Tin Coverings

Happy almost New Year!!! It is so hard to believe that another year has come and gone. It seems the older we get, the quicker the time flies. Guess that's life. :-)

I'VE GONE ALTOID CRAZY!!! Yup, I really enjoy covering these tins. The picture is of come I have completed so far. I also have a lot of gum tins tht I want to do as well. I picture these as boxes to put cotton in and give my jewelry in when I am giving gifts. The larger tin at the top is a tin that my husband got a Christmas gift in this year. It made a perfect tin for covering. And I even added feet to it. LOL I can see a future overrun with Altoid covered boxes. They sre make for nice storage and gift boxes.

Where has the year gone?

My goodness, it is amazing to me how fast 2007 has gone. Here it is the day after Christmas and I have no idea where it all went. I hope everyone had a marvelous time. We sure did. We spent it with my oldest son and his beautiful family in South Carolina. The weather was beautiful and our little granddaughter made it such a pleasurable holiday.

I wanted to share what I have been working on. It is merely a sample, but I like how it came out. Basically I started with a polymer clay cabochon made with white Femo Classic and added some gold leaf. I couldn't waste the remainder of the clay so I made some earrings to match and had some heart shaped Altoid tins, so covered one with the remaining clay. when all done, I wire wrapped the cabochon and made earrings to match out of the four beads I made. To make it a set I put a heart shaped piece of cotton fill in the tin which the earrings fit into nicely. I rather like how it came out. My niece is getting married in a few months and her colors are white and titanium and she has asked for bridesmaids gifts so I am thinking about trying this again only with silver leaf and silver wire. I think this would make a nice gift for her girls. I will have to let her make the final decision though.

I have also been busy covering other Altoid standard tins and whatever else I can get my hands on, between learning how to sculpt. I want so much to make some lifelike figures like fairies and mermaids. It is frustrating, but I am one determined lady. LOLOL

I hope everyone has an awesome New Year celebration. Comments on this project would be wonderfully appreciated.

Newest Project

It has been a while since I have posted. Life has been crazy. I am back in school (I have rocks in my head), and have been clay playing (among other things). This week I created something I love. Thanks to the Poly Clay Play Club, I did this project and liked it so much, I received permission to sell them. Now this was something in the club a couple months ago that I just didn't have time to get involved in, but this week, since I was on vacation from work, I played a lot. This was what I did:

Aren't they adorable? I just love them. They are dishwasher magnets and I am so excited. I plan on making them to order in the color that the customer wants them in. And since dishwashers are being made now with plastic fronts, my customers will have the option of magnets or double sided velcro on the back. I am anxious to see how they sell. I may have to make up a bunch and see if I can possibly get a gift store or novelty shop to order a bunch. I am now testing on ebay and etsy to see if I get any takers and that will be an indication to continue. Thanks Trish for letting me do this. I haven't been this excited about a project since I ventured into Italian Charms. Only time will tell. LOLOL

Wire-Wrapped Pendants

I can hardly believe we are already into October. OOPS! Wait! I am getting a day ahead of myself. Oh well. My goodness how time flies. Before we know it, Christmas will be upon us, and then a brand new year.

I had a lot of fun today. Here is Georgia this weekend there was a bead extavaganza and I just had to go check it out. I got some great buys on beads, but the best part is that there happened to be a class on wire wrapping so I had to go to it. The instructor was great and i was able to have some one-on-one with her. This is what I made in the class: I chose this beautiful black onyx capachon because I had made a pendant for my sister on her birthday and my Mom mentioned that she would love to have a pendant with a black stone. Just so happens, her 76th birthday is next month, soooooo...... The class was a real eye oepner and I learned a lot about wire wrapping.

When I got home I was so excited that I decided to make another, so that I could cement the instructions in my brain. I had a beautiful amythest color cats eye cap, so decided to use that. Here is the result: I want to get really good at this so will probably try to make s couple a week. I think I will put this one on my etsy site and see if it sells.

whimsical Dragon

Ok, so is this little guy too cute for words or what? I had somuch fun last night creating him. I found a tutorial (duh, so what else is new? LOL) and I decided to give him a try. I call him "Dath" and I just love him. He is the first of what will become many I hope.

I actually have someone who wants to buy him, but I don't know if I can part with him just yet. You know how it is when you create something fo rthe first time. I can't remember where the tut is that I used to create him, but eventually I will find it. I am not crazy about the clay I used, but I will know next time.

Pencil Holder

It has been a bit since my last post, but I had made this pencil holder so I could always have my grandbabies with me while I work. It was a lot of fun to make. I used transfer papers I had purchased from Lisa Pavelka to add the pictures of Payton and Emily and then some molds from sweetbrier studio to put the embellishments on it. Kinda looks like the kids are under a palm tree, doesn't it? LOL

I decided to go ahead and enter it in a pencil holder challenge at polyclayplay. Didn't win anything, but was able to show off the best little grandkids in the entire world. I love Trish's challenges, as they make me think a bit and try to get some imagination in my brain. LOLOL.

Cuff Bracelets

Ok, so now I am into something new. I saw a link for making cuff bracelets and decided to give it a try. Here are two of the results of that challenge. I used polymer clay canes on aluminum armatures to give them strength. Actually on the purple one, it used a brass armature so it is really strong.

I want to make more of these. The black one is a thinner bracelet and I like that as everyone is different in what they like and do not like. At any rate, ti was fun and I plan on making a lot more of these. I also listed these o Etsy to see if anyone else likes them. We will see. :-)

Lutore, Bringer-of-ashes

OK, now this is definitely a first attempt. I have been wanting to make dragons for a long time. I am so into the Renaissance period that anything to do with that period is where my head is at. I wish I was talented enough to make some faeries, but hopefully that will come.

I found this tutorial the other day to make dragons from scrap clay
and decided to give it a whirl. Of course my dragon is a far cry from the tutorial's wonderful examples, but by doing it I can see where I need to make adjustments. I call him Lutore, Bringer-of-ashes. I am pretty excited that I was able to get this far and by making him I can see the mistakes I made and will be able to fix them on my next attempts. I guess everyone has to start somewhere, right. The tutorial was great, but when you are not a person who sculpts, it is hard to make sure that all the proportions are correct. One thing I have never professed to be is an artist, that is why I value anyone who has that skill and who teaches people like me. I loved doing this and plan to not give up.

Swirl Bead Crazy

Ok, so I have to admit that ever since I learned how to do swirl beads from Trish Hodgens and our Poly Clay Play club, I have been going swirl bead crazy. I made these a week or so back to use as pendant focal beads. I haven't finished them but wanted to post the results. This technique is so danged addicting that I want to do it all the time. I also purchased a color mixing e-book on etsy the other day and wnat to do a lot of color experimentation. Since I do a lot of wire wrapping, I will probably be going insane with these beads. LOLOL

Flower Pendant

Well, it has been a while since I wrote. Between being ill and just life in general, I have not been able to do much. I have done some new projects lately. Actually a lot of first attempts that I want to post here.

Working with Polymer clay has been such a wonderful experience for me and has given me a relaxing way to explore my creative posibilities. I am not beyond trying something new, even if it doesn't turn out, so tutorials are my way of learning. this pendant is one of those first attempts. I saw a tutorial from the infamous Donna Kato. This woman is clay personified! I am in awe of her and her work. Anyway, I was browsing and found this tutorial and wnated to give it a try. The tutorial called "Floral Polymer Clay Pendant" was on the Carol Duvall show. I want to make many more of these and vary the technique. I love this and can't wait to do more. I have enough of the canes used to make severalmore for Christmas presents.

Perpetual Calendar

Ok so this was fun, although I need to re-do the blocks I think. This was a project from the Poly Clay Club and it is not finished yet. I still have to make the stand that these pieces to on. There was a bit of distortion in the baking of the blocks so am not sure they will fit right on the stand. We will see. But I had a ball with this project. I used some skulpey clay that I had left on the shelf and although that is not my favorite clay (it is too soft for me) It worked out ok with this project.

Necklace and Cane

Ok, so this should show how much of a newbie I am. LOLOL I belong to this wonderful clay club called Poly Clay Play (www.polyclayplay.com). The thing I love about this club is that being new to claying, I can learn something new each month. Trish is so awesome and her projects are just what someone like me needs. This month she taught us how to do a flower cane. Below is three states of reduction on the cane. Or is it above? LOLOL

Then she taught us how to do a swirl bead. WOW! How long have I wanted to know how to do that? Can we say forever? LOLOL so one project was creating a necklace with the swirl bead. Another project was covering a Bic Stick Pen. Unfortunately I didn't have one so opted to cover one of my clay tools. What fun was that? Dang I love claying. Have some more projects to do, but there is what I did in the last two days. Need to go a bit slower, but what the heck is a newbie for? LOLOL

New Clay Pendant

Well, this one is interesting. I am very pleased with the outcome of this pendant. I saw a tutorial on making a faux labradorite (I think that is how it is spelled LOL) using some translucent clay mixed with black to make the grey color and then adding two pearlex colors on two separate pieces.

Then they are layered twice, imprinted and thinly sliced on some scrap clay. I then imprinted a stamp I purchased and viola! After baking and cooling I came out with this pretty colorful bead.

Of course I then had to wire it into a pendant and I think it came out rather nicely. I also made a round bead using the same technique and imprint and will probalby make that into a wired pendant as well. I have enough of the clay mixture to make a set of beads for a bracelet as well. I love trying new things. I need to practice with this technique as well, but I am glad I found it and gave it a try.

New Pendants

Ok, so I went a bit pendant crazy today. Here is the first one:
This one I tried to do a swirl lentil, but I still need a lot of work on that. I am new to those, but I have always wanted to make them.

The wire used is gold filled. I am very pleased with this and obviously the picture doesn't do it justice at all. I need some classes on taking jewelry pictures.





My second one for the night is: This particular one was also trying the swirl lentil, but I used some canes for this one.

Sometimes I just go nuts all in one night. This one is also gold filled wire. Ok, let's see what is on the agenda for tomorrow. LOLOL

Shave Cream Beads

Ok kids, so now we have a miriad of bead styles. LOL I wanted to see the different shapes and using different inks. Some were added to the original bowl of shave cream.

I don't know if you can see from this image but some of the beads have tiny indents in them. That was due to a second part of this technique that Ernie taught us. She said to try rolling our clay in salt prior to putting the cream mixture on. Then when the beads are baked you have to rinse them in water to get the crystals off. The result was a textured bead. Rather cool effect.

Some of these beads will be turned into pendants since I am so into the pendant thing all of a sudden. Others may be bracelet parts. Or who knows, I may keep these as a keepsake and bake a whole new original batch. Any way it goes, I enjoyed this demo a lot.

Upward and onward. LOL

Shave Cream Demo

Oh my goodness!! What fun yesterday was. I love this technique. It is a bit messy, but it was a blast to learn. I decided to make a pendant out of one of the beads and will post some of the beads tonight when I get home. I think I am going to make some more when I get some of the inks and shave cream. What an easy technique!

New Blog to Show Samples of Work

Well, I finally decided to break into the blog world. :-) Since I am learning the craft of claying and wire work, I thought it would be fun to have a space where I can show my progress. This is going to be an experiment for me so we will see how it goes. I hope you see a lot of progress and fun things.

Since this is my first post, it is short and sweet with more to come. In fact, I am going to my very first guild meeting today. I am so excited. We are learning a technique using shaving cream and inks to make beads. Wish me luck!