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.

Adding a Signature Stamp Tutorial

This is another piece I made special for the Chameleon Exhibit.  I combined my bargello technique with the CaBezels by Wendy Orlowski.  I will be teaching how to create bargello veneers such as this one at the Horizon's Polymer Clay retreat coming up in two weeks.

We like to put our logo on the pieces we create using our signature stamps.  Sometimes it is difficult to add it during the "building" process without damaging the front of the piece before baking or sometimes I would simply forget so I have found a way to add it later.

I do this by first running some clay through a very thin setting on the pasta machine.  You want it thin enough so it doesn't stand out much on your piece but not too thin or it will tear when it is stamped.

You may need to use a mold release of some sort such as lightly dusting the clay sheet with some cornstarch or spritzing with water.  Make an impression in the clay with your stamp.  I sometimes do several at a time or you may have to do a few for practice until you get one with an even impression that you like.

Cut out around your stamp using a shape cutter.

Add a little bit of liquid clay to the back and position it onto the reverse side of your piece and rebake.

CaBezel Bead Collar Necklaces

I had made these beads a while back using Wendy's CaBezels technique.  We finally got around to stringing them into two necklaces.

More Finished Pieces

I've been experimenting with kaleidoscope and tessellation canes using different color blends and combinations.  This is a brooch-pendant combo with some earrings to match.

I also finished some focal beads using the CaBezels to go with the lizard tails I showed you yesterday.  I just have to make some spacer beads and can put them together.  I really love the Tangerine set and may have a difficult time parting with it.

Desert Reflection

I created one more of the Lizard CaBezel Collars which we have now named "Desert Reflection".  This one is in Olive green and gold and the lizard tail pieces almost have a tortoise shell look.  This one is a favorite, but maybe because I love the color green.

We are all finished with selling in any markets now for awhile so just need to focus on filling orders for stores.  When I have time I will be slowly adding some of our latest pieces to our ArtFire Studio to sell.

When Wendy Meets Julie

Ever since I took Julie Picarello's workshop 2 years ago, I cannot stop playing with her mokume technique and creating all sorts of lizard tails.  The same goes with Wendy Orlowski's CaBezels.  So what happens when you combine the two?  You can come up with something like this -- my new Lizard CaBezel Collar Necklace.

I used Wendy's latest CaBezel (3 Fab Focals "Two"), to create the Bezel and cabochon with some mokume using Julie's technique.  I now feel some more new designs coming on and can't wait to put them into clay!

New Goodies to Play With!

Our clay supply was getting low and had to order more.  It is so nice to have an excellent supplier of Kato clay available right here in Canada.  Shades of Clay not only has fair prices but great service as well.  Whenever we order clay I like to order a few extra "goodies" to play with and use to create new pieces.

I had to order several of Helen Breil's latest texture plates as they all have such unique patterns.  I saw "button" designs in them immediately and here are some new ones we created:

And have you seen some of Wendy Orlowski's latest textures and CaBezels?  I've been having fun playing with these and have a few fun tips to share with you later on in the week.

My New Toys Arrived

Actually they arrived a couple of weeks ago but I've been too busy to do anything about it -- I was really low on clay so was time to order more from Shades of Clay.  Each time I place an order I like to order a few extra "goodies" to play around with.  Here are some of the things I bought this time:

Shown here back to front:

- A new mandrel set which I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do with yet but it looked like something fun to play with and the price was right....
- More PYM11 -- this stuff is fantastic!  Had to have more as my first can was almost gone.
- Some large texture sheets with leaf patterns.  These are quite large but thinking of using them for some collages.
- More Kato clay -- of course lots of black, pearl, white and transluscent which it seems you can never have enough of.
- Wire -- great for making button shanks, etc.
- A new texture sheet by Helen Breil Designs -- my first one and I thought this one was too yummy to pass up!
- And of course the latest CaBezels by Wendy Orlowski which I will show you a few things a already created with them....
- Not shown are some more mica powders (experimenting with Perfect Pearls to compare) and some Pinata Inks to play around with.

I really like Wendy's CaBezels and I have more ideas on using them which I should hopefully be able to get around to sometime later in the month.  Here are a few pendants I made in the meantime:

Mokume Gane & CaBezels

We've been busy with family visiting this past week and so I finally got around to finish off a few pieces I'd been working on.  I love working with the CaBezels and this time combined it with some mokume gane.  I saw this color combination on a table cloth in a restaurant the other day and had to mix some up while it was still in my brain.

   

I decided to make some beads from the mokume gane sheets and created this collar piece as well.  I love how the colors and pieces turned out that I am so tempted to keep this piece for myself ... we'll see....

CaBezel Tips

I've been experimenting a little more with the CaBezels.  I've had to improvise with a few of the tools to find what works best for me.  The instructions suggest using the end of your acrylic roller to rub the back of the template to form the bezel or cabachon.  My clay roller is hollow so I found something else that works just as well.  (See note at bottom of this post)   It is a stainless steel piece you use to remove garlic and other odors from your hands when you wash with it.  I'm not sure if it really works since I've never tried it but use it with my clay instead.  I mainly use it as a "slump" mold for larger curved round pendants like the one below.  Because it is stainless steel, I can bake right on it.  This works well for me as I generally bake my piece, finish the back and then bake it again.

  

I discovered that this metal piece works great with the CaBezels.  I can apply a lot of pressure and because it is  smooth, it almost glides back and forth on the back of the template and creates a bezel or cabochon within seconds.

The other tool required is "patty paper" to go under your clay when creating your bezel or cabochon.  I don't have this kind of paper and not sure what it really is.  I discovered, however,  that using a wrapper from my Kato clay underneath works great!  I've used this same small wrapper over a dozen times and my exacto knife doesn't cut the wrapper (Premo wrappers tear) when I trim the bezel or cabochon and I can slide it around while cutting very easily.

The CaBezels have their limitations as you can only create your pieces in the sizes and shapes provided but I heard they are working on more designs that will be available soon.  I thought they were a little pricey but since I took the plunge and bought the whole set, I found them to be well worth it.  They are a lot of fun to play with (almost addicting) and the end results are a real professional finish.

Note:  I have since tried using my hollow acrylic roller and discovered it works just fine after all and you do not need a solid roller with a flat end.

My New Cabezels

Our clay order arrived the other day along with some CaBezels.  These are a type of "mould" that helps you form a cabachon and a bezel that fit together.  I was dying to try them out right away and I must say I was delightfully surprised and quite impressed with how they work.  I had so much fun experimenting with them I got carried away and started creating all sorts of things.  These are just 2 pendants and some post earrings made from some left over canes.  I did some experimenting to figure out a system that I liked.

I prefer a hole going right through the piece rather than a channel attached to the back.  This way I can finish the backs off with a pretty texture.

I have more pieces made but they are still in the sanding and finishing off pile with more ideas I plan to work on.  I will keep you posted.