327 Years and Counting

Just back from a road trip down the Eastern Seaboard from Georgetown SC (a very sweet town) to Key West, less sweet but pretty cool.

 I'm somewhat obsessed right now with turquoise (waters).  I'm always somewhat obsessed by turquoise, but that's another story.

Also, fresh from a vacation, or perhaps I should say a break, since road tripping that distance in just over 2 weeks with six people isn't exactly relaxing, no matter how much fun it might be. 

And it was.  Exhausting.  Fun.

So, upon returning and spending two days doing cat laundry, our laundry, and remembering the most basic of Things Which Must Be Done Daily, I returned to the worktable determined to use up every bit of  clay, beads, findings and assorted I've held on to through several destashings, gifts to local school arts teachers, etc.   This is either before or commensurate with the painting supplies, canvases, oils, watercolors, acrylics and colored pencils, papers, canvases, brushes etc. 

If I opened an art store tomorrow, it would rival Cheap Joe's or Blick's  for at least a week. 

This is where the 327 years come in. It will take that long, at least, as long as I do not buy anything other than fill-in to finish this or that.  Ear wires.  Chain.  The once a year 2 oz block of orange I like.  

That sort of thing. We live long in my family, but this may be pushing it. 

The focal in this piece, as well as the two triangular beads in earrings, were made about 6 years ago.  I made a statement necklace which I then couldn't part with and these remained. (pictured) There are still 3.    The faux faux amber (I wasn't trying to make amber, just the color) are from the red bird pendant I made earlier this year,  the turquoise ovals and heishi from The Stash.  I used 20 including the 2 large beads.  Okay, make that 479 years. 

They don't look like Florida so much as they feel like it, at least to me, and my friend Sheila who is lucky enough to live in St. Augustine, says I got that right. 

A Bit of the Blues, Cross-Wise

A bit of the blues today: Woke up to find a small waterfall occuring in downstairs entry hall; seems a pipe from upstairs had sprung a leak...end result for now a hole in the downstairs ceiling and a big hole in the wall between the upstairs laundry and master bath. Two fans a'blowin' for the next 2-4 days to dry everything out before repair.

The upside, no doubt had this gone on for another few hours or so, the laundry and maybe part of the bath would have been in the entry hall. Mixed feelings about that as I wouldn't mind a bath remodel...oh well. Stuck, as I was, I took the opportunity to upload this bangle and earrings to my Etsy shop along with a tiny bit of my too-many-beads stash and rephotographed two of my pretty crosses.

David and I went out for a nice lunch.

Could have been much worse.

On the Worktable from Monday . . ...

When I started making my color stacks last Sunday, I was inspired by the colors outside; brilliant Carolina Blue skies, autumn leaves and shades in between. This was my greenest stack, comprised of gold, bronze, two blues, two greens, two yellows and a dash of alizarin and pom reds.
I'm especially pleased with two things: The surprise of learning how to make a herringbone or modified bargello design due to an unintended cutting of the stack, and the wonderful way the odd bits, when cut into tiny circles made that delicious focal bead into a complex and rich mosaic.
Some finishing yet to be done...a fragment of the stack is visible; also can be seen, I think, on the larger picture posted earlier.

This Week on the Worktable

For myself more than anything, I have started to take a few snaps of the week...on days when I feel as though I'm accomplishing nothing, maybe this will encourage me.
Sunday I made a bunch of stacks, some, not yet cut into, shown. Each day since (3 so far) I've taken a stack and done something...
A couple of the stacks are really ugly but marbelized into yummy burgundy and port pieces ....
Will have to see where the rest goes.
Am eyeing the bits lower right that might go with vintage Italian millefiore glass beads.
One bunch, not shown here coordinates gorgeously with unakite.

Hand Carved Artifact Bangle Bracelet

I loved making this bangle as well as a number of others using similar techniques. I built the mosaic on a simple bangle base; tiled inside and out for comfort and strength. The textured tiles are patterned from an original design of my own, and are accented with circular tiles and small individually made balls. The piece has been glazed with a burnt umber-burnt sienna glaze.

The inside is also tiled and signed. The interior diameter is just at 2 3/4 inches, medium to medium-large in size, and the width of the bangle is 1 1/2 inches.

It is currently in my Etsy shop.

Square Bling Mosaic Bangle

Another bangle, using some of the grout sticks (thank you Laurie Mika) from my tessarae box along with several hand-painted squares, on a SQUARE black bangle with gold and silver leaf channel edges. Soon to be in my etsy shop.
Very blingy...can't capture the sparkle.

Tidal Blues Bangle Bracelet

Not exactly leftover scraps, but I had been fooling around and came up with this mixture and then didn't know what I wanted to do with it. After making a couple of pairs of earrings (not yet photographed) and a small pendant (ditto) I decided, being on a bangle binge and all to make this ......

Stropple Cane Inspired Bangle Bracelet

Two forces inspired this piece...one my desire to use up pretty bits and pieces and two, the wonderful technique of Alice Stroppel, Stroppel cane. I don't work with canes, except once in awhile, in the most basic way, but thought it might be possible to cut tiny pieces of lots of colorful scraps, layer them between thin sheets of black polymer clay, squish them all together and then slice.

By their nature, the slices were less complex in design than they would have been had they been canes, but with some careful running through the pasta machine, interesting blends formed. I then sliced the results into thin strips and affixed them to a previously cured black bangle base.

Thank you Alice!

Tiny Squares Mosaic Bangle

As the year approaches its end, I have felt the need/desire to use up as many of my little bits that I felt to interesting or pretty to mush up. This is another bangle designed to help in that quest.

The piece is made entirely of polymer clay, tho' tiny bits of leaf are evident here and there. The squares were built on a cured polymer substrate.

Marbelized Bangle

I love working with leftover bits and peices and know many of us do. This bangle reminds me as much of marbelized paper as anything.
The piece is made entirely of polymer clay; the scrap mokume gane added to a base bangle.

Rosy "Ivory" Bangle

Photographing items is often amazingly revealing. I had thought this piece was complete yesterday, after color washing and buffing, but when photographed this morning, I found it just wasn't quite "right", so back to some 320+600 sanding and a lot of buffing on my jeans while I watched part of a really bad movie and did some extra loving on Miles our neurotic but beloved Siamese.
So, now it is finished, looks good on, and is ready to join the coordinated necklace, once I get the toggle finished. (Forgot to colorwash the two beads yesterday when doing the bangle).

Blue "Ivory" Bangle ... Complete!

I was very nervous about starting the color wash on this bangle as I liked it so much as it was. Wouldn't have done it except for a bit of aging had I not wanted a piece to coordinate with the necklace I made this for.
Happily it turned out well...in fact I love it.
This bangle has opened my eyes/mind to all sorts of possibilities -- cannot wait to continue on.

Two Antique "ivory" Bangles in Progress

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I must say I really like the bangles just as they are (with some finishing yet to be done). However, they will be color washed to coordinate with the two necklaces nearly finished. Like many artists, I tend to work sequentially, so no doubt "unwashed" pieces are in my near future.