A New Handmade Keepsake Collector Box

I'm still having fun making these keepsake collector boxes out of polymer clay.  This is a new one I made using a few different blends of purple Premo and pearl polymer clay.

And why in the world is purple so hard to photograph??  It took me forever to get a decent photo of this box.  Here's some other views from the inside and sides:



So, what do you think?

Have a great day!

Janie

The True Measure of a Man

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.-- Ann Landers

Have a great day!

Janie

A Poem Worth Reading

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.                      

Of a war that he once fought in

And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors           
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Joe has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

 

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier—

His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his likes again.
For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

I don't know who wrote this poem, so I can't give credit right now.  As soon as I find out though, I'll post it here.

Have a great day!

Janie

Fine Silver Palm Tree Earrings

I just finished a custom order for a pair of fine silver palm tree earrings.  They are large and thick, by request.  At first, I thought that would make it an easier job, as far as forming and sanding goes...but oh boy was I wrong!  It's funny, some of my more difficult jobs are the ones that I think will be simple or easy.

  There are almost 16 grams of clay in each earring.  I thought that might make them to heavy, but the lady I made them for tried one on before I finished, and they're fine.  Here's what they look like:

And here's a photo of them with a ruler to show size context:



I wanted them to have a mirror finish.  Oh my, the sanding and polishing that required!  Also, the top of the palm trees are not attached to the frame.  This gave me some concern because fine silver is softer than sterling silver.  But, they are pretty thick and I tumbled the daylights out of them to further work harden them.

In the end, I'm happy with them, and so is my customer!

Have a great day!

Janie

Handcrafted Fine Silver Artisan Jewelry

Not much to talk about today.  I've been really busy with custom orders in my local area lately.  Today, I was going through some of my inventory and decided to do some cleaning and organizing of my fine silver jewelry items.  I ended up with a big pile all together, so I decided to take a photo.  Now, if I could just get them all individually photographed, and get the ones that aren't already listed uploaded to ny Art Fire shop or my Etsy shop, I'd be real happy.  It's a joy to create, but it's such a chore to get it in the shop...I wonder how many other online sellers out there feel the same way.



Have a great day!

Janie

Coming Your Way



There will be a whole lot of life coming your way today. And the best thing you can do with it is to live it fully. Don’t spend a lot of time worrying about it, or making judgments concerning all the ups and downs. Simply accept the experience and get on with it.
When the pain comes, feel it and learn from it. When the joys come, delight in them and keep them where you can treasure them always. Decide to let the obstacles challenge and energize you instead of frustrating you. Decide to be happy simply because you’re alive and able to take it all in.
Though many of the details won’t always go your way, when you let go and let life happen then life itself will most certainly go your way. No matter what happens or fails to happen, you will still be who you are. Keep moving along, letting life flow through you, and you’ll be surely headed toward where you want to be.
— Ralph Marston


Read more: http://greatday.com/motivate/030308.html#ixzz1ThHfbMjN

Men's Silver Blue Crab Pendant

I made a new manly pendant out of silver clay.  It's a layered Blue Crab pendant.  I took a few photos during the process.  The pendant consisted of three separate pieces that were fused together.

First, I made the flat textured piece that you see in the back of the pendant.

Next, I made the open grid that is in the middle of the pendant.  It is supposed to represent a crab trap.  It was made with the syringe and a very fine tip.  I had some trouble with this and had to do it twice. The first time, I forgot to lubricate the surface I was creating it on.  So when I tried to remove it after it was dry, it stuck to the glass and broke into pieces.  I guess I was in to much of a hurry to get the design out of my head and into the clay.



I'm saving the pieces you see above for a future project.  I put a piece of plastic down on my board and made another grid pattern.  Here's the new one that I used:

And the top piece, the crab is a thick square disk with a crab imprint:

And here are all three pieces before firing:

And once again, the final pendant and a photo of the backside.  I gave it a rainbow patina that I just love.  Especially because I got some blue into the body of the crab.  It's supposed to be a Blue Crab after all!  It's hard to tell from my not-so-great photo, but I gave the back and the top crab part a mirror finish.





So, what do you think?

Have a great day!

Janie