More Quilt Block Inspired Pieces

These pieces are two variations of the same quilt block pattern made into brooch - pendants.  I like to make earrings to coordinate and will be working on other pieces as well once I get my technique and style more established.

I am still experimenting with different textures, colors and block pattern combinations.  I find when I create this type of work I have to totally clear my work space and focus only on quilts blocks and combining my extruded shapes.  I generally find myself spending a day or two at a time working on a particular technique before I clear everything away and switch to something different.

New Beads in Bloom

I've been working on some new floral beads for our new summer designs.  Here is an assortment that are ready to be strung in this years Pantone Spring colors.   The blues are a combination of Sodalite blue and Cockatoo with Solar Power.  The others are in Tangerine Tango, Cabaret and Solar Power.

Quilt Block Inspired Jewelry

For quite some time I had been studying traditional style quilt block patterns and experimenting with various methods for mixing the clay in which to give a more textile look to our pieces.  Here are a few  brooch-pendants and earrings we have created using a combination of several techniques.

This is a little peek into how our pieces are created:

1.  Our clay colors are mixed and then formed into various shapes.

2.  The shapes are then arranged to create a pattern in what is called a "cane".  A special Y peeler (from Dan Cormier) is used to create nice even slices from the cane.

3.  The cane slice is then formed into a jewelry piece such as a pendant, bead or earring pieces.  They are all then hand "stitched" with a needle tool.

4.  The findings are attached by embedding them in clay for added strength.  Our signature logo is stamped for authenticity.

The pieces are then baked at a precise temperature and then go through a process of sanding and buffing.

We are happy to announce that the quilt patterned jewelry pieces shown here with an assortment of other styles are now available and for sale at Katja's Quilt Shoppe in Kamloops.

More New Kaleidoscopes in Bellflower and Solar Power

Here are some more fabric inspired Kaleidoscope pieces finished off in another color series.  The main colors I used are the Pantone Spring 2012 colors of Bellflower and Solar Power with green and navy blue for more contrast.

Kaleidoscope Designs

I have always been fascinated with kaleidoscopes and admire some of the beautiful kaleidoscope canes others have created in polymer clay.  I always wanted to give it a try and never got around to it until now.  It was a lot of fun experimenting with different techniques until I figured out a method that worked best for me.

Now that we have our new logo stamp (see our last post here), I managed to finish some of the pieces.    Here are a few pieces that can be worn either as a brooch or pendants.  I used some of my left over cane pieces and color blends in the Pantone Spring 2012 colors of Tangerine Tango, Cabaret and Solar Power combined with my favorite olive green.

Our Logo Stamp Has Arrived!

Our new logo stamp arrived in the mail today.  After reading Janice Abarbanel's blog post about the signature stamp she ordered from Jet Stamps we decided to have one done up with a new logo for ourselves.  We were really pleased with their quick and excellent service.

We have a pile of pendants that we have been working on in our new designs for this spring and summer waiting to finish when our stamp arrived.  Some of these pieces are special ordered and others will be for our summer shows.  As soon as the backs are on and they are sanded and buffed, we will unveil our new work.

Jewel Tone Earrings

I've been noticing a lot of hoop earrings everywhere and decided to make myself a few pairs with my rondelle spacer beads in the jewel tone colors.

And here is another style of earrings using the rondelles.  These ones are in a shade of deep metallic royal blue.  This shade of blue is very similar to the Pantone Spring 2012 color, Sodalite Blue.

Jewel Tone Colors

I finished making a bunch of rondelle spacer beads in the metallic jewel-tone colors.

I like to make these beads in colors to match the double-sided lentil beads to use in our jewelry pieces.  I created some new jewel tone color combinations and updated them in our ArtFire studio and Etsy shop.

More Studio Time Equals More Play Time?

I received a package in the mail the other day from my friend, Wendy.  She sent me a couple of samples of her new All in One CaBezels.  Aren't they cool?

The package came right at a time when I was feeling extremely stressed and worried about things. I was getting caught up with trying to fill orders, writing blog posts, ordering supplies, teaching classes and doing year end book work.  Dave had to remind me how he could be doing more instead of trying to take on too much myself and for not balancing my time properly.  I guess since he broke his hand and wasn't able to help out as much I was taking on more than I needed and was allowing the stress to build up.


Receiving the package from Wendy reminded me I needed more "play" time again with my clay.  It is so important as an artist to have that time for just having fun and allowing one's self to experiment and be more creative.


I had noticed when Wendy was showing on her blog how to use this type of CaBezel that she was working with clay that was textured.  I couldn't quite figure out how that worked until I gave it a try.  I was so surprised how the texture stayed intact when creating the shape.  It was just too cool!  This is the first one I made and decided to make it into a pendant.

Playing with these new CaBezeIs certainly primed my play and creative pump and I now want to experiment even more with them.


Wendy just created a new video on how to use these new types of CaBezels and you can find it here.

Making a Splash with our New Barefoot Sandals

Some friends of ours went on a trip of a lifetime to the Fijian Islands to get married.  We were viewing their wedding photos and their wedding was like a dream.  Imagine getting married in a setting like this....

I was asked to make some barefoot sandals for their event and this is what spring-boarded us into creating a new line of jewelry for the feet.   We will be unveiling more new designs and listing them in our on-line shop very soon.