Thursday, February 25, 2010

So... What's on your work table today?


My newest project is a split key ring embellished with cool large oval beads and tassels. How this all came about was that while surfing the internet recently, I ran across several different styles of keychains using large split key rings embellished with beads and charms. I’d been doing an inventory of my bead stash and found several large oval beads. The wheels in my head went to spinning and before I knew it, I had dug out wire, beads and a cool tassel to create my own version. These were so much fun to make and would make a great gift for just about anybody who has to keep up with keys!

By the way, the tassels are wrapped so that's what you are seeing.  The tassels are much fuller once the paper is removed.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Who's ready for SPRING!!!!!?

All the snow and ice and freezing weather has me thinking about Spring in all it's refreshing shades of green and spring flowers.  If you look close - see the red arrow in this picture?  That's lillies of the valley blooming.  I'm also seeing crocus and a few mock quince blooms so Spring can't be that far away.   To help remind me that the winter snow and cold weather will soon be a think of the past, I'll share one of my ladybug plant stakes.  How's that for a counter balance between what is and what is to be?

What is on your worktable for Spring?  Have you started thinking about spring flowers and warm days?  I am so ready!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

I've been framed!!!!!




The focus of the next meeting of the Central Mississippi Polymer Clay Guild – which I am a member of – is working with rubber stamps and polymer clay. Back before Christmas I had covered several small wooden boxes with faux raku mosaic tiles which everybody liked so I volunteered to show how I do the faux raku mosaic tile. Mine will be one of several projects that we’ll work on so I needed to make sure we could get it done in the time available.


I decided to try my hand at a mosaic picture frame after I saw an episode on HGTV’s series “That’s Clever” where the artisan made a collage type frame then glued it to an acrylic L frame. What a perfect way to support the decorative elements of the frame while providing protection for the photo!


After much trial and error, I’ve come up with a pretty good plan for how to do the picture frames using scrap clay, flat and metallic acrylic paint, rubber stamps and toothpicks! Here are pictures of the frames that I’ve finished during my search for the perfect method.  The man and woman came with frame but the group of three is me (in the red), my mom and my sister (the mother of the bride in the previous post!)

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Back to my paintbrushes - temporarily!


I've always been involved in some sort of artistic pursuit.  For many years before I discovered polymer clay, I was a decorative painter.  I haven't done much with my painting in about three years other than a few custom orders but then my sister decided that we needed to paint a backdrop for her daughter's wedding reception.  Sure, I said.  We can do that.  What I didn't realize was that it needed to be huge!  12 feet wide by 9 feet high!  Why so large?  The reception venue overlooks a professional baseball field and that would have been the view behind the wedding cake.  Not exactly what we were looking for!

The theme of the wedding and reception was winter wonderland -- the wedding was on January 30 -- so the snowy forest path scene evolved.  My sister Sherry, mother of the bride, found a piece of projector screen fabric big enough to paint the scene on -- not as easy a task as you would think.  The canvas tarp she ordered first was too rough plus it had a seam down the middle, but the projector screen fabric was perfect!

We stapled the fabric to her garage wall and went to work.  We spent all of the day after Thanksgiving filling in first the background, then the trees, stone walls and cobblestones.  Then it was down to the details.  We were both very pleased with the backdrop as it hung on the garage wall but once it was hung in the reception venue along with some real trees with fake snow banked around the bases and the other decorative elements, the winter wonderland created was spectacular!

The wedding was beautiful, the reception lots of fun but I'm glad to put the paints away and get back to my clay!