects out of steel as well. This is South Africa you know, and we love our natural resources. His mirrors have a rustic feel with a little bit of bling in them. For orders he can be contacted on 0732567718.
Below is another new friend with a lot of wisdom and years of artistic experience. Henry Cordier is a fixture in the local art world and has done apart from his paintings some massive sculptures that are on permanent exhibitions or in private collections. It was fascinating talking to him and hear all his stories of years gone by. His art is all nature inspired and refined. Call him for commissions on 0182976064.

Below is little ol me caught on camera. What a fun day this was. I just love connecting with other artists and art lovers. It feeds me, inspires me. In fact, I have an idea to make… Till later!

Jolly Jim

2011-03-01T20:52:00.000+02:00

This little fun guy is having a “ball” of a time up in his tower. The kids say it’s a candy bowl, I say, who knows. Ask Jim.

He is a full-sculpt polymer clay figure made from a Maureen Carlson project. Simple and fun.

Pirate James

2011-03-01T15:58:00.000+02:00

This fellow was made for my son, Ian. He requested a pirate and mom obliged. He was lots of fun to make. His head and hand is made from polymer clay, he has a fish hook for his left hand, he shoe is a miniature and his peg leg is well, wood. He has a wire core and soft stuffed body. His clothes are custom made for him, and believe me, he was very specific!

Galileo

2011-02-26T20:12:00.002+02:00

Who put the stars up in the sky? That’s from a song by Josh Groban, singing about Galileo falling in love and wondering where things and people of beauty come from. Who made someone so divine, who made the stars to shine. This song inspired me to make my own Galileo, old now, but still searching for answers to the question.

He has a polymer clay head, hands and shoes. His body has a solid wire core and soft body. His arms and legs are movable. His hair is made from feathers, his clothes are custom made for him and his face is detailed in oils. Below is a pictures of him in progress.
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His chair is made from wooden blocks with a faux wood effect polymer clay back.

Baby Beatrice

2011-02-26T19:52:00.003+02:00

Ain’t I sweet? My little baby that I started months ago is finally finished. It was such a scary process. There is something so delicate and wondrous about a baby that it terrified me to even try and finish her.

She is made from polymer clay and the picture below shows a work in progress of her where I got to a stage where I just wanted to give up. Her toes were burnt and I just couldn't get the arms and legs right. But… I kept on going.

In an antique shop in a small town I found this handmade miniature pram. My mom decided to buy it for me and that meant just one thing…. finish the baby! She fit in there perfectly and to go with the feel of the pram, I made her some clothes with a vintage feel. I blushed her face with oils, made a soft matrass and a pillow and added a tiny teddy bear. Enjoy her with me!

At your service Madame!

2011-02-03T21:20:00.000+02:00

Meet Eduardo. He is a polymer clay full-sculpt butler. He carries a porcelain tray and platter with yummy-looking porcelain sandwiches!
The original design of this character is not my own, but I have no idea who to give credit to. If someone knows, please enlighten me?

Francesca

2011-02-03T20:58:00.000+02:00

One of the great things about taking a photograph of my work is being able to see things that need change or work that I couldn’t see before. This lady has a polymer clay head, hands and feet, a wire and fabric body and fabric clothes. She has acrylic hair and a polymer clay hand mirror. At the “photo shoot” she was still in her slippers. I think she needs real leather boots to go with her jacket. She also needs some hairstyling done and her face needs some powder.. What a fun hobby I have!

Lady Broom

2011-02-01T17:19:00.002+02:00

A character I created from a Maureen Carlson project.

Mr. A-stair

2011-02-01T16:59:00.002+02:00

He is an all-polymer clay art doll, dancing with his fancy shoes and creaky knees.

Julia

2011-01-02T09:49:00.001+02:00

Ain’t I lovely. This doll is named after my paternal grandmother. She was eccentric, loved gardening and had her very own sense of style.
Julia is a full-sculpt polymer clay doll, with acrylic hair and pearl buttons on her sweater. Enjoy her with me!

Bird-man

2011-01-01T15:50:00.000+02:00

This is a character from the Maureen Carlson book I referred to before, except, I got impatient and wanted to add “real” hair instead of clay hair. I also had this tiny birdie that begged for a safe place to rest.

More clay characters

2011-01-01T15:48:00.001+02:00

I could share with you all of the mistakes I made, but I’d rather not. For the first time in my life, I am willing to follow all the steps of learning in this sculpting thing. Normally, I would try a technique once, and when I master it, I don’t want to recreate it, it becomes boring. My huge variety of styles in jewelry speaks of that.
With this process, I realize that I am out of my depth and have lots to learn before I can create what’s in my mind…

Exciting prospects for 2011

2011-01-01T15:47:00.000+02:00

So I got hold of a book by Maureen Carlson on creating clay characters, and decided to try my hand. These characters are the basic ones, but though they look simple enough to make, I was all thumbs. Creating hands was so difficult!
This guy provided a challenge in having his legs crossed and still be able to sit..
She is holding a rugby ball and beware the brother who wants to steal it!
His shirt cracked and broke and fixing it was a nightmare.
All in all, it was wonderful to do these and I just couldn’t wait to make more. Can’t stop smiling when I am sculpting!

I have not been idle…

2010-11-25T08:56:00.000+02:00

This happy couple I really enjoyed making. I kept their faces simple, though my bride looks a bit ghoulish… Still, I found them easy to make and had fun adding the bouquet of flowers.
This is Bobbie, now mounted on a faux marble plate. As my very fist sculpture effort, he is very special to me.
Bobbie bear stands tall with a toolbelt around his waist, ready to get to work. Just like my lovely husband, the real-life Bobbie…
She is a huge failure but will keep on staring at me as I hopefully progress in sculpting. I don’t know what it is with me, but I have to always try new and different things, preferably very difficult…
A little clown for my kids classes. Easy and fun to make.
These two little alien creatures will hopefully later have an alien planet (maybe red) to inhabit.
O my word. Trying to sculpt a baby is SO difficult. This one will rest on a shelf for a while, while I go back to the basics of sculpting and try and improve my skills

Polymer clay classes for kids in Potchefstroom, North-West province, South Africa!

2010-10-18T22:15:00.001+02:00

Polymer clay classes for adults in Potchefstroom, North-West Province, South Africa!

2010-10-18T22:14:00.001+02:00

My very first polymer clay sculpture.

2010-10-18T07:22:00.000+02:00

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I used Fimo Puppen since I wanted a skintone that would work for a human face. Got the basics of a skull like shape going and added a nose, lips and eyeballs. I then inserted my premade sculpey eyes. I wasn’t too happy with the way they came out, but decided to use them as this was a first overall! The poor thing scared my kids witless… These are some of the tools I made from knitting and other needles with polymer clay handles. I added some flesh around the eyes and the mouth and really struggled to get the ghostlike appearance gone. The clay was getting quite dirty from all the handling, so I cleaned it up some with alcohol rub and cottonwool. Here I added some personality to his nose and smile, as well as some lines in the face. At last he got a neck and ears, after which I decided NOT to throw him away, but to keep on trying. At this point, I decided to stop making changes to his face, accept him the way he was and finish him up. He got hair and a beard. His nose got a bit scorched in the oven, so I decided to adapt his colouring to go with the burn…. Here he is, all made up and ready for…?
He is temporarily being housed by a friendly tree stump. Whew, what a journey. It took me a week to make him, lots of self-doubt and snickers from my kids, but I did it. From start to finish. Maybe I’ll try another one…

Beads!

2010-09-29T17:59:00.001+03:00

A selection of polymer clay beads that I have made. Some are leftover from finished projects and some are experimental.

Some experiments

2010-09-29T13:39:00.002+03:00

DSCF0049
Originally uploaded by TruCreations

The one on the bottom left is a Christi Friesen-like bead.

Christi Friesen Festival

2010-06-26T13:23:00.003+03:00

When I first tried my hand at polymer clay some two and a half years ago, Christi Friesen was my immediate inspiration. Her pieces are fun, fantastic and, believe it or not, if you let go and just create, you can really learn from her.
Look at this unbelievable wall piece from her website (http://www.cforiginals.net/).

It makes me smile and want to get to work. I remember reading in one of her tutorials that fingerprints on clay are fine, it adds texture. That set me free in quite a few projects, depending on the end result I wanted.
So I made some pieces from her free tutorials and this is what some of them look like:

There is even a group on Flick that copies and explore her style. I bought one of her books and loved the clear, funny instructions that go with each project.

All for Agate

2010-06-26T12:12:00.002+03:00

Agate is a microcrystalline variety of quartz (silica), chiefly chalcedony, characterized by its fineness of grain and brightness of color. Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are classically associated with volcanic rocks but can be common in certain metamorphic rocks.
^{Surfing the net, there are many variations in color and texture. A wonderful tutorial is found at http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/faux_agate.html . I really enjoyed grating the cold clay and shaping the balls of clay. The translucency in the final baked product has to been seen to be enjoyed. The top left-hand image is of real Agate.}

Jaded

2010-06-26T11:58:00.001+03:00

Wikipedia tells me this: Jade is an ornamental stone. The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals.

Nephrite can be found in a creamy white form (known in China as "mutton fat" jade) as well as in a variety of green colours, whereas jadeite shows more colour variations, including blue, lavender-mauve, pink, and emerald-green colours.

I tried a tutorial on making faux polymer clay jade from http://www.claycave.com/tutorial_jade.html and http://paroledepate.canalblog.com/archives/2005/10/27/914926.html and came up with some very different colour results. Next time I will stamp or texture the clay before baking. Top left-hand image is of real Jade.

Technorati Tags: polymer clay,faux,jewelry,jade,tutorial

Goldstone

2010-06-25T14:37:00.001+03:00

Goldstone is a type of glittering glass made in a low-oxygen reducing atmosphere. The finished product can take a smooth polish and be carved into beads, figurines, or other artifacts suitable for semiprecious stone, and in fact goldstone is often mistaken for or misrepresented as a natural material. This according to Wikipedia.

I loved the look of these stones and found a tutorial at http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/faux_goldstone.html

Real Goldstone look like this:

and some of my creations from the polymer clay version, look like this. Excuse the wire techniques, I am still learning and trying to be more precise… Here I combined Goldstone with copper, gold and silver colored wire. I think the copper looks best, don’t you?

Technorati Tags: polymer clay,faux,jewelry,goldstone,tutorial

Wow for Paua shell and Abalone

2010-06-25T13:58:00.002+03:00

God’s creation in the ocean is magnificent. As an avid scuba-diver, I have the privilege to enjoy this majestic world on a regular basis. As creative people, we basically recreate what already is, from the perspective of our mind’s eye.

Some very clever people have shared techniques to recreate these effects with polymer clay. For wonderful instructions on making an Abalone cane see http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/faux_abalone.html and for Paua shell see http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/faux_paua.html
I still have some of these canes left-over and am excited to try different things with them. Enjoy as you create!

Technorati Tags: faux,polymer clay,abalone,paua,jewelry,tutorial

A rose is a rose…

2010-06-25T11:55:00.002+03:00

Three dimensional roses are one of the easiest flowers to make from polymer clay. I learnt my technique from the Polymer clayspot. http://www.jaedworks.com/clayspot/techniques/roses.html
The pendant on the bottom features a millefiori rose that I learnt from Cristalline’s website. http://cristalline.blogspot.com/2009/02/tutoriel-canne-rose.html
Thank you guys for your generosity in sharing these wonderful techniques!

Technorati Tags: roses,polymer clay,jewelry,tutorial

Calla lily story

2010-06-24T11:52:00.003+03:00

I love flowers and try to recreate them after a fashion with polymer clay. To get the picture that I have in my head translated to the clay is the goal. The top, very pink, calla lily was my first try at this flower. I don’t want to make it life-like, yet have it be recognizable.
With the second lily, I managed to tone down the color and added a shimmering effect with mica powders. For anyone who wants to know, the lily is formed by cutting a round shape out of a sheet of clay. It is then folded around a round object. The edges of the flower are pinched by hand and manipulated to give an irregular effect.
The Calla lily earrings were very popular. I added a long bead on a headpin to act as the stamen.

A little of this and that

2010-06-05T07:56:00.002+03:00

Some colored wooden beads on memory wire with a clasp at the back sit comfortably around the neck.

Polymer clay copper disks with stones make light earrings.
Pressed Czech rondelles on silver earring hoops with wrapped wire.

A polymer clay mokume gane pendant with swirl and leaf details.
A graduated colored stone wrapped in gold colored wire.
Small Carnelian stones wrapped in a swirly earring form.

Dangling, swaying chain, pearl and green earrings

Two bracelets, twisted and spiraled.

A gold hammered frame with freshwater pearls wrapped around.

FREE Tutorial: Spiral wire wrapped ring

2010-04-07T08:35:00.006+02:00


Free Wire wrap ring tutorial

Bling

2010-03-18T12:18:00.000+02:00

This ring is wrapped my way.

Wrapped up some more

2010-03-18T12:16:00.000+02:00

A playful polymer clay, wire and bead bracelet. Even my teenage daughter like this...

Another wrapping project.

Various fun creations

2010-03-17T13:26:00.000+02:00

The wire flower was hand formed and hammered into submission.

This pendant is my interpretations of a project in Step by Step wire jewelry magazine. The flowers are made from polymer clay

Dangling

2010-03-17T13:23:00.000+02:00

The pair on the left are made from polymer clay, silver leaf and inking effects with crystals dangling.
The other pair are polymer clay disks, wrapped in annealed wire.

Wirework

2010-03-17T13:22:00.000+02:00

I have had this flower for a long time and never found a way to use it. Love the way the simple wire spirals show off the flower.

Some more wire creations. I still need to work on neatness though!

Wrapped glass bead bracelets

2010-03-11T18:16:00.000+02:00

Cross and cuffs

2010-03-11T18:04:00.000+02:00

A polymer clay cross pendant.

This shell like faux effect is created by polymer clay on a bracelet blank

Trying my hand at rings again

2010-03-11T18:01:00.000+02:00

This is my attempt at the love knot ring from Step by step wire magazine.
I love the colour of the stone and its combination with the silver wire
This one is from a project by Step by Step wire magazine.

Fiery flower

2010-03-11T18:00:00.000+02:00

My polymer clay fiery flower gets a necklace at last. I made it choker size and it really makes a statement wearing it.

Two necklaces made to order

2010-03-11T17:55:00.000+02:00

The necklace on the left is made by combining a Russian amber stone with gold polymer clay. The one on the right are a naturalistic combination of semi-precious stones, glass beads, pearls and crystals

Polymer clay pendants

2010-03-11T17:48:00.000+02:00

What I've been up to

2010-02-20T14:25:00.001+02:00

Wire and stone bracelets

2009-11-07T08:35:00.002+02:00

Pendants rescued from the "what to do with them?" box

2009-11-07T08:34:00.001+02:00

2009-11-07T08:33:00.000+02:00

A polymer clay flower, framed by wire and hanging from a pearl, gemstone and glass bead necklce

Engineering jeweller?

2009-10-21T14:32:00.001+02:00

This pendant is made from polymer clay, with some flower cane slices and crystals added. The challenge, every time, is to make the thing your working on, wearable. Practical. That's where the engineering skills come in. How do I attach this pendant to a necklace? How and where do I position the bail? It's got to look good and also be strong.

Take the challenge of this flower for instance. Nice idea, to make bold purple flower petals. The question was how to get them all together in a flower shape, how to make them stay in the desired position. Then there's the issue of the back of the pendant. Ok, so I figure out the getting together of the petals. But, to sell it, it has to look good at the back as well. Challenging, but fun, especially once it starts working.

This polymer clay butterfly presented more engineering, structural challenges. Questions were, do I use clay for little feelers, or wire. Will the wire look to harsh? I wanted to add a gemstone dangling from the butterfly but first I had to make it strong enough to carry the weight of the stone.

I am convinced after making jewelry full-time for about a year that BOTH sides of my brain are optimally used. Idea, design, the making of the thing, assembly, finishing, photographing, successfully wearing and/or selling it. This is the process with every single piece - and I am loving it.

2009-10-21T14:12:00.000+02:00

Some more jewelry done some months ago. With this one, I was determined to incorporate my favourite elements of the moment, into one piece. Polymer clay, wire and pearls.

Here I tried to achieve a faux paua shell effect in the polymer clay pendant. Of course I had to practice my wire wrapping skills.

More flowery creations

2009-10-14T21:06:00.003+02:00

I wanted to combine, for some reason, the colours purple, maroon, orange and white, to see what it would look like in a flower, and this is the result.

This necklace combines semi-precious stones with the polymer clay focal element.

Some wire wrapping in this pendant. Rose quartz, coloured shell and some more quartz wire together, hanging from a chain.

Keats and Waterhouse stir my imagination

2009-10-10T09:40:00.001+02:00

John William Waterhouse

Spring Spreads One Green Lap of Flowers

Date: 1910

On leaving some Friends at an Early Hour

John Keats

1817

GIVE me a golden pen, and let me lean
On heap’d up flowers, in regions clear, and far;
Bring me a tablet whiter than a star,
Or hand of hymning angel, when ’tis seen
The silver strings of heavenly harp atween:
And let there glide by many a pearly car,
Pink robes, and wavy hair, and diamond jar,
And half discovered wings, and glances keen.
The while let music wander round my ears,
And as it reaches each delicious ending,
Let me write down a line of glorious tone,
And full of many wonders of the spheres:
For what a height my spirit is contending!
’Tis not content so soon to be alone.

Inspiration appreciation

2009-10-10T09:06:00.000+02:00

Browsing the internet, I came across a jewelry artist that simply take my breath away with her creations. Her bold use of delicate colours with vintage elements is simply amazing. Reading through her blog http://jbebert.blogspot.com/ I find a women who has mastered the art of SEEING. Whether it is noticing shades of colour in a mountain range, the complexity of texture in a national dress or the extraordinary beauty in flowers all around us, she has managed to channel her creativity in wearable art that I would be proud to own.

I find it such a exciting delight that I am at the very beginning of my creative life. Learning from others and finding my specific way of showing my creativity, is a process that I am loving. Yes, I made loads of jewelry that has someone else's stamp on it, but I am learning, learning, learning.

Forest Green

2009-10-04T21:49:00.000+02:00

A necklace showing an abundance of green from agate, moss agate, crystal and glass beads.

Splotches of colour

2009-10-01T19:29:00.001+02:00

This is another painting inspired by Mario Zampedroni.

I loved adding the splotches of colour that contrast with the dark roots of the painting and the receding sky.

Wired wild flower

2009-10-01T19:25:00.000+02:00

Painting process

2009-10-01T19:21:00.001+02:00

So then I decide I need to be a whole lot more free in my painting expression. I found a wonderful artist named Mario Zampedroni and I tried to copy his style. Thinking back, how can anyone develop a "free", impressionistic style by rigidly following another artist's example? The over-all look of this painting is ok, but this was one of my last paintings before I took up jewelry making again. Working with clay and wire has proved to be a whole lot more forgiving and allowed me to correct mistakes with a still good quality finish.

This is the painting that I copied from. I have to say I really, really enjoyed painting this and love all of his paintings.

Georgia on my mind

2009-09-26T21:53:00.001+02:00

Now the saying goes that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Being too shy to attend art classes and face possible ridicule, I decided to teach myself to paint by imitating great artists, like the wonderful "Red Canna" by Georgia O'Keefe, 1923, University of Arizona museum.

Of all the paintings I have done, this one presented an enormous amount of struggle. Her touch was gentle and confident, and I splattered and plastered to get a slightly similar effect. Looking back, the experience was funny and helped me appreciate true "seeing" of a subject.
There is an ebb and flow in her colours that I had much frustration in mimicking. This is one of the paintings that made me reach for a medium that I felt I had more control over, instead of the other way around.

Wire pendants

2009-09-24T21:14:00.002+02:00

A couple of my latest offerings. The purple pendant is made from textured polymer clay and surrounded by silver wire. A lovely transparent stone is the centre focus and freshwater pearls are added for detailing.

This one is similar in materials and differs in shape and colour.

A little birds nest with blue eggs make a dainty pendant.

Different wire wrapping techniques is used here to display pearl-like polymer clay beads.

2009-09-17T10:04:00.000+02:00

I just love this flower with its pearly shimmer (polymer clay of course!) and the cascades of fresh water pearls.

This necklace features no clay (?) but beautiful transparent glass beads. Seed beads are twisted on wire to create the flower centre.

My first ever object made from polymer clay was this rose. I had to find a way to frame it using my beloved wire and glass beads.

2009-09-17T09:12:00.000+02:00

Just for a change of scenery, I tried my hand at shrink plastic art. This bracelet features squares of shrunk plastic, painted with metallic paints and some tiny beads added. This one sold the day after I made it!

This was a step by step project I followed. If someone recognises it, please send me the link so I can give credit to the designer. Polymer clay squares were filled with coloured liquid clay and linked with metal findings.

2009-09-17T08:44:00.001+02:00

For this necklace I made a face mould of polymer clay, surrounded it with a twisted wire frame and embellished it with polymer clay flowers.

This is my first attempt at making a soldered frame. The insert is made from stamps and UTEE, coloured with mica powders.

2009-09-16T12:44:00.004+02:00

Millefiori technique with polymer clay pendant and necklace.

2009-09-16T12:44:00.000+02:00

This necklace was made by coiling copper wire and adding faux jade polymer clay beads.

2009-09-16T12:43:00.000+02:00

More hoop earrings, hammered and combined with faux agate polymer clay beads and glass beads.

2009-09-16T12:35:00.002+02:00

Some earrings made with polymer clay and put together with wire.
This was my attempt at herringbone weave with wire.
Sterling silver loops with polymer clay beads dangling.

2009-09-16T09:18:00.002+02:00

My lovely, creative, teenage daughter designed this logo for my fledgling jewelry business. I need to figure out how and where to use it in my blog. Any suggestions?

2009-09-16T09:11:00.001+02:00

Have I mentioned my love for flowers and colours? This necklace joins together pearl like polymer clay beads and a stunning glass flower.
Calla lilies just beg to be copied with their trumpet like shape. Sterling silver wire and findings complete the picture.
Earrings that mimic flower petals.
More calla lilies mixed with petals and pearls.