Polymer clay flowers, again.

I've been spending way too much time making these roses. But as long as I'm having fun, I don't care. And I'm thinking they might go over well at the craft fairs.
Here's a look at a couple more I've made today. I'll be listing some of these beauties on Etsy very soon. Clearly, they all need chains and whatnot. Every flower is handmade, no two flowers are ever the same. Some of the roses are made with colors that I can't reproduce as well. Like the purple one up there.... not sure I have any of that left. It was made using a combination of scraps =)

New jewelry designs coming soon to Peacock Tres Chic

So I've been learning some polymer clay techniques because I have a polymer clay bead project coming up at JoAnns that I'll be teaching. I've never used this medium before, so I've been trying to learn anything and everything. I got a little side tracked from the actual project.
This is what I was supposed to be making....
...but instead I spent all day yesterday and some of the day before making these.

I know what you're thinking. Whoopidy doo you made a clay rose, who hasn't. Well I never had, so it's exciting to me! I had some of the most gorgeous shimmering gold and a beautiful maroon that turned out to be my favorite flowers. The maroon one has some gold in it, so it also shimmers.

I had made these pendants out of beads I've had s ince my honeymoon. I didn't make the beads, but I was recently inspired to experiment with the messy wire wrapped technique and I thought it would look pretty with them. I think these are to blame for the whole polymer clay obsession I've developed recently. That and the fact that I'm forced to work with it because I have to teach it. I wouldn't have picked up the medium otherwise.

I apologize for the harshness in some of the photos. My camera has been acting like a two year old. The exposure is auto correcting when I have it on manual, and it's just been acting all kinds of weird. But at least you have an idea of what's to come this fall season at Peacock Tres Chic, and hopefully I can get some better photos before these lovelies get posted.

Video jewelry tutorial by Susan Street

Susan Street is the owner of VintageJewelrySupplies.com, which is where I buy most of my jewelry elements. She also has a website dedicated to teaching jewelry techniques, and it's diffiucult to find such instruction for free anymore. Finding her websites forever changed my jewelry design in one fell swoop, and since then I've connected with her on facebook and gotten to know her as an amazing individual.

Susan has recently expanded her teaching repuitoir to include videos. If you're anything like me, watching it done is the easiest way to learn something new.

Check out Susan's first video

Things to Love Thursday (Again)

I wanted to post my treasury earlier, but I was having some computer issues. All is resolved, so here it is!

Things To Love Thursday

There are a couple shops from my Vintage Fusion Treasury that I would like to draw your attention to. These shops are stunning.

The first is Blasphemina's Closet. What drew me in first were the hair accessories. Upon closer inspection of the shop, I was captured by the clothing as well.

I mean, look at this dress!! "This is a one of a kind art deco dress inspired by pieces in the decorative arts wing of Minneapolis Institute of the Arts. All of the pleats were hand measured, the brocade and velvet ribbon made to mimic the look of a particular chair." I ADORE fashion inspired by art. It reminds me of my favorite Project Runway challenge where their final runway piece was to be inspired by something from the Metropolitan in New York.

The second shop is a fellow Michigan artist. Wendy Beath Creations has an abundance of gorgeous things! The mixture of flowers and feathers is done with a casual grace that quite honestly makes me jealous. There isn't a single hair piece in that shop that I don't adore.

And paper flower earrings, how often do you see that?