Wolf Creek Designs

Friendly Plastic Class

2010-08-01T08:35:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I had a blast teaching beginner Friendly Plastic. Ladies, I had a great time! And all of you made wonderfully creative things. Wish I had remembered my camera so I could post photos of what you made.

Considering we only had 2 hours, we covered alot of ground. Inlay, marbling, and alcohol inks! Whew! That was alot of material to go through in a very short time. I would've loved to have had the entire afternoon to explore this with you.

I hope you come back for the second class. We'll be learning Fracture and Fusion, stained glass bezels, and stamping. Another fun filled but busy class!

I'm off to Niagara Falls next week for a well deserved vacation. Hope it isn't as hot there as it is here in Texas. Ugh! When I get back, I'm hitting the studio for some serious design time. Haven't been able to get into the studio and work like I had hoped. So many ideas to play with!! Hope to post some pics of new items soon!

Time to get to work

2010-06-15T16:05:00.002-05:00

Hey ya'll.

Got some fun stuff in the mail yesterday. Double drilled bamboo tiles. Hmm... What can I do with those? The small ones came in fun colors - green, blonde, black, mahogany, tan. Got some extra large ones in blonde and black. I know what I'm doing with some of those - art tiles! Maybe a couple tiles done with a certain famous blonde actress... My daughter will love those!

You know what's funny though? I was at Ross yesterday morning, poking around in the housewares section, and found these placemats, made of little double drilled wooden pieces. Hmm, these look like they are just about the same size as the ones I ordered online. At just $2.50 each, I snatch up two of them. Get home and find my package waiting for me....and the tiles are identical! I paid $5 for 24 tiles online, paid $2.50 to get 81 in the placemat. They are a dark wood, but I'm sure I will be able to figure something to do with them!

Don't you just love finding stuff in unsual places? My husband laughs at me when I look at stuff at the hardware store. I'll have pics soon of the new design for a tube bracelet, made with stuff from Home Depot! Gotta think outside the box if you want to do stuff that is unique!

Off to play in the studio, tired of cleaning the kithen. Not that I was working very hard, mind you. LOL I'd much rather be playing!

My last show...

2010-06-11T12:37:00.002-05:00

...of the Spring craft show season is tomorrow. Yay! It's been a brutal 6 weeks - the weather has been hotter than usual. I just don't deal with the heat very well and it takes me days to get over being out in the heat at a show.

I love doing shows, meeting new customers and chatting with the other vendors. I love seeing what other vendors are doing, their creative booth layouts, finding out about other shows. I truly enjoy showing my work to customers, explaining how its made, and hearing all the nice compliments. It's exciting and exhausting at the same time. But I am ready for a break.

This summer I have a long list of new projects to work on, ideas that have been bumping around in my noggin for a while. Friendly Plastic rings, filled tube bracelets, and perhaps a new Friendly Plastic technique... Glad my studio is air conditioned and I have the time to play. Can't wait!

Saturday, June 12 I will be at the San Jacinto Art Market, part of the Rockwall Farmer's market, if you happen to live in the Rowlett / Rockwall, Texas, area. I would love to meet you!

Over the coming weeks, I'll be posting all the new things in my online shops. I have tons of new ceramic tile pendants, and I have great new graphics that just arrived for some glass tile pendants as well. I'll be posting pics here, now that I actually have time to come in here on a regular basis.

Thanks for stopping by!

Added Link to Facebook

2010-04-20T15:15:00.003-05:00

Check it out - I've added a link on the right to my Facebook page. I'd love for you to 'like' my page!

Mother's Day Sale!

2010-04-20T12:34:00.002-05:00

All items in my etsy and artfire stores are now ON SALE!!! 25% off everything for a limited time only!

I have some shows coming up as well. I'll blog the dates and locations as they are confirmed. Hope to see you!

A kick in the behind is what I needed!

2010-04-15T21:47:00.003-05:00

Everyone always tells me that things in life happen for a reason. I guess the events of this week happened for a reason...and I think I am beginning to see why.

Thought I was happy at my place of employment, but the last few months I'd been getting restless and yearning to be someplace other than there. I was working 28 - 30 hours a week and over the past few weeks, my hours were cut to just 6 hours a week. How is a person supposed to meet their financial obligations on just those few hours a week? And my youngest is a senior - with prom and graduation just weeks away. Every time she turns around, she needs more money!

And it appeared that no more hours would be forthcoming in the immediate future, although I was told that if business picked up, I would get more hours again. Was I supposed to just sit and wait? I talked to the manager and told her my intentions of just working until the end of the month, I wanted to cover my teaching oligations there for the coming 3 weeks - but I had not officially turned in my notice. She called me later to tell me that my services were no longer required, as of that day. Hmm. So they fire me before I can quit? And cheat me out of 3 weeks of wages, although not that much money, its still the principal of the thing.

Understandably I was upset - but it's dawned on me that this was a good thing. It's really made me look at my life and where I want it to head - and given me the kick in the behind to get going in that direction. I was stagnant there, never really getting into my studio and doing what I know I can do. I used work as an excuse to not create the things that I could see in my mind - don't have the time or energy. Well now I have the time, and I need to find the energy and motivation.

I'm applying for craft shows for late spring and early summer. Maybe I will get into a couple and that will give me enough money to work on product for the fall and holiday shows. I have so many ideas to work on! And I will be posting more often, now that I have time on my hands.

2010-02-28T17:48:00.002-06:00

I've spent all of my free time over the last week getting my two handmade community stores up and running. I hope that you'll go visit them and see what I put out there!

http://www.wolfcreekdesigns.artfire.com

http://www.wolfcreekdesigns.etsy.com

Next project coming up - a facebook page. Plus I have one more website to work on, my main site at wolfcreekdesigns.com, but those projects will have to wait until later this week. I am putting mostly Friendly Plastic things on my handmade sites, since those are unusual and less expensive than my regular, beaded jewelry. I'll put that on my main site.

After the stores are all up and running, I have some fiber bracelets I want to work on. I think you'll like them, they are really different. I'll post photos of them as they progress. Gonna try to figure out how to mix the fiber and Friendly Plastic and beads - should be fun!

2010-02-26T10:43:00.004-06:00

Yes, I am finally back to my blog! Bet you thought that I'd never come back, huh?

Not sure where it has come from, but I am back making jewelry with a vengeance and enjoying every second of it. I'm making some major changes in my life right now, so maybe that has something to do with it. Whatever the reason, I am back to my jewelry and letting my creativity run rampant.

Want to see some new designs? Head over to my artfire account and see all the new pieces that I've posted for sale. Here's a sneak peak...

This is a Friendly Plastic cuff, made using alcohol inks and antique brass pieces. I adore the art deco feel of this piece, the dragonfly is amazing! This is one of my favorite cuffs so far. I'm gonna hate to part with it but someone needs to give this one a home and love it as much as I do.

Been trying some different finishing techniques with the cuff. I love Jana Ewy's hint on using the resin while the piece is still flat (see her article in the latest Belle Armoire Jewelry issue) - it works great with the ID bracelet pieces. I keep getting the resin too thick on the cuffs (because I love the look of the thick resin) but it makes it hard to get a good smooth bend. And the thicker the resin, the stiffer the bracelet ends up and its hard to get on and off. I need to find a happy medium in there! Next batch I will try the flat resin technique again but not make the resin quite so thick!

Want to see my ID bracelets too? Here's a sneak peek at one..

Jana, thanks so much for the idea on these! I love them and everyone that I've showed them to loves them too! I 'assembly line' the work so it seems to take forever to make them, but once the process is done I have more than a dozen ready to go at once.

I promise I will be back here more often...now that I am excited about jewelry again. I have a few more pieces to upload to Artfire and then I'm be putting some up on Etsy as well, but I haven't finished creating my store there yet - but soon!

2009-09-25T12:48:00.002-05:00

Well, I've neglected my blog ever since I created it. I've had some health issues to deal with, so sorry I haven't been around much. But I am dealing with it and will be around more in the future.

Today - made some friendly plastic splash pieces. Am finally starting to get the hang of it and am liking this technique alot. Used some odd sticks that I got off ebay to play with, glow in the dark sticks no less! LOL But once inked can't really see any difference than in using the white sticks.

Also played with the new liver of sulfer patina gel from Cool Tools. Never tried liver of sulfer before - man, it smells bad! LOL Got mixed results from it. The copper looked great, I want to play with that some more. The raw brass - maybe I was expecting too much but I didn't get much of a color change - just a darkening of the brassy color. I tried a couple of sterling pieces, nice finish there, and a couple of nickel silver beads darkened nicely too.

I'll post some photos this weekend of my results. Don't have time to play with the camera today. Still have more jewelry to make this afternoon, got a show coming up quickly!

Thoughts on Craft Shows

2009-08-12T18:55:00.002-05:00

As I searched today for shows to do this fall, I wondered what the economy is going to be like later on. Will people be spending again or still fearful? This affects the type of shows that I'll try to get into and of course the products that I'll bring.

Scenario A: I focus on small, inexpensive shows - like elementary schools and church bazaars. When I've done these in the past, I've only sold the very least expensive of the items that I make, something in the $10 - $40 range. The entry fees are usually around $25 - $35 so you aren't out much if you don't sell much. But then you don't get the traffic, these shows usually only pull in the most local of customers. No traffic = no sales.

Scenario B: I go ahead with my normal show activity - focusing on large, juried shows. The booth fees are much higher, in the $200 - $350 range, so you stand to lose a great deal if you don't make enough to cover your costs. But these shows generally have much higher traffic, with regular customers. And these people can spend the money when they want to, I've done well at these types of shows with the $60 - $75 pieces.

But with the economy the way it is, do we know what will happen in the fall? You have to decide now if you want to get into the larger shows as they generally have application deadlines months prior to the actual show. I also have to ask off from work - meaning that I don't get paid because I work at an hourly position. If I have a good day at the show, it more than makes up for the lost hours at my job. But take too many Saturdays off and I'm likely to get fired so I have to pick and choose my shows carefully.

This would be an easier decision to make if I wasn't working. I could schedule my larger shows now and then pick up some of the smaller shows at the last minute - and if I don't have a good day at a small show, all I'm out is the small cost of the booth and my time.

When I started doing craft shows 12 years ago, you could still make a good living at it...but it was starting the downturn already. Vendors traveled from show to show, their products were well made and it showed. People came to get the unique because they valued the handmade aspect of the arts and crafts.

Today, there are so many people selling at craft shows, its really hard for anyone to make a living at it. Handmade used to mean something. Now, just about anyone can put something together and sell it at their local craft show or flea market. I see such poorly made things at shows now, it makes me sad. It makes it harder for those of us who do it for a living.

I understand where they are coming from, people need another way to make money in this horrible economy. They've lost their job and can't find another one, or they've had to take a lower paying one. I understand that, and I feel bad for them, but by flooding the market with poorly made crafts, they detract value from what everyone is doing - and everyone loses.

Sorry for the rant. Started this post about choosing shows and ended up on my soap box. That seems to happen alot lately, lol. Sometimes you just have to let it out.

Shari

Featured Artist!!

2009-08-09T09:39:00.005-05:00

Wow, I'm the featured artist of the day on the Friendly Plastic blog! Check it out, http://friendlyplastic.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Linda, for your kind comments and for featuring me on the FP blog. I haven't been doing the FP for very long but already I love it and all the many things that you can do with it.

I hope I get a good response when I feature it during my fall shows. Whenever I wear it to work (and I work at a bead store), I get lots of compliments - people think it is dichroic glass! And they want to know how to do it! I'm selfish in that I want it to be something unique as few people are using it in my area. But then again, I am a teacher and I love to share my ideas. I really do think I will be teaching it next year, I have to get better at it first though.

This is the piece that everyone loves. One of my coworkers said it reminds him of the stained glass windows in a church in the city where he comes from, San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. I've done several pieces in this style and it really is fun!

And easy too! Best of all, you use up your scraps. Want to know how to do it?

1. Lay the empty metal blank on the non-stick baking sheet, making sure the metal is clean and lint free. I usually set my griddle between 180 and 200. You can start with either a cold blank or let it heat up first. If you start with a warm one, there is no moving the pieces once you lay them down.

2. Lay scrap pieces of friendly plastic, metallic side up, in the blank and let them soften. I like to use tweezers to get exact placement.

3. Start to layer the pieces, overlaping them slightly, to fill in the gaps. Be sure to get them close to the edge. Let one layer soften before adding the next. The scraps will melt into each other to form the stained glass look.

The longer you let it melt, the more it becomes one smooth piece. I've done pieces where I've not let it melt so much and you get a nice texture, but it doesn't look so much like stained glass. Be careful not to get it too hot or the plastic will bubble.

4. When all the gaps have been filled (be sure to notice the edges), carefully remove from the heat and let it cool by itself.

5. Use envirotex lite to glaze the piece, it really looks like glass once you've done that. Be careful not to run it over the edge of the blank.

You can alter the look by using larger pieces rather than smaller. The backing color also makes a difference as it tends to wrap around from the back as it melts - look closely at the photo and you'll see this effect. This is what gives it that stained glass look - the backing acts as the 'leading' between the colors. You can use that to your advantage while designing - you could use only FP with black backing, for example. I did one with all white backing and it was awesome!

Hope you try out the technique and see what wonderful things you can make!

Shari

More show application photos

2009-08-07T16:38:00.006-05:00

As promised, a couple more photos. This has been a productive afternoon for me!

These are the Kumihimo necklaces, showing three different textures in the braiding. The orange one is smooth, made only from chenile yarn. It has a fire agate pendant. The green one is medium texture, it too is only one fiber that had a short eyelash to it. The pendant was hand painted in Russia. The brown one has several different fibers, including a yarn with a very long eyelash, giving it that extra hairiness. The pendant is a llanite heart. They actually are pretty soft and very light weight.

These are silk fusion pieces. Silk fusion - how to explain? LOL You take hand dyed silk fibers, like you use to spin for yarn, and fuse them together into something that is between a paper and a fiber. This is fusion that is dried flat (you can also mold it into 3-D pieces). I use it as the base for the composite - on top of the fusion is a stitched layer of fiber (left over pieces from the kumihimo, nothing goes to waste). One bracelet has a wire frame with wire wrapped beads and the other one is just the fabric with a toggle clasp. The pendant has tiny beads hand sewn on, its backed with velvet and strung on a wire necklace.

That's probably all I'm going to get done today. Still need one more photo of my 'plain' strung jewelry. It will take me a while to figure out which pieces to use. Look for it on Sunday - I have to work tomorrow so won't have time to play again until then.

Photo for craft show applications

2009-08-07T15:04:00.005-05:00

The fall craft show season is creeping up quickly. Deadlines are fast approaching so I'm shooting photos for the applications. I like doing juried shows rather than open shows - there are always way too many jewelry artists at the open shows, so too much competition.

It's so hard to pick out just a few things to showcase. Even harder to get good photos, I'm not that good a photographer. I'm sure they are probably ok, I'm just hard on myself. Isn't everyone a perfectionist? LOL Maybe that is why I can never get anything done, I want them to be perfect. Excuses, excuses!

Here's a photo of my friendly plastic. The pendant is my stained glass technique, using scraps which I melt right into the metal frame and then coat with envirotex lite. Love it! Then a marblized bracelet and earrings. The fracture / fusion bracelet (thanks, Jana, for sharing the technique with us!) was my first attempt at a bracelet - don't look too close!

I'll post more later as I take more photos. Since I had to drag out the lights and everything, I might as well take more pics this afternoon.

My First Ever Post!

2009-08-01T19:25:00.002-05:00

Welcome to my blog. This is my first post!

I'm hoping that this blog will be the incentive I need to get my behiney in gear and make some jewelry. Sometimes we all need a little motivation, right?

I'll be sharing photos of work in progress and finished jewelry. Maybe a random idea or thought that pops into my head during the day. A cool site that I find while surfing the web, or some new product that just makes my day. You never know! I can be random that way, ha ha.

Please feel free to leave comments on any post, I'd love to get feedback on my pieces - or just say hi!