Harrison Hollow Designs

Happy New Year!

2012-01-08T21:51:00.000-06:00

It's a brave new year. A year filled with opportunities and challenges. As of April 1st I will no longer be employed as a legal secretary. I will be among the retired. I will be ready to start the next chapter of my life.

In the meantime, I'm working on revamping my Etsy store. I'm working on some new things for spring but want to reorganize my store. You can save 30% on anything in my shop by entering RETIRE30 in the coupon code. And by purchasing before January 31, you can get an additional coupon code for a discounted purchase in the revamped store! Valentine's Day is coming up soon. I have several items which would make excellent gifts for yourself or someone special for Valentine's Day.

Last Call for Christmas 2011

2011-12-13T15:20:00.000-06:00

You've just got a few more days before it's too late to order for Christmas 2011. I have an excellent selection of gift items available and on orders placed before December 15th, you can still get the 20% discount by typing HOLIDAY20 in the coupon code space.

Just think how nice these Angel earrings would go with your Christmas outfit!

Bits and Pieces Sale

2011-11-24T19:12:00.001-06:00

Recently I've been trying to organize my studio and gathering those bits and pieces left over from previous projects. I've listed several sets of beads that are random numbers. Usually when I make beads for a project, I don't know exactly how many I'm going to need so I wind up with extra. Thus I have "bits and pieces" and now they can be yours. Note: These are bits and pieces so if the listing says 5 beads, there are only 5 beads available. I will indicate how many beads are in each set and if I have more than one set of beads in a design.

To make this a great deal, I'm offering a 20% discount on every item in my Etsy store from now through midnight on December 5th. When you get ready to check out, enter HOLIDAY20 in the coupon code. Be sure to check back frequently as I'll be adding new items as I get them photographed.

Time to vote on your favorite in this month's PCAGOE cane challenge

2011-11-01T13:52:00.001-05:00

As many of you who follow my blog regularly know, I am a member of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy, also known as PCAGOE. Every month PCAGOE has a challenge which encourages members to stretch out of their comfort zone and create something based on a central theme. This month's theme was canes. The entry could be either the cane itself or an object made with the cane. I've done my part...

http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2011/10/november-pcagoe-challenge-caning.html

Now for your part of the challenge... Each month we invite friends, family, customers, anybody who might be interested to vote for their favorite three designs. We've got some pretty impressive entries this month so I encourage each of you to follow the link shown below to the PCAGOE blog site and cast your vote. One lucky winner will be randomly chosen to receive a hand-crafted polymer clay prize from one of our talented designers. So go now and check it out!

Big changes headed my way!

2011-10-25T14:23:00.004-05:00

Yes indeed, folks, change is in the air. Some of it is planned, some is happenstance. But regardless, change is always going to be a factor in our lives. Some change is good, other changes bring challenges which force us out of our neat little lives. I'm facing some rather important changes over the next few months. Some days, I'm excited – some days I wonder if I'm making the right decisions. Only time will tell….

Thanks to a chance encounter with an old school friend that I had not seen in forever, I found out that I might be eligible for widow's benefits based on my late husband's social security. I figure there had to be some good come from the death of my friend, my partner, my encourager, so I investigated and – sure enough – I was eligible! That made it possible for me to retire a lot earlier than I had originally planned! So my target retirement date from the law firm where I've worked almost 10 years is set for March 1, 2012.

As the time gets closer, I'm working on plans for what to do with the rest of my life. I have worked somewhere for most of my adult life so this will be a definite change for me. My sisters have come up with a plan and I think it is a good one. It's just going to take a little work.

Over the years, I've had people ask me if I taught – first painting, then polymer clay which is my current passion. Since I really did not have a place suitable for teaching, I always said no or invited them to visit a meeting of our polymer clay guild. So earlier this year one of my sisters suggested that I clean out one of the storage buildings on my property and open a teaching studio. In addition to giving me a place to teach, this will also give me a place to display my body of work. So the planning begins. And the clearing out of the accumulated "stuff" that has found it's way into the building I plan to use.

So by this time next year, Harrison Hollow Designs will have a home separate from my home studio. I'm stepping out in faith like Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams – If you build it, they will come!

Live Laugh Love

2011-10-20T16:54:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Drunkenmimes for including my Live Laugh Love mini-mosaic in this great Artfire Collection. These can be personalized with any words or images to fit the person that you would like to gift this to -- or to your own personal taste.

This would make excellent Christmas presents and will definitely not be something that he/she will get duplicates of. Nor will he/she be able to pick this up in their local big box store.

Click on this link to see this mini-mosaic and others.

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=collections&op=details&cid=29009

Think PINK! It's time to vote for your favorite

2011-09-02T19:28:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know that October is actually National Breast Cancer Awareness Month but when we found out that one of our members had been diagnosed with breast cancer, the artists of PCAGOE decided to make our challenge this month PINK in her honor.

Now it's time for you to vote for your favorite challenge entry and have your name included in a drawing for a select prize from one of our fabulous polymer clay artists! Here's the link: Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy Monthly Challenge

Bye, bye Summer

2011-08-23T13:26:00.000-05:00

Not that you could tell it by the temperature outside here in Mississippi but summer is officially drawing to an end. In just a little over a week, we'll be celebrating Labor Day here in the States. Kids are heading back to school and thoughts are turning to fall and the various holidays we celebrate. Halloween can be a fun holiday if you keep the scarey, ghoulie stuff out of it. I love pumpkins and jack-lanterns so you'll see them in a lot of my Halloween decorating. The little jack-o-lantern is wrapped around a tea light so it is fairly small. That's a #2 pencil that the Pumpkin Tea-Lite Candle is sitting on. The face is just on one side for Halloween and you can turn it with the face to the wall for more of a fall look. At $6.00 each (plus S&H), this is a great fall gift idea. And the tea-lite can easily be replaced when it burns out by popping the metlted one out of the plastic cup and dropping another one in. These are available in both my Etsy shop and my Artfire shop. Both show only 1 available but I do have a good supply on hand. Just send me a message if you want multiples. Discounts are available for orders of 10 or more.

Keep It Cool! Only 3 More Days to qualify

2011-08-11T20:17:00.001-05:00

...for the PCAGOE Keep It Cool Summer Giveaway and save the shipping fee on your purchases. But only through August 14.

The talented artists of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy (PCAGOE) are going to Keep it Cool with a Gift Basket

Giveaway from August 8-14.

Win this great basket stuffed with all kinds of one-of-a-kind handmade gifts from the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy. No purchase necessary.

Enter in one of two ways: Each item purchased between August 8th and 14th from a participating Etsy shop (see list) gives you one (1) entry. Or you may enter by sending a convo to any of the participating Etsy shops.

www.etsy.com/shop/youngcreative

www.polymerclaycreations.etsy.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThePleasantPheasant

http://ashpaints.etsy.com

http://playsculptlive.etsy.com

www.nkdesigns.etsy.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/higirls

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Beadelz

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PennysLane

KEEP IT COOL! Gift Basket Giveaway

2011-08-10T11:32:00.000-05:00

The Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy Summer Promotion Gift Basket!

KEEP IT COOL!

The talented artists of the PCAGOE are going to Keep it Cool with a Gift Basket

Giveaway from August 8-14.

Win this great basket stuffed with all kinds of one-of-a-kind handmade gifts from the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy. No purchase necessary.

www.etsy.com/shop/youngcreative

www.polymerclaycreations.etsy.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThePleasantPheasant

http://ashpaints.etsy.com

http://playsculptlive.etsy.com

www.nkdesigns.etsy.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/higirls

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Beadelz

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PennysLane

Vote for your favorite Under The Sea creation

2011-08-02T22:19:00.000-05:00

August in Mississippi is hot, hot, hot!!! So what better way to cool off than
to go Under The Sea which is the theme for the August PCAGOE challenge.
The members of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy were challenged to
take their imagination and creativity to the depths of the sea and now you, the
voting public, have the opportunity to pick a winner! And you could be a
winner too!!! Go to http://www.pcagoechallenge.blogspot.com/ and vote
for your favorites. The names of all the voters will be entered into a drawing
for a handmade prize package! Voting is open August 1 through August 7.

Just a few more days of Christmas in July

2011-07-21T22:31:00.002-05:00

July in Mississippi is hot! Makes me wish I wassitting on the beach somewhere with a cool breeze blowing off the water. This pencil cup may not blow a cool breezeacross my face but it does conjure up the memories. And you can add it to your work or play space and save 10% if youpurchase before the end of July. Comecheck out the many cool polymer clay items available for sale by members of thePolymer Smooshers on Artfire. Buthurry, the sale ends when July ends! PolymerClay Smooshers Christmas in July Sale

Christmas in July Sale - Polymer Clay Smooshers

2011-07-05T19:17:00.000-05:00

I'm proud to announce that I've been accepted as a member of the Polymer Clay Smooshers on Artfire. They are hosting a Christmas in July sale which offers 10% off any item(s) in the shops of the participating members. For participating artisans, click on this link: Polymer Clay Smooshers Christmas in July Sale

This sale started on July 1st and will go through midnight, July 31st. This is a great opportunity to start your Christmas shopping.

Rough spring but things are looking up!

2011-06-29T22:44:00.000-05:00

I'm getting back to focusing on working in the studio and getting some projects finished that I've been working on for a while. I've almost finished the long-promised tutorial on Faux Stained Glass using polymer clay. I have a tremendous respect for those teachers out there who do this on a regular basis. It's a lot easier to just play with the clay and not have to document the step-by-step procedure. But by the time I get this tutorial finished, it will take you from a block of clay to the finished picture with clear and concise directions.

I know I haven't been my usual bright, bubbly poster this spring and I do apologize for my absence. I've been dealing with two issues. The one that is affecting my art the most is a problem with my eyes. I'm seeing normal size with the left eye and a larger view of the same thing with the right eye. The difference is significant enough to cause what I was calling double vision but what is actually a shadowed overlay. Weird stuff!!! After many doctors visits and tests, we still don't know what caused it but we have come up with a treatment plan so hopefully that will soon be manageable. Next doctor's appointment is July 7 so y'all keep your fingers crossed and prayers lifting that this will work. For an artist not to be able to see a clear single crisp image is pure torture!!!

The other issue was much simpler. I tore the cartilage under my left knee on New Years Eve morning. I had surgery two weeks ago to repair that so I'm out of pain for the first time in 6 months and wondering why I put it off for so long!

My "Believe" Mini Mosaic is included in an Etsy Treasury!!

2011-06-01T20:57:00.002-05:00

Thanks HiGirls for including my "Believe" Mini mosaic featuring the pink breast cancer ribbon in the beautiful Etsy Treasury called Form and Function. http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4de6db2776208eef243680a4/form-and-function

All of the pieces in this beautiful treasury are made by fellow member of the PCAGOE - Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy.

Paint with Passion Mini-Mosaic

2011-05-25T00:19:00.000-05:00

The newest addition to my customized Mini-Mosaics features a hand-sculpted artist's pallet with paint brush made using the same technique as I did for the breast cancer ribbon and the autism puzzle piece. This was another custom order from a client. These measure 3 1/2 inches square and cost $12.00.

This is a great way to create a one-of-a-kind gift for that person with a special interest. I'm thinking about making one for a friend who like to fish... wonder how hard it would be to sculpt fish? I do love a challenge!

Why don't you let me make a custom Mini-Mosaic for you or someone you want a special gift for? Just email me at arlene.harrison (at) gmail.com

Autism Mini-Mosiac - Solve the Puzzle

2011-05-09T14:29:00.000-05:00

Another custom order from a coworker was for a mini-mosiac featuring the autism puzzle piece and the words "Solve the Puzzle" This is my interpretation. I used the same process to make a mold for the puzzle piece that I did to make the breast cancer ribon. The coworker was very pleased and now I have another custom mold to use to make more. Both pieces were interesting challenges and helped me grow as a polymer clay artist in addition to making my customer happy.

Breast Cancer-Believe Mini-Mosaic

2011-04-28T15:07:00.000-05:00

As some of you may know, I’m having some difficulty with my eyes these days so anything that requires a lot of close-up detail work has been put on a back burner. That is why I am having so much fun with these mini-mosaics! These are seriously addictive! The fun thing about them is that you make a pile of different sized tiles, then your put the pieces together to create a mini work of art. These measure 3 ½ inches square and are perfect for a little “happy” as we say in my family.

The mini-mosaic that I’m showing you today is the result of a request from one of my co-workers for one with a breast cancer ribbon on it. After a bit of thought on how to go about this, I decided to sculpt the ribbon then make a mold. I used my new favorite mold making product – Sculpey’s Bake and Bend polymer clay! Just too cool. Works just like my regular polymer clay and is soft enough – and firm enough – to hold its’ shape. It also took the details of the background stamp that I used with it very well.

This mini-mosaic includes the word Believe. The one I am making for my co-worker includes the word Peace. What a great idea for a birthday gift, Mother’s Day gift or just a “happy” for a friend or family member who is going through or, even better, has overcome breast cancer! To make it even more personal, you could include her initial as I have on some of the other mini-mosaics that I’ve made. Every mini-mosaic is unique and one-of-a-kind. Just send me a message and we’ll discuss it.

Here's a quick slideshow of some of other mini-mosaics I have available. Special orders are welcomed.

PCAGOE Mother's Day Promotion

2011-04-14T14:33:00.000-05:00

YES IT’S ON AGAIN SHOPPERS!

THE POLYMER CLAY ARTISTS GUILD OF ETSY MOTHER'S DAY PROMOTION 2011.

WIN… WIN… WIN… WIN... REALLY BIG!!!

This is definitely one competition you will want to be a part of! No purchase is necessary.

How can I win?

You can enter by either…

(1) purchasing something from one of the stores listed below from April 18th to the 29th. Your name will go in the drawing to win one of our fantastic prizes. Purchase 1 item, get 1 chance -- purchase 10 items, get 10 chances :

 11BOLDStreet.etsy.com

 Alisonekurek.etsy.com

 Beckysuecreations.etsy.com

 Claycenter.etsy.com
Harrison Hollow Designs

 Higirls.etsy.com

 Kellyplaysclay.etsy.com

 Jkollman.etsy.com

 Marcympc.etsy.com

 NKDesigns.etsy.com

 Peggers.etsy.com

 Polymerclaycreations.etsy.com

 The Pleasant Peasant

Or

(2) send an email to Laurelsteven.etsy.com with your name and email address and the words PCAGOE MOTHER’S DAY PROMOTION.

At the end of the promotion a random drawing will select the winner!

What do I win?

You will win a beautiful Mother's Day Basket stuffed to the brim with polymer clay goodies handmade by our members.

Make mine dragonflies…

2011-04-07T13:43:00.000-05:00

Recently our local polymer clay guild had a demonstration about how to make small clay tiles to use in mosaic designs. I have been having so much fun with this technique. Today’s example was made for my sister who loves dragonflies. In addition to the dragonfly focal tile, I’ve included an initial tile in the lower right corner. I love making things for people that are special and specific to them. Just think how these could be personalized for Mother’s Day, birthdays, graduation, etc. Look for these soon in my Etsy and Artfire shops. If you want to order one for some special person in your life, contact me and we'll figure out something just perfect!

Spring has arrived in Mississippi!

2011-04-05T13:50:00.001-05:00

Everything is blooming - which is a good thing for those of us who love the beautiful flowers and the spring green leaves - but a bad thing for thos eof us with allergies!!! I fall into both categories so spring is one of my favorite times of the year even though I suffer through parts of it!

In addition to the blooms, I'm beginning to see butterflies and as anyone who knows me knows -- butterflies are my "thing"! The pendant you see here features a butterfly done in a faux batik technique then finished with a protective layer of resin. Red, green and white beads in necklace pick up and repeat the colors in the pendant.

The faux batik technique is one of the first tutorials that I bought and comes from Tina Holden. Click to see some of the beautiful things that Tina has made using this technique.

Mosaics can be addictive!

2011-03-22T09:01:00.000-05:00

I've always warned new comers to polymer clay that it can be addictive! And my newest obsession is no exception. This past weekend our local polymer clay guild (Central Mississippi Polymer Clay Guild) met and the focus of the meeting was making and using mosaic tiles. One of our members, Jennifer, had researched various techniques and shared with us three different “looks” using just black and white clay, rubber stamps, mica powders and acrylic paint.

Once we had a nice pile of tiles to choose from, we arranged the “focus” tiles in a pleasing manner and glued them down. Then we filled in with strips and tiles until our piece was finished. These mosaic pieces can be put into a frame or set up on a small easel for display or a hanger could be added for a different look.

I can definitely tell you that this is an addictive art form. My next project is going to be a wall hanging that will include my house number. I have a place on my front porch already picked out to hang it! Now if I can remember where I put all my butterfly stamps!!!

Some of the techniques we used were from the book "Mixed Media Mosaics: Projects Using Polymer Clay Tiles, Beads & Other Embellishments" by Laurie Mika which is available from Amazon.com.

It’s not polymer clay… but

2011-03-10T16:56:00.000-06:00

Other than revamping the studio, here’s what I’ve been working on lately. Back before I became addicted to polymer clay, I spent 30+ years honing my skills as a decorative painter. One of the categories in my portfolio was “Indoor/Outdoor Art”. This art is painted on a wooden “canvas” built by me in my workshop then sealed to withstand the rigors of being displayed outside. This art is designed to add a burst of color to an outside wall or fence and a special coating is added to keep the colors from fading.

A thick “medium” was piped on using cake decorating supplies then different sized paint brushes were used to create the raised detailing. Then the real fun began! The technique I used for this painting involved using multiple sheer layers of paint and glaze which gave it a rich “deep” look. The red flowers alone had a minimum of 5 colors and/or color mixes applied and I wish you could see it in person! Even I was impressed and I painted it!

I don’t do a lot of painting these days. This one was a custom order and I had a lot of fun doing it but I’m ready to get back to my polymer clay!

It's finally a studio again!!!

2011-02-28T13:29:00.000-06:00

Since mid-January I've been working on a revamp of my studio. Some of you who follow on Facebook have already seen the finished pictures but I thought I would share the progress. I did good at taking pictures of the first three steps but got busy and forgot to take "in progress" shots after that but I think you'll get the idea:

The first step was to sand and paint the old waterbed base that was left over from about 15 years ago. It's just been taking up space in the storage building and I needed something to "lift" the drawer units up so I wouldn't have to stand on my head to get items out of the bottom drawers. Plus by using the waterbed base, I gained 4 good sized drawers.

I replaced the outdated drawer handles with some nice new antique copper ones. I got the wrong kind of hinges for the doors so they will have to wait until I make another Home Depot run.

Then I ripped a piece of 3/4 inch plywood to fit the top and trimmed it out with 1 1/2 inch x 1/4 inch wood strips. Picture 3 shows that in place. I then covered the plywood with peel and stick vinyl tile.

The finished piece shows 3 Freds drawer units which are screwed together. The next section is from an old tv cart that I've been using for scrap clay storage. The shelves are just wide enough for plastic baskets to slide in. I took the tv cart apart and used just the shelf portion. You can see how this was previously used in this blog post: http://harrisonhollowdesigns.blogspot.com/2010/06/studio-remodel.html The last section are the two cassette cabinets that I repurposed a while back to store my clay in.

I ripped another piece of plywood, trimmed it out with the wood strips, painted it chocolate brown and covered it with the peel and stick vinyl. This final piece gives it a nice finished look.

I'll share more on this studio rehab soon.

Hearts and Flowers Sale for Valentine’s Day

2011-02-09T16:04:00.001-06:00

Don’t you just love the romanticism of Valentine’s Day? February 14 has become the date for exchanging love messages and a celebration of St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers. The date is marked by sending poems and simple gifts, such as flowers, to loved ones and secret loves. Use coupon code HOLIDAY15 to get 15% off any item in my Etsy store through the end of Valentine week, Saturday, February 19.

So much for best laid plans....

2011-02-04T15:40:00.002-06:00

In the last post I showed you some pieces that I had made using a new technique with alcohol inks and gold leaf. I promised to update you as soon as I got some beading done with them. Well, I casually mentioned to my daughter that I was thinking about taking a plastic storage cabinet out of my studio and replacing it with some wooden drawer units so that I could actually FIND stuff! I told her she could have the storage unit if they would come unload it and haul it away ... and help me get the new storage units set up in the studio.

So last Saturday me, my daughter and her boyfriend spend about half the day tearing my studio apart! My small project grew -- as they tend to do at my house! One of those "in order to be able do that, you first have to do this" type situations!!! Talk about a major mess!!!

Now I have stacks of stuff everywhere -- in boxes and bags, in drawers waiting for their cabinets -- sitting on every available surface all over my studio!!! I've gotten some of the work done toward getting it all back together -- in New and Improved format -- but since I'm still working fulltime, it's taking longer than I anticipated! So no beading has been done and no pictures to show you. Wish me luck over the weekend in getting things back in working order!!!

Shiny Things -- in progress

2011-01-27T16:16:00.000-06:00

I long ago determined that patience was not one of my strong points. The hardest part of using the resin is WAITING for it to cure. The minimum time, according to the tutorial I was using, is 48 hours but 72 is better. I figured in humid Mississippi that I better go for the longer curing time. So I patiently put my resin covered pieces in a plastic storage container with a lid -- to keep out the dust -- and played with other things. I didn't even open the container until last night! How's that for resisting temptation?

But I've got to say, the wait was worth it! The pictures I have here don't begin to show the beautiful shine these pieces have.

The square piece was made using a prefabricated bezel. The mokume gane polymer clay stack -- made with a custom-mixed teal and blue plus silver and white -- makes a beautiful pattern that perfectly matches one of my blouses.

Once I was happy with the design of the clay sheet, I measured and cut a piece to fit into the square of the bezel. After brushing the inside of the bezel lightly with Genesis, I carefully placed the clay and smoothed it all the way to the edges.

After the clay was cured and cooled, I added a fairly thick layer of resin and smoothed it out to the edges as well as I could. I do see where I'm going to need to add another thin layer and smooth the edges better. I see a few places where I did not get quite to the metal bezel.

These pieces are ready to be added to earwires for earrings. You can see some of the shine here but you can't really see how well it domes and how nice and clear it is. No yellowing that I can see. I love these little jewelry findings. They are perfect for adding a small pop of color.

Overall I was pleased with my first try at applying resin to my polymer clay projects. It is amazing the difference it gives a piece

OK I’ll admit it! I like shiny things!

2011-01-25T15:38:00.000-06:00

There… I’ve admitted it, now how to achieve it? Over the past several years since I started working with polymer clay, I’ve tried several different things that were reputed to make it shiny. Some worked. Some didn’t. Some were way more trouble than it was worth! But none gave me the clear glass-like finish that I was craving. So what does a girl do…

Well, this girl finally purchased a package of Envirotex Lite. This is a two-part resin that some polymer clay artists use to achieve that glass-like finish that I’ve been trying to get. Will it work for me? Check back and I’ll share my experience and what I made.

Great start for the new year!

2011-01-21T13:38:00.000-06:00

I usually have a lull between Christmas and Valentines Day where I can rest, relax, regroup and clean my studio -- which it desperately needs after the Christmas rush to get orders done and out the door! So.... there I was last Tuesday night resting and relaxing when an email came in from a sweet lady in New Hampshire who wanted to know if I could make 55 Mississippi ornaments and get them in the mail to arrive no later than today, January 21.

Well, any of you who work with polymer clay know that some work can be done pretty quickly while other things tend to require a fair amount of time and labor. I did accept the challenge and did about half of the ornaments with a smooth surfact that had to be sanded and buffed. The othe half I did using a fair amount of texture which cuts down considerably on the sanding and buffing! It was a good thing we had a holiday on Monday or I would have been burning some midnight oil for sure!

Faux Stained Glass Clock

2010-12-29T16:26:00.000-06:00

Remember in my last post I mentioned faux stained glass? Well the gift has now been delivered and I can post a picture here. Yes, this is all polymer clay on a masonite artists' canvas. This is something I dreamed about the Monday night before Christmas and I knew that it would be perfect for my youngest sister. So instead of the jewelry she was supposed to get, I made this beautiful faux stained glass clock. She was pleased, I was happy, all is well in my world!

This is the first one that I made -- for my middle sister who loves dragonflies. I worked out the kinks on this one so that when I started on the Iris and Butterflies Faux Stained Glass clock, it went a lot quicker... although this is a time-consuming process... but well worth the effort!

Now I'll be making more to add to my Etsy store. I'll let ya'll know when they are available.

Merry Monday after Christmas!

2010-12-27T14:26:00.001-06:00

How's that for a long greeting? I had a marvelous Christmas this year with my fun beginning the Sunday before Christmas with dinner with my chilren and their children and running all the way through yesterday with a beautiful church service. It pretty much ended this morning when I had to return to the real world and go to work!

I love that my gifts from my grandchildren were handmade. Itis heartwarming to see that sort of thoughtfulness and creativity being handed down through the generations. Some of the gifts I gave this year were handmade too. I have two that I have yet to deliver so I'll have to be quiet about them but think faux stained glass.... More on that in my next post. I may do a quickie tutorial on faux stained glass made in polymer clay. Anybody interested in learning how to do that? Leave me a comment and if I get enough comments, I'll put one together.

In the meantime, remember that the 15% off on everything in my Etsy shop sale is still on through the end of December. Just type HOLIDAY15 in the coupon section at checkout to get the reduction.

What a year!!!

2010-12-22T11:18:00.000-06:00

2010 has flown by! Here I sit on December 22 – just 3 days before Christmas – just 9 days before we ring in 2011 -- and wonder where the year went! A lot has changed in my life this year both on a personal and a professional level and I believe those changes have had a positive impact on my art. I’ve grown both as an artist and a person and I’m really excited to see what 2011 has in store for Harrison Hollow Designs.

One of the things that I’m thinking about is doing more tutorials on my blog. I love sharing what I’ve learned about polymer clay with others and think this is a good way to do it. Some days it may be just a quick tip about how to get specific results, other days a full blown start to finish tutorial. What do you think? Would you like to see some of the “behind the scenes” details on how I make things? What interests you? What do you want to learn in 2011? Maybe I can help!

In closing let me wish each and every one of you the very best of Merry Christmases and a healthy and abundant New Year!

Angels we have heard on high

2010-12-08T15:08:00.003-06:00

… and seen in the Harrison Hollow Designs studio! Here are some of my newest projects for Christmas 2010.

The earrings start out with a ball of base clay. The fuchsia and goldenrod angels started with a copper base clay, the purple and the hot pink started with turquoise base clay. Then a selection of very thin slices of leaf and flower canes were added and rolled onto the base clay to create the millefoiri pattern. The round bead is then rolled into a cone and flattened on the end to create a “bell” looking bead then pierced so they can be strung together.

Once the bell beads are baked and tumbled and buffed to a nice shine, a small gold disk (for the angel’s halo), a pale peach colored Swarovski crystal (for the angel’s head) and goldtone “wing” findings are gathered to form the upper body. Then the angel earrings begin to come together!

First a complimentary seed bead, then the bell bead, then wings, head and halo -- walah! It's an angel! Using my round-nosed pliers, I make a closed loop at the top and attach to the ear wires. Repeat for the other angel and you have a beautiful set of Angel Earrings!

For a closer look, go to my Flickr site or my Etsy store.

HOLIDAY15 Coupon Code still available

2010-12-03T15:48:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to let everybody know that even though the PCAGOE Holiday Special has ended -- and soon the 3 lucky winners will be announced -- I still have the coupon code activated that gives you 15% off on any purchase from my Etsy store. I'm going to leave it up at least through December 15 which is the cut-off for personalized items.

Get a jump on the Black Friday - Cyber Monday Sale!

2010-11-24T14:27:00.002-06:00

Yes indeed! Member of the Polymr Clay Artists Guild of Etsy is once more participating in Etsy's Black Friday - Cyber Monday sale.

Beginning today and running through December 15, 2010, everything in my Etsy shop - Harrison Hollow Designs - is eligible for a 15% discount. All you have to do is enter the Coupon Code HOLIDAY15 at checkout. Etsy will recalculate your total for you.

Check back regularly. I'll be adding new items all the way up to December 15.

Make it personal!!!

2010-11-23T16:27:00.002-06:00

Check out the newest addition to the Harrison Hollow Designs "Make It Personal" Gift Tag Ornaments. The original Gift Tag Ornaments were a big hit last year and this year's additions add a touch of elegance.

These ornaments start with a marbled clay base which introduced the color palette. Then a faux ribbon is added across the middle and various elements are added. Some ornaments have flower and leaf canes, others geometric elements. Some even have beaded accents -- just whatever direction the muse leads me! Or if you want yours to be as close as possible to the pictured ornament, just tell me that. Because every ornament is handmade, there will always be some small differences but I will do my very best to make it as close as possible to the original if that is what you want. I will be glad to email you a picture of your ornament - before personalization, of course - for your approval. Each Gift Tag Ornament is always a one of a kind piece of art!

Use it this Christmas to decorate your package then next year it can decorate the recipient's Christmas tree! The gift that keeps on giving!

The Gift Tag Ornament measures approximately 4 inches tall by 2 inches wide and the base ornament is ¼ inch thick. The additional layers increase the thickness in the middle of the ornament.

Click here to go to my Etsy shop for more information. If you have any questions, email me using the CONTACT feature in Etsy.

Thinking about Christmas yet? It's closer than you think!!!

2010-11-16T14:32:00.000-06:00

And have I got some special things in my Etsy and Artfire shops to make your Christmas even more special! Personalized ornaments, state ornaments that can be made in the shape of any state, millifoiri christmas tree ornaments, poinsetta candle holders, poinsetta ornaments, and snowflakes for your tree.

Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, beads to make your own jewelry, one-of-a-kind pens, picture frames, trinket boxes, even a decorative lanyard for your id badge!

And for the gardener, there are butterfly, dragonfly, ladybug and funky chicken plant stakes, decorative candle holders made from terra cotta pots, and much more!

And, as always, custom orders are welcome!

TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!

2010-11-08T16:52:00.016-06:00

YES IT’S ON AGAIN SHOPPERS

THE POLYMER CLAY ARTISTS GUILD OF ETSY HOLIDAY PROMOTION 2010.

WIN… WIN… WIN… WIN...

REALLY BIG!!!

How can I win?

Shop in one of the participating stores listed below from November 8th until November 30th, 2010 and your name will go in the drawing to win one of our fantastic prizes. OR send us a postcard - details below. Purchase 1 item, get 1 chance - purchase 10 items, get 10 chances. Send one postcard, get one chance - send 10 postcards, get 10 chances. This is definitely one competition you will want to be in!

What do I win?
You will win a beautiful Christmas package stuffed to the brim with polymer clay goodies handmade by our members.

There are 3 prizes to win and with each prize pack comes a gift certificate.

First Prize - $75 gift certificate plus prize pack.
Second Prize - $50 gift certificate plus prize pack.
Third Prize - $25 gift certificate plus prize pack.

Who wouldn’t want to be in this drawing!!! Find out all the details by visiting any of the participating shops listed below:

http://www.ashpaints.etsy.com
http://www.allisonEkurek.etsy.com
http://www.arrowdaleartstudio.etsy.com
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http://www.11BOLDstreet.etsy.com
http://www.claycenter.etsy.com
http://www.createmyworld.etsy.com
http://www.debbiecrothers.etsy.com
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http://www.kellyplaysclay.etsy.com
http://www.laurelsteven.etsy.com
http://www.mandarinmoon.etsy.com
http://www.miramecreations.etsy.com
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http://www.peggers.etsy.com
http://www.polymerclaycreations.etsy.com
http://www.rengalsa.etsy.com
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NO PURCHASE REQUIRED FOR ENTRY. Send one postcard per entry, and please include your Etsy name AND your email address. Mail postcards to: PCAGOE, 1126 N. Gower St., Los Angeles, CA 90038. Postcards must be postmarked no later than November 30, 2010. Winners will be announced and notified by December 5, 2010. We cannot be responsible for misspelled or illegible entries.

FINALLY!!!! Just Hanging Around - A Simple Tutorial - Part 3

2010-10-22T09:14:00.002-05:00

Sorry to be so long in getting back to this but that's the way things happen sometimes. Everybody is well and getting back to normal. So let's get back to our gecko!

Just Hanging Around – A Simple Tutorial - PART 3

OK - Let's recap. We've cut a piece of pvc pipe, made a inner and outer plug from polymer clay and baked. Then we added brick patches and layered on torn edged stucco. Finally we smoothed the stucco with our fingers. We used stamps or other tools to add brick-like texture to the darker adobe brick areas, then used the corner of our texture sheet around the brick patches. Moving out from there, we added texture to the entire stucco surface including top and bottom. Then we cured in the over for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Now our stucco covered adobe brick covered pencil cup is ready for us to add the whimsical gecko.

Let's start with some tile work.

There are plenty of tutorials on the internet about how to make a kaleidoscope cane so I'm not going to go into that. Make one using your southwestern colors and reduce it to about ¾ inch square. Cut enough slices at about 1/16 inch thick to go around your pencil cup. I put mine on the diagonal and had to slightly stretch a couple of them to make it all meet. (Figure 16)

To make it easier to get the tiles lined up fairly accurately without having to depend on a ruler, I wrap an elastic pony tail holder that fits snuggly around my pencil cup and measure at a few points around to make sure that it is level. A rubber band would work for this also.

Before I put the "tile" on the stucco wall, I brush on a light coating of Genesis medium or liquid polymer clay. Don't press too hard or you will distort your "tile". Cure for about 10 minutes – just long enough to firm the clay, not to cure it.

Now for our friendly gecko!

I will readily admit that I am NOT a sculptor so I cheat. I looked on the internet and found a clipart picture of a gecko that I thought would look nice on my stucco wall. If you can't find one that you like, email me using the Contact Me information and I'll send this one to you.

Next you'll need to mix a nice southwestern rusty red/orange color – or whatever color you want for your gecko. I mixed some reds, yellows and some scrappy gold metallic in until I was happy with the color. Once it is well conditioned, pinch off a good sized chunk and make a log(Figure 17).

Now for the cheating part… I use the clipart to determine the shape of my gecko. It looks in this picture like the gecko is actually a good bit larger than the picture but that is just the angle of the camera and the thickness of the body. I have the clay about 3/8 inch thick at this point. I started with the head -- pinched a neck then pulled the head into a point. Next I began pulling, rolling and shaping the "body" until I got it about the right size – pulling any excess clay on down into the tail. Last I pulled the tail out nice a long and checked the curl on the end! (Figure 18).

TIP: One thing I learned the hard way is that the clay likes to pick up the toner from your clipart and redeposit it in places that you won't be happy with – so I would recommend taking a couple of strips of wide packing tape and covering the printed area.

Once you get your gecko's body the way you want it, set it to the side to rest.

Now let's add some feet. Roll a snake almost as big as the picture of the leg you are adding. Lay it over the picture and press down until it is no more than about ¼ inch thick. Try to keep the edges rounded. Then use whatever tool works best for you to cut away small areas until you can see the outline of the leg from the clipart. I have a small dental tool that I use for this but you could use a craft knife. I use whatever tools are handy to shape the ins and outs of the legs (Figure 19).

Get the shape as close as you can but just leave a rounded end. We'll refine and add the toes later. Smooth any rough edges and taper the end that adjoins to the body.

Continue until you have all four legs shaped on the plastic covered clipart (20).

Now let's put the body in place.

First you'll need to decide where you want to place your gecko. I test him in a few places because I don't want his feet running over into one of the brick patches. (This is where I found out about the carbon from the clipart transferring to my baked clay! I was NOT happy!)

Once you are happy with the placement of your gecko, brush on a thin layer of Genesis or liquid polymer clay on the bottom and gently press him into place – just enough to make sure that he stays put while we add the legs (Figure 21).

And add the legs.

Brush a then layer of Genesis or liquid polymer clay on the bottom of each leg and press it into place following the clipart. I usually have to tweak both the body and the legs at this point (Figure 22).

My favorite texture tools:

I have a rubber stamp collection that I've been working on for years! So whenever I start a project, one of the first things I do is check my rubber stamps to see what I have that will work. Here I'm using two to add texture to our gecko and make him more interesting (Figure 23).

Let's add some texture:

I use the big stamp right across the middle of his back, then use the smaller stamp everywhere else. I use the stamp to round the edges where needed and to flatten. I tweak again after this is done if needed – particularly on the legs (Figure 24).

Time for toes!

Use a small piece of pipe or a straw to cut small equal amounts of clay – four for each leg. Roll into a ball. Lightly brush the area around the end of each leg with Genesis or liquid polymer clay. Add four balls spaced around the end of the leg, then use a ball stylus to impress a hole in each one. This will both add texture and adhere the "toe" to the leg (Figure 25).

Add some eyes:

I use black teardrop beads for the eyes. The little bit of twisted wire through the hole in the bead helps to secure it into the clay. I use my ball stylus to punch a shallow hole for the eye placement and press with my finger until just the end of the bead is showing (Figure 26).

Now take a look over your gecko. Does he need tweaking anywhere? Is the texture on his back good and clear? When everything is the way you want it, put it in the oven a bake for 1 hour at the recommended temperature for your clay.

All we have left to do is antique and highlight. We'll do that last step once he's thoroughly cured and cool. I've got a weekend workshop with Klew (Karen Lewis) this weekend, so it will be next week before I can post the final steps that give Just Hanging Around that "finished" look. Ya'll have a great weekend!

Change of Plans!

2010-10-12T13:41:00.000-05:00

Remember yesterday I said I would go home and finish the pictures for the tutorial? Didn't happen! My daughter and her kids were involved in a nasty rear-ender that totaled her van but didn't do any major damage to them, thank you God! They were all shaken up pretty badly but only my grandson had to be checked out for a sore shoulder before he could play football tonight. Long story short -- no pictures got taken last night but I promise I'll get them done and posted just as soon as I can! I know ya'll are all on pins and needles to see how I make the gecko -- particularly those of you who know just how much I don't love to sculpt!!! Sorry for the delay but life does get in the way from time to time.

Family Reunion was great but it's time to get back to work!

2010-10-11T09:58:00.000-05:00

We had the annual gathering of the Speights/Miller side of my family this past weekend and it was a great event in spite of tears shed for three treasured family members we lost this year. On the flip side of that, we had two young ladies who are expecting and lots of kids running around! And enough food to feed a small army!

But now the weekend is over and things are beginning to get back to a semblance of normal. I should be able to finish taking pictures for the last installment of the Just Hanging Around tutorial tonight and get that posted for you tomorrow or Wednesday. We'll be sculpting the gecko! In the meantime, I got word that one of my Reel Jewelry lanyards was included in an Artfire treasury called Autumn Revival. This treasury was created by one on my fellow PCAGOE members, Christi of RiverValleyDesigns.

Just Hanging Around…A simple tutorial – Part 2 – Adding texture

2010-10-04T16:35:00.001-05:00

OK, in our last post we created a two-layered plug to change the pvc pipe into a "cup". Then we mixed the brick color and randomly pressed on some patches and thinned out the edges with our fingers. Finally we mixed the stucco color, tore ragged strips, placed them artistically around the brick patches then filled in the top edge, bottom and open areas between patches with the stucco clay.

Today we're going to add texture to the brick patches, then smooth and texture the stucco. So… let's get started.

Changing clay patches to faux brick:

I'm going to show you three different ways to make bricks.

(1) The first way is definitely the easiest and involves just pressing a geometric stamp into the clay. I have had this little stamp in my collection for years so I can't tell you where to get one exactly like it but just look for something with squares and/or rectangles. Don't worry about stamping onto the stucco clay, we'll be texturing that later.

(2) The second way is to use a brick or geometric texture sheet. There are quite a few of them available for purchase. The one I have is made by Makins and is available at Hobby Lobby and Michaels. Note that these are basically two-sided. If you press one side down, you get raised bricks. If you flip it over, the bricks are recessed or indented. You want to use the raised side. Again, don't stress over making indentions in the stucco clay. We'll fix that later.

(3) The third way -- if you don't have a stamp or texture sheet that will work to give the look of brick, here's how you can create bricks. Remember, these are just small little places and you are creating an impression of brickwork. You can use a small knitting needle, a needle tool, even an old credit or gift card. You just want something that will make straight line impressions in your clay. What you will do is just press lines in the clay to create individual bricks.

Now wasn't that easy?

Add texture to your stucco:

Earlier this year our local polymer clay guild offered a workshop with Julie Picarello. One of the really neat things that she gave us was a texture sheet. If I remember correctly she said these texture sheets were made from larger sheets of a material designed to make safety treads on stairs. If you haven't been lucky enough to have taken a class with Julie and added this neat texture sheet to your toolbox, a piece of course grit sandpaper – around 80 – will work.

To add texture to your stucco, start with a corner of your texture sheet [sandpaper] and press right up to the edge of the clay you have around each of the brick patches. Try to get texture but without smooshing the clay too much. Stay on the stucco clay. You don't want this kind of texture in your bricks.

Now move outward from there, smoothing seams as you go. Don't forget to texture the bottom and the upper rim of the pencil cup. Don't worry about getting excess clay inside the pencil cup while you are texturing it. I slightly round both the upper and lower edges of my pencil cups.

Use your craft knife to trim the excess clay off the inside of your pencil cup, then use the smallest amount of pressure with your texture sheet to smooth and roll that inside edge. This serves a dual purpose. Not only does it look neater, it also helps to close any tiny gaps and air-pockets you might have along that raw edge.

Check all your edges. Make sure your texturing has blended the seams and all areas of the pencil cup are textured. Cure for 10 to 15 minutes – just enough to firm up the clay.

It's time to vote for your favorite "Southwestern" challenge piece!

2010-10-01T15:50:00.001-05:00

We've been talking this week about the Just Hanging Around Pen Cup that I made for the PCAGOE (Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy) Southwestern challenge. Now it's your turn to participate. You can vote by going to the PCAGOE blog and vote for your top three favorites.

Check out the entries:

In addition to helping choose the winners of this month's challenge, 5 lucky voters will be winners too! Five lucky public voters, chosen at random, will win a beautiful polymer clay prize created by one of our many talented artists.

Voting begins October 1, 2010 and ends at midnight, Eastern U.S. time on October 7, 2010.

And for those of you following along with the Just Hanging Around tutorial, I'll be back with the next installment on Monday.

Just Hanging Around…A simple tutorial - Part 1

2010-09-30T16:58:00.001-05:00

Hopefully you've gathered your supplies, cut your pvc pipe to length and sanded down the edges if they were not already nice and straight. I use a compound miter saw to cut mine so they are usually nice and smooth but you can use a hacksaw or even a cutting wheel on a dremel. I just love power tools!

To get started, condition a block of white clay. My preferred brand of polymer clay is Premo, however I find their new bright white hard to work with so I mix it half and half with Sculpey III to get the consistency that I like. Condition to the point where you can fold your clay in half and it does not crack along the fold. Don't cut the conditioning part of the process short. Not only does this conditioning increase the flexibility, it strengthens the clay.

You'll probably have more than you need for the inner plug but we'll just add it to the mix when we make "stucco".

Condition enough scrap clay to make a sheet at the thickest setting of your pasta machine large enough to cover one end of the pipe.

Plug the pipe:

I started with a 3 and ½ inch length of 3 inch pvc (plumbing) pipe. To close up one end, I make a two-layer plug. First condition enough white clay at the thickest setting for the inner plug and enough scrap clay at the thickest setting for the outer plug. I use white clay for the inner plug since you can see it but the outer plug can be scrap since it is completely covered.

Sit the pipe on the white clay and mark the inside of the pipe with a needle tool. (Picture 2)

Remove the pipe and cut out a plug just very slightly larger than the marked line for a snug fit. Flip the white inner plug over and lay it on scrap clay run at the thickest setting. Lightly press together to bond the two layers of clay. I like to add a little bit of texture here just for interest. (Picture 3)

Then sit the pipe back over it. You may have to put slight pressure on it if you cut your inner plug too big but you want it to be snug. Use your craft knife to trim around the pipe, then use your thumbs to round the clay at the edge of the pipe. (Picture 4) If you have gaps between the inner plug and the pipe, use a ball stylus to push the clay over to fill the gap. Bake for a minimum of 30 minutes. You don't have to cure it completely but you do want it strong enough that it won't break when you cover the bottom.

Let's lay some brick:

The clay for the brick wall that peeks through the stucco is a custom mix of some random reds mixed with copper. If you can leave some streaks and marbling in while you are conditioning, this is even more realistic. When you have the color you want, run a sheet at a middle thickness [I used #4 on my pasta machine] and cut some small rectangles. I have a small geometric stamp that I used that is about 2 inches by 3/4 inch so that's how big I cut my rectangles. [If you don't have a stamp, you can use a texture mat or a needle tool to impress lines when we get to that step. For right now we're just positioning the brick patches.] (Picture 5)

Brush some Genesis medium on the area where you want the brick patches to be and press it on. You probably don't have to do this since the polymer clay sticks pretty well to the pvc pipe but I just like to make sure everything stays put. You can use liquid polymer clay instead of Genesis. (Picture 6)

The brick patches should be placed randomly around the pipe.

Use your thumbs to spread and smooth the edges. (Picture 7)

Now for the stucco:

The stucco is also a custom mix. I used the rest of the white that I conditioned for the inner plug, then added about half a block each of Premo and Sculpey III white to half a block of ecru and just a pinch of copper. You are wanting a very light sand color. Add the copper sparingly as you condition. You want to keep your stucco light but adding the copper gives the color warmth and helps to keep the colors of the brick and the stucco harmonious. [We will be using copper again when we make the gecko and I have copper in my kaleidoscope cane so it helps everything to blend if you have a touch of it in your stucco mix.]

Once you have your stucco clay conditioned, run it through the pasta machine on a mid-thick setting [I use #4 on mine]. Tear several strips with rough edges and pat it on above, below and on each end of each brick patch. (Picture 8)

Use a bit of artistic license here to create a look of the stucco crumbling away by varying the angles – you do not want a square!

Once you have your brick patches bordered, tear larger pieces and fill in the rest of the wall area.

Use your fingers to blend the edges relatively smooth, but don't obsess over it. We're going to be adding texture later. Remember to cover the bottom and wrap the stucco clay over the top edge. I don't cover the inside of my pencil cups. We'll clean up the inside edge after we add texture. (Picture 10)

We'll stop here today and continue the tutorial next post. Check back next post to see how we make the red/copper mix look like bricks and all that white/ecru/copper clay look like stucco.

Just Hanging Around…Coming Soon - A simple tutorial

2010-09-27T16:31:00.001-05:00

When you think "southwestern" what images come to mind? I see painted deserts, cactus, adobe brick walls and stucco buildings baking in the hot summer sun. And of course, geckos!

As those of you who read my blog regularly know, I am a member of the PCAGOE (Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy). One of the fun things that the members can participate in is a monthly challenge. I usually try to participate simply because it forces me to think outside of the box and create something based on the theme for that month. Well, as you may have already guessed, this month's theme is Southwestern. Each individual artist develops his/her entry based on whatever says southwestern to them. Some interpret it by color, others by a faux stone such as turquoise, others with scenes depicting southwestern culture.

My interpretation is a pencil cup which I've named "Just Hanging Around". I've created a faux stucco wall that has crumbled here and there, allowing the adobe brick understructure of the wall to show through. To this faux wall I've added faux tiles made from slices of a kaleidoscope cane in southwestern colors. And finally I added a fat gecko hanging out on the wall enjoying the sunshine!

I've had several people ask me how I make the pencil cups so I thought this would be a good one to use for a tutorial. It will be in three parts to keep each post from running too long. You should have all the clay supplies you need for this project - white, ecru, copper clay and about a block's worth of scrap clay in orange and red tones -- on hand already. You will also need a kalidescope cane in southwestern colors.

The only unusual things you will need is a piece of 3 inch across pvc plumbing pipe cut to about 3 1/2 inches tall and some burnt umber, red and white acrylic paint to add shadows and highlights. If the top and bottom of your pvc pipe is not flat and even, sand it on some course sand paper until it is even on the top and the bottom. And hold onto that course sandpaper. We'll need it later for texture.

So gather your supplies and check back. We'll start by laying some adobe bricks!

Harrison Hollow Designs is growing and expanding!

2010-09-17T15:09:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, I'm in the count down for early retirement. I'm shooting for June, 2012 so that's less than a year and a half left to go. As a part of that process, I've been looking at ways to expand my online presence. One of the things I was looking at already was changing my Artfire account from basic to pro which means that I would have a lot more tools and benefits available to me as a shop owner.

Needless to say, I was delighted today to receive an email from Artfire with a fabulous offer for me to upgrade my basic account to a Pro account for just $5.95 a month FOR LIFE! Based on the fact that I was already considering doing this at a cost of $15.95 a month, this is a no-brainer! I've just signed up to be an Artfire Pro! The same offer is available to any Artfire basic account holder or anybody who just wants to join in the fun. There is no long-term commitment since they clearly state that you can cancel your membership after just one month! But why would you?

This charge is all that you pay for an Artfire Pro account and there are tons of perks... TONS!! There are no listing fees and no "off the top" fees when an items sells. No matter how many items you list or how much you sell. If you've used any of the other handmade sites, you know there's a bill that comes at the end of the month and you just never know how much it is going to be until you get it! I pay more than $5.95 a month just for my Etsy listing fees!!!

They are getting ready to exit Beta and want to do so with a Bang! Their normal monthly subscription fee is $15.95 and even this is a good deal but $5.95....well, I just couldn't pass it up! This special deal is contingent upon a minimum of 20,000 participants signing up.....and they are well on their way! This opting in period is open for an undisclosed period of time and they have set the maximum number of available spots to 50,000 so I would check it out ASAP!

Here is a link to the details http://www.artfire.com/groupdeal

Now don't get me wrong, I don't intend to close my Etsy shop, this is just a part of growing and expanding my business and an excellent way to get more exposure and more sales!

Another great thing about Artfire is that if you already have an Etsy shop, they will automatically upload your items to Google Base on ArtFire! You don't have to reload everything! If you are selling your art and spending way too much money you should check this out!

I'm in TWO Etsy Treasuries today!

2010-09-13T09:32:00.000-05:00

How exciting is that! It is always such a joy when people who don't know me personally or even by email find and like one of my pieces enough to include them in an Etsy Treasury! Here are the links if you would like to check them out:

Golden Sunshine - includes my Golden Egg Trinket Box in the top row!

and

Scenes from Indonesia - includes my Butterflies in Flight Faux Batik necklace in the bottom row.

Be sure to check out all the items in these treasuries.

The holiday season -- it will be here before you know it!

2010-09-10T14:25:00.000-05:00

I know it's just the first of September but my mind has been on the upcoming holidays lately. Christmas is my favorite but Halloween and Thanksgiving fit right in there too. I've been working on prototypes of two different Christmas ornaments and should have something to show ya'll after the weekend if all goes well. I've never been particularly good at sculpting with clay but I've worked out a technique that makes it a bit easier for those of us who are "sculpture" challenged ;-)!

In the meantime, here are a couple of cute ideas from the Holidays section of my Etsy store. These cute little pumpkins are shaped around a tea-lite size candle which makes it super easy to replace when the tea-lite that comes with it burns down.

This Roly Poly Santa is made around a small glass bulb and is just so cute that you'll want a dozen!

This pencil cup is a great gift idea for the fall. It is formed around a piece of 3" pvc pipe (yes, the same pvc pipe that your water runs through!) for strength and stability. I keep one on my desk at work year round – changing them out according to the season or holiday. The one in the picture is one I made last year for Halloween and one of my co-workers felt it would suit her desk better than mine!!! Imagine that! So, while I don't have one of these in my Etsy store right now, I can make one for you to enjoy in plenty of time for Halloween – and Thanksgiving! Just drop me an email to arlene.harrison at gmail.com and we'll work out the details. And stay tuned…. I'm thinking snowflakes for Christmas/Winter….

Been playing with Faux Jade

2010-09-07T16:13:00.000-05:00

Since I spent ALL of my Labor Day weekend helping one of my sisters redo the cabinet doors -- ALL OF THEM!!! -- in my mother's kitchen, I did not get to play with clay this weekend. But I do have something new to share with you. Recently Lynda Mosley, one of the members of PCAGOE (Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy), was doing a series of faux jade beads and I decided to try my hand at it. I didn't get anywhere near as fancy as Lynda did (her beads are to die for!) but I was pleased with my results. What do you think? Did I capture the "jade" look?

For a closer look, feel free to go to my Flickr site. You may have to click to the 3rd or 4th page.

Another Early Bird Special!

2010-09-02T15:03:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week I posted pictures of some bracelets and offered a 20% discount plus FREE shipping for anybody who mentioned my blog in an email message to me at arlene.harrison (at) gmail.com. This is a special just for blog followers and Facebook friends. Yes, you can still contact me and yes, the offer is good until 6:00 p.m. on Labor Day, Monday, September 6.

I also promised to be adding more....
This time it's earrings.... I've been going through my bead stash putting together earring sets. Each earring set will sell for $18.00 plus $3.00 shipping once it is listed in my Etsy shop. If you send me an email message and state that you saw it on my blog or on Facebook, I'll offer that same 20% discount and FREE shipping.

For these earring sets I dug into some of my more "interesting" polymer clay beads. I love playing with canes and you can really get some unusual patterns going when you use them. One of the great things about polymer clay is that once you make the cane, you can apply thin slices to solid colored beads and really get some unique beads that are fairly repeatable. So if you see an earring set that you really like the beads on and would love to have a bracelet or a necklace to match, just let me know. No two polymer clay beads are ever exactly alike, but that's what makes them special!

The picture to the right shows a set that I've put together for one of my customers. The beads are acrylic rather than polymer but the end result is the same. She wanted the earring set plus something simple but elegant to hang on a silver chain that she already had.

The pictures here are small but if you want to see larger, more detailed pictures, go to my Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/harrisonhollowdesigns/ Feel free to click on through. Most of the things that I work on find their way to Flickr before I list them in my Etsy store.

You MUST mention that you saw it on my blog and agree to be billed through Paypal to qualify for the discount and free shipping. You do not have to have a Paypal account to pay through Paypal, just a credit card. Paypal is a secure online payment system that I've used for years without any problems. If you see something that appeals to you, send an email to me at arlene.harrison (at) gmail.com and I'll send you a Paypal invoice. If you would prefer not to be billed through Paypal, let me know and I'll see what we can work out.

Remember -- CHRISTMAS IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!!

Sta-cation is over but here's a great deal for you!

2010-08-31T12:06:00.000-05:00

My staycation is over…[imagine a sad face here :-( ]. I'm back at my day job, missing my studio and my afternoon naps and my 2 am bedtimes! I just don't know why I but I get into creative mode about 8:00 p.m.! I didn't accomplish everything that I wanted to over the week but I did get in some quality time in my studio. Monday was spent doing some much needed organizing, then I worked on some more of the "pandora" style beads with the chrome grommets on each end. I also pulled some of the beads that I've been making and hanging and put together some bracelets.

Now here is an opportunity for those of you who follow my blog.
I don't have these posted to my Etsy shop yet. My plan at the moment is to add them this weekend at a cost of $20.00 each plus $3.00 shipping. Purchases made through the blog before they are posted to the Etsy shop qualify for a 20% discount plus free shipping. You MUST mention that you saw it on my blog and agree to be billed through Paypal to qualify for the discount and free shipping. You do not have to have a Paypal account to pay through Paypal, just a credit card. Paypal is a secure online payment system that I've used for years without any problems. If you see something that appeals to you, send an email to me at arlene.harrison (at) gmail.com and I'll send you a Paypal invoice. Now is a good time to start thinking about Christmas gifts too, you know!

On a similar note, if you see a bracelet you like but would rather have a different color of beads – say red, or green, yellow, whatever – instead of the blues that are used here, just let me know. If I have some in my stash and can make it up fairly easily, I'll offer the same discount and free shipping. These bracelets are made to fit the average wrist, measuring approximately 7 ½ to 8 inches. If you need one smaller or larger, just let me know.

Be sure to check back during the week. Tomorrow I'll be posting earrings….. Now for some pictures:

Going to have a STAYcation!!!

2010-08-20T14:19:00.002-05:00

I'm hearing this term a lot recently because people were amazed that I was talking a week off work and STAYING AT HOME!!!!! I've already had to rein in one of my sisters who wanted to plan a trip for me with a lot of visits to friends and family in a very short time frame. Not my idea of a vacation! No, I don't want to go ANYWHERE! I just want to stay home, rest, relax and play!
Here is a picture of one of my newer pieces that will go in the new shop:

I personally think it is a wonderful idea! I plan to spend some quality time in my studio -- something that I've not been able to do much of lately. I plan to go through my closet and toss everything that no longer fits (YEA!) in a box for Goodwill or Salvation Army. I plan to get my second Etsy shop set up with some of my more upscale pieces and finally, I plan to take some nice long naps! Now how much of this actually gets done will be determined by a lot of factors that I have very little control over and I'll let ya'll know how my stay-cation goes.

WOW! I'm going to be published!!!

2010-08-13T14:39:00.002-05:00

I got some exciting news yesterday!!! I'm going to be a published polymer clay artist!!! The October 2010 issue of Polymer Café Magazine will include my article "Reel Jewelry" about how to create a decorative shell for the ugly black retractable reel that many of us have to have in our workplace.

Recently the law firm that I work for moved into a new "secured" building in the downtown area. They issued scan cards which we use to get in every exterior door on our three floors. They also issued either a plastic spirally type bracelet or a black nylon neck cord with a retractable reel to attach it to. UGLY! PLAIN! So, of course, I decided to try my hand at making this necessity more decorative.

After a fair amount of trial and error - several different ideas and numerous attempts – and melted reels – I worked out a method that works beautifully to create a decorative shell that the reel pops into. As businesses -- and schools, I'm discovering -- become more security conscious, more and more

people will be using something to keep those pesky scan cards and badges handy, so why not make them look good?

Just in case you need something more decorative and don't want to make it yourself, I have a great selection of Reel Jewelry lanyards available in my Etsy store. Here are a few examples and, of course, custom orders are always welcome.

Not just plain old clay! Time to vote for your PCAGOE Challenge favorites!

2010-08-02T16:03:00.002-05:00

Every month the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy (PCAGOE) issues a challenge to its members to help us stretch our talents and try new things. This month's challenge was to use either paint, alcohol inks, foils and leaf in any combination to come up with our own individual designs. We had 21 members accept the challenge this month -- including me! I believe we have some outstanding entries and now it's up to each of you to vote for your favorite. Five (5) lucky public voters, chosen at random, will also win a beautiful polymer clay prize created by one of our many talented artists. So go to the PCAGOE website to see a much larger and more detailed picture of each entry, vote for your top three favorites and automatically be entered to win one of five prizes.

1) Big Bites Pendant by BeeTreeByMe

2) Brooch B9026 by JanGeisen

3) Copper and Aqua Gingko Leaves Pendant by SCDiva

4) Fairy Floss Bracelet by OneandOnly

5) Small Dish by ThePleasantPheasant

6) Brown Flower by DebbieCrothers

7) Under the Deep Blue by ArrowdaleArtStudio

8) Roe Doubt by ZoeOwyn

9) Gold Leaf Bangle by HiGirls
10) Rose Copper Silver Enameled Pendant No. 105 by
      11BoldStreet
11) Blue Sky Bead by LauraBeeStudios
12) Colorful Water Swirls Necklace by
      PolymerClayCreations
13) Foil and Ink Polymer Clay Pendant by
      MirameCreations
14) Rocky Path Tutorial Pendant by RiverValleyDesign
15) Stained by IansCafe
16) Fiery Beads by LaurelSteven
17) Inspire Mosaic Pendant by MarciaPalmer
18) Elabradorite Hydra Choker by TheSageArts
19) Wheels Within Wheels by BlessedBeadJewelry
20) Butterflies in Flight by AshPaints
21) Rock ‘n Roll Bangle by RenGalSA

Fantasy Flamingos

2010-07-27T13:29:00.000-05:00

Well – the luau birthday party was a success and the Fantasy Flamingos were finished with a little bit of time to spare! Here's a picture of the grouping that served as the centerpiece on the table. Check out the slideshow below for close-ups of the individual flamingos.

Since several people have asked me if I was going to do a tutorial for these, I decided to go forward with that as my next project. The cool thing about the way I make these is that it's almost foolproof, easy to have different areas of color without distortion and all you need to get started is a line drawing! Since Christmas is right around the corner, I'm thinking ornaments… maybe elves with red and green beaded legs…hmmmmm….

Pull out the tiki torches, we're having a party!

2010-07-21T16:52:00.003-05:00

I have five siblings – three brothers, two sisters – and a few years back, one of those sisters came up with the idea that we, the girls of the family, needed to set aside time in our busy lives to enjoy one another and to celebrate another year of life. So three times a year, spring, summer and fall, we have a birthday party.

Since it is sooooooooooooo hot in Mississippi this summer, we on decided a laua theme for the summer party this year. Think sandy beach, grass skirts, lots of colorful flowers and, of course, flamingos.

My job for this party is to create favors for each of the guests. Last summer I made some funky chicken, ladybug and butterfly plant stakes for my Etsy shop – because after all, every plant needs a friend, right? You can see some samples in the picture here and there are more in my Etsy shop -- and on sale this month!!!

So what I'm thinking about for the favors for the party is flamingo plant stakes. I've done a bit of playing today – I'm here at my day job and my fingers are just itching to get into some clay – but here's my rough sketch, a compilation of clip art, ideas and my very rough drawing. Check back for the "in progress" and the "Fantasy Flamingos" – later in the week. The party is Saturday night… nothing like a deadline to get the creative juices going!

It's not any cooler but I'm learning some tricks to beat the heat!

2010-07-19T17:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I complained about how the temperature in Mississippi is making caning difficult. I've gotten several good suggestions and I've put some of them into use. I now have two fans blowing over my work area and I also have a gel pack that usually lives in my freezer that I now pull out when I'm caning. Overall it's working pretty good and I'm not having to drop the temperature in the whole house while I'm caning. Not a perfect solution but it works!

July in Mississippi is not designed for claying!

2010-07-09T15:06:00.001-05:00

As anybody who follows my blog on a regular basis has probably picked up, my first love with polymer clay was -- and remains -- making canes. To get good results with caning, it helps if your hands, your worksurface, the general area you work in, etc. etc. etc. are cool. If you've ever been in Mississippi in July, you know that it is very rarely COOL! And August is worse!!! So do I crank the central air up -- and my electricity bill along with it -- or do I just accept that I'm going to have to work on other things during the summer? Since I'm more into solutions than patience, I'm going to have to figure something out. Anybody have any ideas?

Celebrating our Independence! Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-01T15:48:00.000-05:00

All across our great land this holiday weekend people will be celebrating the birth of our nation. Some people will be celebrating with a cookout with family and friends, others with fireworks, others by attending church since the 4th of July falls on a Sunday this year. However you celebrate, make it a joyful time. My plans for the weekend include some of those but I'm also hoping to have time for some serious claying. My play time has been eaten up by other life stuff lately and it's affecting my attitude! GRRRRRRRRRR! Maybe by Tuesday I'll be back to my lovely, pleasant self again!

In the meantime, here's a jewelry set I made last 4th of July.

Sea Breezes Faux Agate Jewelry

2010-06-28T14:03:00.003-05:00

Things have been slow in the Harrison Hollow Designs studio as the demands of summer take precedence. But I did get some work done this past weekend – thanks to a great tutorial from another blog that I follow. Cindy Lietz's blog in and of itself offers a wealth of information but when you subscriber to her website for a very minimal $9.99 for three months, you also get color mixes and weekly video tutorials. It is well worth every penny to be able to actually see how she does some of the techniques and how she uses the beads in projects after they are made. Pretty cool!

But back to my project. A couple of weeks ago the Friday weekly video was on how to make a faux agate. This caught my attention right away because my aunt is a rockhound and has cut, ground and polished many a rock into beautiful jewelry elements. I particularly like agate because it naturally occurs in so many beautiful colors and with layers of other colors running through it. The picture here is my interpretation in a cool aqua blue with subtle purple and white run through. The color takes my mind to the beach, with the crystal blue water lapping in gentle waves while I sip a cold margarita!

The depth of the faux agate comes from the use of translucent clay while the color is determined by a layer of translucent clay with an inclusion of glitter or mica powders. Once it is cured, the sanding begins. I begin my sanding at 320 grit on most projects and work slowly through progressively finer grits up to 1000 grit for the final sanding. Then the faux agate is buffed to really bring out the shine.

SUPER SUMMER SALE

2010-06-16T11:00:00.001-05:00

Just a reminder about the SUPER SUMMER SALE going on in my Etsy shop. Here are some of the items that have been marked for sale only during the month of JUNE. I'll be adding more as we get closer to month's end. On July 1 everything will go back to its original pricing.

My Favorite Bead Drilling Jig

2010-06-15T14:17:00.002-05:00

One of the most difficult parts of making polymer clay beads is piercing or drilling a hole through them. I don't even want to count the number of beautiful beads that have gone into the trash can because of an inaccurate drilling! Talk about stealing my joy!!!

I tried piercing before hand and my beautiful beads got distorted -- no matter how careful I was. I tried holding the bead in pliers and drilling. I even tried putting the bead in a vice and drilling. As my skill with making the beads increased, so did my search to find a solution to the hole piercing/drilling problem. After all, a bead without a whole is just a round lump of clay!!! Not totally useless, but close.

Then, while looking for a burr cup to round the ends of my wire, I ran across the Centerline Pearl Drill Jig!

This is just the coolest thing! The plastic on the base and on the end of the screw are both cupped so that a round bead fits in nicely. It holds the bead in place and centered so that you can then use your dremel to drill the hole. Nice, straight, clean! No beads flying across the room. No drilled fingers!

It is designed to work with a tiny, tiny drill bit, however I enlarged the hole enough that the size bit that I prefer for drilling my holes fits through nicely. With the tiny, tiny drill bit that would go through the jig when I first got it, I was forced to drill again after the initial hole was drilled. I hate doing anything twice that I don't have to.

I found this lovely little tool at Monsterslayer.com For the record, I do not work for nor am I affiliated in any way with Monsterslayer.com. I'm just delighted to have found a solution to my drilling problem. Now when I have a fairly good supply of beads that have been tumbled, I can relax in my recliner with a towel, a box with the undrilled beads, a box to put the drilled beads in, my cool little jig and my dremel. Add to that a good Gaithers Homecoming dvd and I'm set!

Disaster strikes at Harrison Hollow Designs

2010-06-11T14:58:00.001-05:00

This has been an interesting week. Earlier this week I was debating whether to make canes with translucent packing or borderless canes. The picture to the left shows a couple of variations on a fairly simple cane.

Then I decided that I would try my hand at writing a tutorial so last night I set my camera up by my worktable to take step-by-step pictures to go along with the written instructions. I got through the first couple of steps when the phone rang. Then disaster struck!

While getting up from my worktable to answer the phone, I tripped over the tripod leg sending it flying. I caught myself and managed to avoid falling only to discover that my camera was now in several pieces. The bottom part of the camera – where it screwed onto the tripod – was still attached to the tripod. The camera was all the way across the room with the batteries and the memory card scattered around it. That should tell you just how old this digital camera is – it still uses AA batteries for power! But regardless, it did work before it tried to fly – and took pretty good pictures to boot!

I gathered the parts and pieces and attempted to put it back together but without success – and believe me I TRIED! I hate to get part of the way into a project and have to stop and wait. Patience is definitely NOT my strong point!

Long story short, today I'm researching digital cameras and hope to find one within my price range tomorrow. Wish me luck!

To pack or not to pack? That is the question….

2010-06-07T15:36:00.006-05:00

The thing I like to do the most with polymer clay is to make canes. Primarily flower canes, although I do make leaf canes, specialty jellyroll canes, kaleidoscope canes and anything else that grabs my attention. But my favorite remains the flower cane.

Until about a year ago, I made my flower canes in the traditional way by packing between the petals then wrapping the entire cane with translucent clay. This works great however it does have a couple of negatives. If you want to do a dimensional piece, you have to carefully cut all the translucent away… I'm not good at that! Or if you want to use the flower cane in a multi-cane layered design, you have to slice it extremely thin or you have a "halo" around your flower. (In the heart pendant to the right, the yellow flower is borderless but the little white flowers have a translucent packing.) The translucent is just that – translucent – not clear. So you can see the edges. Oh, there were solutions to this problem. Like I said, you could slice very thin – although I rarely was able to slice thin enough to avoid the halo – or your could painstakingly trim away the translucent before you cut your slices. Again, I'm not good at that!

Then in July 2009, I ran across a post in one of my online polymer clay groups about a video by Yonat that showed how she packed her flower canes with play-doh. Yes, you read that right – play-doh – the same stuff your kids and grandkids play with! If you want to check out the technique for yourself, go to my post of 7-20-09 – Ten things I learned from playing with Play-doh This post includes the link to Yonat's video as well as how I do it which is just a little bit different. The end result of this technique is that you have a flower cane without any packing around it – but reduced to a usable size. It can be used in dimensional work where you want a fairly thick slice – or even as a stand-alone bead -- as well as sliced thin for use in layered millefoiri designs. This is, of course, now my favorite way to make flower canes. In the example shown here, the flower on the center focal bead is dimensional while the same flower is sliced thin and applied to beads.

This brings me to the question - to pack or not to pack. I'm getting ready to revamp my Etsy shop and I'm going to include canes in my shop. What I need to decide is whether to make canes with the translucent packing or without. Most of the canes that I see for sale on the internet are packed – either with translucent or with a color -- but to me that just creates more work for the end user. I rarely use packed canes so I resist the idea of adding canes to my inventory that I won't use – I like to show examples of items made with my canes for reference – but on the other hand if the end user has never used a unpacked cane, how willing will they be to order?

The Studio Remodel

2010-06-03T11:56:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick glimpse into the chaos that I call my studio!

I've been complaining a lot lately about how life has been getting in the way of my creative time. Part of that was caused by my need to get more organized. Can any of you relate to that?

I've spent a fair amount of what little bit of free time I've had building wall units (shelves, pegboard) and cleaning up the resulting mess! Have you ever noticed that before you can actually start organizing you (or at least I do) have to make a big mess moving everything out of the way so you can install the new stuff, then putting it all away in its proper place. That's my ultimate goal -- to have a proper place for everything in the studio! Could be a life challenge at the rate I'm going but it's better than it was two weeks ago so progress is being made.

Not everything has been put away yet - still blank space on the pegboard. I'm a visual person so if I can't see it, I tend to forget I have it. So hanging things on pegs works for me.

I also bought two storage units from Harbour Freight that is designed for storing screws, nuts, bolts, that sort of thing. It works great for findings - bead caps, jump rings, eye pins, toggles, spacers, seed beads, glass beads... you know, all that stuff you have to have. I have each drawer labeled and have them grouped in gold, silver and copper. Works very well so far.

Now I can get back to doing what I love - creating!

Time to Think Outside the Box

2010-06-01T19:31:00.000-05:00

The Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy challenges its members every month and for June, each of our members started with the same sized blank aluminum tin, which measures 2" tall and 2.5" wide. That was the only guideline for the challenge. The design, color, everything else was determined by the artist. I've got to say that we have some awesome entries! Be sure to go to our website and check them out and vote for your top three favorites. And check out the prizes that will be awarded to some of our voters! It's a win-win situation!

In addition to the normal voting process, during challenge week in June, from June 1 to June 7, these tins will be auctioned to the highest bidder, the proceeds from the bids to be donated to our team charity, Polymer Clay For A Cause, established by our fellow member Angela Anderson of ElementalDragons (www.elementaldragons.etsy.com) in loving memory of her daughter, Cortney, who passed away at the age of 14 after a long battle with Muscular Dystrophy. For more information about this and to see the great selection of tins, go to the PCAGOE website.

I found a new toy!!!

2010-05-27T16:39:00.000-05:00

Anybody who knows me well knows that I like to play around with stuff on the computer and that it doesn't take a lot to entertain me when I find a new toy [also known as a new computer program]

The PCAGOE [Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy], of which I am a member, is working on a new project that uses mosiacs from each member's website, Flickr site and/or Etsy store using a free program called Huge Blue Labs that links up with Flickr and creates a mosiac of the pictures you select. Thanks to Deb at Renaissance Gal of San Antonio for the cool new toy.

I used this new toy to give you a visual of some of the many different things that I do with polymer clay. But you can use it to make a photo collage of your children, your pets, whatever makes you happy. I'm just having fun playing with my new toy! If you want to get a larger view of any of the pictures above, go to my Flickr site.

Amazing what you find when you clean your studio!

2010-05-19T13:45:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned a few posts back, life has been getting in the way of my claying. I'd grab a minute or two here and there but no real quality time, if you know what I mean. Well, last weekend was our local clay guild meeting so I packed everything in my traveling bag and off I went. Had a blast learning to make layered petal flowers. I was tired when I got home so I didn't unpack anything, just parked my traveling bag by the door and crawled into my rocker/recliner for a nice long nap.

Got home from church Sunday and decided that before I unpacked anything, I really needed to do some cleaning in my studio. It was a disaster with a capital D! It still is since I ran out of time and energy but I was determined that everything was going to be put away before I unpacked my traveling bag (it's still packed, by the way!) But progress is being made, slowly but surely.

BUT, in the process of cleaning, I found a whole tray of beads that I had made, baked and tumbled! All that needed to be done was to buff them, take pictures and add them to my Etsy shop. Well, I got the buffing and pictures done… Now if I can find a few minutes to list them, maybe after choir practice tonight….. If you want to get a more close up view, go to my Flickr site. This is always a good place to go to see what I've been up to before it hits the blog or my Etsy store.

Circling Elegance -- finally!

2010-05-14T16:23:00.000-05:00

Life has been getting in the way of my fun lately and I haven't had as much time to work with my clay. I've had several pieces made, cured and ready for the finishing process for at least two weeks!!! So Tuesday night, I sat down, caught up on my recorded television programs and sanded, and sanded, and sanded. Then everything went to the buffer for a nice shine. It was a nice relazing evening and I finally have something to show for all the hard work. I listed the first set of a focal bead and coordinating beads in my Etsy shop. Here's a picture of the one I listed and then pictures of some more that will be adding to my Etsy shop - hopefully over the weekend.

This is the one I have listed:

And these are the whole batch that I'll be putting on as soon as time allows. If you see anything you particularly like, let me know.

Time to do the Funky Chicken!!!

2010-05-07T15:04:00.002-05:00

I'll bet you thought I was talking about dancing, didn't you? Nope this is all about plant pokes and putting some fun into your houseplants.

About three years I attended a decorative painting conference in Houston, Texas and took classes for a lovely lady named Doxie Keller who taught us how to paint funky chickens on white or cream men's shirts to wear as an overshirt. I gave the shirt to my mother because she fell in love with it when I showed her what we had done in Houston.

It was not long after that conference that I discovered polymer clay and the paints, patterns and brushes went by the wayside. After almost 30 years as a decorative, I was burned out and looking for a new outlet -- which I found in polymer clay.

But back to the funky chickens.... I was going through a drawer looking for something else and ran across one of the pictures of some of the funky chickens that Doxie had given us as a part of the class supplies. I thought - how cool would that be done in polymer clay. But what would I do with them? Poke them in a plant, of course! Every plant needs a friend - right!!!

I cut out a plastic template to use for a pattern for my basic body shape, then went to town covering the body, then adding all sorts of cool things for feathers and wings. The legs were fun too because I wanted them to dangle and have movement. Some have glass beads for a bit of extra sparkle. The eyes are small black glass beads and have a bit of sparkle all on their own. These were a lot of fun to make and make me think of spring!

More Mokume Gane - Black, White and Silver

2010-05-06T16:20:00.002-05:00

I've been working with another Julie stack. This one uses black, silver, white and silver leaf. I made it because I wear a lot of black and white plus my sister wanted an enhancer for a pearl necklace that she has that kept winding up with the clasp in front. She specifically requested something in black and white so a stack was born. Here are a few pictures from the stack. I don't know if I'll be listing them as beads or try to put them together in a necklace. Right now I'm just delighted at the shine that I was able to get after sanding, and sanding, and sanding, then buffing.

I've also included some of the other mokume gane beads that I made at the workshop with Julie Picarello.

PCAGOE History / Historical Events Challenge

2010-04-30T16:19:00.000-05:00

Every month the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy issues a challenge to its members designed to help us think outside the box. The challenge theme for this month was "History/Historical Events". The inspiration could be an actual historical event or a moment in time that has particular significance to the artist. 14 of our members used this challenge to create a mini-masterpiece based on their historical inspiration.

They've done their part, now it's your turn! We, the member of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Esty, invite you to vote for your top 3 favorites beginning May 1 through May 7, 2010 at http://www.pcagoe.com/. 5 lucky voters chosen at random will also win fabulous polymer prizes handcrafted by our member artists! Here is a list of the entrants:

1) Fly Me To The Moon Pendant by BeeTreeByMe

2) Australian ANZAC Slouch Hat Brooch by Polyclarific

3) The Day The World Changed Forever by NKDesigns

4) Medieval Manuscript Cane Set by ZoeOwyn

5) Headline 1920: U.S. Women Get The Right To
Vote! Commemorative Brooch by SCDiva

6) My Great Grandmother's Steamer Trunk by
ArrowdaleArtStudio

7) Ancient Shards Earrings by OneAndOnly

8 ) Italian-Inspired Terracotta Necklace by YoungCreative
9) Famous Painters of the Renaissance by PolymerClayCreations
10) Sunface Kachina Pendant or Wall Hanging by RenGalSA
11) Bathtub Gin Bootleggers by AlisonEKurek
12) Caveman's wheel Pendant by IansCafe
13) Come To The Tea Party by AshPaints
14) Popular Toys of the 20th Century by BlessedBeadJewelry

What a weekend!

2010-04-28T17:07:00.000-05:00

Well, I've finally come down off cloud 9 after a weekend workshop with Julie Picarello! My mind is so full of information and inspiration that it's hard to keep my mind on my day job! Julie was a great teacher and shared a world of information with us from color mixing, to shadowing, using foils, paints and who knows what else to add interest to our pieces.

This was the first weekend workshop that our guild, the Central Mississippi Polymer Clay Guild, put on and I want to thank all the members who made items for the goody bags, who helped with the set-up and breakdown and who worked diligently throughout the weekend to make sure that everything ran smoothly. I want to send a special thank you – and congratulations on a fantastic job – to Joyce King, our President, who worked long and hard to make this weekend happen. Great job Joyce!

In addition to members of our local polymer clay guild, we had people from several surrounding states - Florida, Texas, Tennessee -- and other parts of Mississippi join us. It was wonderful to share the joy of polymer clay and learning new techniques with other clayers!

I've included a picture of one of the color schemes I worked with this weekend. These have not been sanded or buffed so be kind! I worked on three different color schemes (I'm just a little bit crazy!) but couldn't get a good clear picture of the purple and green for some reason.

Overall it was a wonderful weekend and one I won't forget for a long time.

Layered Millefoiri Tin – fun to do PLUS it's for a good cause!

2010-04-21T14:23:00.001-05:00

I belong to a fantastic group called PCAGOE (Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy) and each month we have a challenge designed to encourage our members to push their limits and create something based on a theme. I was recently involved in a challenge where everybody was given a small tin box to cover with polymer clay using any technique that we wanted to use. The finished tins are being donated to our team charity – Polymer Clay for a Cause – which will be auctioned in June. The entries that I've seen pictures of so far have been fantastic! I'll go into a bit more detail on that closer to time for the auction. In the meantime, I wanted to share with all of you my contribution and the process.

The background "fabric" was made by marbling white clay with just a tiny bit of blue. The Premo Ultramarine blue is a strong color so you don't want to add much at a time or it will just be too dark! I wanted a soft, cloud-like blue. You also don't want to keep blending because you do want a nice mottled background.

I don't know that it is absolutely necessary, but before I applied the clay to the tin, I sanded it with course sandpaper. Why you ask? Because the clay sticks better to a rougher surface than it does to a smooth surface and I wanted to make sure that the lovely design doesn't come off!

Once I had the tin roughed up, I used the marbled background to cover the bottom of the tin and baked it long enough to "set" the clay.

The next step was to roll out the clay on a relatively thin setting then begin adding the layers. First I added the waves and stripes which are "stacked" canes made with translucent and white clay. I love adding these to designs because when the translucent bakes, it virtually disappears! How cool is that!

Next I added the leaves which made using a technique I learned from Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg, one of my very favorite cane artists. She was one of four teachers on a polymer clay cruise in 2008 organized by Lisa Pavelka and I've been fascinated by her designs ever since!

The pink flowers were added next and the tiny white flowers finished the design. All of this was done while the clay was still in sheet form flat on my work surface. That made it a lot easier to roll the canes into the background clay to get it as smooth as possible before applying to the tin and baking.

Once the tin was baked, I sanded, and sanded, and sanded. Then I sanded some more! After the final sanding, I took the tin to my workshop and buffed it to a beautiful shine. Just for the record, I'm a fan of adding texture so that I don't have to sand so this is a definite departure for me. But the end results are beautiful. And smooth as a baby's – well, you know!

This tin won't be available in my Etsy shop because it will be auctioned for our team charity, but I will be glad to make one similar to it. I say similar because no two items are ever exact. That's one of the joys -- and challenges -- of polymer clay! You can custom order the background color, the color of the flowers, to suit you -- or order it as a gift. It's a great size to carry in your purse or pocket.

The excitement is building!!!

2010-04-19T15:14:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite polymer clay artists will be in Mississippi this coming weekend for a two day workshop. I have admired Julie Picarello's mokume gane technique for the longest and I'm excited about being able to spend two days learning more about it and about how she puts things together.

We only have two spaces still open, so if you are interested, go to the Central Mississippi Polymer Clay Guild's website and get all the details. I understand from a Facebook post by Julie that this may be one of the last traveling workshops she is able to do for a while due to increased demands at her day job! See - life gets in the way of the pros too!!! Here is a picture of the necklaces Julie made for our first slate of officers back in 2008. All the same yet all different!

A different use for focal beads...

2010-04-14T15:53:00.000-05:00

Ever have one-of-a-kind beads that you just don't quite know what to do with? Back when I first got my large oval bead roller, I got real happy making focal beads. Don't ask me why – I was having fun and it seemed like the thing to do at the time.

Well, recently I was on a shopping trip with my sister to a fabric store. She was looking for curtain material for her new grandbaby's room and I was just browsing. I ran across this nice tassel trim and I had a light bulb moment! I could see this cool keychain in my mind's eye and could not wait until I could get home and put one together.

I started out with regular sized beads – and they were ok but did not have quite the "feel" I was looking for. I remembered those big focal beads and tried one of them. PERFECT! Just the right "feel" in the palm of my hand. These focal beads are a little over an inch long and about ¾ inches around. I also made a couple with a large round bead with millefoiri and one of my swirly beads. Nice variety – now I just need to get them listed in my Etsy shop and on Artfire. So much to do, so little time!!!

Look what Guadalupe did with Tina's tutorial!

2010-04-06T14:14:00.001-05:00

Remember back last week when I was so excited about Tina Holden's tutorial? Well, I wasn't the only one. While rambling today through the blogs that I follow, I found a post with a necklace that grabbed my attention. I go to looking a bit closer and sure 'nuf! It was a butterfly necklace made using Tina's tutorial. I must say that Guadalupe did a great job and -- hey! It's a butterfly! How much better could it get???? I do LOVE butterflies, just in case ya'll haven't picked up on that.

Now let me tell you how much better it could get. One of us could win that beautiful necklace!!! Guadalupe (aka Mirame Creations) is hosting a giveaway for your choice of butterfly pendants. Click the link to go directly to the post about her giveaway.

It's time to vote for your favorite "Inspired by Fabric" challenge piece!

2010-03-31T12:09:00.000-05:00

Every month the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy challenges it's member to create a polymer clay item based on a theme. For Apil's Challenge, the theme was "Inspired by Fabric".

We've got 17 great entries and now you have the change to go to the PCAGOE website and vote for your top three! It's a tough one this month with lots of great entires.
Need another good reason to go vote between April 1 and April 7, 2010? 5 lucky voters will win fabulous polymer clay prizes created by our talented member artists! Here's a peak at the entries but to get a close up view, go to our website.

An amazing new technique

2010-03-29T15:50:00.000-05:00

Last week I was clicking around on some of my favorite sites and ran across a new technique developed by Tina Holden. I fell in love with the look and had to purchase the tutorial. I had a great time playing with it and made several pendants.

Here is a picture of the one that I've actually got finished, beading and all! I just listed it in my Etsy shop in case you're looking for something unusual and different for spring. The colors turned out just absolutely lovely, if I do say so myself.

At a recent Gem and Mineral show in Jackson, I picked up some small coral and jade beads which matched up beautifully with the faux batik look of the background. I am loving this technique and I'm sure you will see more items done using it.

The shiny finish is a resin developed by Lisa Pavelka which works very well at protecting and enhancing the design.

See what you can do with a little square metal jewelry finding?

2010-03-19T14:47:00.000-05:00

Back on New Years Eve, some of my clay buddies got together and had a play with clay pajama party. We brought in the new year with a glass a champaigne and a lot of clay fun.

One of the things that we were making were several variations of a kaleidoscope cane. I made this bracelet recently by using slices of one of the kaleidoscope canes and some great metal findings.

The view to the right is a closeup of the bracelet with the silver beads that came with the findings plus a coordinating silver-lined blue glass seed bead. It is string on heavy weight eleastic cord.

In the picture to the left, you can see one section of the final cane, then the kaleidoscope cane combined and reduced to fit in the frames. In the middle is, of course, the bracelet. And at the bottom is the metal findings that I started with.

See what you can do with just a few slices of clay, a strip of metal findings and a lot of imagination!!!

My newest design - a Golden Egg Trinket Box

2010-03-15T14:57:00.001-05:00

Last year just before Easter, I found these cool little ceramic egg trinket boxes. They were glazed with a garish color and design but because they were ceramic, I knew they would be perfect for one of my polymer clay creations. At a polymer clay workshop that I went to last year, I got some very cool flexible molds from Penni Jo Couch, who sculpts her designs, then makes molds from them. This particular mold has several flowers including a trumpet vine bloom, leaves and a dragongly. A different mold that I purchased from her after the class had a hummingbird and so the design developed.

The egg is covered in a custom mix of metallic gold and yellow and rolled pretty thin before applying to the outside of the ceramic egg. Then a swirl pattern was added to the base layer.

Next I used the Penni Jo mold to add leaves and flowers to the top of the egg. The hummingbird came next, then the row of small leaf clusters to hide the join between the upper and lower portions of the egg. The final touch was to add an earthy antiquing medium to bring out the details in the designs.

I have this Golden Egg Trinket Box listed in my Etsy shop so drop on by. If gold is not your preferred color, let me know what color you want yours made in.

To sand or not to sand - that is the question!!

2010-03-08T16:27:00.002-06:00

It’s been a while since I covered pens with polymer clay sheet designs but I thought they would be a nice addition to the shop for spring. Over the several months since I had last covered pens, I’ve taken several classes where we actually had to sand the project. Now anybody who knows me very well knows that I’ve always hated to sand. But I’ll have to admit that I’ve seen the light!

Yes, I am the one who always says get it as smooth as possible before you bake. And I still stand by that statement. I still work very hard to get the clay as smooth as possible before I apply it to the pen. Once the clay is on the pen, I roll it rather aggressively with an acrylic block to smooth anything out that is not already smooth. Now all of this leaves it pretty darned smooth if I do say so myself.

In the past I’ve been pretty happy with these results. But after taking several classes where sanding was a “requirement” in order to finish the project or technique, I’m looking at things with a sharper eye. So this weekend I put it to the test. I had covered and cured 24 pens and were ready to put the finishing touches on them. In running my fingers over them, I did notice – even after all that work to get these smooth – that there were a few irregularities. So I decided to sand. I was so pleased with the results that I sat down last night in my recliner and sanded all 24 pens. The difference was remarkable!

I took all of the pens through 4 grits. The first is a fiberglass screen that is designed to sand sheetrock. It is pretty aggressive so I use it just to even out any dips and valleys on the pens. Then I go through 350, 400 and 600 grits, rinsing well and changing the sanding water frequently. It was a lot of work but relaxing in a strange sort of way. I can honestly say these are some of the nicest pens that I’ve ever done. The pictures in the slideshow are the pens that I have posted on my Artfire site and will soon have posted on my Etsy site. I still have to cover the stands for most of the pens.

Only two days left to vote in this month's PCAGOE Challenge

2010-03-05T16:46:00.001-06:00

You know you want to -- and why? Because you could win a prize! Check out the information at this link to where you go to view up close and personal and to vote. Be sure to leave your name and email address so that if you are the lucky winner, we can contact you. Small pictures are to the right. The participants are:

1) Cactus Flower Pendant by BeeTreeByMe

2) Snake Skin Mica-shift Bark Choker by 11BoldStreet
3) Leaf Topped Pendant by Stonebrash
4) Faux Handmade Paper Commemorative Wedding Invitation by SCDiva
5) Sea Grass Brooch by CrazyDay
6) Victorian Lace Switch Plate Cover by ClayCenter
7) Faux Granite and Lapis Trinity Necklace by MichelesArtJewelry
8 ) Violet Textured Star by PhoenixRose
9) Salmon Floral Barrette by JKollmann
10) It's Alive! by RiverValleyDesign
11) Leafy Textured Bangle by HiGirls
12) Pucker up! by Cloud9ClayCreations
13) Give That Doll A Pizza by Polyclarific
14) TH Influence Necklace by BLeeKreations
15) Picture Yourself In Spring by PolymerClayCreations
16) Lotus on a Gentle Pond Pendant by YoungCreative
17) Fun with Fantasy Flowers by ArrowdaleArtStudio
18) BIG Focal Bead Pendant by Juliespace
19) N10-07 Necklace by JanGeisen
20) Can-can Lace Ruffle Garter Bangle by BlessedBeadJewelry
21) Lost City Amulet Necklace by RozPetalzStudio
22) Bronze Age Pendant - Boadicea's Trove by RMKDesign
22) Paradise Ring by PipsJewellery
24) Faux Raku Picture Frame by Ashpaints
25) Antique Textured Bangle from Anatolia by ArzuMusa
26) Rainbow Seashells by YonatDascalu
27) Forest Fairy Autumn Choker by TheSageArts
28) Steampunked Heart by DreamLeaping
29)Wooden Flower Pendant by WiredOrchid
30) Sringtime Picnic Necklace by LauraBeeStudios
31) Textured Vase by CreativeArtCenter

Be sure to go to PCAGOE to vote -- and be sure to check out the great prizes we have for three lucky voters!

One of the best things about PCAGOE is...

2010-03-01T14:36:00.004-06:00

The monthly challenges. Every month a challenge is thrown out to all the members of PCAGOE (Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy) which is designed to shake us out of our comfort zones and try something new! I know that I've stretched my knowledge and skill level by participating in some of these challenges.

I was really lucky this month because the challenge is Texture -- basically anything that involves texture. I LOVE texture! Just about everything I do has some texture in it somewhere! In addition to that, the February meeting of my local guild -- Central Mississippi Polymer Clay Guild -- was all about using rubber stamps with polymer clay. I showed everybody how to use scrap clay to make a faux mosiac picture frame.

And the really fun part of it is that at the end of the month, everybody submits their entry and we invite you, the public, to vote on the winning submissions. In addition to introducing you to some of the hundreds of ways polymer clay can be used, three lucky voters are also winners! How's that for a win-win situation!!!

Here is the link to where you go to view up close and personal and to vote. Be sure to leave your name and email address so that if you are the lucky winner, we can contact you. Small pictures are to the right. The participants are:

1) Cactus Flower Pendant by BeeTreeByMe

2) Snake Skin Mica-shift Bark Choker by 11BoldStreet

3) Leaf Topped Pendant by Stonebrash

4) Faux Handmade Paper Commemorative Wedding Invitation by SCDiva
5) Sea Grass Brooch by CrazyDay
6) Victorian Lace Switch Plate Cover by ClayCenter
7) Faux Granite and Lapis Trinity Necklace by MichelesArtJewelry
8 ) Violet Textured Star by PhoenixRose
9) Salmon Floral Barrette by JKollmann
10) It's Alive! by RiverValleyDesign
11) Leafy Textured Bangle by HiGirls
12) Pucker up! by Cloud9ClayCreations
13) Give That Doll A Pizza by Polyclarific
14) TH Influence Necklace by BLeeKreations
15) Picture Yourself In Spring by PolymerClayCreations
16) Lotus on a Gentle Pond Pendant by YoungCreative
17) Fun with Fantasy Flowers by ArrowdaleArtStudio
18) BIG Focal Bead Pendant by Juliespace
19) N10-07 Necklace by JanGeisen
20) Can-can Lace Ruffle Garter Bangle by BlessedBeadJewelry
21) Lost City Amulet Necklace by RozPetalzStudio
22) Bronze Age Pendant - Boadicea's Trove by RMKDesign
22) Paradise Ring by PipsJewellery
24) Faux Raku Picture Frame by Ashpaints
25) Antique Textured Bangle from Anatolia by ArzuMusa
26) Rainbow Seashells by YonatDascalu
27) Forest Fairy Autumn Choker by TheSageArts
28) Steampunked Heart by DreamLeaping
29)Wooden Flower Pendant by WiredOrchid
30) Sringtime Picnic Necklace by LauraBeeStudios
31) Textured Vase by CreativeArtCenter

Be sure to go to PCAGOE to vote -- and be sure to check out the great prizes we have for three lucky voters!

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

2010-02-25T15:49:00.006-06:00

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.

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

2010-02-16T13:49:00.001-06:00

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!

I've been framed!!!!!

2010-02-09T23:58:00.002-06:00

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!)

Back to my paintbrushes - temporarily!

2010-02-03T21:47:00.002-06:00

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!

It’s a season of hearts and flowers!

2010-01-26T16:31:00.004-06:00

Valentine’s Day has been a favorite holiday since I was a kid and we made homemade cards. Such fun!

Times are not as simple now as back then but I still love the hearts and flowers. Not only does it remind me that love is still alive but also that spring is just around the corner.

Not too long ago several of my clay buddies and I got together to ring in the New Year with an clay-in! One of the things that we made during our late night playing was rose canes. I’ve taken some of those rose canes and mixed them with other flower and leaf canes from my stash to make several heart shaped pendants in a salute to Valentine’s Day. These are available in my Etsy shop should you want to share hearts and flowers with somebody special.

Also don't forget that our local guild, the Central Mississippi Polymer Clay Guild, is hosting Julie Picarello in April for a two day jam-packed weekend workshop of her signature style mokume gane plus how she finishes the designs and puts it all together. For more information, go to our website.

Guess who’s coming to Mississippi in April?

2010-01-20T16:33:00.006-06:00

No…. not the Easter bunny! Well, he may be coming too, but I’m talking about one of our favorite polymer clay designers/teachers, Julie Picarello. Julie was (secretly) commissioned to made custom pieces for each elected officer of the then newly established Central Mississippi Polymer Clay Guild back in 2008 and we’ve been ohhhing and ahhhing ever since. The picture to the right shows the set that Julie made just for us based on our new president's favorite colors.

When we discussed who to invite to be our first workshop teacher, her name was a front-runner and after much coordination and communication back and forth, we’re all set and ready to go! Julie does limit the size of her classes so if you are interested, please go to our website and print out the form as soon as possible. It would be good if you have previous experience with polymer clay.

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Julie will be teaching at the Southern Heritage Cultural Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi on Saturday, April 24 thru Sunday, April 25. Here’s the class description from Julie’s website, Yellow House Designs:

Imprint Mokume Gane & Mixed Media Workshop

Mokume Gane, which loosely translates to "wood-eye-metal", is a Japanese metalworking technique traditionally used to adorn samurai swords. An adaptation of this process can be used to create vibrantly colored and beautifully detailed polymer focal beads and bead sets. This two-day workshop will focus on the process of imprinting & designing beads as well as how to integrate them with washers, metal tubing, semi-precious gemstones and vintage objects to create a stunning and unique piece of jewelry.

All supplies are included with the exception of clay - semi-precious stones, washers, metal tubing, copper or brass chain, 23k gold leaf, sandpaper and unique imprint tool kit.

Day One: Bead Design & Finishing

1) Color Stacks - Color inspiration, mixing tips, custom palettes & incorporating 23k gold leaf

2) Imprints - Use a wide variety of unique tools (& make your own!) to develop a design

3) Base Sheets – Incorporate imprint slices with contrasting and/or textured base layers

4) Focal Bead – Shaping & smoothing a focal cabochon bead and/or bead sets

5) Finishing – Info and tips on sanding, buffing and bead drilling techniques

Day Two: Jewelry Fabrication

1) Tool Review – Pliers, cutters, pin vise, hammer, jewelers file

2) Focus on Design – Bail, stone incorporation and accent pieces

3) Create Bail – Metal tube, wire-wrap, riveted or hidden

4) Fabrication – Create coiled wire end caps and a hammered clasp

5) Links – Useful resources for supplies, color choosers, etc.

*****************

If you are interested in coming to Vicksburg, Mississippi to join us for this exciting learning experience, be sure to sign up soon. We’re offering an early bird special that will save you $20 on the class fee.

Kaleidoscope in Blue Heart Pendant Necklace

2010-01-14T22:42:00.000-06:00

I just found out that one of the newest items listed in my Etsy shop is included in a treasury. With Valentines Day just around the corner, I'll be adding more heart and valentine related items but just wanted to share with all of you just how much fun kaleidoscope canes are. I ordered the Millefiori Symmetric Mirror Cut tutorial from Iris Mishly. Iris does beautiful work and has several very detailed tutorials for sale as well as some free tutorials at PolyPediaOnline.

Here's the link for the Hearts Galore treasury featuring members of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=83102

Here are two more examples of things made with the kaleidoscope cane that haven't been strung yet.

Something new from ClayLessons.com

2010-01-06T16:38:00.002-06:00

Not too long ago, I heard about a new site for polymer clay enthusiasts - http://www.claylessons.com/. This is a spin off of an existing site - http://www.jewelrylessons.com/ - and is designed to provide clay artists with a place to share their artwork and an opportunity, if they so choose, to post and sell tutorials. I posted some photos to the gallery and before long, I received a request to create a tutorial for one of the beads. It was approved today and is now available for sale. Just click on the link above for ClayLessons.com and look for Millefoiri Rolled Beads by ashpaints.

Time for a deep breath – finally!

2009-12-29T15:52:00.003-06:00

The mad Christmas rush is over! It was fun, exciting, exhilarating, frustrating, and very tiring all rolled into a relatively neat package. But as December comes to an end, for at least a very few days, I can relax and think about what I want to concentrate on in the new year. I have several things that have been on the back burner during the holiday rush and I’ll be sharing those adventures with all of you as they unfold. In the meantime, here are a couple of my latest projects.

The Copper Butterfly necklace is done using a custom mixed coppery colored clay with hand-formed and hammered copper bale. The top and bottom sections get a bit of extra glitz with the addition of copper leaf, then three translucent “ghost” canes are used to build the design. I love the effect that the ghost canes have because other than the outlines, there’s just a soft shadow after the translucent clay is cured.

Every month the PCAGOE (Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy) has a challenge designed to push our creativity. This month’s challenge was butterflies so I tried my hand at making a “ghost” butterfly cane. Since I am pretty much a butterfly person, this was right up my alley! I actually made half a butterfly, then when you cut two slices, you just flip one over and you have a perfectly symmetrical butterfly! A few beads and a bit of copper wire for the antennae and you’re good to go! The larger beads are also polymer clay, hand formed, then impressed with a texture plate. A copper glaze was brushed on then wiped off, leaving the shiny copper in the indentions.

The Dragonfly Pendant necklace was made for one of my sisters for Christmas. She’s a dragonfly person to about the same degree that I’m a butterfly person so we’re always finding things for each other. The dragonfly’s wings are actually the leaf cane pulled into a longer piece and layered. This pendant is much more dimensional than the butterfly pendant. The beads and wire complete the body of the dragonfly.

I'll close this post with good wishes for a safe and happy New Years Eve and Day. I'll be bringing the new year in with friends at an all-night clay-in! FUN!

My hand sculpted Here's My Heart pendants are featured in a treasury

2009-12-13T21:52:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Laurel for including my fun hand sculpted Here's My Heart pendants in her Hearts for the Holidays treasury.

First row: Roses on Music Sheet by NKDesigns; Tangerine Blossoms by Jaelsjewels; my Holiday Plaid Set; Bliss Heart by StudioBijou - whoops, that one is sold.

Second row: Special from Irismishly; Here's My Heart from Ashpaints; ExtraLarge Heart from BreathtakingBeadzz; this one is sold, but click here for a lovely surprise from another member.

Third row: Green Faux Cloisonne from Peggygsjewelry; My Passionate Heart from bijouxhibou; Polymer Clay Heart from rivervalleydesign; Red Floral Heart from RozPetalzstudio.

Fourth row: Silver Heart from teric55; Klimt Cane Heart from Creativeartcenter; Polymer Clay Book Thong from nkdesigns; and Emerald Love Heart from jaelsjewels.

As much as I love polymer clay, I am still amazed at the variety of what can be created with this marvelous artists' medium. Ya'll be sure to check out everybody's shop.

I'm featured in TWO Etsy Treasuries!

2009-12-10T10:18:00.000-06:00

It is always a thrill to see one of my pieces selected to be a part of an Etsy treasury. Both of these treasuries were created by two of my fellow PCAGOE (Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy) members and I would like to thank them for including me. Be sure to check out their Etsy stores to see what they have available. And just a bit of encouragement - any purchases from participating PCAGOE member shops before midnight Eastern time on December 12 will qualify you for a drawing for three great stockings filled with polymer clay items created by our members and a gift certificate which can be used in any participating member's Etsy shop.

The first treasury - called Rough Yet Refined - includes various items that use texture in the design. Alison E. Kurek included one of my Victorian Lady focal beads. Here's the link in case you want to check it out: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=99519

The second treasury - called Stocking Stuffers Under 30 - includes a variety of gift items for, you guessed it - under $30! This treasury was put together by Tonya of Tonya's Treasures and includes one of my inspirational signs. Here's the link to that treasury in case you want to check it out. http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=99518

Both of these treasuries are only open for two days so they will be gone by Saturday.

Snow in Mississippi - twice in one year!

2009-12-07T16:58:00.000-06:00

I was at a party Friday night with some of my high school classmates who I’ve not seen in a LOT of years when one of them announced – “It’s snowing!!!” Now remember, I’m in central Mississippi! Snow is NOT a common occurrence – in fact, I made the statement in a blog post a while back that the only way I was going to get snowflakes was to make my own! We had a snowstorm in late February or early March of this year with about 5 inches where I live so it was really surprising to get one this early.

We drove home in the snow only to discover that power at my house was off – apparently the recent “upgrades” to our infrastructure didn’t include snow gear! Oh well, it was pretty… but I had things to do! I had a couple of cool designs running around in my head and I really wanted to get my hands into my clay. Fortunately the power came back on around midnight so I had time to play before I had to go to bed.

Then I had to get up Saturday morning and drive to Vicksburg. Here’s a picture of what I had to dig off my car before I could leave. Now I understand that this is barely a good dusting to some of you living further north, but we’re not used to this stuff!

Our guild had signed up to participate in a arts and crafts fair in an historic building in downtown Vicksburg. It was a beautiful old building and Holly Days in Vicksburg was a success for the Central Mississippi Polymer Clay Guild, which I am Secretary/Webmaster for. This was one of our fund raising activities and we are well on our way to paying the traveling costs for the artist for our first weekend retreat. By raising funds in this way, we can keep the cost down for members and guests. The nationally known polymer clay artist who is coming in April made pendants for each of our officers last December and we were so impressed that we decided she was definitely on the top of the list of people we wanted to have come teach. And let me tell you, folks, that’s a mighty impressive list! We’re hoping to be able to host two retreats a year, one in the spring and one in the fall.

Come to Holly Days Arts & Crafts Show in Vicksburg, Mississippi Saturday, December 5th

2009-12-04T13:43:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow I will be participating – as a part of the Central Mississippi Polymer Clay Guild (CMSPCG) – in the first craft fair that I’ve done in YEARS! We have several guild members who live in Vicksburg and participated in this event last year. CMSPCG will be using this as a fund raiser for our first ever weekend retreat in April. Funds raised at this even will go into our Bring A Polymer Clay Artist to Mississippi fund. The first of what we hope will be a twice a year event is scheduled for late April. More on that later when get the final details worked out.
Holly Days is held in an historic old building in downtown Vicksburg. The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation’s purpose is “Preserving the history, culture and architecture of this area and providing all citizens with the opportunity to experience cultural, artistic & educational enrichment.” Many of the members of the CMSPCG donated items to be sold so there is a great variety which will be available. Drop by and see…

Here are a few of the things that I donated just to give you an idea:

Vote for your favorite Seasonal entry and be eligible to win one of 5 prizes!

2009-12-02T16:43:00.000-06:00

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 simply Seasonal. PCAGOE members were challenged to create something that spoke to them of the season – whether that season was winter, Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza.

We've got 21 great entries this month and they run the gamut from classic to oh-so-cute. To see all of the entries, go to PCAGOE.com, click on the link to vote for your favorite and to see the prizes that are going to be sent to five randomly drawn lucky voters. Voting begins on December 1 and runs through midnight EST, on December 7. Come join in the fun!

Here is a sample of what's available for Christmas at Harrison Hollow Designs. Be sure to check out my Etsy store at http://ashpaints.etsy.com/ or my Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/harrisonhollowdesigns/

Stockings and Other Goodies

2009-11-25T13:47:00.006-06:00

A couple of days ago I posted a message about the Great Stocking Give-A-Way sponsored by the members of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy (PCAGOE). Here is a slideshow showing the three stockings and the goodies that will be included!

Getting Ready for Black Friday

2009-11-24T15:30:00.003-06:00

Not sure why they call it Black Friday -- maybe it is because the sales start before daylight! Not for me, though. I don't like crowds!!! I'll be helping my sister paint a backdrop for my niece's wedding on Friday and getting together with friends on Saturday. The backdrop is to go behind the table where the wedding cake will be at the reception and will cover up some industrial looking windows.

But for all of you folks who are looking for sales and bargains, Etsy - Your place to buy and sell all things handmade - is have a special HOLIDAY SALE and I've chosen to participate in it. If you have been wanting something from my shop but putting it off, now is the time to buy. The prices listed shown are still full price, but I'm offering a 20% savings on every item purchased between now and November 30th. You can either send me an email about what you are wanting to purchase and I'll send you a revised Paypal invoice, or you can pay the full bill using the Etsy Paypal payment system and I'll refund the 20% to you. Also for any orders totalling over $50, I'll pay for the shipping. So come on over to http://ashpaints.etsy.com and see what catches your eye. Allow an extra 5 days for personalization.