Great Stocking Give-A-Way

You can win a great holiday stocking filled with beautiful items made for you by some of the talented members of PCAGOE plus a gift certificate from the members of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy.

For each item that you purchase from one of our participating members’ Etsy stores from Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2009 until midnight Eastern Standard Time on December 12, 2009, your name goes into a drawing for one of three great stockings filled with beautifully handcrafted polymer clay items plus a gift certificate good for merchandise in any participating member’s Etsy store – all provided by the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy. Just go to Etsy and search for PCAGOE Team or click on the PCAGOE logo above. Some of the participating members are listed below:

KellyPlaysClay.etsy.com
LaurelSteven.etsy.com
11BoldStreet.etsy.com
PolymerClayCreations.etsy.com
CreativeWriting.etsy.com
MarciaPalmer.etsy.com
BeeTreeByMe.etsy.com
TheColorofDreams.etsy.com
BLeekreations.etsy.com
RiverValleyDesign.etsy.com
Juliespace.etsy.com
Peggers.etsy.com
MichelesArtJewelry.etsy.com
AlisonEKurek.etsy.com
SCDiva.etsy.com
NKDesigns.etsy.com
CreativeArtCenter.etsy.com
Ashpaints.etsy.com
WonderfulWire.etsy.com
IlysaArt.etsy.com
Stonebrash.etsy.com
Summergirl38.etsy.com
BarbiesBest.etsy.com
GoodspeedEmpire.etsy.com
LJeans.etsy.com
Jencom72.etsy.com
SilverGateStudio.etsy.com
RozPetalzStudio.etsy.com
FungibleElements.etsy.com
Miramecreations.etsy.com
Elpasoclaynation.etsy.com
Clayhappy.etsy.com
Claycenter.etsy.com
Phoenixrose.etsy.com
JKollmann.etsy.com

Limited time offer on brand new Tutorial

As I've been mentioning for a while now, I've been working on a tutorial for my Hollow Dome Christmas Ornaments. I'm delighted to announce that it's finally ready! This tutorial takes you through the steps of modifying a base structure, through creating the hollow core, to decorating that hollow core. While I've written it with ornaments in mind, you could use a smaller base structure and make a pendant or pin instead. This is a great way to use up any "scrap clay" that you have as well as all those canes and stacks that you've made.

The tutorial steps you through three designs in addition to building the core and includes a additional "inspiration" pictures. There are over 40 pictures and 13 pages. Plus, of course, you have me pretty handy by email to answer any questions you might have.

The great thing about this design is how light weight it is while still looking substantial.

I will be listing this tutorial for $8.00 in my Etsy store tonight but, as promised, for anybody who emails me direct before December 1st to order and mentions the blog, you will get this brand new tutorial for $6.00 as a thank you for your support and encouragement. My email address is arlene.harrison(at)gmail.com or you can send a paypal payment to harrisonhollow(at)windstream.net.

Sharing ideas

I've been working on the tutorial that I mentioned to you earlier this week and it has occurred to me just how much I learned and all the different places I've gotten inspiration since I started working with polymer clay. I look back at some of my early work and realize just how far I've come in just a few short years and I have to thank a LOT of people for that journey. I've taken classes and don't get me wrong, classes are great and a lot of really good information is often packed in. But I've learned as much or more just from the sharing of information between other people who are learning just as I am.

Members of my local guild, Central Mississippi Polymer Clay Guild, has been challenging me to learn and do things well beyond what I would have ever thought I could do when first I picked up a block of clay.

Members of that guild have also encouraged me to take classes from teachers that scared the stew out of me but who all turned out to be great ladies and giving people.

Members of my online guild, Polymer Clay Artist Guild of Etsy, have shared how they do things, what works and what doesn't, where the best resources are and their monthly challenges have me trying things that I would not otherwise have tried.

Although I don't get over there as often as I would like, the Clay-Polymer Yahoo group is also a great source of help and inspiration.

And since I've started blogging, I've found a lot of you out there who share what you are doing. I have joined Cindy Lietz's online newsletter with a video every week. Worth every penny!

I am now following a number of blogs and enjoy reading about the challenges that other artists, polymer clay and other mediums, go through in pursuit of their art.

So to all of you who have shared your journey, have come along for the journey with me and enriched my life in the doing - Thank You!

Hollow Domes Christmas Ornaments - special order for blog followers

A few posts back I had included a few of my new domed Christmas ornaments and had gotten some questions about them. They are hollow – making them very lightweight. They are made over a “core” which gives you a lot of flexibility in your designing. And finally, yes, if you want to make them smaller, they would make a perfect pendant! And they are an excellent use for any scrap clay you have laying around.

In response to several requests, I have put together a tutorial for the Hollow Domes Christmas Ornaments which I’ll be adding to my Etsy shop soon for $8.00 as an Adobe pdf download. For those of you who are loyal followers of my blog, I’d like to make you a special offer. If you want to pre-order this tutorial, send an email to arlene.harrison (at) gmail.com and I’ll send you a Paypal invoice for $6.00, a $2.00 savings off the Etsy shop price. Be sure to mention in your email that you read about it on my blog. The tutorial should be finished and ready for download by Friday, November 13.

Also as a special thank you, everybody who purchases this tutorial before December 1, 2009 will be entered in a drawing to win one of the Hollow Domes Christmas Ornaments featured in the tutorial.

Gift Tag or Personalized Christmas Ornament?

It's been a busy week at work so I've not had much time to really think about anything else. But as the week winds down and the weekend is approaching, I'm thinking clay!

I made a personalized ornament recently and my sister said - you know what would be cool? Use the ornament as a gift tag this year, then the person who gets it can use it as an ornament next year! How's that for a gift that keeps giving?

Here's the ornament that started this train of thought. This one is for my sister Sherry who loves red and collects angels. The stamped images and letters are filled with an acrylic glaze in a copper tone.

So what do ya'll think? Is the ornament as gift tag idea is a good one? I've already made several more. One for the sister who made the suggestion! She loves dragonflies. So guess what's on her tag/ornament? Yep! That's right -- a dragonfly! Each one is just a bit different but appeals to what is special to each of them.

Hmmm..... I'm thinking about butterflies! Wouldn't that make a great tag/ornament?

Vote for your Favorite Metallic Showdown and a chance at a prize!

Every month the members of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy (PCAGOE) have a "challenge" designed to spark our creativity and add a new dimension to our body of work. The theme for this month’s challenge is Metallic Showdown. PCAGOE members were challenged to create something using metallic clays and/or metal in the design. We've got some great entries this month and they run the gamut from classic to futuristic. For a better picture and to vote for your favorite, click on the linked text below.

OK I've done my part. The rest is up to you. I invite each of you to go to PCAGOE.com, see the prizes that are going to be sent to five randomly drawn lucky voters, check out all of the entries for this month and place your vote. Voting begins on November 1 and runs through midnight EST, on November 7. Come join in the fun!

My mini-vacation and Kathleen Dustin workshop!

It's been a week since I came back from my mini-vacation in Florida with three other members of the Central Mississippi Polymer Clay Guild. We were in Florida to attend a weekend workshop with none other than Kathleen Dustin! These are the only two pieces that I have completed so far but I have several more in the works. This is so much fun and every piece is a surprise in the making!

My mini-vacation started on Wednesday when I met up with Annette and Myra, two of our guild members (and sisters, by the way) at the Jackson airport and flew to Orlando. We were picked up by Joyce, our guild President, who has a beach house not too far from Orlando. After taking several "scenic detours" to find the workshop location and the hotel where we would be staying, we headed for the beach. Lots of fun and laughter!

Thursday was spent lolling around. For those of you not familiar with that term, lolling is a good ole' Southern term that means just being lazy, relaxing at the beach, sitting on the deck and drinking margaritas as the sun went down. Then we headed into Orlando and our hotel.

Friday was a great day. We met Kathleen and admired her work. Then she put us to work!!! I was so afraid that what she would be teaching us was way over my head, but she broke it down with great demos and a good pace. She made sure that everybody was following along on each step before she went on to the next. But she did emphasize that this was not a class for beginners, that at least an intermediate knowledge of working with clay was pretty important to be successful. Just as important as the actual techniques was the wealth of information Kathleen shared on the basics of design and how they applied to her method. We worked through the process of the first two layers on Friday before going to Olive Garden for fun, food and wine!

Saturday started with my least favorite word – SANDING! Everybody in my guild knows how I feel about sanding. I do my very best to get everything as smooth as possible before I put it in the oven. Unfortunately, that will not work with this technique! I had to sand, and sand, and sand some more. Then check for gaps, fill them in with translucent, cure and sand even more. Then finally, I got to buff! Kathleen told us that if we did the sanding correctly, then the buffing just made our pieces shine. I was so pleased with the glow and you really could see "into" the piece!!!

In the midst of all this sanding, we also learned Kathleen's technique for doing transfers. This alone was worth the trip! I've tried transfers before and got sad, faded-out results so I was thrilled to learn how she does her transfers. She also taught us a cool new stack called lamella and some interesting things to do with simple stripes. The lamella stack was made of red gold leaf and translucent and just shimmers when sanded and buffed. Too cool!

I love the fact that every time Kathleen called us up to her table for a demo, she had on a different necklace. This was great because they actually look different on a person than just laying on a black cloth on a table. She had a beautiful variety and some rather unique items too. Her purses were to die for! But my favorite had to be the necklaces made with the end of a skinner blend roll! Be sure to check out her gallery.

Class wound down about 4:00 p.m. and Annette and Myra headed out for a visit with their niece while Joyce and I headed back to the beach… and more margaritas!

Sunday was a wonderfully quiet peaceful day – although just a touch chilly! The cold front that the Floridians had been expecting arrived with a fair amount of wind! A great day to relax with a good book and a glass of tea. Then Monday I had to fly back home and back to work! Vacation was over and the real world was once more intruding!

All I can say about the workshop is that if you ever get an opportunity to take a class with Kathleen Dustin, go for it! It was a wonderfully inspiring weekend and my mind is still spinning with ideas of how to incorporate these techniques into my designs.

I'd also like to take a minute to thank all the wonderful ladies of the Orlando Polymer Clay Guild. Everything - well almost, anyway - ran smoothly and they made us crazy Mississippi ladies feel right at home!

Texture Sticks -- my favorite handmade clay tool – and it's all made with scrap clay!

Somebody asked me recently what I do with my scrap clay. My first question was – what scrap clay? because until you bake it you can continue to reuse polymer clay. But then I got to thinking about the question and I guess I have to say that my favorite thing to make with scrap clay - once it becomes really muddy - are handmade tools - and my favorite handmade tools are my texture sticks. Which, of course, led to the question "What's a texture stick?"

Last fall our guild taught an Introduction to Polymer Clay class at a local community center and one of the items we wanted to make was a Santa. We were debating on how to add texture to his beard and hat because this is so much easier for beginners than trying to get all of the fingerprints smoothed out. When I made the prototype, I had used two different texture sheets but to include them in the supply kit would run up the cost for the class. We wanted the students to have everything that they would need to go home and make another Santa. So what to do???

I remembered seeing an article on PolymerClayWeb about making your own texture tools using buttons and other things around the house. I took that a step further by cutting ½ inch round swirly textured disks (for Santa's beard) and ½ inch round disks of different textures (for Santa's hat). These were then laid on tiles and baked just long enough to firm them up – about 10 minutes. The reason that I did this was so that when you attach them to the "sticks" you don't want to mess up the texture.

Now for the sticks – I rolled a log of scrap clay approximately ½ inch around and cut it in 2 inch sections to make the sticks. I put a drop of liquid polymer clay on the back of a "beard" texture circle and pressed it on one end of the "stick". I repeated the process with one of the "hat" texture circles and pressed it on the other end of the "stick". On both ends, the raw clay was pulled up and blended with the slightly baked clay for a smooth transition. When they were all finished, they went back in the preheated oven for 1 hour at my normal clay baking temperature. After allowing them to cool, I hit the edges with a fairly course sandpaper to knock down the harsh edge and they were ready to go in the class kits! This was a lot of fun because several of us got together for a clay play day and made these so every class participant could have one.


Since I love to add texture to my pieces, I figured these texture sticks would be somewhat useful but I had no idea just how useful! I have since made many, many more with different textures on each end. They fit nicely in a box on my work table and I don't have to dig through a whole drawer of texture sheets to find what I want. Also I can use these in relatively small areas where the full texture sheet is a bit cumbersome. See all the texture on the snowflake? All done with a couple of these texture sticks! They are great when you need just a little bit of something -- and all made with scrap clay! In the slideshow above, a texture stick has been used to texture every piece in one way or the other.

A computer tip for dark backgrounds

I get a computer newsletter from WorldStart.com several times a week and they periodically have some great tips. One that I ran across recently had to do with web pages and blogs that don't have enough contrast between a dark background and the text -- which makes it hard for some of us to read! This was a super simple solution - don't know why I didn't think of it myself! But here is a clip from the newsletter:

Q: I hate it when I visit a web site and it has dark text on a dark
background. Is there an easy way to make these kinds of sites readable?

A: We've all seen and example of this before, I'm sure. Whether by way of poor web design or just a background image that didn't load correctly, dark text on a dark background is simply impossible to read!

Well, next time you find yourself in this position simply hit, CTRL-A. All the text on the website will be selected (highlighted). The selection color is normally blue with white text. Much easier to read than, say, a dark red on a black background. This works with some email programs too!

I'm featured today in The Beading Gem's Journal!

I am so excited! I got an email this morning from Pearl at The Beading Gem's Journal telling me that she is featuring my Etsy shop on her email newsletter today! She had asked a while back about doing a give-away and I was honored to be asked and agreed immediately! I figured I'd get a quick mention with a link to my shop, but Pearl has done a great job. She is actually doing a 3 part give-away called Pen to Paper. If ya'll don't already subscribe to her email newsletter, be sure to check it out! It's one of my "must reads" and always has good information.

Here's a picture of the pen that I'll be giving away as a part of this promotion.