Thursday, July 30, 2009

Ice Cream - Anyone?



Bunny Tracks ice cream from Blue Bunny is a great snack while working with polymer clay. I discovered these individual serving containers about a year ago, right next to the quart container. After eating a couple of these servings I decided that I should see if I could recycle the container. First I started storing small clay cutters in them. Then one night I set some clay in an empty container. I got busy and discovered a week later that the clay did not melt the container. Wow, I now have a new place to store raw clay. Ice cream, anyone?

I created this posting because an incredible polymer artist is featuring a giveaway on her website. That is Humblebeads. Take a peek at the great things happening on her website http://humblebeads.blogspot.com/2009/07/studio-tour-storage.html

Monday, July 20, 2009

First attempt of Sandy's Flower

I toiled and toiled over making a flower cane. I have seen so many beautiful canes. And I wasn't sure I too could created such stunning work. I know everything takes practice and improves with time. Now I needed to convince myself to invest in the time. Well I have finally started the journey.

I looked for tutorials that I liked. I found one, Sandy created a tutorial that I liked. After some time I started the tutorial. Blah - my skinner blend did not come out so good. I did not get the time of blend from color to color that I wanted. So my flower set for weeks on the work table. I even ignored it while I worked on other things. Finally this weekend I had a clay day with the New York Polymer Clay Guild, but I didn't take my unfinished cane. I left it home. I had an excellent day, and I created two good looking skinner blends. That good fortune sent me to my work table as soon as I returned home.



All it needed was the final layer - translucent clay. Well, the cane was wrapped per the directions in the tutorial. The addition of little logs in the valleys after wrapping the cane, helped to reduce the effect of flatten flower petals at the edge. So I reduced the cane and while reducing it was a nice discovery to see that even the scrap ends looked good.



The final flower will work. Once it is reduce it still looks like a flower, therefore the original goal was met. Make a flower cane.



Now I need to make some leaves.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009