The joy of seeing one's own handmade ornaments for sale in a retail shop

My Sedona/Southwestern ornaments (made from polymer clay with a touch of "magical" Sedona red rock dirt) have been selling at two local Christmas shops for almost a year, but I'd never actually SEEN them displayed in a shop. Last Saturday we visited them for the first time. What an incredible high to see the decorations hanging amidst the many gorgeous holiday displays. Seeing them displayed there was like the fulfillment of a Christmas dream, right up there with sugarplums and fairies. If anyone is headed to Sedona, Arizona, check out "Feliz Navidad Sedona" located in the Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village and their sister shop, "Merry Christmas Sedona" located in uptown.

................and if you're NOT headed to Arizona but want to add some Sedona or Southwestern ornaments to your holiday decoration collection, you can always purchase them at my online shop! MelodyODesigns at Etsy.

Thanks go to my talented husband husband, Sy, who not only took the photos, but patiently stood by and waited while I shmoozed with the buyer.

Christmas Cat Jewelry and Ornaments from Polymer Clay and Studio Photos

Here in Arizona the temperature was over 100 F. until just a few days ago, but holiday merchandizing and gift buying have already started. So lately, being a cat lover,  I've been spending many hours in my own version of Santa's Workshop surrounded by hues of bright red and green as I designed the prototype pendants, brooches and tree ornaments for the our holiday Cat Collection. I thought it would be fun to show photos of my workshop as I unveil the photos of Mr. Christmas Cat, himself.

First I conditioned a whole lot of artist-quality polymer clay with a dead blow hammer and kept two pasta machines busy as I made a large selection of canes using different colors, and color combinations. Then the canes were then reduced to of variety of different diameters and shapes. Caning is a labor-intensive construction technique borrowed from glass making similar to making jellyrolls, where colored rods of clay are laid horizontally forming a complex pattern from which a thin slice is cut allowing the pattern to be seen.

The next step was slicing up a whole passel of thin cane slices cut with a tissue blade.

(My favorite tissue blades are those sold by Carolyn Stearns  at Carolyn's Clay Creations)

 

Then the body and head pieces were cut out of sheets of various clay thicknesses using an oak tag template and a craft knife. The body is 2 dimensional, but the head which is eventually attached to the body is gently coaxed into 3 dimensional features by the addition of tiny logs and balls of clay on the back side of the head. Then the contours of the face are gently sculpted with rubber shaping tools and fingers encased in rubber gloves.

I also use one of my favorite tools made from ball bearings glued to a piece of bamboo to help with the sculpting process. I use the 1/4" end to help with the eye sockets.

And now for the moment you've all been waiting for.........Drum roll please............ta da........here's Mr Christmas Cat. The version below is that of a pendant style necklace that easily converts to a brooch by removing the satin cord. He and his friends come with either a red or green body in various jewelry and Hanging Ornaments in several styles and  colors are now available for "adoption" and gift giving at MelodyODesigns at Etsy 

To read more about the making of the ornaments please click Ornament Blog Post

Mr. Green Christmas Cat

Worn as Brooch

Clever jewelry  finding that converts from pendant to brooch

Jeweled Mosaic Hamsa Polymer clay + beading from Polymer Clay

A Housewarming Hamsa made for my friend utilizing antique nails found in the ashes of her burned out  house.

I created this jeweled and beaded mosaic hamsa as a housewarming present for a dear friend whose home burned down 20 months ago. I wanted to replace her hamsa/"Hand of Fatima" that was lost in the fire. She was finally able to rebuild and her new home is almost ready. I incorporated three antique hand-forged nails that were found in the ashes of the burned out home site into the design. Her new house is as unique and special as my friend. She designed it so there are almost no 90% angles. Each room is painted a different saturated vibrant color making for a virtual "Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors" visual experience.  The outside of the house is painted a slightly grayed purple that is vibrant in the sun with a bright red door and burgundy trim and roof.

To celebrate her new home I created this hamsa which utilizes the colors scheme of her home and reminds me of her; spiritual, vibrant and VERY much alive. If one looks closely they can see symbols of things that are important to her: musical notes, a sunflower, butterflies, the paw print of a dog, hearts, the words "Peace" and "Love", and ivy leaves (to symbolize friendship).

This 5 1/4" hamsa was created entirely from artist-quality polymer clay, glass beads, and "aquamarine", "topaz" and  "ruby" antique glass jewels that were so generously shared with me by polymer clay artist and clay pal, Scott Mizevitz.

Click here to see my blog post about the Hamsa I made for our own home which is available for sale: Monarch Butterfly and Sunshine Hamsa

I was indirectly inspired to make this hamsa by the work of 4 polymer clay artists and I wish to thank them for sharing their lovely work:
Rev Byrd at Byrd's Words angel-rising small shrine
Marie Young at Creative Sprinkle Office Desk Shrine
Naama Zamir Mosaic Hamsa
Iris Mishly's Hamsa Pages

The hamsa or hamesh is an ancient Middle Eastern amulet symbolizing the Hand of God. In both Jewish and Islamic traditions the hamsa hand is thought to be a powerful talisman believed to bring it's owner happiness, peace, luck, health, good fortune and prosperity. In the Jewish faith many people believe the hamsa pendant symbolizes the Hand of Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron. In the Islamic faith, the hamsa hand can symbolize The Hand of Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Mohammed. Hamsa hands frequently contain the symbol of an eye which is seen as powerful protection against the "evil eye". It is often hung on the front door of a home.

My friend hopes to post pictures of her new home once it is completed later this summer:
http://hartsongnotes.wordpress.com/

Red Hot Chile Chili Pepper Necklace from Polymer Clay

Red Pepper Necklace available at MelodyODesigns at Etsy 

This necklace pays tribute to the Arizona red chile pepper and my love of chili and Southwestern cuisine. All the components were hand crafted from PREMO polymer clay. The veins on the leaves were made by imprinting real leaves onto the clay and were highlighted by antiquing with acrylic paint. The shine on the peppers was achieved by applying several coats of water-based varnish (indoor use Varathane) to the cured PC. Each bead was hand made and was textured by carefully rolling the raw bead on very coarse sandpaper. To create the subtle variety of color that appear in nature the beads are made in three slightly different tints of green. 18 gauge green wire was used to craft the wirework. The ladybugs were made using PC and acrylic paint.

Red Chili pepper necklace shown being worn. Perfect for both dancing the Salsa and eating it!

Monarch Butterfly with Blue Morning Glory Necklace from Polymer Clay

Monarch Butterfly and Blue Morning Glory Necklace is currently for sale at MelodyODesigns at Etsy 
(*October 27, 2015, SOLD OUT, Because of interest from customers I'm in the process of making a few new copies of this necklace to sell at my Etsy shop with the intention of having them finished and listed by the end of November, 2015. If you'd like to be notified when they are ready please send me an email. Contact info link located on main page "view my complete profile".)

I love Monarch butterflies and the blue Morning Glory is my very favorite flower in the morning garden. I wanted to make a necklace that would combine them both and capture the joy of my garden so that I could remember the beauty of my garden in the depths of Pennsylvania winters. The dancing ladybugs were added as a whimsical afterthought and have become my shop logo. The Morning Glories, Monarch butterflies, stems, buds, curliqued vining and ladybugs are all made from artist quality polymer clay.

The Monarch butterfly was made from thin slices of a polymer clay cane I constructed. Once cured, the butterfly wing slices were added to a body and applied to a thin aluminum backing allowing for the wings to be repositionable and making the butterfly seemed poised and ready for flight. Caning is a labor intensive construction technique borrowed from glassmaking similar to making jelly rolls, where colored rods of clay are laid horizontally forming a complex pattern from which a thin slice is cut allowing the pattern to be seen. 

           The raw un-reduced Monarch butterfly Cane

The flowers were tinted before curing with Sennelier artist's pastels made into powder by grating and pounding and were applied with a paintbrush. The veining on the leaves was made from molds I made from real leaves. The ladybugs were made with polymer clay, liquid polymer clay, and acrylic paint. The individual components are attached to a collar made from sewn macramé cording.

Please click to see a blog post of the Monarch Butterflies on an Autumn Leaf themed Necklace.                                            

Pink Posey Necklace from Polymer Clay

I’m a sucker for any kind of a flowers, especially ones I can wear around my neck. This necklace started as an experiment to see how I could integrate wire/wired pieces into my designs. The flowers and leaves were made from molds and highlighted with a Krylon gold leafing pen and tiny glued-on holeless gold beads. The ladybugs were made with poly clay and acrylic paint.

Sunflower Pendant Necklace from Polymer Clay

The optimistic sunflower is one of my favorite flowers. This necklace was originally made as a gift for a friend who lost almost all her possessions when her house burned to the ground.  I wanted to make her something hopeful. It is handmade, entirely from PREMO polymer clay. 

 The pendant was constructed on a "sandwich" base made of two identical flat circular 1 1/4" diameter pieces of pieces of clay (a thickness of 5/64" or Atlas PM#4) containing portions of the broad ends of the three heart-shaped leafs to hold them in place.  A channel was formed formed horizontally between the two pieces near the top of the pendant to act as a channel for the stringing wire by curing the pendant base with a straight piece of 20 gauge wire that was coated with ArmorAll and to be removed after curing. The two pieces of the base "sandwich" were then "glued" together with liquid polyclay.

A petal shaped plug of golden yellow clay was hand-formed and then thin slices were cut off to create the petals. Once the raw petals were thinned at the tips, the characteristic sunflower veining was added by drawing them on with the tip of a piercing pin and the tips were pinched together they were added to the cured base.

Dozens of "Bulls-eye"canes were made of of browns and golden yellow and then reduced to tiny diameters. Once reduced, they were combined together making a round tubular cane to mimic the brown center of the sunflower which eventually becomes  the delicious sunflowers we love to eat. A thin slice of this “seed cane” was added to the center of the flower and the pendant was cured. The ladybugs were studio made with polymer clay and acrylic paint, dabbing on the tiny dots with a "used up" Micron .3 pen tip (and a 3X magnifier!)

 The handmade cobalt colored beads range in size from 4mm to 15mm. Some of them were appliqued with thin slices of a sunflower cane based on a design by Sue Heaser. The canes were meticulously smoothed onto the beads using a 1/4 inch acrylic rod. After curing, the beads were sanded through four grits of sandpaper, then two-part buffed and four coats of heat-set varnish were applied, all making for a shiny glass-like finish that mimics Italian Millefiori glass beads.

Copies of the newly re-designed necklace and matching earrings are available at my on-line shop, MelodyODesigns at ArtFire 

You might also enjoy viewing my Sunflower Collar Necklace.