Experimental Jewelry: SHRUNKEN CAT HEADS

I love experimental and unconventional jewelry! In this series I'm featuring jewelry artists who work with unconventional materials and techniques, and who see a ring or a pendant as a canvas to express their art and creativity.

As a lover of  bright, Mediterranean colors and decor, and of traditional ceramic tile designs from around the world - be it Greece, Spain, Portugal, Mexico or the stunning mosques in Uzbekistan - I couldn't be but fascinated by Cori's wonderful designs! Cori, a talented California based jewelry artist and writer, as well as a lovely person, works under her own brand Shrunken Cat Heads, and she creates the most stunning miniature tiles using her own "secret recipe". Her miniature tiles look stunningly like ceramic tiles, but they are very lightweight as she uses plastic tiles that she lovingly decorates with her own designs and then layers in resin. I love her jewelry featuring miniature tile designs from around the world: it's like wearing a piece of culture on your neck, ears or finger!

As a San Francisco Bay Area native, Cori grew up around many different cultures. She says this good fortune has inspired her work as an artist. Her creations are born from thoughts about history, social class, and pop culture; blending the old and the new, exploring traditional crafts and techniques while giving them sassy modern twists.
Cori tells me that the her whimsical shop name "evolved from the name 'Cat Head Jewelry'... which was the name of my business about 15 years ago. Back then my work was primarily beads and wire. When I began working in shrink plastics I added the 'Shrunken' to the name because it's so whimsical... just like miniature tile recreations".
You can find Cori's amazing miniature tile art jewelry in her Etsy shop Shrunken Cat Heads, and you can find more information about her work as both an artist and writer on her website.

Mediterranean Ceramic Tile Pattern Pendant

Miniature Mediterranean Ceramic Tile Design Ring

Mediterranean Decorative Tile Lovers Earrings

Mexican Tile Earrings

Catalan Gypsy, Spanish Mediterranean Ceramic Tile Pattern Pendant

Bobby Pin Hair Accessories - Mexican Talavera Ceramic Tile Design

Islamic Decorative Tile Necklace

Ancient Ceramic Tile Design Print Earrings

Southwestern Style Ceramic Tile Lovers Earrings

The Traveling Girl

NEW AEGEAN-INSPIRED EARRINGS

Some time ago I had made small pendants using shrink plastic. Now I turned a few into earrings!
They are very light-weight and... inspired by the ever amazing and stunning contrast of white and blue that IS Greece and the Aegean islands.

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See more lovely creations of the week on Zsazsazsu's Saturday Shopping Day!

CREATIVE CORNER: Working With Shrink Plastic

I had not worked with shrink plastic in ages, but finding my shrink plastic sheets again I thought I'd make some experiments...

Shrink plastic consists of large flexible sheets which, when heated in an oven, shrink to small hard plates without altering their color or shape. The base material consists of thin, flexible polystyrene plastic sheets. They usually come in white, black and transparent (both frosted and shiny). Prior to heating, the plastic sheets can be colored with felt-tip pens, acrylic paint, colored pencils, permanent inks, etc. and cut into shapes. 

When heated in an oven or with a heat gun, the plastic shrinks by about five-eighths and becomes thicker and more rigid, while retaining the colored design.

The colors get much richer and as you can see, from thin sheets the objects get thicker and dimensional. Amazing, isn't it?