My coloring book is now available!!

I've been working on an octopus themed coloring book, and I am excited to announce it is now available on Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/When-Octopods-Dream-coloring-everyone/dp/1514271389

Embellish this!

the plain "before"

The other day while randomly shopping, I scored this cute bag on sale at Target. It was sort of steam-punky, and I've been looking for a new purse.

My last attempt to leave my current purse was too small, so I returned to the heavy tank of a purse my mom got me. Its shiny and black and Coach. I usually feel very "wrong" when the purse is worth more than anything inside of it. Plus its a heavy purse.

This messenger bag is a bit more "me."

The day I went to move into the bad I realized it needed something. It needed to be embellished, but I wasn't sure with what. Of course being steam-punk oriented I thought gears, then immediately chucked the gears and thought tentacles.

it was another few days before I managed to  add those tentacles. Also I decided to just go with a sharpie marker. They are fabric permanent, and its not like Im going to be washing this much, if at all.

the front of the bag

the side, I felt like drawing a jelly fish, I know not terribly steam punk, but fun none the less 

the back

Its been so long since I decorated a piece like this, I forgot how nice it is to customize your stuff. Just because you purchased it not with the intent to embellish, does not mean you can't embellish it and make it yours.

What's on the bench today?

IMG_9827.jpg
Originally uploaded by Zoeowyn

A whole lot of "needs to be finished" and these. I got an itch last night to make glow in the dark tentacle beads. So, here they are. Ive managed to squeeze in a small set and an ear cuff. Really no time for this today, as I have grading I *should* be doing, but I just had to have some creation time.

Facebook give away

Hi my name is Laura, I'm an artist and this is my pitiful plea to increase my fans on my Facebook page. On my Laura Medeiros-Art stuff fb page you will witness my trials and tribulations, and experimentations, and successes with my jewelry art. I use art clays: polymer clay and metal clays to make sculptural art jewelry.  I am not above transparent ploys such as bribery to increase my views. As a matter of fact I embrace bribery, but instead we will call it a "promotional give away".

So go over to my Facebook page (pleeeezzz): http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laura-Medeiros-Art-stuff/147377941945717 and like it.

On August 1, 2012 I will throw all the names of my "fans" into a hat and pull two winners.

I have two wonderful promotional giveaways:



The steampunk give away: a copper metal clay heart and gear pendant, and a tentacle pendant from polymerclay in pink and green with peachy colored suckers



Under the Sea give away: A copper pendant featuring a sea horse and an olivine cubic zirconia, and an acorn fairy house for a beach loving fairy.

Chithuly

Chithuly
Originally uploaded by Zoeowyn

And here is the finished bracelet!

Chithuly= I thought it looked like a Chihuly chandelier, my husband thought it was overly Chuthulu.....


This is a completely over populated bracelet with a center piece jeweled octopus made from polymer clay.
Im very proud of myself because I figured out how to solder all the links together.

one center piece octopus,
10 gradation silver to pearl tentacles
4 spirals
4 pearl trumpets
6 stick pearls
4 glass beads with spirals
8 bicone crystals
6 large firepolished glass beads
2 polymer beads
6 pearls with polymer bead caps
10 bead caps
20 shell disks
Im not counting how many jump rings or how many seed beads

My first soldered jump ring

My first soldered jump ring
Originally uploaded by Zoeowyn

I felt the need to learn to solder today, right this minute.
Actually its a need thats been growing, after all Ive owned the equipment for a while. I just never really had the need. Until the bracelet I wanted to wear started to fall part under its own weight. The links just pulled away from each other at their closing points.

Well I did not want to have all the work on the piece be for naught, so I decided I would solder all those pesky links together. And I did!

It wasn't nearly as hard as I had anticipated. of course developing skill and getting nice clean joins will take practice. But I can totally see how this soldering thing can be so addictive. The way the metal flows, its really nifty.

I was good I did purchase an iron stand for today, and I did wear my googles.

Bride of Cthulhu

bride of cthulhu
Originally uploaded by Zoeowyn

I finally finished her!

I made this muse, shortly after seeing Percy Jackson. I call all my decorated faces muses.
I was playing with a combination of Medusa, and tentacles.
What can I say?
I really like making tentacles, they are fun, and squishy, and Im always somewhere between a playful giggle or a wicked cackle when Im working with them.

I had a hard time making the jump from straight polymer to painted and finished polymer. You can see her face pre-patina.


I like the un-patina-ed polymer, but I always love the results when I do finally make that step. It seems to give it extra depth.

I wanted to make big stand up tentacles, but am saving those for a different collar piece. The tentacles here really feel very claw like, and add a tribal feeling to the piece. Im really happy with her.

Tentacles!

capped tentacles
Originally uploaded by Zoeowyn

I was invited to submit a bead for the Fire Mountain Gems' circle of hope necklace. This is a necklace made up of one of a kind art beads. I am thrilled to have been invited to come play.
I figure they liked my submission for the polymer clay and natural beads competition this year. It involved tentacles. So I figured I would send tentacles for the beads.
I am sending a small collection of capped tentacle bead drops, and a large octopus bead.
Having recently seen 2 Chihuly exhibits, I think its safe to say there is a definite influence going on here.

Octobead
Originally uploaded by Zoeowyn