Necklaces!
I’ve been working on new necklaces! These are my experiments with feathers, layering, charms, chains, and pearls.
Repurposing
Repurposing is taking old jewelry and using it in a fresh way. Lots of handmade jewelry has repurposed and vintage parts. This gives the new piece an original style and unique look.
I first came across the concept of repurposing when I began looking at Steampunk jewelry. Steampunk is a style which hypothesizes what the world would look like if steam was still the main source of power for technology. Sounds wierd right?
Steampunk offers a “what if” perspective on the world that incorporates the idea of repurposing. Many Steampunk pieces involve using parts from vintage watches. Here is an artist from Etsy, her shop is called “A Second Time” and she illustrates the concept quite nicely. This piece is called “Over Time.”
I thought I would try my hand at repurposing. I have a small collection of gold and silver jewelry I never wear. I thought it would be interesting to see if I could do something different with it.
These are the pieces I’ve decided to use in something else. I thought it would be interesting to use the chains to create parts in earrings by cutting them to size. As I went through the jewelry, I was thinking about some peacock feathers I had just found at the CNE. The gold chains would compliment the green and blue colours of the feathers. The silver chains could be used as dangly parts in earrings or as layers in a necklace.
What is Polymer Clay?
Polymer Clay is one of the most exciting materials to work with when making jewelry. This type of clay comes in different brands. The two I have tried are Fimo Soft Clay and Sculpey. These are great for smaller projects and easy to experiment with.
Where Can I Buy Polymer Clay?
Polymer Clay is available in every good Art store. The key to finding the ‘fresh stuff’ is giving the little package a squeeze. If it gives just a little, you know the clay is new. I have bought an old package of Fimo Soft Clay before and I just had to spend longer kneading it. The prices range from 3 – 6 dollars depending on how expensive the store is pricing it. Usually you don’t want to pay more than 4 dollars. The clay comes wrapped tightly in plastic to keep it fresh. It reminds me of candy, especially because of all the wonderful colours you can choose from. This is a specialty colour: metallic silver.
How Can I use it?
When you first get Polymer Clay you can use it anyway you want. Do not be afraid to get your hands dirty! Polymer Clay is a little messy. You begin by kneading it until it is nice and squishy. You want the clay to be reminiscent of play-doh, but not too soft or it will be difficult to work with. Shape your clay. I became focused on rose rings, so I would spend lots of my time trying to perfect a beautiful little rose. Once you are done with the clay just use soap and water to get it off your hands. Don’t lick it off!
After shaping your creation you have to stick it in the oven. Most guides recommend a steel pan covered with tin foil, but I’ve used a glass pan before and received the same results. Follow the directions your clay comes with. For example, the Sculpey package above says “Bake at 130 Degrees C for 15 minutes per 6mm thickness” I usually bake roses for about half an hour. Be careful of over baking, especially with white clay, as it will alter the colour.
Once you’ve baked to your satisfaction, you will want to give your little creation lots of time to cool off and harden. If you touch the clay when it first comes out of the oven it will still be pliable and soft (not to mention HOT). Don’t touch it! I usually leave mine to cool the entire night and inspect it the next day to see how it turned out.
How Can I store Polymer Clay?
I store my clay in Ziploc bags and stick it in an airtight container for good measure. As long as it remains slightly squishy you know that your clay is still good to work with.
If you are looking for inspiration simply search polymer clay on Google. There are intricate designs you can create called ‘canes.’ Click on the Google link to see! This is a hobby many Crafsters spend a lifetime perfecting and it can be very rewarding. Have fun!
Photography Models?!
Today I spent a lot of time taking pictures of five pairs of earrings. These are the first five I have chosen to debut on the Etsy account. Now, let me tell you, I’ve almost gone cross eyed with all this photography business. The earrings I want to focus on are difficult to position. I want the client to be able to see the earrings in detail from different angles. So here’s what I had to do.
I created a tiny model! I love this figurine. My mom bought it for me when I rekindled my jewelry making hobby. She has little holders to place earrings on. Here it is with some earrings on it. I wrapped some green ribbon on it to make it look interesting. Now I think it just looks too busy. So I’ve changed it a bit.
It’s a big difference! Shes become very sleek and a little daring in her outfit choice. I made this by using modge podge and the paper out of a novel. I won’t tell you which one, although it’s easy to guess!
Here’s the figurine in action. She can work it quite nicely. These are one of the pairs of earrings I’ll be featuring on Etsy.
I really like the new look. I plan on using the novel paper theme with every item. It gives each piece a nice way of connecting to the next.
What is etsy?
When you make jewelry inspiration is key. Finding this can be difficult when you’re having a creative block. One amazing site for handmade and vintage creations that are easily inspiring is www.etsy.com.
This site is very similar to other online stores. Etsy features individuals who each have their own little store hosted on the site. A seller features whatever they make and decide the price. The sellers also decide if they want to sell locally or internationally. You can search the website using different criteria. For example, you could punch in ‘feather earrings’ and it would give you different options as to how you want to view the results. (Most to least Expensive, Most Relevant etc.)
Etsy also sells supplies for those that want to create themselves. I have bought a couple ‘findings’ (these are the tiny parts that go into making jewelry) that have worked out really well. You can also read and make customer feedback about sellers. Some of these are unintentionally hilarious.
One of the most important parts of the way Etsy works is photography. Sellers want to take pictures of their creations that put them in the best possible light. (PUN!)
To test my skills of photography I’m going to try out starting an etsy store myself. I’ll show you the ropes so maybe you could start one too!
More posts to come soon!
Hello Internet!
My name is Nayana and this is my new blog! I am starting this blog to show the various sides of my jewelry making hobby. This is brand new territory for me so it should be an exciting adventure!
I’ve posted a bunch of things I have made already. I will take you on my journey as I discuss jewelry making and using different media. I will create easy to follow tutorials too for those that want to try a hand at creating themselves!
This will be so much fun!
