New Southwestern Sedona Navajo Horse Ornament for Christmas 2016

New ornament for 2016 from MelodyODesigns at Etsy

My new horse ornament for Christmas 2016 is a design based on traditional Navajo horse-painting. As with the other Southwestern Sedona ornaments in my collection these are handmade with artist quality polymer clay and contain a touch of "magical" real powdered Sedona Red Rock. Some of the designs are painted on with tinted Liquid Polymer Clay using a "spent" ballpoint pen that no longer contains ink. The mane and tails are accented with a dusting of Mona Lisa copper metal powder.

 

 

Santa's Arizona Workshop full of Southwestern Sedona Ornaments

Here in sweltering Cottonwood my studio is jam packed with ornaments and has a kind of Southwestern Sedona Christmas in August Santa's Workshop look to it that's colorful and FUN!

A lovely gift shop/gallery called Dragonfly Local Art in Old Town Cottonwood is now carrying my ornaments, both the Southwestern Sedona Ornaments (that have a touch of Sedona Red Rock Dirt) as well as the colorful Cat and Dog Collection. So, I've been very busy creating stock for the 3 shops that carry my ornaments, as well as for my own online shop. 

Earlier in the summer my husband and I began working together with Ann Metlay of Adrift Wood Assemblages to design and create a natural wood display "tree" for the ornaments. Built on a base of a gorgeous handmade walnut Lazy Susan made by Paul's Specialties, it revolves to make for a visually attractive 360 degree display area.

So, if you get to Old Town Cottonwood, Arizona stop by and say hi to Kathleen and Cynde when you're on your way to visit the locals wine tasting rooms or eat at one of the many excellent restaurants. If you can't make it to Cottonwood right now I invite you to visit my online shop MelodyODesigns

My Favorite Polymer Clay Tool: 1/4" acrylic rod for smoothing

This 1/4 (6.3mm) diameter acrylic roller is my favorite polymer clay tool. I use it all the time for adhering and smoothing applied cane slices and appliques, as well as for general all around smoothing of clay surfaces. I love it so much I dubbed it the "Magic Wand" for Carolyn Stearns when she used to sell them.

This cool little acrylic smoothing rod is so useful I feel quite sorry for any clayer who doesn't have one in their tool stash yet. After losing two of the PC suppliers who used to stock them, I asked Rob at Polymer Clay Express if he could offer them for sale. He agreed and is now stocking this Little Acrylic Rod Treasure. You can select the size from the drop down menu, as they also offer it in the 1/2" size.

After sharing the photos (above) of the "Magic Wand" being used to smooth a cherry and make the edges even on a Sedona Red Rock Disk Ornament I thought I'd also share photos of the finished products. Both the Faux Bakelite Reproduction Cherry Jewelry Collection and the Sedona Southwestern Red Rock Disk Ornament and Jewelry Collection are available at my MelodyODesigns shop at Etsy.

Faux Bakelite Reproduction Cherry Jewelry Collection

Sedona Southwestern Red Rock Ornament Collection

MelodyODesigns Faux Bakelite Cherry Necklace Customer Appreciation Day Part 5, Nozomy

Valued Customer Nozomy looking vintage glamorous in her Faux Bakelite Cherry Necklace from MelodyODesigns at Etsy

Anita (the "Melody" in MelodyODesigns): I'm so blessed that I have the most special of customers and they are what drives my passion for my business. I recently found a wonderful and unexpected gift waiting for me when I happened to visit the blog of a lovely customer named Nozomy who had purchased my Short Stem Bakelite Cherry Reproduction Necklace a week earlier. She had enthusiastically written about her experience, complete with awesome photos. It was such a kind and thoughtful surprise that really made my day and still causes me to smile when I think about it. To read her "Cherry Story" in its entirety and see her photos of the experience, please clink Nozomy's tumblr blog.  I really love it when I have the opportunity to interact with customers. It fuels my creative juices and the Internet has made it possible to have contact with customers from all over the world.

The following is Nozomy's story in her own words of how her love affair with Bakelite jewelry began.

Nozomy:
"Essentially I love sparkly things as the many other girls do, but my only problem is that I have metal allergy. So I can never wear fashion jewelries, and had been wearing only silver, gold and platinum jewelries for decades. I am Japanese and I become obsessed with kimono which is Japanese traditional clothing 5 years ago, and then I moved to the US, next thing I fell in love was vintage fashion especially 40's and 50's is so fascinating. I started buying vintage dresses, purses, shoes, hats... but sadly never the fashion jewelries."

"One day, I found plastic-look fashion jewelries in a show case, and learned the word "Bakelite". I thought it was way pricey for the plastic, but now I've learned the value. Also I found out that there is Bakelite reproduction, they are more affordable and in perfect condition. I did a lot of research, and finally I found my dream cherry necklace on Etsy and that was made by Anita! I am looking forward to this coming summer to wear the cherry necklace and my summer cotton dresses!!"

Anita: As I read Nozomys blog I realized that she is a talented artisan, creating LOVELY, unique, and special crocheted and knitted fashions and accessories from her own designs that bring to mind vintage times gone by. I asked her about her pieces.

Nozomy:
"My grandma taught me how to crochet when I was 7 or 8 years old. Since then I have been keeping the hobby: I think I really like to knit and crochet! I came up with an idea to make crocheting accessories about 5 yeas ago, but I wasn't really serious and I made a couple of little flower earrings and I was done. I reconsidered to make them again 1 year ago, and then this time it came to real."

"I made earrings, hair combs of white flowers, strawberries and hollies for Christmas. All hand crocheted and starched. I made the pattern by myself. Everything is original and I don't think there'd be anything similar around the world."

"Also, these days I have been trying out vintage patterns, I especially love lace gloves because they are so pretty!!"

Nozomy: "I hope to own my shop selecting my original accessories and vintage pattern gloves/purses/hats in the future."

Anita: When Nozomy is ready to launch her shop, the info will be posted on her tumblr blog and I will also edit in the URL link here as well. I hope it happens soon, because I think her lovely, unique and special original design creations will attract many happy customers to her shop.

The seven pieces of my Faux Bakelite Red Cherry Jewelry Reproductions Collection are available at MelodyODesigns at Etsy

If you haven't already seen them you might also enjoy reading:

MelodyODesigns' Faux Bakelite  Cherry Jewelry Customer Appreciation Day Part 1

MelodyODesigns' Faux Bakelite Cherry Jewelry Customer Appreciation Day Part 2 

 MelodyODesigns' Faux Bakelite Cherry Jewelry Customer Apreciation Day Part 3

MelodyODesigns' Faux Bakelite Cherry Jewelry Customer Appreciation Day Part 4

MelodyODesigns' Faux Bakelite Cherry Jewelry Customer Appreciation Day Part 4 and the new Short Stemmed Cherry Necklace that Ann-Marie helped design

Chic Anne-Marie from Australia looking stylish and lovely wearing her new SHORT STEM version of the Faux Bakelite Cherry Necklace Reproduction from MelodyODesigns at Etsy that we designed together especially for her.

Many years ago I saw a segment of "Antiques Roadshow" on PBS television that featured a iconic vintage Bakelite Red Cherry Necklace from the 1940's. It was love at first sight, but the price of the necklace in good condition at the time was around $1,000, well outside my modest budget. Because I was already making jewelry from polymer clay I decided to see if I could make a reproduction. It was so successful that once people saw it and found out I had made it they wanted one of their own.

My seven piece Faux Bakelite Cherry Jewelry Collection grew from there. Each new piece in the collection was inspired by a customer who had seen a vintage piece of Cherry Bakelite jewelry and asked me to make a custom reproduction for them, because they either couldn't afford the vintage piece or couldn't find a piece in good enough condition to purchase (the stems are typically disintegrating).

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Anne-Marie from Australia who had previously purchased my Bold Faux Bakelite Cherry Earrings. She sent me a photo of a vintage Bakelite Cherry Necklace with very short stems and asked if I could reproduce it so she could wear it with her earrings. After corresponding back and forth the design came together and now a new short stem version has been added to the collection.

The short stem version of the necklace is also available with a green or black chain.

All seven pieces of the Faux Bakelite Cherry Reproduction Jewelry, including a longer stemmed version of the necklace (in various colors of chain), cherry bar brooch, bracelet,  and a dainty pair of earrings are available at  MelodyODesigns at Etsy

If you haven't already seen them you might also enjoy reading:
MelodyODesigns' Faux Bakelite Customer Appreciation Day Part 1

MelodyODesigns' Faux Bakelite Cherry Jewelry Customer Appreciation Day Part 2 

 MelodyODesigns' Faux Bakelite Cherry Jewelry Customer Apreciation Day Part 3

Making the Temperature of your polymer clay studio work FOR you and my newly redesigned Sedona Arizona appliqued Red Rock Disc Earrings

I live in the high desert of Arizona where summers are bikini hot and winters can be down jacket cold. There are also wide daily swings of temperature that can sometimes vary by as much as 30-40 degrees. Over the years I have observed that the temperature of my polymer clay studio directly affects the ease and outcome of various techniques I utilize in making my jewelry and ornaments. Some work best in the brutal cold of the early hours of a winter morning before the house heats up and some work best in the sweltering heat of a mid-afternoon July. Once I became aware of this I realized that I could make the temperature WORK for me and I started to plan my work around the expected temperature, both the swings that occur during the day and those that occur seasonally. 

For instance, I find that polymer clay is much easier to condition and blend when it's very warm, so I make and stockpile my custom blended colors in the summer, saving them in fat plugs very well wrapped in Saran Wrap© Brand plastic wrap and stored inside sealed Tupperware containers. BTW, to answer a question a blog reader here asked, after trying other brands of cling wrap I agree with what I've read over the years, all brands of cling wrap/plastic wrap are not created equal and I don't mind paying a bit more for SaranWrap©. I have some canes of both Kato and Premo that I've saved for numerous years this way that still slice up well. However, there are several variants like the vintage of the particular clay formula, the tightness of the wrap and sealing effectiveness of the storage containers that might affect the results.

In our hot summer months when it's warmer the tendency of the clay towards mushiness makes it a great deal easier on my hands to form the round balls that become the cherries in my Faux Bakelite Cherry Collection jewelry pieces.

My Six Piece Faux Bakelite Cherry Collection available for sale at MelodyODesigns at Etsy

I find that when I'm making the mold pulls that I use to applique some of my Red Rock Sedona jewelry and ornaments the pieces can be difficult to make in a hot studio because the mold pulls tend to stick in the molds more easily and tend to distort more when removed, so I try to make these pieces when it's cooler.

My Eleven Piece Sedona Red Rock Jewelry and Ornament Collection is available for sale at MelodyODesigns at Etsy

I've observed that it's easier for me to construct and slice canes when the temperature is cool and dry and try to plan my production schedule accordingly. But, if I have to slice canes when it's warm I chill them in the refrigerator first and then slice them on a self healing mat placed placed over a Blue Ice pack.

I texture the terracotta colored bases of my faux Sedona red rock pieces with coarse sandpaper. They are the perfect choice of a project for the hot summer days because textured pieces are so forgiving of mushiness and fingerprints.

MelodyODesigns' Faux Bakelite Cherry Jewelry Customer Appreciation Day Part 3, Rosie Dennington of Rosie Red Corsetry and Couture

Rosie Dennington, owner of RosieRedCorsetry and Couture (in center), shown wearing her cherry necklace from the vintage Bakelite inspired Red Cherry Jewelry Reproduction Collection at MelodyODesigns at Etsy She is flanked by Natalie (on the left) and Ally (on the right).

I first had the opportunity to "meet" fashion designer Rosie Dennington of Rosie Red Corsetry and Couture when she contacted me online about the possibility of customizing one of my faux Bakelite Cherry Necklaces for her to wear to her graduation with her cap and gown. She was graduating from Birmingham Institute of Art and Design with a First Class Honours Degree in Fashion Design with a Pathway to Design for Performance (i.e. Costume Design) and was awarded the title "Young Designer to Watch" in London last year. I felt honored that someone with such a wonderful background in fashion design would choose my necklace!

In the course of our emails back and forth I discovered links to some of her Romantic dress designs and was very impressed. This is clearly a talented woman who knows what she wants. In the past few months since her graduation I have been following her professional career and watched in awe as it exploded. Her gorgeous Romantic Birdcage corset dress was chosen by A-list actress Helena Bonham Carter for her photo shoot with renowned photographer Mario Testino and it appears in full page format in "Vanity Fair Magazine's September 2014 "Style" issue. 

The story of how Helena Bonham Carter came to choose Rosie's dress is a case of serious talent, excellent training and years of hard work meeting with the pure serendipity of opportunity.......with a little nudge from a proud dad. Read the fascinating story in the Birmingham Mail
 
BBC Radio Oxford interview  with Rosie

Her new RosieRedCorsetry website and her Facebook Page MissRosieRedCorsetryandCouture

I predict a BAFTA for costume design someday (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) for this new young designer. 

If you haven't already read them, you might also enjoy reading:
Cherry Jewelry Customer Appreciation Day Part 1

Cherry Jewelry Customer Appreciation Day Part 2

Cherry Jewelry Customer Appreciation Day Part 4

Customer Appreciation Cubs baseball fan