This polymer clay set was a Christmas gift for my sister. Designed to look like stone, each polymer clay piece is framed with a sterling silver link and buffed to a light shine. In between each bead I used French wire to hide the beadlon wire and give it a classy look. A fellow beader taught me how to make the matching ring this holiday season. Watch this space for more ring designs!
Here's Gram wearing her new pearl and crystal ear rings on Christmas Eve. I think the dainty style fits her small frame and the sparkle matches her beautiful smile.
This longer polymer clay necklace is the perfect accessory for a turtleneck or cozy winter sweater. I styled this one with my sister-in-law's red hair and green eyes in mind. Doesn't she look beautiful in copper tones!
Here's a shot of my sister-in-law's modeling their new jewelry. One had been asking for dangly earrings and the other a homemade black and silver necklace. I think the necklace looks sharp with a simple white blouse.
My sister-in-law's bright hair and bold colored clothing often inspires me to design pieces with copper, gold, red, orange, and yellow. Here's a shot of my muse in her new Christmas gift.
This polymer clay earthtone necklace is intricate yet it's color combination and copper accents make it the perfect accessory for a casual outfit.
My latest creation features classic black, white and silver colors. A perfect accesory for that black dress!
Trapped inside during the last 3 snow storms in Boston I designed this polymer clay piece featuring warm colors.
I made a few cards to go with jewelry gifts. I'm lovin' my new stampin' up tree set. Add a little silver embossing power and it looks like the snowy pine trees in my back yard. It's the perfect snowy Boston greeting for my British colleagues. During my last winter visit to the UK a dusting of snow caused grid lock traffic. I can't image what they'd think of our last 2 snow storms. :-)
Today I designed a silver framed pendant. For this project, I used blue and green pearl based clay to give it rich ocean feel. Once I was happy with the clay pattern, I pressed a sterling silver ring into the clay to create the raised look. Hopefully, the recipient of this Christmas gift isn't checking my blog. :-)
I shipped the last of my Christmas orders yesterday. Here's a look at my new boxes with the 'Patty Hartzell Designs' logo. I purchased the custom stamp from Simonstamp.com and picked up some embossing powder and tools at Michaels.
I ran out snowflake cane with 6 orders left to fullfil. It took me about 30 min to make the 1st one...so I figured the 2nd cane would be a piece of cake. I was wrong, so very wrong!! Duplicating a design is difficult. Three canes later and I still haven't managed to copy the style of the first one. At this point I'm calling it a day and renaming this batch Snowflake 2...sort of like a movie - the sequels are never as good! You can see the 1st deisgn on the ear rings in the backround of this picture.
I picked out this soft and cozy sweater from Ann Taylor yesterday. It was just screaming for a long necklace styled with copper and clay beads. So inspiring in fact - I stayed up until midnight to finish. Sometimes I think I'm a little nutty about this hobby.
I'm experimenting with some new clay techniques in hopes of designing a mosic mural for my office. Here's a peek at the work in progress.
Here's another clay necklace that I designed on the Vineyard. It's currently my favorite necklace....I say that after each new creation. This one incorporates a few of my own beads as well as ones that I purchased from one of my favorite clay artists.
My niece, Olivia, was very interested in the clay beads. So, I made her a necklace with a few leftovers. Before she went to bed she carefully laid it on her bookshelf quietly said, "It's so beautiful." She wore it proudly 3 days in a row - Friday, Saturday and Sunday at church! If I'd known she'd cherish it as much I would have used my expensive findings . She is just so stinking cute. :-)
After Thanksgiving dinner the kiddos asked me to break out the beads. Here's a few pictures capturing our fun and finished goods. 
This time I remembered to prepared special, kid-friendly bins with cheap and brightly colored beads. I'm still amazed that Carolyn, who is only 2 years old!, was able to string beads. What talented little fingers.
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've been super busy with orders and my day job. I ran out of snowflake ear rings and needed to make more 
Red, Crimson and Black (pic below) this week to fulfill my Christmas orders. Also, here's a shot of the bags and boxes I created with my new embossing tool. I can't wait to add the finishing touch, the PH logo. 
I took my friend's recommendation and ordered a few custom stamps from https://shop.simonstamp.com/. Really cool website - you can upload artwork and turn it into a stamp. It even includes an option to send yourself a proof. Super nifty! They should be here later this week. Here's a peak at my stamp creations.
The wine glass markers and a few snowflake ear ring orders are ready to ship. I want the end recipients to know that these items are handcrafted - and not Walmart jewelry! My sister helped me with a new packaging slip design. The slip explains the clay cane process and includes my logo and contact info.
Here's a shot of the wine glass markers that I've completed so far. I still have a bunch of colors to make.
I spent the day designing wine glass charms. It's the classy alternative to using plastic cups and Sharpie markers. Here's a shot of my first one as well as the work in progress.
I just returned from a 4-day weekend on Martha's Vineyard. About 5 min after we got off the ferry we were at Beadniks - a really cool , but expensive bead supply story on the island. I fell in love with their copper accessories and plan to use them with my new rustic colored clay beads. Check out the sweet clasp in this photo!
I can't believe it's 10:30 PM on Sunday night .. the weekend of blogging, beading, biking and friends is at an end. Boo hoo.
you could see my kitchen table...no really...if only you could see space on the kitchen table. It's just piles of beads, clay, tools and my latest shipment from Fire Mountain Gems. I think I may need to latch onto this studio thing that other artists rave about. Imagine a real place to keep all my "stuff" without junking up the house.
I've been anxious to try a sanding technique with my clay pieces. So, today I raided my husband's tool shelf and stole his Dremel and sand paper. First, I sanded the brass-framed pendants with 400 through 800 grit; then, finished by using a buffing tool on the Dremel. Really time consuming....but worth the wait. Here's a shot of the finished pendants. The colors are perfect for fall. :-)
Today I worked on a few brass framed clay pendants. I found an instruction guide for this on the web. I still need to sand and polish it, but thought I'd share a peak at the work in progress.
I finished the clay gradient necklace today and attached one of my signature beads to the end of the chain. Slowly but surely I'm building up inventory.
Last week I ordered a few beads from one of my favorite bead artists, Heather Powers. I've been reading her blog for a while now and was really interested to see her work up close. After receiving the package yesterday, I now understand why her business is called Humblebeads. When I look at her intricate and high quality work I'm humbled to see how much I still have to learn. Here's a picture of my new purchase. You can buy Heather's beads at http://www.humblebeads.com/.
The more blogging I do...the more I'm convinced that an artist's signature is important. Most clay artists have a mark that signifies the piece is unique and their handywork. So, this past weekend I started a stamp project. Essentially, I'm designing a tool that will enable me to sign my clay work...so to speak. I experimented with clay, paint and my dremel tool in hopes of showing my initials in a darker color. Here's a glimpse of the work in progress. I'm still not happy with the results, but it's taking shape. Ha ha ....no pun intended.
