Bead Making Success...and Meet Kobe too!

I want you guys to meet Kobe..my niece's West Highland Terrier (Westie). He's staying with us for a few days while his mommy is on vacation in Bangkok. He's a really sweet and lively puppy. He loves people and hates being left alone.  I had to run a few errands this morning and when I left, I can hear him bark his high pitch sad little bark asking me why am I leaving him. So, before I went back home, I made sure to bring him a treat as a peace offering.

Here he is now...happily chewing away a milk bone treat....

(Kobe - "how could you leaave me all alone...")

(Kobe - "i forgive you..but don't do it again!")

He was sniffing around in my bag where I still secretly have a toy for him and another bag of treat sticks...for later.

On too crafty stuff....

I was able to play around with the clay I bought. Boy, that Kato was really hard to condition. It refused to soften even with the pasta machine. I had to rub my hands with baby oil and take little pieces of the clay and pressed it with my hands. Eventually, it did soften.

The Sculpey Studio clay was much easier to condition. And it didn't take me long before I had the whole package conditioned. 

Here's the beads I came up with so far...

These ones I started painting already...

I liked how they turned out! I'm still figuring out the best painting methods. I'm ready to make some more!  Although, I think I can list some as undecorated, unpainted so, that people that want to purchase them can add their own creativity to the bead itself. Oh how I'm loving clay! So many great things you can do with it!

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

Playing with Clay

I've been obsessing over clay the last few days....searching websites that talk about clay, online video tutorials...even just browsing beads made of clay...I love them. I tried making some pendants last week with an air dry clay by AMACO (modeling clay which also can be baked). I liked the ceramic feeling of the finished piece. However, it cracked and didn't seem strong enough. Maybe air drying really isn't enough. So, I plan on firing it...maybe in a "homemade type of kiln"... I read about how to make one using a metal garbage bin somewhere online. 

Today, though, I am giving Polymer clay a try. I bought some new materials and "toys" to play with. Here's the clay....

Starting out with the Kato polyclay and Studio Sculpey brands. I heard that Kato polyclay is real strong but very hard at first before conditioning. The little jars are Pearl-Ex.... i chose Duo blue-green (681), Red Russet (653), and Supper Copper (655)

Yey!

I also got these goodies....

A bunch of cookie cutters...a cheese slicer ( I will probably take off the string like wire in the top and use the white round tube as sort of a small rolling pin)

And these...which most Filipinos will be familiar with for molding a sweet Filipino candy/short bread called Polvoron.

These could mold round and oval type beads and it has that push on top that will pop the clay right out.

Here's what the candy would look like...

(Picture credit - this image comes from dessert comes first - click here for the article)

 More cookie cutters...this time flower shapes in various sizes...fun!!!

Yey! Yey!

Best of all...I got this.... 

Pasta machine...this ought to make life a lot easier!!!

Yey! Yey! Yey!

I've been collecting some knick knacks here and there to be used to add texture to whatever I end up making...I have a whole bunch already, so, I'll leave those pictures for another day!

Now, I have to get off the computer and start playing!

Have a good day!

BTW ... Recycling Old Jewelry

Today I'm not creating anything new...instead, I opened up a plastic bag of my old earrings, poured the contents into a plastic bin and set out to sort and disassemble some of the old jewelry (mostly earrings) created many years ago. 

So, on my table today are old earrings, watches and bracelets, earring cards, zip lock pouches that are being sorted through and taken apart. I have a keep and re-use pile...and another pile that I have yet to decide what to do with (list it as a destash?a giveaway maybe? )

Have a happy Wednesday, everyone!

Still In Love with Cluster/Charm Bracelets

Charm bracelets are still one of my favorite things to make.... I love loading up a piece of jewelry with lots and lots of beads. It's quite relaxing to make too...string a spacer...string a bead...string a bead cap and wrap the wire....repeat...

Not only that, I love wearing them...they have a nice, substantial weight to it. And with each movement, you can hear the beads swishing against one another...

Here's my latest...listed in my etsy shop...

Spring Garden

I am offering FREE SHIPPING for this piece!!!

The best part...it's convertible. I've included an extender chain so it can be worn as a choker as well!!!

(Pardon this headless picture...i was taking it myself...and I'm too shy to show my face...)

See Spring Garden listed on Etsy

(Free shipping for this charm bracelet/necklace)

Have a good day!

The Bad and the Good...

The dining table is a mess.... and that's bad.....

(actually, this picture is after tidying up a little...)

It's bad because I do have a craft room.. Unfortunately, i haven't gotten around to organizing that room. So, I have brought down a few boxes and containers of my beads to the dining room, making a total mess...

So....at the moment,  the living room is my craft area.

From this mess, however, there is good that comes out.... new charm necklaces ....here are a few that were already waiting to be photographed (which I did under today's nice morning sunlight)

Now, just need to edit them so they can be posted on the shop.

Here is a new charm necklace just listed today...

The Messenger of Griffindor

Here are more new ones that I haven't posted here on the blog....

The Royal Garden

A Day at the Park

The Lady

White Floral Fancy

Key to the Kingdom

Blue Floral Fancy

Secret Princess Dreams

Ollie The White Elephant

Butterflies That Play Red

Green Fields

Charmed...I'm sure!

I wasn't crafty at all today and I didn't even get to spend much time online today with my shop or my blog. Hubby didn't have work this Saturday so, we set out for a long drive for the day to relax and spend quality time together...leaving behind, however, all the goodies from my visit yesterday to my local beading supplier. They weren't far from my mind though...who could completely forget about all these sweet charms....take a look...

(only a peek though...)

filigree, some owl charms, a lock and key, antique style feathers, earring studs, cameos and some chain

more charms...filigree hearts, keys, vintage cameras, filigree lockets, flower charms, ballerina, lovebirds, a cameo and rhinestone studded masquerade masks...

and even more charms...these ones calls out for a steampunk line style, maybe....especially with the top components. The butterfly pendants are quite large but very lovely!

Love them all!!! I can't wait to make them into necklaces....now that we're back home, we've popped in a movie (a favorite....Alice in Wonderland...the newest version with Johnny Depp...again) and I'll be matching charms with beads! 

Oh by the way, I dropped off some packages today too! (So, I haven't completely ignored my shop responsibilities today...)  I changed my packaging, though, as my last packages were way too heavy and turned out too expensive. They're still pretty cute, though, at least, I think so....

Much lighter weight but still as cute. I make the boxes myself...and I actually got the pattern from a coffee packaging from a coffee shop! I'm excited for my customers to receive them because, I've stuck a little extra surprise inside! I hope that will bring a smile to their day. (Since I'm all the way from the Philippines, though, the packages will take a while to get there. I am using a new courier which seems to be better than the local post office since there is an online tracking system on their website. Hopefully this goes well.)

Happy Saturday everyone!