Embellishments and Buttons!

Wow! The time has really gotten away from me as I realize that I haven't blogged all month! Well..just to catch you up. New puppy! FunFunFun Soap Class and now a polymer clay class on embellishments and buttons. This is going to be a load of fun. I'm teaching at Sew Unique, here in Mountain Home. Oct. 29th from 6 to 8:30. The cost is 25.00 and you can get all the info and sign up at Sew Unique on 9th Street. we are going to be doing large embellishments for quilts and wall hangings with beaded dangles. These are made with rubber stamps so anything goes! We are also going to learn a cane technique for the buttons. Hope to see you there!

As far as other polymer clay or jewelry news, I don't really have any other than I have made a ton of new poly clay pendants and doo dads. And more gemstone bracelets and earrings. I need to make a trip to home depot for some copper wire. I love that chunky, organic look. Almost industrial! I make the pendants with both copper, sterling, and annealed wire. It's so neat that the same pendant mix can be either very refined and classic looking or fun and casual, just depending on how you finish it. I am teaching a pendant class at Ridgecrest in November, the date is still undecided but we will figure it out soon.

Fun Gemstone Bracelets!

I met the neatest lady at Farmer's Market in Mountain Home. She bought 5 gemstone bracelets from me today and that was awesome! Thanks Cindy! She said something to me that really confirmed what I have always thought. My gemstone bracelets are priced ridiculously cheap and for market, I only use base metal findings (mostly!) along with some of my own fabricated copper and gunmetal clasps. I save the more expensive sterling and gold pieces for custom orders or my etsy shop and I sell alot more bracelets that way. It's nice to have a variety in price to choose from. I've also been making Book-It's! book marks. They are not an original idea I'm sure but they are made from my handmade polymer beads so each one is truly one of a kind. My next great adventure is finding an anvil. I've been sorta looking but I'm going to get serious about it now. I want to learn to solder my jump rings and do some hammering. It's gonna be fun!

busy as a bee

Wow, have I ever made some jewelry! I'm getting ready for the hillbilly chili cookoff in Bull Shoals this coming weekend. This is a new show for me and I have no idea if there will be a big turnout or not but I want to have loads of stuff on hand, just in case! I've been making all kinds of wineglass charms, cell phone charms, earrings, and some super cute book marks. I'm marketing them under the name Book-its. Now if I could only find some time to take pics! I am using ( of course!) mostly polyclay, handmade beads and added sterling and pewter charm dangles.
I've also made tons of earrings and gemstone nugget bracelets. These are pretty popular. It seems like the gemstone nuggets never go "out of style", and they mix really well with the polyclay beads. They can be dressy or casual, which is good for me because I don't change my jewelry very often. And I never co-ordinate my jewelry to my clothes. Please! lol that would require way to much thinking. I just like what I like and that's what I wear!
I will be sharing a booth with my friend Cindy at the cookoff. She makes the most awesome herbal dip mixes, vinegars, and healthy herbal tinctures. So neat! I think our booth will look fantastic with the herbal soaps, handmade jewelry, soy candles....we should have a nice variety. I think it's going to be a really good day! Hope to see you there...

Free Beads! and other fun stuff

I'm so excited...and maybe a little obsessed! With polymer clay and beads that is. Gigi has made jewelry of all kinds for many fun years and you know what they say...everything old is new again. That is kind of how I'm feeling, like I'm returning to my old love. lots and lots of polyclay beads and gemstones but also a little wire fabricating. Very little and only in the learning stages but so much fun. Jewelry making is such a soul soothing thing for me. I can put some good tunes on the stereo and get completely lost in that small little world in front of me. I'm so excited that I want to share it with everyone so....the 10th person to comment on this blog will get a FREE OOAK POLYCLAY Focal Bead. This pendent is medium size, mokume gane in turquoise gold and white. It would look awesome on silk ribbon, it has a sterling free form wire bail.

It will soon be fall. Fall in the Ozarks is a beautiful experience with piles of fallen leaves, pumpkins everywhere, festvals and fairs... The fall colors up in the mountains are absolutely breathtaking, especially when viewed as a backdrop to our lakes and rivers. My absolute favorite time of year. I will be teaching a soap class and also a mokume gane and bead stringing class at the resort of a good friend on bull shoals lake. If interested, you can contact me at ninthstreetinc@yahoo.com . Please put soap or jewelry class in the subject ,

The soap class is october 18th and the bead and jewelry class is TBD sometime in November.

I will write more about it tomorrow. Sweet dreams of jewelry and things. love, Gigi