Colorful Ceramic Necklace

Whew! New work! I feel like I have been working on these ideas for a very long time. I love all of the bright colors, color blocking, and geometrics shapes coming into fashion these days. I hope these trends stick a long for a very long time.

I have also been wanting to make some jewelry that is almost entirely ceramic. It's not something I have done in a long time and it's so much fun. I had a ball stringing up this necklace with all the bright beads. I have worn this necklace several times now and get lots of comments on it. I think I will wear it today as well. You always need a good Friday necklace right?

I decided to try something new in the Etsy shop as well. Typically I would put all of the pieces to make this necklace together in a set. But it seemed like there is so much to mix and match with these beads that I wanted everyone to have a choice to make it their own. I put single and pairs of beads in the shop this time. We'll see how it goes. I always like to experiment. :)

By the way, I painted up some new cup and saucers as well. I have my eye on the turquoise and red one... if it doesn't sell soon, it might be my new mocha mug.

Have a great day!
Jennifer

Visit my Website, Etsy Shop, Blog, Facebook, or Studio and Gallery

Color Choices

Hi there! 
 I've been working on some new designs and I need some certain colors. Glazes are tricky things and if you don't have the exact color you need well then you have to mix it. Sounds easy enough, but here's where the problem lies. Glazes look different in the bottle than when they come out of the kiln. I spent yesterday finding finished glaze samples of the two colors I wanted to mix together. Then I would think how much green do I want to add to the blue? I would add it and then have to go with my gut on whether it was going to come out of the kiln like I was hoping for. Geez, I used a lot of brain cells yesterday. Now the kiln has been fired and I am waiting for it to cool. Of course I put the samples on the bottom of the kiln so it won't be until late this afternoon before they come out. I will have to spend the day waiting and wondering....

While I am waiting and wondering, I will also spend it photographing new beads!I have been trying to get to this for ever, but I didn't want to do it until I had everything I wanted. Sometime in the next few days I will get the Etsy shop loaded up with some new work. I am going to add some standards back into the shop as well as brand spanking new work, that, by the way, I am super in love with!

Stay tuned, I will let you blog followers know first about the new work.
Have a great day,
Jennifer

Visit my Website, Etsy Shop, Blog, Facebook, or Studio and Gallery

Flowery Fun and Lots of Talk

Mornin'

Whew, what a week it's been a bit of a whirlwind here. I have become really good at doing things at the last minute. In the past, I have shut down or given up, I don't work well under pressure. But I might not be able to say that any more, I might work well under pressure now. I wrapped the teachers gifts for the last day of school, five minutes before my boys were getting on the bus and I was baking a cake as I was making my coffee for the Birthday party we are having tonight. I still have goody bags and decorating to do, but it's work time now. The best part is I am not stressed. Wahoo!

I was going to have shots from the studio again today but we are doing all kinds of work in the basement, the garage, and the glaze studio this weekend so I thought I would wait. I am sooooo excited, I have a brand new slab roller coming on Monday! For those of you who are thinking, why is she so excited? Let me explain.... A slabroller is basically a giant rolling pin mounted to a table, it has a big ol steering wheel that you turn and you can roll out perfect pieces of clay just the right thickness and pretty darn fast. Now remember I made tiles for seven year and have been making beads and buttons for ten( some of those years overlap) any who, only once for about a year did I have a slabroller. My friend loaned it to me but then she decided she wanted it back. It's quite ridiculous, that I have been using a rolling pin all of these years. My shoulders and back are going to be so dang happy.

So my baby comes on Monday, I think I will need to name it, and so we are doing a bit of a studio redo to fit everything in. My hubby is being very gracious and letting me take over yet another part of the house. As a side story, when we were first married and I was starting my tile table business we were living in a one bedroom attic apartment and I started using our bed to hold my drying tiles and the front room at any given time at 30 coffee tables in it. Nik's a trooper, but don't tell him that!

Boy, I am full of words today! I got to go out with my friend Genevieve last night and it was lots of fun. We talked shop and other things at a beautiful rooftop bar. Maybe that's why I am so talkative.

Oh, the pictures....this is a necklace made up with some of the new work I added to my Etsy shop this week. My camera didn't do it justice, the colors are so pretty.

Have a great day!

Starfish Necklace

New Pendants! Yipee! They are in the Etsy Shop right now. These have been in the works for quite awhile and I am pleased with how they turned out. For the time being, they are just in the Etsy shop, someday when I find the time some will make it to the website. I didn't make many so what's in the shop is what is made for now, so don't wait if you're in love with one of them.

I will post more jewelry inspiration with other pendants over the next few days....

Have a great day,

New Work

Good morning...
Lot's going on in the Jangles studio right now. I just don't have anything to show you. You have to wait and be surprised. But I can give you a hint and say I am working on some new holiday beads. Halloween and Christmas. It's that time of the year again. I always start planning my ten holiday projects in August. I am excited about some of my ideas for the fall. I guess this is the time I should say, if you're not signed up for my newsletter, you should do it now, you wouldn't want to miss anything. I will be sending out one next one next week. Anyway, I will be out in the glaze studio all day working on getting the new stuff painted. Maybe I will have to put on a little Holiday music.

I put some new beads on Etsy last night. The fall beads above are one of the listings. You can see them here.

Have a great day everyone,
Jennifer

Pearls

Hey Hey, Boy I tell you what a few days of snow can really throw a girl off. I had the boys home for the last couple of days....it was nice until about yesterday when we had all had it with being stuck at home. We(boys included) were all so happy to see that school bus this morning.

I am behind...on just about everything right now. Yikes, I had big plans for March and all my crafty projects but they are going to have to wait a few more days, but keep checking back. I am updating the website one page at a time. Today the originals page got done. I have added some new color combos of pearls too. Oh, and the other day I updated the pairs page with some new stuff, and the bezels, and the medium beads. So check it out!

Talk to you soon, Jennifer

New Kit

Hey just wanted to do a quick post and say I just added this kit to the website. I also have the poinsettia pendant alone. I am out the door to do my morning walk so talk to ya later....Jennifer

New Bezels

Got something new for you today! EEk! I am so excited about these. I know I get excited quite a bit and if you know me, it's really true, I do get excited quite a bit.

I love these, they are ceramic bezels.

I started making some bezels last year, but whenever I used resin in them, I messed things up. Soooo, I took Susan Lenart Kazmer's class at Bead and Button this past June. It was a resin class and I brought my bezels with me. I learned a lot and it turns out I didn't have very good resin. Now that I know what I am doing, I feel a new obsession coming on.
Here are the bezels empty. This is how they come to you if you order them. I didn't glaze the inside back. That way if you're gluing something inside it will stick better. I sealed the backs that I left empty with school glue. The outside back and the front and all of the edges have shiny glaze like all of my other beads. You can see them on my website under the category of pendants.
Below are three finished pieces I made with my new resin pendants. This is one is made with a little beachy scrapbook embellishment I found at the craft store. I have had the bamboo beads forever, just waiting for the right piece. I like the beachy look.

This necklace is my favorite, I am actually wearing it right now. Come to think of it, I bought these Lucite balls a long time ago too. They were just waiting for the perfect piece. Hmm, got a theme going. Anyway, the inside of the pendant is stacked paper and beads. There are a few cookie sprinkles in their too.

I have always said if I could figure out a way to get glitter on my beads I would do it. I love the shiny stuff. This is resin mixed with glitter, and a button with a jewel stacked on top.

You might be wondering what kind of resin I have been using. Well, I bought some of the resin that I used in class. It's called Ice Resin and it is easy to use. You mix two equal parts together in the little mixing cups and you are ready. It's not smelly at all which is nice too. I bought it at Objects and Elements. I have heard good things about other resins too, so I don't think this is your only option, it's just what I used this time. Let me know if you have any resins you like, I would love to hear.

Have a great day,
Jennifer

I'm Back....

Hey Everyone! I am back. Whew, what a trip. I am always exhausted when I return and this year is no different. After five days of standing on a hard cement floor and writing orders and talking to galleries I am beat. After my adventure of getting to Philadelphia in an ice storm, I was curious to see how the show would go. The weather cleared up nicely and there was a huge crowd. I did really well and now have lots of orders to fill.

I promised some of my new work. Here is a picture of my new little flower vases. I know it's not jewelry. I have really wanted to make a gift item for awhile that wasn't jewelry. I still had my full line of jewelry and then I added these too. They were a big hit. I make them with and without the words and they stand about 4 inches.

I am now back in my studio making beads and flowers to fill all my orders. I just put a few flowers up on my Etsy store today. Now it's back to making beads!

Have a good day,
Jennifer