Metal Clay World Conference 2009

The 2009 Metal Clay World Conference is next week! I will not be able to attend but my sister, Jen Lowe, will be teaching classes and is taking some of the pieces I've done to display. There will also be lots of diachroic "teardrops" for sale but there are only 2 diachroic hearts, as seen on this blog in the piece "Bleeding-Hearts". Jen can take orders for more but there is no guarantee of the size or color. I will try to keep them similar in size and shape as the one you see at the convention and on this site. For those of you going to the conference, have a great time and maybe I'll see you next time.

Simple and Elegant "Class" project

How easy it is to make beautiful bracelets using metal clay. For this piece I used 35 grams of low fire/slow dry Art Clay and rolled it out 2 mm thick. I added the extra thickness for strength. Then I used one of Stamp of Excellence's stamps and pressed it into the clay for this design. I free formed this piece and let it dry then sanded and finished the piece as usual using Rio Grande's Black Max to patina. Now I have this simple yet elegant bracelet that I can wear to any outing, causal or formal. Judy, at Stamp of Excellance, has several great stamps that can be used for bracelets such as this. http://stampofexcellence.com/

"Happy" the dog, eyeglass pin

I love what you can do with Stamp of Excellence Stamps . To make this eyeglass pin, I rolled out 2 ovals shapes. On one use any stamp you think would be appropriate, stamp into the clay and cut the shape out. Roll out the second oval shape and lay your shape onto it. Attach it with silver paste. Then cut out an area to slip your glass frames through. Attach a brooch finding on the back, sand and fire. I used Max Black to outline the shape with a fine tip brush for more control instead of liver of sulfur. There are so many fun and quick pieces you can use to make intro and beginning classes fun.

Leaf Ear Rings

There are a variey of ways to use leftover beads and clay from previous projects. These simple ear rings were made by pressing left over clay into a leaf mold. Eye screws were attached to the back of the leaves. Once dry, sand and fill any areas needed and fire. Swarovski beads were used for sparkle with sterling silver ear wires.