Pearls!

I love pearls.  I use many colors of dyed pearls in my leaf series of silver earrings and pendants.  But I haven’t used pearls often with polymer.  I have been doing a fun design with pearls set on a post and backed with a concave disc of silver.

I’ve been exploring this design element from several directions.  First came a series of designs using a cane pattern and a contrasting solid.  I’ve done a dozen or so of these and each pattern and shape combination is different.  So they are each one of a kinds.

sheltered pearl 2 color

Then, I wanted to come up with designs that were simpler, smaller, and which could be ordered according to shape or color for my wholesale line.  Here’s an example, and I’ve got sets accordingly in different shapes…

IMG_3516

Finally, I wanted to take the design into deeper complexity and pieces with a bigger Presence.  These are each about 2-1/2″ in diameter, so they have presence alright!

sheltered pearl donuts 5

sheltered pearl donuts 2

sheltered pearl donuts close

I started with 4 color mixed sheets that I painted, stamped, sprinkled with glitter, dripped with ink, and even drew on with metallic markers.  Those sheets were covered with a thin sheet of translucent.  Those four sheets were cut up for the major spaces of these donuts, and interspersed with canework patterns.  Finally, I added floating cane slices or carved and back filled.  The pearl is mounted on a wire that is soldered to the portion of the bail that’s hidden inside the layers of clay.

So there you have it.  Same design concept applied in different forms.

Have a great weekend!

Patti

 

 

 

 

 

 

playing with resins

A while back, I bought a small uv light for exposing the photopolymer plates that I use with text and silver.  But I also bought some uv hardening resin which I kinda forgot I had for a while.  But looking for something else, I came across it and thought, Hey, this should be fun….

I made three designs that have low bezel walls.  Two of them have clay patterns covering some areas of the textured silver back.  The colors are very subtle.  These all three are pendants with tubing soldered on the back so they can take up to a 2mm cord or chain.

resins

Let me know what you think!

Blessings,

Patti

valentine fun

I took some time to play today to make a few new textures with hearts as the theme.

This past weekend, I hosted a class in my home studio on the subject of textures and making your own texture plates in polymer.

Here’s a great technique that doesn’t require drawing or carving skills:

Bake a sheet of clay for your background.  This can be Sculpey Bake & Bend, Premo, or my favorite, a 1:1:1 mix of Bake & Bend, Premo, and Ultralight.  This sheet should be a medium thickness from your pasta machine, and big enough for your pattern.

After the backing sheet is cooled, spread a thin layer of Liquid Sculpey over it and press a very thin sheet of clay over that.  Make the second layer a contrast color so you can see what you are doing.

Press your pattern into the top layer.  The baked underlayer ensures that all the design will be consistent in depth of lines.  You can remove sections also.

val texture 1

This pattern used the 1/4″ square, and the tiny heart from the Kemper cutters sets.  And various needle tools for detailing.  After the pattern is complete, bake the sheet again.

Next, make a negative of the design by rolling it against more clay.  I used Bake and Bend for this sheet also.

val texture 2

Finally, you have both the positive and negative patterns to use in your designs.  Here’s my sweet little valentine pendant:

val texture 3

Blessings,

Patti

It’s here!! It’s finished!!

I usually meet my UPS delivery guys at the door so they know the dog is all bark and would never hurt anyone.  Today, I met the guy half way up the driveway cause I was so excited about what he was bringing me!!

My latest book is back from the printer!  Yeah!

I saw the pages in December for final editing, so the layout and design is not a surprise, but its still a very exciting moment to have all the pages in a complete form.

Here’s some peeks:

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So exciting!  I hope you look for it and love it too!  Order here from Kalmbach for the quickest delivery!

caned cookies

My book is almost ready to go to press.  Today on Facebook, my editor commented about applying cane principles to cookie making.  I’d say she’s gone a little over board, except I have to admit….

I’ve done it.

This cookie design was the logo for Pioneer HiBred Seed company who my husband worked for after college.

Please!  Focus on the cookie and NO comments about the hair!!  After all, it was about 1992 or so…

caned cookies

I expect she was thinking of Christmas themes…

Patti

sculpey.com

December is my month to post over at sculpey.com/blog.  Go there and read the story behind these new works:

signature cane

My guinea pig group of teens at my church have completed their sales of Words of Purpose.  Congratulations to them, they earned $1203 to help fund students attending district and regional gatherings.
So now, it’s my turn to get to work, fulfilling the orders.  I have most of the inventory created.  The pendants just need to be hung on the appropriate length cords and packaged.  I “sign” my work with a bead at the back in the clasp.  For the Words of Purpose line, I decided I needed to put that name rather than “KIMLE” in the clasp.

So this was my all-day Saturday project.  I had college football streaming and I built the 14 letters while listening to games.  The cane began by making each letter 3/4″ high and 2″ long.  The cane had a little over 3 lbs of clay to begin.  I did quite well with the reduction and didn’t have too much distortion and waste on the ends.  Check out the process:

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I’ve so far only sliced and baked about 1/3 of the total.  The cane will make thousands of little signature beads.  I usually make my “KIMLE” cane about every 3 or 4 years.  We shall see how long this WoP cane will last!  Here’s hoping we sell so much and raise so much for ministry purposes that I have to make it again!

Blessings,

Patti

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