Vote in the PCAGOE Monthly Challenge!

Since Facebook seems to be having issues for some of us regarding posting of blogger links, I couldn't leave my regular format monthly reminder. But, I can apparently link to my own blog, since my URL is custom - go figure!!!

Anyway, please vote in this months theme, which is "Not Jewelry, Not Wearable". This is also the launch for our new voter prize format. If you are chosen as one of the random prize winners, you get to pick your own prize from over a dozen different shops! How cool is that? So, click to vote, but first, I wouldn't mind if you signed up to follow this blog <grin>!

Presenting - Polymer Pomander Pods

In 1997 my husband and I were fortunate to be able to visit Egypt through our zoo travel program. One item on our itinerary was the Khan el-Khalili bazaar in Cairo. A bewildering maze of narrow streets, filled with shops, cafes and restaurants, the spice vendors remained one of my most vivid memories. One item that I bought my mom was a small lidded container made entirely of woven whole cloves.

A year or so ago, I brought this souvenir home with me and put it on a side table in our living room. Even with the spices almost 15 years old, I still get whiffs of clove from this box. I thought about pomander balls, the ones made by sticking whole cloves in oranges, then letting it dry out. Then, I considered the version that is a perforated (usually) ceramic ball, with whole spices inside.

It struck me that if I could construct an appropriate container, I could enclose whole spices in polymer. So, I built some 3" dia. lentil halves, with holes that were large enough for air to flow through, but not large enough that a typical whole clove could fall out. Before sealing, I added in addition to cloves, some whole allspice and a couple of whole cardamom.

I also made a base for what I'm calling "pods" to rest in. (Pomander "pods" sounds better than pomander "lentils", don't you agree? Alliteration and all that...) They will just naturally emit a subtle fragrance, or you can pick them up and shake gently a few times for a more intense jolt. Also, they look nice just sitting there.

So, without further ado, let me present 11 BOLD street's newest brain bomb - Pomander Pods, in polymer, of course!

  

Copper Washers Aren't Just For Plumbing Anymore...

Remember the copper washers from a few weeks ago? The ones that I had fun hammering and making into toggle closures? Well, I used the first of these in a bracelet, featuring polymer lentils and more hammered washers.

Gunmetal black and copper beads and wires complemented the copper polymer lentil beads. I gave them black, "hammered" texture backs, just because we all know that the backs of items should be as nice as the front!

Fun with Faux Jasper

Jasper isn't an expensive stone, but many inexpensive natural stones don't come in the shapes or SIZE that I want. Good thing that Tory Hughes showed me how to mimic lapis lazuli (which isn't inexpensive) and turquoise in her book Polymer: The Chameleon Clay.

I've used combinations of those techniques again and again as a springboard for faking real and fantasy materials. Witness my latest adventure with "red jasper":

Can you believe that this mess











got molded into this

and ended up looking like this?

Then it was transformed into this?

BELIEVE. With polymer, almost anything is possible....

Finding Time for Findings

Getting my hands on a new book always seems to bump up my creative urges.

The most recent acquisition is "Handcrafted Wire Findings" by Denise Peck and Jane Dickerson. I've been making my own sterling and copper necklace closures for a while, and have some other publications which demonstrate this technique, but I always love to see other versions. This post isn't intended as a book review, but I'm glad that I picked this one up, as it has some subtle twists (so to speak) on earring, hook, toggles and connections.

Thinking about toggle style findings, I decided to spend a day or so creating a few to have on hand. IMO, toggles are good bracelet closures, and more in scale with a typical 11BOLDstreet design than the average (and now barely affordable) sterling lobster claw clasp.

A hammered finish is one of my favorites, and very practical, as a mirror finish is both difficult in execution and for the wearer to maintain. But, shortly after I began hammering some of my favorite blank stock material - copper washers - I noticed that my favorite ball-peen hammer surface was leaving tiny lines in the hammered texture. So, I got out the 400-grit sandpaper and went to work smoothing out the ball surface.

Then, I stripped some 14 ga copper electrical wire and fashioned various bar shapes, trimming to make sure that each fit into it's intended ring. It's a fine line size-wise for a bar that will fit the ring, but not slip through on it's own. The completed pieces all assume a tiny bit of flexible leader on the bar to get them through the ring. The big decision is how to finish copper.

If they were earwires, I'd definitely opt for a clear varnish/sealant. For the moment, I'm settling for a thorough polishing with Wegol's. Working sort of "backwards" this time, I have a couple of ideas about some polymer components to both complement and show-off these babies :D

New Adventures with Liquid Polymer and Gauze

I finally got a few days in a row to work in my studio and couldn't wait to try out an idea that had been knocking around in my head. You know that I like to experiment with liquid polymer and gauze - first coloring the fabric with alcohol ink, then soaking in LP and curing, usually as a cuff bracelet.

While drifting off to sleep a couple of weeks ago, I thought, "what if I intentionally ruched the gauze, then cut shapes from the cured piece for focal elements?" "Ruching" is that marvelous gathering of fabric that is usually held together with rows and rows of stitches running perpendicular to the gather.

I've seen thin sheets of solid polymer manipulated in this fashion, to create faux fabric. I wanted to take advantage of the already built-in texture of the gauze fabric. I do this gathering to some extent when twisting gauze on my cuff bracelets, but I wanted to be more deliberate and try the technique over a larger area.

So, I tried two versions in two color schemes: one scheme in autumn-y coppers, browns and greens, with just the gauze; one in cool blues, jades, purples and silver, with a very thin translucent polymer backing. Here are the results:

Translucent solid polymer backing

 








Unfortunately, I cut up the unbacked sheet before photographing - as you can see, I had a specific purpose and plan for finishing in mind, and was a bit impatient :)

 The results for the unbacked version, at the moment are more satisfying, but I'm sure that I'll think of a use for the other piece, too.

Actually, I'm sort of anxious to see the edge profile when I start cutting into it ....more to come...

Don't Be Mislead By My (Lack of) Blogging Posts....

...I'm still here.

I meant well, but the summer has been busier than I anticipated ...mostly in a good way :) We're getting to spend more time at our modest family trailer on a beautiful lake in Indiana, making sure that my 94-year-young Dad gets plenty of fishing done!

In July, we took a family mini-vacation while I attended the IPCA Retreat outside of Chicago - it was amazing!!! It was my first chance at such an event and the new friends and inspiration that I gained was priceless.

There are some new items at 11BOLDstreet in the Etsy shop, and a new shop at HandmadeArtist's Shop. This latter site is relatively new, and features only handmade items and supplies - no vintage! I actually won a "Shop for Life" at HAS through a blog contest, and look forward to placing some niche items there.

Thanks to the retreat and my busy little brain which never seems to stop seeing polymer-possibilities, look for even more unique items in the upcoming months!

Enjoy the rest of your summer, and maybe I'll even get back to you before it's over!