New earrings for me!

I have pierced ears and I have large holes in my ears. I can wear 10 gauge wire in my ears. I ripped my ears when I was younger wearing very heavy earrings all of the time, hey it was the 70's, it was what we did. My favorite pair of earrings were from India, made out of brass about 12 gauge square wire and had at least 200 tiny little beads wired on the dangles which were at least 2 inches high and wide... big! I was told by a piercer that if I wore a heavier gauge wire that they would not rip anymore. He was right and they are good.

I wear captured bead hoops all of the time. They are plain and when you get up to the thicker wires they are heavier than standard ear wires. Mine are not that thick, they are heavier though.
They are hard to change because the ball snaps in to the ends of the wire.
Well, I have been wearing these plain ear wires for years.
I wanted something a little different to wear. I never wear my clay earrings anymore and that was all I used to wear. So I made myself some dangles to add to the wires.

I love these, they are about 2mm thick and very, very light so I can wear them with the captured ball earrings. They 1 3/4" high and 1" wide.
New earrings, yes!
All they are is thin slices of Skinner shaded cane placed in to decorative pattern with African Trade bead slices on them. They weigh less than the hoops.
I am testing them out now!

African Trade beads-part 12 Shinning Star part b

This is continued from Part one here:
http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2011/05/african-trade-beads-part-12-shinning.html

You will need:

Clay Machine
clay slicing blade-SB
Red Cernit
Yellow Cernit
Blue Cernit
Opaque White Cernit
Green Cernit
Porcelain White Cernit
Ruler if you need it
Middle cutter in the Makin's clay Star set M36006
Knitting needle 3 to 4mm


All links above lead to my husband's on-line store the http://www.clayfactory.net/  
Thank you so much for looking.

Mix all of the colors and the opaque white with equal amount of the porcelain white.


Last picture from the last part

I go back and cradling the star in my palm I pinch the points on the star again to sharpen them up.

Roll out a sheet of the conditioned red that is long about 5"x at least 2 1/2" wide.
Trim for straight edges on three sides.

Roll out a coil that is about 3/8" in diameter and the width of the sheet.
Lay the coil along the bottom edge of the sheet.

Roll up the sheet and the coil together to form a large coil of clay.

Trim off the rough edge and roll the whole thing up.

Roll the cane down until at least half or more fit in one of the dips between the points of the star. Measure it to the height of the stacked stars and cut one. I trim off one end of the red log so it will stand straight next to the star stack.

Cut two more of those coils.

Press with your finger and thumb of one hand down and out on the coil and then using the clay slicing blade cut the coil in half.
Do that with the other two coils too!

Like this.

Make the coil into a triangle piece by pressing with your thumb and forefinger on top of the coil half, press straight down with your finger and thumb pressed together.

It will look like this. Do that with the other pieces, you will only need 5 total.

Place the point of the coil into the dip between the point of the stars. Place one in each dip.
Stand the star up so you do not smash the points of the star.
Trim off the excess length from the top of the triangle half coils.
Place all of the coils before worrying about how they fit yet!

Place the last one in and trim off the excess from the top.

Note* I cradle this in my other hand while press the two edges of the half triangle coils together.
I do a little at a time on all of them and then turn the cane from end to end and so it again all the way around.
I am only showing it on the work surface because I take the pictures by myself.
Press your thumb towards your forefinger.

Here is what the star stack will look like after you have packed it.
Don't worry if it doesn't look perfect from the end. There is some distortion by pressing the clay and the ends will look funny but may not be funny inside.

Condition and roll out a sheet of the opaque white. Trim the side to the star stack and the edge before the star stack.
Now trim the other side to match the star stack.

Roll the cane up in the sheet of white and roll the leading cut edge over the sheet on the opposite end to make a mark. You do not have to press hard just enough to make a mark with the cut edge.

With your clay slicing blade cut just inside the mark you made with the opposite edge  of clay.

Roll the cane up in the sheet and the edges should meet very nicely.

Trim off the excess, if there is any.
















Stay tuned for part 3...

African Trade beads-part 12 Shinning Star

Well, I figured it was about time for another African Trade bead cane image.
I have been taking a little break because of sickness and I thought I better do something constructive for once ;-D
This one is unique because I am using a cutter to get the image and I am cutting wider stripy things to go around the out side of the cane.
I could also see this cane in a circus, that is because the original cane that I took this from is just the star and the red packing and the white outline. I took creative license with the outside.
You can also see here how to make star canes, for the flag, for wizards, and for fingernails ;-O if you wish!

You will need:

Clay Machine
clay slicing blade-SB
Red Cernit
Yellow Cernit
Blue Cernit
Opaque White Cernit
Green Cernit
Porcelain White Cernit
Ruler if you need it
Middle cutter in the Makin's clay Star set M36006
Knitting needle 3 to 4mm

All links above lead to my husband's on-line store the www.clayfactory.net

Thank you so much for looking.




Mix all of the colors and the opaque white with equal amount of the porcelain white.

Condition and roll out yellow on the thickest setting in the clay machine.
Fold the sheet in half to double the sheet. Press out the air.
Using the medium star cutter in the Makin's Clay star set.

 Using the  seam in the cutter for a registration mark place the stars on top of each other.
The seam will show on the side match that up every star you add to the stack.

See where the black star is next to the star?
That is where the registration place is.

If you cut out the star and place the cutter with the cut out star in it on to a flat piece of the sheet.
Pressing it down just a little and pulling back quickly you can get the star to come free from the cutter.



You can also dip the cutter in a little water, just the bottom cutting edge. Sometimes this helps.
I know you can do that with Cernit, for other clays you have to make sure it works.
Dry the star on a paper towel.

I have stacked 5 stars.

Press them together gently and then press the points together.
I am making the points sharper for handling if they are out of whack.

Condition and roll out a sheet of the red on the thickest setting in the clay machine.

Trim for a straight leading edge.
Trim the side to the star.

Trim the other side do the sheet of red is the width of the star laying on it.

Wrap around the star loosely and trim off the excess so the edges match.

I stand the star up on one of its faces and press in the sides of the red clay sheet in to the dips between the points on the star.

Cradling the star in one palm I use the knitting needle to press the sheet to the dents.
I have to take the picture so it is shown on the work surface.

I go back and cradling the star in my palm I pinch the points on the star again to sharpen them up.











Coming soon... part B http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2011/05/african-trade-beads-part-12-shinning_18.html

African Trade Beads- Part 11

Remember this cane
http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2011/04/african-trade-beads-part-8.html

I am going to share with you how to make this center piece above.
I also use this technique to do these earrings below.

So get some of the cane from African trade beads part 8, I like the canes with stripes on the outside for this technique.

Roll the cane down to 1/4" in diameter and cut 1/4" sections.

Separate the sections and place them about 1/8" apart.

 One in the middle and 6 around the outside.

Take your time and place them all the same distance apart. If you are doing the ring of canes that you see in the earrings above. I set the canes right next to each other in a circle.

Look closely there is a piece of Plexiglas over the canes that were set out. Press down evenly and flatten to about 1/8" thick.

I also have the canes sitting on a work surface or a marble top when I do this.

Peel off of the surface that the canes stick to or run your clay slicing blade under it to remove from the surface.

It is thin, see!

Using a knitting needle poke the hole where you would like it to be!
You can move the point in little circles to widen it.

Part 12
http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2011/05/african-trade-beads-part-12-shinning.html

Winner of the other pair of EarringsAfrican Trade Beads Giveaway 9d

     JLaine

Is the winner of these earrings from Giveaway 9d the fifth giveaway!
That is the final giveaway for this series.
Of course unless I change my mind, it has been known to happen. LOL!
http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2011/04/african-trade-beads-part-9d-fifth.html
Please get me your name and address JLaine you have 48 hours or it goes back to the draw.
It is good to be santa!
Have a great thursday everyone, blessings all over you!

African Trade beads-part 10b and my winner for the 1st set of earrings

Carol D. 

is the winner for the double ring earrings from Part 9b, the third giveaway

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2011/04/african-trade-beads-part-9b-third.html

Congratulations Carol, get me your address so I can send them out to you!
You have 48 hours to get back to me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now to the rest of the tutorial.

 

 

This tutorial is continued from 10a here http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2011/04/african-trade-beads-part-10.html

 

The supply list is on that post.

Hope you having a wonderful week so far.

Thanks for making me laugh yesterday. It felt good and I am so glad you are enjoying this.

Last picture from yesterday.

Cut half of the coil in half. I push my thumb and forefinger down and apart on the end of the coil and slice through. If I press the coil on each side of the end together, I will trap the blade there and it is hard to cut.

This is the half of the coil.

You are going to put the round side in to the dip of the heart above the point on both sides of the point. So I flatten out the rounded side of the coil and little and make the curve flatter.



See the flat edge is curved slightly now too!

Cut off another section from the coil you made in the beginning to do these coils. I cut off a little over an inch.

Roll the coil out to about 3".

Press down to the table or work surface with your thumb and forefinger forming an upside down "V". Press down the length of the coil.

Like this.

Put the point you made on the coil in to the dip between the upper lobes of the heart on top.
Then take the edges and flatten to the lobes or around them.

Like this.

Roll out a sheet of yellow on the thickest setting in the clay machine. Cut off the leading edge for a straight edge to start with that is at least as wide as the heart cane coil center.





 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Trim it on the side so it is the same width as the coil is long.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wrap the coil and roll the leading edge over the other end of the sheet and gently make a mark on the other side of the sheet. With your blade cut just inside that little line with the clay blade at an angle so the edges meet.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

Cover the coil again the same way with yellow.

You will have two layers of yellow on the coil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover now with a sheet of red that is rolled out on the thickest setting in the clay machine like you did with the yellow sheets.

Here is the cane so far.

I am going to stop here and continue this is part 10c.

Sorry, but blogger starts to get weird on me with these long ones and it is so much easier to do them in parts.
Part 10c http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2011/04/african-trade-beads-part-10c.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See you tomorrow and have a great tuesday!

Breathe in, breathe out.