A Few Clayless days… A Blogger’s Fresh Start…


Not sure what spawned it, but I have delved back into the land of HTML code for the past couple of days. I would like to monetize my blog by doing product reviews and giveaways, and I will only take that dive when I have figured out how to get the exact site design I want (without paying hundreds of dollars to some very talented designer to do it for me :). Gotta be a good steward of the finances I am blessed with, and my situation just doesn’t have room for that kind of expense.

I will figure this out, oh yes. What do you think of my new header design I plan to implement? Seriously. Click it for a bigger view. I have been looking at it so long that it appears to be melting at this point. Feedback appreciated. I will be back to clay soon! Blessings…

Thursday Blog Hops…

I am hopping on Thursday this week. I have met some great bloggers this way. Check them out, yo…

Obviously MARvelous


Bassgiraffe's Thoughts Thursday Blog Hop

Polymer Clay Day 65: Mokume Gane Foil Tutorial

I made the above pendant using thin slices from the mokume gane technique I detail in this tutorial, using copper leaf sheets, alcohol inks, translucent clay, wavy blade and straight blade (I didn’t use the rubber stamp pictured in this project), acrylic roller, pasta machine, ceramic tile and a toaster oven or conventional oven.

I used three bars of Fimo translucent, rolling it with my acrylic roller until it was thin enough to condition by running it through the pasta machine, working up to a thinness of 6 (my pasta machine has settings 1-9, 1 being thickest, 9 thinnest). The gloves are to avoid fingerprints on the clay, which drives me nuts 🙂
Next, clean up the edges by cutting with the tissue blade to make a rectangle. Cut this rectangle into 2 equal sized rectangles.

I used copper leaf sheet from Michael’s and patted it down on each rectangle. It will stick to raw clay, so no adhesive is needed.
Clean up (and save) the excess foil leaf bits.
Carefully slide the blade under each rectangle to flip them over.

Use your alcohol inks and randomly dab them with felt applicator on the now upside of the clay rectangles.
Stack the rectangles, then cut the stack in half.
Stack these two halves.
Thin by hand or with acrylic roller to stretch out the stack, being careful not to tear if doing by hand.
Cut into quarters, then stack again.
Thin stack using roller or by hand.
The foil begins to crackle as the stack is thinned.
Cut stack into quarters again and restack


Distress the stack using any texturizing method you want. I cut through randomly with a wavy blade. You could use a credit card and make a grid, or use a rubber stamp…

squeeze sides to smoosh the distressed stack into a tall cube.

Shave off thin slices and apply to beads, tins, whatever object you want so long as it can be baked at 275 degrees! Raw clay (unbaked) adheres to raw clay, so roll a round ball and apply thin cane slices to make a bead. Roll in hand after applying slices to smooth surface. When applying to already cured clay, or to metal/glass, you will need to use polymer clay glue (I use Lisa Pavelka poly clay glue). There is also a bake-able adhesive by sculpey.

I used my slices on the pendant at the beginning of this post. I have plenty left, so I will be make more creations from it, as is usually the case with canes!

GIVEAWAY! Polymer Clay Day 61: My Craft-astrophe, Your Chance to Win!



I envisioned my blog post for today being a tutorial detailing an awesome chair makeover. Now, 7 hours, a blistered right index finger from spray painting, a sore back and a whopping primer resentment later, I am instead hosting a giveaway. I am sure when I do finish my aforementioned chair project, this day’s blunders will be amusing, but at the moment, not so much 🙂

Here are the rules:
1. Leave a comment after this post, stating which polymer clay pendant you want to win. That will count as an entry. You can another entry for each of the following you do; tweet, facebook, or blog about this giveaway, and make sure you leave a comment linking to your post so that you get entered again for it.
2. You must be a follower of my blog to win.
3. Giveaway starts now 7/30/10 and ends 8/6/10.
4. Randomly chosen winner will be announced 8/7/10, at whatever time I get back from my morning run 🙂
Good luck. Thank you for visiting my crafty digs! Blessings…

Polymer Clay Day 60: Cream & Copper Triangle "Be Love" Pendant




There is this great book, that I think everyone should read. It is the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. That’s right, I believe it would benefit everyone, alcoholic or not. I bring this up, because the book provides excellent guidance on how to interact with the world in a way that makes a serene life possible. (I also think everyone should read the Bible – just throwing that in there).

One of my favorite readings from the AA book is referred to as the “Acceptance Prayer”, and was written by Paul O., himself a recovering alcoholic. It reads as follows
Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation ~ some fact of my life ~ unacceptable to me and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God’s world by mistake. See page 449 in the 3rd edition or page 417 in the 4th edition.
This is so very helpful for me when I am tempted to react emotionally when I am basically not getting my way. Everyone struggles, regardless of how together they may appear. I am at my best when I can remember to be love. I can’t leave this topic without the Greatest Commandment…

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36 NIV). Jesus replied, ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40 NIV).

Be LoVe!

These are the Friday Blog Hops I’m hopping today…

badge
My Wee View

friday-follow

Tuesday Blog Hop Time!

Tuesday Tag-Along

This has been a wonderful tool for meeting other awesome bloggers, and getting your own rockin’ blog some exposure. Join join join!!!

Polymer Clay Day #56; Circle Triangle

TIme to Visit Fellow Bloggers…

Smart and Trendy Moms


My Wee View

No Clay Day 4

Moving and unpacking has been a bit more involved than I had anticipated. Pretty much need to paint every room, while living out of boxes piled in the garage. Gonna be awile before getting back to 100 days of polymer clay. Also, no internet until Friday. Blogging withdrawal forced me to post my bathroom painting projext drom my Droid. Missing the clay. Back to it ASAP. Craft room walls next!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.3.9

Polymer Clay Day #40: Zebra Print Framed Marathon Medallion

Hi friends. Movers to arrive in 1 hour! I am so excited. I love Bloomington, IN.

Here I am just posting all of these clay creations, without step by step instructions for you all. I am really just learning. I promise tutorials are to come after I get settled in the new place. Thanks for the love and patience…
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