Silver and Polymer Clay Revisited

I forgot to mention in the title that I have also revisited Wire Crochet too! The Silver Corsage was made for a wedding and eventually was attached to a hair band. The Purple Flower added an extra special finishing touch to a 40th Birthday Cake I made. The Stone is Amethyst - the Birthday Girl's Birthstone. This could also be used as a hair decoration or put in a pretty spill vase as decoration.

I'm still unsure about PMC (Precious Metal Clay). It's possibilities are endless but I find having to work with something so quickly before it dries out a bit of a pain! I did however have another go at Fingerprint Jewellery. First was a Silver Hanging Heart Pendant with three childrens' prints

I used the same prints to make three smaller charms to be attached to a Bracelet

I went on a Polymer Clay Course quite a while ago now and as with most things I shelved it for a later date!

One rainy day the Children discovered my stash and were particularly impressed with having to put the Clay through the Pasta Machine to condition it and roll it out. I ended up playing with a few scraps of clay too and made myself a pretty bracelet. I left the beads with a matt finish but did try out varnishing a few to see what they looked like. The kids' Mood Sand proved very useful for holding the cocktail sticks with the Beads on ready for Varnishing! I have to say I prefer the Beads unvarnished with a bit of Sanding and a polish with a cloth.

More competitions!

What a lucky girl I am! I won Dinky Daisy's Competition! It's quite apt that I've been getting my hands on a bit of Crochet of late as all my Prizes are Crochet items - Dinky's Speciality. Look at this lovely little stash -

There is a great tutorial on Dinky Daisy's Blog teaching you how to make a Crochet flower. I can't wait to have a go - having accomplished Circles with my wire Crochet I now need to have a go at 'shape'.

Thank you for my lovely prizes - I love them!

As if that wasn't enough I've also won a pair of earrings from Blue Box Studio! Sue from Blue Box Studio was the winner of my last giveaway - I promise this isn't a fix - I think she used the high-tech Random generator thingy! I'll write more about my prize when I receive it! Thanks Sue!

If you fancy winning something then hop across to The Crystal Lady where you have three chances to win! She is giving away three lovely gemstone rings.

The boys enjoyed the last of the 'heatwave' yesterday playing in the garden. Forget about high tech toys - they had loads of fun with a playful Butterfly who kept landing on them!

It looks like we're back to the normal dreary British weather - it's raining again! It is good for the garden though!

Wire Crochet

I had a wonderful day on Teri Howes' Crochet Jewellery Course on Saturday at her studio based at Cockpit Arts. Teri is a Jeweller who makes the most intricate pieces of work using wire crochet in pure silver and gold and her work is available in numerous galleries.

I hadn't done much crochet before even in wool let alone wire! I soon got the hang of it. I'm still amazed at the intricacy of Teri's work! (see pictures on left and below. Pictures Courtesy of Teri Howes)

Teri assisting a classmate!

Work in progress!

There was a vast array of different coloured wires to choose from - it was hard to make a choice!

The fruits of my day are below. I made a lovely necklace with matt pink wire and an eclectic mix of beads. The fastening is a lovely Vintage button. My next make was a flower which I will probably make into a brooch.

The results are very effective and very pleasing!

If anyone is interested in having a go at Wire Crochet Jewellery, Teri runs regular classes throughout the year. Visit teri's website for more details.

Cockpit Arts is having its Open Studios on Friday 12th - Sunday 14th (Holborn) and Friday 19th June - Sunday 21st June (Deptford). You can see the designers behind the scenes in their studios and have the opportunity to buy a few things too! Visit the Cockpit Arts website for more details.