Enchanting Halloween Jewelry Charms
My favorite time of year, Fall is finally here! Cooler weather, plant-life changing colors and the promise of my favorite holiday of the year, Halloween just right around the corner. Now that I have a little more free time I am trying to find ways to use up a lot of my older art supplies mixed with new and interesting items. Scouring stores for Halloween decos, supplies, fabrics and ideas is favorite and seemingly a family tradition in our household.
I found at JoAnn Fabric Stores a wonderful line of Halloween charms by hildie & jo. The charms are sturdy, have a great finish and there is a great variety of carded charms. My only problem was most JoAnn Fabric Stores were selling out of the charms quickly and these were the only sets I could find. Each set had different themes and assortment of styles. I didn’t use all the charms yet but several I immediately knew what I wanted to create using up some of my older jewelry supplies.
The large two skull pendant set while advertised as Halloween charms I felt fit a Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) theme better. Noticing the skulls had a warm golden honey color rhinestone set in them along with a black enamel antiquing, I picked black and honey tone crystals from Fiona Accessories, silver flower and leaf beads to accompany the skull.
The rather adorable silver fang charm was just perfect as is, and I felt if I added any of the other charms to it, the piece would get lost. I matched the red enamel on the fangs to small red Swarovski crystal beads and silver-lined translucent red Miyuki magatama (oval) beads. By spacing the beads on the chain in irregular intervals, it created the look of crystallized blood flowing down the chain and past the fangs.
The tiny witch craft charms were so sweet and well crafted I felt adding them to silver earring hoops with purple Swarovski crystals was the best way to create a delicate but magical cascade.
The more tongue-in-cheek witch charms I turned into a bracelet, using black, green and pink Czech fire polished beads. The playful movement of the charms and drops added to the fun everyday style.
After having such a fun time creating these pieces I can’t help but want to haunt the stores for more!
What might inspire you to make some fashionably ghoulish accessories this season?
Until Next Time, Safe Travels!
A #Cre8time trip to Ancient Greece with Amazing Casting Products and Stencil Girl Products
Hello! Tracy here with something special this month, a wonderful collaboration between Amazing Casting Products and Stencil Girl Products! Showcasing projects by incorporating Stencil Girl stencils along with Amazing Mold Putty and Amazing Clear Cast.
When I was given the chance to look through the Stencil Girl Products online catalog of stencils, there was so many to choose from! After seeing their Three Owls and a Branch stencil I immediately got an idea for a canvas piece. One of the owls in particular reminded me of Athena’s owl from the original Clash of the Titans movie, and once I saw the Stitch a Greek Border stencil I just knew I had to do a Grecian inspired piece!
Supplies:
Amazing Mold Putty
Amazing Clear Cast Resin
Stencil Girl Products Three Owls and a Branch 9″ X 12″ stencil
Stencil Girl Products Stitch a Greek Border 9″ X 12″ stencil
12″ X 24″ Canvas
Painter’s Tape
Paint Brush
Cosmetic Sponges
Acrylic Paint (Black, Yellow, Pale Yellow, Brown and Orange)
I mixed together the Yellow, Brown and Orange acrylic paints and applied it to the surface of the canvas. I did about two coats of paint to get a mostly even color tone.
While the paint on the canvas was drying I scrubbed and cleaned a rough patch of sidewalk in my front yard. Once the cement was dry I mixed up some Amazing Mold Putty{CLICK HERE to view mixing/preparation}, and pressed the putty into the most textured spots of the sidewalk. I let the mold putty cure and carefully peeled the putty off the sidewalk.
Once removed from the sidewalk I now had wonderful one of kind texture plates to use as stamps!
To each Amazing Mold Putty stamp I applied a light coat of acrylic pant and stamped it all over the surface of the canvas. There was no rhyme or reason to the placement, just anywhere I wanted to create a controlled splatter of color. By using several colors of paint the surface started to mimic aged Grecian frescoes and pottery. I let the paint dry fully.
Using painters tape I taped in place the Stencil Girl Products Stitch a Greek Border on the bottom of the canvas and picked two different trim patterns to stencil. By using painter’s tape, it will hold the stencil in place but not damage the painted surface (nor the stencil), allowing for easy repositioning. I then poured a small amount of Black acrylic paint on a palette and dabbed a cosmetic sponge lightly into the paint. I carefully applied the paint while holding the stencil in place to prevent any slight slippage of the stencil. If an area needed a second coat of paint it was easy to go back and reapply paint without any worries of paint overloading. I repeated this for the top of the canvas as well.
The Stencil Girl Products Three Owls and a Branch stencil allowed for a lot of artistic freedom by simply blocking off sections I did not want paint to go through with painter’s tape. By flipping over the stencil or moving it around at different angles I was able to create many tree branches with ease.
With a few branches I even taped off some of the leaves to create the look of tree just starting to sprout leaves in Spring. Once I was done stenciling it was easy to clean the stencils by placing them in a small tub with soap water and gently rubbing the paint off.
Once all of the paint was dry I went back to fix any stenciling mistakes I had made with a small paint brush. I then added some Light Yellow acrylic paint to the eyes of the owls and trim to further replicate the look of ancient Greek art.
I mixed up some Amazing Clear Cast Resin, let it sit for 10 minutes, and applied a thin layer to the front of the canvas with a cosmetic sponge. I applied the resin slowly, a downward motion, top to bottom of the canvas. I didn’t mind if I had little bumps and canvas texture showing through, as the resin was acting as a color intensifier and a thin protective coating. I let the resin fully cure for 24 hours before handling.
*If I wanted a more of a glassy smooth surface I would apply a second or even third layer of resin without a cosmetic sponge.
Now completed, Athena’s ever watchful owls seem to be right off an ancient fresco!
Until Next Time, Safe Travels!
#Cre8time Jewelry Creations Inspired by Art History
Hello! With Spring in full swing I have been cleaning the plethora of crafting supplies I seem to always have. While I destash I can’t help but notice I seem to add to the collection without noticing! So this time I set myself the goal of using my more coveted supplies to create jewelry on a more regular basis. Today I wanted to show with you some of those jewelry creations inspired by Art History.
“Imhotep’s Gift”, vintage gold plated beads, Lapis Lazuli beads and vintage gold plated findings.
I have a serious love of Lapis Lazuli; the tiny highlights of naturally occurring Iron Pyrite always gives it a wonderful sparkle. Taking my inspiration from ancient Egypt, a matching set of chandler earrings and necklace was born.
“Roman villa”, gold foil and turquoise colored lamp-worked beads, Bead Gallery® gold rondelle beads, vintage gold plated findings and Blue Moon Beads® gold lantern focals from JoAnns.
The gold foil lamp-worked beads immediately reminded me of how ancient Roman glass looks when unearthed at archaeology digs. Using surviving Roman necklaces as a guide I used a link and drop design to create this necklace. I felt using the same beads would look a bit much for earrings so I went with lantern focal drops instead.
“Nepal Spring”, Sterling Silver Fair Trade beads from Nepal, vintage Sterling Silver spacer beads, Fiona Accessories black glass beads, Bead Gallery® turquoise tone Magnesite beads and vintage Sterling Silver findings.
I had bought the Nepal Fair Trade beads some years ago but could never think of what to do with them. I realized putting all the beads on one strand would be too heavy, so using only one bead as my focal I created a simple but stylish layout. The two additional beads from Nepal had their intricate details highlighted as earrings.
“Uranium Ball”, Neon green crystal beads (a discontinued line of crystals from Bead Gallery®?), vintage crystal and gold plated links, vintage gold plated spacer beads and vintage gold plated findings.
Once again the beads were my starting point of the design, the odd, almost glowing hue of the crystal beads made me think of Uranium glass. Uranium glass (also known as Vaseline glass), was glass tinted with Uranium to striking tones of green, was made into tableware and household items in the 1800 and early 1900s. Taking inspiration from the jewelry styles of the 1910-20s I created this set using mostly broken vintage jewelry pieces I have collected over the years.What type of wearable art could you create with a Spring destash of supplies?
Until Next Time, Safe Travels!
2017 Creativation Show with Amazing Casting Products
This year’s Craft & Hobby Association 2017 show was a whirlwind of changes, arts and crafts manufacturers, new products, demos, classes, and networking opportunities. Formerly known as the CHA Mega Show, it is now called the Creativation Trade show, held in Phoenix, Arizona. CHA also went under a new rebranding, now Association For Creative Industries or AFCI to reflect their more broad ranging inclusion of creative industries.
Here is their lovely new logo that was introduced to attendees and exhibitors on the second day of the show!
I was once again a demonstrator at the Amazing Casting Products/Alumilite Corp booth at CHA, this time for all three days! With the show being shorter but with longer show hours everything was a whirlwind.
In the above photo the President of Alumilite, Mike Faupel is proudly showing off the products of the Amazing Casting Products line and all the artwork samples.
On the front table there was a wonderful array of artwork by Cat Kerr, Tina Walker, Kristie Taylor and yours truly.
The talented and lovely Cat Kerr did afternoon demonstrations at the booth on Saturday. A tutorial of one of the projects she was demoing can be found Here.
While sadly Cat couldn’t stay for all of the show, everyone at the Amazing Casting Products booth made sure she had a great time!
One of my new pieces on display was resin frame piece I created and brought just for this show.
Using an old frame, gold leaf, Amazing Clear Cast resin tinted with Alumilite’s Dyes and mixed with Alumidust powders I was able to create a vibrant one of a kind abstract piece.
There was so many samples showcased in almost ever corner of the booth! From home decor, mixed media, jewelry, garden decor, fine art and more!
Trying a new spin on my resin canvas application (such as I did for last year’s show) I painted, applied gold leaf, Amazing Clear Cast resin, real leaves on a 12″x 24″ canvas. The depth and dimension I was able to achieve was lovely.
At the end of three days of demos from 9am-6pm I was looking a little frazzled but I had a wonderful time sharing techniques, new resin applications and showcasing my skills as a designer.
One of my favorite demonstrations was using the tile molds you can see in the photo. If you would like to find out how to create your own a tutorial can be found Here.
While I didn’t get to walk the show floor like I normally would because everything was so busy this show turned out to be a wonderful and new adventure into the creative industries.
Until Next Time, Safe Travels!
2016 DesignerCon Recap
This year I was finally about to attend DesignerCon or otherwise known as DCon. While my recap is somewhat belated I still wanted to share some info on a few of the seriously talented artists I met at this show.
So what is DesignerCon? As per their website:
“Designer Con is an annual art and design convention that smashes together collectible toys and designer goods with urban, underground and pop art! DCon is over 90,000 sq. ft. and features over 350 vendors, art & custom shows, live demonstrations, and much more! he show coordinators strive to provide a fun, safe, comfortable environment for fans, artists, and vendors to meet. Join us every November at the Pasadena Convention Center for a weekend of fun, toys, and art!”
While I was only able to attend one day due to scheduling conflicts, making it a mad dash to be able to see all the vendors and wonderful artists, it was an awesome show to attend. With so many talented people selling their art is was honestly hard to pick who to buy from and what. It is not a show to miss and next time I hope to go both days to not just walk the floors but attend some of the special events and panels.
I wanted to show some of the artists I bought from, their links on social networks and where others might buy more of their work outside of DesignerCon!
*Some shops might be down for the holidays or have specials going only for the holidays, make sure to check out their different social networks for updates.
Artists Amanda Louise Spayd and Chris Ryniak had a combined booth showcasing their sculptures, vinyl figures, illustrations, prints and buttons. Their unique spin on monsters and wee creatures has been a favorite of mine for years and it was a pleasure to finally meet them in person and buy some of their art.
Their combined shop: https://www.bindlewood.com/
Amanda Louise Spayd
Created the puppets in the short film The Maker: http://www.themakerfilm.com/
Website: http://amandalouise.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandalouisespaydChris Ryniak
Making Monsters by Chris Ryniak lecture at Patreon’s first ever creator conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81nzmR3jbe4
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisryniak
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisRyniakArt/
Artists Shing Yin Khor, otherwise known as Sawdust Bear and Leslie Levings creator of the Beastlies had a combined booth as well. Each of these artists had sculptures, resin castings, illustrations, prints, cards and buttons of their lovely and playful work. Seemingly lost specimens and denizens of hidden worlds each one of their pieces of artwork is full of personality.
Sawdust Bear
Website: http://www.sawdustbear.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sawdustbear/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sawdustbearBeastlies
Website: http://www.beastlies.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beastlies/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Beastlies/
I had the opportunity of seeing artist Kathy Davis at the 2016 Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show, before meeting her again at her DesignerCon booth. A truly talented doll artist and jewelry designer, her one of kind pieces were not to be missed! Her sculptures and dolls seem to have stepped right out of a fairy tale.
Website: http://www.kathndolls.com/
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Kathndolls
Artist Melissa Pagluica, creator of Above the Clouds, a comic that tells two intertwining stories, the adventures of a hero who must save a dying world, and a girl who must convince an author to finish what he has started. Her lovely dreamlike illustrations caught my eye from the aisle, even without knowing they came from her comic series, and I couldn’t leave her booth without buying a few.
Website: http://www.mpagluica.com/
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TeacupBee
Artist William Kieffer, otherwise known as Cap’n Bill, had an amazing display of deep sea creature sculptures, cards and prints. His highly detailed and wildly imaginative art harked back to deep sea creature myths and tall tails, while his greeting cards tapped into pop culture humor.
Website: http://www.wondersofthedeep.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/CapnBillKieffer
Artist Dirty Lola, otherwise known as Scarlett River, had a lovely assortment of prints, cards and antique altered decorative plates of her pop culture art. Celebrities are portrayed as saints, dignitaries or one of kind focals in her lovely retro art.
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DirtyLola
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scarlettriverofficial/
Artist shop Sadie Luca had a wonderful assortment purses, bags, pins, prints and aprons with retro horror camp prints with a modern fashion spin.
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SadieLuca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadieluca/
After just one day at DesignerCon I came back home with all of these wonderful items to display, share with others and give as holiday gifts!
We need and want beautiful art in our lives, but to have this we need to support artists who’s work we appreciate. Buy their art art, their images, sculptures, clothing, music and more, I can’t stress this enough. We lost a lot of amazing artists in 2016, support artists in their lifetime.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year, Until Next Time, Safe Travels!
Ancient and Contemporary Inspired Artistry