Customer Reviews

Plexi Class: Cutting-Edge Projects In Plastic

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I have worked with many acrylics, Plexiglas, resins for some years now and more recently, Robert Dancik's fabulous product Faux Bone. I love the colours available in acrylics, the ability to heat them in your home oven and bend etc to make fabulous shapes for jewellery. I was therefore very excited to finally see a book on this wonderful medium promising "Cutting Edge Projects in Plastic".

Cutting edge, implies unique, interesting, leading the way in design, method and execution. This book does not live up to that at all. It is simplistic to say the least. Cutting out shapes and drilling holes or riveting them together to create, hair barrettes, simple necklaces, bracelets and two questionable rings etc and adding a bit of colour via stamping etc is not "cutting edge". If it had been titled Starting with Plexiglas, or Plexiglas for the first time... it would have been an accurate description and I probably would not have been disappointed.

Only clear plexi was used with colour from paper riveted between two pieces or stamping with inks, embossing powders. It is evident Davenport's own description of her style being "minimalist" is fairly accurate as white and black embellishment is the main focus. I could of course have misinterpreted the whole cutting edge statement, and it may be referring to cutting the plexi glass??

This book is not solely about jewellery, in fact Tonia Davenport herself states " I was not very well versed in the discipline of making jewelry until I started playing around with plexi glas". Perhaps this is why the projects are at a basic level? There is a wide selection of other projects ranging from coasters to book covers, a purse, belt, hair accessories, and covers for a nightlight?! Sorry, the nightlight was just way to cutesy for my personal taste. However, this wide range of projects will broaden the appeal of the book to non jewellery makers.

The work itself is fine, in that it is not badly made, Not sure I would want to wear a belt of plexi rectangles held together by jump rings that are not soldered shut, perfect way to catch fabrics and worse, possible pull open if caught on something, and it is little things like that, that show jewellery making is not her first discipline.

The book does not go far enough, where is the chapter on finishing your work so it does not show scratches, how to get a lovely shine on your acrylic after sanding? This book is more for the crafter, good book for school project use too. This is such an exciting medium to work in, so this book could have been so much more. I will wait now and see what Lark Books has to offer in September 08 with its new book The Art of Jewelry: Plastics and Resin, the front cover tells me I might find what I am looking for there.

I was so disappointed when I finally received this book! It's a cool looking book, but way too simplistic. The projects are similar and basic, such as using clear plastic shapes in charm bracelets! Where are the colored plexi creations? Where are the heated, bent or formed projects? Where are the bonded, drilled, shaped, colored, layered, real "cutting edge" projects?

It should have been named something like "Beginning Projects with Simple Plastic Shapes" --I would have known what to expect and given it a higher rating in that case.

I am bowled over by the fascinating and beautiful projects offered in this book, Plexi Class, cutting-edge projects in plastic, by Tonia Davenport.

Because I like research and frequently check things out, I went over to a popular online sales site and typed in "Plexiglas jewelry". As opposed to the masses of pages of other types of jewelry which you can bring up if you do that when you type in something like "resin jewelry" (you love to see it all, but your eyes begin to cross!), I located only 21 Plexiglas jewelry items in total.

To me, this means that this super book is offering to the interested jewelry maker and crafter a brand new medium to embrace and explore!

Be first! Try this! It is so cool!

Really--how fantastically exciting is a book like this, for the reader who is interested in creating jewelry which simply hasn't existed to any degree before! Totally great, in my opinion!

Additionally, the manner in which this book has laid out the projects has made this style of jewelry(or crafting in some projects) easy to access and fabulously fun to learn to make!

You start with the tools and materials needed, and they are all well explained and pictured(my next purchase: I have to get that Dremel)!

After that, the author begins with the easiest projects at the beginning. I actually was very attracted to the first project. Just because it was easy didn't make it a design slouch. I would make and wear those "over ice" hoop earrings in a nanosecond! Very hip and cool looking!

Ms. Davenport guides the reader through projects which gradually become more complex. It is wonderful to see the variations on some of them as well, such as the "paper penchant barrette" for example. You really get your money's worth out of this book. You also get such a rush from seeing some of the well designed projects.
My personal favorites are "one big bead ring" (yes, she creates plexi rings! and they are GREAT!--this one is spectacularly original), the "save the trees bracelet", which is cool because it also uses shrink plastic, and her wonderfully elegant "show and tell box purse". I would carry that anywhere with pride. The photos of each project are beautiful. The step by step photos are easy to understand and, to my mind, essential, with a medium such as this. It is a great book you really can teach yourself with.

All in all, I guess this means I am hooked on Plexiglas jewelry and crafts, thanks to the lovely projects presented "so clearly" by the author.

Tonia Davenport was a professional picture framer for ten years. From this she garnered the knowledge to guide and teach the reader how to work with Plexiglas. As far as jewelry design and crafting goes, she has the aesthetic and the hipness. Her experience and her artistic vision have given her the know-how to coax the beauty out of a piece of Plexiglas better than anyone I have yet seen. She is absolutely top notch. Wait til you see her gallery. You will flip. Get Plexi Class, by Tonia Davenport, and get going! -- you will be having fun learning one of the edgiest and fun new types of jewelry and crafting out there to be found!

I've never worked with plexi glass, & I was delighted to see this is simple, to the point, & helpful. Some reviewers found it too simple, but for those of us just beginning, it's not too daunting.
Other reviewers complained that there are no projects using colored plexi glass. Use your imagination! I liked the idea of being able to "see" what I can create, & having illustrations with clear plexi was very helpful.
If you're already into working with plexi glass, this is probably not the book for you, but if you're like me--curious to see what you can create, and how to work with the medium--I think you'll enjoy it.
I am very pleased with my purchase, and recommend Plexi Class to those who want to give this medium a try. It's a very good introduction.

As a newcomer to working with Plexiglas, I find Tonya's book a work of great value. The instructions are clear and precise- and non-intimidating as some books are, that leave a lot of unanswered questions for beginners. This book is a wonderful introduction to working with this medium, and provides a foundation for the beginner to move on to more advanced projects because of it. I am a professional glass artist (blown borosilicate) and I have used various types of art medium over the span of 40+ years. This is a great addition to my list of experience. I am really happy with this purchase and recommend it highly.

I was pleased with this book and how it was written. Easy to follow, as I am new to working with plexi. It described processes well, and answered all of my questions. I feel it is a really good introduction to the medium.

After taking a class with Tonia Davenport, I was anxious to buy her book for more ideas.
I was very pleased that there were more techniques and projects than she had time to offer in the class.
Very inspiring!
Thank you Tonia

I stopped in at Amazon to purchase a second copy of this book for a friend and realized I probably ought to share my thoughts since I have enjoyed it so much. I bought a copy of the book when it first came out and then happened to win an autographed copy so I passed my original book on to a fellow jewelry blogger.

I loved using good old fashioned shrinky dinks as a kid, but had no idea there were so many artistic ways of using this medium that aren't hokey or childlike. If you look at the package of any shrink plastic product, there are some ideas, but you really need to think creatively to get the most out of it. I would have bought this book for the "Save the Trees" bracelet on page 45. I must have read and re-read that project 5 times before I understood how she made this happen and so EASY!!

I have since taken a class from Tonia at the Artiscape event in Ohio and it was a blast. I have not used many cutting/heating or power tools in my life and found it to be very exciting! I am more of a traditional beader/jewelry maker, but this brought out the "artist" in me! I felt like I could let go and using many tools, inks, drills, plexiglass, shrink plastic, heat guns, ahh...too much fun! I think everyone in the class would like to have stayed all night if she would have let us. I have received so many comments and piqued quite a bit of interest while wearing my finished bracelet.

I have been experimenting with shrink plastic and even today while out to eat for Father's day received a compliment and eye popping moment when the waitress at Red Lobster said I love your bracelet, did you make that? I told her yes and the eye popping part came when I told her it was made from shrinky dinks!

I'd like to thank the author, Tonia Davenport, for helping me to think outside my normal jewelry making box and allow my creativity to blossom.

I've made jewelry for some years, but am only now considering making my own components. In that end, this book was an eye-opener for me. I'd never considered many of things she described and explained in this book and some of the examples were very nice. Her directions and instructions were clear and easy to follow. Since I've not made beads or links before, I really liked the pieces she showed in this book. In fact, it is from this book, that I started a search for shrinky-dink materials, realizing that would let me start with larger designs and end up with nice pieces.

If you have never worked with plexiglass in any jewelry design before, I think you will like this book and enjoy the items she has made. From here, I also think branching out into your own things would occur almost naturally. The book includes many ways to design a plexiglass link or bead and it would be easy to translate into your own style. I can see initial pieces, full names, or initials on individual links. Possibly even mother or grandmother bracelets, if you can get individual names on each link.

I would like to see more information on what happens when you add heat--can you make plexiglass wave or form it into a shape (curve, corner, etc). But I think she hopes to get a second book put together with some of these advanced ideas. Perhaps that will include ways to color plexiglass beads, and more ways to create unusual shapes.

Author Tonia Davenport was at MakerFaire in Austin in October 2007 where I saw her demonstrating her techniques. I've been waiting for this book to come out and I'm really pleased it.

Plexiglas and Lucite are great materials to work with and this book offers solid instruction in basics. This is a great book for those who want to learn to work with these plastics.

The book is visual pleasing, with a good layout and clear pictures. "Plexi Pointers" provide interesting additional information on alternate techniques or ideas.

Most of the projects involve jewelry or wearable items like hair clips and pins. Those who are beginners at jewelry making won't find instructions here on making loops or attaching findings, but you will learn how to work the plastics. I was glad to see that the author stuck to shaping and manipulating the Plexiglas, leaving more room for projects.

This book will interest both jewelry designers and mixed media artists looking for a different medium. One of the great things about working with this medium is that it requires only a few inexpensive tools to get started. Many artists will already have the tools; the only one I'm going to have to purchase is a cutter to score the Plexiglas.

My favorite projects are the solo exhibition earrings, the purse, and the notebook cover.

My only disappointment in the book was that the gallery didn't show items in more detail. They are shown life-sized. I'd like a couple of close-ups.