I'm Getting Too Old For This** Part 1

**It's not exactly that, but  being realistic there is NO WAY I can finish all the things I've got some or all of the stuff for, unless of course, I figure out how to live for another 126 years WITHOUT BUYING A SINGLE THING.    Right.     I don't want to refer to them as orphans or destash, because while I've got some of that too, these things have been lovingly kept in my "Someday" place. 

To be completely honest, I don't remember exactly when I made these, though 2011-ish would be about right.  I was very interested in Mokumne gane, rickrack blades and the like, and made all sorts of beads and bits willy-nilly, enjoying myself with no particular end in mind.   

  

OK, so I have these pieces  and they are really pretty, but I know I'm never going to finish the set.  They need new eyes and a fresh heart.  The pendant is 1 3/8" long -- 1 5/8 including bail. It is slightly wedged shaped as so many of my things are, and a bit over 1 3/8" wide at the widest point.  As for the beads, they are somewhat peculiar. Three are drilled only halfway through. I'm quite sure this means they had something to do with the closure as I often did this.  Why three? I don't know.  They are a tad over 5/8" and one is chubbier than the others.   Then there are two fully drilled beads, one short (1/2") and one tall (3/4").  They are all, as I mentioned,  quite pretty, highly buffed with a nice bit of sparkle in the combination of gold and copper clay.

Please adopt them and make something beautiful.  They're in my etsy shop. 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/patibannister

They're only $7.50

Klimt-Inspired Veneer...a Step Along the Learning Curve ...

I think I'm nearing the end of the road on this veneer, and learned a simple technique for finishing the sides better, using a hair's breadth layer underneath, then burnishing to round the edges.  No great secret but I have rarely worked right up to the finish line without curing the clay before, and certain "refinements" are more difficult after the fact.   I didn't use the technique on the outer perimeter of the pendant because I had already veneered it, and didn't want to sacrifice it.  

COOL HINT:  I don't know why it never occurred to me before because I use them all the time for all sorts of things, but 3 hole page protectors are a fabulous place to store veneers!  I found this hint on a post from 2011 yesterday, and even then "everyone" knew about it.  

Klimt Veneer Continued ... Day 3

Still uncured, going as far as feels comfortable, and finally making notes, something I fail to do, much to my chagrin a year or five later ...Pendants and earrings here ... a trinket box is about to be cured, but not yet photographed. The heart will have a pendant/brooch finding.

Geek Meets Glam

I wear readers and have for a long time. I'm always misplacing them or juggling sunglasses and readers and I don't know how many times I've had to frantically search through the bookstore or market trying to remember where I left one or the other.
I don't care much for the regular ones as they're hard to change back and forth with those little stretch thingies, so just for the fun of it I made one of these. It worked. I wear one nearly all the time now.
Exchanging readers for sunglasses is a piece of cake.

Red Bird Mosaic Pendant and Necklace

January 2016   Red Bird

A spontaneous sketch ... two sessions later. a Mosaic Pendant

 

A thin layer of gold Premo was applied to the back before baking just enough wider than the front to accept the extruded bezel. An admitted afterthought, but useful to know. The bail was then added as well.  

A hollow cord was used (shown off-center) to allow wire to be threaded through but to have soft material to protect against wear on polymer bail.  Wire required to accommodate coral beads.

The beads were made from scrap from the tesserae (tiles); the large beads made from translucent clay tinted with alcohol inks.  Beads were lightly buffed.   Red beads are dyed coral.

A polished black chain was used to complete.  It is 25 inches long and is intended to slip on over the head. 

Three Maidens Polymer Clay Pendant

Three Maidens Southwest Pendant Necklace.

This is one of my personal favorites, and has never been offered before. I've enjoyed their company.

The pendant is made of polymer clay as are the beads at the toggle clasp. The ivory colored beads are, if I remember correctly, bone -- not plastic and definitely NOT ivory. O-rings figure into the design elements as well.

The pendant itself is 1 3/4 inches wide, 2 3/16 inches long. Overall length approximately 21 inches plus pendant drop.   The pendant is mostly translucent clay "overbaked" which brings up that lovely sienna color and causes imperfections or moons.  For my purposes the development of imperfection is desirable.  A thin layer of textured clay was added then carved with the maidens, the bezel made of black clay, the reverse carved with my mark.  Glazing/antiquing applied for contrast.

Currently, the pendant is available.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/patibannister

Micro Mosaic Pendant, Southwest. Mexican Hat, Utah. Unisex. Wearable Art.

 

  It isn't that I haven't been working, it's that I'm out of synch with myself.   Since that annoying hip replacement thing a year ago ....   

This is a pendant I made in 2009 and have never offered before.  I have a number of these pieces that I learned a lot from.  It isn't that I don't need them or love them any longer, but it is time to move on and I'm running out of space. 

It is currently in my Etsy shop  "Pati Bannister" ...

It was inspired by my love of the Southwest, more specifically the area around Mexican Hat in Utah. 

The pendant is polymer clay and slightly trapezoidal in shape. It is a tiny bit under 1 1/2 inches wide at the top and an equally small bit under 1 3/4 inches wide at the bottom. It is 2 3/4 inches long including the bail. Two coordinated beads, also polymer clay, finish the toggle closing. It is 18-19 inches long, not including the pendant length. 

I made four small batches of marbleized color, the channels were extruded and each piece was placed on the cured backing before curing.   

http://www.etsy.com/shop/patibannister

Comments and questions welcome. 

My Blue ( mosaic) Cross

Added to my Etsy shop today  $24 including shipping in USA. 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/patibannister

 

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.

Red Pendant

Busy week; I spent Thursday doing the finishing work on almost everything that needs assembly, sanding, etc. I had hoped to get it all photographed Friday, but weather didn't cooperate, and as a natural light photographer had to wait. Yesterday I was able to get a few things done but didn't allow enough time so the light in my favorite area ran out on me. But this piece came out well and I love it! Hopefully I will get a satisfactory photograph of the coordinating earrings and bangle bracelet today.

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.

June 19 2010 Faux Venetian Glass Tile Mosaic Pendant

June 19 2010 Faux Venetian Glass Tile Mosaic Pendant,
originally uploaded by pati b.

I have always loved mosaics, and must admit that I am having an absurdly wonderful time making these pieces. I am loving working with all sorts of colors and trying different mixes (much as when painting). Even the hand-sanding, buffing and waxing is fun as this is when the colors come to life.
This pendant is 1 3/8 x 2 3/8 , finished with a gold aanraku bail.

Faux Jade Pendants New in My Etsy Shop

New Faux Jade Pendants in my Etsy Shop as of this morning.
Both are wonderful colors; the bases have been sanded and buffed to a soft lustrous sheen, and feel as smooth as jade.
Both also have an integrated batik-textured jade and would look great with chain, cord, ribbon or beads.
Left: 3/4 x 2 3/4
Right: 1 x 2

http://www.etsy.com/shop/patibannister

March 13 Gemini

March 13 Gemini,
originally uploaded by pati b.

I modified a piece formerly called gilded fragment, as the longer I looked at it, it seemed somehow incomplete. The other day, I made this little 'stone' out of scraps from my poppy project and liked it. A couple of weeks after that, it occured to me it might work to finish off 'gilded'.
I see planets, stars and creation in this.

April 23 New on Etsy

April 23 New on Etsy,
originally uploaded by pati b.

made these pieces in November, so many of you have seen them before, but as of today, they can be found in my etsy shop (see profile).
Tulum and September Moon, respectively

March 5 2010 Redrock Bighorns

March 5 2010 Redrock Bighorns,
originally uploaded by pati b.

My newest petroglyph-inspired pendant necklace with unique bolo-style wood-clay bead closure. Soon available on etsy.