Day 28 Last Thing A Day Tropical Bird Journal Cover

 Okay last day of 2013 Thing a Day.... I've had a good time and I thank you all for putting up with my daily rambles.  

I wanted to do something special for the last day so I made a layered Tropical Bird to put on a journal...

Click on the photos for a closer look.

with lots of little flowers on the sides and across the top... I love making little flowers, I'm tempted to put them on everything.

Close up of the bird

Here is how it looks on the journal.

a different view.  I think I will list it on Etsy and see what happens.  I have several covered journals that I would like to sell.

That's it for Thing A Day.... we'll do it again next year. In the mean time I will try to post once or twice a week so I hope you come back often.

Thanks for stopping by.

Day 27 Thing A Day Striped Cane & Necklace

I thought I was going be posting earlier today but our great granddaughter Lily came for a visit with Aunt Heather and Nick.  Lily had a "Party" in my kitchen while I made my famous Mexican Hominy Soup.... show of hands... How many of you like hominy?  I would be happy to share my very easy delicious recipe if anyone is interested.   I make it at least once a week , I love it and anyone who ventures through my kitchen has to at least taste it..... so far I have not had anyone say they didn't like it, even the hominy haters.  There is one "hominy hater" that has escaped the required taste test so far..... but his day is coming.....  shhhhh... I plan to lure him in with cake..... maybe Easter cake with 7 minute frosting.. or peanut butter cookies... yeah, he falls for the "cookie trap" everytime!!


But I digress ..back to my Day 27 necklace.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

First I made a striped cane.  Then I made a mirror image strip with the scraps, framed it in ivory, added tinted Premo white translucent to the back and made this attractive pendant.

I made half & half beads to go with it.

 Here is how I finished the back, there is a little cut out that frames the small bicone bead in the top.

This is the  finished necklace and a pair of complimentary earrings.

Close up of the earrings. I used surgical steel ear wires adorned with  small copper beads.

Close up of the necklace.... I took this photo to show you the semi-transparency  of the backing.... if you look closely you can see the line in the paper....

One more day to go.... "Thing a Day" ends tomorrow.   I hope to make something special for the last day.

See you tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by.

Day 26 Thing A Day Still playing with Shapes

WE cleaned out the garage a couple days ago.  I had several boxes of kitchen items and old furniture in the garage that I planned to send to the auction but last fall the roof leaked and everything was water damaged and covered with yuck that fell from the ceiling when they put on a new roof.  My grandson wants to use garage to refinish a couple pieces of furniture so we moved all the boxes and furniture out to the alley for the trash haulers to take away.  I say "we", grandson, Nick, did most of the work with help from, Heather and Roger.... but I did a hell of a job supervising.

Today was trash day.... I have a view of the alley from my clay room and I was quite astonished when I looked out my window and saw a steady stream of folks, some on foot and some in pickup trucks digging through our trash... a couple guys in a pickup loaded up a couple water logged rocking chairs and a cedar chest, I thought they were going to take the buffet but it really was in bad shape... not only from the water but the squirrels had chewed on the veneer around the mirror... I swear squirrels will eat anything.  I did not enjoy seeing folks digging through our trash.... I was greatly relieved when the trash truck arrived... the poor haulers didn't look to happy though.   It is nice to have the garage cleaned out... we could even put a car in there, imagine that!!

I used another set of "Valerie"cutters, this time the diamonds, to make another "shapes" pendant.

I like the big looped chain.... looks good with this pendant.

The back looks pretty good too... you could wear it either way.  I textured it with sandpaper.  Saves on sanding and looks good too. Win, win, right?

I was hoping to have a 2nd necklace finished but I'm still working on the chain.... I will show you tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by.

Day25 Thing A Day Mirror Image

My Star pendant didn't go well.... I kept adding to it until it became to cluttered so I won't have an entry for the PCAGOE challenge this month.  Sometimes I don't know when to quit.

Mirror imaging  is one of my favorite techniques.  Here are the pieces I made today.

I made half & half beads to go with the pendant.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

I will use these for earrings

and I can always find a use for yet another mirror image heart.

Back to making beads.....

Thanks for stopping by

Day 24 Thing A Day Playing with Shapes

I got out the super cutter sets that I bought  from Valerie some time ago.... I love these cutter they are so well made, make clean cuts and are sharp on both sides.  I use a wooden block to push them down on the clay.

The cutters inspired me to play with shapes.... here are the first couple pieces I am working on.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

I used the stylized heart cutters for this one... I'm trying to decide if I want to use it this way....

or turn it up and use it this way....  I used sandpaper to give it texture and PearlEx to give it sparkle.

Here is how I finished the back.

 I used the star cutters set for this one, again I used sandpaper for the texture and PearlEx powder.... I plan to add woven wire and a bead or two.  If it turns out well I will enter it in the PCAGOE challenge.  The theme for this month is"Celestial".   I better get busy, the deadline is tomorrow.... lots of time, right?

Okay, I am going to go sand theses while watching the rest of the Oscars.... see you tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by.

Day 23 Thing A Day Pendant & Earrings

I was just playing today... the pendant is fairly large, I haven't figured out how to add a bail or what kind of cord or chain to use.  Black rubber cord would probably work best. Any suggestions?

I used the end piece from one of yesterdays canes for the background on the pendant.

I also made a pair of earrings from the scraps. Heather tells me I need to make more earrings.... okay, okay.... more earrings.... I can do that.  

My kitchen is a mess,  the dirty dishes are calling, I better go take care of them.... then I can get back to the fun stuff.

Thanks for stopping by.

Day 22 Thing A Day Pastel Canes

Not much to show for Day 22.  I had a lazy day..... I did make a couple Pastel Canes, they should make pretty beads.

Click on the photos For a closer look.

and a small scrap cane

I took these two pieces from Day 10

and added coils of brown wire to make a pendant.

here is the back of the pendant.

To complete the necklace I will  use the brown wire to make a matching chain.

All done for today.... see you tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by.

Day 21 Thing A Day Polymer Clay Pendants

Winter is back!  It snowed today and is suppose to turn to sleet and ice tonight.  It's a good thing I went grocery shopping yesterday.

I was back in my clay room, playing with clay and talking to myself (I mean talking to my cat) when I glanced out the window and felt like I was in the movie "Birds"  one minute no birds the next minute birds everywhere.  A couple even smacked again the window.... yikes, that was a little spooky... and it scared my wimpy cat.

This morning I tossed out a half a loaf of stale bread for the birds but it was soon buried under the snow.... not sure how they figured out it was there but it was fun watching them.  One would  scratch around. pull up a hunk of bread and 4 or 5 others would surround him and take it away.  Then they would fly up on the gazebo. I tried to get photos off the back porch but that scared them away so I took a few snapshots through the window.

Here they are scuffling over the bread.  Click on the photos for a closer look.

Then they flew to the gazebo. A few robins showed up but they didn't stand a chance, the blackbirds chased them away.  Later on when I went out on the front porch to sweep the snow off the steps a few robins were huddled  up next to the house where the snow couldn't reach them.... now I have bird poop all over my porch.  I'm not a big fan of bird poop.

I made a couple pendants for Day 21.   They are in peacock colors so I got out the designer paper with a large lovely peacock.

Close up of the "feather" look pendant.  This one needs to be embellished with wire.

Close up of the two piece pendant.  I added colorful glass beads and a Swarovski rhinestone for sparkle, now I have to devise a creative bail.  That's all I got done for today.

I just took pieces out of the oven that I made for Day 22... they need to be sanded.... I will go do it now.

See you tomorrow, weather permitting.

Thanks for stopping by.

Day 20 Thing A Day Polymer Clay & Bead Necklace

Heather and I went over to Michaels today. I was hoping the jewelry chains would be on sale, turned out none of the things I use were on sale so I didn't buy much.... just a few $1.00 rubber stamps from the sale bin and a few note pads.  Got out my Michaels card at the check out stand but the clerk said they had discontinued the rewards program.

We  also went to the Chef's Shop....  I love that place, so many cool things.  I brought a new canister set with roosters on them. They look good in my kitchen.

I redid the red & black necklace from yesterday.  Took off the red cord and added black chain.  

Click on the photos for a closer look.

I added a couple dangles of black beads, the air filled pendant and the wrap around beads are very light, it needed more weight, I like it better now.

Here is a closer look.  I continued the drawn design on the beads with the wire.

A big storm with ice and snow is headed our way.... the cable sometimes goes out when it storms.... so I may not be able to post anything tomorrow.   I just hope the electricity stays on.

Thanks for stopping by.

Day 19 Thing A Day Cane Work Necklace

I'm pretty sure I had a busy day.... just not sure what I did.   Do you ever have days like that?

I did finish a couple necklaces that I started last night.

I used a couple of the cane work tiles from yesterday to make this necklace.

Click on the photos for a closer look.

Here is closer look.

Remember this air filled bead?

I made some wrap around beads to match, added black wire and black beads and then strung it on red waxed cord.

I like the way it looks on the waxed cord but the beads don't always lay  right,  I think I will take it apart part and see if it doesn't work better on black chain.

I will show you the update tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by.

Day 18 Thing A Day Cane Work Tiles

I was not pleased with the Finale ending of Downton Abbey last night... don't know how many of you are fans, it's one of my favorite television series.  I was very much enjoying the way it was coming to a happy ending.... and then they did that!!  I must admit it made me cry. Not fun at all.  Now we have to wait for the season 4.

Okay, here is what I made for Day 18... I used yesterdays cane to make 4 different tiles

Click on the photos for a closer look.

Here's the cane

Here are the tiles.  The colors darkened a bit... the yellow looks more orange and the red is burgundy.

I want to use these two together.... haven't decided exactly how yet... something with wire...

This one will make a pretty pendant on it's own.

This one will most likely be a pendant to.

I need to make matching beads to go with the pendants.  And maybe earrings too.

I am working on a necklace for tomorrow... see you then.

Thanks for stopping by.

Day 17 Thing A Day Canes

Yesterday was a quickie.... today is going to be an even quicker quickie.....

I made a couple canes

The color are a little weird in the first one, the pear shaped cane is the main feature of the finished cane....I used the multicolor cane to make tiles, they turned out nice but I didn't have time to sand them..... I like to sand  before I take photos.... so today just the canes, tomorrow the tiles.

These are small beads from cane end scraps... the top two remind me of kites

and here are a couple mirror image beads and a small scrap cane.

and I also made a Monochromatic green cane

Thats it... have to run. See you tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by