Saturday, April 27, 2013

7th Bead Soup Reveal



Remember the Bead Soup sent to me by Rose Thorn ?


Now you will get to see the creations I made by adding a few goodies from my own collection and using the beads and findings she sent.



The cat clasp was just too precious to not be front and center !  The nice sheer ribbon was sent to me as a Christmas gift From Julie Panusis. It was the perfect accent for the large beads.  Here is a closer look.




There was a beautiful glass bead focal in the soup. Paired it up with a shiny silver background and it popped.  The colors matched a shell bead that I had created and the union was heavenly.  Also used the other clasp that was included in the soup.




I still had beads left to play with.  Rose was very generous !
I paired the pretty red glass beads with  a set of polymer clay beads I had recently created.   
Front

Back

Matching bracelet

And since there were still beads rolling around in the tray .....
I decided to try my hand at adding beads to an applique and creating a choker . And some sassy earrings too !







Believe it or not there are still a few beads rolling around in the tray. It has been a fun month of exploring the options with this bead soup and letting my imagination run free. Thank You Rose for the wonderful bead soup !
Hope you  have enjoyed these.

You can see what Rose made with my bead soup at her blog 
http://swtrosethorn.blogspot.com/
I hope Rose had as much fun with the soup I sent her.

If you would like to see the other incredible designs you will find all the reveals of the
7th Bead Soup Blog Party  at

Many thanks to Lori Anderson for hosting this wonderful event.  She goes above and beyond as a host.





Sunday, April 21, 2013

5th Do Over Challenge

Jewelry by Jeannie  offers a jewelry challenge every so often.



I was lucky enough to participate in the last one and really enjoyed it.  Rushed to sign up for this one ! 


Here's how it works:
Jeannie will send you an old, tried, boring piece of her jewelry for free and you will work your magic and turn it into something beautiful and amazing. There will be a small entry fee  to cover shipping and handling. 
The jewelry she is  sending out for this challenge are designs she made when she was new to jewelry-making and has decided  not to sell.  This is NOT jewelry currently listed on her website! There will be no art beads of any kind in what you receive.
Can't guarantee what you get or that you will even like it. Just have fun and keep within the spirit of what this challenge is about; DO OVER/CHALLENGE! It will not be in any fancy packaging when you receive it.

My package arrived and I dove in !   Want to take a peek ?

                                                       Strand of Lucite and wood
                Set created with AB Glass chips & Glass Donuts

These are the pieces I am to do over !

I carefully took each one apart and stored the pieces on my work desk.  Would take them out occasionally, waiting for them to speak to me.  They were silent at first. So I went on with other projects. One of which was creating some polymer clay focal beads to fill up my supply cabinet for upcoming shows.

I just randomly start making the beads and pop them in to bake !  As I am cleaning and buffing them several jump out and ask to be included in the do over ! Then as I am digging through my stash to find little this and thats to work with an adorned shell begs to be included too !  I end up laying out and redoing bead designs into the wee hours of the next day ... well , actually, Hubby said, at 5 am , that I really needed to go to bed for a bit !

Having not worked with glass chips before I had a learning process to go through. Little devils are slippery ! 

I know, enough of the chit chat - show us the pretties !

First I divided the AB Glass chips up into two portions.

Using the first portion  of the chips and the larger of the two

glass discs  I set out to incorporate my first focal bead. I 

added a few Swarovski crystals in pink and purple to pick up

 the colors in the focal. Filled the strand out with clear Czech

  glass beads. A few silverplated findings and this is the result.






The balance of the AB glass chips  and the smaller of the two

 glass discs joined the polymer clay adorned seashell.


 Picked 

up a scoop of smaller sea shells and a few wood beads for 

accents. A little wire work and pulled them all together.






Then I turned my attention to the strand of Lucite and wood

 beads.   I knew exactly which focal bead I wanted to pair 

them with.  Added a few Chalcedny that I had from bead fair

 purchase and  Here we go .




The glass chips were a real challenge for me. So many little 

pieces in so many different shapes and thicknesses.  The AB

coating on them makes matching up other beads  a daylight 

event.   I am pleased with the final pieces and hope I found  

a new life for these !


Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and browse the other 

participants.


Charlie Jacka  http://clay-space.com/blog
Ginger Davis Allman http://thebluebottletree.com/
Jeannie K Dukichttp://site.jkdjewelry.com/blog (hostess)
Molly Alexander http://beautifullybrokenme.blogspot.com/ (you are here!)
Mary Govaars  www.mlhjewelrydesigns.com
Penny Houghton  www.smellynelly.blogspot.com




If you are interested in seeing more of focal beads I create  

they are at .









Saturday, April 20, 2013

Very Merry Unbirthday Party

Hello!  Ready to party ?   


This was a super fun project for me!  And it let me celebrate my birthday which is often overlooked during all the Thanksgiving festivities. 
My partner for the Very Merry UnBirthday Party is : Susan Bowie  
Susan creates the most wonderful jewelry !  

The postal system did it's darndest to irritate the heck out of us. Took forever for them to get her package to me and get it delivered properly. So glad it arrived !  My birthday is November 25th which makes my birthstone Topaz or Citirine.

Bet you want to see what was in it , don't you ?



How about a close up look at that intriguing focal bead ....

Susan tells me the focal is leather with silver, copper, & Citrine embedded in it .  Absolutely stunning !  The little transparent chips are Citrine and Carnelian. Also in the strand are Swarovski Golden Topas, vintage Black Onyx, and Czech  Glass Crystals. All in all a wonderful, uplifting sparkly ensemble !

I love it !  thank you so much Susan ! 

 When we made first contact Susan told me her birthday had just passed the week before . Very timely event to participate in for both of us.  The birth stone for March is Aquamarine. 

Meaning and Symbolism of the Aquamarine:
Faithfulness, courage and friendship
Awareness, quick response and easing communication problems.

Sure fits Susan !

When Susian checked out my Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/MowseMadeThis/posts/341870762564392
 She spotted a necklace I had collaborated  on with Sunrise Designs  . 
I love to work with objects I find on my strolls through nature.  Adding polymer clay to seashells has held a fascination for me for sometime. My stockpile of seashells with adornment was over running the bead area.  So I sent some to my friend to work with. This bead was among them ... 

Ann took this bead and created a necklace with it using Aquamarine, Amethyst, and Swarovski Crystals. The fabulous result was

Messages flew back and forth between all of us.  The necklace and matching components to make earrings were shipped to me quickly.  I worked up a pair of earrings, and off the package went to Susan.
Thank you so much Ann / Sunrise Designs
It has been so awesome doing collaborations with you !

*note - I failed to get a closeup picture of the earrings I designed. They can be seen at Susan's blog.

This has been a fantastic celebration !


LINK LIST for HBBH 3 1/2 - A Very Merry UnBirthday Party



Ali McCarthy

Alicia Marinache

Anzia Parks

Audrey Belanger

Cheri Reed

Cheryl Dunham

Chris Eisenberg

Christine Schlicht

Cynthia Machata

D Lynne Bowland

Dyanne Everett-Cantrell

Gina Hockett

Ginger Bishop

Gloria Allen

Janeen Burlingame

Joana Perez Stribel

Lori Schneider

Mary Govaars

Mischelle Fanucchi

Paula Gaskill

Renetha Stanziano

Robin Reed

Sherry Baun

Shirley Moore

Sierra Barrett

Susan Bowie

Susie Harris

Mowse Doyle

Cindy Muse

Ellie Grossman

Marlene Cupo

Shelley Graham Turner

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Heart and Texture

Another event from the Polymer Clay Swaps group on Facebook.  We are to create , in polymer clay, a texture sheet measuring 4 inches by 4 inches and a decorative heart.

I was paired with the talented Nancy Quinn from Canada !  She is a cheerful and delightful person. glad I have been introduced to her and the Horizon Group .

We agree to make our hearts wall hangings. I have never made a texture sheet before so ... off to do the research.  Many helpful  videos on the Internet and several nice articles in polymer magazines.  It looked so easy .

This proved to be an overwhelming  task for me.  It was hard to locate the particular type of polymer clay recommended. Even after using it I was not achieving the results I saw in the demonstrations.  Frustration set in and many pieces of clay were wadded up and kneaded into a ball again. My partner was so  patient and offered several tips that helped to ease the difficulties I was having. Arthritis makes delicate movements almost impossible I have discovered.

Finally I had some results that were presentable.  I had been searching for a way to make a wood pattern after doing the fairy doors.  Living on an old farmstead proved beneficial in this effort.  Old weathered barn wood was at my beck and call.

Here are the results of my efforts. Hearts, water drops and tile imprints.


Plus I sent her a second sheet of the wood texture I had discovered. the big , smooth looking lump is what creates the knot hole in the finished piece.

And now to the heart decoration  ... a wall hanging.


Nancy was very creative with her texture sheet . Such a delicate design.  It works great on the buttons that I create.  I love that we both choose the green clay to make our textures with.

This is the wonderful clay heart she sent me .  I love it.  Silky smooth all over.  I keep it near my work station!  Very refreshing and soothing.






Making Your Own Stamp / Texture Sheet
You can make your own stamps and texture sheets in a number of ways. Carved erasers work as stamps, as will other carved or textured surfaces--  including polymer clay!  Use the following tips as inspiration for making your own stamps from polymer clay:
Use a stamp (or even a variety of stamps and other texturing tools) to leave impressions in a sheet of raw clay. Cure the clay and use it as a stamp or texture sheet. This is a good way to get the opposite effect from a well-loved stamp. (Instead of pressing the pattern into the clay, your homemade tool will bring out a raised pattern.)
Carve or etch a design into a sheet (or other shape) of cured (or partially-cured) clay. Linoleum cutters make this job easier, but even a craft knife will work. Be sure to carve deeply enough to leave a good impression on raw clay, and if you're working with partially-cured clay, don't forget to pop it back into the oven when you're finished carving.
To make a flexible texture sheet (of the sort that can even be run through the pasta machine to texture raw clay, if it's made thinly enough), try Sculpey Super Flex Bake & Bend clay. This special clay remains more flexible after curing than other polymer clays do.

http://www.polymerclayweb.com/
ThMhomemade tool will b
T\\\\ring out a raised pattern.)
red) clay. Linoleum cutters make this job easier, but even a craft knife will work. Be sure to carve deeply enough to leave a good impression on raw clay, and if you're working with partially-cured clay, don't forget to pop it back into the oven when you're finished carving.
To make a flexible texture sheet (of the sort that can even be run through the pasta machine to texture raw clay, if it's made thinly enough), try Sculpey Super Flex Bake & Bend clay. This special clay remains more flexible after curing than other polymer clays do.n Making Your Own Stamp / Texture Sheet
Ywn Stamp / Texture Sheet
You can make your own stamps and texture sheets in a number of ways. Carved erasers work as stamps, as will other carved or textured surfaces--  including polymer clay!  Use the following tips as inspiration for making your own stamps from polymer clay:
Use a stamp (or even a variety of stamps and other texturing tools) to leave impressions in a sheet of raw clay. Cure the clay and use it as a stamp or texture sheet. This is a good way to get the opposite effect from a well-loved stamp. (Instead of pressing the pattern into the clay, your homemade tool will bring out a raised pattern.)
Carve or etch a design into a sheet (or other shape) of cured (or partially-cured) clay. Linoleum cutters make this job easier, but even a craft knife will work. Be sure to carve deeply enough to leave a good impression on raw clay, and if you're working with partially-cured clay, don't forget to pop it back into the oven when you're finished carving.
To make a flexible texture sheet (of the sort that can even bown stamps and texture sheets in a number of ways. Carved ermps, as will ther carved or textured surfaces--  including polymer clay!  Use the following tips as inspiration for making your own stamps from polymer clay:
Use a stamp (or even a variety of stamps and other texturing tools) to leave impressions in a sheet of raw clay. Cure the clay and use it as a stamp or texture sheet. This is a good way to get the opposite effect from a well-loved stamp. (Instead of pressing the pattern into the clay, your homemade tool will bring out a raised pattern.)
Carve or etch a design into a sheet (or other shape) of cured (or partially-cured) clay. Linoleum cutters make this job easier, but even a craft knife will work. Be sure to carve deeply enough to leave a good impression on raw clay, and if you're working with partially-cured clay, don't forget to make your own stamps and texture sheets in a number of ways. Carved erasers work as stamps, as will other carved or textured surfaces--  including polymer clay!  Use the following tips as inspiration for making your own stamps from polymer clay:
Use a stamp (or even a variety of stamps and other texturing tools) to leave impressions in a sheet of raw clay. Cure the clay and use it as a stamp or texture sheet. This is a good way to get the opposite effect from a well-loved stamp. (Instead of pressing the pattern into the clay, your homemade tool will bring out a raised pattern.)
Carve or etch a design into a sheet (or other shape) of cured (or partially

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Bead Soup Time Again !


Yep, it is that time of year again  ! All signed up and have received the name of my partner. We have done the usual chit chat and I am ready to stir up a soup for her.

In case you are new to this, it is only my second time to participate, let me go over some of the details.
Lori Anderson is our hostess with the mostest. You can't imagine all the work that goes into this party ! It is amazing how she co-ordinates all of the entrants , addresses, blog sites, etc. to create the largest Bead Soup Blog Party ever !

We enter our names in the event list. We are each assigned a partner that we get to know online and then exchange a "soup"  or mixture of beads and findings. We blog about the event as it goes along, like I am trying to do now. Plus we can chat with the entire group on the Bead Soup Cafe group on Facebook.  You get a chance to meet and learn about another jewelry artist.  Very exciting and always interesting.

My partner this time is Rose Thorn.   You can find more about her at http://swtrosethorn.blogspot.com/ .

I hope she will like what I am cooking up for her. Remember to check back in a few weeks to see the soups we have exchanged..



Friday, February 8, 2013

Pantone Bead Swap

In this interesting swap  -

You swap beads with a partner - no blog hop, no need to make anything, just send a thoughtful package of excellent beads to your partner, as if you were giving a gift to your best friend. 

Good rule of thumb? Please do not send anything you would not be proud to turn in for a magazine tutorial.

Partners decided between themselves as to how many colors they want to trade (one, three, all, it doesn't matter). 

About PANTONE

WHO WE ARE

Pantone LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated, is the world-renowned authority on color and provider of color systems and leading technology for the selection and accurate communication of color across a variety of industries. The PANTONE® name is known worldwide as the standard language for color communication from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer.



I was partnered with the fascinating Jessica Klaaren from Cellardoor Jewelry !

We introduced ourselves thru emails and decided on colors to send.  I forgot to take a picture of the ones I sent her.  Here are the stunning beads I received. 


I am going to make earrings from the butterfly wings!  The purple focal is so pretty.  Thrilled with all of them !
Thank you so much Jessica !




Thursday, February 7, 2013

2nd Annual Holiday Ornament Swap Blog Hop !

This swap called for us to create one ornament which must contain an art bead, be handcrafted, by the artist, and make sure it is quality work. They were to be mailed out by November 21st and kept secret until the reveal date of December 15th. 

 The main ornament I created is this angel pendant bead.



I  also made this little stocking, which can be worn as a pin and hung it from satin ribbon.



Since it had a tracking # on it I know my partner received it , and the other little goodies I sent along.  Unfortunately  she did not follow through with the swap.  Sometimes the swaps go that way. 

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Creativity in 2012



Creativity in 2012

You might be wondering if  I found any time to be creative this past year. Of course I did !

As I started unpacking the mountain of boxes art and crafting supplies started emerging !  Huzzah !   Slowly the little room we choose as my studio area started coming together. Adjustable desk in the corner by the window where I can look out over the barn area and the river valley. Nice to look up every so often and enjoy the few.  Plus the benefit of a nice breeze on a warm evening.

I was invited to join several groups on Facebook.  Of course I jumped on the invite to  C F Originals . It is an open group where we gather to discuss the works on delightful polymer clay creations of Christi Friesen.   Her fun style of sculpting captures my frivolous spirit and helps to nurture it. 


Her series of  "How To"  books are delightful !  Look forward to the publishing of each new one.

Found a book store that trades books and came home with several on costuming. Love to thumb through them to kick start ideas for dressing up the art dolls I make.  Also uncovered a crate of Fairies I had created.  All spruced up and ready to go to market.  These little ladies won first place at the fair in the recycling division.  Love to use found objects in my projects !





Sunday, February 3, 2013


Okay, I give up !

Okay, I give up !
 No, really and truly, I give up ! 
 My blog was at another host and I decided to consolidate everything  here on  Google.   I figured it would be no big deal to copy , paste, relocate,  or transfer  many of the posts from my old blog to my new one.   Wrong !  After nearly a month of fiddling with and attempting everything I could think of, read about, or have offered by others on how to do it, all I had was a hodgepodge of stuff . Simply not acceptable. Nope, no way !

Thus, decision was made to simply to take  a little ramble through the happenings of 2012. So grab a cuppa and a snack, and let's start this journey , shall we ?

In February of 2012 conditions of  the house we were renting became so bad we were forced to move. The house was  located in the lowlands next to the reservoir . We trekked farther south in the state and moved into a single wide mobile located on the side of a mountain, in the bend of a river !   It was a horrid undertaking in truly miserable weather. Had to leave many storage cupboards, layout tables, and other things behind. All the critters we call " family' made the trip safely and love their new home. 



The spring and summer were spent clearing property and repairing things. Managed to plant a small garden and grow a few things. Several very old apple trees and some cherry trees here, plus tons of blackberry vines meant lots of fruit to can and dry.  

 Can't wait for next year's garden ! 

 Added a few new gals to the flock, said good bye to a beloved fur baby.