Making Kitty earrings - Blue and Red

At first they all look a like. But in the end all the earrings have their own little personality. I played around a bit with black or white spray painting, and then made the cat figure either white or black:

My "diamond" earrings

Materials: clay, ear hooks, wire, paints etc...

Purple marble patterned earrings

Colorful marble patterned earrings

Blue marble earrings

This is one of my own favorite earrings designs I have come up with. Simple idea though - so I imagine that I am not the only one in the whole wide world to have ever done this, but really the idea for me came actually as a result of events and ideas, and experimenting - the way good ideas usually come I suppose. Sometimes one has to walk through a long path - in order to discover something that is brilliant in it's simplicity.

For me - I just got a bit bored with polymer clay. I felt it is too plastic, and at some point it just didn't speak to me anymore... (Not that I haven't had some really good times with good old polymer!) Anyway, I wanted to try something different, so I tried out air drying clay. I used the same cutters and tools I had already acquired for polymer works, and tried, and experimented...

About the same time I found these marble paints from a local art store, and they seemed like fun too. Well - they ARE fun! Look at all these gorgeous patterns I have managed to get! I say that I got the patterns - because the technique is pretty uncontrollable - you get what you get, and it is usually wonderful! With smaller things - such as earrings are - sometimes not so wonderful - especially when they have to work as pairs... But still - I'd say this is one of my favorite things to do when I go to my studio. It usually brings smile to my face, and makes me feel good about myself.

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View more of my painted earrings at my etsy shop!
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Learning the Game

Red and black square peandant

Blue marble pattern earrings

Small red and black button earrings witha a hint of golden

A diamond shaped pendant on a long crochet string

 

Soo... I have been trying, and trying to make good friends with my camera recently - in order to get some  modeled pictures of my handmade jewelry. Apparently the online marketing is all about photography... And branding, and thousand other things we really don't want to know about... But must. 

And though it is a bit scary idea for me to be a photographer - it can be fun too sometimes. Inspiring even. Most likely when not using the word photographer...

Cat Charm Earrings

Some results for my "Project Kitty".

The project started in spring 2013 - and the idea behind it was (and still is) that anyone can take part in my creative process. The main earring elements are fixed, but one can choose the shapes and colors.

Here are some examples of what I have done with the available options:

Mint green + black cat

Lilac + red cat

Black cat and white cat on gray

Light green + white cat

Project "Kitty" and how it came to be...

I started this fun project on my Jewelry FB page - I named it "Kitty" because it is all about cats and earrings. 

The idea for cat charm jewelry started once upon a time when I was planning this trip to Finland and also wanted to take part on blues themed craft and vintage fair while there. I thought it would be fun to design some new pendants especially for the event. And that is how my cats were born. Later on I also made some earrings with the same cat silhouette stamp, and voila:

 

cat earrings

 

These earrings are very hand made. First I make the shape of the pendant out of air drying clay. Then I paint the background and after that the Kitty.  

 

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Pink spring and Etsy Love

Even though my sales have been... well - none to be exact recently - there still seems to be nice people who dig my items that much they give them feature in their beautiful Etsy-treasuries. I want to share their curated lists and also to say my thanks :-)

In Awe Of Browns

by Anita Ward from Rachaels Baby Boutique

Is that chocolate I see! 

 by Susan from We Hive

 

FP or not FP, this is the question (W. Shakespare) 

 by Giulio from LaTenagliaImpazzita

Spring is coming

  by Hila Sharon LayouDesign 

Pink Spring  (features my pink painting from my art shop)

 by  Deb from BlueSkyPotteryCO

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THAK YOU!

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And now...

... I have re-done my Etsy shop look. I have written the 'about' bit and added some photos to it. The only thing I'm not quite sure about is the banner font. I think it doesn't go very well with my new expressive angle... I may come back to it later on and maybe change to something more accurate.  Otherwise I feel I have achieved something I should have done probably long time ago... But, hey - when you are not inspired - there really is no need to push things too hard. Though it is true that sometimes when you start working on something the inspiration soon will come along. Writing is for me the hardest thing. I will do everything else instead!

I wanted something more tender and delicate than my previous one... It is definitely more blue :-)

And here are some 'workshop' pictures from my shops about section:

Maybe some sales will come my way now. I just happened to read somewhere that Etsy ranks sellers also by the number of sales... I don't see the light in that darkness... But I can't give up without making some few final efforts...