Blame it on Knete

As you might have noticed, I haven’t been around for a while. Partly it is my computer’s fault as it still is having problems and really, really hates blogger and facebook for some reason. But the main reason for my absence is Knete.

Knete is the German word for Playdoh, although the German version is much harder and doesn’t have that Playdoh smell. The girls got some from Santa (ok, Uncle Uli. Shhh! Don’t tell!) which means bits and pieces of it are all over the house. We had some good days making snails and the cobras Nag and Nagina from Riki Tiki Tavi. I think there is still a hunk somewhere, part of a now dilapidated princess castle, in a corner somewhere gathering dust.

Anyway, what I found out pretty fast was that I LOVED playing with Knete, maybe even more than M. and L. I even kept a piece in my pocket to play with absentmindedly while picking up some fruit at the Markthalle. One thing led to another (i.e. I did lots and lots of internet surfing) and I stumbled onto polymer clay.

For those of you who don’t know, polymer clay is a clay-like-substance that you can mold and then bake in a conventional oven. I was excited about the idea until I saw the brand and a shudder went down my spine: Fimo. In the late 80s Fimo beads that looked like this were all the rage.

I found them very cool and tried to make my own, but they just ended up looking like ugly lumps which made me very, very angry. Fimo. How could I be into some old junk like that? I put my late adolescent hatred aside and bought a few packs and found, indeed, that I love working with it. In fact, I love it so much that I’ve started making a whole new series of jewelry based loosely on the material. Here are some photographs of one of my recent pieces.

I know it may sound crazy, but I’m thinking of opening a new etsy shop for these pieces (crazy because I already run 3 shops) but actually I’ve found it suits me to spread myself around. If I’m in the mood for some vintage Trachten and playful jewelry I spend time in Curious Knopf. If I’m in the mood for spooky images and natural history I mosey on over to Augenblick Photo. If I need to get my kitsch fix and check out some vintage oddities that I had to buy for some inexplicable reason, then I saunter on down to Schaufensterbabe. I’ve never been a one trick pony though I tried for years to make myself into one. So much freedom came when I realized it was never going to happen. The key is doing whatever I happen to be into at that minute one hundred percent

My new shop will (most likely) be called Dear Dante and will be a home for minimalist modern jewelry that mixes metals, polymer clay with a dash of natural history. The pieces are also going to be of higher quality, probably mostly sterling silver. I’ve ordered some supplies and will be oxidizing them myself (thank for the info internet!) with something called Liver of Sulphur. Stinky I’m sure, but also lots of fun. In the words of Eloise, Mia’s new-old obsession, boredom is not allowed. ;)