FRIDAYFOLLOW: Bre at Hosmer Co

Bree at Hosmer Co gives us a holiday on a hoop on PolymerClayDaily.com

Bre of North Carolina’s (shophosmerco) Hosmer Co. brings us her version of holiday earrings in these minimalist Christmas trees on hoops. Very sleek and trendy.

She’s most known for her more extravagantly spotted and complex moth designs but a girl’s gotta go with the seasonal vibe and stay fashion-forward.

Follow her to get up to speed on one important direction polymer is headed.

On StudioMojo we’ll be tracking everything from pop-up shops to galleries and shows to see artists who are trying new ways to build a following, a business, a life.

FRIDAY FOLLOW: indigo.sands

Krymsyn (indigo.sands) reveals the glow of her imitative amber on PolymerClayDaily.com

North Carolina’s Krymsyn (Indigo.Sands) uses the hashtag “claytocope” because she picked up polymer to help her through the pandemic.

It’s worked! She has more followers than I thought possible and her business is thriving.

Yes, she’s trendy and savvy but better than that, she’s curious and has an itch for imitative techniques like her latest faux amber. Here her hoop’s rich color is revealed by her phone flashlight. Worth following along, right?

Polymer obsessions

Polka dot earrings lure Cynthia Tinapple back to studio play on PolymerClayDaily.com

It’s not as if I need more earrings but these days that’s what gets me into the studio. I see many wonderful simple designs and feel compelled to try some. This teardrop is slipped onto a little hoop. New pandemic hair color put pink back into my wardrobe.

I can’t stop making dots with the leather cutters I gifted myself. I’m obsessed…and that’s a good thing. Here’s hoping you’re obsessed this week.

Rebels in barbed wire

Maryam caters to the bold and rebellious on PolymerClayDaily.com

Do cowgirls (and cowboys) wear barbed wire earrings? Wait! Maryam (GraciousRebelDesigns) is from Philadelphia so she’s probably not aiming for ranching types.

In fact, Maryam says she makes earrings for the brave and the rebellious. She started during the pandemic.

These polymer barbs and hoops are much more comfortable than real wire. They look quite convincing.

Come on over to StudioMojo this weekend where we continue to focus on upcoming artists with fresh perspectives. Gracious rebels are just what our community needs. In-person classes are being scheduled and clay is appearing back on the shelves. We’ve got the scoop you’ll want.

Jumping through hoops

Jane Pellicciotto's oval hoops connect on PolymerClayDaily.com

These contemporary, lightweight Arcata oval hoops are from Portland’s Jane Pelicciotto, a graphic designer who wanted to express her aesthetic in another way. “it’s about a connection to someone you might not ever meet,” she explains.

A browse through her Instagram and website is like a breath of fresh air and a look at the direction that lies ahead for 2021.

Jumping through hoops

Cynthia Tinapple jumps through hoops on PolymerClayDaily

Extruding is my studio warm-up exercise. Polymer hoop earrings are selling like hotcakes and look easy enough. Since I’ve been peddling red, white, and blue all week, the palette was settled. I was off to try out hoops.

Lynda Gilcher’s repeat angle wedge extruder disks are perfect for striped canes. She does the math and each disk indicates how many you’ll need to make a complete circle. I assembled my 12 extruded wedge strips of color into a circle.

Insert the resulting cane back into the extruder to produce any shape you want. For the hoops, I extruded the cane through Lynda’s Arches #3 disk. Voila! Hoops!

The messy scrap is the beginning of a brooch (see Jana Roberts Benzon’s idea here). Something about this textured mess seems apropos of our current red, white, and blue. It needs an element that says 2020.

Did you notice that I slid right into tutorial mode? Friday is my day to scoop up the ideas and products that have floated by and turn them into juicy stuff for StudioMojo. Sometimes it’s a how-to, sometimes it’s a looky-looky. Come on over and see what’s in this week’s grab bag.

Polymer hoops

Angie Wiggins winds up her polymer for weekend fun on PolymerClayDaily.com

This earring design from Virginia’s Angie Wiggins is inspired!

She loops a strip of polymer that’s decorated on both sides, anchoring the spiral with seed beads in companion colors.

The ear wires will be added but you get the gist. They’re arty additions almost ready for a weekend of fun.

Did someone say “Weekend of fun?” Studio Mojo will bring you pictures from a great retreat and links to new tools, clothes, and makeup. Events aren’t just for learning about polymer, you know. Come party with us!

Chunky polymer hoops

Flat polymer shapes turn into hoops from Genevieve Williamson on PolymerClayDaily.com

Pennsylvania’s Genevieve Williamson shows the chunky polymer hoops on her work table.

Subtle texturing on the polymer adds intrigue. The variety of shapes and muted colors make it hard to choose a favorite. Bending the wires to hang just right would be challenging. Genevieve was trained as a metalsmith so she jumps right in.

Look at them on Instagram. They’ll be in her Etsy shop soon.