It's Not Painted On-It's Cane Work!

You've seen it on many things, from beads, to vases and beautiful jewelry boxes. Intricate and repeating patterns that look like they were meticulously painted onto a surface. Meticulous, they certainly are, but not painted. When you understand how polymer clay canes are made, you acquire a whole new appreciation for the amazing results.

Polymer clay canes are made by arranging and stacking clay in different colors so that a certain pattern or image will appear every time it is sliced. If you imagine making a rainbow cake that consists of five layers, each layer a different color, the concept is easy to understand. Every slice of the cake will have the same pattern.
Canes can be made for simple spiral, or "jellyroll" patterns, or as intricate as flowers and faces. Renaissance Gal of San Antonio created this mime cane that I absolutely adore:

From the example above, you can see how canes like that are made in several stages. A cane for the mouth, eyes, nose, etc. are made separately and then combined to form one log. The images are large at the beginning, and then the cane can be "reduced." That's the process of gentle stretching and pulling that reduces the cane to a smaller scale.
I have drawn a diagram that demonstrates the basic steps in one of the simplest kinds of cane, the leaf:

It begins with one cylindrical "plug" of clay, which is cut and inserted with a sheet of another clay color, represented by the blue. This is done three times until in step B, when a fourth sheet is added, that half of the cylinder is flipped over before putting the pieces back together. Now the blue lines converge. In step C, a final wrap of the whole log is made. This log can now be pinched along the top to change the round shape into a leafier one. My tutorial for making a leaf cane is here. Now, every time this log is sliced, this leaf will appear:

Here are some earrings I made from slices of my first, somewhat floral, cane:

So now you know the details behind these intricate patterns in polymer clay. Cane work takes a lot of practice and patience to master. There are other special techniques that produce interesting pattens too, that also appear "painted." Mokume Gane is one with many variations and striking effects.

I made the above bracelet using the polymer clay mokume gane technique. This is a good method for artisans like myself who are still struggling with caning.
If you enjoyed this post and would like to see more of my creations, please check out Ecclectic LadyLand on Facebook or visit my jewelry shop on Artfire.
Cheers =D

Encyclo-Pumpkin

The instructions said to use a cardboard guide. Did I? No, the small boxes I have lying around already have a re-purpose. Shipping. The instructions said to use a paperback. Did I? No, all the paperbacks I can spare, I trade for others. But...

I have old encyclopedias ready for something like this. I tore off the binding, front and back covers. Sharp box cutter ready, I began cutting a pumpkin shape through the pages. Marley helped.

                                                                            Attack!

                                              "What, mom? You's makin' da mess dis time."

So, the result of my labor was not even close to as snazzy and stylish as the DIY instructional. But it's cute. Live and learn!

I think I'll stick to beadwork and polymer clay for now.

Summertime Safety! Fun, Fashion, and Avoiding Lobster Skin

Oh, the barbeques! Poolside margaritas, kids with water balloons...just a few great things about summer. However, being a fair skinned girl, the summer sun really chaps my hide (ha-ha). My family took a trip to the beach, and they all came back toasted red, despite their spray-on sunblock. Today I'm going to talk about sunblock basics, common mistakes in its use, and other matters of warm weather fun.

Things to know : Chemical sunscreens protect you from sunburn by absorbing UVB rays, not reflecting them-but they are very effective when applied as directed. Physical kinds, like ones that contain inert minerals such as zinc and titanium oxides, reflect both UVA and UVB rays away from your skin.
When it's cool/overcast your risk of damage is not reduced! Extended periods in the sun are still bad for your skin, and the rays effects will cumulate. You may not feel the burn until later.
Biggest mistake: Most sunblocks need to be applied at least 15 minutes before exposure, sometimes 30. Do not wait until you get to the beach, for example, to slather it on. The sun had already begun working on you the moment you left home.
Don't rub in spray-ons. Whatever type you choose, read the label. All SPF's and brands are not created equal, as far as how often they should be applied, etc. Most need to be reapplied after sweating or water sport, regardless of how waterproof they are supposed to be.

 Alright! So now we are a little better equipped with knowledge to protect our skin. Sometimes things do happen, and we miss a spot, or something goes wrong and we end up with a burn in spite of all advice...that's when I reach for 100% aloe vera gel, alcohol free. Slather it on and aim the cool air conditioner right at it.

Okay, so, skin care-check. What about good stuff? Like tasty beverages...

This "top secret" recipe is looking mighty fine. I bet it would look even better right here on my table. The heat always makes me want to pamper my skin with fresh and fragrant bath products, too. My favorite soap maker has some great selections just right for that!

 And then of course, the things to wear! This shop has some absolutely perfect goodies, like this:

 Gotta beat the heat somehow! I always lose the fight, me and 100+ degree weather can never seem to mesh well. But there are always certain things that make it all better. Stay cool!

I've Been A Busy Beading Bee

It's about time  to write a refresher course on the land of the eclectic lady. Or Drunkenmimes Ecclectic LadyLand,  that is. There have been so many things to do and create, and so much to learn. It's been a blast making new things with polymer clay, and learning about all of the amazing effects that can be made with it. One successful mica shift pair of earrings, and a lovely floral magazine transfer pendant are just a couple of my favorites.
Layer style necklaces can be especially fetching when the placement of shape is used to please the eye. For that, this is my best example:

Pretty soon my family will have to organize an intervention to get me to stop beading. It will never happen. They'll have to drag me kicking and screaming. Oh look, there's a bead on the floor, gotta go! But, before you leave, check out the pendants I've been hand painting as well.

Five Things I Love About Artfire

You may have heard of Artfire before...and if you haven't, I may have to rescue you from underneath that rock. Or maybe you had it in mind to check it out, but you got busy making delicious pies out of sherbert, shaped like sliced watermelon. Or maybe you forgot because you were preoccupied, trying to cajole your husband into keeping his dentist appointment? It's okay, I forgive you.

Today I am going to share a few of the reasons I am more than satisfied as a handmade seller on Artfire.com. It is a wonderful venue for people who want to sell their creations, art, extra supplies, and vintage goods on the internet. I have been a member for just over a year now, and feel a great sense of kinship with the staff and selling community.

Number One: It's a class! A class full of helpful teachers and alumni! Advice, tips, tricks, are readily available from folks who know. The site administrators are quick to answer any questions, and so is the community. Artfire has a strong and well-deserved reputation for listening to their customers (the sellers), including our ideas and input in their brainstorms, and making us feel valued and respected.
There are help guides on every aspect of online selling, and they do all they can to teach sellers the ropes, making it easier for artisans to spend more time creating. I have yet to find customer service like this elsewhere.

Number Two: Tools, glorious tools. I can create coupons, globally edit my listings, customize my own shop (including my studio categories), export and print sales data/invoices, and choose from a number of different payment processors, just to name a few. One of the funnest perks is curating my own "Collections." These may be featured on the sites front page, or even pasted on a website or blog with the widget codes provided.

Number Three: Shopping on Artfire is fun and easy. I do a lot of shopping online, but when I'm looking for unique gifts or particular supplies, this is where it's at. I did my Christmas shopping for on Artfire, and found really special things for my family, things that are 100 times better quality than anything from a department store. I also find it really convenient when I need particular supplies for my jewelry making.

Number Four: I live in a small town and often find it difficult to sell at many shows, particularly at ones that are cost effective. With Artfire, I can share my work with the whole world for a very low monthly rate. Our items are fed to several search engines, and this relieves me of the technical aspects and headache of trying to run my own site. For those who do already run their own sites, the more the merrier. Artfire can help!

Number Five: It's quite personal. When people come to my studio through search engines (which is the majority) or from a direct URL, they think they are visiting my website, not Artfire. I can customize everything, including my banner, layout, colors, featured items...I even pasted a widget code for a chat box so that visitors can speak with me live.

So that's my testimony, straight from the heart ♥.
If you are considering opening a shop on Artfire, you can come test the waters with us. There's no risk of sharks! You can start with a Basic (no fee) studio and get things listed and settled in. I have a special referral code that let's you have your third month of Pro free.

Happy crafting!

A Jewelry Girl's First Comic Strip

When I was younger I used to draw all the time. I never got the hang of using geometric layouts or of drawing very well from life at all, but I loved drawing from other drawings and photographs on sight, and did them well. Later on I got into drawing neat abstracts with pen and Sharpies, but eventually my interests branched into other creative forms until I hardly drew anything anymore that was worth saving. In my case, "If you don't use it, you lose it," seems to apply very much.
Here is my very first comic strip, born from the need to creatively vent some creative frustration. Enjoy.

Lessons:
1. Be carefree, play around with it, and the inspiration will come.
2. Don't be afraid of making mistakes-Good art comes from the enjoyment of it.
 

Ancestry

I have a really neat binder full of photos and family tree charts from my mothers lineage. I feel really blessed to have such detailed documentation going back as far as it does, not everyone is so lucky.
My great grandmother recently turned 96, and her brother Robert is 105! My great grandmother's name is Shirley Salgo (originally Sari Halmos). She came to this country from Hungary around 1915 with her two brothers, two sisters, and mother, Johanna Halmos. Life was rough for them, but they made it through shining, each child growing up to lead interesting lives. Shirley's sister Roszika played many cameo roles in movies, and I remember watching her kiss Arnold Schwarzenegger on the cheek at the beginning of the movie 'Twins.' She also appeared in 'F.I.S.T,' as Sylvester Stallone's mother.
    The binder contains a lot of neat photos. Here is one of the 5 children:

 Shirley is at the top at age 5, next to Rozsi. Bottom left is Robert, Berta in the middle, and Martin on the right.
One of the things I loved the most about visiting my great-grandmothers house as a kid was her paintings. She did beautiful reproductions, and the walls were overflowing with these gorgeous paintings.

The top one has always been my favorite. While these are reproductions, she did do an original of her mother Johanna, from a photograph:

 At one family reunion we had, prints of this were put together by my Aunt, alongside a poem I wrote, and passed around to family members: