New Work: Fine Silver Clay

Bronze clay has encouraged me to try fine silver clay (pmc) again. I tried it awhile ago but as I've mentioned, I always felt Cindy + clay = lousy beads. My foray a couple of years ago into pmc was proof to me.

Yet, I've seen several pieces I'd like to duplicate and put into jewelry but the shrinkage with bronze metal clay is around 30%. That means, if I have a small piece I'd like to duplicate, it's going to shrink 30% making it difficult to finish.

Silver clay (pmc 3) shrinks much less, something like 10%. So I can duplicate smallish (1/2 inch or 12mm) and be able to finish it. Here's my latest piece:



On a photography note, see how much different it looks here on the roses and black background? I like how it looks here but the top one gives a truer picture of what the piece looks like. The one below, I think, sells the piece.



Right now, I'm not selling the Victorian Belt Buckle as a component so no link to my site today. I've created it specifically for jewelry. In my next post, I'll show you the finished piece.

So, tell me, readers, which picture do you like best and why?

Sunday's Photo

Silly Saturday and Sensational Links

see more Lolcats and funny pictures


A Bead A Day
If you are "mousing" all day and still want to wear a bracelet, memory wire rubber tubing is a simple and comfortable option.

About.com Jewelrymaking
Tammy is already thinking about and making Halloween jewelry so she can wear it next month. What about you?

Art Bead Scene
Keep misplacing your ruler? Get one for free!


Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
29 Days of Giving starts with a Japanese book giveaway.

Beading Arts
So, what to do with all those left over seed beads...?

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi discovers Free Trade Kazuri beads from Kenya.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Cindy imagines a movie and writes a script.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie congratulates Jean Cambell and shares the beautiful piece she made for Beadwork Magazine using an Earthenwood face stone

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Check out the beads and goodies Lorelei bought on her recent trip to London, England

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews Big and Bold, a really pretty book of jewelry designs culled from BeadStyle Magazine

Strands of BeadsMelissa shows off her new "Twilight" choker made with Swarovski crystal from Artbeads.com

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
The pace is picking up for Andrew and his BIG SALE. Check out where he'll be next and celebrate his birthday with a special 15% off promotional code!

Nevermore

Now that I have Twilight on the brain, I've created another necklace along the theme of dark romance, this one is in part inspired by The Raven's famous words on lost love.





The 1.5 inch square fused glass pendant is hand stamped with enamels and then a black glass heart is fused over it. I routered the edge so I could wire wrap the bail. It's suspended from a gunmetal chain I bought at the Rings n Things Bead Tour.

Nevermore is in my Art Fire shop.

Back from the Concert.....

Last week was a whirlwind of concerts. Sleepyhead had two performances on Wednesday and Thursday. Then it was off to Kitchener, Ontario to see Keane and Lights. So, I'm resting up today and listening to some great music!

Sunday's Photo

Friday Funnies and Fabulous Links

Before I post the Fabulous Links, I wanted to thank yesterday's comment-ers (ors?) for the compliments, name ideas and even the another suggestion for a movie script! I don't know how to describe my design process. I won't describe it here, I'll wait for Studio Saturday. In the meantime, I've got a Friday funny for you....


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

So don't forget I'm at Studio Saturday tomorrow - make sure you stop by and weigh in on my design process! Take a look around the bloggerhood and check out what everyone else is up to!


A Bead A Day
Bead-wiring vs. bead-weaving...which do you prefer?

About.com Jewelrymaking
Loving some filigree, check out these new filigree jewelry projects.

Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene shows off her top art bead picks for this month's Kandinsky Challenge.


Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Barbe goes crazy over Mixed Metals book

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmis creates a necklace using canvas and leather.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Cindy makes more Through the Looking Glass Nuggets Charms that match perfectly with Frost Links.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie shares her uncertainty about a new dragonfly pendant design.

Jewelry & Beading
Cyndi has finished another CopprClay necklace and wants to share the instructions!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Bead cones can be used in more way than one and Lorelei shows an example!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean comes across her "Digg it" necklace--far out! She's like an archaeologist!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Art Bead Scene's September prompt is Kandinsky's Improvisation No. 23. Andrew shares the piece he created in response to the painting. Check it out!

A Movie Script and a Necklace....

Everywhere you go lately, you see the Twilight Series. I've written before about the contrasting color palette of red, white and black. But the Twilight series is more than red, white and black - it's imbued with a dark Victorian Gothic novel feel.

A few months back, I got 12 inches of the gunmetal hammered oval chain from Rings N Things as part of the Blog Partners program. I loved the look of the gunmetal yet wasn't quite sure how to put it all together. I had ribbons from months before that in red and black I adored and hadn't known exactly what I would do with them either.

In honor of my July anniversary, I made a heart and etched it. Delicate and soft, I finally realized what I wanted to do with the gunmetal hammered links.

I combined the dark color of the chain with a black/red satin ribbon, and three blood red Czech glass hearts. All are contrasted with the soft white frosted heart. It definitely has a darkly romantic dangerous feel to it.

It puts me in a Romance Writer mood. I've got a whole little movie for this necklace going on in my head. Here's the script so far:

(FADE IN)

"This is for you."

His breath was warm and moist on my neck as he moved close. Was this the time when he finally lost control? My eyes were closed, I was almost wishing for it to happen. I wasn't afraid anymore.

He tied the ribbon of the necklace and moved away.

"It's perfect."

I looked down at the necklace and then I don't remember what happened next.

(FADE OUT)


Vampire - like Edward Cullen? Or restrained gentleman - like Mr. Darcy? Or murderer? We're not quite sure from reading this little snippet. There's definitely a vibe and it inspired the necklace.

But what to call it?




Has my script and pictures inspired you to think of a name? What comes to mind for you?


(Photo Credit for the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer courtesy of Amazon.com)

Full of Words....

Sometimes you're so full of words, they just spill out onto anything and everything. I had words spill out onto these washers the other day....

...if you've got too much to think about, words will fall out of your head and onto your worktable!

Ok ok, so the words didn't *really* fall out of my head and onto my worktable but it was a cute story don't you think?

Not only do I use my stamps for personalizing my shipping envelopes, I also use them to personalize my beads and findings.

I've used a permanent ink in a rich brown. I line up the washers in rows and stamp the words across several washers. Each washer has a partial word - put a few together to find out what word is stamped on them.

Try making your own or you can pick up a few from my store.

Have you been full of words lately?

Silly Saturday and Sensational Links!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Cougars
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

A Bead A Day
Design ideas wanted!! If you have an extra minute, please stop by to see if you can help Lisa out with a suggestion for her co-worker's designer Italian pendant.

About.com Jewelrymaking
Copper is hot right now! Find out about a new book review just posted concerning copper.

Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene's September Challenge is Kandinsky's Improvisation No. 23.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi uses chessboard crystals to create a floor for her ballerina necklace.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Cindy's obsession with bronze metal clay continues. She shows off her new Art Nouveau floral charms.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie shares a sparkly crystal and brass pendant that she unearthed while cleaning her studio

Jean Campbell
Jean reviews the new Crystallized Swarovski Elements #5328 bicone.

Jewelry & Beading
Cyndi has finished another CopprClay necklace and wants to share the instructions!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Lorelei is having fun using lots of Lynn Davis components in her designs this week!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean comes across her "Digg it" necklace--far out! She's like an archaeologist!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Matcha green tea from Matcha Source defeats the doldrums and inspires Andrew to create a new bracelet!

Perfectly Coordinated

Added more petite (14mm) Through the Looking Glass Nugget Charms this time in a Frost Blue Grey that coordinates perfectly with the Frost Links in Blue Grey.

Pretty, aren't they? I love the Bronze colored wire with the blue grey.

I looked for coordinating colored 14mm nuggets to complement the Amber Rose Frost Links and found these lovely, slightly iridescent, Amber Pink Gold glass nuggets.


The bronze pieces I showed last week are in the tumbler. I've made some precious metal clay pieces in fine silver that are destined for necklaces only. They'll be up on ArtFire this weekend.

So, now that the kids are back to school, do you find yourself ramping up your craftiness and creativity?

Moving Day....

Today is moving day! I'm moving all of my finished jewelry from my website over to ArtFire.com. So you'll notice the new storefront on the side of the blog.

Visit CindyGimbrone's ArtFire Shop

Why ArtFire and not the popular Etsy? I was on Etsy for awhile and they've gone the way of ebay - more fees, more self promotion to the detriment of the sellers and less about what they were in the first place, handmade.

So, give Art Fire a look-see. It's a great place to be!

Sunday Photo

Silly Saturday and Sensation Links!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Florida Pythons on the Loose
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

Art Beads is having a Labor Day Weekend Sale! It's a 20% Off coupon that’s good on everything! This is the largest discount ever on Artbeads.com! There is a $60 minimum with the coupon and you have to sign up for their email newsletter to get the coupon code. Check it out!

About.com Jewelry Making
What's in a name, the name of your jewelry pieces that is? Here are a few tips to consider when naming jewelry you sell through the web.

Art Bead Scene
Wondering how big 20mm really is? Here's a handy size chart to keep by your computer. It'll help you out!

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Tool talk-this time its hole punching pliers & wire cutters

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi shows off her unexpected bead finds from a store in Little Portugal.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Cindy brings some color to her new bronze floral medallions.

Jean Campbell
Jean's got a cool job--check out what she's been working on!

Jewelry & Beading
Cyndi shares another CopprClay project, which includes making your own mold!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
While in Philadelphia for Bead Fest, Lorelei met up with Andrew Thornton and he gave her some presents!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews Contemporary Copper Jewelry by the wonderful Sharilyn Miller

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew and Diana Ptaszynski of Vintage Blue Studio have a throw down! See how Andrew uses Heather Powers of Humble Beads' Polymer Bird-Head Pendant!

Art Nouveau-Art Deco Style flower charms

These are fresh from the kiln. Lovely patina on them isn't it? A bit of charcoal stuck in the crevices here and there. I'll clean that out and throw them into the tumbler. The bronze clay shrinks by approximately 30% so the charms are much smaller than the mold I made and used. They're under .5 inches.

I've been thinking about where they will fit - Art Nouveau or Art Deco? While the flowers have the "whiplash" stem they're also stylized a bit. But I do think they're more Art Nouveau than Art Deco because they're not as modern in overall style.

What do you think? Which are they more like? Art Nouveau or Art Deco?

Talkback about yesterday and oh yeah, hoarding

So, I find out there are others with a short attention span like myself. YAY! By that I mean we just love buttons and beads and can't seem to pass up any that are particularly charming.

Buttons make lovely clasps like Erin mentioned. I try to pry them from my hands to put them into jewelry but that means I'll never, ever have them again! That, my friends, is called hoarding! I'm a bit like Golum in Lord of the Rings holding onto to those beautiful buttons! I need to do something or I'll become an episode of "Intervention."

I think mold making is the answer. Afterall, if I make a mold of a one of a kind button, then I can make as many as I want, right? I don't have only one and I don't have worry about changing my mind, right?

So maybe all button hoarders need to learn how to make molds - just so we can let go. What do you think? Have I found a short cut to a 12 step for button hoarding?