tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50903452839436606882024-02-19T09:11:55.262-08:00Betty Bee's BlingBetty Bolerjackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04735403888914120388noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090345283943660688.post-52463709504460355242016-05-13T19:20:00.000-07:002016-05-13T19:20:24.594-07:00Freeform Wire-Wrapping<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I think I know what has
been holding me up on creating new jewelry pieces. I've got several beads/focal
pieces already that need to be made into something spectacular, but I just
couldn't quite figure out what I wanted to do with them. I had tried some
things that didn't work so well and other things that, while beautiful, just
weren't really what I wanted to produce.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4YTgXaUMcrAtc_Jhe81gaeaSphwe3DhNnPtvc1ASuB4LKlmk4uXhny9OQVh44k62G7M5k0tStG_Ne_JtvCoEDTkZLZPJKhkjEtW8mK2sr7v9gCsDv6RRSYrUY-YfOLSevOfvbVnFGSo/s1600/2016-04-23+16.40.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4YTgXaUMcrAtc_Jhe81gaeaSphwe3DhNnPtvc1ASuB4LKlmk4uXhny9OQVh44k62G7M5k0tStG_Ne_JtvCoEDTkZLZPJKhkjEtW8mK2sr7v9gCsDv6RRSYrUY-YfOLSevOfvbVnFGSo/s320/2016-04-23+16.40.12.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I've tried my hand at a
variety of techniques including wire crochet, Viking knit, kumihimo, and even
some wire wrapping, but each one seemed lacking in some way. A few weeks
ago, I was wandering through Michael's with a 30% off coupon and spotted some
books. Two, in particular, caught my attention. I picked up the
first one and glanced through, deciding I didn't really want it. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I then picked up the
other one, <i>Freeform Wire Art Jewelry.</i> The photo on the front
was gorgeous. The photos inside were quite detailed and beautiful.
The pieces were stunning! I saw that the author, Gayle Bird, said
she had designed the book to be a course, with one item building upon the
techniques learned in the previous. I decided to get it. I didn't
realize until I got to the register that my coupon wasn't good on books, but I
had fallen in love with what I had seen and bought it anyway!</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have been learning and
practicing. I have been wearing some of the pieces I have created and people love
them! I let some family members choose some for Mother's Day and
birthdays. They all had a hard time deciding! That's a good sign!
The photos I have are not great because I was in a hurry, but you can get
an idea of what I'm doing.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I created this necklace from a practice piece per the instructions. I have since added some crystals to it because it just seemed to need a little sparkle!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It even has a handmade clasp!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started making earrings next. A friend ended up with those long ones on the lower right. They were way too long for me, but perfect for her! The paisley ones at the top are my own design and I have an idea to incorporate some polymer clay onto those.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These about drove me crazy! I kept running out of wire and would have to start over. They aren't exactly symmetrical, but I figure they're close enough for me to wear!</span></div>
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Then, I moved on to rings. I made this one for my daughter. It was my first attempt and she loves it! </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">So, I made one for myself!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I made another pair of earrings and fared much better this time. I even added some crystal beads!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I tried my hand at some other rings and then made this one. This was my first piece to incorporate polymer clay into the design. This is one of my faux raku beads that I made quite some time ago and couldn't decide what I wanted to do with. It was just waiting for me to learn how to turn it into a ring!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknV14tpEBodaNOR3YNbhxEgo8UCdH8M7PuZaWgHbRJVtH89n1hhsn5lOGolgpYSwzYlAlUmPCMCsG1WtxCw6_6fva6i1oNG74d3M9U2ZRBCBlrPgJ5YYblNyIGLOrxhRwcEy-tkpMyV0/s1600/IMG_4205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknV14tpEBodaNOR3YNbhxEgo8UCdH8M7PuZaWgHbRJVtH89n1hhsn5lOGolgpYSwzYlAlUmPCMCsG1WtxCw6_6fva6i1oNG74d3M9U2ZRBCBlrPgJ5YYblNyIGLOrxhRwcEy-tkpMyV0/s200/IMG_4205.JPG" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I moved on to pendants, and after making a few, I decided to use one of the faux raku roses that I still had to create a pendant. It's one of my favorite pieces and I get lots of compliments on it! I just made up some more roses to experiment with different designs.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGqjSGMvApVw_-bzO_5K69XBzEcIZ1ms4PNdgymW47xpaw1gVK05bxKTTIcBmsm2C4dY0cw0pZ9QTozHk6sF0TbZdydf1cQs1RJe_WZSQH_5rvznWxkfMVi8aThwFrFf6BCMgeRoAS4o/s1600/IMG_4184+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGqjSGMvApVw_-bzO_5K69XBzEcIZ1ms4PNdgymW47xpaw1gVK05bxKTTIcBmsm2C4dY0cw0pZ9QTozHk6sF0TbZdydf1cQs1RJe_WZSQH_5rvznWxkfMVi8aThwFrFf6BCMgeRoAS4o/s200/IMG_4184+copy.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2_Uj_AOE9AXtBpdZASocWQrwqZzjsK3ik31Sw8_lQa66DXc3nA31v1-yCFWeSf8ykSuu0K1Uftw4NayMxkZl5dfqTlFWexyDCwojvqUy_vmCA8TtSIomdR6tPdqIgKxxySGv3ZPKFkw/s1600/IMG_4197+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2_Uj_AOE9AXtBpdZASocWQrwqZzjsK3ik31Sw8_lQa66DXc3nA31v1-yCFWeSf8ykSuu0K1Uftw4NayMxkZl5dfqTlFWexyDCwojvqUy_vmCA8TtSIomdR6tPdqIgKxxySGv3ZPKFkw/s200/IMG_4197+copy.jpg" width="133" /></a>This was one of the designs I created for Mother's Day/Birthdays. My mother-in-law chose this one. It's a glass bead with double wire swirls and loops.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: center;">This is a shell that I had and I was so excited about how it turned out! My other niece chose this one for her birthday. I have more shells, so I will make more!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAe5NTAkMnCuOIx_c6P6dlXtaHo5Ci5VsFNf_wJ-hK-QlZ1Em0wmbUIQKKDqa7rddhDNOU5eGvWLlHZRC_f6Rq19mdSpYyoCpngjFeH_AYJhYXmGdLndMdXNyqaXbB6XyShS8OuNnfFY/s1600/IMG_4190+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAe5NTAkMnCuOIx_c6P6dlXtaHo5Ci5VsFNf_wJ-hK-QlZ1Em0wmbUIQKKDqa7rddhDNOU5eGvWLlHZRC_f6Rq19mdSpYyoCpngjFeH_AYJhYXmGdLndMdXNyqaXbB6XyShS8OuNnfFY/s200/IMG_4190+copy.jpg" width="148" /></a>This was one of the early pendants that I made. It has different sized fire polished Czech glass beads. I used copper wire and put it on a long copper chain. My sister-in-law chose it for her birthday/Mother's Day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">I started learning to wrap cabochons.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">I was trying to create faux sea glass for this one, but I think it looks a little more like jade. I'll have to try again with a different brand of clay. My sister-in-law's mother chose this one for Mother's Day.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have a couple of other pieces that were also options, but weren't chosen. They are both polymer clay pieces that I used for some of the earlier designs called for in the book. I'm not entirely happy with them and may make some changes. although my niece debated long and hard over the blue one! She already has another piece from that same batch of clay, so chose the seashell instead. </span></div>
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While I plan to still use some of the other techniques I have tried, freeform wire wrapping looks destined to become my preferred way to finish most of my pieces. I still haven't done all of the designs in the book and I have a number of ideas bouncing around in my head. I've also been saving ideas on Pinterest and I've found some YouTube videos with designs I like. I'm excited to get more designs made up!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And there you have it! Many of these can be recreated, so if you see something you want, just let me know and I'll give you a price!</span></div>
Betty Bolerjackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04735403888914120388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090345283943660688.post-70260948748451264672015-08-16T15:23:00.000-07:002015-08-16T15:23:45.225-07:00Finally working!When I last posted, I had tried out my new studio using a temporary table. It didn't work so well. Getting a chair up to the table was a challenge and I really needed some way to close it up and not have to worry about work in progress. Well, I've got it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBrrLTHR43j0Poq2vtJXT24jIaemRqXDcFy36YuS1gX1CnbfKVXtKhOhGY9POrIdeTGIuz8rIax6MLEfVtaeYyQ4Uq2Gc4EWOrbCK1GAR8hc7HBX1hCRwA3kb3pX0f2jnBd0DcDnTWCw/s1600/2015-08-15+23.31.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBrrLTHR43j0Poq2vtJXT24jIaemRqXDcFy36YuS1gX1CnbfKVXtKhOhGY9POrIdeTGIuz8rIax6MLEfVtaeYyQ4Uq2Gc4EWOrbCK1GAR8hc7HBX1hCRwA3kb3pX0f2jnBd0DcDnTWCw/s320/2015-08-15+23.31.19.jpg" width="240" /></a>After realizing that I needed to be able to close it without moving my work, I revised my plan and decided I would put a drop-down "table" in that fastened to the side wall instead of coming out through the door as I had originally planned. We had gone looking for a board and ended up buying one of those pre-fab shelves that you put on brackets, but our attempts to install it so that it could be moved out of the way weren't working. We've had lots going on this summer, including getting our things out of storage, so it was hit or miss as we attempted to find time to work on it.<br />
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Mark finally came up with the idea of putting legs on the shelf to make a table that could be put up on end when I need to get to the end of the closet that isn't quite as accessible as the rest of it. We went and got some legs and he put them on last night. It's still a little wobbly, so we will have to fix that, but, with a temporary solution in place, it works! And I love it! Yay!<br />
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I do still need to paint the legs. And do some organizing! That brown thing in the middle is the center support leg. The table is just deep enough (12") for my marble tile that I work on and my clay conditioning, aka pasta, machine. The built-in shelves are adjustable, so I have the second one from the bottom (first adjustable one) set at approximately the same height as my table. That way, my clay and tools can all be within arm's reach! It's fabulous!<br />
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And when I'm done for the day, it looks like this! YES!!!<br />
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I subscribe to the <a href="http://polymerclayworkshop.com/" target="_blank">Polymer Clay Workshop</a> newsletter by Meg Newburg who does some wonderful cane work. When the current issue came out with canes that look like paper quilling, I knew I had to try it. I played with paper quilling many, many years ago. It is an interesting technique and, in polymer clay, it is even more beautiful! I put my pasta machine on the corner of Mark's desk which is right behind my chair at my computer and put my tile on my desk and went to work creating the blends to make some of these gorgeous items. Now that I have my table set up, I've been busy this afternoon making canes and learning the right way to do it! I've barely gotten started, but here are couple of flowers in the works. The purple/teal one is much better, but I like the magenta/purple one, too!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BfQYnUQDZdzgOpkjSMsqHOVom2KyFamIaRH_IHs-bnAuig3l0fAxQ7StVw3Lvbia9be7fl5q8jCGvtmRqn5BWVZ5w_8jr3xReUEhHZev5_3RGEHMxS8Je4E47qBphiDh6guh6wd1Fo4/s1600/2015-08-16+16.32.33-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BfQYnUQDZdzgOpkjSMsqHOVom2KyFamIaRH_IHs-bnAuig3l0fAxQ7StVw3Lvbia9be7fl5q8jCGvtmRqn5BWVZ5w_8jr3xReUEhHZev5_3RGEHMxS8Je4E47qBphiDh6guh6wd1Fo4/s200/2015-08-16+16.32.33-1.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Zk6rHgYachD4EGDPso4WPI0v_3aXu9I_KAwMYqLIOmdfcoqW5wHcMeXv3aQQHiD12NfSumIrBk218iR9OFd8WEGksUi2yn-8ooRMb18ziRcNbcJhdvZD4A7_uBfDcTG3FyDgEzMy22U/s1600/2015-08-16+15.50.26-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Zk6rHgYachD4EGDPso4WPI0v_3aXu9I_KAwMYqLIOmdfcoqW5wHcMeXv3aQQHiD12NfSumIrBk218iR9OFd8WEGksUi2yn-8ooRMb18ziRcNbcJhdvZD4A7_uBfDcTG3FyDgEzMy22U/s200/2015-08-16+15.50.26-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Watch for the finished pieces as well as more fun quilled items! Meg has suggestions for butterflies and mandalas in addition to the flowers. These are so much fun, I'm wondering what else I might come up with!Betty Bolerjackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04735403888914120388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090345283943660688.post-86626883987237073492015-06-24T07:05:00.000-07:002015-06-24T07:05:37.455-07:00Putting My New Studio to Use!If you've read my recent blog post or are one of my Facebook friends, you know that we recently moved after more than a year of being in what can only be referred to as chaos! I had at least three options for where to locate my studio in our new home. After careful consideration of each one, I chose to put it in the closet in the office. I began setting up my studio immediately after we moved in. <br />
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My work table was stored in a friend's garage and we had some challenges in coordinating our schedules to get it. As soon as my table arrived, though, I got to work. I had decided a few weeks ago that I would like to make a pansy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnM1suqPPxlr6YEQrXrLaipydPDNovR-bneDUj4ZkBj_MH8-iAsFDUPmC1k5BsiiWkMlYKotnGF8WqgVDjDaFR2aVYqfKmAjCFA9vkj_MCf38bmbSUeoh_Mo1KkPQxYIOHssYwQsSZ_4/s1600/2015-06-09+17.21.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnM1suqPPxlr6YEQrXrLaipydPDNovR-bneDUj4ZkBj_MH8-iAsFDUPmC1k5BsiiWkMlYKotnGF8WqgVDjDaFR2aVYqfKmAjCFA9vkj_MCf38bmbSUeoh_Mo1KkPQxYIOHssYwQsSZ_4/s320/2015-06-09+17.21.02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The pansy on the left was my first attempt prior to the move. As you can see, one of the petals broke off. I finished the middle one just before we moved. I made it smaller with slightly thicker petals. As I was fiddling with it to prepare to make it into a pendant, I realized one of the petals on it was also broken although it didn't break completely off. Third time's a charm, right? Once my table was set up, I got busy and made a third one. I did it a little differently and it seems to have worked! I showed them to a friend who commented on how realistic they look! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPel9lBXoUHbu6q1zja8YFPz-krK8ta249xS9EIVzB3HYq82c5yIKSu1LARN_S6_lns6qrVb805PtWJDe_zb8LAdZXVh3iWiinqn3n8neImLrolU5Ns2vZhTNzRWUjjJvPaMjfHs-QdI/s1600/2015-06-09+17.21.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPel9lBXoUHbu6q1zja8YFPz-krK8ta249xS9EIVzB3HYq82c5yIKSu1LARN_S6_lns6qrVb805PtWJDe_zb8LAdZXVh3iWiinqn3n8neImLrolU5Ns2vZhTNzRWUjjJvPaMjfHs-QdI/s320/2015-06-09+17.21.56.jpg" width="240" /></a>Here's the finished pendant. I wanted to use some gold mica powder in the middle, but I couldn't find it until after it was curing in the oven! I decided to use some fine glitter instead and I rather like how it turned out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTHBN6vXaVqiqLvqJmjcYA3gnLIOTUoxgt3ZGj1Lo8yhp0UiQ9S2xAW3nt-y_vTzKpiQCpy7If7F_Q41ylPYOr2zEypZWlSjUig0bxHrd6cLL8ejGSxtHV2-wRAUR-ko3eWR0sLuVQqw/s1600/2015-06-09+18.09.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTHBN6vXaVqiqLvqJmjcYA3gnLIOTUoxgt3ZGj1Lo8yhp0UiQ9S2xAW3nt-y_vTzKpiQCpy7If7F_Q41ylPYOr2zEypZWlSjUig0bxHrd6cLL8ejGSxtHV2-wRAUR-ko3eWR0sLuVQqw/s320/2015-06-09+18.09.55.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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This pendant was a gift, so I boxed it up and delivered it a few days ago. The recipient was delighted! Time to move on to other things...Betty Bolerjackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04735403888914120388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090345283943660688.post-82304128059160723132015-06-10T20:43:00.000-07:002015-06-10T20:43:33.153-07:00The Big MoveGoodness! It's really been a year and a half since I wrote anything on this blog? Well, let me catch you up on what has been happening.<div>
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I was really excited to be able to take over the room my mother vacated when she moved to my brother's house and begin setting up a real studio... someplace I could call my own and be able to go and work. But, circumstances changed, and she moved back in with us. That meant I was once again trying to work in space intended for other purposes, namely the dining room. I just couldn't seem to get organized and, therefore, I wasn't very excited about working on anything.</div>
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We looked at the possibility of remodeling to create another bedroom that would become my studio, but not long after Mom moved back in with us, it dawned on me that my daughter would be going into high school next year and, even though we lived within the school district, we were in the wrong high school district (there are three) to support the goals we have for her. We either had to get an intra-district transfer or move. After weighing our options, it seemed best to move. I've questioned my sanity numerous times since making that decision!</div>
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We began to work on getting our house ready for sale. Around the first of May last year, we attended some open houses, not expecting to find anything, but one house, in particular, grabbed us. We went home and began to work harder on the house. Then, I fell while removing wallpaper! As if that wasn't bad enough, the house sold before we could even think of making an offer. By that time, though, the ball was rolling.</div>
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Our circumstances changed several times over the next few months. Each time, it changed what we were looking for in a house. Things finally settled down and we found a house in our preferred neighborhood that I was ready to make an offer on the day it came on the market! But, our house still wasn't ready to list. I had injured my already bad back in the fall and just couldn't do the work myself. I hired a contractor. A few weeks later, I fired him and hired someone different. Meanwhile, the house we had been so sure was meant for us sold. We finally listed our house and made an offer on another house, but they wouldn't take a contingency. It sold. </div>
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Another situation came up that seemed like it was meant to be. It would be a private sale. But things were a bit up in the air. We got an offer on our house and things were still up in the air with the other one. The further we went with it, the more we and the potential sellers felt something was off. We needed to make a decision. We had attended another open house that we liked very much. It was still available, so we decided to go look again. Long story, short... we finally moved in last Friday!</div>
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It's not perfect. I am sharing the office with my husband, but it is quite large. There is a built-in desk for my computer and a closet with shelves that makes a great studio! The day we moved in, I brought my clay and put it in the closet. Within a couple of days, I had some of my boxes unpacked.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglK1fdTkwBXyNYOiIBOlN9Leq4FwRCn6BXsFLq9XnDAJaK753nuAQkDtfAzwTYOTz2XIUQp2iTh9m1d5KsIv-CIqxWacTUNyWaidbbXB18AFRXMgamBLvlkTt717g41fqlS1W84aGaUQc/s1600/2015-06-06+19.21.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglK1fdTkwBXyNYOiIBOlN9Leq4FwRCn6BXsFLq9XnDAJaK753nuAQkDtfAzwTYOTz2XIUQp2iTh9m1d5KsIv-CIqxWacTUNyWaidbbXB18AFRXMgamBLvlkTt717g41fqlS1W84aGaUQc/s320/2015-06-06+19.21.45.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The closet is quite large.<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDsAHhuawo95teXKMiiXQJXBl9HHMcv7oiwhtcTVucG8bRlF1KM_Ybim4H6xQxCJ3cmQ3x96y-LRIsEm4bW8zmhe9bHQeSvIsUATtEILJktblF5IjbXAtGR5s8UUFa7ucmCfpZB0ryBI/s1600/2015-06-06+19.22.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDsAHhuawo95teXKMiiXQJXBl9HHMcv7oiwhtcTVucG8bRlF1KM_Ybim4H6xQxCJ3cmQ3x96y-LRIsEm4bW8zmhe9bHQeSvIsUATtEILJktblF5IjbXAtGR5s8UUFa7ucmCfpZB0ryBI/s320/2015-06-06+19.22.13.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Yesterday, I got my folding table (it was stored in a friend's garage) that I could use as a temporary work surface. Eventually, I plan to put in a drop down shelf/table. That has already gone through at least one revision since I first planned it, but having the temporary work surface has really helped me in determining what I needed to tweak.<br />
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Stay tuned for more developments! I've already put this studio to work!</div>
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Betty Bolerjackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04735403888914120388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090345283943660688.post-33478003934745620492014-01-19T13:03:00.001-08:002014-01-19T13:03:16.748-08:00Computer Woes!<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Segoe UI;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Amazing
how a sick computer can eat up your time! My computer just kept
getting worse and worse until I finally tried installing a new hard
drive and putting Linux on it. That sort of worked! "Sort of"
being the operative words there.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Segoe UI;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Then,
we thought it might be a memory problem, but it could also be the
motherboard. I didn't see putting money into buying memory, only to
discover that the problem was the motherboard all along, so I decided
to retire it and get a new one.</span></span></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Segoe UI;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I've
had the new computer for a week now. It came with Windows 8
installed. Although it had been recommended to me to go with Windows 7, I didn't seem to have a choice. I updated a couple of days ago to 8.1 after doing some
research to decide if it would be worth it. So far, it's okay, but
there has been a learning curve. At least, there are improvements over Windows 8.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Segoe UI;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This afternoon, I've been checking out the Facebook app. It looks a lot like the one on my
Android phone, the Samsung Note 2. It's okay, too, but I don't know
if I will use it exclusively. These apps seem to be a bit limited in
their functionality, especially when it comes to something like a
business page. We shall see how it goes!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Segoe UI;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Segoe UI;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Meanwhile, I have some new ideas and some new equipment to play with! More fun things to come!</span></span></span></div>
Betty Bolerjackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04735403888914120388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090345283943660688.post-28965105393090583892013-11-16T22:19:00.001-08:002013-11-16T22:19:13.083-08:00It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!I've been working on more poinsettias... <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3rmzEq4JxDWVHgh62q5K_cdQ4YO22V7gCDGFGkbRQipVRy58rJbAN6e_J_qFcYKi2WSf7MKA5ao-cberdvK3KDlrU18tNPJb2XrI7Lsr4Uup0C1I-GBcB9DihgBYnXuziOdOs0GvT4o/s1600/IMG_9006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3rmzEq4JxDWVHgh62q5K_cdQ4YO22V7gCDGFGkbRQipVRy58rJbAN6e_J_qFcYKi2WSf7MKA5ao-cberdvK3KDlrU18tNPJb2XrI7Lsr4Uup0C1I-GBcB9DihgBYnXuziOdOs0GvT4o/s320/IMG_9006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished pink poinsettias.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6apEwxx5bC5bbF3pwFor8T4Miq_oZAFZglau0tswNsZntT2G-GeplQ9rZqjPBt7ZHbFcrmuInG_yQzQEamUqcfM8uZWd5nHt4jKq0KIO2wkwR2ygkNSxNXN4tdnXYMN_H42lgmmwDLA/s1600/IMG_9015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6apEwxx5bC5bbF3pwFor8T4Miq_oZAFZglau0tswNsZntT2G-GeplQ9rZqjPBt7ZHbFcrmuInG_yQzQEamUqcfM8uZWd5nHt4jKq0KIO2wkwR2ygkNSxNXN4tdnXYMN_H42lgmmwDLA/s320/IMG_9015.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red glitter poinsettias</td></tr>
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<div>
...as well as some other things and playing with a new technique. It's new to me, anyway! It's called Faux Raku. And what is raku? It is a form of pottery developed in Japan in the 1500's for use in the tea ceremony. It has developed into an art form in the West and artists use different techniques to create it. I was talking to my brother about it last night and he said he had watched raku being made. He said they would throw things like leaves in with the pottery. I was curious, so I Googled it.</div>
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Most raku has a crackled surface, although I'm not sure it all does. I found one artist, William K. Turner, at <a href="http://www.raku-art.com/" target="_blank">Raku Art</a> who has some absolutely gorgeous pieces! Many of his do not appear to be crackled, though some are. In fact, I saw some with some areas that were crackled while other areas were not. There is a local gallery that carries his work, so I may have to pay them a visit.</div>
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The process is basically the same for all raku pottery. It is coated with a glaze and then heated very quickly in a kiln. Once it reaches the maximum temperature, it is removed and placed in a "reduction chamber" which is where the leaves and other stuff come in. Apparently, what you use in the reduction combined with the glaze you choose will determine the final effect and colors. The way it is commonly done produces the crackled finish. </div>
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After the piece is removed from the kiln, it is held in the air for several seconds to immediately begin the cooling process. It is then put into the reduction chamber--quite often a garbage can--which is filled with the reduction material. This can consist of such things as sawdust, straw, or leaves. The red hot piece is put into the chamber full of the reduction material where it causes this material to burst into flame. More reduction material is then poured on top and finally, the lid is put on to create an airtight seal which stops the oxidation process that creates the colors and also puts out the flames. When the piece comes out, usually after a very short time, it is covered with soot, but then is cleaned off to reveal the the finish. </div>
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This is one of the places where William's technique differs. He lines his reduction chambers with newspaper and sets the piece upright. He leaves it in longer and then puts it back in the kiln on a low heat to set the colors. He says he never puts his in water. Apparently, his process is a bit of a cross between the Western way of doing things and the Japanese way. In Japan, they often set the glowing hot piece out in the open air to cool, but also do use reduction chambers. Any way it is done, the result is quite random. There is no predicting exactly what you will get!</div>
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What does this have to do with Christmas and polymer clay? Polymer clay can be made to look like just about anything and raku is no exception! I had watched the tutorial on Faux Raku from <a href="http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/polymer-clay-tutorial-faux-raku-pt1-smooth-surface-techniqe/4694/" target="_blank">Cindy Lietz, The Polymer Clay Tutor</a>, and wasn't overly excited, although I did add it to my list of things to work on since it doesn't need sanding. I didn't have the necessary supplies to do it, though, so I just didn't think much about it until...</div>
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I saw a picture on Cindy's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/polymerclay" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> a few days ago of some gorgeous <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=201235616569820&set=o.10027059423&type=3&theater" target="_blank">bracelets</a> made using this technique. Suddenly, I was intrigued. By this time, I had the necessary supplies, albeit in limited color choices! I began to experiment and created some beads of my own:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcZuSe7aM4kWa6xWVCPkfLSDA9i4o8cr9IWP3Nn1IFws5GIVmnsV3WthHALu3oJ93ZFnyzEA1NU0m7xd6GsxYRMuu4HruUzGNuT9TY3-kPtWK8ETmiCJnvhulg6pcn3BY6xG93QgKS6I/s1600/IMG_8999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcZuSe7aM4kWa6xWVCPkfLSDA9i4o8cr9IWP3Nn1IFws5GIVmnsV3WthHALu3oJ93ZFnyzEA1NU0m7xd6GsxYRMuu4HruUzGNuT9TY3-kPtWK8ETmiCJnvhulg6pcn3BY6xG93QgKS6I/s320/IMG_8999.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faux Raku beads in red and blue with gold</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6iRSxQCVg7jps108NebsDRDq4e2r_q9x9Ee6-BDqEb9xiNyVBxCfg0ATjZfJcrBQPF-m0NYjI3yLui8eIj7MPgazrP2Q0c5h7fnZ6UJrHMNAhPOCuT7ZHrVnaVmKMxYVgoWaOtTu-OA/s1600/IMG_9000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6iRSxQCVg7jps108NebsDRDq4e2r_q9x9Ee6-BDqEb9xiNyVBxCfg0ATjZfJcrBQPF-m0NYjI3yLui8eIj7MPgazrP2Q0c5h7fnZ6UJrHMNAhPOCuT7ZHrVnaVmKMxYVgoWaOtTu-OA/s320/IMG_9000.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faux Raku beads in blue and green with gold</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Qx-4BZO0D8xF6vPZqH5bdj6xFswnDtuwmVbYnlJ8rjxnBeEYZSzOh4HwMvuWuZ3g_5q4iWwCCtgghlTxK4fjrqcm2ck2IUD7yBZ55YvZTsfUgpU82eSXuZb-vaj82RM1pbG5EzGr1qA/s1600/IMG_9001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Qx-4BZO0D8xF6vPZqH5bdj6xFswnDtuwmVbYnlJ8rjxnBeEYZSzOh4HwMvuWuZ3g_5q4iWwCCtgghlTxK4fjrqcm2ck2IUD7yBZ55YvZTsfUgpU82eSXuZb-vaj82RM1pbG5EzGr1qA/s320/IMG_9001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faux Raku beads in red, blue, and green with gold</td></tr>
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I got a few more colors and had a brainstorm! I have seen many colors of poinsettias and had already decided to try different techniques to come up with some of the various colors, like the mottled red and white ones that are called "Jingle Bells." I haven't done that yet, by the way! While the traditional red, white, and pink ones are the most popular, there are also blue ones, and purple ones, and a myriad of other colors! Some are even a couple of colors combined. Check <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=poinsettia+colors+varieties&espv=210&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=wlaIUtTQMsbh2wWo_IAY&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=652#es_sm=93&espv=210&q=poinsettia+colors&tbm=isch" target="_blank">Google</a> to see what I mean.</div>
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So, I decided to use purple and blue to see what I could come up with and I started getting really excited. It was already looking fantastic! Yellow centers just didn't look right, so it was back to Google to look up more images. The blue ones all seemed to have green centers, so I played with that a bit and decided it did look better. I only did one, but when I got it all put together, I gave it a dusting of my new mica powder, then put it in my little toaster oven to cure. As with the real raku, you never know just what you are going to get, but I do get to see what it will look like before it goes into the oven! This piece will be available for sale as a pendant in my Etsy shop within the next few days.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhocXdKN2Wovmvu3POyDZZuMIVQwVQmvIqNlCdtrgkkpSiIJ0mDV3fjERa6yi3ABCZNPgzxRn7UwXzmi-PvfUvfS_Hcy9Ohu8IpqS2H_uW1WkVwPgAgIHicFByl3Ngqih0Tiu8nAO6J6w/s1600/IMG_9017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhocXdKN2Wovmvu3POyDZZuMIVQwVQmvIqNlCdtrgkkpSiIJ0mDV3fjERa6yi3ABCZNPgzxRn7UwXzmi-PvfUvfS_Hcy9Ohu8IpqS2H_uW1WkVwPgAgIHicFByl3Ngqih0Tiu8nAO6J6w/s320/IMG_9017.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue, purple and green poinsettia using the Faux Raku technique</td></tr>
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By the way, I have seen various meanings for raku such as joy, happiness, comfort, and ease. My favorite, though, came from a <a href="http://www.veniceclayartists.com/the-raku-pottery-technique/" target="_blank">blog about ceramics and pottery</a>. The definition there is "happiness in the accident!" Joy and happiness in the randomness of the process! No wonder I love this technique so much!</div>
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Betty Bolerjackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04735403888914120388noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090345283943660688.post-87979799081784701172013-11-06T22:25:00.001-08:002013-11-06T22:25:27.432-08:00Coming Attractions!What seems like eons ago, I hand-crafted poinsettias, one petal at a time, and then painted them. It was tedious work and took a lot of time. A couple of days ago, I figured out how to do them a much easier way. Of course, I am using colored clay not and not painting them. I didn't actually figure this out on my own. I've been intending to get the tutorial from Cindy Lietz, the Polymer Clay Tutor, but after looking at some that were posted on her Facebook page and looking at the intro to the tutorial and list of supplies, I figured out how she did them. Now, that doesn't mean that I won't eventually get the tutorial because I'm quite sure she has some tips and tricks up her sleeve! She usually does. Besides, I want ALL of her tutorials!<div>
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Here's a sneak peak at my first attempt at making them this way. This is before curing. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5-ClIteipqks8zxp_dRIe5zVlbDA4kU2KZW_sBqDcuCd0Tumrqnuohxi3xSd9om_3rp7m4MH-s3QjSllINT_1ujhfvscKYDmW76ANdigRlV-km5702spWwOogwZUVwApMp0CllVgpUY/s1600/2013-11-04+20.35.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5-ClIteipqks8zxp_dRIe5zVlbDA4kU2KZW_sBqDcuCd0Tumrqnuohxi3xSd9om_3rp7m4MH-s3QjSllINT_1ujhfvscKYDmW76ANdigRlV-km5702spWwOogwZUVwApMp0CllVgpUY/s320/2013-11-04+20.35.46.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was when I had just figured out what to do. I made the pieces and just laid them together. I didn't have the right thing to adhere them, so had to go pick that up before finishing.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUZOCC3TS2VF0kBdEOz1ImgJrnpN2ijk4Cch0X-adUUoDbs6rXeuKvII-i-UOoLDyIps4mZ2htrd1wcc7rwwhmQMLiup0s7o1WbhK_hhwltFWs6ouvojt0TWbkz6Xk-Dd1yPvCv37_-M/s1600/2013-11-06+23.47.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUZOCC3TS2VF0kBdEOz1ImgJrnpN2ijk4Cch0X-adUUoDbs6rXeuKvII-i-UOoLDyIps4mZ2htrd1wcc7rwwhmQMLiup0s7o1WbhK_hhwltFWs6ouvojt0TWbkz6Xk-Dd1yPvCv37_-M/s320/2013-11-06+23.47.50.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The larger flower is the same one as above. I made two smaller ones to create a pendant and earring set. The completed flowers were brushed with gold Pearl-Ex powder. This particular set will not be for sale due to the brittleness of the pink clay. However, I will be making another set like this.</td></tr>
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I don't know how I'm going to fit in making more in the next few days, but I'm going to give it a shot and hope to have some in a variety of colors in my shop within the next week. I also plan on having some Christmas trees done (I just had an idea to make those even better!) and maybe a few other little surprises!</div>
Betty Bolerjackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04735403888914120388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090345283943660688.post-83462342421647014992013-10-06T20:06:00.002-07:002013-10-06T20:06:55.958-07:00Sanding and Finishing<div class="MsoNormal">
Once again, it's been awhile since I've updated anything here. It
seemed that every time I would go to make something, there was an item I needed
that I didn't have or it had to be sanded and that was getting tedious. Also, the results were not as consistent as I
would like. So, I have been collecting
supplies and looking for better and easier ways to sand... and learning more
cool techniques in the mean time! </div>
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I finally found what promises to be a great way to sand
using my Dremel. I think I have everything I need now. I just need to get it all put together. I couldn't seem to find quite the same things
that others had used, but I improvised and, and after a test run before running
out to buy a bunch of stuff, I think it's going to work! I plan to really put it to the test tomorrow. I still need a rock tumbler for sanding round or
odd-shaped beads, but I will be getting that soon. I've been looking at them
and pricing them.</div>
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Another thing on my list is a UV oven and the UV resin to go
with it. Some items just require that
kind of finish, like my parrot earrings.
<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1d-Ga_YkroboS1_Yk9X0bkHkCIHRu57cw_XFq6XdeCnZE25_Z-xvVNG8UVmZ0-3Yptv0SFw-OXhmkxzzOKCj10SKbbpooMl7TWTik6ixY6cRFgCDg0XRVCKq-LofiY9qft4TSIpYiRSA/s1600/2013-08-13+21.19.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1d-Ga_YkroboS1_Yk9X0bkHkCIHRu57cw_XFq6XdeCnZE25_Z-xvVNG8UVmZ0-3Yptv0SFw-OXhmkxzzOKCj10SKbbpooMl7TWTik6ixY6cRFgCDg0XRVCKq-LofiY9qft4TSIpYiRSA/s320/2013-08-13+21.19.18.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parrots, using mica shift technique, <br />unfinished right out of the oven.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUu65pzBEPb6LMQG0KoU_mLPOmr1J6fnNANyyDXp9rX44yNJfRBSh7XLxNVLvJOyDVJsfBkTv5uzMgfPT8wdG0fGeJod3iei8liVJxnu7kZXJYvb4RsCQga25dMgRyZ0K9vJK-9IPQTM/s1600/IMG_8972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUu65pzBEPb6LMQG0KoU_mLPOmr1J6fnNANyyDXp9rX44yNJfRBSh7XLxNVLvJOyDVJsfBkTv5uzMgfPT8wdG0fGeJod3iei8liVJxnu7kZXJYvb4RsCQga25dMgRyZ0K9vJK-9IPQTM/s320/IMG_8972.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the parrots, sanded, buffed, and a glaze added. <br />If you look closely, you can see bubbles in the glaze.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These were just an experiment to try out a technique that I thought
might work for them and I liked the way they turned out… except for the
finishing! Oh, and the fact that they
are a bit long. I had adjusted the
pattern size, but it seems to have disappeared when I moved everything into my
studio which I am still trying to get organized in between flurries of
creativity, doctor appointments, and the everyday hustle and bustle of life. Hopefully, I will have located the pattern by
the time I get the UV oven! </div>
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Who knew that there was so much involved in making quality
polymer clay jewelry!?! Well, obviously,
some people did, but, equally obviously, I wasn’t among them! I’ve learned an awful lot from following
Cindy Lietz, the <a href="http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/" target="_blank">Polymer Clay Tutor</a>, and proper sanding and finishing is one of
the things I have learned. More than
once, she has shown the difference between an unsanded item and one that has
been properly sanded and finished. It is
amazing! I definitely want to turn out
quality work and I think I’m about to the point that I can consistently do
that.</div>
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Stay tuned…</div>
Betty Bolerjackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04735403888914120388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090345283943660688.post-34535692611663855202013-01-12T21:08:00.002-08:002013-01-12T21:08:47.945-08:00A Peek at What I've Been DoingWell, I haven't been updating this like I had planned! Of course, it's not like there is nothing else going on in my life! It didn't take long after opening my store to realize that I really needed a studio to work in. Trying to create at the dining room table just wasn't cutting it. Not long after that realization, my mom announced that she was moving to my brother's house. Even though that meant a reduced income for us (she was paying her part for living here), it meant an empty bedroom which translated into a studio for me! I think she is happy with the move, although she is still getting settled. I am happy with my studio, although <i>I</i> am still getting settled! I have plans to make it a really cute and creative space. It's slowly starting to come together.<br />
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Another interruption in my life was the refinancing of our house. We had some projects that needed to be moved along in preparation for the appraisal. It was a lot of work and there was dust everywhere, but we got it done to the point that we could have the appraisal, the appraiser was pleased, and we were able to close just before Christmas. Unfortunately, that meant I still didn't--and don't--have much in my store.<br />
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A friend gave me a couple of little storage cabinets--the kind with drawers in them that are usually used for nails and screws and such. What a blessing that was! They were just exactly what I was wanting! I still need to organize things a little better, but I finally have my workspace cleared off so that I can actually make some things. I'm a happy camper!<br />
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So, what have I been making? I recreated a little Christmas tree that I had done years ago and made it better. I also learned to make kumihimo braids which is what the little tree is on. I enjoyed wearing it, but didn't have enough time to make any to sell. They will be available for next Christmas or can be special ordered at any time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDi2yGsnIVNenROJlgoWENkbYNJCMOSA5-VNz-Cg6MUv7j4EuGoiPrCCRBX4zYeN6ATUpHOkjnqDyHIgSfuJDpygLsUiJ1xoo6LsoVd7YEa0U0Ld4vVNztZhDihtlEL90cQ6Xk1cJf9c/s1600/IMAG0989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDi2yGsnIVNenROJlgoWENkbYNJCMOSA5-VNz-Cg6MUv7j4EuGoiPrCCRBX4zYeN6ATUpHOkjnqDyHIgSfuJDpygLsUiJ1xoo6LsoVd7YEa0U0Ld4vVNztZhDihtlEL90cQ6Xk1cJf9c/s1600/IMAG0989.jpg" height="320" width="191" /></a></div>
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I learned to make faux jasper and did some pieces in blue. I still haven't decided exactly what I am going to do with them, but I think they are kind of cool.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9foY88YVSKPbMOHNaLytDKvlTHIayNdiXz5wGW6Gq_kTIdUbOExzWLSfW7ghKRQOYORwi8d_V-tstWC54VPmWg0QTH6DUSEuVNCbUIidvNsd887umTTWSqUAHFQnAfRx4_Hk_tsAsM0M/s1600/IMG_7008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9foY88YVSKPbMOHNaLytDKvlTHIayNdiXz5wGW6Gq_kTIdUbOExzWLSfW7ghKRQOYORwi8d_V-tstWC54VPmWg0QTH6DUSEuVNCbUIidvNsd887umTTWSqUAHFQnAfRx4_Hk_tsAsM0M/s1600/IMG_7008.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then, I decided to finally try my hand at making sweet pea blossoms. I had already prepared the clay but just hadn't mustered up the courage to really give it a try until recently. I decided to make some earrings for my mother-in-law:<br />
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And a necklace for my mom:<br />
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The cord on Mom's necklace is also a kumihimo braid.<br />
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I learned another technique for creating color blends just yesterday and made this fun set for myself:<br />
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Once again, the cord is a kumihimo braid. The only parts of this set that are not completely hand-crafted are the earwires and the lobster claw clasp. I even made the cord end caps!<br />
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So, that's where I'm at. Items similar to the above will be available in the store soon. You can always contact me for a special order if you see something you like. I may not be able to make an identical piece, but can come close.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by!Betty Bolerjackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04735403888914120388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090345283943660688.post-80410566571065400472012-09-23T19:51:00.001-07:002012-09-23T19:51:42.357-07:00Grand Opening!After another week of work and running back and forth to Hobby Lobby for supplies (I'm sure glad it's close by!), my Etsy store is now open as you can see by the pictures at the top of the page.<br />
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I got the chicken earrings done and found that an interesting experience. I decided to make them entirely of clay rather than painting them as I had done in the past. Making the body wasn't a big deal. Roll out some pink clay and start cutting. Well, okay... for starters, I couldn't find my pattern. I have no idea where the book is that these patterns came from. Probably buried in the garage somewhere! I also have no idea what happened to the pattern itself. I used quilter's template vinyl to make the patterns and I have a lot of them stored in my craft box, but the ones for the "Critters" aren't with the rest. So, I used one of the other earrings that I had made previously as a pattern. I also couldn't find my quilter's template vinyl to make a new one, so ended up going to JoAnn's to get some because Hobby Lobby didn't have any that I could find. Fortunately, they are right across the street from each other these days. Since I had already used one of the other earrings as a pattern, I already had those in production.<br />
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The feet and hat were a little more of a challenge. I cut them from yellow clay and then carefully stuck them to the body. I wasn't sure they would stay and later found out about some liquid polymer clay that can be used to join pieces. I got some, but it was already too late for that project! They did stick, though, so all is well.<br />
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The polka dots were another challenge. I was going to put little dots of white clay on and then press a smaller dot of blue clay on top. I changed my mind and made a very simple cane. A cane is clay that has been formed into a shape, then wrapped with more clay to create a long, usually tubular shaped piece that has a design in it. It can then be sliced and baked to make beads or other items. You'll be seeing more of that sort of thing in upcoming pieces. So, I made a "snake" of blue, then wrapped it with white to create the cane. I then sliced off some very thin pieces to make the polka dots. They turned out sort of wonky, but that is part of the charm of these cute roosters! <br />
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Once they were out of the oven, I sanded and polished them. Then, I had to decide about the eyes. I finally decided to paint them. When they were dry, I coated them with acrylic to seal them and give them a nice shine. I discovered that it is best to do several thin coats, allowing dry time in between.<br />
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It was finally time to attach the findings. Once again, I went about things a bit differently than I had done before, mostly just to try out other processes. I had put a hole in the rooster's hat and needed to attach a jump ring because I couldn't just attach it to the earwire. Previously, I had put an eye headpin into the top of the hat to attach the earwire to. I'm not sure yet, but I think I prefer that method and will probably do that most of the time in the future. However, my headpins, like so many other things, were MIA. I have been to Hobby Lobby yet again and now have a supply of headpins as well as a third size of jump rings! I got the earwires attached and was finally able to take pictures. With the pictures done, I could actually open my store!<br />
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Whew! I forgot how long it can actually take to make a piece! A lot of that time is baking and drying time, but it makes the process for some of the pieces pretty lengthy, especially if it is necessary to bake pieces then attach other pieces and rebake. For many of these pieces, it is not a quick, do it in an hour type project! But, it is loads of fun to see them taking shape!<br />
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I'll share stories of other pieces in future posts. And there are more pieces in the works, along with a few custom items. Stay tuned!Betty Bolerjackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04735403888914120388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090345283943660688.post-15363549220404584582012-09-15T14:31:00.001-07:002012-09-15T14:31:52.128-07:00Welcome!Who knew it would take this long to open an Etsy store? I have a few pieces of jewelry that I made several years ago to sell, but I never sold these particular pieces. It should be easy enough to get that set up, right?<br />
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Wrong!!! First, I had to come with a name. Thanks to all my <a href="http://bettyb.dressingyourtruth.com/spreadthelove" target="_blank">Dressing Your Truth</a> friends on Facebook for helping me with that!<br />
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Then, it was time to set up my store. I went to Etsy and created an account. I have a lot of experience with computers, the internet, setting up websites, filling out forms, and that sort of thing. Let me tell you... Etsy does not make things easy! When it asked for my shop name, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to put spaces or not. From what I had seen and read, I presumed they didn't want spaces. Then, I wondered, "What if they did?" So, I tried putting spaces and it wouldn't let me. Whew! I saved it and moved to the next step.<br />
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List my items? Already??? I wasn't quite ready for that, so I looked at the bar across the top of the page to see what the next step was. "Get Paid". Hmmm... How do I get paid when I don't have anything listed? I clicked on it anyway. Oh!!! It's for HOW to get paid! Well, why didn't they say so??? I proceeded to fill out the information.<br />
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Today, when I was looking at the steps again, I happened to leave my mouse hovering over one of the steps and discovered that there was a pop up box that explained what that step was for. Now, why did they feel they had to be cute with the step names instead of just saying in plain English what it was for? Can you tell I'm a little annoyed? I guess that's what happens when you are feeling a little stressed at how long something is taking!<br />
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The final step is "Billing". When I had first looked at it, I thought maybe that was the one where I would enter the information for how <i>I</i> was to get paid, but since I had already done that step, I knew that wasn't it. I clicked on it and discovered I was to enter my credit card information so<i> they</i> could collect<i> their </i>fees. Simple enough. So, I did that.<br />
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Now, it was time to go back to "List Items". I needed pictures of my pieces. I looked them over carefully to see what was worthy of selling. Several items had spots of paint on them that wasn't supposed to be there. I cleaned them up, but I couldn't get all of the paint spots off of some of them. I picked out the ones that looked the best and took some pictures. I didn't have a good location. The lighting was bad. What I chose to display them on wasn't great. I wasn't happy. It was late, so I decided to try again the next day in daylight.<br />
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Meanwhile, I had been collecting supplies and watching some tutorials to see how I could improve my work. I had done very little with colored clay in the past. Most of my items are made with white clay that I painted after it was baked. I had made some dainty little roses with colored clay and they turned out nicely. I can't remember what I was going to make with them, so I'll have to think of something! The tutorials inspired me to try some new things. I made several trips to Hobby Lobby to take advantage of their 40% off coupon and found out the clay I wanted to use was on sale this week! That meant fewer trips!<br />
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I made a couple more goes at the pictures and still wasn't happy. Every little flaw showed and I found some that I hadn't noticed before! I was probably being too picky, especially since I'm not asking a big price for these items, but I don't like selling inferior quality and after looking at some of the other offerings on Etsy and watching the tutorials, I felt I could do better. I <i>wanted</i> to do better. <br />
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I got out my unfinished pieces and started sanding to smooth them out a little before painting them and broke a little piece off of the first one! I have some other broken pieces, too, so I decided there must be something wrong with the clay. Either I didn't bake it long enough or the clay itself was too soft to begin with. I think it was probably the latter. The little roses are made of a different brand of clay and seem very sturdy even though they are quite delicate looking. I need to make new pieces and that will take a some time, depending on how elaborate they are. I don't want to sell something only to have it arrive broken or break when a customer goes to wear it. That causes unhappy customers and I want <i>happy</i> customers!<br />
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So, I am going to be working on some new pieces. It may be a few more days before my shop is open. Thanks for your support! I will keep you updated here on my progress!Betty Bolerjackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04735403888914120388noreply@blogger.com2