Caroline Fung

On the Forest Floor

2012-02-13T04:01:00.004-08:00

I've just returned home from an overseas holiday with my husband and parents. Time seems to pass by so quickly when one's having fun. Anyhow, thought I would show you a necklace I made a while ago for one of the challenges on the Australian Beading Forum, the theme of which was "On the Forest Floor". I made the large swirly lentil beads out of polymer clay, sanded them with successive grits of sandpapers, and buffed them with a felt wheel on a dremel-like tool. They're somewhat difficult to photograph because of their shiny surfaces. At one stage, I was really into making these beads. There's something very soothing and meditative about swirling and gently compressing a bead under an acrylic sheet, and watching it take shape. As a result, I have a little collection of such beads. Did an open beaded bezel around the central bead, and connected all the beads with more seed bead work. The colours of the lentil beads were supposed to reflect those on the floor of a woodland forest, somewhere in Europe maybe? And I can just imagine the song "Teddy Bears' Picnic" playing in the background. What do you think? Thanks for looking and again please click on the photos if you would like a larger view.

A few pendants I love to wear

2012-01-13T04:14:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that, as much as I love making large elaborate pieces, I would very rarely wear them. The ones I wear often are smaller and simpler. These are a few of my favorites, all of which I made a few years ago. The first and third are dichroic glass cabochons which I set in silver clay. The cabs were from a very talented American glass artist Donna Cason. The second one is a cloisonne enamel piece which I made from a copper base, with a black onyx cab set with silver bezel wire. I think it looks rather Art deco. These pieces have traveled with me to many places. Interestingly, I've been asked many times if the blue cab in the last one was opal. Anyhow, as you can see in the photos, I do like strong colours. Hope you like them and thanks for looking. :)

Celina - A necklace inspired by my scrap fabrics treasure

2011-12-25T04:11:00.000-08:00

My husband and I went to Hong Kong and China a couple of months ago for a holiday. While I was there, my best friend Celine took me to a tailor in Shenzhen, to have some clothes made. As she's a regular customer, I thought I would ask the tailor if I could have some scrap fabrics that he didn't want, and to my surprise, he gave me two big bags full of beautiful remnants! The pieces were only small, but their colours, patterns and textures were absolutely stunning. I came home feeling totally inspired. I picked a piece of lavender lace (the one in the top right hand corner of the last photo), teamed it with a resin coated polymer clay cabochon which I painted a little while ago, added some bits and pieces including a couple of fabric flowers and brass stampings from B'sue Boutiques, and turned it into a Gothic style necklace. The brass leaves and purple flower were coloured with acrylics and Gilders paste. I decided to name the piece Celina, after Celine who led me to this fabulous scrap fabrics treasure hunt. I'll no doubt make more pieces using them. The last picture shows a small sample of what I was given. Hope you like what I've done with the fabric, and again, please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view.

My Chinese New Year Necklace

2011-09-17T00:56:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Hong Kong, I have very fond memories of Chinese New Year. Since our family migrated to Australia twenty odd years ago, I've only been back during Chinese New Year once, and that was the beginning of this year. We celebrated Chinese New Year's Eve with my best friend, her daughters and my cousin by going to the New Year's Night Markets. The place was absolutely chock-a-block full of people, and the vendors were selling all kinds of festive food, fresh flowers and knick-knacks. It was noisy, exciting and fun, and the air was full of the aroma of food I loved. Traditionally, during Chinese New Year, every household would have a Togetherness Tray in which various confectioneries and snacks would be placed, and visitors would be served tea together with the food. I bought one of those trays when I got married, but as you can see in the photos, it looks rather new as I have rarely used it. Chinese New Year is just not the same here in Sydney. Anyhow, I decided to make a necklace to celebrate all these sweet memories of Chinese New Year. The main cabs were made with polymer clay covered by washi paper and coated with resin. I also made the flower-shaped metal pendants with bronze clay, and set a couple of small cubic zirconium in them. The small side pendants with faux pearls are vintage buttons. The necklace is actually longer in real life; I tucked it up at the back for photo purpose. I plan to wear this to work here next year on Chinese New Year's Day, unless I am in Hong Kong again at that time, in which case I may wear it to watch the fireworks over Victoria Harbour..... Please click on the photos if you would like a larger view.

Gothic Bronze Clay and Amber Pendant

2011-08-19T23:01:00.001-07:00

This is a piece I've been working on for a few weeks. I was in Krakow late last year, and bought some beautiful Baltic amber beads and cabochons. Have been wanting to use them in my creations for a while. Anyhow, got out my bronze clay which has been sitting in the fridge for a few months, and started playing with it. Then decided that I'd carve a stamp out of a carving block to texture the base of the superficial part of the pendant. The pendant was hand moulded with bronze clay and made in two parts, with bits of wire at the back of both pieces which I then used to wire them and the beads together and "sandwich" the beads in between. I used moulds to make the skull and beast head. The beast didn't have very obvious lower fangs originally, so I did a little "dental work" for him by sticking two rice-shaped pieces of clay to the lower part of the mouth, and filed, sanded and sharpened them to make the fangs. Also set a couple of olivine cubic zirconia into the pendant. and added a patina to the finished piece with liver of sulphur and Gilder's paste. Am really pleased with how it turns out. The beads in the pendant are amber and citrine, the drop is lemon quartz, and the necklace is made up of various beads including amber, Swarovski crystals and some cute little metal skull beads. The necklace is actually quite long - I had to tuck it up at the back of the bust for photo purposes. The pendant is also quite sparkly in real life because of those gorgeous faceted beads, the czs, and the high polish of parts of the bronze. I really LOVE working with bronze clay and have started on another couple more pieces, so, please watch this space!

Hope you like the piece and please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view.

A Mixed Media Gothic Pendant Necklace

2011-07-17T05:20:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I would go through a phase when all I want to make are dark and Gothic pieces. Anyhow, this is one I just finished. The main pendant is again one of my resin coated cabochons, which I painted on a white polymer clay base using water colours, acrylics and a little Twinkling H2O, and added some collage elements. The little skulls and Gothic man face were made from black polymer clay and coloured with acrylics and Gilder's paste. The spider web shaped thingy and blue rose were raw brass stampings, similarly coloured with acrylics and Gilder's paste. Added some crystals, lace, beads and chains etc to make up the rest of the necklace. It was fun doing it and I'm quite pleased with how it turns out. I may even wear it to work one day with an all black outfit just to shock everyone, LOL! I have made another Gothic cab in a different colour scheme. Will turn it into a necklace when I have time. Please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view.

Vintage Rose - My first etched copper pendant

2011-05-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to try etching metals for a while, and finally, I did it. I freehand drew a rose on a copper plate with a paint pen, set it with a heat gun, then etched it with an electro-etching system. The pattern didn't come out totally smooth, but I actually quite like it like that - gives it a more "weathered" vintage feel. Added a patina with liver of sulphur and Gilder's paste, and stuck it onto a filigree piece. Teamed it with an oblong stone cabochon, Swarovski crystals, more filigree stampings and beaded components. It was really quite fun to do. When I have time, I want to try etching bronze and copper clay pieces - now that would be so cool! Hope you like, and please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view.

Washi Paper Pendant with Amazonite Beads

2011-04-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

This is a necklace I finished last weekend. The main cab is another one of those washi paper-polymer-clay-resin cabs I made a while ago. I loved the pattern of the paper, but wasn't sure what to team it with as the colours were rather bright. Anyhow, my birthday was a couple of months ago, and as my Mum was sick and in hospital at the time, we didn't celebrate or do anything at all. Then a few weeks ago I got an email from a local gemstone retailer that they're having a store wide 50% discount, so I thought I'd ask my husband to buy me some gemmies as birthday present. Went there last week and had a FANTABULOUS time. Amongst the things I bought were these gorgeous amazonite rhondelles (the large pale blue ones in the photos), and immediately, I thought of my washi paper cab. Added some seed beads, turquoise coloured howlite and Czech firepolished beads, brass stampings, and chains.

I wanted the necklace to have an antique Oriental feel, like something that might have been worn by a young woman from a wealthy family in Beijing, whose father worked as an advisor to the Emperor in the Ching Dynasty (me day-dreaming away here...). One day, the Emperor's advisor was invited to attend a state function at the palace, and he took his wife and beautiful daughter with him. Whilst the men were waiting for the Emperor in the main hall, the ladies were led to meet and pay their respect to the queen and the numerous concubines in the royal garden of the Forbidden City. On their way there, they bumped into the Emperor's procession, and they immediately knelt down and bowed their heads. Being young and curious, the girl lifted her head ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of the Emperor, who was in his fifties. Their eyes met, and the Emperor was instantly mesmerised by her beauty. A few days later, the Emperor sent a Royal summon to the advisor's home, for the girl to be admitted into the palace to be a concubine. Unbeknown to her parents, the girl had already given her heart to a young scholar who worked for her father. To disobey the Emperor's order, however, would mean death not just to herself but her whole extended family, all those who shared the same surname. She was utterly broken hearted but had no choice. The night before she was taken to the palace, she wrote a letter to the love of her life, explaining that she had to sacrifice herself for the sake of her family, but her love towards him would never end. She gave the letter to her maid, together with her favourite necklace, and asked her to smuggle them out of her guarded home and give them to the young scholar. "Tell him" she said to the maid, "to put this necklace close to his heart. As long as it's with him, I'll know that his love for me has not died. In our next life, and many more lives to come, I'll search for the necklace, and I'll find him wherever he is in the whole world. It's a symbol of our ever lasting love......."

The necklace is actually longer but I tucked it up at the back for photo purpose. Hope you like. Again, please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view.

A Mixed Media Lady Brooch named Miriam

2011-04-16T22:26:00.000-07:00

I was asked recently by a customer at our fundraiser if I made brooches, and it daunted on me that I very seldom did. Anyhow, thought I would do some, and this is one I just finished yesterday. The main cabochon is again one of my mixed media art deco lady cabs which I painted on a white polymer clay base, added bits and pieces, then covered with resin. I just love making these cabs and have a little collection of them, so there'll probably be more of them coming in different names and forms. (Hope you're not sick of them by now.) The brass leaf was aged with Gilder's pastes. Miriam actually has shimmering golden eyeshadow (I used a little Twinkling H2O water colours) but I couldn't capture that in the photos. Hope you like her.

Victorian opal pendant

2011-03-25T03:10:00.000-07:00

This is another pendant necklace I just finished a few days ago for our upcoming fund raising event at work. We're holding an Art and Artisan Jewellery Exhibition and Show next weekend, the proceeds of which will go towards purchasing of medical laboratory equipment for the Department of Anatomical Pathology at the hospital, where I work. Anyhow, I was given this Australian opal cabochon by one of the show organisers (the stone was donated by an ex-patient) and was asked to "make it into something". I wrapped it with sterling silver wire, added a patina with liver of sulphur, polished it up, and teamed it with fresh water pearls, Swarovski crystals, and amethyst and labradorite beads. The piece will be donated as an item for live auction at the opening cocktail party on Friday evening. I'm a little nervous and worried that no one will bid for it. Anyhow, all I can do is to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best, I guess. Please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view.

PS. Well, our fund raising event has been and gone. I'm pleased to say that this necklace has been sold at live auction, and raised a good sum for the hospital. And all along I was so nervous no one would bid on it! The event was a success, and I must thank my jewellery buddies from the Australian Beading Forum and the Parramatta-Holroyd Lapidary Club for their contribution, hard work and support. :)

Leo the Steampunk Leopard, and his cub

2011-03-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

Here are two leopard theme pendants, one I just finished, and the other I made a while ago. I started the steampunk one a few weeks ago for one of the YOJ challenges on the Australian Beading Forum, but didn't have time to finish it until now. The head and paws were made with white polymer clay which I painted, and the rest was assembled with bits and pieces and seed beads. I used some Twinkling H2O watercolours, hence the body parts are somewhat pearlescent and shimmering in real life. The cub one is an enamel pendant I did quite a while back, using various techniques including cloisonne and overglaze painting enamels. It took many firings to achieve the result I wanted. I thought it's cute to show them together. Please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view.

PS. I have entered these pieces into Sandy's Challenge #3. You can check out her blog Sandy's Space at http://angsandy.blogspot.com/

Rose Pendant and China Trip

2011-02-05T17:28:00.000-08:00

Haven't posted anything for a little while as I've just come home from a trip to Hong Kong and Shenzhen and Xiamen in China. I have some friends and relatives in HK, hence I go there about once a year. Just love the food and shopping there! There is a well known bead district in HK (Sham Shui Po) which I always visit, and next to the street with all the bead shops, there is a street that sells buttons. I went to both this time and bought myself a nice little stash of beads, findings and buttons. One Sunday, my best friend and cousin took me and my hubby to Shenzhen, which is a city in Southern China, just across the border from HK, for a day trip. There are apparently markets that specialise in beads. Due to time limitation, however, we only managed to look at a few stalls in one of the main shopping centres. Still, we walked away with more beads, and at fantastic prices too! Must go back next time! Anyhow, thought I would show you a necklace I made a few Christmas ago, using a beautiful resin rose cab I bought in Tokyo. I wanted something wearable in a Christmasy colour scheme, and yet could be worn at other times of the year. The necklace was sold as soon as I finished making it. I still have a couple more cabs - must make myself another one next Christmas. The photo below was taken at one of the stalls we visited in Shenzhen. Please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view.

Millefiori Steampunkish Necklace

2011-01-15T05:29:00.000-08:00

Here's another steampunkish necklace I've just finished. The pendant is an enamel cab I made a little while ago, using a square copper blank. I applied enamel and millefiori bits onto the copper (fired separately), glued a cog in place, beaded a bezel around it, and assembled it into a necklace with more bits and pieces. This probably should be regarded as minimally steampunk, as I have only included 3 cogs in the whole piece. Anyhow, it's meant to be a fun piece and I'm quite pleased with how it turns out. Please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view. Hope you like!

Another Mixed Media Collage Steampunk Necklace

2011-01-12T04:44:00.000-08:00

Just finished another steampunk piece, a choker this time. The cab is again a mixed media collage covered with resin, which I made at the same time as the one in my last post (am just a bit addicted to these at the moment). Initially, the rose was pale blue and the cogs on either side of the pendant were raw brass, but I didn't like them like that, so I distressed them with acrylics and Gilder's paste. Am quite pleased with how they turned out. This is supposed to be another piece for our fund raising event in April, but now that it's finished, I don't want to part with it! (Did I tell you my favourite colour is blue?) Well, may just have to make another one similar for the event. :)

PS. I have entered this and a few other of my pieces into Sandy's Challenge #2. You can check out her blog Sandy's Space at http://angsandy.blogspot.com/

Art Deco Steampunk Necklace

2011-01-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

Just finished this necklace which combined two of my favourite themes - Art Deco and Steampunk. Yes I do realise Steampunk is supposed to be late Victorian, but hey, it's my piece and I can do what I want, LOL! I do apologise to any purists out there though. Anyhow, the cab is a miniature collage done on a white polymer clay base. I painted the lady with acrylics and Twinkling H2O, added bits of paper cut outs, cogs, lace etc, and covered it with resin. The same lace was used to line the edge of the pendant. Must admit I love painting girls'/ladies' faces (have been so since I was little), and I can't help using them in my jewelry pieces. I have made a few more cabs in similar style to play with, so you'll probably see more of them coming in the near future. Please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view.

Blue crystal choker and May's pendant

2010-12-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd show you a couple of pieces. The first one is a choker I just finished yesterday, again for our fund raising event next year. I made the centre piece quite a few weeks ago, but only managed to finish the beaded necklace part yesterday. The large blue Swarovski crystal was from the big stash of crystals I won in the Swarovski competition a couple of years ago, and I wrapped/caged it with brass stampings which had been coloured by Guilder's paste. The necklace was done with Herringbone stitch using seed and bugle beads, and Swarovski bicones. It sits very nicely in real life, and is so very sparkly.

The second piece is a pendant I made for one of my sisters-in-law, May, a while ago. The dichroic glass cabochon was purchased from Donna Cason's online shop (I just love her cabs), and it's wrapped with gold filled wire, with a few matching Swarovski bicones. I kept the design relatively simple as I didn't want to detract from the gorgeous cab.

Hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas, and Happy New Year to you all! :)

Continuing the Bohemian theme

2010-12-06T03:33:00.000-08:00

We're in the process of organising a fund raising art and jewellery exhibition and sale at work for April next year, the proceeds of which will go towards purchasing of instrument for medical diagnostic work in our hospital. Anyhow, I have started making things for this purpose. Since I've bought some brass stampings and filigree pieces recently, thought I would incorporate them into my creations. I coloured the stampings with Gilder's pastes and really loved how they turned out. As these are for sale, I tried not to go over the top, and kept them relatively simple and wearable. Each necklace has its own matching earrings which I plan to sell as a set. The necklaces are actually longer than shown in the photos. I had to tuck them up at the back to make them fit the display busts. A couple of the rings were made from the "sparkly wheels" pattern in a recent issue of Beadwork, and the Guilder's paste and some of the stampings were from Brenda Sue from B'Sue Boutique.

Kreativ Blogger Award

2010-11-26T14:33:00.000-08:00

One of my lovely beady friends Bree at Beads by Bree http://beadsbybree.blogspot.com/ gave me this award a little while ago, and I have finally written down all the relevant information required to accept this award. Thanks for the award, buddy!

Along with all blog awards there are rules to accepting them:

Post the award on my blog.
Thank the person who gave it to me.
Link to the person who gave this to me.
Share a list of 7 things that you probably don't know about me.
Choose 7 great bloggers to give the award to.
Share a link to their blogs.
Leave a comment on their blog.

7 things you probably didn't know about me:

Blue is my favourite colour.
I work as an anatomical pathologist in a hospital.
I don't like cooked tomatoes, but fresh ones are fine.
I learnt Chinese painting for quite a few years when I was young.
My favourite food is sushi.
My favourite foreign movie is a Chinese one titled "Farewell My Concubine".
I'm a hopeless sentimental and would cry even when I watch old black and white movies.

My 7 Kreativ Bloggers which I have chosen to give this award to are:

Michele at Michele Lynch Art http://michelelynchart.blogspot.com/

I was instantly attracted to Michele's whimsical steampunk jewelry the first time I visited her blog. You HAVE to see her creations, they're amazing.

Helena at Helena Asmus Lim http://helena-asmus-lim.blogspot.com/

Love Hel's contemporary, funky jewelry. She's also a good writer with a sense of humor.

Maryanne at Maryniky Designs http://marynikydesigns.blogspot.com/

Gorgeous beadwork including bead embroidery, bridal designs and pieces with lace.

Bianca at Bianca Velder Creations http://biancavelder.blogspot.com/

B is a clever chic, fantastic writer, beader and mixed media artist. Love her latest art dolls.

Marcie Abney at La Bella Joya http://labellajoya.blogspot.com/

Marcie's beadwork is absolutely beautiful, intricate and very wearable.

Kerrie at Contemporary Beadwork by Kerrie Slade http://kerrieslade.blogspot.com/

Kerrie has such a way with seedies. Many of her pieces are simply exquisite.

Wanda Roszak at Wandar-Wanda http://wandar-wanda.blogspot.com/

Her textile and fibre art is exquisite.

Bohemian Rhapsody

2010-11-15T04:23:00.000-08:00

This is a piece I made for last week's Year of Jewellery Challenge at the Australian Beading Forum, the theme of which is, yes you guess it, "Bohemian Rhapsody". I've been playing around with mixed media ATC (Artist Trading Cards) a little lately, and made this ATC a few weeks ago. My hubby thinks she looks like a gypsy. Anyhow, the theme came up, and I thought of the design right away. I wanted to create a piece with an arty Boho mixed media feel. Made a copy of the ATC and turned it into a resin coated cabochon, and beaded around it. I then rummaged through my beady stash looking for things that would go together. I painted some of the bits and pieces with acrylic paints, and also coloured some brass stampings with Gilder's paste. For some reason, it's really difficult to capture the true colours of the piece in the photos - in real life, it is less pink and more bluish purple and a little more subdue. Please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view.

Anastasia

2010-11-07T22:11:00.000-08:00

I made this necklace a while ago, but like some of my more elaborate pieces, I had never worn it. Last week, however, we had a fund raising function on one evening after work, and I wanted to promote an event (Art Under the Microscope: Art and Artisan Jewellery Exhibition and Sale) which we're planning to hold in early April next year, so I decided to wear it. I teamed it with a plain black dress, and it looked quite stunning on. Must admit I wasn't used to wearing such a big piece and was feeling a little self conscious, LOL. Anyhow, the function went well, and the necklace had served its function well and attracted lots of attention and comments. I was a bit chuffed really. Technically this is not a difficult piece to do, but I'm quite pleased with the design and colour scheme, and it wears well. It reminds me of the old Russian royals, a princess maybe? The piece is quite sparkly in real life because of all the Swarovski crystals.

Puppy Love - Spring inspired mixed media collage necklace

2010-10-25T03:46:00.000-07:00

This is a piece I've been working on on and off for a few weeks. I went overseas end of August, and came back in mid September. Before I left, it still felt very much like Winter, but when I came back, all out of a sudden, Spring had sprung. The shrubs and trees were all in blooms, and when I went back to work, there were masses of pink azaleas lining the footpaths leading from the carpark to the office. I also happened to have this resin coated cab which I made a little while ago, which I had been wanting to turn into a necklace. Anyhow, I was really inspired by the colours and fragrance all around me, and I ended up doing this extra girly super sweet necklace. Don't think I've ever made anything quite so pink before (I even painted some brass stampings pink to match), LOL. Please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view.

Little Ethan - beaded resin cab

2010-10-23T18:51:00.002-07:00

Just finished making this necklace with a resin coated cabochon which I made from a copy of my enamel plate Ethan shown in the last post. I feel like I've cloned him, LOL. The original enamel piece was wire wrapped and submitted in a showcase, together with works from a few other members in our lapidary club, to the competition at the annual exhibition of the NSW Lapidary Council (GEMKHANA). I'm happy to say that our club has won first place again this year, and we actually received a perfect score of 100/100 from the judges. We're all so excited! I've made a few more cabs in different sizes so I can play with different ways of beading him up. Please click on the photos if you like a larger view.

PS. Just want to add that Little Ethan has found a lovely new home in America. I made him as a surprise gift to my dear friend Bev, to thank her for the friendship, kindness and support she's shown me. I can now say it as she has received it. I'm so pleased you love him, Bev! :)

Ethan the baby owl

2010-09-29T04:03:00.000-07:00

Thought I would introduce Ethan to you all - he is Molly's baby nephew (you can find pictures of saucy Molly a few posts back). I did this enamel pendant for our lapidary club showcase, which will be entered into an upcoming lapidary competition. The pendant was made with a piece of copper which I cut out, then applied enamels using various techniques including cloisonne and overglaze painting enamel. It's hard to photograph because of the glassy surface. I have actually turned it into a wire-wrapped pendant and submitted it for the showcase, but I'm not totally happy with how I wrapped it (I ran out of time and was rushing to get it done). Will fiddle with it a bit more and take a photo to show you when I get in back. The pendant is about 5-6cm in length, and just in case you're wondering, the name Ethan came from my little nephew who was born just over a month ago. I love owls and will no doubt make more owl jewellery, hopefully using different techniques and media.

A few scrolled enamel pendants

2010-09-11T06:09:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted anything for a little while as I and hubby have just returned from a trip to Krakow, Poland. Had a fantastic time there and bought some gorgeous amber beads and cabochons. Will show you some photos later.

Anyhow, thought I'd post a few scrolled enamel pendants which I made sometime ago. At one stage, I was a bit obsessed with making scrolled enamel pieces. They're not really that tricky to make - you just have to add piles of enamel powders onto a copper plate, melt them in the kiln, open the kiln door and scroll them quickly with a long pointy metal stick to create the patterns. As there is very little time to scroll before the molten enamels harden, and some colours burn out easier than others, however, the results are quite unpredictable, and it's impossible to create two pieces that are exactly the same. I guess it's this unpredictability and my quest for the perfect patterns that got me hooked on to this technique. As a result, I've accumulated a nice little collection of scrolled enamel plates, some of which I turned into pendants using beading and wire wrapping techniques. I have now got over this obsession and moved on to something else. Again, please click on the photos if you'd like a larger view.

Purple Moon

2010-08-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

This is a piece I just finished for an Australian competition (the creative challenge category of the Swarovski competition organised by Crystal Park and the Creative Beading Magazine). The rule of this particular category is that the entrants can use only up to 200 Swarovski bicone beads to make a piece, and no other shapes/beads are allowed. I made the leaves and the base of the posy with bronze clay, and assembled the whole piece with wire. The image I have in mind is that of a beautiful fairy wearing this necklace and a shimmering purple dress, walking slowly in a deep, moonlit forest. Initially I had problems picking a name for this piece, and the moon theme was suggested to me by a lovely beady friend Beverly Jane. I have an idea for another piece for the open category of the competition, but it's rather elaborate and I won't have enough time to do it, hence I'm saving the idea for next year. Anyhow, hope you like. (Please click on the pictures if you would like a larger view.)

PS: I've just found out before I went on holiday a couple of weeks ago that this piece has won first prize in the Creative Challenge Category of this year's Swarovski competition (please see above for details). A picture of it and a little write up about me have been published in the January 2011 issue of Creative Beading magazine. I'm so excited!!!

Saucy Molly and the Poster Girl

2010-07-27T05:34:00.000-07:00

I have had a strong urge to make these two pieces for quite a few weeks, but with everything else going on, have only just managed to finish them yesterday. The story goes something like this:

Ever since she was a wee owlet, Molly has always dreamt of becoming a poster girl, those beautiful girls in glamorous shots, with perfectly styled hair, meticulously made up faces, pearly white teeth and slim toned bodies, admired by everyone. But what is a girl to do given life’s circumstances? Molly is, after all, an owl! Well, our Molly didn’t let that deter her. She coloured her feathers, put on her red lipstick, glitzy sun glasses and jewellery, and a flower above her ear, and transformed herself from the owl next door to a glamour queen. She sang, danced and performed, running from auditions to auditions. What she lacked in certain departments, she more than made up for with her talents, attitude, wits and enthusiasm. Today, Molly (affectionately nicknamed “Saucy Molly” by her fans and the tabloid) is not just a poster girl, she is one of the most successful entertainers in the whole owls’ world. To all those aspiring owlets wanting to know the secret of her success, Molly said: “Follow your heart, sweetie, chase your dream, and give it your best shot. Don’t worry about the outcome as long as you’ve done your best, the recognition will come in due course. Be true to yourself, and break free. Remember, you only live once.”

So, here is the poster girl that inspired Molly. The picture is a copy of a vintage Chinese poster which I made into a cabochon with polymer clay, acrylic media and resin (couldn't resist adding a few steampunky bits). Some of the brass stampings were bright golden originally, and I patinaed them with ammonia and a verdigris solution. Added a few vintage buttons. Some of the rounded side pendants were made with a variation of a pattern from the current issue of Beadwork magazine.

The next is a picture of Molly from way back, before her transformation, with her favourite pillow given to her by Aunty Hel.

And this is Molly now, posting for an upcoming concert. (Molly was made with polymer clay coloured with alcohol ink, and decorated with bits and pieces. Some of the side pendants are also from the same pattern from Beadwork.)

Wattle and Cherries - wire wrapped enamel pendant

2010-07-08T05:48:00.000-07:00

I made this pendant quite sometime ago, using various enamel techniques including cloisonne and painting enamels, on a rectangular copper blank. Decided that it didn't really need a fancy setting, so I just wrapped it with gold-filled wire, added a few beads and pearls, and kept the design simple. I used to wear this quite often, but somehow had forgotten about it in the last year or so, until I was looking for something in my jewelry drawers the other day and saw it sitting there (poor thing!). I love the look of wattles but am allergic to them and would sneeze if I get close to one. I have done an oil painting of a wattle with a couple of sparrows in front of it, and it's now hanging in my family room. I also have a floral arrangement on my dining table, with some fake but quite realistic wattles, and dried eucalyptus leaves. Those pearls dangling from the pendant remind me of cherries - one of my favourite fruits, speaking of which, I feel like some cherry ripe chocolate......yum......better go and search the pantry......

My Larimar princess pendant

2010-06-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

The first time I heard of Larimar was about 5 years ago when I went to a local lapidary show. I had just joined a lapidary club then, and I saw these beautiful blue cabochons on sale at the show. One senior member of the club went by and gave me a little education session about Larimar. At the time I was a novice and had no idea how to set stones, but I bought a couple anyway because they're just so pretty. Anyhow, a couple of years ago, I wrapped one with sterling silver wire and added a few tiny pearls, silver beads, and Swarovski beads and stones, and kept it for myself. The pendant reminds me of a princess in a fairy tale, with its delicate colours and sparkles. The colours are closer to real life in the second photo, but the wirework shows up better on the darker background of the first photo. I still have a few cabs in my stash but haven't decided what to do with them.

Another steampunk pendant - Time Fairy

2010-06-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Finished this pendant necklace a few days ago, and named it "Time Fairy". Some of you may remember a mixed media collage I did recently, with the same name, which I posted on May 14th. I took a picture of it, reduced it in size, printed it out, and turned it into an oblong cabochon using polymer clay and resin. Added bits and pieces and made it into a pendant. It's really difficult to photograph the cab because of its highly reflective surface. In real life, the picture in the cab actually looks a lot clearer, and the piece is also quite sparkly because of all the crystals. The little key at the top of the pendant was bright golden in colour when I bought it, and I used a combination of ammonia and a Verdigris solution to give it this lovely patina, which I'm really pleased with. The style is obviously quite different from my other steampunk pendant "Cheshire Cat", as I wanted to experiment and see which I like better. What do you think? I really enjoy making these and have another design in mind which I will get to when I have time. Again, please click on the pictures for larger views. Hope you like!

Madam Rose of Shanghai

2010-06-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

Well, as the Bead & Button Show is well on its way and the winners of Bead Dreams 2010 have been announced, I guess I can now post pictures of my entry "Madam Rose", which has been accepted as a finalist in the wirework category of this year's competition. I made the enamel pendant last year, and the story behind the piece was posted in my blog a little while back (see post 3rd August 2009). It took me several months to collect all the stones and beads, and another couple of months to assemble the piece. The necklace was constructed with wire wrapping techniques using sterling silver wire, patinaed with liver of sulphur then polished again. It didn't receive a ribbon in the competition, but I'm happy to have got through as a finalist and had the opportunity to have the piece exhibited at the Bead & Button Show. Just wish I could be there! Please click on the pictures if you'd like a larger view.

Cheshire Cat - my first steampunk pendant

2010-06-03T05:54:00.000-07:00

This is my first ever steampunk pendant, inspired by the recent Steampunk Alice in Wonderland beading challenge on the Australian Beading Forum. The cat's face was a small cabochon I made with white polymer clay, then painted with acrylics and watercolours, and sealed with a thin layer of resin. I used a fair bit of pearlescent watercolours (Twinkling H2O) so it's quite shimmering in real life. There are stripes on the cat's face which are difficult to see in the photos. The whole pendant is actually quite small, with the head and body measuring about 4.5cm in total length. The ears were made from cut out sections of a flattened bead cap, and the components were secured with beaded bezels using mainly size 11 and 15 seedies. I stuck a few Swarovski flatbacks on the watch movement to give it some extra sparkles. I even "sacrifice" a couple of my vintage Swarovski beads for the necklace part to tie in with the vintage theme. I really enjoyed making this and will no doubt make more, maybe a more serious one next time? Please click on the photos if you would like a larger view. Hope you like him!

A few silver clay pendants

2010-05-16T23:42:00.001-07:00

Thought I would show you a few silver clay pendants I made ages ago. The first one I did in stages. I made the leaf first, fired it, and thought it looked a little boring, so I added the cubic zirconium. I wore it a couple of times but still wasn't happy with it. Finally added a bug. Someone once asked me if I coated a real bug with silver clay paste then fired it to make the pendant - eeeewwww, no way! I'm happy to say that the bug was made with wire and lump clay, and no insects were injured or killed in the process. The cabochons in the second and third pendants (rhodonite and snowflake obsidian respectively) were cut by me from roughs, and I'm quite proud of how nicely they're polished. These days I rarely cut stones as it is rather time consuming, and I rather spend my time making the actual jewelry. The silver clay roses and the snake were moulded/hand carved by me too. Hope you like them.

Time Fairy - My steampunk collage.

2010-05-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

With all these steampunk talks and challenges on the Australian Beading Forum, I've been wanting to make something with this theme. Decided to try a mixed media collage using colour pencils, acrylics and water colours, as well as cut outs of bits and pieces and some rubber stamps and embossing powder. The inspiration came from a quote I found on the internet, by an actor named Jeremy Irons:

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories. Some take us forward, they're called dreams."

This is a work in progress. I plan to reduce the size of the collage, turn it into a resin coated cabochon, and use it as the focal for a necklace. I decided to draw the fairy myself and took photos of the watch parts, so I can use the collage whatever ways I like without having to worry about copyright issues. This is the first collage I've ever made, and I really enjoyed it and will definitely do more.

Tibetan style wire wrapped necklace

2010-05-03T03:54:00.000-07:00

This necklace was made for one of the challenges on the Australian Beading Forum. From memory I think the theme was "Oriental". I decided to make an antique Tibetan style necklace, using a largish Peruvian opal bead I bought a while ago as the focal. Teamed it with coral, turquoise coloured howlite beads, small sterling silver beads, and a few cubic zirconium. The piece was constructed with sterling silver wire, patinaed with liver of sulphur then polished. I haven't actually been to Tibet but did visit a Tibetan village in Sichuan province in China a couple of years ago. Somehow these were the colours that stuck in my mind. I would love to go to Tibet one day but am just a little worried about altitude sickness as I did suffer a little from that even when we were in Sichuan. Please click on the photos if you would like a larger view.

Onyx, crystal and silver pendant

2010-04-17T23:28:00.000-07:00

I made this pendant for this week's Year of Jewellery Challenge on the Australian Beading Forum, and the theme is "Art Deco". My take on the theme is to use strong colours and geometric shapes. The crystals are actually all the same colour (Swarovski clear AB) but somehow they came out different in the photos. The pendant was constructed with sterling silver wire then patinaed with liver of sulphur and polished again. I'm keeping this one for myself as I'm loving black jewelry at the moment.

A Moment in My Heart

2010-03-12T16:46:00.000-08:00

I made this necklace for the the Silver Accessories Contest 2006 held by Art Clay Silver in Japan. The theme of the contest was "Moment". The pendant represents a moment of my childhood that I treasure, deep in my heart. I have always loved picking up fallen leaves, and I used to press them in books and turned them into greeting cards, bookmarks and pictures etc. There's a photo that my father took of me as a little toddler, with unruly hair, picking up leaves in a park. It's a moment that has been forever captured in my heart. The pendant was made out of silver clay, with a howlite cabochon and a few cubic zirconium stones set in it. The blue background behind the leaves was achieved with enamel. The little girl represents me. The shape of the pendant, you may notice, is that of a heart - it's a section of my heart where I hold all these fond memories. The piece was a finalist in the contest.

Goddess pendant

2010-03-03T03:29:00.000-08:00

I made this piece for one of the monthly "Clay Play" challenges on the Australian Beading Forum, the theme of which was "release the goddess in you". The participants were allowed to use clay of any sort, including polymer clay, ceramic and metal clay. I must admit I'm not usually a fan of goddess style jewelry, but decided that I would give it a try. The pendant was made with bronze clay with a few cubic zirconium stones set in it. I used a mould bought on ebay for the goddess face, and sculpted a leaf and bail and added them to the goddess. The dangles were made with amethyst and Swarovski crystal beads. Teamed the pendant with a simple strung necklace using more amethyst beads and crystals. I chose amethyst because it's my birthstone, hence linking the whole piece to the theme. (Please click on the picture if you would like a larger view.)

I really love bronze clay - the colours are warm, rich and beautiful. I have found it quite easy to work with, perhaps because of my experience with silver clay, although the firing can be long and a little cumbersome. I'm hoping to try copper clay next.

Enamel Cat Pendant

2010-02-23T02:13:00.000-08:00

Haven't posted anything for a little while as I have just returned from an overseas holiday. Anyhow, here is a picture of a work in progress - an enamel pendant I made sometime ago, still waiting to be turned into a proper pendant. I cut the shape out of copper sheet, then made the piece with various techniques including cloisonne and overglaze painting enamel. The pendant measures approximately 6.5cm x 4.8cm, and the white patch in the top right hand corner is just a light reflection (difficult to photograph because of its reflective surface). I have collected a few cabochons with matching colours, and will probably wire wrap them together with this. This piece (together with works from a few other members) was included in our lapidary club showcase (Parramatta-Holroyd Lapidary Club in Sydney) in the 2008 Gemkhana competition, and the showcase came first in that category.

I do like cats but unfortunately am allergic to their fur - I would sneeze badly if I touch them. Otherwise I would love to have one, maybe a Siamese or Persian.

Mother and Daughter necklaces

2010-01-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

I made two similar necklaces for one of the Year of Jewelry Challenges at the Australian Beading Forum a while ago, gave one to mum, and kept one for myself. The theme of the challenge was "Scarlet Woman". Not knowing what the phrase really meant, I just made the necklaces based on the colour "scarlet", and tried to incorporate a female shape in the design. I even named them "Scarlet women, mother and daughter necklaces" and referred to mum and myself as the scarlet women team! Anyhow, finally found out the meaning and felt so silly, LOL. The first necklace is the "mother necklace", and the second is the "daughter". The pendants were made with onyx cabochons, Swarovski rivolis and stones, and garnet and sterling silver beads, wrapped with sterling silver wires then patinaed. Used some gorgeous garnet rondelles in the necklaces too. I have since learnt to always google the meaning of phrases I am not familiar with, before I design my pieces.

A doggie named Douglas

2010-01-09T14:50:00.000-08:00

And this is the painting I did of Douglas when he was a puppy.

Well, his full name was actually Douglas Fung, but we called him Doug Doug, which in Chinese means either "the cute one" or "yes, shall do". Douglas was our beloved pet maltese, and for quite a while I have been wanting to make a piece in memory of him.

I bought Douglas on impulse from a pet shop quite a few years ago. He was in the shop window with his siblings, and the shop assistant was trying to get one of the other puppies out for a customer. Because he had a dark patch on his ear (which turned out to be just dirt), they didn't pick him and he was pushed back many times. He was very eager to get out and looked so sad when he was left behind, my heart just melted. I asked the assistant to get him out for me, and held him, and I just couldn’t let go. He was 8 weeks old when we got him, and he was so tiny I was constantly worried that something might fall on him or we might step on him and kill him. Anyhow, we took many pictures of him, from one of which I did an oil painting. I took a photo of the painting and turned it into a resin cab for the pendant.

Douglas was an extremely intelligent dog, and very spoilt. He used to sleep in my room (I wasn’t married yet at the time and still living with my parents), either on his little cushion on the floor or on the end of my bed. He was very picky with his food, and would only eat freshly cooked stuff. When my parents cooked casseroles, for example, they would prepare a separate portion for him with all the meat and vegetables but no seasoning, so that he could enjoy his dinner together with us. After I got married, he stayed with my parents during the week, and on the weekends, he would sometimes have sleepover at my place. I used to drop in at my parents every Mon evening on my way home from work, as well as visit them on the weekends, and mum said that Douglas seemed to know the times and days and would wait at the door for me.

When Douglas was a couple of years old, one time he had an attack of gastroenteritis, and afterwards he lost his appetite. Trying to tempt him to eat, we fed him different things and found out that he really loved Chinese stir fried beef with onions, so we kept feeding him that. A few days later, while he was playing in the backyard, he suddenly dropped down and convulsed. It happened to be my birthday that day, and we were supposed to go out for dinner. I was very worried and didn’t want to leave him, so I told everyone to go and I stayed behind. Anyhow, he got worse and we took him to an after hour emergency Vet clinic, and they found out that he had acute haemolytic anaemia, with a haemoglobin level less than half of normal. He was hospitalised and given blood transfusion, and luckily recovered completely. It turned out that he had onion poisoning. We had been very careful with what we fed him from then on.

Douglas gave us 11 years of joy and happiness. The only regret I have is that we had to put him to sleep at the end, because of acute on chronic renal failure. He was very sick and weak and had lost a lot of weight despite treatments, and the vet told us there really was no hope. Douglas had always hated going to the vets, so we decided to have the procedure performed at home. I left work early that day, went to my parents’, and held him for an hour before the vet came. The vet said it would be easier to do it with him on the floor, so we all knelt down beside him and kept patting him when the injection was given. My mum and I cried so much, and we were such a mess, the vet let himself out without asking for his fee. Next morning, we took his body to a pet cemetery, had a little ceremony in their chapel, and cremated him together with his favourite soft toy. His ashes are now in a little urn in my parents’ lounge room.

For several months after he passed away, I used to dream of him every now and then. One night, in the middle of the night, our security alarm for downstairs went off, and DH and I woke up in a panic. Anyhow, we checked all the doors and windows and couldn’t see any reasons for the alarm to go off. As I was walking into the lounge room to double check, a long white hair, just like what Douglas had, fell from the ceiling in front of me. My head told me this was just a coincidence, but my heart would like to think that he visited us that night, and set the alarm off.

If you have read up to here, thank you very much for your patience. I think some people would think I’m too sentimental, but for those of you who are animal lovers, you would understand – they are your loyal friends forever.

I used various stitches to make the necklace. The two main side pendants are Czech buttons, and the smaller ones are Swarovski rivolis and stones. Except for the main pendant, all the smaller pendants have beaded bezels (peyote, right angle weave and Herringbone stitch) without backings. The rope is St Petersburg, and the two elliptical rings are from a pattern in Diane Fitzgerald's book "Shaped Beadword". The main cab has a highly glossy and reflective surface, and was difficult to photograph. You can click on the photos for larger views.

Outback Dreaming

2010-01-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

I made this piece some time ago. The inspiration came from a gorgeous Australian boulder opal cabochon which I purchased at a lapidary show in Sydney. I wanted to create something that would reflect the rustic beauty of outback Australia. The main pendant and the four hollow beads were all made with silver clay, and several cubic zirconium stones and two opal cabs were set. A small green lizard was added to one of the beads by enamelling. The bases of the pendant and beads were hand carved to simulate the effect of dry cracked earth in our draught stricken outback, and patches of gold were added by Keum-boo to represent the golden sunshine on this red hot land. The pieces were then patinaed with liver of sulphur, and strung into a necklace with smoky quartz beads. Through this piece, I hope I can share with you a little of my impression of the unique landscape of outback Australia.

Cinderella

2009-12-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

I made this necklace a while ago for a competition "Australian Designer of the Year Awards 2007" organised by Beads etc... magazine, and it came first in the wire work category. The piece was designed around a couple of gorgeous labradorite cabochons I had, which I teamed up with chalcedony and labradorite beads, Swarovski crystal stones and beads, and small sterling silver beads. The components were wrapped using sterling silver wire. The pendant depicts the carriage Cinderella rides in. In Chinese, Cinderella is known as "The Grey Lady", hence the blue-grey colour scheme. The piece looks much prettier in real life with all the sparkly crystals and silver, and the labradorite cabs have beautiful flashes of blue. It's hard to capture the colours in the photos.

Sakura

2009-12-13T03:02:00.000-08:00

This is a necklace I finished today for this week's Year of Jewellery Challenge on the Australian Beading Forum, the theme of which is "Geisha". I've only just come back 3 days ago from overseas and have tons of washing and housework to catch up on, but I could not resist making a piece, as this theme has brought back some fond memories.

I've been to Japan twice, and on both occasions we saw Geisha performances. The first time was in a small private dinner tour with just my husband and I, our tour guide, and a Geisha and her maiko. It happened to be our first wedding anniversary that day, and the whole experience was magical. When I came home after the trip, I was obsessed with Geisha for a while and bought all the books I could find on Geisha. The second time I was holidaying with my husband and parents, and we saw a stage performance. When I think of Geisha, I think of cherry blossoms, Sakura, its scent and colours, its petals falling down in slow motion, and a Geisha holding a paper umbrella walking beneath the trees towards the setting sun.

I got the pattern of the cherry blossom petals from a Japanese beading book by Kumiko Mizuno, and it was done in brick stitch. Made up some leaves using similar techniques, and assembled the whole piece with pearls, cloisonne beads and Swarovski crystals. The pendant is detachable and has a brooch pin attached to its back, so it can be worn as a brooch as well. I would've liked to make a few more blossoms but ran out of time (the closing date for this challenge is today). You can click on the picture for a larger view. I hope you like it as much as I have enjoyed making it.

The Gypsy Dancer

2009-11-23T04:21:00.001-08:00

Made this necklace last week for the "Year of Jewellery Challenge" of the Australian Beading Forum. A theme is announced every Friday, and the participants have up to Sunday the following week to submit a piece. I started by drawing a gypsy girl with colour pencils. Then took a picture of it, reduced it in size, made some coloured and black and white copies, and turned some into cabochons with polymer clay and resin. For this pendant I used a cab without resin, and made a bezel and decorated it with polymer clay, brass stampings and Swarovski crystals. Assembled the whole piece with more beads and chains. When I have time, I would like to do a different and maybe more elaborate version using one of the coloured cabs and seed beads.

Ying Ying the little owl

2009-11-22T03:30:00.000-08:00

Made this wire wrapped pendant a little while ago using a charoit cabochon, Swarovski crystal beads and stone, and steling silver wire and beads. In Chinese, owls are called "Mao Tao Ying", and as I didn't like "Mao Mao" or "Tao Tao", I decided to call him "Ying Ying". Because of the shape of the cab, he became a rather chubby little owl.

Vintage poster pendant

2009-11-08T21:34:00.000-08:00

Here is another necklace I finished using one of the resin paper cabochons I made a few weeks ago. The picture in the cab was from a reprint of a Chinese vintage poster. Beaded a bezel around the cab, made a few little polymer clay roses, and added metal stampings, Swarovski rivolis and stones, and different beads. It's difficult to photograph the cab well because of its glossy surface. I just love anything from the 1920's-40's era from China, especially memorabilia from Shanghai. (If you would like a larger view, just click on the picture.)

Emergence of a Fairy

2009-11-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

I made this piece for a competition a while back. The story behind this was a little creepy. For a couple of months prior to the closing date of the competition, I kept having an image in my mind of a young girl looking out of a window with an emotionless face and with her hands pressed on the window. The image was so strong that I felt I just had to translate it into something. Anyhow, made the pendant with silver clay, polymer clay and wire, and assembled it into a necklace. A couple of months later, I heard on the news on TV that a young girl was abused by her parents, locked up in a room and eventually starved to death. When the reporter interviewed the neighbours, one neighbour said that she had on occasions seen the girl looking out of the locked window, with her hands pressed on the glass. I know this probably was just a coincidence, but it did give me goosebumps when I saw the news. I named this piece "Emergence of a Fairy", to symbolise the fact that the girl's spirit had been set free and she flew away and lived happily ever after in a fairyland. This piece came second in the metal clay category of the 2008 Australian Jewellery Designer of the Year Awards organised by Beads etc... magazine.

2009-10-20T01:56:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been playing with paper. Made these cabochons using Japanese washi paper, prints of Chinese vintage posters, polymer clay and resin. Beaded around some of them, glued bails on a few, gave some away to friends, and have a few left to play with. I think the resin actually accentuates the colours of the paper and makes them more vibrant. I think I'm addicted to making these at the moment.

The Tale of Davy Jones Locker

2009-09-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

I made this piece originally for a challenge on the Australian Beading Forum, the theme of which was "Davy Jones Locker". I took the theme quite literally, and tried to imagine what a lost soul would see as it sank towards the bottom of the deep sea. It would drift through different layers of the sea with water in different shades of cold blue and green. There would be worldly treasures - diamond, sapphire, emerald, peridot, citrine, pearls, silver and gold, but there would also be signs of death, despair, darkness, and passage of time. It would be a choice between good and evil, a fine line between attraction and repulsion. If the soul was overcome by desire and lingered on, before it realized, it would be chained to Davy Jones Locker, forever condemned to the bottom of the sea.

This piece was designed around a dichroic glass cabochon which I bought a few years ago from an American artist Donna Cason. Because of its colours, I'd always wanted to make it into something dark and eerie. When I saw the challenge theme, I immediately thought of it. Made all the skulls, seahorse and the man's face with silver clay. Also made two smaller cabochons using enamel and silver leaf on copper to try to match the dichroic cab. Added shell beads, pearls, Swarovski crystals and silver beads. The different components were wrapped with sterling silver wire, patinaed with liver of sulphur, polished then assembled using a combination of sterling silver and base metal chains, and beads. Despite the deep patina, it's actually quite sparkly in real life because of the crystals. This piece was awarded first prize in the wire work category of the 2008 Beading Extravaganza Competition in the Sydney Bead & Gem Show. It was also a finalist in the 2009 Bead Dreams Competition.

Lydia's possum

2009-09-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

This is an enamel pendant which I made for our lapidary club, to be included in the club showcase for an upcoming statewide lapidary competition. The actual enamel piece is quite small (see the photo with the coin). The enamel was applied on a piece of copper using various techniques including cloisonne and overglaze painting enamels. Then added a silver clay leaf and 2 opal cabochons, and wrapped with sterling silver wire and patinaed. The picture was painted from a photo of a baby possum my friend Lydia had. Lydia was an amazing lady whom I used to work with. She was a volunteer animal rescuer. One time she was asked to look after a tiny baby possum whose mother was killed by a car. She kept the possum for several months, feeding it around the clock (she used to bring it to work stuffed in a sock in a basket). Eventually she had to release it back into the wild, and she was quite sad to see it go. She took many pictures and gave me a couple, from which I did two oil paintings, one for her and one I kept myself. Lydia was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through operations and chemo- and radiotherapy, but the cancer kept coming back. I had never heard her complained, and she would always try to come to work. Even when she was having radiotherapy, she would go and have the treatment in the morning, then came back to work in the afternoon. She was strong and inspirational. Lydia passed away a few years ago, aged 50. This is in memory of her.

Morgan le Fay - A study of the complex character

2009-08-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

This is a necklace I made recently for a challenge "Ladies of Camelot" held by the Australian Beading Forum. I chose to do Morgan le Fay because she was one of the most complex and fascinating characters in the Arthurian romances. I did a Google search and found some interesting articles, including a thesis written by Dax D Carver. It was suggested that the character originated from the Goddess Modron in Welsh mythology. Throughout the Middle Ages, her character was transformed from the Great Mother Goddess of the Celts to an enchantress to one of the most infamous characters in literature, as a result of demonizing of old pagan deities by medieval Christians. She was both a goddess and demon, fairy and human, heroin and villainess, healer and destroyer, feminine and masculine. She had been portrayed as a lustful malicious queen, an evil enchantress. However, behind her hatred, lust, jealousy and hideous appearance, I like to think that there was also love, nobility, admiration, and beauty. I wanted to make a piece that encompassed the different facets of her complex character, and showed both the beautiful and evil side, with a touch of Merlin's magic.

The necklace is a mixed media piece combining bronze clay, enamelling, wire wrapping and a little seedwork. I used bronze clay and moulds to make the gargoyles, assembled them into pendants, added patina, and set a Swarovski stone in the main pendant by wire wrapping. Made the two oval green cabs using silver foil and enamel on copper plates. I used mainly gold filled wire, which I then patinaed with liver of sulphur. One thing I have learnt is – it’s very difficult to add patina to gold filled wire. I had to use quite concentrated LOS and left them to soak for quite a while. As a result, my house stank!

The Rose Garden

2009-08-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

This is a piece I made a while ago, which came second in the metal clay category of the 2007 Sydney Bead & Gem Show competition. The inspiration of the central pendant came from a pair of antique cuff links I saw in a shop, the structure of which was quite interesting with a two tier base. The design of the cuff link, however, was rather Art Deco and totally different from my piece. The central and four side pendants as well as the bead cap of the tassel were made with silver clay. The central red stone is a faceted garnet set in bezel setting. The green stones are cubic zirconium. Each rose has a small clear cubic zirconium set in its centre. Each of the four side pendants is composed of a dome-shaped "cage" made with silver clay, encasing a black onyx cabochon. The tassel is made up of small garnet beads and Swarovski crystals. The whole piece is actually quite sparkly in real life because of all the cubic zirconium and crystals, but couldn't capture that in the photos. This piece was also a finalist in the 2008 Bead Dreams competition.

Madam Rose of Shanghai - enamel pendant

2009-08-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

I have always had a fascination about Shanghai especially anything from the 1920s to '40s era. This pendant was made with a piece of copper which I cut out, then applied various enamel techniques including cloisonne and painting enamel. I have lost count of the numbers of firings I've done on the piece. I wanted to create a piece that's both reserved and sensual, vintage yet modern, with a strong Oriental feel. In my mind, Madam Rose was a beautiful, strong and independent woman from Shanghai in the 40s, but because of the restrictions and limitations imposed on women at that time and the economic difficulties in the immediate post war period, she had to resort to using her beauty to survive. The pendant measures just over 6cm long, and will be the centre piece of a more elaborate necklace, for which I have picked out some stones and beads as shown.

Madam Rose grew up in Nanjing, and was studying at the university there when the war broke out. Nanjing was bombed, and she escaped to another city and eventually reached Shanghai just after the war. She tried so hard to find a decent job but as she had no relations there, she was bullied to the point that she contemplated suicide, until one day, a well dressed middle age woman approached her and asked if she would like to work for her to entertain guests at her parties. That's when her life as Miss Rose and later Madam Rose began. She was transformed from a naive young lady to a calculating woman - her beauty was irresistible, and she knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it. She danced with rich business men, high ranking officials and colonels, in exchange for monetary and business favours. She started her own clubhouse, and invested her money in government bonds. She wore the finest silk cheongsams, diamonds, pearls and French perfumes. She was the most desirable madam in the whole of Shanghai and yet, her life was empty. When she wasn't entertaining, she liked to sit in her garden among all her roses, thinking about what life could have been.......

Well, that's how the story goes in my mind.

Dance of the Fire Phoenix

2009-08-03T01:19:00.001-07:00

I created this piece for the Create Your Style Creative Beading Awards 2008 in Australia, organised by Crystal Park and Creative Beading magazine, and sponsored by Swarovski company. At the time, I was organising a holiday to Thailand, and I saw pictures of Thai dancers with their unique postures and colourful costumes. I also came across pictures of some gorgeous Swarovski crystal pendants in fire opal colours. I wanted to create a piece that would incorporate all these images in my mind. I wanted the piece to be feminine, exotic and dazzling, like an Oriental princess, like a phoenix rising from fire in a blaze of glory. The piece was constructed with Swarovski crystals and gold filled wires using various wire wrapping techniques. This necklace was awarded first prize in the competition.

Memories of a Showgirl

2009-08-02T19:52:00.001-07:00

The inspiration of this piece started about 2 and a half years ago when I purchased some 1920's vintage confetti buttons at a vintage textile and clothing fair (the round cream coloured ones in some of the pendants). Around the same time my mother-in-law found an old broken chandelier in her garage which they bought about 30 years ago, and she salvaged the crystals (the octagonal ones) and gave some to me. Ever since then I had wanted to make a piece which would reflect both the vintage feel of the buttons and the opulence of the crystals. Gradually collected other materials including some Czech glass buttons, rivolis, other Swarovski stones and beads, fresh water pearls etc. The whole piece was constructed with gold filled wires using various wire wrapping techniques. The colours are interesting because some of the crystals have coatings on the back, and they look quite different on different coloured background.

The colours of the confetti buttons and the octagonal crystals actually reminded me very much of a famous showbiz person who had passed away many years ago. I wanted to make a piece that would capture her femininity and glitz and glamour of a bygone era. She was a superb entertainer and a sensual goddess who had posted semi nude for many photos. Her life was full of colours and controversies, and tragic at times. She was inspirational.

This piece was a finalist in the 2009 Bead Dreams competition.

How it all started.

2009-08-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

I have been making jewelry for about 5 years. Like many people, my jewelry journey started by chance when I and my sister-in-law attended a craft show and saw a lady doing a free demonstration on how to make a simple strung necklace. We were fascinated and after the demonstration, rushed to the stall and bought some kits. I had played with beads before, when I was 6 or 7 years old, but as I grew older, I ventured into all kinds of arts and crafts and forgot about my beads. That demonstration rekindled my interest and started my journey into jewelry making.

In this blog, I would like to share with you my creations and the stories behind some of them. I thought it would be nice in this first post to show you a piece I made from way back, not long after I started. It's an antique style necklace made with silver clay and onyx. This piece came first in the metal clay category of the 2005 Bead & Gem Show competition in Sydney, Australia. I love working with different media and often combine them in my pieces. In the next post, I'll show you one of my more recent pieces. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I do posting them!