Posted on 20 Comments

Playing with puffy stuff

New earrings

I’ve been having a creative kind of weekend so far. Last night and today I got to play some more with this earring design I’ve been thinking about for several weeks. I’ve made some improvements to the bead design itself, and I’ve been practicing making my own ear wires.

New earrings

I’m really pleased with them. What remains now is to figure out how much they are worth and what to call them. Any suggestions? The beads are flat on the back and puffy on the front – kind of like a donut but without the hole in the middle. I will just go with “puffy earrings” unless something more inspiring comes up icon_biggrin-flickr-4-5

New necklace

I made this “puffy necklace” a few days ago with the same kind of beads. I’ve been wearing this myself and there are still a few kinks I need to work out. Firstly, the size of the beads. Asymmetry is not usually my “thing” so the big bead on the left is bothering me. I don’t really like it in the center, either, so I think the solution is to not use a bead that’s so much bigger than the others.

New necklace

I’m happier with the sizes of these together. They’re still asymmetric, but they’re not as out of scale with each other. To my eye, anyway. I love this silver cable neckwire, by the way. I have been wanting to add more metal to my designs for some time, and I love the look of a silver neckwire, so when I read on Betsy Baker’s blog that she was selling them on Etsy, I jumped.  I find her designs inspiring, and the neckwire is a big part of that.

New necklace

The other challenge I am working through with these is how to put the holes in the beads. Right now they are functional, but not very attractive on the back. I have few ideas, but I probably don’t have the time to play with them this weekend – I’m seeing my parents tomorrow and I still haven’t made that darn gardening apron for Mom. I suspect that is part of why I’ve been so prolific with necklaces and earrings in the last few days – it’s just creative procrastination icon_wink-flickr-5-4

There’s another side-effect of an artsy weekend…

Messy room

Mayhem in the family room: all-day cartoons, toys strewn about, and boys who are still in their pj’s at 2pm.

That's better


At least we got our acts sort of together by supper time, LOL!

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Posted on 20 Comments

20 thoughts on “Playing with puffy stuff

  1. dang you sure are putting out some pretties! I need to figure out how to balance my time between glass and clay….because when i am doing one I miss the other. Good job on the clean family room and “dressed boys”. Heck, it’s saturday….aren’t we supposed to be able to lounge in our jammies all day?

    See what Kathi has been blogging about: Spring has Sprung

    1. Heh, well, I have to admit that if Neil hadn’t decided to be out all day, I probably would have avoided getting dressed myself. Unfortunately when you’re the only adult in the house, you kind of have to be presentable for unexpected doorbell ringing and the like 😉

      I don’t really have any problem balancing my time between clay and sewing – I just do whatever is calling to me at the time. And if I can’t make up my mind, I just do whichever thing happens to be set up on the dining room table. Less setup required that way.

      1. presentable if the doorbell rings? Why was *I* never informed about this rule? Here it is 8:15 at night and I am “still” in my jammies….aka a t shirt and sweat pants. I decreed today was to be a lazy day with my partner and fids (fur kids).

        I wish I could have both my clay and glass in the same studio (not the same areas) but the glass studio isn’t A/C’d unless I am out there and turn it on. If I had the clay out there and I wasn’t there it would bake in the summer.

        I have to ask….did you get the gardening apron done for your mom?

        See what Kathi has been blogging about: Finally!

        1. Let’s not dwell on such things as birthday gifts that never happened, shall we? 😉

          1. dwell on what? I have no idea what you are typing about 😉

  2. Huh. I like the first one best. I thought maybe it was the color choices, but I like the color choices of the last one, too. I think it’s the size differential of the beads in that top necklace that makes it so appealing to me.

    1. You know, I keep vacillating on that. I tend to feel that I should have a set way of doing things and that all of my pieces should follow that way, but I’ve actually been thinking this weekend that there’s really nothing stopping me from making these necklaces all different ways. Heck, I could even make a few with ovals, or some with only two beads.

      I tend to be my own worst enemy when it comes to expanding my repertoire…

      1. Oooo! Ovals would be VERY cool with this style piece!

  3. This is my 1st comment on your blog (love it !)
    I am always amazed by such creativity.
    I am totallly in love with what you create with polymer : buttons, beads, jewellery, everything =)
    Thanks for sharing I wish I could be as good as you are some day…

    See what Didi has been blogging about: J’adore !

    1. Aw, Didi, that’s sweet of you to say – thank you! I looked around at a few of your pictures on your blog. I really like this ring. It looks fun to wear!

      Thanks for speaking up and saying hello 🙂

  4. Love the puffy style, color combo and design are great as usual!

    1. Thanks! I’m having a lot of fun making these. I’m even wondering if I can squeeze in some time for a few more before bed…

  5. Lisa how come I can’t display my gravatar?

    1. Hmmm. Good question. Here are a few possibilities:

      • It not be approved yet (I think the gravatar people review it to make sure it is appropriate for the rating you gave it)
      • You didn’t give it a rating at all
      • You accidentally rated it as something higher than “PG” (which is the highest level I choose to display here).
      • You set it up under a different email address than you used for your comment

      Beyond that, try the Gravatar help file for more suggestions.

      I hope this helps – I think the gravatar thing is great. I like seeing a bit of the personality of the people who are posting comments 🙂

  6. Love the term “creative procrastination”. I have had a serious case of that for way too long.

    Nice earrings. Can’t think of a name right now, but if I do, I will let you know.

    1. Thanks! And yes, I like that term, too. It just feels so appropriate for what I spend a long time doing some days 😀

  7. Lisa, I love the “puffy stuff!” About you kids in their pj’s until 2 pm….us non-crafty people do that too! I don’t even have the excuse that I’m being creative. We usually have about one Saturday a month that dh & I sleep in, eat breakfast at about 10:30, drink coffee until noon, and maybe shower myself at around 1 or 2. The kids just veg out in the basement, soaking up cartoons and making a general mess. My kids love those days because they really feel like they are getting away with something.

    BTW, I stayed out of your debate a few days ago because I’m ignorant on the issue and didn’t have anything worthwhile to add, but I did want to let you know that I think you handled it very well. Kudos!

    1. Haha, my little one now says to me, when I ask him to get dressed on a Saturday, “but it’s a weekend!” As if one should never have to put clothes on when school is not in session.

      RE: the debate – thanks! Comments are still coming in dribs and drabs. I hadn’t realized what a hot issue it was until recently!

  8. Gosh, your work is so beautiful! My mouth dropped open at those wonderful puffy earrings. I stumbled across your blog and really enjoyed seeing your work. Thankyou for sharing it.
    Julia
    Cornwall, UK
    http://www.mcsj.co.uk

    1. Thank you Julia! So nice of you to drop by and let me know what you think 🙂 I appreciate your nice comments!

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