Friday, September 29, 2017

Holy CaBezels in Faux Turquoise Stone

I finally managed to find some time to work up large batches of faux turquoise in various colors thanks to our new assistant, Linda.  I have been teaching her how to mix up batches and create large veneer sheets.  She not only enjoys it (says it is one of her favorite clay techniques so far) but has a real feel for it as well.

I wanted to create some interchangeable snaps combining the faux stone colors along with the CaBezel jewelry molds.  I really love how the two work together so well and will have more colors to share with you later.

These ones were created in our typical Arizona blue turquoise.  I share this clay color recipe in my Fabulous Faux Turquoise tutorial along with how to create your own clay veneer sheets and roll your own faux turquoise stone beads.



These interchangeable snap pieces were created using the Holy CaBezel jewelry molds.  Left and top center is the Carolyn design and on the right is the Sue.  The one in the middle was made using the smallest shape to show you the size comparison.



And here are more in our green turquoise stone.  I developed this clay color later and you will find the clay recipe on our blog here.  These pieces all have snaps on the back for interchanging as well.  I couldn't add the snap onto the back of the smallest size if I cut out the hole so instead I filled it which gives them a unique look.

Left to Right:  Carolyn, Lorraine, Sue -- CaBezel Jewelry Mold shapes
These are all on the same Softglas cord necklace with a snap base.  I show how to make them in an earlier blog post here.  The top set of pendants are the small size with the filled in hole.  The bottom row are the large size with the hole cut out.



And here is a three piece set that I pulled together.  All the pieces can interchange of course and I was just starting to play around with the various shapes, sizes and styles to create different arrangements.


I will share more ideas using the smaller shapes soon and in more turquoise veneer colors.

Monday, September 25, 2017

Interchangeable Beads in an Autumn Maple and Tawny Port Mix

I created a color mix earlier with the Pantone Fall 2017 fashion colors Autumn Maple, Butterum and Tawny Port.  It was a nice combination but I wanted the colors to pop a little more so I recreated the mix again but this time added some black.  I think the new color combo came out richer and is surprising how adding just a little black can create a more dramatic look.

We made these pieces with the Holy CaBezel jewelry molds.  On the left is with the Sue design and the right is Lorraine.  These of course are on a snap for interchanging and will be added to our online store soon.







We make almost all of our focal beads on a snap so they can be worn different ways.


"We create the art ... you choose how to wear it!"

Monday, September 18, 2017

New CaBezel Snaps in Winter Colors

I haven't been too active here this month as we've had our nose to the grindstone -- or more like the clay pasta machine!  Many of the stores that we sell wholesale to turn in their fall orders and it seems September is our month to get them all finished and sent out or delivered.  I am happy to say I see a little light flickering at the end of the tunnel but is still a little ways away yet.  The good news is that we have been making some new creations and will try and share them as they are finished off and photographed.

Here are a few of our new interchangeable snaps in fall colors.  The crimson red and grey are a variation of the Pantone fall colors that also have a more winter feel.  I think, however, they will compliment outfits in black or neutral gray quite nicely.  I used three of the Holy CaBezel jewelry molds for the pendant beads below.  Left to right:  Carolyn (named after moi),  Lorraine, and Sue.  These were all created using the largest of the three sizes in the set.




We recently brought in some new snap base bracelets and will have some available in our online store soon.  Most of these will be going to the Silhouette Fashion Boutique with some other new fresh items for fall.  I am quite excited about them opening another store.  The latest one is in Vernon (Village Green Centre) so our Snap Decisions Collection is now available there as well as the downtown Salmon Arm location.






Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Finished Projects with the Pantone Fall 2017 Fashion Colors

I finally managed to finish off some projects using the clay samples I showed earlier in the Pantone Fall 2017 fashion colors.  If you are looking for more inspiration on using these new colors or different combinations you can follow my Pinterest board.

With the clay veneer made in the Pantone colors Neutral Gray and Grenadine, I created a scarf necklace and some interchangeable snaps.


Here is another scarf necklace in the Neutral Gray and Ballet Slipper combination.  The color is an almost perfect match with our pink linen scarf.


And these pieces were created with the stencil technique.  The Neutral Gray and Shaded Spruce combo made into another scarf necklace and the Golden Lime made into interchangeable snaps.



Sunday, August 20, 2017

Clay Recipe Links for the Pantone Fall 2017 Fashion Colors

Here is a review of the Pantone Fall 2017 fashion colors.   Click on the photos below to see the clay recipes using Kato clay.  If you would like to see more clay recipes for the past Pantone fashion colors, go to the color recipe page at the top of our blog.






Would you like some recipe cards with these Pantone colors ready to print out on 4" x 6" index cards?  They have the colored dots on them but are ready to add your own baked clay chip samples.

If so, click here to download and print out by following the instructions included.

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Pantone Fall 2017 Colors Shaded Spruce and Golden Lime

The last two Pantone Fall 2017 fashion colors are Shaded Spruce and Golden Lime.  Both of these greens can be found in nature during the fall season.  Shaded Spruce is like a dark blue spruce and almost a deep teal.  Golden Lime is a more fall-like version of the Pantone color of the year, Greenery.



While these two colors look nice together their tone changed somewhat when combining the clay and they tended to fight against each other.  It is worth further experimenting later but in the mean time I decided to create some stenciled prints using these colors as a background.  Here a clay sheet of Shaded Spruce is combined with the Neutral Gray in the form of silver acrylic paint.


The metallic black paint really pops on the Golden Lime clay.  I was looking for a unique pattern and found this one among other stencils available at Shades of Clay.  Stencils can work similar to silk screens but can also be used in other ways making them more versatile.


So here are the recipes using Kato clay:

Shaded Spruce
7 parts Kato Turquoise
2 parts Kato Black
1 part Kato Pearl

Golden Lime
1 part Kato Green
6 parts Kato Yellow
1 part Kato Gold


* Any of the base color "mixes" used are from my Clay Color System.

Friday, August 18, 2017

Pantone Fall 2017 Colors Neutral Gray, Grenadine & Ballet Slipper

Along with Navy Peony, Neutral gray is the other main neutral in the Pantone Fall 2017 pallette.   I decided to use it as my main clay color to work with today along with two opposite types of reds, Grenadine and Ballet Slipper.  Grenadine is a very strong orange red where Ballet slipper is more a cooler and softer shade.


I was experimenting with several combinations and love how both of these reds combine beautifully with the Neutral Gray and a little bit of black to make them pop.  I was playing around with these colors and found the Chevron-like patterns the most fun.  I didn't have enough time to make anything from these veneers as I wanted to get this posted so will show you later when I do.



So here are the recipes for these three colors using Kato clay:

Neutral Gray
4 parts Kato Silver
1 part Kato Black
1 part Kato White

Grenadine
1 part Kato Red
1 part Kato Orange

Ballet Slipper
8 parts White Mix # 1-2 *
3 parts Ecru Mix # 2-8 *
1/2 part Kato Magenta
1/4 part Kato Violet

* Any of the base color "mixes" used are from my Clay Color System.