Songbird Eggs Tutorial

I've been a bad blogger. I'll continue to try to do better, but we'll just have to see how that works. (g)

If I'm one of your contacts on Flickr, you may already have seen this, but for those who haven't, there's a new tutorial up on Polymer Clay Web.

~Songbird Eggs~

For symbols of springtime, life, and new beginnings, few things can compete with the songbird's egg. Softly tinted eggs are a refreshing reminder of unending potentialities in the world around us.

People often puncture, drain, clean, and dye chicken's eggs with beautiful results, but real eggs are delicate. These polymer clay eggs are much more durable, and you can make them in any size or color you want.

With only a few supplies, you can create a whole nest's worth of polymer clay eggs. They make charming decorations for the home, or they can be fitted with an eye pin and worked into unique pieces of jewelry.

This is a simple project ideal for children and those new to clay.

"Chatty Charms" Tutorial

("Chatty Charms?" you say. "Really?" Yes, really. I have a penchant for cutesy names. I'd like to say I've struggled with it, but that wouldn't be true. I've merely given in to it-- alliterated myself into oblivion. Oh well. We all have our faults.)

Today, I added a tutorial for "Chatty Charms" to Polymer Clay Web.

You may, perhaps, be wondering what on earth a "chatty charm" is.
Here's an explanation:

Do you have something to say to the world? Feel the need to express yourself? "Chatty Charms" can help you spread the word, leaving your mouth free for other, more engrossing pursuits, such as eating ice cream, smooching, or playing the harmonica. (These are of course only suggestions. If you'd rather whistle, stick out your tongue, or savor some chocolate instead, I won't tell.)

Ideal for beginners, this project relies upon a couple of very basic but versatile techniques. Stamping and antiquing are useful in a variety of other applications, and this is a fun way to familiarize yourself with them both.

Put your monogram on a pendant— create handy label-style keychains— engrave favorite quotations on fridge magnets! Choose words of inspiration, pile on the sarcasm, or opt for something completely off the wall! It's such a simple yet rewarding technique, you'll find it hard to stop.

So as you can see, this probably won't be anything new to people who've been claying a while. It's more geared toward those who are still new to polymer clay. That said, I did try out a couple of new (to me) things, in the process of making the tutorial.

First, I sanded some of the antiqued pendants. In the past, I've always just wiped the paint away before it dried completely. I think both techniques have their merits, but I've gotta say, right now I'm really loving the sanding. Wiping away the paint with a paper towel frequently leads to a vicious circle of wiping too much-- having to reapply the paint-- wiping too much again-- and so on. Since you wait for the paint to dry completely before you sand it, it seems a little easier to remove just as much as you want. (On the other hand, with sand paper you run the risk of scratching/removing some of the texture of the piece.)

Second, I tried using a thin coat of translucent liquid clay over an antiqued pendant to serve as a protection and to increase the sheen. I was very happy with the results-- much nicer (in my opinion) than a regular acrylic finish. I prefer the way the liquid clay feels, and there's no mess with brushes or streaky brush marks. Of course, we'll have to see how well it holds up, but I don't foresee any problems.

Well, that's it for me for today!
Happy claying!

Valentine's Day? Already?!

Ok, it's not quite February 14th, but it'll be here in the blink of an eye. If you're planning to craft a polymer clay token of your affection for someone special, it's time to make your plans. Here are a few links that might help get you on your way to Valentine crafting bliss:

• Last year, I compiled a list of ten Valentine project links from around the Internet. (Number 4 from that list is no longer working, but the others are still available.)
  
• Also last year, I posted ten Valentine color schemes (courtesy of COLOURLovers.com).
• Angela (aka CraftyGoat) hosts a tutorial for realistic conversation (candy) hearts.
• Christi Friesen offers a free download of her Steampunk Clockwork Hearts tutorial.

Ten on Tuesday: Valentine Projects

There are only a couple more days until Valentine's Day-- but there's still time to whip up a little surprise for someone you love. Here are ten Valentine-themed tutorials/projects available for free online:

Ten on Tuesday: Ten Valentine Projects / Tutorials

1. Candice Mathewson's Valentine's Day Heart Cane. A pretty, lacy heart cane in red, pink, white, and black-- but of course you can make it in any colors you like.

2. If you aren't up to the challenge of the previous cane, Arlene Thayer's Simple Valentine Cane uses a heart-shaped cutter to achieve quick results.

3. Julia Sober's Valentine Hearts. Uses a lettering template to make larger-than-lifesize copies of the famous "conversation heart" candies. (I never did like the taste of those candies, personally, but I guess they're a useful tool for a shy Valentine-hunter. (g))

4. Carol Duvall's Polymer Clay Pins. Doesn't have to be "just" for Valentine's Day, but if you happen to have some Valentine-themed stamps (hearts, flowers, etc.), this is a quick and easy project. (Note that you'll also need Rub 'n Buff, acrylic paint, or mica powder-- anything to highlight the design of the stamps.)

5. Elissa Powell's E-Z Hearts. Again, not "just" for Valentine's Day, but since hearts are so popular this time of year. . . ;o) Here's one easy way to make a heart shape.

6. Christy Sherman's Glazed Heart Pendant. Another "not just for Valentine's Day" project. Shows another way to make a heart shape that isn't a flat cookie cutter shape.

7. Carly Seibel's Valentine Heart Beads. Textures, a shape cutter, mica powder, and teensy marbles-- all in one bead!

8. Sarajane Helm's Polymer Clay Hearts Project. Similar to the beads above, but a bit easier (mainly because they're decorated on one side only and don't involve the tiny marbles). The hearts can be turned into pins, earrings, decorations for cards, etc.

9. Jeanne Rhea's Polymer Clay Valentine Card Project for Young Children. As the title suggests, this project is great for little kids. Combines clay with paper crafts to create an adorable card that's sure to be treasured for years to come.

10. Karen Prince's I Love You Photo Holder. Also uses the shape of a hand, this time shaped into the sign for "I love you". Though this tutorial uses a hand-shaped cookie cutter, you could easily make a paper template by tracing someone's hand. (There are a few more Valentine-themed projects on the Sculpey site, too.)

I hope you all have a happy Valentine's Day this Thursday! And if there's no-one else around this year to be sweet to you, don't hesitate to treat yourself to a little token of self-appreciation. :o)

"Tattletale Santas" -- polymer clay project

Well, it turns out I am blogging again before Christmas-- and just a few minutes after my last post. ;o)

I completely forgot to mention that my husband has put a new tutorial (or "project", if you prefer) on Polymer Clay Web. I still need to proof it (and give him credit), but it's up in time for Christmas (for those of you who don't already have a hundred projects in the works).


"Tattletale Santas" are something my husband (who grew up in Sweden) remembers from his childhood. Little elf-/gnome-like figures were placed around the house to keep an eye on the children of the home. They'd report to Santa (or the Swedish equivalent) on the behavior they witnessed-- hence the "tattletale" part. Wherever they sit and "watch", they're a little incentive to the kids to mind their Ps and Qs in those crucial last weeks before the Big Day. ;o)

Of course, these cute little Santa figurines can be used in any other way you like-- peeking out of holiday floral arrangements, on wreaths, in a miniature "Christmas village" (if you scale him down a bit more), and so on.

So, whether you're looking for a fun holiday project for this year-- or getting a head start for next December-- you can find Donald's Tattletale Santa tutorial here. :o)

Ten on Tuesday: ten October projects/inspirations

It doesn't feel very Octoberish around here, yet. Highs near 90, still! But we're expecting a slight cool spell by the end of the week-- and maybe some of you other folks are already enjoying crisper air.

Whether eerie, shivery, spine-tingly Halloween is your favorite holiday (and you've had your costume all picked out since June) or you prefer a "cannier" (see "canny", def. #3) celebration of the harvest, it's a great time to pull out the ol' polymer clay and get craftin'. The colors of the season are beautiful, and there's a strange sense of excitement in the air. Take advantage of these fleeting, golden days of October! (Before you know it, it'll be time to think of Thanksgiving and Christmas, and you won't have time to breathe, much less enjoy a leisurely afternoon with the clay!)

Ten on Tuesday: Ten October Projects and/or Inspirations

1. If you haven't already visited Sculpey's list of projects, now's a great time to do so! Many of them are great for beginners or kids, and there's a whole section with fall, Halloween or Thanksgiving themes.

2. Speaking of kids. . . Unless they've changed a lot since I was one (which admittedly, was a number of years ago-- and that number just keeps growing (g)), kids love things that glow in the dark. Consider adding a little glow to a project for a bit of instant spookiness. I just came across this page (by Lesley Shepherd) describing the qualities of glow clay. Could be useful, if you're new to the stuff.

3. If you didn't find the right project on the Sculpey site, check out this page of Diane Black's GlassAttic for a list of links to seasonal or holiday-themed projects. (There's a separate page for Christmas, if you're getting an early start this year.)

4. And for those who aren't so much into the whole "Halloween" thing, here's a little autumnal inspiration. . . This is something I just found by clicking a link at random (from the GlassAttic list): a photo of some beautiful miniature pumpkins. (The photo is labeled "Jodie Pumpkins", so I assume that I ought to give credit to Jodie Last-Name-Unknown.)

5. I learned a while ago that owls were "in" a year or two ago. (I didn't know that when I chose my Internet identity. Honestly! (g) I explain the origin of the name in my profile, if you're interested.) Anyway, if you don't mind looking a bit faddish (or like you're trying to be faddish, but are a bit behind the times (g))-- if your fondness for owls is genuine, maybe you'll benefit from Marie Hart's pictorial guide to sculpting polymer clay owls. As for why this is on the list-- owls are vaguely spooky, aren't they?

6. This one could count as inspiration if you're the type who finds motivation in an organized challenge. You're invited to enter the Inscrutables, MAKE, and PopSci DIY Halloween 2007 Contest. There are four categories, the one most relevant to pc probably being "Decorations, Gadgets, and More". You have until November 4th to enter. Check out this page for more info!

7. There are several pumpkin tutorials out there. Okay, more than a mere "several". I'm too lazy to go through them all, but for the most part, they're very similar. Here's one: Pumpkin Picture Holder, by Jill King. She makes her pumpkins pretty big-- about one pumpkin per 2 oz. package of clay. They have to be large, to support the wire and photo. Personally, I'd probably build the clay around a base of some sort (such as a small stone)-- partly to save clay, partly because I worry that thick items like that might be difficult to fully cure. (Of course, you could also cure it in stages/layers.) Anyway, putting aside my worrywartiness ;o) , you can use a similar technique on a smaller scale to produce miniature pumpkin decorations, beads, or pendants.

8. Need inspiration? If you have time to kill, go to flickr (or your photo-hosting source of choice) or Etsy and search for "Halloween polymer", "creepy polymer", "autumn polymer"-- you get the idea. You never know what you'll find, or what ideas of your own will be sparked.

9. For still more inspiration, visit the PCC Challenge archives. Some of the past challenges have had autumnal themes, such as Harvest and Autumn, or (possibly) spooky themes, like Gothic. Scroll further up the page for a list of photos of Claypen photos (such as Autumn).

10. If you can learn by photos alone (or if you can read Russian... or whatever language this is-- the Cyrillic alphabet throws me for a loop!), take a look at this scull and crossbones cane by cloud777. Thanks to the numerous photos, the process seems pretty clear-- and the results would be great for Halloween-themed projects.