Beautiful Butterfly

Ok, so I told you that I wanted to finish my butterfly piece. I did and completed earrings and a bracelet to go with it. They really turned out great. I actually wore the necklace to work to see if the piece would sit nicely around the neck as I had planned for. And, guess what, it is a dream to wear. It is surprisingly very light and comfortable for a rather chunky piece. But, chunky is in in the fashion accessory world so this beautiful butterfly should be just the piece to finish off someone's outfit. The gray color of the piece makes it very sophisticated. Oooh big word for a big piece.

Here is what I did... I first drew out the butterfly pattern that I wanted on paper, then I cut and hand sculpted each little wire of the butterfly and inlaid them into the clay. The clay was then processed, sanded and a coat of resin was applied. Each gray bead was also formed by hand from clay, processed, tumbled and then buffed. I then hand wrapped each bead with brass and completed the necklace with hand sculpted brass hook and rings. I didn't want to take away from the butterfly pendant so I kept the rest of the necklace simple in the same colors.

Butterflies are so beautiful! I still have to post this set for sale at a later date on www.bodyice.net/jewelry

Lampworked Glass Flower Pendants

From thought, to paper, to create into wearable art. I had these pretty lampworked glass flowers and needed to create something with them that was desirable but not too flashy. So, I played around with the glass beads and then sketched out an idea. I came up with these pretty pendants, entirely a Body Ice design. Let me know what you think.

When Wire Meets Clay

I was in a creative mood this weekend. I created three new pendants. Each have been made with a polymer clay stamping technique, brushed with metallic powder, baked and then glazed. I pushed an 18 gauge wire through each prior to baking, making each into a bead. Then, I used the herringbone weave technique to wrap each in wire.

Wire Wrapped Dragonfly Pendant

Here is one of my favorite pendants. I have created it with many feet of .925 sterling silver wire. A pretty pink beach glass is the center of the piece. Tiny Hills Tribe silver beads create a gardenlike effect and to finish off the piece I added a sterling silver dragonfly. Take a peek in the Body Ice Jewelry shop at Etsy for more like it. www.bodyice.etsy.com

Marilyn Monroe

I love the way this polymer clay pendant of Marilyn Monroe came out. Very retro.

More Valentines

Here are two adorable children's valentine pendants that I have just created with pearl polymer clay. Again, having so much fun making these!

I am still experimenting with the very best way to make these. I find that no matter how careful I am, they come out of the oven with the smallest bubbles in the finish. If you look very closely, they are there.. I'm a perfectionist and this bugs me. They are still very cute and someone will appreciate them just the same.

Vintage Valentines

Since I have perfected my polymer clay pendants, I have been having so much fun making them. These are just a few of my Valentines Day pendants. I have used vintage valentine photos and created these really cute pendants. Since polymer clay is not heavy, these pendants are comfortable to wear. Perfect for children as well.

Natures Art Pendants

As part of my new year resolution, I promise to post to my blog at least once a week. :)

In my other hobby, I am a car nut and run

several local car cruises. I have a website at http://www.lightningrodpromotions.com/. This is what caused me to pursue jewelry making. I was seeking a method where I could place classic car photos onto polymer clay. This was about a year ago and my first attempts didn't go very far. One thing leading to another, I pursued other jewelry media as I am also a life long artist and crafter. The Lightning Rod ProMotions' logo is my work. I really love working with wire and have mastered advanced wire wrapping techniques. But, now, I have been playing with various techniques of photo transfers onto clay and am only now getting the results I have been looking for. After trying different combinations of products, my photo pendants are finally looking good enough to sell. Additionally, I have had the good fortune to befriend a wonderful amateur photographer whose photographs are amazing. He has allowed me to use any of his photos for my pendants. He also sells his prints at Etsy at http://www.romeojo0213.etsy.com/ these are just a few of his wonderful photos.