Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Pearl of the Orient, My Challenge Entry

THE CHALLENGE

The Philippine Polymer Clay Guild just completed another challenge for the month of August...The Pinoy Challenge. We were suppose to choose materials that is indigenous to the Philippines and incorporate it into polymer clay. I wasn't planning to join the challenge this month. However, when everyone began to post their projects, a little rumbling inside me started. It swirled around in my head until one morning it turned into a thought...an inspiration. That very same day, I took out my pen and paper and started on a design.

INSPIRATION
So, what is my inspiration for this piece? The Ocean...in particular, the bottom of the Philppine seas. I was reminiscing  about memories from a past summer when we went to Bohol. We went snorkeling there. The beautiful sandy floor and its rich flora of corals along with the myriads of marine life swirled around the bubbles of the ocean as we were pushed and pulled by the swaying of the waves. It was full of life and beauty..and that is a part of the Philippines that we can all be proud of.


MATERIALS
It took a few days to get my materials together. I wanted to used something beautiful and colorful. So, I decided to use Pearls and shells. The iridescence of the materials alone would be sure enough to make the project awesome! And to give it an extra kick, I decided on a "Jewel Tones" palette. I wanted the shells and pearls to be the main source of color of the piece. As for the clay, I selected the turquoise, blues and a touch of green...just as you would see in the ocean.

And for the canvas...i decided on a wooden picture frame. I wanted this piece to be something impressive, just as the ocean is. So, although I know it would take a lot more time and patience, I selected one of the larger sized frames that I thought would fit in my small sized oven.

So, I got to work and started on my project....

I was working on our dining room table and you can see a lot of coffee was being consumed..as well as "Chinese take out" (Chow King) since I had no time to make meals...haha... what a mess. My hubby and I were having a movie marathon so, I was watching while working...

PITFALLS
I was hoping my picture frame would fit nicely in the oven so that I could create my embellishments right on top of it. Unfortunately when I got home, I found that the frame was way too large. So, I had to figure out a way to work in pieces. I had to make four separate pieces baked separately, then assembled it together by using glue and finally gluing that on to the frame itself...

This is how to join looks for the separate pieces. They interlock and will be glued together once finished.

I also had to worry about securing all the beads that I had incorporated into the clay. There were so many that I really did not want to use glue on each and everyone. So I tried to somehow secure the pieces by making sure to put a piece of swirl on top of the bead and also by using liquid clay (as suggested by a fellow clay artist..Thanks Ghie!)

In the end, I went back over the beads and for those that weren't secure, I still had to go back and use E600 glue...just to be sure...


THE PROCESS
It took about 6 movies to finish the 4 pieces... that's about 12 hours. That doesn't include the baking time, of course. Then a bit more time to assemble the pieces. Here's the progression of the work...




And finally when I completed the last piece..I was jumping for joy! This was the biggest piece I ever attempted..and, happy to say, tackled!

DETAILS

I do plan to add a few more things to the finished piece... a few more oysters and more marine life. So far I added a few as you can see in the detail pictures...

Oyster detail

White fish detail

Orange fish detail

Hello little fishy...


Detail of the swirls

THE FINISHED ENTRY -
PHILIPPINES: THE PEARL OF THE ORIENT


For Size Reference...my puppy Charley wanted to be in the pictures too so here he is...









Thanks P3 (Philippine Polymer Clay Guild) for being a source of inspiration and pushing us to excel! I can't wait for the next challenge!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Lockets and Settings

I've posted a few new things in my supplies shop...they're sure to get creative juices flowing...

A few lockets...





And some Settings...







I'm definitely keeping a few of these to make into my own jewelry pieces. I'd love to use the settings for some floral cameos that I'm making from polymer clay. 

Check out these and more jewelry making supplies at my sites...

or Like my FB Page...

That's all for now...Have a great day!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Heart Necklaces

I've been thinking of taking new product shots of my Charm Necklaces. Perhaps I can have a photo shoot with a model. I've seen many photos that have a vintage romantic feel to it and that's what I want! I can start off with the heart necklaces that I have available...definitely vintage and romantic...maybe in the next few weeks...that is, if I can find a willing model.

For now, I leave you with the heart necklaces from my Etsy shop - Earthlyjewels...

 My Intricate Heart (Antique finish, brass lacy filigree heart charm necklace)

The Walk to Netherfields (Antique finish, brass lacy filigree heart charm necklace with crystal)

Love Birds (Brass Vintage Love Birds Charm Necklace)

Pure At Heart (White Heart with Butterfly Cloisonne Charm Necklace)

Heart Full of Love (Intricate Vintage Heart Filigree with Crystal and Pearl Accents)


Salomes Locket (Vintage Heart Filigree Locket)

Secretly In Love (Antique Gold Finish Black Heart Charm Necklace)

Young At Heart (Vintage Heart Filigree Charm Necklace)

My Fancy Heart (Antique finish, brass lacy filigree heart charm necklace)



They're all actually on sale at my etsy shop...check them out here - Go to Earthly Jewels Etsy Shop







Thursday, August 25, 2011

Return Time Orb Necklace

I just wanted to post and feature some of my items in my ETSY shop...today I renewed a listing for this 

Return Time Orb Necklace 
(Spherical Shaped Orb Ceramic Beaded Necklace)

The focal bead is a ceramic Spherical Orb that is super glossy. The colors remind me of mystic, swirling puffs of gas. I feel like if you just hold it the right way, it could somehow turn into a Time Machine that magically takes you back to an ancient era...if only in the imagination....






It's on SALE right now!!!! 
Find it listed in my ETSY Jewelry shop - click here.

Monday, August 22, 2011

MAGIA NEL BOSCO (MAGIC IN THE FOREST)

This is my newest heirloom treasure tin, MAGIA NEL BOSCO which means MAGIC IN THE FOREST in Italian. It is a one of a kind piece inspired by Chris K of Mandarin Moon. I wanted to bestow upon it an aura and feel of walking in the forest, all the while, discovering magic all around.




You can find this magical tin listed in my etsy shop - here.

I'm planning to have many more of these Heirloom Treasure Tins in all sorts of shapes, sizes and designs. I am also open for specialized,, made to order tins for your own special keepsakes. Please contact me through my email (myearthlyjewels(at)yahoo(dot)com).

That's all for now...have a nice day!

My Bead Soup Partner

I'm so excited to be part of the Bead Soup Party. I'd like to introduce to you my partner...Noemi Baena.

Noemi is from Salamanca, Spain. You can see her elegant jewelry in her etsy shop -


I love the very elegant colors that Noemi uses like in this beautiful pair of earrings...

She uses a sterling silver and wonderful materials such as semiprecious stones, swarovski components and lampwork beads...
and would be lovely for weddings!

For her bead soup, I tried to gather something a little different for her...here is a sneak peek which also includes some of my one of a kind creations...


Since the shipping is international, it will take a bit of time before she gets it but as soon as she does, I'll reveal the beads in another blog post!

I'm looking forward to seeing what she makes from this bead soup! And excited to receive my ingredients too! 

Check back here on September 17th...that's when the bead soup party begins!!!

That's all for now...Have a great day!