Christmas mystery solved

Cynthia discovers matching earrings from Karen McCorkle in her Christmas collection on PolymerClayDaily

As I layered up for the snow today, I figured out why I had these plain Jane earrings in my collection.

They’re the companions for this Karen McCorckle beautifully caned angel pin that I love. Oh, that goes back a couple of interesting decades!

Karen told us that she conditioned clay when she went to the movies with her family. In the darkened theatre, she could twist and knead the stiff version of polymer that we used back then. Her production schedule was so tight that she couldn’t waste any time.

Can anyone update us on Karen?

Reduced obsolescence

Jude Radwanski (firefly art jewellery) resists obsolescence and so do we all!

Saskatchewan’s Jude Radwanski (Firefly Art Jewellery) scratches and scribes polymer jewelry as she works to create jewelry that enhances the designs of clothing manufacturers and retailers.

“Polymer clay is extremely durable and suits my commitment to reduced obsolescence,” she says defiantly.

No obsolescence here at PCD either. I’ve skittered around the globe and across the country, checking in with polymer friends around the globe in a burst of post-pandemic energy. Were you beginning to worry? Nah, I’m fine and ready to settle in at the computer after one more trip west this month.

Plenty of pretties that you need to see! Stay tuned. CT

Fall front and center

Diane Kremer is feeling fall with new earrings on PolymerClayDaily.com

Colorado’s Diane Kremer packages up fall in a simple pair of earrings. Subtly textured shades of orange/red/gold circles stack like a pile of leaves.

The wire that ties it all together is featured front and center. Why not?

This week’s StudioMojo wraps up my last event as I head out for another one. We’ve been cooped up too long! All that pent-up energy has to be unleashed! Come on over and see what’s new and where it’s coming from.

Cold cut flowers

Jenny Patterson slices extruded flower canes after they are fired on PolymerClayDaily

Maintaining the shape of extruded polymer clay flower canes as you reduce them is nearly impossible. At a recent gathering, Minnesota’s Jenny Patterson reminded me of a clever workaround.

She extrudes her canes and slices them after they’re cured!

Jenny sells at big shows (she’ll be at the Balloon show in Albuquerque) so her production skills are well honed.

She cuts the cured extrusions once they’re cool or slightly re-warms them to make them pliable depending on the brand of clay. Try it both ways to see what your clay prefers. She punches a hole in each thin slice with hole punch pliers.

Her flowers are made using extruded stacks of disks of clay colors (a la Bettina Welker) with her own extruder disk designs.

We’ll be talking about several newly learned lessons (and cool new tools that make them happen) in this week’s StudioMojo. A week off the grid did my heart and my brain good. Come see why.

Dancing in the dark

Sara's glow-in-the-dark earrings light up the dance floor on PolymerClayDaily.com

Seattle’s Sara (g.oo.d.ee) works in a digital environment. “I don’t get the chance to craft and build physical objects with my hands as I used to,” she says.

Enter polymer clay. Her hands are now happily sketching, rolling, cutting in their off-duty moments.

Check out how this free-flowing pattern that includes glow-in-the-dark clay lights up the dance floor. Sara’s only been at this since December. Look out!

In the weekend StudioMojo newsletter, we love to suss out artists like Sara who are new to clay and take to it like ducks to water. This week’s edition looks at head-turning new designs that are commanding high prices and showing up in the most fashionable places.

Klimt for ears

Chelsea Rodriguez gives Klimt a makeover for modern ears on PolymerClayDaily.com

This riff on Klimt’s patterns by Miami’s Chelsea Rodriguez (Venus De Chela) shows her love of museums and fine art masters.

Chelsea has a thing for museums and she likes to play with famous patterns and palettes, focusing on elements that strike her fancy.

Her jewelry resonates with familiar pieces and parts reconfigured to hang on ears and accent today’s fashions.

Fashionable fall polymer

Amanda rakes leaves for her fall designs on PolymerClayDaily.com

If it’s August (how did that happen) you know that autumn leaves won’t be far behind. Let’s get an early start with these dangling lovelies from Montana’s Amanda (speckled_designs).

Amanda gives you a leg up with a look at last year’s favorites plus in-process shots of her earring assembly. The designs are elegant and simple in a fall palette updated for today’s fashion.

Vet school earrings

Clever gift for a vet school student from Debby Wakely on PolymerClayDaily

What’s the perfect attire for vet school functions? UK’s Debby Wakley (debbeadsjewellery) sent her daughter off with these dairy cow earrings, a perfect accent for any farm attire.

They began with a flat cutout from CraftyThread. Deb brought the shapes to life with some sculpting, colors, eyes, and horns. She obviously knows her farm animals.

I don’t imagine a stampede to the cutter store but don’t you love a gift that’s so perfectly suited? Polymer at its best.

Waste not polymer

Linda Loew turns dabs of leftover pan pastels into wearables on PolymerClayDaily.com

Maryland’s Linda Loew cleaned the pan pastel residue from her sponges directly onto a slab of light clay.

Here’s the result of her abstract clean-up paired with other extraneous bits and turned into painterly earrings and pendant.

Sometimes our scraps scream to be saved.

Deft touch

Ellen Randall positions bouquets of impossibly small flowers on earrings on PolymerClayDaily.com

Wales’ Ellen Randall lets you zoom right in on her delicate works. She has a steady hand and a deft touch that position each stem and leaf and dot in its rightful place on her earrings. Not many of us can achieve such neatness.

Luckily there’s room for us more ham-handed, slap-dash types. “It takes all kinds,” as they say.

Still, Ellen’s steady small compositions reassure us that perfection still exists in a very imperfect world.

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