10/14/11

WIP and yet another giveaway.

Through the Dawn Colossal. Antique Medal Rustic Bone Game Piece Assemblage Ring.OK- Gardanne wins the little ring and the slide collage! Next up to giveaway:
Through the Dawn Colossal. Antique Medal Rustic Bone Game Piece Assemblage Ring.Through the Dawn Colossal. Antique Medal Rustic Bone Game Piece Assemblage Ring.It's a little ring from bits I found in Uruguay. The base is square. To that is affixed a bone game piece, and to that is affixed the top off a little pin from the Uruguayan taxi driver's association or some such. I believe it will fit a size 6-7 finger.
To enter, you must do the Hokey Pokey and turn yourself around. Then leave a comment.

ANYWAYS...
While I was soldering the POESIE necklace and the 2 other soldered pieces I listed at the same time, I actually also did 3 more soldered focals out of that bunch of lenses:


These 2 from the antique trading cards depicting queens, and this one with some African men and some Victorian scrap roses. Which I thought were a good combo, in keeping with my balance of feminine/masculine I'm always going for. (As you can see, I'm planning the queens to have these rustic dangles of clay shards found on a beach, adding a rustic edge. I also think I'll add a lot of black cording...)  Oh! Also, the African fellows are from the same book where I found my avatar image (depicting an 1800s Chinese peasant who you all think I am apparently) and my banner. I found it deep in an unopened-for-decades cupboard of my grandmother's in Uruguay.
So, my plan was to finish these up next. Instead I did no such thing, of course. I have creative ADD and just get caught up with whatever bits are directly in front of me. So I'm almost finished w/these earrings:

Here thy're just laid out but I did all the wire work and all thats left is some heavy oxidizing. As you can see, I seem to be trying to use all the glorious gems Bloodmilk sent here. It really is different to use high-grade gems. I mean, the flash in the labradorite is out of control. They look like they're made out of magic. 

The pyramids here I got in Uruguay on separate occasions. The findings above are actually from a heart locket. I removed the bit inside that frames and keeps the pictures in, reshaped a bit, and there you go. I actually put tons of oxidizer on it and the fact that its still yellow means it's gold! The boxy charms are from the big lot Sparrow sent.


Here's what I did with the heart locket. Well, I'm planning to sorta hammer and shape them around the swords to look like... well, swords going through hearts, somewhat a la sacred hearts. The swords are appetizer picks given to my mom as wedding gifts. She doesn't even remember them.

I realized I had all these crazy metallic geometric pieces, so I'm planning something with them, also including some square rhinestones on some mirror buttons.
 I did manage to work on one project that I intended to. This is a bracelet stack requested by one of my oldest regulars, ShesSoWeird. I don't mean oldest oldest. You know what I mean.
But also, somehow this got made. You can't tell from the picture, but it's ... actually somewhat attractive. That's what you can't tell from this awful picture.

Same goes for this one.

I even started laying out a third one.

And finally this mess. It's to show you that for every good idea, I have several crap ones. I wanted to paint some elements, specifically I wanted something mint colored to go with the soldered pendants I showed up top. So, I thought I'd go and use nailpolish as paint for an enameled effect. Turns out, nailpolish is rather unwieldy. It is also the most toxic substance I've ever inhaled. 10x worse than anything I've been exposed to while soldering or oxidizing. Especially if you're trying to get up close for detail work. And it got all over my hands. And the effect isn't that amazing- might as well use regular paint.
STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM  Flavored Faux Sweets and Desserts Realistic Decoration Syrup SauceBut another thing I tried might still be a good idea. That tube of pink is actually from Japan. It's made to look like a strawberry glaze on miniature desserts they make.
Dollhouse Miniature Food - Pink Rainbow CakeOK, I'll admit it. I have a minor obsession with the miniature food. Something about miniatures just captivates me. A tiny world you can hold in your hand. Something close and safe. A certain tenderness it elicits. 
(from)
Richelle... you're shipwreckdandy, right? Well, your story made me laugh. Sounds like countless conversations between my hubs and my mom. What's up with the arthritic knuckles? Aren't you a young damsel as depicted in your avatar? Yes, I have a tendency to think people's avatars are what they look like, too.
OK, next time I'll have some of this stuff finished. Oh- but my Father-in-law is here for hubs' birthday, so Ima be busy for the next 2 days. Please don't put this unspoken, psychic pressure on me to get a bunch of new things done and listed like y'all always do! I need to say that to my own subconscious, hu?

16 comments:

Penelope said...

Man those gold drop earrings are the secks. Everything is though. I'm jealous that you can work on the floor, I barely have enough space to walk in my studio let alone spread out. Too much furniture is my problem.
That stack bracelet for Weird is amazing! I still have a huge aversion to the Victorian bleak thing right now, but that stack makes my heart beat faster.

Gardanne said...

Thank you Fanci. Very pretty earrings, I like to see your creative process in action.

betweenreader said...

Okay! I did the hokey pokey and I turned myself around and guess what? That's what it's all about!
Really.

Chelsea said...

I've always loved miniature food, but I'm also partial to fake food in general, or as I used to call it as a leetle girl, "play food."

Sometimes I liked to play with real food, but that ended up backfiring on me when a nauseating stench began emanating from underneath my bed, and we finally dug up a ziplock bag full of an astonishing amount and vibrancy of green mold that was nearly finished consuming whatever had been tucked away in the bag to begin with.

You're much, much safer sticking with food made from polymer clay.

richelle said...

Of course I'm a damsel. That 'arthritic knuckles' thing was just the 'in distress' part. Couldn't think of anything else.

richelle said...

Also--my experience with using nail polish as paint is that it doesn't hold up well long term. I have some polymer clay beads I made a couple years ago that have become all gummy, and they smell horrendous--reminds me of anatomy lab smell. I've seen it recommended in jewelry books as paint and embellishment for small pieces, but I wonder if anyone has really seen how it turns out long term. Have you ever used those enamel paints? I've been using them on glass and metal and it turns out great. You bake it on in the oven, so it'd permanent and it's possible to come close to a real rustic enamel look with some experimenting. It's under $2 a bottle, found in the same racks as the acrylic craft paints.

Gayle said...

OK, hokied and pokied, and all that,
comment.........I love where you are right now with your art.....
fearless and unafraid.

Anonymous said...

My sympathies with Richelle, I've had an outbreak of psoriasis on my hands making work too painful, so I can only torture myself with envy look at your amazing creations. My tip save your old eyeliner brushes they're great for painting small details and of course I look like my avator, I always go out wearing a helmet.

Kathy Barrick said...

You have the miniature disease! Me too!! (I also think of it as the "old lady disease" but that's kind of hard to swallow.)

Anonymous said...

I'm not quite sure what hokey pokey is. Looked it up on Wikipedia, but that didn't make me so much wiser. In spite of that, is it possible for me to take part in your giveaway? I really hope so. (But I have turned around!)
The ring looks so nice! As most of your jewellery does.
Stina

shessoweird said...

old Weird is in love with her bracelets! more please...

E Makes Art said...

Wowza! I am loving that bracelet stack!!! Your weird old client is so lucky! It's fantastic!! Will you be making more?? hint hint? I'm not sending unspoken, psychic pressure... just regular spoken pressure on you ;-)
I'm also admiring that that necklace below the bracelets. It's puuurrrdy.

xoEsther

Sidereal Day said...

My husband decided to share his cold with me so I'm not doing any hokey pokey, but my son has tons of energy so I made him do it.
Gorgeous pieces, I looooove that bracelet.

Bone said...

Wow, all these pieces are amazing! So, is the giveaway international? Because I'm from Greece. So I'm curious. That's all.
P.S. Did the whole ritual thingy. Do I gain extra entries? (I'm only kidding).

Jackie said...

I did the Hokey Pokeyness and turned around...

Old Weird is soooooo lucky, I'm loving her amazing bracelet stack! I do hope you'll be making more!

You were really on a roll, so many awesomes, such talent!

...Jackie xo

Susan said...

Lil' things rule - & that hokey pokey ain't bad either...now, how much wood would a woodchuck...ahh, nevermind.