Octopus, Octopi, but not Octomom

Hello all,

It's been awhile and man o man, do I have lots of things saved up to show you!  A few people have asked me what I use to make my molds, so I thought I'd show you.

I can get it at both Michaels and Hobby Lobby.  It's good stuff.  Easy to work with,

And today class, we're going to be molding these and this

I guess that could be representative of Octomom and her octobabies.  naw, her babies are way cuter.....anyway

This big one was a gift.

  You know you have the most amazing friends when they spend part of their weekend hunting down (and by hunting down I mean shopping.  Settle down Peta members.  It's not even possible to hunt wild octopus in the midwest.) an entire giant (relatively large, that is) octopus for you, then deliver it to your door!  Or maybe they were just sick of me asking if I could purchase a whole octopus everytime we went to any restaurant that served sushi or calamari.  Whichever, I'm giving them credit for being the wonderful friends they are!

And away we go......

Yes, sometimes my kitchen looks like a science lab.  But hey...

I'm thinking I shouldn't have thawed out the octopi before molding them.

I also make molds of things like this.....

Random things that will look cool made of resin.

 Sometimes the mold putty pulls the delicious vintage patina off of some items.  Sad when that happens but we know how to re-patinate, eh?

Doesn't look like much now.

Want to see what a mold of those cool suckers look like?  Huh wanna? Okey dokey....

Yes, I had too much caffiene, what can I say?

That's the big one.  This one won't work for resin but it'll be perfect for putting octopi texture on all sorts of other materials.

The resin would run right out of this one too.  But I love it!

This is the terntacle that I used for that mold.  I love how the suckers graduate in size with those really big ones in the middle.  Most of them didn't look like that. 

These will be perfect for resin!

But not this one.  Ok, you get the idea. 

Moving on....

I added an additional picture to the Patina Recipes post, which I also put in as an update to my last post.  Because I located the picture I told you about-finally.  It's the Prismacolor technique on reticulated copper.  Here it is in case you missed the update.  Which of course you did, cuz why you read my blog twice?

It's an old picture taken with a scanner, so it's not the best quality, but you can see the depth of color that can be built up with colored pencils.  I think it looks really nice with the jasper that's framed in verdigris.

The robins decided the wisteria would be a good place to raise their young.  Hope that I'll get some good baby robin pics to share. 

I actually got a few things listed amongst all the hubbub that is my life right now....

The Clouds Roll By

Why is it that simple earrings don't show up well in photographs?  Cuz in person, these are really pretty.  They have a kind of Grecian ancient vibe.  But in the picture, they have a "meh" vibe. 

Things that make you go hmmmmmm

Rocker Chick Meets Girl Next Door-

Sterling, copper, brass and all fun.

So what have I been up to in my blogging absence?

Tidying up my workspaces which the second most interesting man in the world says are taking over the house!  I beg to differ.  What do you think?

This is what I refer to as my "dirty workroom".

Because this is where the "dirty" things happen.

Not that kind of dirty.

This kind of dirty-

soldering, patinating, sealing, glass cutting, glass grinding, etc.  All quite innocent, I assure you

Notice the very clean table.

my dirty room soldering station for this type of soldering

Didn't plan on putting that picture in so you get the unedited version.

That necklace will eventually be offered as a kit in my etsy shop.

back to the tour....

Small pieces of glass

I know, why do you care?  Oh, you don't?  :( 

Lampworking stuff.

Did you notice how not dirty the "dirty workroom" was?  Now on to the garage workspace........

Up a flight of stairs.... which hopefully makes up for all the time I spend sitting in front of this computer and/or my worktables....

but we all know it doesn't.

My soldering station for the other type of soldering

The kiln-oraptor.  It's very ooooo-l-d.

and behind door #3....

That big vice on the left is my foldforming vice.  That however, is not my foldforming hammer.

The mill who is king of the hill out there.

My little lapidary unit.  Yes, I want a big one with 6 or 7 wheels.  You bet I do!  Am I going to get one?  Highly doubtful.  Although, we do have an anniversary coming up.  Hint hint. 

 Yes, my husband loves it that I always want tools for gifts.

Rocks!  Some of the rocks, that is.

so pretty.......

OK, done with the garage.

Now up another flight of stairs to my "clean workroom" which when working feverishly, seldom is.  You all know how that goes, right?

Because this has always been my business name until I opened Anvil Artifacts. 

Which is officially "Anvil Artifacts by JL3 Jewelry Design".

Guess I should make a new sign. 

That fabulous assemblage piece with the hand and the face is by

In the willows. 

I absolutely adore Wendy's work.  You'll see another piece of it in my next post.

hammers, more hammers....

Those two wooden tools are for making wax flowers.  That, sadly is a lost art.

And no, I don't know how to make them......yet.  But I'm all set when I have time to experiment.  Probably similar to making silk flowers, not ribbon ones, but silk, which I do know how to do.  You know where you laboriously cut out each petal, then stabilize it with liquid starchy stuff and let that dry, then you heat each petal with a little iron thingy on these special little tools made specifically for forming the fabric into petals.  What?  You can go buy those flowers at any and every craft store and everywhere else on earth?  Really?!  Who knew!!  Why don't you guys tell me these things?

 Well, I could explain it away due to my semi-obsession with pretty blooming things......

Numinosity, Nadin and vintage headpins.

Yup, a sea urchin hair doo-dad.  Should I list it?

A stuff-stasher

Even those ugly plastic storage things with a gazillion drawers don't look too bad with pretty paper in the front of the drawers.

Look....actual colors that are not Venetian blue, Tiffany blue or light aqua!

A seashell embedded in concrete from that whole batch I did last summer

and a forged Ginko leaf

on a display shelf.

Another view so you can see the bird that my brother carved for me years ago.

Lite reading fare from my imaginary friend, Kathy.

This will eventually become a bracelet. 

I'm picturing it embellished with all sorts of grungy things.

And we're back to where we started!

So then, does it appear to you that my workrooms have taken over the house?  The entire house?

I must say that having all of my work areas all neat and tidy, organized and pretty,

 makes me feel like this

Makes me feel like dancing!

which, btw, have some of you noticed how many times I use the term "dancing" in the titles

of my jewelry pieces? 

Ever wondered why? 

 Let me tell you.... cuz this is Mr. Wonderful's (as Petra likes to call him) life motto

I dance vicariously through my jewelry, cuz I know some of them get to go out dancing!

so, switching gears,  here's what I have ready to list

Baby blue with rhinestones, other assorted pretties on hammered and oxidized sterling.

Tourmalinated quartz with lots of pretty black and white stones, pearls, etc., all wound up with yet more sterling. 

These earrings would look very nice with this

but notice, I am not calling it a set out of respect for those of you who are set-sensitive.

There's also these which I made about a year ago.  

Riveted bangles with free floating glass and metal beads. 

The bangles fit a larger than average wrist.

Also this....but for an average wrist.....

Hope Always

And another bracelet.....

What If

And now...

a

POP QUIZ

what does this look like?

Yes, that's what I thought too!

A pod from stillpointworks 

like this one

well, not exactly like this one.  But a beautiful little piece, isn't it?  Which reminds me of those buds.

Do you all see it or am I imagining things?

how about this one?  see it now?

or now?

This is what I see when I look at that bud-laden climbing vine, .... lots of little polymer pods.

Well that's it for now. 

And yes, I already have the next post all lined out because I have 673 pictures ready to go.  But this post, as usual, was getting way too long.

Next time I'll take you on the Grand Tour. 

The Grand Tour of what you ask?

Well of faces, of course!

Of course it will be every bit as exciting as seeing me make molds. 

Try not to get too impatient waiting for it, ok?  That's a hard one, I know. 

In the meantime you can contemplate just how incredible it will be. 

Like this guy......

Oh wait, I think he's contemplating how yummy that insect he just ate was.  Oh he's a vegan?  Then I don't know what he's contemplating.  You maybe from that wizened stare!

Valete (Latin)

Till next time....