Dragons!

The painting still continues on my table today, but here's a peek at what's finished so far:

Four pewter dragons with rubies from last week, and a few new additions: 2 pewter dragons with a lovely artisan glass bead by Beads & Botanicals, a blue dragon with a white agate, and a red dragon with a black and white crackle agate. They each have their patina now and are ready to be strung on necklaces.

Well, that's it. Back to painting for me! Twenty-six little critter beads and 3 daisy pendants are waiting for their last coats of paint... It's going to be a busy night!

Jewelry Preview - Turquoise Horse Designs

These pieces were some of the last designs I did before Lazy Daze...and also some of my favorites. If you're a lover of southwestern jewelry, turquoise, and horses these are for you!

Rectangle Pendant Necklaces

Faux turquoise rectangles stamped with my own hand carved stamp (making mirror image stamps for earrings wasn't easy!) and hung on silver tone chain.

Another angle of the same necklaces.


Racing Round Necklace

Faux turquoise pendant stamped with horses and hung on a silver tone chain.

Running Horse Chokers

Stamped faux turquoise nuggets strung with antique silver beads on a coarse multi-strand cord.

Two Friends Turquoise Horse Necklace

This necklace is truly one-of-a-kind. It was one of those designs that just happens. While mixing a batch of turquoise clay those neat white streaks appeared and I just couldn't help but make a pendant! I haven't been able to get those results again - so when this necklace is gone - it's really gone! :-)

Turquoise Horse Charm Bracelets.
Charm bracelets to match the necklaces - in two different styles.


Stamped Nugget Earrings


Stamped Round Earrings

And one last look at my favorite necklace...I really need to make one of these for myself! ;-)

More Jewelry For Lazy Daze!

New Fire Agate Dragon Pendants

One dozen little dragon pendants nearly ready for their debut at Lazy Daze!

New Pewter Ruby Dragons...and Some Old Ones Finished

More dragons for the festival! Four little pewter guys this time.

And here are a few photos of my first two pewter ruby dragons...made into necklaces. It took so long for me to find the right beads and then to have enough time for photographing that I forgot to post them!

The single dragon necklace:

And the double dragon necklace:

Gunmetal rollo chain, pewter stacked beads, and tiny red rondelles - a bit gothic don't you think? ...I'm sure I'll be doing more of this style. It's surprising how things turn out sometimes, but that's what keeps creating so much fun!

You can find both necklaces now listed in my Etsy shop.

A Special Charm for a Very Special Cause - The Finished Bracelet

Here it is! Christine just posted this photo of Villa's finished bracelet on her blog, Stories They Tell!

I just love how it turned out! It's a wonderful thing to be able to create something so small that together with the love and craftsmanship of others will bring a spot of hope and happiness into another person's life. Thank you Christine, for this very special opportunity!

A Special Charm for a Very Special Cause

Christine Damm of Stories They Tell is creating a special gift for her sister-in-law, Vila. Vila has been diagnosed with leukemia and is in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy. To remind Vila that there are many people that care so much about her as she goes through this challenging time, Christine is putting together a charm bracelet. But what makes this bracelet so very special is each charm will come from a stranger, a stranger somewhere...anywhere...who cares for Vila. Christine hopes to get 50 charms or so - just imagine all the stories that will be put into this one bracelet...

So here's my charm - a little kitty in the sunshine.


I created a new stamp for this design and did the casting in faux pewter.

And on the back I inscribed the words "The Sun is Shining". They come from one of my most loved books: J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings: "Don't be gloomy - the Sun is shining." I've always loved this quote, especially when I'm sad and gloomy, because I'm reminded that no matter where the Sun is, it is shining - it may be night, it may be so very dark and stormy, but somewhere high above the shadows the Sun shines on...always...and forever.

And here's the stamp.

As a thank you gift to those who take part, Christine is giving away three of her own beautiful creations to three randomly drawn contributors. If any of you would like to contribute to this wonderful gift and make a charm for Vila, head on over to Christine's blog for more on what you can do...Let's make this the most special gift ever!

Black Ruby Dragons

More dragons in pewter - actually this is where my new pewter designs started. I found these ruby red drops on Etsy a while back and they've just been waiting for a dragon to hold them. So a couple days ago I mixed up some faux pewter. Now I just have to wait for the chain and beads to arrive...

A single dragon - this one is 40mm long.

Here's how I did the back - I started with an oval contouring it around the drop (the bulge in the middle) and curling the edges toward the back. Next I sculpted the dragon and placed him around the stone. Then it was off to the oven to cure. Next, after cooling, I added more clay to the back, making sure it would lay properly when worn. Then I embedded two gunmetal rings for the chain and baked it again. And finally I applied the patina to make it all pewter like.

And of course I had to do a double dragon pendant with one of the drops! It's always fun to work with more than one. This pendant is 53mm long.

The back of the double dragon pendant.

New Dragon and Phoenix Pendants Finished!

Four finished pendants cast in both faux bone and faux pewter:
They each measure approximately 73 x 37mm.


The dragon in bone.

And the back showing the bail. I work these designs by first casting the dragon or phoenix and contouring it a bit (the bail fits better...and it just looks better that way). Then I cure it for about a half hour in the oven. Next I add a thin layer of clay to the back, smoothing it along the sides and adding texture (my fingerprints!). I place the bail and bake it one more time. And finally, I paint the entire surface thickly in Galleria artists acrylics and quickly wipe it off leaving a nice patina in the detail.

The phoenix in bone.

And here's pewter - I just started using this mix this week. I'd been wanting to get a pewter effect for a while and I was surprised at how well it turned out...You'd never know seeing the clay before the patina! Sometime I'll have to remember to get photos before adding it.

I did the bail the same on the pewter.


The phoenix in pewter.