New things, old things...

I finally got around to listing some new styles of polymer beads I've been making.  I've been throwing some curves on my faceted clay beads using color and inclusions.  I've also been making tiny abstract floral illustrations on them.  Like this little piggie....

 My idea is inspired by the Mexican piggy bank style, which I love.  I've got a couple from my childhood--one is more traditional and actually from Mexico, and the other is one my grandmother made for me.  I've got to get the pig stylized in a different way though, to get a more piggy bank look down.  This was a pre-existing pig.  He's still available.

Here are some illustrated beads, which have sold.  I've got more waiting in the wings, though.  The drawings are made with Sharpie markers, and the paint is gold leaf--both very permanent.  But I just feel compelled to seal them with a coating of something because the illustrations and color is the main point of them.  These and the piggy have a satin finish, which worked nicely.  I tried the gloss on a pair of really good ones and it kind of smeared the ink.  So I'm at a stand off with them all right now.  But I guess it'll be back to the satin.

A set of khaki/green chunky rounds...

Another example of the pastel mosaic faceted beads custom made during the mad rush...

This one sold but I've got 2 smaller ones in the wings...

These have been quite popular and I will be making more as soon as I obtain some more base strands of the bone beads.  I'm not finding the dark ones though, and the dark ones seem to be more porous.  Maybe that's not it--but they are commercially dyed and manipulated, so when I go to remove the color and manipulate them, there is more to work with, more to undo and uncover.  Ultimately, it translates into the final textures, colors, and patina of the beads.  But I'm finding ways to deal with the light colored strands too.

I've also been making jewelry, but listing is pretty slow as I'm more focused on getting the supply shop in order.  The earrings above are the first in a series of Star Trek inspired jewelry.  There's a lot of great jewelry in Star Trek.  These earrings have vintage tin cut discs, with layers of paint and glitter, and a hoop of little faceted red glass beads.

Here are the inspiration earrings, worn in the episode, Wolf in the Fold, by the Argelian empath Sybo, during a seance in which she identifies the entity "Redjac," responsible for the Jack the Ripper murders.  It's a damn good episode.  You could make some tea and watch it right now, by pressing a button.  It's like magic.