Sunday, March 11, 2012

Playdoh Studio

  It's been a weird week in my studio.... errr.. I mean dining room. Like a kid with playdoh I have been playing with beads and wire with no real focus. I've made a really big mess which someone has to clean up:(

  Last week I made these sterling and fine silver earrings with sapphire:

  I started making a red agate necklace that turned into a turquoise necklace. How does it happen that there is no agate in it when I am done?
  I call it the Rock Stack necklace: a trail marker for those who've lost their way.
Steel, silverfill, dyed howlite I think, and peruvian opal stack.

  I reworked a bad old design into some earrings:

  It used to look like this atrocious thing:


  I reworked an old silver wire pendant and placed a vintage glass bead into it. I'm working on a steel and pearl necklace that doesn't know what it wants to be. I made various steel frames for more floral work.

  I began another floral vintage frame. See how tiny it is!



  Last week I had made a wire bead that I don't like. I am interested in making wire beads, especially if I can make them the same shape as whatever bead is used in the necklace. Still working on this concept. The wire bead looks better in photo than in real life. It's getting scrapped.

  I made forms with steel. Then I started to get excited. Mmmm I love forms:))

So then I got more serious about it, and made a very Kathy Frey looking pod. It's not neat enough for me, I need to work on this. Does anyone have her book Elegant Wire Jewelry? Does she teach how to make pods?

  I purchased a Bell Armoire Jewelry magazine this week and also pulled out a bunch of vintage jewelry components, but I wasn't very strong in that area. Here is my messy work desk:


The toothbrush is used for cleaning jewelry and also it's a useful way to apply renaissance wax to woven steel with alot of holes in it.

  Definitely some little kid has been running loose in the studio..err I mean the dining room:) I hope she's a mastermind! I love the pod she made:)

8 comments:

  1. Wow Mary! I feel so excited reading this post. It looks like a creative explosion happened in your studio/dining room. Your play has led to some outstanding results. The sapphire earrings are gorgeous. These beauties could be for dressy or casual wear.

    The turquoise necklace is outstanding without a single agate! The name is perfect. The turquoise stones are lush with their green hues.

    Spirals always speak to me and these look great as earrings. I see where you are going with the wire bead posed with the yummy agate. It looks like it works...what about it doesn't?

    I have written a book before getting to your pods! I don't have her book so not sure if she teaches them. You look very close with your form. Who ever is running through your space is a creative mastermind and I love her explosions!!

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  2. Christine, thank you for your book:) I'm glad you liked the post it was meant to be fun and/or funny:)
    The wire bead spiral part doesn't flow very well. Not sure why that doesn't show up on camera. Maybe I hit a good angle. Also it is too short and stubby to match my agate bead. I'm still hoping to do better than this.
    I love that you call it an explosion. I hadn't thought of that:)

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  3. Love the chaos! That's what my area looks like most of the time. The worst part is having to take care of loose beads. I don't do it, I stash them in little zip locks and call it done. LOL! Lazy.

    Love all your creations and experiments. I did one today that I had to scrap, but I'm not giving up on it- like your beads. Persistence pays off. :)

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  4. Hi Mary-
    I love these photos-thanks for sharing. Love the simple "play" of it all-the look into the mind of a "wired" woman! I do have Kathy Frey's book- she does teach a few pods-they are pretty simple-but just to give an idea of how to get it started. She does show an inverted pyramid one. However, the gallery photos are interesting and show what you can really do with different shapes in the pod forms. You pretty much look like you have it figured out though-so keep exploring!
    Kim (Texas

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  5. Goodness me, I'm exhausted, you've been so busy, Lovely creations

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  6. Thanks for looking in the book Kim and for telling us what is in it. It's really great that she shares that info!

    Lynsey - :)

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  7. Loved all the pieces! I love that kind of hoop earrings...the ones with the spiral wire wound around. I love bracelets of that kind too! And the spiral earrings that you made from the the necklace looks awesome. The pearl and steel necklace is amazing...it has a very beautiful wholesome feeling to it. And I liked the long bead you made with woven wire...why didn't you like it?

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  8. You did all that in one week? That sounds productive! I was lucky to get two pendants and a hair piece done. lol

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