Playing with patina....

I have been wanting to add some color to my metal work for awhile...and I happened upon Vintaj's
new patina inks. Just paint on, let dry and wow!
Here are a few pictures of some metal charms I had here that I tried the patinas on.

The top piece is untreated. The second and third created rusted and verdigris effects. The effects I achieved were from layering and blotting lightly wih soft cloth. I went over the lettering with a .01 permanent art pen after to bring the letters back out.

The second charm I tried was one with that overly shiny silver plating on it. I lightly roughed up the surface with steel wool and added the inks. It came out much nicer looking than the original charm I think!
I definitely plan on adding to my color palette. The two sets I purchased were Rusted Hardware and Weathered Copper. The color is permanent,and  Vintaj's also makes a sealer to add to that longevity.

CYBER MONDAY SALE IN MY ETSY!

It was a busy,creative weekend with the craft fair and pop-up shop opening. Still, I thought a Cyber Monday sale would be fun.
30% off of your total purchase in my Etsy shop until 11:00 e.s.t. tonight. Use coupon code CYBERMONDAY12.
I'll be back later with fair and gallery info and pics.
Have a great day!
www.etsy.com/shop/lucie39

Thanksgiving Weekend Sale In My Etsy Shop

Shop from the comfort of your own home...no lines,no hassles....wear your pajamas if you like!
20% off off of your total purchase available at checkout. Use the coupon code GOBBLEGOBBLE2012 when you check out.
Enjoy your shopping weekend!
www.etsy.com/shop/lucie39

Happy Thanksgiving To All!

We are having a quite moment here at home before all the revelry begins. I thought I would take a moment to reflect on all that I am thankful for.
I am thankful for a great family,immediate and extended. I am thankful to have a good man as my partner of 15 years,and I am doubly thankful to have two of the most awesome children ever.
I am thankful for good friends,both old and new, particularly my two bffs who my friendships with stretch back 34 and  27 years.
I am thankful for this wonderful age we live in where social media has allowed me to reconnect to many wonderful friends I might not have had the chance to reconnect to.
I am thankful for my fun job.
I am thankful for my art.
I am thankful to have art in my life everyday.
Happy Thanksgiving!

CraftORama info...

Quick update before the busy weekend...

Busy packing up my inventory for Craftorama,beginning this weekend. Decided to put my pendants I am dropping off there on blister cards. Looks a bit nicer and more professional,don't you think?

 

 

Busy,busy,busy!

Not much time for anything this weekend,chained to the art table day and night. I am participating in two upcoming events this week--the month long CraftORama,a pop-up shop taking place at The Ugly Gallery on Union Street in New Bedford. Runs from Nov. 24 to Dec. 24.
I am also taking part in the two day craftacular event at Great New Bedford Voc Tech. this coming Black Friday weekend. 9 to 4 on Sat. and 9 to 3 on Sunday. It's a fun show with lots of great shopping,and good food,too:)
I'll leave you with this pic featuring the current state of my work table :)

Experiments with resin...

I have always liked the look of resin jewelry and wanted to give it a try,but I was put off by the toxic fumes it gives off. Then, last winter I discovered uv resin. No smell,and only minutes curing time under a 14 watt uv nail lamp ( just like the ones in the nail salons. Purchased off of Ebay)

I played around with different uses for the resin--sealing the backs of pendants where I once would have used Diamond Glaze, creating resin ring and pendant domes. These all worked well, but I was still wondering whether I could make a full pendant out of uv resin using a resin mold. This afternoon  I came across a stash of kawaii stickers someone had sent me,and decided to give it a a try.

This T-Rex came out pretty cool,but alas his mammoth counterpart did not fare so well. apparently there IS such a thing as too much glitter...

The last batch came out better. I discovered the resin works best curing in layers, and to add the color as the last step.

The uv resin is a bit pricey to do this on a regular basis ($10.99 for a 2 ounce bottle) but if you are only looking to whip up a couple of pendants, it is both easy and fun.

Happy Monday to all!

A good morning and Happy Monday to all. We are home today--Veteran's Day,in remembrance of all who have served in the armed forces in this country.

Christmas and holiday craft fairs I participate in are creeping up faster than I realized (Thanksgiving is next week!) so we busy at the art table today. Sam plans to invade my table at the next fair with some of his mini sculptures. I have to admit they are pretty cool. The penguin in the picture is loosely based on Gunter from 'Adventure Time'. He made a pretty cool Jake,too. I have requested a Marceline and Princess Bubblegum ...for me,of course.

Back to the art table now...have a super Monday!

Geek Girls of Etsy Spotlight on: NerdCred

Today's featured spotlight is on NerdCred,which offers some interesting and unique gaming items.
Here is a bit of owner,SaffyreCreations,intro to the shop:


Thanks for visiting. Nerd cred its a boutique of handmade items suited for the nerdy and geeky at heart. Our items are made by gamers for gamers!!! We specialize in Dice items and Dice bags. Our dice bags are designed to be fun, durable and practical.

Here is a unique bottle stopper for your next gaming party...

Love the colors of this pretty game die necklace :)

Awesome custom bags to carry your game dice in...

Custom painting! Anyone who can paint on this tiny a scale gets my respect!

NerdCred welcomes custom orders,so check them out for your gaming needs!

You can find there shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/NerdCred

and they have a Facebook page as well

https://www.facebook.com/NerdCred

Breathing new life into my poor neglected blog :-)

Since the onset of Facebook,like many others,I have tended to pour all my time and resources into it. I created a fan page for my shop. I joined in on the 'Link Love' movement and fanned lots of fellow Etsians pages,along with Artfire pages and any other creative type trying to get the word out there. It was fun,I was able to find so many sites I might never have experienced otherwise. Then FB caught on.

Since the onset of the 'new FB page rules' -- otherwise known as 'hey,we can make a buck off of this so now you have to pay if you want your posts seen' my fan count is stagnant,and posts are rarely seen. It's more than just a little depressing. Where once a post might get seen by several hundred people ,now it might be seen by only a couple,if I am LUCKY.

This morning I decided to check in here,and was studying my Google stats. Despite the facts I haven't posted here since September,this blog still gets hits EVERY DAY. Granted,not a ton--yet. I aim to change that. I am my own boss over here,and it's time to utilize that,I think. Time for more guest shop features,more previewing my own work,more giveaways. Spread the word,and be sure to join me here often!

Onwards and upwards!

Adventures in mobile blogging continued

....since apparently there is a size limit for mobile uploads. A few more pics from our visit to Muse Studio...

 

This is a test...

Of my mobile blogging system,lol.
This probably won't ever be my prefered method of blogging,but sometimes there are just things I want to share immediately and my laptop is nowhere around ( or in the hands of my 11 year old;-)
Here are a few pics from an impromptu photo shoot I did yesterday at the wonderful Muse Studio in downtown New Bedford,where I am fortunate enough to have some of my works displayed for sale. The owner,Nooshin, is wonderful and has created a store that is truly different from anything else in the area.
 

'Geek Girls of Etsy' Spotlight on: REDbyTina

Sorry to have been away so long...it's been a busy summer!

Our feature today is Etsy shop: REDbyTina.
I have to say I really enjoyed browsing through this shop~lovely whimsical jewelry designs.
Tina didn't have a bio listed,so on to the pretties!

This fellow is CUTE!


I have a soft spot for anything ombre,and the colors here are lovely


I like the colors of this wrap style bracelet

















Pretty' Marilyn' inspired ring

REDbyTina has a 15% off end of sale going on right now~be sure to check them out!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/REDbytina

'Geek Girls Of Etsy' Spotlight on Plantzilla!

I have to say, I love the name of today's spotlight shop. As I started perusing through her shop I had the feeling I was observing some otherworldly landscape,complete with alien flora.
First,here is a bit of Plantzilla's bio via their Etsy shop intro:

Hi There!

I have been growing tropical and desert houseplants for eleven years. I currently grow over 100 species in a rather small indoor space. My passion for horticulture extends into all aspects of plant propagation and development. I enjoy being involved in every step of the process, from mixing custom soil blends, to growing, maintaining, and propagating new plants from my existing collection. My home has become a veritable jungle which at times can border on the ridiculous, but I love it. When I'm not watering plants, I enjoy searching for discarded, beat up or overlooked treasures and giving them a new life. I hope you enjoy looking at my creations!

This hanging terrarium would look fantastic hanging in any room

 another hanging terrarium--so beautiful!

 

didn't this fellow fight Godzilla in a movie?

so amazing looking--I think this one is plotting it's escape!

be sure to check this awe-inspiring shop out here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Plantzilla

'Geek Girls Of Etsy' Spotlight On: LegendaryCrochet

Today's spotlight is on the super fun shop,LegendaryCrochet!
A few words from Francie's bio:


Legendary Crochet is a shop for unique people who love items you cant find anywhere else.We love to create items for kids and the kid at heart.
The crochet items in our shop are my original patterns.


Lots of gamer fun in this shop--check out all the wonderful Mario items.
And how adorable are these!


What car wouldn't look cool with a set of these on your rear view mirror


To help boo-boos feel better!


I am not a lawn gnome person...but I would totally put one of these on my lawn!


You can find more of Francie's amazing work here in her Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/legendarycrochet

'Geek Girls Of Etsy' Spotlight on: RedLotusDesignz

Today's feature is on a shop I have long admired: RedLotusDesignz
Diana's shop is heavily influenced by anime(yay!)--here is a little of what her shop bio says:

My name is Diana Chin and thanks for stopping by my Etsy page.

On my website at RedLotusDesignz.com, my husband and I would design layouts for web sites (specifically non-profit and small businesses) using a combination of CSS, HTML and JavaScript for interactivity. We also do consulting for small businesses, non-profit and aspiring entrepreneurs. 

On my Etsy store (http://redlotusdesignz.etsy.com), I create handmade anime & manga jewelry. Whether if it is Sailor Moon, Bleach, Fairy Tail, or Naruto, we got your poison :D

And she certainly caught my attention when I saw her lovely 'Sailor Moon' pendants!

'Hellsing' headband

'High School of the Dead' dog tag necklace

These 'Death Note' earring are both awesome...

and double-sided!

:

here are a  few links where you can find Diana's work:
her main site- be sure to check out her cute web comic 'The Moo Times of Betsy' while you are there!
http://www.redlotusdesignz.com

FB fan page:
http://www.facebook.com/ArtworkbyRedLotusDesignz

Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/redlotusdesignz

Tumblr:
http://redlotusdesignz.tumblr.com

Wordpress:
http://redlotusdesignz.wordpress.com

Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/redlotusdesignz

Another version of the fabric pendant...

I almost forgot to post this pendant. It's a bit different in that after I first coated and dried the fabric with Modge Podge,I then put a self adhering resin cap on it. Once it set,I trimmed the excess fabric,set a layer of MP in the base of my bezel tray popped the cabochon in and let it dry. A few less steps than the glass tile pendant,and just as pretty!

Fabric pendant tutorial

I was inspired by the new 'Modge
Podge Rocks' book that just came out,and I wanted to try a project using Fabric Modge Podge. This pendant tutorial is the result.
First,take your fabric choice and coat with Fabric Modge Podge. This prevents the fabric from fraying when you cut it. I do this step on wax paper since it won't stick to it while drying.

Next,I sprinkled a neon glitter to give my 70's styled fabric an 80's styled. Everything is better with glitter,I say,lol.

I used a uv lamp for drying the fabric between steps. Normally I use this for curing uv resin,but I find it comes in handy for drying lots of different jewelry projects. They sell specially made one for resin,but I find the ones from beauty supply stores work just as well. The one I use I purchased off of Ebay,and it uses two 7 watt uv bulbs.


Position your glass tile where you want to place it on the fabric. Next use a generous portion of Modge Podge( I used Matte formula) and place it on the fabric. It will be really cloudy,but it will clear as it dries. Keep q-tips handy;they are great for wiping excess glue from the sides of the tiles when you press down onto the fabric.


Dry again,and then trim excess fabric. The Modge Podge does a great job keeping the fabric from fraying. Here I switched back to the fabric formula MP, and attatched a second piece of fabric to the back. Dry again.  Trim excess.
I used Satin Hard Coat Modge Podge for my final coat to give it some water resistance. I used two coats.
Attach bails using a really strong glue ( I like Liquid Fusion and Gorilla Glue)



Voila,super easy fabric pendants! I really had a lot of fun with these. Now I am going to have to scout around Etsy looking for super cute fabrics so I can make more!
This is my first tutorial,hope you enjoyed. Feel free to email me any questions,or show me what you make!