“Cindy, you’ve
given me some
new ideas for a project
using this surface inking
technique.” ~Jayne-W
As you may have noticed from today’s featured Gallery post, as well as from previous ones (see Faux Agate Bracelet for another example of a recent Gallery feature), these photo spreads are here to provide you guys with creative ideas and inspiration.
Please use the comment section below, to discuss the items presented… or to let me know what other projects / techniques you would like to see and learn more about.
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Evening Stroll Art Jewelry, Polymer Clay Earrings:The soft blends of purples and blues, superimposed with graphite colored patterns, give the feeling of a quiet evening stroll through a summer garden, with the sun setting behind a decorative cast iron fences.
These lovely cupped oval earrings were made using the same polymer clay surface technique used in the Inked Butterfly Earrings tutorial back in Vol-021 at the members library. The color blended sheets of polymer clay are layered with inked images and translucent clay. They were then baked on a curved surface, hand sanded and buffed to a rich sheen. To give this set an even more unique and one of a kind look, each earring is slightly different in color and pattern. The oval disks measure 1. 5 inches (4cm) in length and 1 inch (2.5cm) in width, with the total length of the earrings including ear wire, being 2.5 inches (6cm). The shimmering midnight blue ear wires, with lavender and mint jump rings are made from the highly valued and non-allergenic precious metal called Niobium. The ear wires are accented with an aged copper coil to bring in warmth to the colors. Price: $25 – If you are interested in purchasing the Evening Stroll Earrings shown in today’s gallery post, then send me an email. Be sure to include your full mailing address so I can work out the shipping cost for you.
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| ** Did You Know… Members with current subscriptions to the weekly tutorial videos are always entitled to a 10% discount when purchasing 6 or more back issue packages in a single transaction. If you are interested, let me know which back issues you would like and I will send further instructions on how to complete your order. |
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They are very pretty, I must get round to trying that technique.
Love the colors and patterns so many ideas and possibilities pop into my head seeing these earrings. What first caught my eye was the copper coil on the ear wire. It just sets it off with such warmth. These earring have a curve to them were they baked on a light bulb to get this curve??
Love the technique and love the gallery presentations. Thanks for all of it Cindy and Doug.
Uuuuuugggggs, Peggy
Thanks guys for your sweet comments! It means a lot!
Peggy Barnes: Yes, they were baked on a light bulb.
So so lovely! I think what makes your pieces so special is that you don’t stop with just the creation of the focal part. You think each one through to the perfect presentation, i.e.midnight blue ear wires, lavender and mint jump rings and an aged copper coil to make them pop. They would have been beautiful on regular old ear wires, but really deserve the attention to detail you achieved.
These are really beautiful. I agree with Elizabeth S.; you really do pay attention to all of the details. The finish on your creations is always gorgeous. They’re always sanded and buffed to perfection, so I know these must feel fantastic. The Niobium earwires/findings make these the ideal gift for someone with sensitive ears.
I’ve been wanting to buy some Niobium myself, but it’s so pricey! I’m having to stick with other metals for now…
@Phaedrakat: HI Phaedrakat ! I don’t where to respond to messages LOL. but I’m learning. You asked where I live -in hot (103-107 this week) ole Tucson Az. The heat drives you inside -O.K. with me I HAVE TUTES TO READ !!!! I have been doing Polyclay for about 5 yrs. Belong to the Tucson Polymer Clay Guild. Great gals ! I ordered 1,) actually 4 -heavy finger on the submit button). Just to see if I would like it. Well, duh -of course I LOVE it. The back issues got me going – as with most of you I am a visual learner. What a good fit. Can’t wait for my first member volumn. Hee Hee.
I am a Grandmother to 3 great grand kids
@Patt W: Hi Patt, if you’re replying to someone, it’s best to leave your reply on the same page the person commented on. If you want to leave a comment or question & you want input from lots of people, it’s best to do it on that day’s post (or a very recent one) where there’s plenty of traffic. Otherwise, it’s best to post where the subject you want to talk about is being discussed (or was discussed in the past.)
There’s a search box at the top left of each page where you can type in keywords or phrases to find articles about whatever subject you’re interested in. As an example, type in “AZ Clay Guild” and you’ll find articles that show members from AZ (Lupe M. & Bonnie K.) who belong to the Arizona Clay Guild. Both members post frequently here at the blog. I believe there are quite a few other members from your home state, as well. So you’re not alone with those scorching temperatures!
I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying your tutorials. I did the same thing when I joined — I had to get my hands on more, more, MORE of them. I, too, was very excited when I recieved my first “regular Friday” tutorial. Cindy’s videos are really well done, and you can really see what she’s doing, and follow along with her if you want. It’s a great thing to have when the temps are as high as they are for you! We’re “only” in the 90’s, but I’m a sissy about the heat, and still need the AC!
You might want to go back and do some reading of the older posts, little by little, as you find time. There’s lots of inspiration, tips & tricks, and great ideas by Cindy & by the posters. So when you read an article, be sure to read the comments underneath, as well. There’s often even more info there than in the articles themselves.
You’ll probably get the hang of the way everything works pretty easily, but here’s a little bit of info. Three days worth of comments are listed on the right side of the page, so you can see who’s posted, and where (under which article) they’ve posted it.
You can put a check mark in the box by the “Submit Comment” button if you want to recieve an email each time someone posts on a particular page. This is a great option to choose if you’ve left a question you’re waiting on a reply to. If you choose it on a page with a lot of traffic, you’ll recieve lots of emails (too many, perhaps!) But on an older article you’re interested in, or on a spotlight or something you really want to keep tabs on, it’s best to check the box so you’re notified when someone leaves a comment. Once you’ve checked the box, you’ll have a different message under the “Submit Comment” button. It will say “You are subscribed to this entry.” You’ll have the option to click on “Manage your subscriptions”, and then you can make changes to the pages you want to monitor.
Well, I’m sorry I got all long-winded on you! I was just trying to help a little with how things work around here. Please leave a comment if you have a question about anything, and someone will be happy to help. Have a wonderful day — I hope your new videos have inspired you to start some new clay projects! ;~D
@Phaedrakat: AWESOME information… for both the new members of the community here… like Pat-W… as well as for many of you regulars who sometimes struggle with technology. Phaedrakat has outlined some very good “usability” tips that will benefit everyone!!! Thanks Kat!!!
I really love the colors and detail of the your earrings! The copper on the earwire is a nice touch…it does bring out the color. Beautiful, once again!
Phaedrakat, niobium wires really aren’t terribly expensive. The best prices I’ve seen are around $2 a pair from Mimisgems.com. Being extremely non-allergenic has been a good selling point for me. I’m not really sensitive to nickel but I find that heavy sterling wires irritate my ears. The same weight with niobium goes practically unnoticed. I especially like the antique copper color with small copper beads. I have a couple pair of red and electric blue wires but haven’t used them yet. Looks like it’s time to get them out, maybe for pretty colored mushrooms!
@Koolbraider: You’re right about the Niobium earwires. I thought I had replied to you way back when, but I guess not. I purchased a bag of asst. niobium earwires a long time ago, and I love them. I’ve used them for special gifts, and I’ve sold them a couple times. I have really UN-sensitive ears, so I can use just about anything for myself. Same goes for most of my family members, for whom I make lots of earrings.
What I’ve been wanting to do (esp. when I wrote that earlier post) is to buy a large quantity of bare Niobium wire like the stuff Cindy used in her handmade earwires (and something else that I just can’t seem to find…I looked!) But it’s expensive compared to sterling, so I’ll just stick to buying ready-made Niobium earwires for the few who have really sensitive ears. I’ve always tried to keep the prices of my earrings low. Even $2 added to the price of earrings is a lot. As I start to get my store set up, I’ll use Niobium earwires only for people who request special non- or hypo-allergenic earrings. Then I plan to continue making my own handmade earwires for most other designs. Thanks so much for the advice! ~Kat
Hi Cindy,
I am so glad that I found your site. Just wanted to add a great big thank you for all the wonderful videos and tips. Your site is amazing and your videos are fantastic.
Thank you,
Lindsay Mathias
@Lindsay Mathias: Hi Lindsay! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the videos. Haven’t heard you say much here at the blog. Feel free to jump in any time — we’re all pretty friendly (and talkative—as you can tell!) Hope you continue to learn with your videos and have a great time!
~Kat, Riverside, CA USA —Where are you from?
@Jocelyn: Thanks, Jocelyn, good idea on the earring backs & the Niobium! ~Kat
Love this idea and the video. Tons of old stamping blocks left over from an earlier craft phase, and so neat to see possibilities with inks and clay by combining them in the future!
Love this idea and the video. Tons of old stamping blocks left over from an earlier craft phase, and so neat to see possibilities with inks and clay by combining them in the future!
@Koolbraider
Agree! That nobium is the way to go, purchase them in several styles of pierced ear wires from Firemountaingems.com and use them constantly. Just move the wires from set to set of earrings. Also recommend using those clear disk backer sets sold in silver and gold there….helps bear the weight of heavy earrings.
Another great suggestion from Cindy awhile ago, wearing earrings for the first time in years as a result.