gundowerks

I decided to put up some loose bead sets on Art Fire as well as at Just Beads. Here are the links to the Art Fire listings as well as a photo of each.


Earth Spirit



Golden Ocean



Pink Magic

Some of you might remember the auction site Just Beads. They had a catastrophic crash and went off the grid, but have returned anew. I decided to try to help them get back off the ground again, and have started putting loose bead auctions up.



This link is to one auction for a set of purple beads I did with a faux mokume gane technique variant.



An example of one of the beads in the set:

I am working on a new pendant line, and I thought I'd give everyone a preview. The first will be finished and up for sale soon. Until then, here's two views of something brand new:

Perhaps those reading who are not already friends with me (in real life or elsewhere online) would like to know more about what I do. I've been involved in "arts & crafts" as long as I can remember and very little pleases me more than getting to "make stuff". The birth of my son four years ago put a cramp in a lot of my creativity (time, space & financial-wise), but in the past year I've started to get things back together again. I've moved my basement studio (that isn't currently usable) up to the guest room/office and I'm trying to settle in there. It's a little hard, but my stuffice (as I call it, an amalgam of office and studio) is coming along. I have room for several of my favorite art endeavors, although keeping it neat is a challenge.

Polymer Clay: My first and most long lasting love is polymer clay. I first started playing with it in the late 1980's, but it wasn't until I started working with silk dyeing that my p.c. passion really took off. The reason for that was needing beads to accent the corners of my silk scarves. I priced them and realized I couldn't afford the amount and variety that I wanted, and then I remembered polymer clay. I was able to created one-of-a-kind beads to compliment and contrast with my scarves. From that bloomed a new love of the medium, and with the help & support of Delphi Forums Polymer Clay Central forum I was able to really put my heart and soul into it.  I love to do my own style of faux Mokume Gane, I enjoy covering things (tins, glass and more) and making beads for jewelry as well as masks.

Silk Dyeing: Dyeing silk is a wonderful hobby as well, and I love it, but it's expensive and messy enough that I probably won't be picking it back up anytime soon. I might do small pieces here and there because I love the process so much. Someday I'd love to have the time and money to devote to really mastering the art.

Other Fiber Arts: Sewing & quilting are two things I have always wanted to be better at. I've played around with basic sewing and I love to make hats (easy fleecy soft hats) and simple handbags. I'd like to spend more time with this and try to hone my skills.

Beading: I do a little of this from time to time. Right now making Anglican Rosaries has captured my imagination, and I also love making what I call "Caterpillar bracelets". Surface embellishment with beads also holds a place in my heart.

Scrapbooking/card making: I love to play with paper. I like to make small books and bookmarks, as well as greeting cards and notecards.

Crochet: I love to make simple items with hook & yarn, mostly small bags to include with jewelry or rosaries that I sell.

This pretty much covers what I'm into right now. I look forward to sharing more with you all. I plan to use this journal as a part of my online selling presence, as well as my Facebook fan page (still in progress). I'll be writing entries about various projects and featuring items for sale as well.