Vintajia Adornments

Rust Obtained

2012-02-02T21:15:00.000+10:00

In Persuit of Rust

2012-01-31T15:31:00.000+10:00

Wandering through Bunnings Hardware searching for my current favourite - chemicals that will do "things" to metal.

There was a whole section devoted to removing, retarding and preventing rust.

Then I found this . . .Rust Paint????!!!!

LOOOOOOK!!

Leetle rusty relics and they are not even metal!

*sigh* I'm in love

Wonder how rust would look as nail polish? Yeah it's do-able.

The Destiny of Periodic Orbits

2012-01-29T14:09:00.003+10:00

Destiny of Periodic Orbits 
Cool name eh?
I looked up periodic orbits - all to do with chaos theory and gaaaaaaah what they said wasn't written in English!
Topological entropy, chaotic attractors,  bifurcation order, phase space partitions Faaaaaaaaaaaaaark!
Anyway I still like the name even if I don't understand any of it. 
Distressed, aged and sealed nickel 

Salvaged copper with torch-fired enamel

Sterling silver

Her Feet are Set in Darkness

2012-01-27T14:56:00.002+10:00

Her Feet are Set in Darkness

Salvaged metal

 Czech picasso finish glass

Coral rounds

Aeons of the Fossil Sea

2012-01-22T11:50:00.000+10:00

Market Treasures Again

2012-01-20T06:26:00.002+10:00

Boulder opal still in the matrix. Some show flashes of colour.

Amethyst, rhyolite, quartz crystals, iron pyrite, amber and green quartz? and a chunk of some other green stuff.

Have no idea what I am going to do with them, but my muse just had to have them.

Bitter Sky

2012-01-19T06:08:00.000+10:00

Freeze, freeze thou bitter sky,
That does not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As a friend remembered not.
William Shakespeare

The first creation using the salvaged metals.
Salvaged metal bangle, salvaged pierced and enameled copper, mismatched czech glass beads and silver wirewrapped pearls.

Very happy with these as they have the air of edginess I am aiming at.

I can See Clearly Now. . .

2012-01-18T10:07:00.000+10:00

Did it all start when I bought some copper vases at the local market?
Apparently not.
When I first started making jewelry I seem to recall two people suggesting that salvage items might fit my aesthetic.
How is it possible that they could see, when I didn't really have a clue about my direction? Could this have been the first nudge by the Universe?

Well, after the vases, I was at the local Lifeline shop and found a lead free pewter tankard and though I might be able to use this.
Nudge.

Then, someone gave me these two old tins. Don't you just love the top one. And I love the colour of the metal inside - pewter grey.
Nudge.

And finally, a gift of old costume jewelry and some souvenir spoons.

Suddenly the scales fell from my eyes and I could see clearly the way the Universe had been shepherding me, from all that time ago until now. Putting barriers in my way to turn me and sweeping them away in other directions until I stand here. . .
Immediately all kinds of exciting opportunities to create opened and the Universe is holding the door.
Yes I can See Clearly Now

Looking Forward Looking Back

2012-01-15T16:25:00.000+10:00

It has been really hot here for the last 2 weeks and creativity tends to wilt in proportion to the rise in temperature. So most afternoon we have taken our deckchairs down to our rainforest lined creek, and sat in the shade with our legs in the cool water waiting for a breeze.
The time was also used to review the passed year and the direction of the future.
My year was one of endurance and frustration as events beyond my control moved at glacial pace. These events have finally been resolved. One more hurdle to get over and onwards.
The silver lining of this cloud has been the time I have been able to devote to being creative - just playing.
Most of the playing involved enamel so thought I'd share some of my enamel tests and the direction my inner 'mad professor' wanted to take.
I have flirted with pretty enamel, but I was looking for rustic, grungy, raw and edgy. So began the journey.

This is a series using liquid white enamel and liquid copper. Was hoping to get copper nitrate, but the local pharmacist's eyes glazed over when I tried to order some. Lateral thinking and a trip to the hardware store yielded cupric hydroxide a gardener's fungal treatment.
(Note: copper nitrate and copper hydroxide can be a hazard, so sensible precautions to limit exposure are required)
Tile one was wet on wet. Tile 2 is wet on dry liquid enamel. Tile 3 is strong copper solution on wet white liquid enamel and the last is the same as 3 but high fired.
The wet on wet yields a rather nice dotted halo effect. Best results are using a weak solution.
Put this one in the useful file.

This is a test using borax which is a flux. Like the pink effect where the flux has thinned the enamel and let the copper show.

2nd panel was fluxed and high fired.

The third one is the craters left when the borax is quickly heated. Might be more effective on paler colours.

(Note: borax is also hazardous)

Next was a test of white liquid enamel with a reduced atmosphere flame. The 2nd one had flux added and the last one was fired from the front deep in the flame. Really like speckled carbon deposits and the colour variation where the flux ran

Next some more of my faves - toxic chemicals! This time in the form of salt glazing. Salt glazing in pottery gives a textured satin finish so thought I'd try.
(Note: heating the salt results in the release of chlorine gas soooo beware)
Love love LOVE the result on this tile.
Satin finish, great colours, fine texture and detail,but could I duplicate it?

Nope, nope, nope, and nope! More time and testing needed on this one.

These two are a combination of liquid enamel, cupric hydroxide and borax. The bottom one is high fired. Really complex textures and colours. Put this one in the useful file.

Next a dalliance with champleve. Need heavier copper, so that deeper compartments can be etched but I like the rustic bleakness.

Finally a sneek peek at a technique in Barbara Lewis's Painting with Fire book.

You will have to come back for more of the story and the full reveal

Pressies Unwrapped

2011-12-29T17:09:00.000+10:00

My Wish

2011-12-25T16:07:00.000+10:00

Wishing all my friends all over the world a peaceful, joyous Christmas filled with love and laughter

Done & Dusted!

2011-12-21T07:47:00.008+10:00

1. The pressies are all wrapped in their little pillow boxes

2.  I have cleaned the 'Grunge Studio' including the crapola and muck that showered down from the shed roof during a rip-snorta thunderstorm.

3.  I have cleaned all the cupboards in the caravan, including the roof and walls.

4.  I have finally completed the Owner Builders Course, bleeping internet connections not withstanding.

All I have to do now is serenely glide towards the roadtrip Christmas Day to Brisbane and the family fun, love and cheers. 

More Earrings

2011-12-11T17:49:00.000+10:00

These are some of the earrings I made for the craft show at the local gallery. Didn't have time to photograph them before the show, so some alas, I do not have a record of.

Post Show Fun

2011-12-08T12:17:00.000+10:00

Just collected my jewelery from the month long craft exhibition at the local gallery and considering that Gin Gin is a very small town, I did very well. 

To celebrate I made these . . .
 

Sweet, fun, quirky dangley earrings. Hand formed and torched enamel, delicious sugar plum purple ceramic round. Enameled twisty tendrils. Silver filled earwires.
 
Now available in my Etsy shop

Ok back to the secret squirrel Chrissie pressies. No sneak peeks, we don't want spoilers, eyes may be watching

Etsy Shop Open

2011-12-05T07:21:00.001+10:00

Have re-opened my Etsy shop with some new goodies.
A 10% discount on all items until Christmas
The code is DOWNUNDER

From Junk to Joy

2011-11-15T08:35:00.001+10:00

The results of hacking up and enameling some of the copper finds at the local market.

Broke 3 saw blades trying to cutting out the flower and finally resorted to tin snips. Not the dainty jewelers kind, the big blokey ones used for dismembering truck and bridges. Brutal, effective and I'm into rustic serendipity anyway.
The little buds are chinky little Christmas bells from the Dollar Shop. Enameled like a dream but fortunately killed the chink. (Tested them by bouncing them off the shed wall to make sure the enamel stayed put)
Love the shape of them and how the really do look like little flower buds.

More Market Treasures

2011-11-14T11:52:00.000+10:00

More juicy treasures from the Saturday market at absolute bargain prices compared to buying new copper sheet. (DH recons he's going broke saving money)

Have already hacked a piece off one pot and it is a work in progress

Roads Less Travelled

2011-11-08T11:27:00.000+10:00

It would seem that I must be the last person in the entire universe to receive my pre-ordered copy of the book Torch-fired enamel jewelry by Barbara Lewis

The postal service probably mistook Australia for Austria and sent it there. Or perhaps they put it on a little rusty tramp steamer that wandered all over the South Pacific from island to island until it found it's way through a passage in the Great Barrier Reef and fetched up on a sandy beach in North Queensland. 

Anyway its here and I had my nose is it before the wrapper had hit the floor.

I only had a small amount of enamels that I had been playing with and while I waited for my bigger quantities to arrive I read and re-read the book.
I was irresistibly drawn to the exciting concept of the solder less bezel so I had to have a go.
The first few attempts were lopsided, in fact they look like prototypes for chameleon eyeballs, but I think I had figured it out by the last one.
As I held the pendent, I got to thinking again about the little rusty tramp steamer and its wanderings down Roads Less Travelled and a vision flashed on my inward eye.

The pendent is from a large brass round that has been distressed and textured. I enameled the bronze coin to represent a road, added some twist tendrils for the twist and turns. of a journey and suspended it from a wire wrapped arched bar. 

The back however, was not pretty due to the irregularities of the beaten and dapped bronze coin so I etched another brass disc and glued it in place. 

Tried various hanging techniques using ribbon and enameled links, but in the end went with simple chain with a magnetic catch (brilliant device)

Took a week to make as I tried to carefully think through each step and component and I am really glad that I didn't rush things
This is such an exciting concept, my mind is running over with new design ideas!

Gin Gin Gallery Craft Market Show

2011-11-06T20:51:00.000+10:00

For the month of November, I have closed my Etsy shop, cos everything is in our local gallery.

(The batteries in the camera were flat, so I took the photos with the phone, hence the less than good image quality)

The bracelet display is made from some reo mesh and a piece of timber, as is the earring display.

Two MDF boards with mat clear acrylic finish stand on two small easels for necklace displays.

Other necklaces are displayed on more MDF boards that are hung on the wall.

Hopefully this will make up for the craft market that didn't happen last month.

(Off to Brisbane tomorrow at the crack of dawn. Not a pleasure trip but a sad farewell for my daughter-in-law's mother who passed away last week.)

Market Find

2011-10-30T10:43:00.001+10:00

Found this at the local Saturday Market for the princely sum of $3.
Look at the cool texture!
 

A beheading, a de-bottoming and a slice through the guts and voila I see some fantastic copper sheet for me to commit mayhem upon.  

(Puts on 'helpless-female-with-power-tools' look and hands hubby the grinder with the metal cutoff disk)

Bead Table Wednesday

2011-10-13T06:17:00.001+10:00

Some of the brooches I made for the craft show that didn't happen.

So for therapy I made a new banner for my blog. What do you think? 

What treasures are on your bead table? Go on give us a peek!

Big Girls Don't Cry

2011-10-11T12:51:00.000+10:00

The Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery hold an annual craft show. Have never done any shows or markets so I thought it was an ideal opportunity to dip my toe in the water so to speak.
Made some jewelery and some cheap and cheerful polyclay brooches and fridge magnets. Spent ages constructing some earring and bracelet displays from some wonderful rusty reo mesh and timber collected of the ground.
Then the fates aligned to conspire against me and due to a mix up my stuff was left behind at the Gin Gin Gallery.

Can I cry now?

Bead Table Wednesday & Honey Wine

2011-09-21T14:53:00.000+10:00

From the chaos of this

comes this

Fill your glass with the first of the Honey Wine and toast the season's changing.

More Earrings!

2011-09-14T18:41:00.001+10:00

What's with all the earrings already????

CONFESSION: for years I have left a trail of yellow chicken feathers. Yep I was a total scaredy cat, coward, jelly fish, wimp and big girls blouse. I have totally avoided having my ears pierced, but, last week I DID IT! I screwed up my courage and did it! What on earth was I sooo worried about?
Now I can't wait to remove the studs and put some 'real' earrings in.
Might start with these...

Persephone in Autumn

2011-09-11T17:31:00.002+10:00

Persephone has begun her odyssey.
The annual journey, passing from the sight of this world and slipping into the realm of the Shades, and Hades, Lord of the Underworld. 

To mark her passing, the trees put on cloaks of gold, russet and crimson and soon will become bare. Traceries against the sky. Grass withers to pale cream and brown, flowers fade. Her mother Demeter, turns her face from the world missing her daughter and the world becomes dark and cold and plants sleep waiting.

These earrings are inspired by the legend of Persephone.

The bronze discs are torch patinaed for the leaves of autumn. The dark shaped copper is for the darkness of winter. Persephone has lost the brilliance of summer, and has become pale as the sunset in the winter fog. There is one final leaf with just a hint of the green it used to be.

Be patient world, she will return.

Splash of Summer Seas

2011-09-09T06:58:00.001+10:00

Some little starfish charms teamed with beach coloured faceted czech glass and the sweetest teeny little seahorses. Just in time for Summer Downunder.

In my Made It SHOP 

Bead Table Wednesday

2011-09-07T07:17:00.001+10:00

If I thought working with 18 gauge brass was tough, bronze is tougher.

After beating my bronze coins flat-ish (oh for a rolling mill or a close-by railway track with an obliging train) I teamed them up with some delicious raku beads from Star Spirit Studio

Love how the metalic blue and bronze on the beads is complimented by the coin discs.
Now in my Etsy shop.

Edited: a cooee to Penny from Sparrow Salvage who featured my earrings among the delightful treasures she found on Etsy. Thanks Penny. To see the treasures for yourselves visit her BLOG

What's on your Bead Table this Wednesday?

Feel My Biceps

2011-08-31T16:58:00.000+10:00

Uncovered a very heavy package in the bottom of a chest of drawer and when I opened it there was some more "stuff-I-may-be-able-to-do-something-with-one-day"

Bronze coins that were withdrawn from circulation in 1992. That's right,19 years ago! (Anyone else guilty of squirreling that long?)

My eye lit up - and visions of pendant bases, earring disks and bead caps danced in my head. All I had to do was to hammer them flat.

A quick heat and anneal, seeing as it is bronze, a few taps with my little girly hammer on the bench block and it became clear that more brute force was needed. 
'Liberated' my husband's best hammer and tried the engineers vice. 

Now an anvil is only as good as what it is mounted on and what was under the engineers vice was definitely not substantial enough.

With my map torch, water bucket, hammer, haemostats and coins in tow I wandered around looking for something more 'industrial strength'

Found this.

3 heats and anneals and much bashing later, the inadequacies of a common claw hammer surfaced.

Boy these coins are sure tough little hombres! Clearly the only way I was going to be able to beat these little suckers into submission was to go for the really big gun tool.

You know the kind - one shade off cannon grey, a hand grip made from leather from really angry cows and a label on the side that says "naaa nah nah naaa nah consider yourself hammered"

All I had to do was lift it up and the weight did the rest. 10 wallops per side, no heating/annealing needed!

Here's the result.

Here is my hammer

So do you want to see my new anvil?

It's really unique, bet I'm the only one with one, you will be soooo jealous even though it won't fit into my studio.

More Passing Shots

2011-08-29T22:12:00.000+10:00

The President of our local Art Society is a 'Red Hot Pistol Packing Momma', although she modestly claims that she's not a bad shot with a small bore rifle.

She has a big competition coming up and urged me to make some more jewelry with the shell casings so she can sell some. The request included silver and gold.

There were some nickel casings so here are the silver batch.

Earrings with handpainted porcelain rounds.

I even made a bracelet in pink! and I am soooo not a pink girl.

Making something in gold was my next challenge. With all those bright brass cases I decided to go all out and OD on gold!

After all that bling needed something to sooth me, so resorted to my favourite - aged brass.

A Little More Paint

2011-08-24T11:35:00.002+10:00

On It's Way!

2011-08-21T07:17:00.000+10:00

Good News - Amazon has posted my book!

Bad News - ETA about 4 weeks

*Twitch* - *Twitch*

A Splash of Paint

2011-08-11T12:01:00.000+10:00

Since I joined the local Gin Gin Art Society I have been inspired to do some painting, something that has been on the back burner in my life for a long time. As I child I always had a pencil/chalk/paintbrush/crayon/charcoal/pastels or some implement in my hand that made marks on a surface. Fortunately my parents supported this developing 'habit' and kept the sheets of butchers paper coming!

So here is my first finished piece in pen and watercolour - 'Ring of Bright Water'

Biting the Bullet

2011-08-03T16:08:00.003+10:00

What do you do when someone hands you a bucket load of these?

You Bead-em-Up of course!
Had a great time beating them, heating them, drilling holes, dipping them in enamel and acid etching - oops where did the thin end go?

Then I thought I should actually make something.

I recon I should get through this lot in ohhhhhhhh around 20 years or so!

That's what has been scattered all over my bead table and the floor this Wednesday.

And if anybody needs any - I'm ya gal!

Become. . .

2011-07-29T17:27:00.000+10:00

be.come [bih-kuhm]

verb

alter, change, transform, come to be, develop, emerge, grow, mature, metamorphose, ripen, shift, wax

A beautiful ceramic affirmation focal from Earthenwood Studio

Heavy brass wire that has been flattened, curved and distressed, as sometimes we must be.

More brass wire has been curled and spiralled to remind us that the state of becoming is not always straight forward.

An artisan made lamp work bead from Radiant Mind, to remind us that following our heart is part of the process.

Amazonite - for your hopes and dreams

A tiny key to unlock your path and open doors

And finally a little pewter flower as a vision of what we can become when we fully bloom.

I Have Closure!

2011-07-12T13:11:00.002+10:00

No NO now I've scared you away! This is not some long winded gushing about my life.

This post is about closure - you know BUTTONS!
All started with some buttons I made for a friend, then thing spiralled out of control and I went nuts.
They were so much fun to make and there are more to come.

These are off to our local gallery on their handmade cards coloured with tea.

What do you think of the idea of making them as brooches? The gallery has a lot of visits from 'grey nomads' on their way north/south and I have an idea for a range of Aussie icons which I think will appeal.

no capitals

2011-06-04T07:29:00.000+10:00

that's right, there will be no capital letters in this post. not one. which will probably make it hard to read. a bit like trying to decypher one of those not 'plain english' legal documents. you know the ones, full of aforesaids and no punctuation. just one huge paragraph.
why no capitals, i hear you ask, well i am typing with the 'hunt and peck' method with only my right hand.
for some reason my carpel tunnel problem has flared up big time and 24 x 7 wrist brace and rest is my only option. so no typing and no beading aaaaarrrrrg. oh and no exclaimation marks either. hopefully another week and i will be back in action.
sigh . . . can't wait.

There and Back

2011-05-20T18:33:00.000+10:00

Last Wednesday,  I set off for the 6 hour drive to the Gold Coast, to visit my friend and batty-soul mate to assist with a training workshop. The workshop was to train more people in the rehabilitation of flying foxes or fruit bats. They are delightful trusting creatures and the babies are mega-cute!

Was great to see lots of old friends and some new ones.

Next I visited my son and family and oooh'd and ahhhh'd over the new kitchen and extension that has just been completed. Lots of chatting and Grandma hugs n kisses. Then too soon the 6 hour drive home.

Have lots to catch up with and am savouring all the beady goodness I am reading about.

Bead Table Wednesday

2011-04-28T11:02:00.020+10:00

Had every intention of playing with fold formed metal again, and got out everything I needed to start, but then I thought I heard a very feint . . 

g r e e r . . . . . oH . . . . G r E E r . . . .

It seemed to be coming from somewhere amongst my boxes of beads and I thought naaaaaaaaaah, must be the wind. Then, a little louder

g r e e r . . . . . oH . . . . G r E E r o P e N t h E bOx ...

and I knew what it was!

Ahh the little owl pendant I made to celebrate the getting of solar power few weeks ago.

Change of plans.

The back of the pendant was I felt unfinished so filled it with polymer clay with a texture of wings. Think it looks much better.

Next, got out a selection of beads and components.  

Made a link from some of the round aqua glass pearls and one with the red, but the beads were too big and overpowered the link. So pulled them apart and remade them with smaller ones and decided to go with the red pearls as they really popped against the dark brass. 

I patinaed the moon and tried various ways of using it, then  had a lightbulb moment. Turned the moon on its back and punched 2 more  holes and attached the pendant.

After a few false starts and a few more undo's here is the finished necklace.

 So what have your beads been whispering to you?

Market Score

2011-04-18T14:21:00.000+10:00

Our local market is more about fruit and vegies. There are a couple of people selling old tools, dog traps (shudder), tractor pins, plants, chooks, ducks, cage birds and even tacky jewelry from China. But no antiques or any real treasures.

BUT

This weekend someone was having a moving clear out and I scored some Craft Art International magazines. Even better copies I don't have!

Delicious, wonderful, amazing handcrafts from talented people allover.

A Serious Attack of the Girlies!

2011-04-13T14:17:00.000+10:00

Perhaps it's a reaction to all the hammering, sawing, drilling and red hot kinda blokey stuff I've been doing, but yesterday while ferreting around in a box for something, (can't remember what) I came across a little bottle of nail polish.
"Oh Boy, Oh Boy Oh Boy" shrieked my girlie-muse, who immediately took control. "Nail painting time!"
Painting toe-nails was, as I recall, easy when I was younger, a few deft swipes with the brush and done. But my toes seem further away now and my hand not as steady. Still they are waaaaay down there and no one will notice if the job ain't perfect. After the toes I went all out and painted the finger nails. (The polish will probably take one look at the uneven cut nails, the feral cuticles, the LOS stains, the odd burn and wire scratch and promptly start to fall off.)

Today the girlie attack still held sway.

I cut, distressed and patinaed a piece of brass knowing exactly where I was going, but my sneaky girlie-muse had other ideas

LOOK WHAT SHE MADE ME DO! 
 
Make a little enameled blue bird on the distressed brass panel. Next aqua seed beads for the wire wrapped loop.
Then she started on my bead boxes. She pulled this out and that out, clearly embarking on a bling-binge. 
Complained bitterly about my pink bead box which is, to tell the truth mainly filled with cobwebs and dust and tends to echo. All kinds of blues and aquas, pearls, crystals, silver, vintage chain, stuff I never even knew I had. She babbled on about wire wrapped dangles and clusters, loops of seed beads, crystal en-clustered jump rings. . .-
I was rather dismayed where this was going and insisted on simplicity. My girly-muse, arms crossed and pouting, sulkily gave in and we finished with this.
 I think our collaboration has turned out well and I may have to turn her loose more often.
Now if I can only get her to clean up the mess.

No 54 . . . .

2011-04-05T15:40:00.000+10:00

The house with the bamboo door

Bamboo roof and bamboo walls

They've even got a bamboo floor. . .

This week I have been bending, folding, hammering, burning and inflicting all kinds of grevious bodily harm on metal (and more than a few times to my fingers)
I have learnt
:: hold small thing with tweezers when hammering
:: hold small things with ~~tweezers~~ clamped up haemostats when heating
:: form folding is tough on your nails (use a scalpel blade stupid)
:: LOS gives you heavy stained 'chain smoker fingers'
:: lower the lighting when using the map gas torch
:: do not reach across the afore mentioned lit map gas torch
:: my disc cutters have it in for me
:: my soldering sucks
:: soldering is a great way to form organic shaped holes in metal
:: if you drop something hot, take immediate evasive action

The result of the playing, apart from lots of rejects and 'this is interesting wonder what I can use that for', is
House of Bamboo

Rolled some form folded copper and soldered the joint. Mutilated 4 pieces before I got the soldering right. Used a seed bead melted to wire to form the core for some enamelled head pins. The little head pins tinkle on the copper tubes
Pretty happy with them but....

That damn song is now stuck in my head!

Tool Modification

2011-04-01T21:11:00.000+10:00

Everyone is familiar with these hole punches.

The problem I have always struggled with is getting the hole in the right place. Not too far in and not right on the edge.Even swapping the pin holes still didn't work for me.

Was lying in bed last night and had an Ahhhhhhaaaaa moment. Jumped up to write it down, tripping over 2 dogs and waking up DH and the cockatoo on the way!

Today I made a piece of polymer clay to fit into the slot so that when the metal is pushed in, the hole is pierced always the same distance in from the edge

The spacer can slide out if you need the full depth.

Then I made a small polymer clay 'table' that fits each side of the punch so that what you wish to punch, sits horizontal with the pin.

Cut a centre line on the face of the punch and centre lines on the 'table' to make punching 2 holes opposite each other easier.

Test runs have all worked perfectly.

A quick down and dirty solution that I am sure can be improved

Bead Table Frenzy !

2011-03-30T16:12:00.001+10:00

errr I mean Bead Table Wednesday. 
On second thoughts after looking at my desk was right the first time.

And that's just a portion of the mess. I have really out done myself this time - goes around the corners and down both sides.

First I made/found a few polymer clay moulds

Naturally I forgot to take any photos of the steps between, but this is the result. A mob of polymer clay pendants and bezels 

A cute little midnight owl. Love how this one turned out so think he's a keeper

Two little nestling baby birds. The one on the left is on a brown clay background and the other on white. Not sure of these probably need more work.

Two poppy field bezels again white and brown clay backgrounds. Think these are keepers.

3 starfish variations.

A couple of texture experiments. Really like the left one.

And a little ladybird bezel.

Now my penance for all this activity and chaos is to clean up the Grunge Studio. . . .

tomorrow!

Larger than Life

2011-03-23T15:29:00.000+10:00

This is a stick insect I found.

This is how big it was!

Relax! apart from being a bit spikey they are only dangerous if you happen to be a delicious, succulent young eucalyptus leaf.

BTW - only just

2011-03-17T14:25:00.000+10:00

About two months ago I borrowed Grant Diffendaffer's book Polymer Clay Beads from the local library. His method of creating textured beads really appealed to me. (Lots of steps, new techniques and new tools and above all surprises) However, I could only read and not do until this week when I was able to fire up my little toaster oven.

Spent a day making texture plates and beads from odds and sods of clay.

Just a few experiments and although time consuming I love the outcomes. Next to try are flexible textures for round and other shaped beads.

Oh and I did return the library book after only three renewals!

Bead Table Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday

2011-03-10T06:26:00.000+10:00

Trying to work out the time zone differences so that my post arrives on the right day is doing my head in so it could be early or late woteva!

This is the centre of my bead table. 

Absolutely nothing on it.

 Or is there? 

You will note the bright glow on the right hand side. This is caused by electricity running from our solar panels down to the light bulb.
Finally our system is fully installed and we have power any time day or night.
No more beading by torchlight!
(Insert audio of loud clapping and squeeling)

I have soooo many ideas bouncing around in my brain, swirling, cannoning of each other, scratched down on any available piece of paper and hoping I can remember where 'somewhere safe' is.
Sorting through metal, enamels, beads, focals, polymer clay, clasps, wire, soldering paste, torches, sheet metal, tools I have, tools on order and tools I lust after.
Life is good.

Just What Queensland Needs . . . .

2011-02-01T19:53:00.001+10:00

After experiencing the worst floods in the state's history - now we have this

Cyclone Yasi will develop to be a category 4 and is about the size of Hurrican Karina. Expected to cross the north Queensland coast tomorrow night.

Thoughts are with the people in harms way.

Whisper of a Memory

2011-01-31T20:48:00.001+10:00

Amber Heart of the Finch did me the honour of including my Ravens of the Mist necklace in her lovely soft misty treasury.

Thank you.

My Heart of Gold

2011-01-23T12:00:00.001+10:00

After my winge about the uncooperative nature of the Universe I was sitting pouting, no wait, this was a full-on sulk when my DH asked what the matter was.

Well he probably regretted that instantly, cos I told him.

Next day my Heart of Gold took me to town.

We had real coffee and cake, scoured the local hardware store and newsagent for essential supplies and had an ice cream on the way home.

What to try first??? Ok enameling. The clamp I was going to use was not a success, so did I pout - no I went to the doesn't-have-a-home box and found a water pipe saddle, that fitted the torch neck and screwed it to the front of my table.

Just put the torch head through the saddle and screw on the canister

Then I had fun melting stuff and made lots of little samples.

Ya wanna see?

Can't see? Told ya they were little - here borrow my jeweler's loupe.

Woooooah earth shattering stuff eh?

Still have to sort out mandrels for beads but this is going to be soooo much fun and I think I can use the torch for bronzclay as well.

BLISS

On Beginnings and Patience

2011-01-17T08:25:00.006+10:00

The Universe seems to be intent on teaching me a lesson in patience and beginnings

The first beginning I would like in my life is the connection of power. We have tried to have this done for the last 2 months, but rain keeps interrupting and just when it seemed that all our stars had aligned, major flooding occurred to 3/4 of Queensland.

It would be churlish of me to complain when so many people have lost everything. Their homes, businesses, in some cases, wives, husbands, children, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, grandmothers, grandfathers and friends. 
The floods have been devastating and I would not dream of thinking that my very slight, little, paltry inconvenience was important.
It's OK Universe I am patient, I can wait.

The next beginning I would like to take place is starting our house. The Universe is not ready for this either and the legal situation is yet to play to it's conclusion.
Its OK Universe, I am patient, I can wait.

On a less cosmic scale there are several jewellery beginnings I would like to take place too.
I have some bronze and copper clay, but I need power to run the kiln.
I could do some polymer clay, but would need to run the big generator to power to oven, which seems such a waste and I would feel guilty.
I would like to try enamelling, but I don't have a bracket on which to mount the MAP gas bottle, or any vermiculite.
I would also like to try etching, but my Sharpies have dried up and the creek is up too high to cross and to make a 100k round trip up and down the rough back track to buy 2 sharpies a small bracket, an some vermiculite is also wasteful and again I would feel guilty.
It's OK Universe I am patient, I can wait.

So, do you think that it would be pushing it if I got a sharp stick and gave the Universe a quick poke and yelled 
'Get on with it'??

Ravens in the Mist

2011-01-11T15:03:00.000+10:00

With all the rain that we have had, mornings  can be beautiful. Silver, silent and still with only the gentle drip of water falling from leaves and branches. 

The misty colours of early morning inspired me to make this necklace in a soft limited palette.

 Green Girl Studio focal

 grey cracked agate rounds

 vintage lucite

 polymer clay round

 agate cubes

 shaped wood

 faceted czech glass

 Vintaj Brass chain 

A Long Time Hidden

2011-01-08T17:22:00.001+10:00

Just before we left, a little package appeared in our letterbox. I was nearly not going to open it but how could I resist?

Shannon from Miss Fickle Media gifted me this delicious array.

I briefly held it, then packed it away for a time when my life was less chaotic.

When I set up my grunge studio, I found the package again.

It whispered The Sea as softly as a silver wave breaking on the shore.

Not tropical seas of pearlescent aqua and coral and tiny brilliant fish.

This spoke of colder waters. Of rocky shores, tide pools, starfish, periwinkles, limpits, the pylons of old wharfs clustered with waving seaweed and the long tendrils of kelp swaying and coiling in the ocean swells.

Focal, copper chain and handwrought clasp - missficklemedia

Patinaed starfish

Lampwork bead - nomadcraftsetc

Freshwater pearl

Wire wrapped biwa pearl

Gunmetal spiral

Czech glass tube beads

Tiny seed beads and wire wrapping

Beading by Candle Light

2011-01-04T07:59:00.020+10:00

True Dinks!

It is so dark at the back of the shed I thought about putting a candle in a head band and beading like that, but the though of all that hot wax melting and horror of horrors dripping onto my beads was quickly rejected.

So, I resorted to a torch.

YEP

I made earrings by torchlight!

p.s. Got sooo carried away with my cleverness I almost forgot . . .
Two lovely beads gifted to me by MaryAnn Carroll
Soft dusty pink czech glass peanut beads
and
two tiny puffy filligree hearts

A Soggy Summer Solstice

2010-12-24T07:49:00.003+10:00

In my blog-hopping I have seen tranquil pictures of snow covered fields, trees and houses all white calm and silent.

Here in Queensland it should be hot with the sun shining and a thunderstorm or two to cool things down and keep us on our toes.

Instead we have rain, rain and still more rain.

The creek is up and we are flooded in.

Our plans to travel to our son's for Christmas have been washed away in the swift flowing brown water and it would seem that Jupiter Pluvius has not finished with us yet. Forecast to the end of the year a possible further 300mm.

Such is life in the land of droughts and flooding rains.

Would like to wish everyone a safe and merry Christmas or Summer or Winter Solstice as the case may be. May your day be filled with peace, good food and good times with all the people you love.

Oh and Santa, if you're planning to call on us, I suggest you swap the reindeer and sleigh for an inflatable flood boat with a couple BIG outboards on the back and watch out for the crocs!

What I have been doing

2010-12-16T20:09:00.000+10:00

Well it has been 4 months since we ran away to live in our little gunyah in the bush, so I thought I'd show you what I have been working on during this time.

Here is a composite of designs. Notice the beautiful artisan made beads and pendants. See the close-ups of the artfully connected components and the beauty and colour of the beads.

What?
You can't see anything?

Truth is I have not done anything, unless you count blog hopping and perusing Etsy and other bead sites. I feel that I am again waiting waiting waiting and my frustration is rising. I would walk passed my boxes and read my book to see what was in them. Sometimes I would even give them a shake to see if they rattled.
I really cannot wait for the house to be built before I set up my studio.
So I looked at the shed and decided that moving some of the boxes around would give me enough space at the back of the shed to set up. So I did!

Pretty Luxurious eh?
I think I can claim that I probably have the grungiest studio going. Its dark at the back of the shed, dusty in spite of the carpet on the ground. Its hot and stuffy mostly because the breezes don't penetrate and being a contortionist and having a love for maze solving is a pre-requisite.
Still, it is my little corner and I have been re-discovering all my treasures, including the last project I had started. There were even some treasures I didn't get to open before we left. Even if I don't make anything, just being able to see and hold the beads is balm to the soul!

Beautiful Bugs

2010-10-26T19:40:00.000+10:00

Now I have a new camera found this beautiful Hibiscus Harlequin Bug.

Wild Wednesday

2010-09-29T19:30:00.000+10:00

Sometimes words are not needed

Quiet Beauty

2010-09-23T19:37:00.000+10:00

The bark on some of the trees here is truly beautiful. Wonderful texture and amazing colours!

Etsy Shop Re-Opened

2010-09-20T19:45:00.000+10:00

I have re-opened my Etsy shop.
If I sell some jewellery I will HAVE to get out all my jewellery making stuff!
Hehehe - method in my madnes

Gumleaf Tea

2010-09-19T20:10:00.001+10:00

Can't believe we have been her 4 weeks! Seems like we have always been here and all the problems we've have all melted away. In fact we scarcely give the situation a thought.

In this time we have made ourselves a comfortable temporary nest. Ordered 2 watertanks. Booked a tree-feller to remove and mulch 20 large gum trees for the solar power system. Cleared the wattle from where the house will be built. Cleared the road down to our creek.
As this blog is supposed to be about jewellery and creative endeavours I have started another blog filled with all our adventures.
Would love you to follow as we build our new life.
Gumleaf Tea

On a very promising note, Gin Gin has a craft gallery and my approch to place some of my jewellery was very well received. I am tempted to get all by beading supplies out, but there is really no room in our little home so will have to show great restraint. In the mean time I am still visiting all my favourite blogs, but due to battery time on the laptop, don't usually comment. Loving what I'm seeing!

Voice from the Wilderness

2010-08-25T19:16:00.000+10:00

We have arrived safely and are concentration on making our temporary nest as comfortable as possible.

Will post photos as soon as I can find the filing cabinet and load the camera software.
So far am not missing our old house - except for long hot showers. In fact it feels like we have always been here. Peace, quiet, soft birdcalls, some gentle rain, being woken by the calls of kookaburras instead of traffic. Sitting by generator light listening to the radio, talking and playing cards. Taking the dogs for a morning walk at sunrise. I thing I'm going to love it here!

Into the Wilderness

2010-08-20T06:15:00.000+10:00

By this afternoon all the will be left in the house will be our blow-up mattress. A lonely piece of comfort in our home that used to be filled with "us" The rooms echo with emptyness, the cupboards are bare.
On a brighter note the place has never been soooo clean and tidy!

Our "downstairs children" have been a great help lifting the heavy stuff and are feeding us tonight.
Our new "upstairs children" will be moving in Sunday, so the house will be a home again.

We are sad to be leaving the house and all the wildlife and friends we have, but fate has dealt us this hand, and we must play it to our best advantage.

Tomorrow we vanish into the wilderness

Trailer Load #1

2010-08-05T16:50:00.001+10:00

The 70 boxes I packed are all in the trailer.

And yes I know exactly what is in every single one of them. Most of them will not be opened for 6 months or longer so opening and going through 70 boxes to find something ain't gonna happen - not with this little black duck! Organised/obsessive/compulsive me has the boxes numbered and all is written into the little red book.

(I'm not game to tell DH how many boxes of books there are)

Doesn't look much does it?

But its a full car trailer load probably around a tonne and will keep the old Landrover Discovery honest.

Jim, accompanied by Gidgee the kelpie will leave in a few days to drop the load off in the shed.
I , aided and abetted by Jarrah the other kelpie, will serreptitiously pack all the other books, so shhhhhhhhh this is secret squirrel stuff!

Changes and Challenges

2010-07-26T17:35:00.000+10:00

We shouldn't be here in this house!

The house should have been sold 6 month ago and we should be miles away on our property in the bush building our new house, making vegie gardens and planting fruit trees, and above all enjoying our 'tree-change' retirement. But we're not.

10 years ago while involved in a business my husband and partners signed a document, and as a result he has become embroiled in a legal dispute with a giant multi national company.
For 6 months our life has been on hold. It's like living in molasses, holding our breath and worring that everything my husbad has worked for may be taken away.
To make matters worse, we still have a morgtage and our modest income cannot cover all the payments and we have to dip into our house fund.

So I got mad!

Bugger It! I refuse to allow this multi national company to dominate our life! I refuse to live with negativity, uncertainty and fear , I refuse to sit and wait and I refuse to accept being where I do not wish to be!!!

The solicitors can all do as they will and we will deal with the outcome when it is all done and dusted.
What will be will be

So the house is rented and we are packing like mad as we aim to be out by August 21. Our tennants are 2 brothers and their partners, friends of our daughter. Lovely people so the house is in good hands.
(Deadlines like this make you realise how much ~~crap~~ umm valuable resources, you have collected over the years and there is some serious culling going on )

The challenges are to come.
Coping with living in a small caravan and a galvanised iron farm shed with a dirt floor. No reticulated water and no mains power. I can handle this much better than the current shit. At least we are back in control. I own land and there is enough money to build the house to lock-up. The worst that can happen is we have to go back to work to finish it.

Boy that felt good!

Treasury Inclusions -Oh My!

2010-07-08T23:25:00.003+10:00

Lisa from BeadsnBones put together a great Etsy Treasury of Fresh Mint and Spicy Red and included my Pivot Point necklace. There I am left hand side 3rd photo down.
Its very humbling to be selected from all the other talented and creative people out there.
Thanks sooo much Lisa!

A Lonely Place

2010-06-23T17:34:00.000+10:00

Continuous pain is a lonely place and the most lonesome place of all is in the wee small hours of the night. There is something about night that amplifies pain. The quietness, the empty house, the darkness all seem to fold and wrap the pain in endless layers. Such was my fate over the weekend.

It would appear that I have been very lucky and developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

As a result, I am now wearing this rather fetching quasi- steampunk wrist brace. I would much rather it was in soft, well worn, brown, hand-stitched leather with brass buckles and rows of rivets and perhaps a gear or two or maybe rows of eyelets and with leather thonging.
But I'm stuck with this. At least it's my left hand and all the pain has now gone.
*sigh*. I forsee a long road unfolding

Give Me a Hand & Lend Me Your Ear

2010-06-07T14:59:00.003+10:00

"Display your jewellery on a live model so your customers can see what it looks like when worn"
So says all the selling advice.

A bracelet gracefully displayed on a slim and elegant hand. An earrings swinging from a shell-pink ear and a necklace artfully draped around a curvacious swan-like neck. Yep that should do it.

I tried my hand - not exactly slim and elegent and eeeek where did those brown spots come from?

The ears - well less said the better, and the swan-like neck is fast becoming more like a turkey neck, wattles and all!

Necklace is easy, lots of a mannequins available. I have one coming that conveniently hangs from a coat hanger and stores in the wardrobe.

Bracelet and earrings, hmmmmmmm though of 'liberating' the hand of a store mannequin and briefly toyed with the idea of kidnapping some young nubile female with all the above attributes and hold her captive as my live model, but the food and maintenance bill would probably kill me so I came up with this.

AND

Which display method do you prefer? The photo, the drawing, the kidnapped nubile young female?

It should be noted that me, warts and all is NOT being offered as an option!

Etsy Treasury - Spring Green

2010-06-01T06:49:00.000+10:00

Had fun putting together my first Etsy Treasury!

Daisy Seeds

2010-05-29T14:41:00.002+10:00

Czech glass rounds with picasso finish, distressed daisy charms and a tiny group of wire wrapped beads

Bird on a Wire

2010-05-27T17:28:00.000+10:00

A Little Bird Told Me

2010-05-26T20:58:00.001+10:00

Aqua coloured agate, abalone nuggets, porcelain oval, vintage mother of pearl buttons, golden swirl glass round, a touch of silver and vintaj brass

Sweet Buds of May

2010-05-21T10:57:00.000+10:00

Some sweet little button flowers from Natural Resources made from renewable bamboo

Czech picasso finish bell flowers and drops

Vintaj chain.

I would love to find a larger lobster clasp that is not so fiddly to do up. Not sure if I have developed 'fumble fingers' or I don't have the patience. Would love to know what everyone else uses.

ONYA JESS!!!!

2010-05-15T15:21:00.002+10:00

16 years old and just completed a solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world!

If there's one thing Aussies love its someone who is prepared to 'have-a-go'

I honour the determination and 'stickivity' of Jess, the faith of her sponsors and the courage of her parents in allowing her to follow her dream bravo all!

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child.

Listen to the don'ts.

Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts.

Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me...

Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”

Shel Silverstein

Flash Ya Stash!

2010-05-13T10:09:00.002+10:00

Hasn't been a lot of stashing at the Macca household of late. Tight budget and some nasty 10 year old legal stuff happening in the background means I can look but can't touch.

Then I see

and the Winner is

GREER

What me? - can't be I never win anything.

*pinch* *pinch*

Mary Ann Carol from Artisan Beads Plus had a giveaway and she picked MEEEEEEE!

Lookie what I got!

Photos do not do these beads justice. They are so smooth to touch and every way you turn them there is a variation in the glaze. She also sent me these . . .

Some wood fired cubes. These instantly transported me back to the early 70's when I did a bit of pottering around with clay (get it? pottering around?) Everything was stoneware and amazing glazes full of texture and visual interest.

These beads are gorgeous! Smooth and glossy with all kinds of interesting glaze effects going on and in some areas the wood firing has added raku effects.

THANKS MARY ANN!!!!

Wind Flower

2010-04-29T16:47:00.002+10:00

Got this great vintage lucite button. The design is beautifully executed with lots of very precise detail, and the colour is spectacular!. Turquoise with greenish yellow and the whole thing changes to electric blue depending on the angle of the light.

I dapped a brass round, filled with poly clay to match the button, added a Vintaj brass filigree round and mounted the button in the centre.

Smokey quartz nuggets, seed beads, aqua metalic pearls, rust ceramic saucer bead and another beautiful bronze lucite bead with an art nouveau pattern.

I love the way this has turned out - so rich and sumptuous with hint of darkness, and I am quite partial to the dark side.

50's Revisited

2010-04-22T13:20:00.001+10:00

I remember the 50's - yep I am that old!

Kidney shaped coffee tables, black and white tv's on spindley legs, teak danish style furniture, vinyl upholstery, rounded refrigerators with tiny little freezer boxes into which only ice cube trays fitted. Chrome kitchen tables with formica tops. Full circle skirts with great frothy tule petticoats, cinched in waists. *Sigh*

The thing I most remember was the bold use of colour and feature walls. My mother embraced this with gusto.

In the main bedroom she painted the walls in mauve with an orange feature wall. The bedspread and curtains were turquoise, mauve, orange and brown. We all thought it looked great - so avant garde!

The colours of these earrings remind me of this room.

Vintage turquoise lucite beads in a matte finish, orange and purple seed beads and copper rhinestone spacers, vintaj brass. Fun, fun fun

On Letting Go

2010-04-21T06:53:00.001+10:00

Yesterday our daughter packed the last of her posessions into her car and at 3pm drove out of the drive heading for Canberra to begin a new job, the offer of which was too good the turn down.

We have been lucky as both son and daughter have worked with us for over 10 years and we have seen (and hugged them) every single day. Time and circumstances have changed and we are moving on to new places and experiences.

I know she has to go, as all children must, as it is now her time and opportunity in the world, and I would never dream of holding her back but part of me wants to keep here here safe. I will miss the sound of her car on the gravel, the way she always slammed the front door of the flat, her laughter and knowing that she is close by.

I am grateful the she is not totally on her own down there as a close friend of her brother is her new boss and I know he will look out for her.

I have shed tears and will do so again - letting go is hard

Earth & Growing

2010-04-19T17:29:00.000+10:00

Some earrings I managed to squeeeeeze in between tiling and after I recovered from a very sore shoulder. Honestly at my age you'd think I'd know better, but I keep thinking I'm still 20 and attempt stuff I shouldn't. Pain killers and hot wheat packs and it's just about gone.
These are for Earth Day and for all the good things that grow from the earth.

Do Caterpillars Dream of Flying?

2010-04-15T11:39:00.018+10:00

When caterpillars are snug in their chrysalis awaiting the wonderous transformation of their bodies to creatures of the air, grace and beauty, do they while-away the long days with visions of flying? Do they know what awaits them?
I rather hope the do, I love the idea.

Now that the heavy rains have gone, there are butterflies everywhere. Black and white, black and orange, tiny irridescent triangles, butter yellows all collecting the nectar from the last of the summer flowers.

Here is my tribute to these amazing creatures we share this tiny blue plant with.

Butterfly Dreaming

Change your Blog Image Sizes - EASILY!

2010-04-13T12:22:00.002+10:00

Have been playing with the look and layout of my blog and I remembered that changing the sizes of the photos had been easy but no longer. Could only select small, medium, large and xlarge, (bit like dress sizes really) and the graphic designer side of me screamed no no no I want to decide the sizes of my pictures, so what had changed.

Blogger have two Post Editors, an old one and a new one. The new one has the preset image sizes.
So when you have finished writing your post and have added the images, go to your Settings tab, scroll down to Global Settings and select Old Editor.
Go back to your post.
To resize your images, click on the photo and a box with white corner squares will appear. Grab the white corner square and pull the picture up to what ever size your heart desires
EASY!!!
(Don't forget to change back to the New Post Editor to take advantages of all the features)

All Tiled Out

2010-04-08T14:13:00.005+10:00

Have demolished the laundry and re-tiled. Re-tiled the kitchen. Part demolished the bathroom, re-tiled, fitted new bath and vanity unit.

The only creative thing I have done the last few weeks is a new banner for the blog. Can't even remember what I had in mind in the studio, but am a dab hand at cutting tiles and grouting. Oh and holding plumbing fittings, fetching and carrying and trawling the aisles of Bunnings for brass joiners and tap bodies that they don't sell anymore.

Things that go Squish in the Night

2010-03-24T21:59:00.001+10:00

"Houston, we have a Problem"

Those words were uttered by Number One Daughter at 4am. She had rolled over in bed and it had gone 'squish' and even in her not quite lucid state she had thought 'that can't be right' and it wasn't

A hose on the washing machine had let go. The kitchen was awash, there was an ever enlarging lake in the lounge room and the tide was inexorably approaching our bedroom door.

PANIC STATIONS!

Every single towel, old blanket and anything else that could possibly sop up water was pressed into service.

Down stairs in our daughter's flat, water poured down the newly painted walls, dripped out of the light fittings and the carpet was akin to walking on a bed of sea squirts.

Spent last week with fan heaters drying out the carpet, which now smelled like a wet dog and watching the ceiling paint slowly peel off the roof in sheets. The upstairs floating flooring has now become the 'smiling flooring' as the boards start to curl on the ends.

The insurance assessor has been today. Have paid insurance for 20 years on this house and made 3 claims so it remains to be seen how much the insurance company will cough up.

Now did I turn that dishwasher off at the tap?

Of Rain and Martyrdom

2010-03-06T11:16:00.009+10:00

My haunting career has been sorely tried.

I mean, the half glimpsed presence in the shady grove at twilight, the silver apparition in the damp and misty morn before the sun burns it all away or the distant figure on the windblown hillside are all very romantic.

Standing in the pouring rain in over-size gumboots with a battered and leaking umberella is NOT.

The same weather pattern that deluged us a few weeks ago, returned so I was reduced to haunting the mail box from the shelter of the front verandah. Somehow it wasn't the same.

Suddenly one morning, on the table, there IT was!

It seems Australia Post took pity on me and risked our driveway which resembled a river bed to deliver the parcel to the safety of our garage while we were out. Good job too - the sight of a very mature aged woman squeeling and throwing her arms about a young, handsome, nubile delivery man is . . . .ohhh now I've come over all hot and flushed. .

So did I rip the package apart in a mad feeding frenzy to get to the delicious contents?

Nope!

I decided that as I had tasks that had to be completed that I would keep opening the package as a reward. What! shrieked my inner self, wait some more, are you barking-mad? But I resisted. I can wait to read "Enchanted Adornments"

So who else besides me does this sort of thing? Who else keeps thing as a reward? C'mon 'fess up!

Oh, and don't ya just love the smell of burning martyr?

Two Bob Each Way

2010-02-26T16:42:00.003+10:00

Playing both sides against the middle, hedging my bets, multiple choice, preferences, alternatives.
OK OK I confess - couldn't make up my mind.

So you can have a necklet or a braclace . . . Vintaj brass vintaj brass bracelet bracelet gemstones gemstones czech glass czech glass boho boho indy indy

Dilemma - Which Way?

2010-02-22T09:18:00.004+10:00

I made a little inlaid polymer clay ladybird and put it into a round bezel with the view of making a bracelet. (ok I admit it, I am quite hooked on the technique) polymer clay polymer clay vintaj brass vintaj brass gemstones gemstones boho boho indy indy

Now the bevel is heavy and the agate rounds i used are also heavy and although I like the bracelet, I am wondering at what point does a bracelet become too heavy. Obviously if you do not surface after falling off the wharf it is. Is there such a thing as too heavy?. Anyone got any thoughts?

I have ummed and ahhed and beginning to think that maybe this would work better as a necklace. (I know I need to make more bracelets, as I seem to have developed a preference for necklaces.)
So which do you think works better, the bracelet or a necklace?

Trivia Alert - the humble Aussie ladybird was introduced to California in the 1880's to control Cotton Cushion Scale, and has subsequently travelled all over the world munching its way through the pest. So the next time you see one say G'Day

But Wait - There's More . . . .

2010-02-20T17:02:00.004+10:00

Had such fun making the inlaid polymer clay owl, that I though a combination of the wire and a more textural area might be interesting.
I tried making the nest from wire but it looked totally out of place. The clay nest is much more sympathetic. Reminds me of seabirds that nest on the beach.

The whole necklace.
Natural and dyed howlite, silver and bronze spacer beads, metalic aqua pearls, carved brecciated jasper flowers, Vintaj brass

A Haunted Place

2010-02-19T15:49:00.004+10:00

We have a haunted place at our house.

It is nothing out of the ordinary. Not dark, dank or hidden. There are no cold patches or dripping ectoplasm, no disembodied voices, no clanking chain, the hair does not stand up on the back of your neck and yet, there is a presence, a female often glimpsed, waiting.

Where is this place you ask?

Its the mail box and I am the haunting!

For my birthday I shouted myself a copy of  "Enchanted Adornments"  and I am waiting, waiting .......

Woe is meeeee. Why is the rest of the world sooo far away? Why does it take sooo long for just a little package to make its way here? Doesn't UPS and Australia Post realise that this is a matter of life and death?

Every day I visit the mail box and visit again just in case it is coming parcel post but nothing.

Wait! was that a vehicle at the bottom of the drive - be right back........

No *Waaaa sob*

Hoo Goes There?

2010-02-13T21:50:00.001+10:00

Here is what I did with the inlaid polymer clay owl focal.

Picasso finish amber faceted czech glass rounds, cracked agate, dark blue pearls, wooden saucer spacers, seed beads, Vintaj brass and a cute captive moon and window clasp.

Hooo Loves Ya

2010-02-10T12:01:00.000+10:00

There has been a Boobook owl calling from the bush behind our house from the last few nights with the haunting sound of 'mo-poke mo-poke".
So I took the hint and made this.

Polymer clay with gold wire inlay. I think he's pretty cute. Whatya recon?

Send It Down Hughie!

2010-02-07T07:01:00.003+10:00

It would appear that by moaning and bleating I have tempted fate or somehow irritated the universe. 

Late yesterday it started to rain. Soothing gentle rain that fell on the leaves and grass indispursed with bouts of sunshine. Just the weather to make the grass bolt and everything grow 3 feet overnight.

Lovely, we thought.

However it gradually got heavier and heavier until, by the time we went to bed, had become a torrential deluge pouring from the skies. Just to spice things up the weather gods threw the odd bolt of lightning just in case we weren't still awake. 

We copped 250mm (10 inches) in 10 hours! and its still raining.

*Sigh* the garage will require bailing out and the driveway has ruts so deep you'd  have to turn the  headlights on to find you way out.The local bird are sheltering under our verandah and there is probably and Ark somewhere in the back yard.

Ya gotta love the land of droughts and flooding rains!

(A gap in the rain and just time for a few piccies)

"And All The Rivers Ran" 

"Waterfalls rapids - Oh My"

Paperbark

2010-02-04T10:40:00.001+10:00

It has been hot and humid the passed few weeks and DH and I have been busy replacing the verandah railing panels (some of it in the blazing sun) So by nightime all I wanted to do was veg-out on the couch and watch tv and have the odd nanna nap.

No inspiration what-so-ever to do anything, so eventually I MADE myself do something - I played with polymer clay. There is something very theraputic about rolling, squishing and manipulating clay and its much quieter than hammering metal. Wanted to work with a cool theme and the Art Bead Scene challenge for February was just the ticket.

Now I should point out that snow and I are not on a nodding aquaintance, in fact we are not even on a wave-from-a-distance one either. Snow is something that appears on Christmas cards or came out of a spray can and was liberally applied to any vulnerable surface until my mother banned it. I have seen snow fall (briefly) twice and visited the snowfields once. Ask me about droughts, flooding rains, dust storms, violent thunder storms, the occasional cyclone and I'm ya gal but not snow.

Ended up with this.

The pattern reminded me of a tree at the bottom of our driveway a Melaleuca commonly known as a paperbark. They have the most amazing bark, like multiple sheets of soft handmade paper. Layer upon layer of soft peach, grey, cream, golden brown.

So here are the earrings I made, which was about all my muse could handle. (She has subsequently checked the weather forecast for tomorrow, rolled her eyes wildly and bolted to somewhere cool no doubt, blowing raspberries at me as she vanished)

Beadie Packages

2010-01-18T13:32:00.002+10:00

Everything came at once to the mail box today.

I love it when the lid on the letterbox can't close, can only mean packages! (unless the junk mail deliverer has become over zealous, but they don't do that do they)

Some cute little concave pearl buttons.......

Some cool aqua glass and crystal......

Luscious picassa finish czech glass .....

Brass bead cones ......

and finally some lovely czech glass flower beads.

TOOOOO DARN HOT to do anything but wilt here today and that includes inspiration no matter how tempting the new treasures are. 35.5 degrees C on the front verandah and still climbing *sigh* I am so not a summer person.

Use What You Have #2 & #3

2009-12-30T05:55:00.001+10:00

Made these as Christmas gifts.

And made this for myself to match the bracelet

Visitors!

2009-12-29T09:04:00.005+10:00

This is some of the mob of corellas that visit us every few days. Lots of flying, swooping, squabbling and eating too! A bit of seed and we have free entertainment with breakfast.
They also have the most joyous calls

Using What You Have

2009-12-24T09:23:00.005+10:00

We need beads and treasures so that other creations can be born. We have our stash to which we constantly add- busy jackdaws, always on the look out for one more bead, one more ultimate prize.

The stash/cache/treasure chest grows until it becomes a dragon's hoard and beware, lest we become like an ancient dragon ensconced in our remote, secret lair, coil upon scaly coil curled around our hoard, guarding it, crooning to it, only ever adding to it, not creating.

There have been several posts about using what we have, not rushing out and buying more because what we have does not fit the vision of the inward eye and the inner eye is often what stops us from seeing the potential in what we have.

So I was cleaning up the debris which, by some mysterious process had manage to colonise every horizontal surface and returning beads to the appropriate colour group when I spotted these top drilled biwa pearls in irridescent olive green with flashes of emerald and gold ,nobbled and mis-shapen gleaming and shining like pebbles in a rainforest stream. The holes were really too fine for 20g wire so I idly wrapped them with finer wire. Hmmmm interesting could be useful. In a compartment next to the pearls a czech glass round with a rusty spiral imbedded in a tawny picasso finish. Spirals like new growth or the eddies in a stream a perfect partner to the pearls.

I continued to clean and buried under my 'vertical filing system' came across a spiral of jump ring I had been making and had removed from the mandrel. They had been flattened and pushed out of shape an organic tangle like butress roots or vines. The rush to create came fast, but did I have anything else to go with these treasures? .There were these seed beads in metalic rust, ferny green and bronze - perfect!. Some rollo chain in my obsession - vintaj brass and this bracelet was born.

So here it is.
Turning off the inward eye, seeing the potential in what is on hand and a bit of serendipity.

I love it.
I love the colours, the movement and how it drapes and I am going to keep it for myself!

. . . And then there were 20

2009-12-22T08:02:00.006+10:00

You may remember I posted pictures of 3 orphaned Tawny Frogmouths a while back, well they have now become 20!

These are the latest two and one is just a little dot.

Here they are snuggle up with the big kids in the flight aviary

These birds are nocturnal and are fed at dusk, before we go to bed and early morning. I tried to get all 20 of them on the one branch, but they could see daddy with breakfast and wouldn't stay put. Another month and they most will be released back into the wild.

Brocade

2009-12-08T19:25:00.005+10:00

This piece is inspired by Esther, from Mes Illusions Baroque.

A while ago she blogged about a necklace in which she used pieces of lace wire wrapped to a copper wire frame.

The fragments of coloured lace fit perfectly with the copper and create a great textural element.
She has posted a few pink themed designs and although I am not a pink person, I think Esther could convert me.
So here's my version.

Textured aged brass frame, polymer clay focal, vintage german glass amethyst bi-cones, clear facetted czech glass, a fibre wrapped joiner (just to tickle your fancy) and 2 flavours of vintaj brass chain. The clasp is also textured to match the focal.
Had fun making this!

Hardware Challenge - Pivot Point

2009-12-05T20:21:00.001+10:00

Erin from Treasures Found is having a challenge, which is to create a piece of jewellery using items from the hardware store.

Wooooo hooooo one of my fave places, along with tool shops, engineering supplies and anything that turns, clips together, unscrews or is beautifully machined.

I chose some cotter pins, also called split pins and joy of joys they came in brass!.

Heated them until dull red to give them an aged appearance and strung them with brass washers, seed beads spacers and some vintage brass (there's that word again). Not sure on the clasp may rework that. Pronounced 'cool' by number one daughter.

Blue Planet Earrings

2009-12-01T20:17:00.002+10:00

Have these gorgeous czech glass beads with the most beautiful picasso finish which is more pronounced on one side. It reminds me of the sea and coral reefs seen from space. So the beauty would be lost in a necklace, but with earrings I was able to put the 'best side to London'

Fabricated and wrapped Vintaj brass with tiny czech glass cubes, a facetted metalic bead and a cute little square charm with a heart that has had an aged patina applied.
So, what do you think?

Portia

2009-11-23T00:11:00.006+10:00

I was uncertain about buying these red stoned metal beads - maybe too oriental?
The more I looked the more I realised that they had a definite renaissance air to them something that may have come from 16th century Venice.
Perhaps they graced the ears of the fair Portia as she defends Antonio against Shylock's insistance of a pound of flesh for his debt

Aged brass beads with blood red glass cabuchons, matt green seed beads and Vintaj brass