I Love Butterflies!

Butterfly Cane not yet reduced or trimmed

The one thing that I absolutely love are butterflies. They are a great feminine alternative to flowers, with a more modern feel. 

Butterfly canes have been grabbing my attention ever since I started working with polymer clay. So beautiful, yet sooo intimidating. I had one little trial with an earlier project. See the butterfly earrings that resulted from it. Starting with this simple little purple butterfly got me hooked!

But, as with any addiction, I started to crave more. More butterflies, more colors, and more details! So, with a whole Sunday afternoon just waiting to be filled with my newest craft endeavor, I decided to jump in!

To start, I did a quick google search for butterfly images. There were so many fantastic designs and vibrant colors to choose from! There really isn't much that you can't find on google.

2015 Challenge Accepted!

I recently stumbled upon Kater's Acres blog and have decided to take the 2015 Polymer clay challenge.

For the challenge, I am committing to make one new floral cane each week. There are 52 weeks in a year, so that will challenge me to come up with 52 different types of flowers.

Wish me luck! I think I should be alright for the first few weeks, but after that, I may be coming back to you and asking for ideas. So get ready! (jk - but if you have any, throw them my way).

I'm excited about this undertaking for two main reasons:

1. I imagine by week 52, I should be making some pretty cool canes. After that much practice, it's inevitable, right?

2. ^^ I LOVE the jewelry that comes from floral canes. The photo above is a new necklace that I haven't even posted yet, but wanted to share here. The petals are a gradient going from light to dark purple, which are outlined in black. The entire flower is set on a pure white background and shaped to look like it's blooming right around the pendant.

So, throughout the year, I'll be posting updates on how this little experiment is going. You'll also start seeing a lot more flowers blooming in my Etsy shop!

Do you have something you want to challenge yourself with in the new year? Let me know in the comments! I'd love to hear from you!

Earrings Anyone?

With the gift giving holidays coming up, I thought that I'd share a new line that Cascading Gems just started producing. 

Earrings!!!

I need your help in deciding what else to add to the store! 

The earrings pictured on the left are made from polymer clay and set on 14K yellow gold plated fishhooks. We've started making both silver and gold plated fishhook dangles. To see all of my listings so far, visit the store.

With so many earring options to choose from it was hard to decide. 

What is your favorite style? Do you prefer a post or a dangle? Silver or gold? 

Please let me know in the comments! I'll be listening!