My 2 cents on Art Clay Silver 650 Slow Dry Metal Clay

I was surfing the internet for Precious Metal Clay info and blogs, when I got to read the product information on Art Clay Silver 650 Slow Dry. Up to now I had only worked with the PMC brand before so I got all excited about a slower drying clay. That would be such a great help and prevent some of my drying anxiety.
So I order myself some packages of 20 g and almost chose rush delivery because I just couldn’t wait to try this stuff.
I was thinking about making some rings to offset the many many pendants that come out of my kiln.
The package comes, my project is chosen and set up and I am all ready to be floored by this new metal clay.
I opened the package of Art Clay and it was already kind of dry and almost clumpy. I had to knead it in my hands to get it smooth and by the time I started shaping it, it was already beginning to dry. So the first portion I took out of the package had to be turned into slip because it literally dried too fast.
Now, children, this is a perfect example of ‘ironic‘.
I understand that everything is relative and depends on what you compare it to. And maybe the regular Art Clay dries even faster and therefore this stuff actually is ’slow drying’ but compared to PMC3, there is nothing slow about it.
I ended up letting the rest of the package sit with some distilled water over night and that did help the consistency and eliminated the kneading time so I could actually get a ring formed. But even now the drying time wasn’t particularly long.

Here are some photos of the ring. It still needs some detailing and then firing. If this one comes out nice I will post some photos of it later.

In conclusion, this whole experience with Art Clay Silver 650 Slow Dry was more than disappointing. I feel like I have wasted roughly $100 on a product that is simply mislabeled. Maybe I was unlucky and received a faulty package but I guess I will see when I open the rest of them.
As of right now, there is no way I will ever buy Art Clay Silver Metal Clay again (maybe with the exception of their overlay paste).

Fused glass jewelry seeking roomy and stylish jewelry box

Since this is the blog of a person that makes jewelry, a lot of my posts actually have something to do with jewelry. OK, I think I just heard a “well, duh!” through my cable connection.
Anyway, without stating the obvious again, here is another jewelry related subject.
If you got trinkets, you need a safe place to keep them.
Check out these very cool and stylish jewelry boxes from KRT Woodworking!

Check out the KRT Woodworking Etsy store.
You can either build your own size and combination one with their nifty component system or pick from a good variety of unique and fashionable boxes.

New angles on a not-so-new fused glass jewelry piece

Lately, I have been somewhat consumed by re-photographing a lot of my pieces.
I am on a mission to make my photos better and better and, at the same time, I am starting to actually have fun with it. Odd angles are jumping out at me and since I am dealing with glass, I have started to experiment with some focused light sources to create colored shadows.
Let me show you the photo that really stood out from the other day’s session. I think I am going to use this one for an ad or marketing material at some point.

Valentine’s Day Dinner Fundraiser to Benefit the Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons

On February 13, 2010, there will be a fundraiser buffet with live music and a free raffle at the Indian Island Country Club in Riverhead, NY.
Have some fun on a saturday night and support the rehabilitation of wild animals on Long Island!
Please click on the picture below for a link to more information on the event from the Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons!

Donuts instead of chocolate for Valentine’s Day!

This year, you might want to give her a donut instead of chocolates. Or better still, give her both!

I have a happy succulent!

I have to admit, it is never surprising to me when one of the few plants I have simply cannot handle my care any longer. I am very good with animals but anything that has photosynthesis in mind is better off some place other than my house.
So you might be able to imagine my amazement at what I found yesterday.
For some strange reason my Jade plant is blooming. I didn’t know they bloom and even if they bloom, they don’t bloom at my house. I have had this specific plant for probably about 8 years now and this is the first time (and probably the last) it decides to do that.
I had to take some photos to document this rare occurence.  

  

  

 

Shooting Photos Is Really Growing On Me

About a week ago, I ordered 2 silhouette mannequin necklace display stands. I figured, someone like me, making as many pendants / necklaces as I make, should really have a way to display them the way nature intended them.
So, they arrived today and I just had to take some photos with my new play things.

And here lays the difference now. I don’t need these photos for any listings. The pendants in them are not for sale. I just took them for the fun of it. If you would have told me 8 or 9 months ago, I would ever say or do that, I would have thought you are totally nuts. Photography was a chore. I hated it.

Anyway, I really like these two shoots. There is just so much that went right with them; the flowing lines of the display and the lines of the pendant, the soft shadows, the cool colors, the composition.

So, I’m just going to finish the post and continue to look at them, hehe. Me like!

A Doggy Portrait in Precious Metal Clay

I can finally now show you my first precious metal clay little sculpture. Well, sculpture might give you the wrong idea but it’s a non-abstract three-dimensional form.
I had to wait with this post until I could get the pendant to the person it was meant for. It was a sort of belated Christmas surprise.
So, here it is.

I did not plan out this pendant at all. I had a ball of silver PMC left because I was working on another piece when the idea hit me. It was the kind of “I wonder if I can” thought. Honestly, I never really expected it to turn out well. I used a photo as a reference and next thing I knew, it actually looked like her.

I am quiet proud of it and I think I made someone happy as well. It hardly can get any better than that!

Neat ways to keep your brain warm

I am looking out the window and it’s snowing once again. We are in full swing of winter and it is an important time to keep your family’s brains warm.

So I browsed through the whole array of handmade fleece hats on Etsy and picked out a couple of samples for you.

Kids:

Adults:

Pets:

The First Precious Metal Clay and Fused Glass Pendant in the New Year

Happy New Year, everybody! And welcome to 2010! May this new year be a happy, healthy and successful one for you all!

I finished the necklace I want to show you yesterday already but then it got too late for the post, it was time to celebrate and my hands had to hold drinks instead of type.

So here it is! I’m quiet happy with the design. I am still not 100% satisfied with my PMC working skills. But practice makes perfect and I’m intending on getting there one day.
The feel of the piece is once again organic and flowing. I didn’t realize that I was as influenced by the Art Nouveau style as I seem to be but I just love the curves and soft bending lines that you can produce with Precious Metal Clay. It’s very strange because it is so opposite the way I think in glass.
I chose shades of blue for the glass pieces once again because the patinaed silver and the glass in that color sooth and contrast each other at the same time. I just love the way it looks!
This time I tried to pull the silver and the glass together even more by stopping the Liver of Sulphur patina at the stage where it has a blue tinge. You can see the effect close to the glass pieces in the recesses.

I am always looking for comments that help me improve my work; design wise, technique wise or any other wise. So, I very much appreciate critique or suggestions, especially if you are familiar with Precious Metal clay.