Look at what I made....

Hi everyone,

   Well, you were patient and waited while I struggled with my last assignment for PMC Voice. I started by making a polymer mold that I wanted my flower petal to look like. After I baked the mold, I rolled out my PMC at a 2 card thickness and draped it over the mold and let it dry. It takes some time to make three pieces that way...I then took the scrapes of PMC paper and made the base design and I even made a bell cap with a similar design on it. After it was fired and cooled, I started trying to assemble it and after a couple of hours of that and nothing working right or looking good, I almost threw it all away! I don't remember ever being ready to do that, so I took a couple of deep breaths and started deleting my design. Anyway, I hope you like it....the pod has dyed silk roving and a great bead that was made by Stuart Abelman. 

  By the way, I would like to thank everyone who takes the time to read my blog and I really love it when you leave comments...makes me think I am not out here by myself!! Thanks again, Kelly

Still Working....

Hi everyone, 

   Well, I am still working on my PMC Voice piece. Our assignment was to use a illustration from a children's book for inspiration. I used to collect children's books because I wanted to become a book illustrator. So, my inspiration piece comes from the book "The Forbidden Door" by Marilee Heyer.  The illustrations are great and detailed....things I love!  I decided to make one of the "flowers" since I also have a soft spot for them. I have made three semi-half pod shapes and a ornate cap that hopefully, when put together, will look like a real pod.  Well, I can only hope!  I made a mold out of polymer clay and draped the PMC into it to get the shape and then let it dry before removing it from the form...worked out pretty well. They are being fired as we write and read and tonight I will string them together. I just need to decide what to put in the pod. I have silk roving and huge green pearls and gold colored sheet mica and all sorts of other things....any suggestions?  

  Since my PMC Voice piece isn't finished, I will let you see some pods I did in the past. I hope you have a great day playing, Kelly

Well, I have gone and done it!!!

Hi everyone, 

   Well, like the title says...."I have gone and done it"! And what might that be, you ask??? I have signed up to do the Master's Registry course! Now, I have to make all those things....I have hooked up with some of the girls on Facebook and we are helping each other in the support area....which means giving each other a kick in the pants if needed and helping in the advice area. Great for when you are stuck or need some technical questions answered. Since I am still doing my experimental workshop with Sylvie Landsdowne (we are on assignment 6) I will continue to show you what I make for that and as I finish my MR pieces, I may show them...don't know if I should before they are juried. Have to check that out.  So, I am going to go down to the studio and make my workshop piece and work on my drawing for my MR piece...we are doing the brooch with stilt rivets as our first piece. I will at least show you my drawing....I know, you are waiting with bated breath!!! 

      Since I don't have photos of those yet, I will show you some of the porcelain pieces I did that have been antiqued with fine silver.   I am going to use them instead of stone cabs and bead around them, kind of like my good friend Sheri Serafini...she is teaching at another friend of mines'...Kim Otterbein's 'The Bead House' up in Bristol, Rhode Island.  Kim and Jeff have a great lineup of teachers and classes every year...check them out!  I will be teaching there in November...making rings!  So, go play in your studios and enjoy your day, Kelly

My latest assignment project...

Hi everyone, 

   Here is my latest assignment....a song you like or one that inspires you....I chose "Money, Money".  I have a lot of antique coins that I love the designs of.  I use them every once in a while and I went through all my coins to find one I wanted to use. I was going to use a bull (from Spain) but since I don't play in the stock market, it didn't really call to me. The birds, though....I also used a tearaway with a leaf type pattern in it for the "tree" (as in...do you think money grows on trees) and then behind the coin is a layer of Tiffany glass shards set in resin. I wanted the golden color (to symbolize gold) and the Tiffany is for the idea of expensive.  and, yes, the Tiffany glass is real.  On the back is my little blue bird of happiness since most people think they will be happy if they have enough money....enough said.  At the bottom are facetted citrine which is a stone that is supposed to bring wealth to you.  I think I may have over thought this one, but I like it none the less.  Hope you like it...my next assignment looks like fun...I will show you next week. Have fun playing, Kelly 

New Beads...

Hi everyone,

   I thought I would show you some of the beads I gave new life to for the Bead and Button show. I made these polymer beads about 8 years ago and have always loved the color and I always wanted to do glass beads that looked like these but I don't work with glass....(when I took a class with Leah Fairbanks back in '96; one of my friends almost torched off all my hair and that was that....it was the class I met Sylvie Landsdowne in...so that was a good thing).  Anyway, I figured out how to make these look like glass and then added my PMC disks at each end....They remind me of bright fruit.  Now I have to make something to go with them....any suggestions?? I hope you like them...have fun playing today, Kelly

New workshop piece....

Hi everyone, 

  Well, I got my HUGE bead out of the kiln and it is still HUGE!!!!  It will be a centerpiece for sure and I may use the beads of Joan Miller's that I experimented on as the side beads. This bead was inspired by the rust and the rumpled metal of a car. I found out after firing that I should have used a solid piece for the back but felt like pushing the boundaries and the bead was really wonky when it was finished firing. I had to do a bit of moving around and flattening to get it to sit flat like it did before it went into the kiln.  The bead of Joan's was fired in place around one of the posts. It was a bit of a pain to get it in place since I decided to put it around the post after all the posts were in place and dry. I cut out the post, added the ring and then re-attached the post. I am thinking of having swags of small beads attached to it and then attached to the main necklace....I hope you like it...It was way fun to make....have a great day playing, Kelly

You know....looking at my bead and the inspiration photo makes me think I got a little carried away with the rumples....too funny! K

what to make??

Hi everyone,

  I thought I would be better about writing this blog but I guess I don't do enough that is interesting to write about....I did go to a great remainder book store this weekend and got some fab books on clockworks and Russian gold jewelry and Venice and India....most of the books would normally be around 60 to 100$ marked down to crazy prices like 15 - 25$....love that store!!!   You can go to their website if you love books...www.salebooks.com.  They have a great selection of art books and even jewelry books...I got one years ago that was about Faberge and it was covered in pink silk with gold embossed letting and gold on the sides of the pages for 15$....I saw it in Barnes and Noble the following week for 125$!!!   I Love getting books to look at the pictures so I can be inspired!!  I didn't think I had a lot of books until I started counting bookcases in the house....15 at last count....whew!!!  So today I am going to work on my workshop assignment and I will show you the photos I took to inspire me from around my house....now to decide which one...and tomorrow I will show you what I made....because our new assignment has been posted and I have to get to work!!!  So, enjoy your day playing!!! Kelly

What to write???

Hi everyone, 

  Well, today I really have no idea of what to write that would be inspiring or even witty (I hope some of my past posts have been....). My son is making random remarks that he is hoping will end up in my post be accident...("Where is your magical chicken of doom?" is one)  try a whole afternoon of that!!!  Anyway, he suggested (after the chicken question) that I put up some photos that inspire me and hopefully you will be too.  Next week I will put up some photos of the library that I have been working on.  I hope you have a great day today, Kelly

The first photo is lichen growing on a tombstone of marble...reminds me of a cool patina for metal....the second is a carved hand...wouldn't that be cool as a hand in a shadowbox bead? and third is the word we should all be living by....enough said...K

Working on the Library..

Hi everyone,

   I am working on the library again, so I thought I would show you one of my sculptures that will live in the Library.  I made her about 10 years ago and I still love her. I did a series of found object angels and mixed media collages around that time. It is a nice break from small jewelry pieces. All that glue and paint and crackle medium....colored pencils and ribbons and yarn....might have to start doing some more angels....maybe smaller...as beads or brooches!!!  Hhhmmmmm.....might be a bit tricky drawing the faces that tiny, but it would be worth a try....anyway....here are a couple of photos of "The Holy Roller". Look close and you will see all sorts of playing cards and dice, dominos and pennies...inside of her are bingo cards and money changers.  Gambling was coming into the Gulf Coast area when I made her and she was my comment on the times....hope you like her....have fun today, Kelly

Sunday, already??

Hi everyone,

   I looked at my last posting and I can't believe that has been 5 days since the last one....Sorry about that! I have been reading a series of books and I guess time ran away with me!  I did work on my assignment for the online workshop so I thought I would show you what I made.  I was supposed to represent myself with this bead and I covered all the bases but I don't think it is too much. I used a antiqued polymer base and riveted some PMC molded panels to the surface to make a background for the woman's face and wings. There is another polymer panel on the back with a butterfly on it over some swirlie vines. I may make a shadowbox type frame to go around it later with a cut out in the back so the polymer shows through but I haven't decided. Anyway, I hope you like it and I will try to be better about posting regularly. Have a great time playing in the studio, Kelly

Next!!!

Hi everyone, 

   Well, I have finished my second assignment for the workshop ....I am not going to tell you what the assignment is in case you want to join the next round of classes....But I will say this, my inspiration picture had to be the ugliest thing on the page!!!  looked like something a three year old would would paint!  and primary colors! I was going to make a bead in the round but I couldn't make enough ugly doodles to make up four sides.....I will keep working though!  So, I will leave you with a photo of my assignment....any comments for improvement would be welcome!!! And then you should go play in your studios!!!  Have a great day, Kelly

Making pretties....

Hi everyone,

   I hope you all had a great weekend and had some fun! I am going into the studio to finish up my workshop piece. I was assigned a abstract painting as my inspiration....and I am not crazy about abstract....it has proved to be a interesting assignment. I will post a photo tomorrow....So, since my mind is downstairs, I should probably go join it.....don't want to lose it!!!  I will leave you with some photos of mine and hopefully, you will be inspired! Take care, Kelly    

P.S. The center photo was the front cover for the PMC Guild magazine a couple of summers ago.....enjoy!, k