The Ornamentalist

I CAN TALK WITH ALIENS.........

2010-02-19T15:50:00.000-08:00

Gigantic sigh, you know of course that I'm joking....or do you.....who is that guy in the next room at the computer. He doesn't read my blog, so I can poke fun at him here. I've been gone so long, it's hard to know where to start. It always seems like starting at the beginning is the thing to do, but the beginning was so long ago, do I really remember it all? After all, no one but me knows the difference between the beginning and the middle, so here goes.

I've been taking silversmithing classes, and it has been a real challenge for me, but also lots of fun. I don't always like what I make, but it is about the process, not the end result, about the learning, not the loving everything I do. (and I don't!)

I was signed up for a class called Trapped Faceted Stone Fusion. I sign up for classes to learn techniques instead of wanting to make "that thing" and I drew a design of what I wanted to do. Something simple and a bit asymmetrical. For some reason, after the initial demo, I chose to do something entirely different......what was I thinking???? ^*%^%&..... I dunno!

As I was finishing it, it looked like one of those si-fi communicators and it made me laugh, so here it is for you to see, and please, touch your screen on the picture and see if they talk to you.....I'll never tell if they talked to me! ;-0)

For inquiring minds, the next photo is of the original sketch that I thought I'd do.

I have to wonder why I bother sketching when I go in and do something completely different. I think the trapped faceted stones are cool and making a pair of earrings using the technique could be really nice. If I ever get around to it, I promise to share. And I promise to try to blog more frequently, without making anyone crazy, except myself.

Should-a, Could-a, Would-a!

2009-11-07T09:13:00.000-08:00

There are so many should-a, could-a, would-a's in life, that you can drive your self crazy thinking about those, for instance, I should-a posted a weekend eye candy, I could-a done it if I were more organized, and I would-a done it, but if I did, something else that needed doing would have fallen by the way side.

So I'm taking the easy way out today because I have to finish getting ready for the Rose Bowl craft show tomorrow. I recently had 2 professional photos taken of my work. They were taken by Marsha Thomas a friend and member of the PMC Guild. I'm so happy with the pictures that I had to share them with you. The first one is a water etched pendant made from PMC Standard. It is an eraser carved image that I did "a number" of years ago.

The next one is a new piece Made from Robert Dancik's Faux Bone. You can also see it in his FB Gallery along with some other really cool jewelry pieces. Just click on his name and you'll go there.

I've officially run out of time! Off to do things I SHOULD BE DOING! Hope you like the photos.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2009-11-01T12:53:00.000-08:00

I've been so busy getting ready for 2 craft shows. I haven't really done one in about 38 or 39 years! I used to do regular shows to sell my pottery way back in the seventies in my days of being a hippie!!

I had to get together a display without spending too much moola. So I used some elements I already had, and got some things at Cost Plus, and Viola! Below is a picture of most of it. It is not fully loaded with jewelry, but will be before November 8, which is the first show. For all you So. Cal. dwellers, if you are looking for something to do that Sunday, come out to the Rose Bowl and say "hi". It will have a green cloth on the table under all the elements you see here.

Next is a little close up of some fold formed scarf pins that will be for sale. I just love hammering. Hope to do some more fold forming next year. I think they look cute in the little basket!

The next photo is of some of the earrings. My friend Paige of Hammer, Stitch, Burn engineered these cute little earring card holders. I love them because they are stand alone, so you can put the earrings any where you want them on the table. I also have some on a picture frame (no photo, sorry) fitted with elastic. You can sort of see it on the far right of the first photo. It looks better with all nine spaces filled, but again, load it up and put it where you want it. Thank you Paige!

If you don't make it out to the Rose Bowl, I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of the display. All comments are really appreciated, so feel free to put in your 2¢ any time.

This is a busy season so I'm not sure if Paige and Christine have posted this weekend, but Lora is a loyal blogger, so go see hers, and peek to see if the other ladies had extra time to post.

Weekend Eye Candy, Flying Things Scare Me

2009-10-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

Recently, my friend Paige posted on her blog about the scary beasts called birds. We share this fear. Seems silly, I know, but it comes from a childhood encounter with a bird (for me 3 separate encounters) that were not positive, and were very scary.

I have had encounters with other flying things and jumping things that have solidified my resolve that all things that have the potential of flying around my head or jumping at me are to be avoided at all costs. These include among other things, frogs, grasshoppers, and the dreadful Dragonfly! I had a very scary encounter with a dragonfly when I was a kid. It paralyzed me with fear.

For quite some time, dragon flies have shown up in the craft/art arena. I guess as long as they aren't real, a rubber stamp, a metal clay version, a painting or photo all show the part of them that is actually beautiful.......but excuse me, I just can't get past those EYE BALLS!

So they might inspire you with their pretty colors, or just the shape of them. I'm really trying hard to get on board with the images. So I hope you find something inspiring about them. They seem to have the same posture as little old people, don't they?

You can go to my Flickr Page to see who took all of these *scary* photos.

Check out Lora, Paige and Christine's blogs to see what they are up to.

Did You Know?

2009-10-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday I took a class called Fold Forming and Embossing from Carl Stanley at Farrin O'Connor Design Studios in Pasadena, CA

It's a great jewelry studio, and Carl is a wonderful teacher. One little trick (among the many)I learned from him in that class is: *Did you know*, that you can turn your flexible shaft machine into a little mini lathe?

That is how the little wooden pin cap was made!

The photo at left is the finished pin, center is a close up of the fold formed and embossed top, and right is the little pin cap that was a wooden dowel, "turned" on my flex shaft *lathe*.

Great fun, hope you like it!

Weekend Eye Candy, My Earrings!

2009-09-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

I'm still dealing with little Miss Lilly and her surgery, so the easiest eye candy to post was my own recently finished earrings. They are Copper Clay, Silver Clay (PMC), some beads and bits of sterling wire where needed. I hope you like them!

These and other photos can be seen on my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/michelleross/

I know Paige is at a huge craft fair in S. Dakota, so I doubt she'll have time to post, but ya never know, so check out her blog as well as Lora's and Christine's to see some yummy "Eye Candy"

Faux Bone

2009-09-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, or all 3 of you!!! (just a little joke so I don't loose my sanity),

Check out Robert Dancik's Faux Bone Inspiration Gallery at:

http://fauxboneinspirationgallery.wordpress.com/inspiration-from-michelle-ross/

My Faux Bone scarf pin is up there. I'm loving that stuff!

Back to doggy insanity world and hope to be posting soon.

I'd rather be blogging!

2009-09-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

I'm having to take this weekend and possibly next off from blogging because my precious little girly dog (bottom photo) had a very major surgery. It's all me and my husband can do to keep on top of taking care of her. Just look at that sweet face. She is more than worth it!

Many other things are being put aside because she needs sort of constant care right now, but when I'm back in blog world, art world, jewelry world, I hope to have some photos of more recent work to show.

Meanwhile, her boy friend (top photo) is taking it all in stride. He is such a good boy! Look at those big orange eyes!

Gotta get back to the patient......hope to post soon.

Weekend Eye Candy, Inspirations

2009-09-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

1. Is Time Linear?, 2. Metropolis, 3. Round and Round, 4. Phidippus mystaceus, 5. Against the Colors, 6. silent white... ♫ egrets from bali ♫♫, 7. Hypnosis, 8. All those lines..., 9.Chandigarh Legislative Assembly

This week I'm focusing on inspirations. I love black and white polymer canes, really graphic designs and geometric shapes. Sometimes when I need inspiration I look at pictures. Pictures of anything and everything!

So I went on the hunt for some photos that could be inspiring. If you look at a good black and white photo and squint so that you are not seeing the detail anymore, it might reveal some interesting shape and give you inspiration to create.

Also, when looking at something you just made and wonder if it needs something else or if it is a balanced design, squint while looking at it...... it really helps. Also turn it in all directions. If it looks good upside down, etc. that is a pretty good indicator that it is balanced.

I also find photos of architecture at interesting angles good places to start a design, a painting or whatever your next project is.

So have fun squinting, and don't worry about the wrinkles...... hah!

I'd love to hear what inspires you, where you get your inspiration from, or if any of these images gave you inspiration to start a project.

Check out Lora's and Paige's blog for inspirations and new Eye Candy picks.

Weekend Eye Candy, Copper in Jewelry

2009-08-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

I've been using copper in my jewelry lately. I've always loved playing with copper, torching it to get amazing colors, rubber stamping on it, texturing on it. Then came copper clay! A relative of silver clay I guess, it is somewhat less expensive and I think it looks great mixed with silver clay and sterling silver.

So I went on the hunt to see what other artists are doing with it jewelry wise, and boy did I hit the jackpot. I found so many great pictures and ideas that I couldn't fit them all in this post, so I'll have to do another (just not right now!)

Since computers are not my forte, I always have some trouble posting the links to the Flickr sites of the artists who's work I am showcasing. Sometimes it works, and sometimes NOT. But the good news is that you can go to my Flickr page and get the links to all of these great works of jewelry.

Enjoy these, and take a look at Lora's, and see if Paige and Christine have posted yet.

Weekend Eye Candy, Color and Whimsy Edition

2009-08-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

1. Retroteapot1, 2. 2retrolady_teapot1, 3. bugs, 4. dragonflies, 5. ladies, 6. Frog&Orchid teapot, 7. DSC01208, 8. a_lady2, 9. Bunch o' Cats, 10. frogteapot08_4, 11. retrolady08_7, 12. retro genie teapot5

While trying to figure out what to post as my weekend eye candy, I came across this woman's work on Flickr. I don't know her and have never seen her work before. I think she raises color and whimsy to a new level. Her execution is flawless, and her canes are the same.

I couldn't fit all of her work in this mosaic, so do go visit her Flickr site Wanda's Designs and browse. Click on any of the links and it will take you there

Also check out Lora's blog for a really different take on polymer clay.

Sneak Preview, "Hearts As Promised"

2009-08-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

My last "Weekend Eye Candy" was about hearts, because I said I was working on some heart projects and promised to post them when finished. I decided not to make you wait until they are completed, but give you a sneak preview of just one of the heart projects. I really love the heart shape. It can be done in so many different ways, and all still look like hearts. Love, love, love it!

Here is one element of a necklace from a group that I am calling "Future Heirlooms".

Then, as you can see, it got some company in the form of 2 more charms and a ring to connect the neck chain part to....... stay tuned to see how the chain progresses!

Dorothy, It's ToTo! Are you out there?

2009-08-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

I have not heard from Dorothy~~~MN yet about her mailing address. She won these two beads in my little contest, and I'd really like to send them off to her before they start gathering dust! They're really lonely and would like to have a home. Dorothy, are you out there? :o)

Winner, We Have a Winner!

2009-08-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

It must seem as though I've forgotten about the contest for the faux bone beads. I have not forgotten, life has just gotten in my way, and a lot of things that I want to do just keep getting pushed back.

Pictures I want to take and post, projects I want to finish and photograph, then post. There just aren't enough hours in my day!

But, I digress.............drum roll please...........and the winner is Dorothy~~~MN.......congratulations Dorothy.

Your comment really made both me and my husband laugh. I guess we really do belong together! Here's my problem: it shows that Dorothy posted, but I don't have Dorothy's email address so I can't find out where to send the beads, so Dorothy if you are out there listening, please email me with your address so I can send you the beads.

Of course I will photograph them and post it before I send them. Just another thing to add to the "to do" list, but I do this one with a smile because there are actually a handful of people out there that are listening.........thanks to all of you that took the time to post a comment. I do appreciate it.

Weekend Eye Candy, Heart Edition

2009-08-08T11:07:00.003-07:00

This week I've been working on some jewelry pieces with hearts as the theme, so I thought I'd check out what other people are doing with hearts. As usual, I will take pictures and post them when I have finished something.

To see who these great heart photos belong to, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/michelleross/3800795597/ and click on the links.

Be sure to check out Lora, Paige, and Christine to see what's on their minds this week.

Weekend Eye Candy, Kimono Edition

2009-08-01T18:07:00.001-07:00

1. Polymer Clay Wall Hanging, 2. Kimono Pin, 3. Kimono Necklace, 4. Origami Kimono, 5. Kimono Fibula, 6. 3-D Kimono Necklace, 7. Kimono with Peridot, 8. Kimono Necklace, 9. Flat Kimono Necklace Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

To start off, I'm very late with this posting. I hate being late, but I was solving a personal problem. What? You don't have any of those? Suuure! Well, better late than never!

Because I spent all that time on one problem, I didn't have time to hunt through Flickr, which is where I usually find pictures of other artists work that fits my theme. It's nice to look at other peoples work and honor them a bit by giving them more exposure. But, this time it is all about Me!, Me!, Me!

Do you ever have one of those days where you say to your self, "gosh, I'm turning into my Mom", or "I'm just like my Mom" (or Dad)? My Mom was an artist and a dabbler in many things. She loved all things Japanese. She took classes in Sumi painting and Ikebana and really was quite good with the brush. She was a wonderful person, and if I could be half as nice as she was, well, I think I have a way to go with that, but I love sushi, origami and I love kimonos. So this is a little tribute to my Mom, who I think about and miss every day.

This edition is about the kimonos I have made. I have done them in polymer clay, metal clay and origami, which by the way, I learned from my Mom when I was a little kid!

I hope you like them, and by the way, I'm not done making them...... don't know if I ever will be.

My Latest Faux Bone Project

2009-07-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

Since I've been showing faux bone/faux ivory in my last 2 postings, I guess it's time to show my latest Faux (the Robert Dancik variety)Bone project.

This piece has sat on my work table for almost a year. I originally made the PMC part for a Deb Jemmott workshop. It was a long time before I fired it, then another long time before I decided what to do with it.

When I added the Faux Bone to the PMC, it took some more time to add the chain because I liked the back more than I liked the front......I could never be a production artist!! Any how, it is now a reversible pendant that I'm still sitting on the fence about it, but atleast it's finally done. I am now free to move on!

Can you guess which was supposed to be the front and which is the back?

Polymer Clay; Faux Bone and Faux Ivory

2009-07-24T11:29:00.001-07:00

1. Faux Ivory Artifact pendant, 2. africa pendant, 3. geometric face, 4. Faux Ivory Pen and Business Card Case Set, 5. Lion's tooth necklace, 6. faux ivory earrings, 7. this and that, 8. Silent Watch Owl Earrings, 9. porte-clef dos / Keychain back - older work@2005, 10. Faux Ivory Pendant, 11. Faux ivory head pendant, 12. Rune Journal inside back cover Created with fd's Flickr Toys.
Polymer Clay; Faux Bone and Faux Ivory, originally uploaded by Michelle Ross.

Last week my eye candy was faux bone, and it turned out that all but one photo were Robert Dancik's Faux Bone. I must redeem myself to the loyal polymer clay people, so this time it's faux bone or faux ivory, all polymer clay! I think the versatility of polymer clay is displayed well here. From book jackets to beads to card cases........what can't you do with it?

What can't you do with polymer clay? The person who post's the most imaginative answer to this question wins 2 of my faux bone beads from a segment of the Carol Duvall Show where I demonstrated Faux Bone and Faux Amber! So get crazy and think up a really good answer. Leave it in the comments area, and I'll set a deadline depending on how many comments there are.

Be sure to check out Lora's, Paige's, and Christine's Eye Candy picks. That's where I'm goin now!

Weekend Eye Candy, Faux Bone Edition

2009-07-17T16:14:00.001-07:00

1. Bangle Bracelet, 2. Kokoshnik, 3. faux bone, 4. faux bone workshop pieces, 5. Diamond Bud Ring with Air Plant (side view), 6. Fly, 7. Passando Por Cima, 8. Untitled, 9. Snake Bangle Bracelet

Faux Bone, originally uploaded by Michelle Ross.

I've been making faux bone in polymer clay for a long time. Then along came Robert Dancik with his product actually called "Faux Bone". I took a class from him just because I like to sit at the masters feet and absorb. It's a very interesting product as you can see. Dig a little deeper than what you see here, and it will really "wow" you. Polymer clay artists are still doing some amazing things with imitating bone in the clay, so though I have only provided one photo of polymer clay beads, I urge you to hunt for more. Believe me, it you take the trip on the internet, I'm sure it will be worth the price of admission!

Be sure to check out Lora's, Paige's, and Christine's editions of Weekend Eye Candy.

Also, if you go to my web site, click on Gallery, then Mixed Media, you will see some examples of a couple of things that I made with Roberts Faux Bone.

Wabi-sabi Earrings

2009-07-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

I've always loved earrings that weren't exactly the same. They go together, have some elements that are the same or similar, but they don't exactly match. In the 70's I used to go out of my way to mix and match a pair of earrings. Now, I can make them! These earrings were put together from bits and pieces that I had just waiting to become something. Next time, I think I'd like to start out intentionally making a Wabi-sabi pair.

Weekend Eye Candy, Earrings

2009-07-10T10:29:00.001-07:00

Weekend Eye Candy, Earrings, originally uploaded by Michelle Ross.

1. little lambs eat ivy earrings, 2. Silver scroll Earrings, 3. Tatlin Earrings, 4. Fiery Sunset Tree Earrings, 5. Earrings, 6. Vibrant Earrings, 7. Squares and Spirals -post earrings, 8. Daisy Adorned Lotus Petal Earrings, 9. in alice's garden - retro bauble earrings

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

This week I made a pair of earrings that I love, love, love! So my eye candy picks are all about the earring! I hope you enjoy them.
Later I will take and post a photo of my earrings, so stay tuned.

Weekend Eye Candy, Felting

2009-07-04T09:24:00.001-07:00

Weekend Eye Candy, Felting, originally uploaded by Michelle Ross.

I love felting...... felted bags, felted flowers, felted anything!
I'm a huge fan of the felted bag, so I'm giving away FREE on my web site a little pattern for a felted shopping bag that I created.
It is embellished with crochet flowers and leaves, but you can embellish it any way you like. Get creative with it!
If you make one and send me a picture, I would love to post it on the blog for all to see. You can get it at www.michellerossdesigns.com
Be sure to visit Lora, Paige and Christines eye candy picks this week.

Weekend Eye Candy, Rings

2009-06-27T09:29:00.001-07:00

1. BEETLE MECHANIQUE Vintage Watch Ring by 19 Moons Adjustable STEAMPUNK CLOCKWORK BEAUTY, 2. Ring 70.6 (2008, IT) Public Treasure Poison Ring, 3. cup ring stack, 4. WORDY GIRASOLE RING, 5. art jewelry money silver aggressive growth ring ooley, 6. Anillo plata, acrilico y 3 circones Xperimenta Fran Duarte, 7. TALLY LACMA ring, 8. black ring, 9. Kawaii Cute Japanese Ring-Coffee With Cream 1

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.Weekend Eye Candy, Rings, originally uploaded by Michelle Ross.

Since I just posted my first successful ring, I thought it would be fun to take a peek at some rings other people have made. Grab a little inspiration or just enjoy the eye candy! I'd love to hear which is your favorite.

Be sure and check out Lora, Paige and Christine's Weekend Eye Candy

What to do when you are not making money?

2009-06-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

The answer is simple: spend money! The truth is that while on forced hiatus from teaching, I've decided to take a couple of what I call "Smithy" classes.

I wanted to learn something new, so I signed up to take some simple metal smithing classes. Pictured here is my first ring. I really love it. I learned "jump soldering" (not sure if that is a technical term, or the term my friend Paige coined) but I like it, sweat soldering, and using hard, medium and easy solder. Also, this is the first time I bezel set a stone.

And in case you're wondering, yes, it is off center, on purpose. In fact, I would have liked it to be more asymmetrical, but it jumped when the solder flowed, and being a beginner, I felt best left alone.

That brings me to one of my "art philosophies"(TG for spell checker). You can't draw a straight line, so why try..... go crazy with bendy lines, and if you can't get something exactly in the middle, go way off center.

I think it is much more interesting when things aren't perfectly centered, so my next ring will be even more asymmetrical.

I hope you enjoy seeing this one!

ps: if I could just figure out how to get the photos below the post I'd be happy!:-}

Who Doesn't Love Flowers?

2009-06-19T23:13:00.001-07:00

My creation, originally uploaded by Michelle Ross.

Whether you work in metals, fibers, or polymer clay, many artists say that they get their inspiration from nature.

Here are a few examples of work that depict flowers, and one is actually a flower found in nature.

I really like all of these, and I hope you do too.

Weekend Eye Candy, Circles

2009-06-05T08:52:00.001-07:00

1. Planet Rock Earrings - SOLD, 2. Rolling Hills - Side 1, 3. Where do circles begin?, 4.Polymer clay Disc earing Detail, 5. Polymer Clay Tumbling Circles Bracelet, 6. Outside Circles, Inside Dots., 7. The Holes in my Argument –Circles in the square!, 8. The Circles, 9. Squircle Set of Favorites from Squared Circle

My friend Lora Hart invited me to join in her Weekend Eye Candy weekly ritual. This is my very first one. Lora recently did one on circles (she read my mind) and it’s really good. Go see hers at Such and Such.
Whether you’re a jewelry maker, knitter, polymer clayer, crafter of any sort, they are always inspirational photos of other peoples work.
Have fun looking and get inspired!

Sketch Books

2009-05-31T14:52:00.000-07:00

My friend Maggie Bergman has a post on her blog that I thought was wonderful. She showed one of her jewelry designs from the beginning to the end. Not process photos, but sketch book photos.

She found a seed pod, made a sketch, and completed the jewelry piece from her sketches that actually looked like what she sketched.

I have a lot of sketch books, and I doodle a lot, but I rarely ever make something that resembles a "doodle" that I did.

I think the reason for that is that I have a collage mentality. I really don't know what the end result will look like. It just happens as I go along. It's always an adventure for me.

I'm not unhappy at all with my free form process, but I think it is wonderful that she can create exactly what she intended in her sketch! Sometime I'll try that!

Below are some of my sketch books. I love using a book that I have made, but I also buy them too. Click on Maggie Bergman above and see what she did. I think you'll like her process.

In The Beginning......

2009-05-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

I woke up way too early one morning and lost my mind! That is to say that I decided to start a blog.

Why did I decide to do this? Two reasons. I'm hoping it will cause me to be a bit more organized in my life, and it seems like a place that I can share my works, ideas, & creativity. I'm an eclectic artist, but I'm not a writer, and that is the scary part.

So here is my process to begin this foreign thing:

I had certain requirements involving what it would look like:

1) It had to be easy on the eyes.

2) The background couldn't be black.

3) The template doesn't include bears or butterflies!

4) Subtly so as not to compete with my photos.

5 ) I found that templates that had their graphic in the upper right corner were disturbing to my eye, so I wanted something opposite of that.

I spent HOURS looking at templates and finally bookmarked a total or 28. Then came the elimination process:

Round 1 - cut by 50%! Good job, pat myself on the back! Only 14 left.

Round 2 - This was more difficult, 11 remaining

Round 3 - 8 left

At this point, everything is fuzzy. I somehow managed to get it down to 3, then 2. Took a vote between a couple of friends, and finally had the one I wanted......yay!

I'm not a very computer savvy person, so I needed some help to make the header. Enter Paige of Hammer, Stitch, Burn, a wonderful creative and smart and sensitive friend. I better not forget that patience is one of her virtues!

We quickly threw together a pile of stuff (my stuff) and took a bunch of photos. We settled on 2, then began to work on them to make a final header that I would be happy with FOREVER because I don't want to ever loose my mind like that again. :-}

Here's the one I didn't choose, and it was a hard choice.

What do you think? Send me a comment or email. Did I choose the best one? I'd love to hear what you think because creativity doesn't happen in a vacuum! (I like that!)