Copper and Clay

Hammered copper toggle clasps in progress

I have been doing some copper wire work and punching out disks in copper.  Really Fun Stuff.

Ceramic toggle clasp with my own hammered copper bar

in my Etsy Shop

Another ceramic toggle clasp with one of my hammered copper bars also in my Etsy Shop

I fused a copper swirl into the middle of this pendant. Now in my Etsy shop.

This is a bezel type connector bead with a copper swirl in the bezel.  In my Etsy shop

A hammered copper button bead.  Just practicing with these still. Thanks to Live Wire emag for directions on how to put the wire on a button.

New Etsy Shop SingingGlass

I have known Janet for a long time now and have been watching her progress with learning the art of lampwork bead making, as well as, enjoying her wonderful blog and fun FaceBook entries.   Now she has a new Etsy Shop called SingingGlass . I don't know how she got so good so fast but take a look at these lovelies.

As you can see she has a rich color palette.  I think she must be as into color as I am.  And truly, when I was once interested in making glass beads, it was the colors that attracted me to that art form.  I think that must be true for Janet as well.  She puts them together beautifully.

I hope you get a chance to pop over and help Janet celebrate the opening of her new shop.

New in my Etsy Shop Today

A pair of washed denim colored heart charms/pendants

An soft yellow orange Daisy Pendant

A set of rustic stoneware beads

All of these are new in my Etsy Shop today.  Also a few pieces have been put on sale.  Hope you can stop by.

Pictures from my Beading and Bracelet Classes

Now that I have my DSL back I can share some pictures from the two classes I taught last Friday, July 15 at the Thousand Islands Art Center.  The morning class was called Beaded Cabochon Pendant.  The students were very enthusiastic.  None of them knew how to do peyote stitch.  I did not expect them to.  The class was about learning to do peyote stitch and making a completed project in the 2 1/2 hours that we had.

They all did very well.  I think I should have made the class at least 3 hours, as a couple were not quite finished.  There were 7 students so I was busy.  They were wonderful, helpful to each other and very appreciate of my handmade ceramic cabochons.  I had a great time.

Student bead work around my wild grass cabochon

Student bead work around my wild leaves cabochon

Student bead work around my cluster daisy cabochon

Two of my students working  away and enjoying each other's company

It was quite a hot day and we were very happy that we were assigned the ceramics studio since there was cross ventilation and excellent light.

Copper Bracelet Class

From about 1:00PM to 5:00PM I  taught the copper bracelet class.  The above pic is a collage of the bracelets we made and my model.

Student bracelet. Love that detail around the edge of the disk with the "c" riveted to it.

I can't tell you how much the students loved hammering away on the blank pieces that were included in their kits.  I cut out all the copper disks myself and drilled holes in all of the washers.  I hand punched the holes in the copper disks since they were 22 gauge copper and soft enough for that punch.  But the washers were much harder and I had to use my drill press to make the holes.

Disc Cutter for the round  pieces

drill press for drilling the had copper washers.

Students working.  Tools everywhere.  The noise was incredible at times.  That is why we were in ceramics studio!!!

Student Bracelet.  You can see how individualized they are. Gorgeous original stampings on the round disk with the "e" riveted to it.  Everyone did a rivet, dapped, use patina, use a screw rivet, textured, hammered and were very creative.

She domed the toggle clasp.  A very nice touch.

She put a flower on the toggle clasp and made lots of wild stampings.  And she had on some incredible jewelry she had made.

I love it that she stamped "River" on her bracelet.  Clayton is such a beautiful river town and has such a wonderful vacation feel to it.  I love coming here.

This was the model from which I made the kits for the  class.  I love how the students worked their own individual magic on these components.   

Busy, Fun Busy, Busy

I am now having a lot of fun putting together kits for my Beaded Cabochon  Pendant class next week.  You can see in the picture above some of the cabochons I made for the class.  I have already glued on the backing to save time since the glue requires considerable dry time.  I like to use E6000 since it is good with ceramic clay. 

I have come up with an additional sample for the class to work from.  This one adds a row of beads around the edge.  They don't all show here due to the angle of the shot. And I see a small bit of thread I will need to cut off.  I have struggled quite a bit with which method of attaching the beads I wanted to use.  Originally I used a blanket stitch which gives a lovely look to the back as well.  But it takes a very long time and requires some skill.   So I went with the bead embroidery back stitch which does a great reliable job and looks good.  The sample above uses the back stitch method.  The class is only 2 1/2 hours long so I am trying to teach a method that will result in a finished product in the time allowed.

Here is a picture of some of the cabs I made up for the class.  I totally enjoyed making these and I love how the colors came out.  I imagine I will be making some more before too long.

I made a lot of earrings for the show and they sold well.

I have also been very busy because last week I participated in a Craft Show:  Mare's Wares Art Festival to celebrate Canada Day and start off the long 4th of July weekend.  It was a wonderful experience and I am so glad that I did it.  I felt a bit rusty since I haven't done a show in 2 years.  I see how staying practiced helps.  But I sold well and best of all I saw many folks that I hadn't seen since my last show.  Great blasts from the past and wonderful reconnections.  And the organizers of this show Mare and Karen are just the best.  Friendly and helpful all the way around.  And the setting:  so beautiful.  My booth was nestled into a lightly wooded area next to an apple tree.  How pastoral is that.

More earrings--my hand stamped hoops with Vintaj flowers

       And lots of funky Lake Erie beach glass that my Buffalo friends just love and bought for gifts.

And my beaded bracelets which went well.

What didn't sell well, my new wire wrapped bracelets.  Necklaces were not a go either.

I guess you can see what I mean about Fun Busy!!!

Thank you for stopping by!!

Sue Beads' Challenge

I was one of the lucky 5 to be chose to participate in Sue Beads Challenge.  She gave each of us a set of these lovely enameled flowers.  I got the purple ones in the upper right hand corner.  She sent us a very generous amount.

When they first arrived I thought that I would use them in a seed bead creation.  But as time went on I did not think this would work out so well as the flowers need bigger beads to show off their great colors. Then I matched them up with some of my own handmade beads and decided that they looked great with these matte turquoise porcelain beads that I had made recently.

  And better yet they looked great with these ball head end pins that I made last weekend.  The copper turned this wonderful pink red color that also looked great with Sue's flowers. 

So I decided to make a rather long pendant that could be added to a variety of stringing materials. I used a Vintaj black flower that I lightened slightly with Gilder's Paste, lots of my turquoise matte porcelain beads, and a butterfly pendant that I had made.  It was also touched up with some Gilder's Paste.

And  I attached this long pendant to a kind of fancy chain that I had.  But it looked a little bare so I wove a piece of turquoise roving that I had into the chain and this is what I got.

 Thank you Sue for such a fun Challenge and wonderful enameled flowers to play with.  Be sure to visit Sue's blog for the others who participated in this challenge

Bead Table Wednesday 6-22-11

Yesterday was Bead Table Wednesday, but I couldn't get any photos to load to my blog.  Now I am trying again and they are loading just fine.

I am posting a pic of some of the cabs I just got out of the kiln.  I am making these for a class I am teaching in July.  We will be making a beaded cabochon pendant like the one in the photo below.  I am teaching this class at the Thousand Islands Art Center in a nearby town. 

Beaded Cabochon pendant

I made 15 cabs for a class of  possibly 10.  I made several of this pine bough since that is the one pictured in the class catalogue.  Now to pick out the seed beads, adhere the backing to the cabs ( I am doing this ahead because of the drying time)  and package all the kits up.  I actually enjoy putting together kits.

Thank you all who wrote such nice and enthusiastic comments about these cabs!!



You can check out all the other goings on on BTW by clicking my BTW button in the right margin.

Enjoy looking.

Color Inspiration

 Mary Harding  Heart pendant Colors inspired by Redon and Hockney

Ophelia by Odilon Redon

David Hockney Pool in 3 Blues

I have long been a fan of David Hockney's paintings.  It wasn't until I made the pendant above based, I thought on the colors in the Ophelia painting by Odilon  Redon, that I realized in my mind's eye I was seeing the luminous blues and yellows from a Hockney painting, as well. 

And now I have even more Hockney's to marvel at since he has been drawing almost daily on his iphone and ipad.

Here is one of his ipad paintings that I just love:

If you think you would like to try this you can use the ipad app brushes, just like David Hockney. It is available for the ipad and the iphone. I don't this it is available yet for the Droid.

Wild Thunderstorm Yesterday

My studio is in that barn!!  No harm done, luckily

My husband is up there cutting it up for firewood right now.  Our tractor is under all those branches, safe and sound.

And I can still get inside.  We feel very lucky!!

Bead Table Wednesday 06-08-11

It is Bead Table Wednesday.  I missed last week because I was out of town.  This week I have some porcelain leaves and round beads and  some earthenware hearts (on the left.)

These porcelain leaves are connector beads with a slight arch for bracelets.  I have tried out 3 different colors and they all came out well.  The center top is a cappuccino and is a matte finish.  Kind of nice.  The round beads are the same color as a previous BTW but because they are on this pure pure white porcelain clay body the turquoise blue color is more blue.  I think it is so interesting that the stoneware clay body has the slightest tint of yellow brown in it and colors this same glaze a slightly green blue turquoise.  I just love this turquoise on this very white clay porcelain clay.

I hope you will click on my sidebar BTW button and visit all the other bead tables today.  Some, I imagine are at the Bead and Button Show!!  Have much fun and success Ladies!!

Belle Armoire Jewelry, Summer 2011 Leafy Links by Shannon LeVart

Colorful Clover Pendant by Mary Harding

Shannon LeVart, Miss Ficklemedia, has a super wonderful article in Belle Armoire Jewelry,  Summer 2011 which just got on the newsstands on June 1.  In her article titled Leafy Links, Shannon LeVart has written a poetic interpretation of my ceramic pendants by creating 3 magnificent necklaces.   These pendants of mine are  beautifully set off by Miss Ficklemedia's patinaed drenched with color chain and pearls-- a unique mix of rustic and cultivated--  and her exquisite sense of style and flow.  If you would want to make one of these for yourself, she has detailed, extremely clear instructions on how to do it.  You can purchase the pendants from my website at a special sale price for the month of June.  I am celebrating later in the month with a Giveaway of one of these pendants.

The Necklaces, made and

 photographed by Shannon LeVart

Wild Pasture Flower Pendant by Mary Harding

Willow Leaf Pendant by Mary Harding