Instructional video clips

I can usually follow a written technique fairly well, but I always prefer tutorials/lessons with lots of clear photographs. If the photos are good enough, you sometimes don't even have to read the instructions! (Not that I'd recommend that, of course. You never know when the author might place a crucial bit of information or a time-saving hint in amongst the directions.)

So if photos are great, then moving pictures must be even better, right? ;o)

For those who prefer to see a technique demonstrated from start to finish, but who don't have access to a polymer clay class, there are instructional videos and DVDs available. Many can be easily ordered on-line. Now, they're not cheap, but if you learn best by seeing the process in real time and hearing instructions, rather than reading them, a DVD might be worth the money.

Before you place an order, you might want to check the following places:

First, see if your local library system has any instructional videos or DVDs. If not, ask your librarian about interlibrary loans. You may be able to request DVDs from other libraries-- sometimes for a a small fee, sometimes for free. (In this case, it will be helpful if you know the titles of the videos or DVDs you want to borrow.)

Second, check to see if your area has a polymer clay guild. Most guilds charge an annual membership fee, but once you're a member, you'll have access to meetings with other polymer clay enthusiasts and a good source of information about opportunities to attend classes and participate in clay-related competitions and events. If the guild has a library of materials (you can ask before joining), you'll also be able to borrow these. (For example, here's a list of the Chicago Area Polymer Clay Guild's library contents and loan policies.)

Whether or not you're considering buying a video/DVD, there are a few clips available for free on-line. They're a good way to see if you're really interested in purchasing the DVD, and they provide some useful information in and off themselves. The ones I link to below are of a very decent length.

Here are a few available on MindStorm Production's website:

Assorted clay techniques:
Dotty McMillan makes pottery shard jewelry.
Donna Kato demonstrates marbled paper effect.
Donna Kato makes a flower cane.
Donna Kato creates a carved vessel.
Gwen Gibson creates a faux enamel pin.
Marie Segal demonstrates faux metal surface embellishments.
Marie Segal makes a sunflower cane.
Marie Segal creates a signature cane.
Lindly Haunani demonstrates her version of mokume gane.
Nan Roche demonstrates her loop-in-loop technique for necklaces.
Sue Heaser creates a gilded leaf pin.
Jody Bishel creates a butterfly pin.
Margene Crossan creates an embarrassed face.
Margene Crossan makes pants and a shirt for a boy.

Miniatures:
Lavonne Hoivik sculpts a miniature crocus.
Sue Heaser makes a miniature vase and jug.
Sue Heaser makes a miniature raspberry meringue dessert.

Children's techniques:
Kris Richards sculpts a bear.
Kris Richards demonstrates how to decorate with stamps.

There are also four video clips available here: http://www.polymerclayexpress.com/video_clips.html
These clips include the following:
--Terry Lee Czechowski demonstrating how to make a pillow pin.
--Gwen Gibson demonstrating how to use texture sheets with clay and how to treat the resultant textured clay with paint.
--Gwen Gibson demonstrating how to make an ultra-thin sheet of translucent clay and how to silk screen onto clay.
--Mari O'Dell demonstrating stamping clay and back-filling the stamped image with tinted liquid clay.

There are also a few clay-related clips from the on-line tutorials taken from Judy Belcher's segments on Beads, Baubles and Jewels:
Striped Polymer Charm Bracelet with Memory Wire
Tessellated Pendant
Stamped Mokume Gane Pendant
Filigree Purse with Polymer Clay Leaf Canes

Finally, if you're interested in video tutorials, you'll want to do a search, every so often, through the on-line video sites, such as http://video.google.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/.

Searching for "polymer clay" on these sites, today, I came up with the following interesting clips:
Polymer Clay Babies, by Debbie Garrity
Sculpting a Pig, by Wvclaylady
Silkscreen on Polymer Clay, by Daphne Hill
Color Scales in Polymer Clay, by Maggie Maggio
Sculpting a Torso in Polymer Clay, by Megan
How to Use Face Push Molds, by Maureen Carlson
DragonflyLane, videos by Christie Wright
Sculpting a Hand, by Aidamaris Roman

So, there you have it-- enough free video clips to get anyone inspired to make something with clay! ;o)

When it rains, it pours!!

And right now, it's pouring polymer clay mini-sweets-- a real gullywasher!

I've had two new "as is" orders from my Etsy shop since this morning, and I'm in the process of filling no fewer than five custom orders, too-- three of them multiple-item orders!

(Ok, anyone who makes a real living from this type of thing-- should s/he happen by some strange chance to ever read this-- is probably laughing at my naive amazement, now, but we all have to start somewhere, right? For a little something on the side, I don't think it's too bad.)

I absolutely forbid myself to say anything that might remotely be interpreted as a complaint ;o) -- but, that said, I can see how this stuff can become confusing! (g)

I had a small panic just a moment ago while trying to figure out who wanted the blueberry pop-tart pendant with the strawberry pop-tart earrings (no missing bites). I was getting that order confused with another order for strawberry pop-tart earrings (one missing bite). Seriously, I had no idea how many people love Pop-Tarts. ;o)

This is all very exciting, of course, for someone who's never really sold anything she made herself, until a few weeks ago. I'm thinking that once the rush is past, I'll celebrate by treating myself to a book or two. What's the book about, you ask? (Go ahead, ask, so I don't look quite so foolish.) Polymer clay! What a shocker, huh? ;o) I'm going to justify it by calling it an investment in "the business"-- R&D, you know. (g)

Well, better enjoy it while it lasts. I'm sure there will be slower times ahead. But for the moment, it's fun to be a bit hectic.

Studio Friday - Sloth

This week's Studio Friday continues the series of topics drawn from the Seven Deadly Sins.

How do you fail to utilize your gift and talents? How do you feel at those moments? Are you unwilling to act? Is it that you are afraid? What is really going on? How can a few simple steps change you? What do you need for that happen?

My "illustration" for this week's topic is an empty chair-- the chair at my clay table, which many times stands empty when it ought to be filled.

(It should really look a bit more forlorn, but flash lighting and the aqua paint don't help when one tries to create an atmosphere of dejection. (g))
I have a bad habit of procrastinating-- one that I feel ties in well with this topic. There are so many times and areas of my life in which I tend to put things off. It's usually because I'm afraid of doing them wrong-- or at least not as well as I feel I could do them, were I properly prepared.

I have ideas I put off and put off. I have plans that I never put into action. I have products that remain unused because... I guess I'm waiting for the "perfect time" to use them to present itself.
I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to do things well and sometimes saving something special until you're better able to use it. (If you're learning to sew, you probably want to practice on cheap cotton before cutting into your best piece of silk, for instance.) The problem comes when we-- when I-- put off so many things for so long that I'm essentially paralysed by fear of taking a wrong step.

The planets don't have to be perfectly aligned. I don't need a Sign to tell me that I'm finally "ready". I just need to accept the fact that I will make mistakes-- and so what? The fate of the world doesn't hinge on my success. (Thank goodness!) Sometimes there is no perfect time. You just have to do the best you can at the moment. There's always next time to do it a bit better. Seize the day, and all that sort of thing. ;o)

This applies to many aspects of my life, including my creative pursuits. Of course, like most good advice, it's easier to give than to implement!

As for changing... (apart from just trying to tell myself regularly that I should worry less and create more)... I've heard people suggest that you touch the clay at least once a day. Just the act of kneading it can be enough to get you past your "artist's block" or whatever else is plaguing you. Like most things, just taking that first step is more than half the battle won. (Also, once you've gotten your hands "dirty"-- or sticky, at least-- you might as well make something. Why have sticky hands for nothing? (g)) I'm not sure how likely I am to touch the clay every single day. Sometimes you need a break. But I do usually at least look over my clay table once a day-- see what I've done, what's in process, and all the little colorful scraps of clay sitting on the tiles. Looking over things and planning new projects is also an important part of the creative process.

Writing this blog and working on my shop at Etsy both help keep me active with the clay, too, I find. I don't list something new every single day, as many recommend, but I do try to list at least every two or three days. Going through the listing process-- and writing here every few days-- keeps the subject in my mind.

That said, I have work to do! Off to the clay table to see if my scented cupcakes (a new product for me) still have their scent after curing...

Fimo's suggested curing temp. has changed!

I'm more of a Premo gal, myself, but I do have some Fimo in my stock (mostly the translucent that's supposed to be prone to plaquing, for use in faux stone), and maybe someone who reads this will find the information helpful...

Fimo has officially changed its recommended baking/curing temperature-- lowered it from 265° F to 230° F! That's a pretty drastic change! Fimo has always suggested a slightly lower temperature than some other clays, but before, the difference was only 10° F. Now there's a whopping 45° F difference.

This new recommendation is showing up on the newest packages of Fimo. Apparently, the company is indicating that this is an energy-saving issue that they took into consideration when planning the formula for the new recipe of Fimo Soft, which hit the shelves last year.

However, the word is that even older packages of Fimo-- those that don't bear the "new and improved" labelling with the temp. change-- should also be cured at 230° F. (Well, I know they "can" be, but I'm not sure if they go so far as to say that you "should" use the lower temperature...) All types of Fimo brand clay can/should? be cured at the new temperature, including Fimo Classic and Puppen Fimo.

It's a bit confusing, somehow, and disorienting... One of the Great Truths of Polymer Clay-- that different brands can be "mixed and matched" at will-- has been shaken, if not collapsed. Because... if I mix some of my Fimo translucent with some of my Premo violet, for instance, I'll have to decide what temperature to cure it at. Before, I would've set it to 275° F and never thought twice. Now... I'm just not sure! Maybe 275° F is too high. Will it scorch the Fimo? Weaken it? But then what about the Premo component? Will it cure properly if it doesn't get the higher temps?

(...holds head in both hands, rocks back and forth, and mumbles incoherently...) ;o)

Ok, so I'm dramatizing things a bit. (g) It is one more thing to keep in mind.

If you want to read more about this, here's a link to Crafty Goat's blog post on the subject. She has a link to an e-mail conversation between Garie (a polymer clay teacher and artist) and the company that manufactures Fimo brands of clay.

You never know what mind-blowing event will take place next in the ever-evolving world of polymer clay! ;o)

Studio Friday - Greed

From Studio Friday:

Part III of the new SF mini series looked at from an artist's perspective in a different angle and light: "The Seven Deadly Sins":

This week's topic for Friday April 6th: Sin #2: GREED!

This is an ugly one as well....uuuuh! What is it you are greedy about or feel greedy about? Is it material or is it a behavior? Are you greedy for emotions? Do you hoard? How do you want to change for the better? It can be small steps or do you rather take a big step to change?

I suppose I am greedy about materials. I don't buy craft supplies with the intention of just hoarding them. I buy them to use them (though I can be stingy with my favorite supplies, not wanting them to run out)... But I do find that no matter how many supplies I get, I can always think of something more I'd like to have, and I guess that qualifies as greed.

Whether it's beautiful beads...

...or gorgeous findings...

...or inks, stamps, and glitter...

...I want it all! ;o)

Of course, I don't buy it all. So I'm not completely awful, am I? (g)

Like many people, I sometimes feel greedy for the praise and admiration of others-- for some sort of recognition or success. However, any time my work does get noticed, I tend to flee the scene and avoid reading the feedback! Guess I'm just weird. ;o)

As for changing things-- I can change my spending habits by avoiding places where I have the opportunity to buy craft supplies. (It's not really a problem, as it is. I mean, it's not like I'm going into debt or something. ;o) But it would still be good for me to focus more on using the materials I have rather than daydreaming about what I might do with the materials I don't have.)

And I don't think the desire for praise is too much of a problem, either, but to prevent it from becoming one, I can focus more on the joy I get from the actual process of working on my projects. If I'm happy with something, I shouldn't worry too much about having others confirm my own feelings. :o)

Pop-Tarts in miniature...

Last week I got my first-ever request for a custom order at my Etsy shop. :o) I was a little bit nervous about it, at first, since the person wanted something I'd never tried before-- miniature Pop-Tarts-- but it turned out pretty well, I think. The customer is wonderfully friendly, and she seemed happy with the pop-tarts, at least (and isn't that what really matters, anyway?). She's even thinking about requesting more custom work, down the road, so I count the whole experience as a success! :o)

Here are a few more photos of the mini pop-tarts...

My first effort, white frosting with colorful sprinkles:

Next up, "chocolate" frosting with white sprinkles:

And a different view of the three together, including the last of the set, with pink frosting and colorful sprinkles:

After I finished making that order, I played around with a couple more ideas for the mini pop-tarts. First, I made a couple of smaller ones with wire loops, so they could be charms or pendants. (The originals were each about an inch long and had no wire loops, as the customer wanted to turn them into magnets.) Then I tried making a slightly larger one (about 1 and 1/4 inch long) to turn into a brooch. That's this one:

I need to make myself try something new more often. I mean, it's not a huge stretch from my sugar cookies to these pop-tarts, but it's still one more thing I can add to my repertoire. Now I just need to figure out what the next small step should be... ;o) I've been wanting to try hamburgers, so maybe later in the week I'll give that a go. The worst I can do is make a little scrap clay, right?

Studio Friday - Gluttony (and Lust)

I missed last week's Studio Friday, so I thought I'd catch up by doing two in one, today. I'll start with the more recent of the two. Tine is leading us through a series of prompts based on "The Seven Deadly Sins", and this week's sin is gluttony. Here's the prompt:

"What do you overindulge in during your days in your studio while creating? Food or drink? How bad is it and how bad is it for you? How are you planning on changing it?"

Since I work with polymer clay, my hands tend to be sticky when I'm in my craft room. Either that, or I'm wearing gloves. In either case, eating isn't easy, so I actually eat less when I'm working with the clay! I don't often drink in there, either, though I have been known to take a can of Dr. Pepper with me, if I'm very thirsty.

Tangent: Outside of the clay room, my guilty indulgences include Dr. Pepper, junk food, and sweets. I love pizza, ice cream, and candy... and Little Debbie snack cakes... and chips and popcorn. I do eat more candy/sweets and drink more soda than I ought to, probably. But I've got my cola-consumption down to one a day-- most days-- and I think that's about as good as it's gonna get! ;o) As for the candy and other sweets... Well, if they're in the house, I'm going to eat them, so I guess I'll have to stop buying them. :o( I like healthier snacks, too-- like fruit-- but if I have a less healthy option, I'm sorely tempted.

Depending on my mood, I may overindulge in talk radio or music (80s and 90s pop, Enya-esque, techno/dance, hammered dulcimer, Pink Floyd, The Wailin' Jennys-- my tastes are varied). That qualifies as gluttony of the ears, I guess? ;o)

The talk radio can sometimes be bad for me, as it can put me in a bad mood if I get too much of it-- but in limited doses, it's stimulating. As for the music, how could Enya or 80s pop ever be bad? ;o) Ok, after a while, I get tired of even my favorite music, so I switch CDs often and sometimes work in silence.

...Come to think of it, maybe I'm also a glutton for fake, miniature foods, since that's a large part of what I make, these days. I made these mini Pop-Tarts as a custom order just yesterday, and the cupcakes came out of the oven this afternoon.

Now for last week's topic:

"What do you desire? What feeds your passion and excessive love? Do you listen to your heart's desires or not? What happens if you do, what happens if you don't?"

Usually, my response would be a loud "New supplies!" (such as the alcohol inks pictured above), but since it's not long since my birthday, and since my husband totally over-did it and spoiled me with gifts ;o), and since I still have some of those gifts (new supplies among them) untried, un-played-with-- I really can't give that answer. I'm sure the day will come again when I'll be making a wishlist, but for now I don't really need much... in the way of clay supplies...

...but come to think of it... I actually have been making a wishlist of jewelry supplies. (blush) So that's the materialistic side of my "lust". I've been thinking of cabochon mounts (to use with the resin-making supplies waiting in the craft room)... ring blanks (or whatever you'd call 'em) to make some cool rings with... maybe some fancy bails to use on pendants instead of the jumprings I've been using... and so on. And I do have one or two new clay books I'd like to at least look through-- but they're not even published yet. (g)

On a different level, I desire to make beautiful or interesting things... to find new techniques that work for me-- that kind of thing.

My passion is fed by the fun I have working with the clay-- the joy I get in writing about and sharing photos of it-- the pride I take in a well-made piece-- and looking at the wonderful things others are doing with it.

I think I always at least listen to my heart's desire, but sometimes I tell it that it'll have to wait-- especially if it's wishing for yet another supply or tool. ;o) Don't feel too sorry for it, though. I indulge it often enough, trust me! (g)

When I do give in, I of course experience a temporary "high". ("Yay, I've got it!"-- whatever "it" happens to be.) Sometimes that high lasts, and I know it was a good decision; sometimes I end up wondering what in the world I was thinking. When I don't give in, I usually am just post-poning the inevitable, but there are times when I realize duing my cooling-off period that it was a good thing I thought it through.

I should probably impose a "cooling-off period" more often!

Texturing Tools and Other "Found" Goodies

I love reading about homemade and "found" tools for use with clay. I love it for a variety of reasons, including the following:

1. It appeals to my thrifty side, for one thing. Less money spent on tools = more money left over to spend on supplies like clay and ink and other fun stuff.
2. Finding a new tool for free is like winning a scavenger's hunt! ;o)
3. I'm inspired by the ingenuity of the people who discovered that such-and-such effect can be made with this, that, or the other.
4. I like the "custom-made" quality of it. (No-one is going to have a tool just like yours, if you've made it yourself! Found objects are almost as unique.)
5. Something about it just brings back that feeling of... "poor-man's wealth", let's call it... that I so enjoyed when I was a child reading books about fairies and other tiny people using common cast-off objects to enrich their lives. A thimble becomes a cup. An empty spool of thread is a perfect sitting stool. And a box of cornflakes can feed the village for a month! (I also loved reading the Little House book with the Christmas pennies and imagining what would happen if I could go back in time and give Laura and Mary a whole dollar each. (g) What? Is it really that weird?)

So when Pookie B asked about what I use to texture my mini cookies, I thought it might be fun to write a post about some of the "around the house" tools I've been using. And if anyone has some others they'd like to suggest-- or a link to a related webpage-- that would be great, too! :o)

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For a fluffy, spongy texture, try pouncing a brush lightly over the clay. (Try pouncing less-than-lightly, too, for a different look.) I've tried a few different brushes-- just what I had handy at my worktable-- but I ought to try a larger variety-- and you should, too. ;o) Different brushes will produce different results. My current favorite brush is an old toothbrush.

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Old toothbrushes are also useful for getting paint into nooks and crannies when you're antiquing something-- or any other time you're trying to get paint into every possible opening.

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For a crackled look, use a small scrap of crumpled paper or aluminum foil. Crumple the paper or foil up, smooth it out again, and press it into the clay. Experiment with different degrees of "crumpledness", different thicknesses of paper, and different degrees of pressure when texturing the clay. Repeated "applications" of the paper/foil to the clay add more and more texture.

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For times when you don't want texture, a piece of thin paper can come in handy. Baking parchment is recommended, but if it's not available, try wax paper or any other paper you have access to. To remove light fingerprints or to soften or remove textures, try placing a piece of the paper over the clay and gently embossing (rubbing) your finger over the paper.

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This bit isn't all about texture, but texture comes into play at the end...

I usually bake my mini cookies on some type of paper. I baked the first one directly on the tile and didn't love the ultra-shiny finish it had on the bottom. (Not that the bottom of the cookie really matters, but still, it was just too smooth, and it bothered me. (g)) So these days I use paper.

Cardboard will work. (I use cardboard salvaged from food packaging. I figure I'll use it as much as possible before adding it to the garbage I throw away.) The only negative with cardboard is that it will bend in the heat of the oven, unless it's weighed down, and I've found that this can lead to slight curves in the lightweight cookies. Not a big deal, but I prefer to avoid it, if I can.

I mostly use baking parchment for the cookies. It doesn't bend as much as the cardboard, so I don't notice it affecting the shape of my cookies. My husband says that the texture on the bottom of the cookies (a result of baking them on the parchment) is just like the texture on the bottom of the real cookies he baked as a child. Now, we never used parchment, so I can't say, but maybe he's right. Clay does have an interesting way of picking up the texture of whatever surface it's baked on. If we remember that, we can use it to some interesting advantages. :o)

Oh, and I imagine you can bake the cookies on just regular paper, too-- but unmarked paper is best, as clay can pick up ink and newsprint if it's left in contact with it.

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Use drinking straws to press or cut circles into clay. Or cut the straws at an angle to make oval- or leaf-shaped cutters. Collect straws from different places so you'll have them in a variety of sizes. I love the tiny straws provided with coffee at fastfood places. The tiny straws that come with "juice packs" (like CapriSun) also work, though they're thicker.

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This isn't strictly a texturing tool, though I have I used it to make some textures... One of my favorite bead reamers (for use on uncured clay) is a thick needle I got in a set of "household-use" type needles. I believe it's a canvas or a sail needle. It's much thicker than a regular sewing needle, and it's blunt, so I don't have to worry about constantly pricking my fingers with it. The whole set of needles was just a dollar (at Dollar Tree, if you happen to have one nearby). I love this needle because it allows me to easily pierce my beads with holes big enough for the thicker stringing material I often use. A knitting needle would also work, but since I don't knit... ;o) A bamboo skewer would also do the trick.

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When making texture sheets, I used a variety of things I found in my "hardware scraps" jars. These included the heads of screws and the tips of wire nuts (those things you use to protect the connection when you screw two electrical wires together). You can find all sorts of textures in a toolbox! Try sandpaper, for instance, for a nice, even texture-- useful for covering fingerprints.

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Another of my favorite texturing tools-- one I use a lot for faux metal and stone-- is a large metal medallion I bought at a sale at Claire's. The necklace itself was, IMHO, hideous. The medallion was about four or five times bigger than anything I'd ever actually wear, but the medallion has a great textured design that transfers easily to clay.

So, while you aren't likely to find the same exact medallion I have, you can still remember to keep clay and textures in mind the next time you're at a sale (or wandering through the junkyard, or rummaging through the attic, or... you get the idea). You can get cool textures for next to nothing! Look at "junk jewelry", children's small toys and trinkets, silverware (for the patterns on the handles), shoes (for the patterns in the treds), speaking of treds-- the tires on toy cars are a great possibility, and the list goes on!

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For more information about texturizing tools, visit Polymer Clay Web's page on texturizers. One of these days, I'll get around to making more pages about texturizers and other found tools. It's on my list-- I promise! ;o) In fact, I'm in the process of writing a section about homemade stamps, which is certainly related to this subject.

At the bottom of that page, I've somehow failed to put any related links, I see. I'll have to remedy that. If there were a list of related links, this one would certainly be on it: Glass Attic: Texturing. Glass Attic is another excellent source for information about all things polymer clay. Sometimes there's so much information that it can be overwhelming, but it's a great place to browse for new ideas.

Latest incarnation of "Crackled Inlay"--

Last Wednesday, I wrote that I was "varnishing" a few pieces done in my latest version of the "Crackled Inlay" technique. I think that a few of them came out very nicely-- so much so that I probably ought to see about putting a photo or two up on the tutorial page, just to show how the alternatives can look. (Honestly, right now I think they look better than any photos I have of the original technique.)

I could probably have done a better job of the photographing, but oh well. For now here are photos of the front and back (or back and front, depending on which side you favor) of my husband's favorite pendant from the batch:

Not absolutely perfect, maybe, but much better than I thought when I first tried cutting the sheet of clay with the metal leaf on it!

One thing I noticed was that some of the colors I used for this project seemed to change during curing. I started with four different shades of tinted translucent clay. (I used alcohol ink-- Adirondack and Pinata brands-- to tint the clay, but colored clay should work, too.) One was yellow, one orange, and the two last were slightly different shades of salmony pink. Now, I wasn't surprised that the pinks turned out to be the same after curing. I'd rather expected that that might happen. What did surprise me was that I could barely tell the difference between the orange and the yellow. The orange looks like a slightly darker gold than the yellow, while the two pinks look orange! It's not really a problem in this case, but it could be annoying under other circumstances.

I'll have to keep an eye on this in the future-- try to notice which ones shift the most and in what "direction", etc. I wonder how much of this is related to the ambering effect that sometimes occurs when you cure translucent clay? I wouldn't have thought that would be an issue in this case, as I used Frost (aka Premo Trans. w/Bleach), which I believe is supposed to reduce yellowing. Anyway-- something to think about for next time.

I still have some of the "metal-leafed" sheets of clay, so I'll probably give this project another try. I'd like to think ahead this time, though, and maybe try something a bit different. I'm not sure what, but I find that if I don't make a conscious effort to try something new, I generally end up falling into the same patterns of size, shape, and decoration style in my beads and pendants. Like anyone, I have my own personal comfort zone, and I naturally gravitate toward it if I'm not taking active measures to reach beyond it.

That said, I have a cold right now, so maybe I can be excused if I cling to what comforts me, these days. ;o)

Delicious mini foods in clay!

If you're as infatuated with miniature foods as I am, you need to visit Iris Mishly's blog. She has a great post with links to several mini-food related websites-- some of which were totally new to me.

It's such fun to admire these wonderfully realistic works of art. :o) I haven't had a chance to go through all of the pages in their entirety, but I've already picked up a tip from one of them. Let me see... Which one was it...?

There.... It was on Betsy Niederer's page of tips and tricks. She writes that instead of using cornmeal or semolina (which I've been looking for off and on, to no avail) to add texture to your mini foods, you should use partially cured and crumbled clay. (The cornmeal and semolina can degrade over time, and as you might imagine, that's not good.) I don't think I would've thought of that on my own, but it makes perfect sense. I can't wait to give it a try!

Also on Betsy Niederer's page-- Go here and just look at those hotdogs and fries. I'd swear they were real if I didn't know better. Her work is stunningly realistic. Of course, it's also meant to be art, so I'm sure it takes a lot of time to do. I also wonder whether or not certain pieces would be "wearable"-- or if they have unsealed chalks and things on them that would rub off if handled too much. Still, it's beautiful just to look at, and I think I'm getting some ideas for how to improve my attempts at mini food jewelry.

Thanks, Iris, for the inspiring links! Just what I needed to jump start my will to "go mini" again! :o)

Studio Friday - Hope

This week's topic at Studio Friday is Hope:

"What gives you hope? How do you keep it up? What or who guides you through the rough patches and makes you keep on going no matter what?"

As far as people go, my husband is the one who buoys me up when my spirit of hopefulness is wearing thin. When I doubt the worth of something I'm doing-- when I begin to think that it's no good-- when I need someone to tell me that everything will be ok-- he's the one I can turn to for support. :o)

I can also count on my parents and my family in general to be supportive of me. That's at least one of the things the members of a family ought to do for one another, when they can-- try to see the best in us and help us to see it, too.

The natural world gives me hope, too. A step outdoors-- a breath of fresh air-- my dogs' eager attentions-- a glimpse of sky (be it sunny or clouded)-- all renew my hope for the future.

Sometimes, it's what I don't do that helps me keep up hope. For instance, there are times when the daily news (or "news", because so often the garbage isn't real news at all, but fabricated nonsense) is just too much. Sometimes the blogs and forums and "lists" I'm on take an emotional toll, making me feel that either I'm no good or the world in general is in tatters. So when I feel one of those moods coming up, I try to "unplug" from the rest of the world for a day or two. As I must sometimes remind myself, life does go on without my seemingly essential presence in these circles. ;o) And after a refreshing "mini-break", I'm usually eager to return to them and see what's happened in my absence.

"Just doing it" helps, too. If I'm worried that what I'm doing isn't working-- isn't good enough-- whatever-- just sitting at my table and making something can renew my interest and re-convince me that, yes, it is worthwhile.

I think so many of our (well, "my", at least) problems could be solved by less thinking/worrying and more doing.

Apart from the obsessing...

When I haven't been working to set the house to rights-- or obsessing over Etsy, Flickr, et al.-- in the itty-bitty smidge of time I've allotted to the clay this week (so far)-- I've been "Varathaning" a few pieces.

Ok, I lied. I haven't been "Varathaning"-- not because "Varathaning" isn't a word (if you're one of those who abhor the trend of hijacking nouns and forcing them to behave like verbs-- such as "journaling", "scrapbooking", and "efforting"). No, it's because (as I was informed on a pc message board) what I use is Minwax Polycrylic (the water-based kind) and that is not the same thing as Varathane.

So, I guess I've really be "Polycrlic-ing" a few pieces. I have no photos (yet), but that shouldn't stop me from writing about them.

One of them is... was, since it's finished, now... an aqua-teal nautilus-shaped spiral-shell pendant. (Actually, I do have a photo of that one... Let me go upload it...)



Ta-da! Ok, nothing too fancy, I guess, but it's not too bad for a failed project that I just made into something else on a sudden whim.

Another thing I "varnished"-- something I'm thinking of adding to Etsy. It's a bit different from anything else I've put there, because it will be a "custom-made" item. Basically, it's a glow-in-the-dark clay shape with a single letter of the alphabet on it in black. (That way, when it's glowing, the letter will stand out in contrast.) I'm thinking of uploading a pic of the one I've made (an "M") and a pic of the alphabet(s) from which the customer may choose. I don't know if there's much of a market for that sort of thing, but hey, it's only .20 to list it once, and maybe... Personalized stuff is popular with some people (particularly people with kids, I think), and kids like things that glow... and one of the two items I've sold was GITD... So I wanted to add one or two more GITD things, anyway... :o)

Everything else I've been varnishing is from my latest batch of "Crackled Inlay" alternative-method beads/pendants. I took my own advice and tried the method of tinting the translucent clay, adhering the metal leaf to that, and cutting shapes from it. At first, I was disappointed to find that the leaf didn't want to cut evenly. It was the same problem I'd had with the inked sheets of clay. Then Donald suggested that I might have better luck if I turned the clay over so that the leafed side was facing up. I tried it-- and I think it did make a little difference. Anyway, it worked well enough that I made a few beads and pendants, just to see how they'd turn out. I think some of them are pretty. I'm looking forward to photographing them. :o)

As a matter of fact, maybe I'll go see about turning one of them into something I can wear tomorrow... :o)

Haven't been claying this week :o(

I haven't had much time for the clay this week. I've been busy trying to get things ready for: 1. the new furniture that's scheduled to be delivered on Friday, and 2. some house guests we're expecting... toward the weekend, sometime? It's Donald's (my husband's) sister, Ingela, and her S.O., Joachim. (I may have just terribly misspelled his name. Fortunately, it is very doubtful that he'll ever read this!)

However, in all honestly, I haven't been so busy that I couldn't have devoted a bit more time to claying. (Now, if I'd done all the things I needed to do, I would've been, but seeing as I didn't...) Instead, I've wasted possible clay-time by obsessing over my Etsy shop, my photos on Flickr, and possible ways to promote the shop, including signing up at various places on-line.

This obsessing is not a good thing. (Duh. Really? (g)) I mean, checking every so often-- noticing whether my views and hearts are increasing-- being interested in how things are going-- that's just natural. But when it's making me feel blue because nothing seems to happen (despite my best efforts), and when it's keeping me from doing something more productive-- not to mention a heck of a lot more fun-- then it's time that I stop.

Well, one good thing. I'll be too busy the next few days to spend much time on-line, even if I wanted to. ;o)

I got feedback! Who could ask for anything more? ;o)

And it was positive, too!
Yay!

My first customer never made a peep. Probably didn't think about it. I know the package arrived (thanks to the delivery confirmation thingy at USPS.com), and I hope she was satisfied. Since she didn't complain, I'll assume she was.

But my second customer has left me a positive rating, which makes me happy. :o)

I kind of expected that she might, since I put in an extra little freebie along with her purchase. I had seen on her profile that she mentions she has twin girls, so I thought, "Maybe this is for one of her daughters..." and since I happened to have another (unlisted) item that was in the same style (and even had another kitten in it), I wrapped it up along with the other. And I must have been having a psychic moment ;o) because the feedback does in fact indicate that the pendant was for one of the twins, and now they both get one. :o)

So, anyway, yay for feedback. :o) And I'm glad that the pendants will have happy new owners, too.

Mini Cookie Earrings

Over the weekend, I decided to play around with earrings.

To start things off, I made some mini cookie earrings to match the pendants I've been making. There are mini sugar cookies (pictured below), mini chocolate chip cookies (also pictured below), more mini sugar cookies (in a slightly different style, but there are no photos, yet), and mini peanut butter cookies.



For the mini chocolate chip cookies, I slightly altered my style from the mini chocolate chip cookie pendant I made earlier. Instead of using "pointed" chocolate chips, I flattened them out. I think I prefer the pointed chips, but the flattened ones are probably more realistic, since I think the chocolate chips would probably melt in the oven.



I also tried my hand at miniature cupcake earrings. I think I can improve them with a little tweaking here and there. Working in miniature made it harder for me to get them just the way I wanted them. Maybe making slightly larger miniatures-- say, for pendants or cell phone charms-- would be a bit easier.

This was also my first time to use a polymer clay icing/frosting. It worked very well (apart from being messy), and I'm looking forward to trying the frosting on some other miniatures. Cakes come to mind, of course, and possibly cookies, but I can't think of much else that needs that precise texture...




There are more photos of these particular miniatures at my Esty shop. :o)

Making earrings is fun. :o) Of course, you do have to make two items that are reasonably similar is size, shape, etc., but that's not so hard, and with mini foods, it's ok if they're slightly different, since real food varies in shape and size, too.

Studio Friday - Fragile!

This week's topic at Studio Friday is "Fragile!"

Here's the prompt:
What is the most fragile in your studio? What makes it so fragile? What would you do without it and where do you keep it so it is safe and won't break?

Hm. Well, I have some metal leaf (which I use for mokume gane and a few other techniques), and that's pretty fragile. The stuff is rather maddening to work with, actually. It's incredibly thin and lightweight, so it really wants to fly away and tear into millions of featherweight pieces-- or be lifted on the slightest breath of air and crumple together.

But to tell the truth, the first thing I thought when I read the prompt was, "the clay itself!" Which is... misleading, maybe. After all, polymer clay, if of a good brand (Premo, Fimo Classic, Kato, for instance) and if cured correctly, is fairly durable. Some people swear that their clay pieces can be twisted and "bent" without breaking. I'm still too nervous to do that with my own stuff-- but I did try it on a little scrap of clay rolled into an ultra-thin snake and cured-- and it was very flexible.

So, why do I still think of it as "fragile"? I guess there are a couple of reasons. First, I started out with Sculpey III and had a couple of my early pieces break. That "put the fear in me", so to speak. Second, I'm extremely cautious about the curing of my work. I don't want to scorch it, of course, but neither do I want it to be "under-cured" and disintegrate over time. I don't worry about it quite so much, these days, but I'm still vigilant about it. And I guess that translates into my persistent feeling (right or wrong) that the clay is fragile... Or at least, that the curing process is fragile-- delicate-- requiring careful attention.

The other parts of the question--

If metal leaf "breaks" (or tears, rather), I can still use it. It's just a bit more of a pain to adhere to the clay in a somewhat-solid sheet. But since I usually crackle it, anyway, a little tearing here and there doesn't matter much.

If I had to do without it, I'd just use metallic paints and inks instead. I already use them and am happy with the results. The metal leaf has a nice look, but sometimes I actually prefer the paints. In other words, life would go on. ;o)

I store the metal leaf in the package it came in. It comes in little "booklets", sandwiched between sheets of tissue paper. I keep these booklets in the snap-shut plastic sheets they were originally packaged in. It's "nice and neat", and I like that-- though you might not guess it to see my house, right now! ;o)

As for the clay-- What would I do without it? Well, since it is the primary component of most of what I do... I'd be stuck! I'd have to find another medium, I guess. Fortunately, it's not really that fragile. Oh, and if a single piece breaks (which does happen from time to time-- especially if I'm experimenting with something new), I can either try to repair it, save it for the scrap pile, or toss it out and start over.

There's really no way for uncured clay to "break", but it can be partially cured if it's stored in too warm or sunny of a location. If left open to the air, it will also collect dust and hair. I store the uncured clay in plastic bags, which I keep in plastic boxes (for long-term storage) or small plastic, unlidded bins (for immediate use). If I know I won't be using it for a while, I sometimes keep the uncured clay in the fridge, in a crisper drawer. The cooler temperature is supposed to keep it fresh for a longer period of time.

Cured pieces are just here and there, in ziploc bags, in a bead box, in small bins-- waiting for me to turn them into jewelry. I keep them where they won't be trod upon or eaten by my dogs. I don't think much else will hurt them, unless you go out of your way to damage them! (g)

I don't work with very fragile materials, I guess. The clay and accompanying materials are fragile enough for me!

Pirate Booty - coins and pendants

Today, I uploaded a little bit of pirate treasure to my Etsy shop and my photos at Flickr. Here's one photo of the silver-tone pendant I made last week:

I've also uploaded photos of a copper-tone one antiqued with verdigris, and there are photos of a gold-tone one I have yet to upload.

They're all made from the same mold-- a mold my husband carved himself for a tutorial at our clay website. The tutorial illustrates how to make a "pirate coin". I just took it a step further and turned the coin into a pendant/medallion.

I tried out a new finish on these coins-- matte instead of the high gloss I normally use. I think the matte is a vast improvement over the gloss-- at least, for things that don't look right with a high gloss. IMHO, the high gloss never has looked right on my "faux metal" pieces. They're simply too shiny with it. The matte doesn't 100% authentic, either, I think, but it's pretty good for things that must be sealed. (These medallion pendants have to be sealed because the rub-on wax would otherwise rub off on skin or clothes-- eek!)

Hm. The dryer's buzzing at me. Time to go...

"Crackled Inlay" experiment #1...

So, a couple of weeks ago I tried out one of the alternative ways I'd brainstormed to do "Crackled Inlay". (The link takes you to the tutorial for the technique.) The results were... well, not quite what I'd expected.

The idea was to paint a thin sheet of translucent clay with alcohol ink, let the ink dry, apply metal leaf to the inked side of the clay, and cut shapes from this sheet to apply (leafed side down) to base beads.

I ran into two problems.

First problem-- The metal leaf didn't adhere as well to the inked clay as it does to uninked clay. (I'd wondered how this would work. Turns out the answer is "not so well"!) Now, there may be better ways to do this than what I tried. Maybe it sticks better if you adhere the metal leaf before the ink is dry. I doubt it-- it sounds kind of messy, actually-- but I suppose it's possible.

Second problem-- Once I got the metal leaf kinda-sorta on the inked clay and tried to cut shapes from the sheet (using a wavy blade, mostly), I saw that the metal leaf didn't cut as cleanly as I'd hoped. Meaning there were tiny bits of metal leaf sticking out from the sides of my shapes. (The leaf was tearing loose from the clay in places, so parts of it had no leaf and other parts had loose bits of leaf sticking out randomly.) Now, this did vary somewhat. I tried three colors of ink, so I had three inked sheets of clay. One sheet seemed to cut more neatly than the others. (Not sure what was going on there...)

I made one focal bead with "inlay" from the best sheet of inked and leafed clay. I think it turned out nicely. At least, it looked good enough that I gave it away as a gift before I had a chance to photograph it. But overall, this twist on the technique just didn't work for me. It was such a pain trying to get the leaf to adhere to the inked clay.

I hated to waste that metal leaf and translucent clay, so I came up with another idea to use my left-overs. I reconditioned each sheet of clay separately, breaking up the metal leaf and working the ink into the clay. Then I fed each sheet through the pasta machine and cut my shapes from them. (And applied the shapes to the base bead, etc., etc., according to the original technique.) This was much easier to cut into shapes! The results were a totally different look, too.

So far, I've only photographed one bead from that set, and I don't have the photo on this computer, so I can't upload it here, but if you're interested, just go to my Flickr page. Or better yet, here's a link to the exact photo. It's not the best photograph (and it seems to look worse on this monitor than on the one I normally use!), but it gives you an idea, at least. (For future reference, I used aluminum leaf, Premo Frost and Black, and two shades of Adirondack Alcohol Inks-- Lettuce and Stream-- for this bead.)

So. I was disappointed with the failure of my initial idea, but the lemons made a pretty decent glass of lemonade. ;o) And I have another idea for how to get the more traditional crackled look from the metal leaf. (It's one I've seen in others' work before. I thought my way might look better, honestly, but it turns out that "my" way doesn't really work, so... (g))

Instead of painting the surface of the translucent clay with ink and applying metal leaf to that, try this: Drop the ink onto the translucent clay (or paint it on, if you really must, but it's not necessary). Let the ink dry thoroughly. Mix the ink into the clay. You can either mix it completely or leave some marbling (streaking). And if you don't have alcohol ink, you can also use a tiny pinch of colored clay... or possibly a little acrylic paint-- just don't over-do it, as you want lightly tinted translucent clay. Roll the clay through the pasta machine (or by hand, into a thin, uniform sheet). Apply the metal leaf. Turn the sheet with the metal leaf down and cut your shapes from the sheet.

Now, I haven't tried this yet. It may turn out that it gives you the same problem with the leaf wanting to tear when you cut your shapes, but I think the problem I had was due to the fact that the leaf never really adhered to the inked clay the way I had hoped it would. If you do have problems with tearing, you might try cutting out your shapes with a very sharp craft knife (rather than duller shape cutters and such).

I'm looking forward to trying this new twist on the technique and seeing how it works... :o)

Made my first sale!

Last week, I had an "almost" sale at Etsy. Someone convo'd me about a mini cookie pendant. She wanted it sent to a country I hadn't figured postage for (so far, I only list postages for the US and Canada, with the offer to calculate it on an individual basis for customers in other countries), and asked me to charge her account through Paypal. I could have done that, I guess, but I preferred to have her buy it through Etsy. Partly because Etsy probably doesn't like it when you "bypass" them that way-- partly because I really need some positive feedback to encourage others to buy from me. Anyway, I figured the postage, added her country to the item (so she could order it directly through Etsy), and convo'd her back, but she hasn't replied. :o( I suppose she either forgot about it, changed her mind, or never got my message.

Oh well! I guess that sort of thing is bound to happen from time to time, and I'm somewhat less disappointed now, because I've sold a different item. :o) The payment came through yesterday, and I put the package in the mail this morning, so now I'm just waiting to hear that she's received it.

I'm a little bit nervous that something will go wrong yet! There's not much that could go wrong. Either the package could be lost or damaged in the mail, or she might get the earrings and think they look worse in person than they did in my photographs. Either of those things would be horrible, but there's no reason to expect catastrophe. Still, I'll breathe easier when I know the package has arrived safely... and it would be nice if she left a positive rating of the transaction, too. (g) I went ahead and left some positive feedback for her, so maybe that will remind her to return the favor, assuming that she's satisfied with the earrings.

So, my first sale. Yay! :o)

Found some new blogs!

I've been editing my blogroll a bit over the past few days. I deleted one, I think, because I noticed that it hadn't been updated in over a year, but mostly I've been adding new ones that I somehow missed when I first made my list.

It's amazing how many blogs there are out there, and that I can actually find so many dealing with polymer clay as a (more or less) primary subject!

Here are a few of the blogs that are new on my list:

CraftyGoat's Notes-- Interesting projects, and there's a "tips and techniques" section that could be helpful.

Polymer Clay Artist Guild of Etsy Blog-- I'm a member of the guild, now, so I'm curious to see how this develops. It hasn't been around for long, but someone's already gotten together a project in which members donate pendants that will go to a charity.

Laura's Blog-- Not "polymer clay only", but still. Some of her other interests seem...well, interesting... too.

Wanda's Designs-- I've seen photos of her teapots before, but didn't know she had a blog. The pots are lots of fun to look at, and she uses so many techniques on them that I find myself inspired to try something new, too, while I admire them.

Karina's Blog-- I've seen her around the PCC forums and Flickr for a while, but never knew she had a blog.

Polymer Paula-- She makes illustrations with polymer clay-- and some gorgeous cookies, too.

Ha! While skipping from link to link from some of these blogs, I've come across still more I want to add to my list! But that'll have to wait until later. Even polymer clay-obsessed individuals must wash dishes sometimes. ;o)

Bilar -- aka "car candy"

I think I mentioned that I'd made my candy-loving husband a cell phone ornament? Using polymer clay replicas of his favorite candy, Bilar? Well, even if I didn't before, I have now. ;o)

The candy is Ahlgrens Bilar-- a Swedish candy, so I doubt many non-Swedes have seen/eaten them. However, I think they do carry them in some IKEAs, so maybe... Anyway, they're marshmallowy candies in white, pale green, and light pink, all in the shapes of... well, they claim that they're car shaped, but you really have to use your imagination to see the car. (g)

In the photo below, the three to the left are the real candies. the other three (yeah, the ones with metal loops sticking out of them (g)) are the polymer clay version.


I think the shapes turned out pretty well-- maybe a bit too big, some of them, but not too far off. The colors were a mixed bag. I think they white and pink turned out pretty well-- though now that I see them compared with the "real thing", I can see that the pink was a bit too peachy/flesh-colored, but oh well. The green one was much closer to the actual color prior to baking, but because it had too much translucent in it, the color changed during curing. Overall, not bad, but the could use a little tweaking. However, since I doubt these would be in high demand, what with the rarity of the candy (outside of Sweden), I don't think I'll bother making more right now.

Ponsawan's texture plates

Was just wasting a little time looking at some of the polymer clay blogs you see in the column to the right, and was impressed (apt word choice, if I do say so myself! (g)) by Ponsawan's homemade texture sheets.

As you might recall, I've done some of these, myself, but I haven't given it another try since my first effort. After seeing these, I'm inspired to give it another go! :o)

I also want to try carving designs in cured sheets of clay. They wouldn't necessarily be texture-sheet style designs, though-- more of "stand alone" images. We'll see how it goes (when I ever get around to trying it).

Pretty vs. Cute...

I've been thinking lately about what the vast ;o) marketplace for polymer clay jewelry wants.

Every time I go to list another item at Etsy-- or to photograph a batch of items, since I have to do that before I can list them-- I ask myself, "What do they want? Which item out of the inventory I've been building will be the one that catches someone's eye-- captures her imagination-- and makes her reach for her wallet?" (g) And now that I've been listing things for a couple of weeks, I'm even starting to ask myself that when I sit down at my clay table. (Not everything I make is made with a view to sell, but it's certainly something worth thinking about. Why make a hundred versions of something that no-one wants?)

At this point, my Etsy shop is still in its infancy. I have one person so far who's interested in buying something, but the sale isn't even official yet. So needless to say, I haven't quite found my niche in the polymer clay marketplace. Maybe I never will, in fact! But I prefer to be optimistic and believe that eventually I'll be able to make a little money on the side from my craft. I'm not expecting much, but something.

Even though it's probably too early to be drawing any conclusions, I can't help but gather data and analyze it. Which items get the most views? Why? Is it because there are more people doing searches for that type of item-- or are they finding it in some other way? I have a Flickr page with lots of polymer clay photos. Which pictures get the most comments? Do these people look at this item in hopes of making their own version of it, or is it something they might be interested in purchasing? There's no way to know the story behind each and every view an item gets, either at Etsy or Flickr, but I can't help speculating.

At first, I was disappointed that my faux opals at Flickr got so few views. I began to think that perhaps no-one liked faux opals these days-- so passe! (g)-- or that maybe my photographs weren't showing them to their best advantage. Then we got the opal tutorial on-line and I posted another photo of some of the same faux opals-- just fixed up into pendants-- with a link to the tutorial. Lo and behold, several people commented on them! Maybe they simply hadn't seen the other photo, or maybe the tutorial prompted them to comment-- or maybe they liked them better in their more "finished" state. Who knows?!

So I'm fairly certain that I shouldn't draw too many conclusions just yet, but I can't help but make a few observations:

--Observation 1: My most popular photo at Flickr is a "crackled inlay" bead. Four people count it as a favorite, and it's been viewed 116 times. A similar bead, made into the focal point of a necklace over at Etsy, hasn't been "hearted" and has only been viewed 18 times since Feb. 9th. Not bad, but not my most popular item.

+++Conclusion: I don't really know... That people at Flickr and people at Etsy like different things? The people who frequent my Flickr photos are, I know, almost all polymer clay hobbyists/artists themselves. They're probably looking at things more with a view to find inspiration than the people at Etsy are. They're more interested in new techniques, etc. than someone at Etsy is.

--Observation 2: My second-most-popular photo at Flickr is a set of mokume gane beads that are probably some of my least favorite MG beads. Or at least some that I wouldn't have listed as favorites.

+++Conclusion: People don't necessarily react to things the way I expect them to-- or how I myself react. Yes, I know it's basic, but I have to constantly remind myself that my perception of the world isn't the only perception. I'm such an egoist! ;o) Just because I love something doesn't mean that it will sell well, and just because I don't think something is my best work doesn't mean that it won't sell. So I shouldn't be afraid to put something out there for consideration, even if I'm not blown away by it, myself. Maybe I'm just not looking at it the right way.

--Observation 3: To date, my most-viewed item (58 views) at Etsy is a miniature cookie. The miniature cookies seem to be attracting a (comparatively) good bit of attention at Flickr, too. Meanwhile, though I get an occasional flutter of activity over my mokume gane pieces, they're not getting as many views or "hearts" as the cookies.

+++Conclusion: Maybe people aren't as interested in "pretty" (the mokume gane) as they are in "cute" (the mini cookie). (Or maybe I'm better at cute than I am at pretty...? Or my idea of pretty isn't other people's idea of pretty?) Maybe there's more of a market right now for "cute" than there is for pretty. Or maybe the market at Etsy in particular is more geared toward "cute" stuff. It is more of an "indie-art" community, I think, than some larger places, such as eBay.

--Observation 4: Throw everything I just wrote right out the window, because my second-most-viewed item (44 views) at Etsy is a heart-shaped faux opal, which while it might be considered slightly "cute" (heart-shaped as it is), would fit more neatly into the "pretty" group, I think.

+++Conclusion: I shouldn't be drawing conclusions yet. I should just continue to put up a wide variety of pieces until I make enough sells to get an idea of what my customers like. And even then, it can't hurt to have some variety out there. In some ways, I guess it would be good for me if people wanted to buy my "cute" cookies, because they take a lot less work than my "pretty" mokume gane pieces. But on the other hand, I really enjoy making the mokume gane pieces-- well, until I've been sanding for an hour and still have more sanding to do. (g) Even if they're easier to make, I'd get bored making mini cookies all the time, if I couldn't take a break and do something else.

+-+-+Ultimate Conclusion: I need to just let things be for a while. Do what feels right and not worry about anything else. Or at least worry as little as I can manage. ;o)

Mokume gane tutorial up and running!

My DH, Donald, has uploaded the latest tutorial to our clay website. The tutorial is for one version of the mokume gane technique. I call it "This 'n That Mokume Gane", because it uses a little of this and a little of that-- just whatever you have on hand, really. It's one of my favorite techniques. I think the results can be stunning-- certainly a whole new look for those who are more familiar with polymer clay techniques that don't involve lots of translucent clay.

Here are a few beads made with the batch of MG I created for the tutorial:

Now I need to start thinking about what to do for the next tutorial... ;o) Oh, and write about tons of other things for the "techniques" section of the webpage!

Studio Friday - Drawing a blank

This week's Studio Friday is about "creative block"-- drawing a blank:

"It's one of the most feared events in the life of an artist. Sometimes it can take a long time to overcome this sudden stop of the creative juices. What do you do? How do you act and react? How do you get back to splashing around in all colours? Do you fight it or work with it?"

I have to admit that in some areas of my creative life (cough-writingfiction-cough), I've let this stop me from even trying, anymore. (I guess I need to work on that...) Or rather, I let fear of not doing well enough stop me from even starting. (To tell the truth, it's been so long that I don't even feel like writing fiction, these days. I once loved it, though, and I have a feeling the old love is still in me, somewhere...) The key thing I have to remember with all artistic pursuits is that nothing will just "come to me". I won't be sitting around one day and then suddenly have an idea that I know will yield great results. It's always a game of uncertainty, and if I can't accept that and move forward in good faith, nothing will ever happen-- good or bad.

But that was just a little something for my own benefit-- it had little to do with the topic. (g)

So, a sudden cessation of the creative impulse... I think the first thing I do is just wait a little while and see if it will come back on its own. I focus my attentions on some other area of my life until I find myself running back to my comfortable creative niche. Usually, these things will pass on their own, I think. While I'm waiting, however, I can hurry things along by taking one of a number of actions:

• I find new inspiration while looking at the work of others, so I visit on-line galleries and message boards and other websites for peoples who work with clay. Seeing what others are doing usually gives me at least one idea for something I'd like to try, myself.
• Looking through a good project or inspiration book can also be a creative impetus.
• I keep thick notebooks full of ideas for things I want to try, so paging through those almost always results in excitement over some technique I'd forgotten that I wanted to try.
• Just looking over my supplies and tools-- and the things I've already made with them-- can give me a kick in the right direction. The supplies look so nice that I want to get back to using them again!
• Possibly the best thing I can do is just turn on some music, sit down at my table, and start kneading the clay. Getting my hands on the stuff is enough to get me thinking of new things to try.

More than creative block, I find myself facing the "what do I do next" dilemma; there are simply too many possibilities to narrow it down to just one! ;o)

It's been a while...

I've been busy lately. The time I might ordinarily have spent doing clay stuff or possibly posting here, I've been spending getting my Etsy shop updated with new listings, making a new tutorial or two, and doing other such things.

Speaking of the new tutorials-- one of them isn't on-line, yet-- still needs the PDF file-- but the other is up at www.polymerclayweb.com. It's a tutorial for the "Crackled Inlay" technique I've been using: http://www.polymerclayweb.com/crackledinlay.asp Looking over it again, I'm inspired to try it again, myself! There are at least two different "twists" I want to put on it... One with uncrackled, thicker layers of paint on thin, thin sheets of translucent clay. The other, with translucent clay tinted with alcohol ink and covered with aluminum leaf. I think both could be gorgeous.

So... what else? I finally got around to trying to make a few miniature cookies. Some of what I did pleased me-- other parts need more work-- but I think the results of the first batch turned out pretty well. Here are a few photos:

The first is an overview shot of a grouping of the mini cookies:

Here's a close-up of the M&M cookie with a bite taken out of it. I think this is my favorite of the cookies so far. This type of cookie has sentimental value to me, since I remember making these when I'd spend the night at my grandparents' house, back when I was a kid. :o) The texture on this one looks maybe a bit too perfect... It reminds me more of a store-bought cookie than a homemade one. I have a couple of ideas that might possibly give a more realistic texture. I'll have to play around with it a bit.

The last picture is of an oatmeal raisin cookie. I impressed myself with the raisins (if I do say so myself! (g)), but I'm less thrilled over the oatmeal cookie itself. I need to do a little more experimentation. Maybe get a few other people to help me brainstorm things to play around with...

Inspired by the (relative) success with the mini cookies, I decided to try my hand at another food. I made some replicas of Bilar-- a "car-shaped" chewy candy that my husband loves. I think they turned out pretty well for first tries, but unfortunately, no-one outside of Sweden is going to know what they are, probably. (g) I'll try to get some photos one of these days...

So, there's more to say, I'm sure, but this will have to do for now. :o)

Studio Friday - Perfect Art Book

This week's Studio Friday topic is "the perfect art book":

"As I was talking about books so much lately... if there was the ideal book for you as an artist on studios and life as an artist what would be the absolute most important thing in your eyes for it to have in it? What kinds of topics, elements, images would you love to have in it? A few words from your favourite artist as well? What would inspire you, what would support you, give you courage? Would you like it to be a big book with tons of pages or a small book?"

I don't recall ever seeing a book about life as an artist-- or studios-- so I have no idea what usually is in them... But I'll give it a go, anyway. ;o)

--My first thought is a big, flat book-- the traditional coffee table book-- but the idea of a small, fat book is very charming, so maybe I'd prefer that.

--It would need gorgeous, luscious photographs of artistic works in progress and work tables. I want to see the balls of clay, tubes of paint-- whatever the artist uses-- scattered across the table or arranged neatly in rows-- however the artist truly works.

--Overviews of the studio as a whole are nice, but what I really want are more detailed shots of work areas, projects at various stages of completion, material stockpiles, etc.

--Again, beautiful photographs of supplies, work stations, and "art in progress" would be the key for me, I think. When I see those things, I am inspired to create something of my own that is also beautiful.

--As for topics... I really don't know.

--The prompt mentions things that would support us or give us courage. Maybe it would help to know that even this artist has moments of self-doubt. S/he could explain how s/he deals with them. That might be encouraging. Or just someone simply stating what I already know to be true-- It doesn't matter if no-one understands your art. It isn't vitally important that you be successful with the art-buying market or with other artists. All that really matters is that you do something that you love. Try to just enjoy the process and not worry about anyone else. ...Of course, this works better if you're an "on the side" artist or hobbyist. If you're making your living from your artwork, you need to find someone who likes it, I guess... ;o)

I'm more of a project/technique book junkie than a "gorgeous studio book" fan, so nothing more than that comes immediately to mind. So that's all I'll write... (g) Gee, I'm awkward today!

Stamped mokume gane

I finally got around to taking and uploading some photos of my attempts at stamped mokume gane (aka ghost image mokume gane, according to me, at least). I think I've already mentioned how some of these have bumps from air that was trapped under the clay (somehow). I also had trouble photographing these. I think I've figured out a couple of ways to remedy this-- take photos on something other than black-- or maybe try both and see which works better-- and take at least one photo without the "diffuser". Taking away the diffuser allows some of the shine to show, which gives a more accurate picture, I think.

Anyway, here are the photos I took before I learned these valuable lessons. ;o)



The colors are a little off on some of them. I took some better photos of the butterfly pendant, which I have listed at my Etsy store. You can go there to see a few different views of it.

New kid on the block...

As a "new kid on the block" over at Etsy, I'm still learning how things work-- or don't work, in this case.

Yesterday evening, I noticed that my "views" (that is, the number of times that someone had clicked to see each of my items closer, read about them, etc.) had fluctuated. One had gone from 11 views down to 1! I wasn't quite sure what was going on until I looked at the forums (where I have yet to jump in and get talking). Apparently, this is a new issue with v2. Twice since the switch to the new version, the view counter has gone whacko. Some numbers stay the same, others revert to 1 (or something like that), and evidently, once the numbers are gone, they don't come back. You have to start from scratch, all over again.

Now, this shouldn't be a big deal, really. The view numbers don't mean anything-- aren't worth anything-- unless someone should strangely decide not to buy from you just because they see that you're lacking in views. But it's still kind of annoying. I'd like to be able to see quickly and easily which of my items are getting more attention. It's also fun to say to yourself, "Wow, 10 people have already looked at my pendant!" Still, as someone else wrote, it's not the views that matter. You can have a thousand views, but the only one that's worth anything is the one that prompts someone to make a purchase.

So-- the moral of the story is-- I shouldn't get too attached to my ever-increasing (I hope) counter numbers, since they can disappear at any time. ;o)

My Etsy shop is up and running!

I finally have my Etsy shop up and running! Yay! :o)

Now let's see how long my enthusiasm lasts without a single sale. ;o) I'm trying to be realistic and remind myself that this kind of thing probably takes time. Even if I don't ever make a sale, I haven't invested much in the attempt. (It's currently 20 cents to least each item.)

Still, just an hour or two after listing my first item, I can already feel the anxiety creeping in. I'm already asking myself (as I have every time I've contemplated doing this kind of thing), "What if no-one likes anything I've made?" (Well, so what? It's certainly not the end of the world if I only make stuff for myself.) ...or... "What if someone buys something, but then they aren't happy with it because they think it looked better in the photos?" ...And so on. Really, the negativity never ends! ;o)

But all that self-doubting aside, I'm glad to have at least made an attempt at something like this. It's been in my mind for a while, now, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens. It would be so exciting to make just a single sale, I think. :o)

Once I started listing things, I found that I enjoyed it-- well, apart from the trying to decide what price to put on things. I've listed four items so far, but I think I'll let that be it for today. Tomorrow I'll probably list a few more-- and a few more the next day-- and so on, until I've built up a little bit of an inventory. I don't want to list too many things-- because it's a waste of money if I don't sell anything, but also because having too mnay things in your store might mean that lots of your stuff never gets seen. But on the other hand, having too little isn't good, either. Anyway, it's advised that you try to list at least one new thing every day or two, to keep yourself more "in the eye of the public", so I'll try to do that for a while, to see how it goes. I'll also try to visit the Etsy forums and make myself visible there, too. ...And just generally give out the link to my new store wherever I can. (g)

Speaking of which-- I'd better go back and put a link at the beginning of this post... Done! :o)

Well, off to answer the call of the clothes dryer!

Silver-tone mokume gane, take 2...

I went ahead and used up the rest of the silver-tone mokume gane block. (I'm trying to finish projects before starting new ones. True, there are glittered, tinted translucent clay mixes sitting around, remnants from my opal obsession, and other items of evidence to the contrary, but from here on out, I'm trying to do better.)

Since I wasn't quite thrilled with the results from my first experiments, I decided to try something a little bit different.

For instance, here's a red base bead (metallic red, I think-- since I already had some custom-mixed) rolled in as thick a covering of chunky red glitter as I could get to adhere to the bead. Then, of course, covered in slices of the silver mg. I think it turned out better than the first batch. It's at least more interesting to look at, IMO.

The piece below is a pink/peach base bead with (if I remember correctly) iridescent "confetti" glitter (the type you use to make opals) between the base clay and the mg slices. It turned out ok, but I don't think the iridescent glitter showed up much.

One more example from the new batch of silver-tone mg: It's a green base bead covered with chunky green glitter (same brand as I used for the red glittered one above).

I think I prefer the ones with glittered base beads to the other type, with this particular mokume gane block.

Studio Friday - Portfolio

Today's Studio Friday topic is the portfolio:

I've never put one together. I would be very interested to see and hear what everyone else has as a portfolio and what makes up one" ~ Jo

Well, neither have I, really... I guess you could say that my Flickr account is a portfolio (of sorts) for my polymer clay work-- but in my opinion, a portfolio should be more streamlined than my Flickr page is. Instead of quantity, it should be about quality. If I were buildnig a portfolio, I would choose only a limited number of examples of my very best work. I would take painstaking care to take the best photos of these items-- professional and attractive, but careful to represent the items truthfully. (These days, with Photoshop, it's just too easy to manipulate photos into something better than the original.) I would include detailed, but precise, information about the media used, dimensions, etc. for each piece. I would also write a "cover letter" (or whatever you'd call it, in this instance) briefly explaining my history, the media I use, and my "vision" for my art (or something like that). I would probably also include a list of websites, galleries, etc. where my work could be found.

But I can't really see myself needing anything of that sort-- not ever, really. Right now, I'm still just playing around with the possibility of someday (soon, I hope) selling a few things on-line. I don't think I'd need a portfolio unless I were trying to get my work included in a gallery or show somewhere, or trying to convince a boutique to carry a line of my products-- not something even remotely on my horizon. (g)

Chitter chatter

So, what have I been up to, clay-wise?

• I just joined 2o groups over at Flickr. A few of them have nothing to do with clay (instead being about my dogs' breeds or a few locations near to my heart), but most of them are related to it in one way or another. It seems like a good way to get to know other people who "do" clay, see some inspirational photos, and maybe even get more traffic at my own pages.
• I just finished baking a batch of beads to be featured in my "Crackled Inlay" tutorial-- if in fact we decide to stick with that name. I don't know if we'll think of another one that's better. It's hard to see exactly how they'll look when they're completely finished, but they don't look too bad right now.
• Yesterday, I typed up the tutorial itself, so now "all" I have to do is sand and buff the beads-- then photograph them and put together the tutorial and photos into the webpage tutorial format. Well, Donald'll probably fix up the photos and plug all the info into the webpage-- unless he teaches me how to do it first. ;o)
• I used up the rest of the silver mg block I made (just to get it out of the way, mainly). Those beads are finished now, all the way to buffing, even. I also sanded and buffed some/most of the "ghost image" stamped mg pendants I made. I was disappointed with how some of them turned out. A couple, because the contrast between the colors was just way too little to be impressive. A few more because somehow or other, I got little pockets of air trapped in the pendants-- probably between the decorative mg veneer and the stronger "backing" clay. So now there are unsightly little bumps where the air expanded during curing. :o( Very sad. But I guess it's part of the learning process. I'll be more careful the next time I do something like that. I haven't had that much trouble with air pockets before this, but now I see what a pain in the neck they can be.
• I salvaged a little-used bulletin board from the pantry, repainted it, and hung it in the craft room to give me a place to hang some of my finished jewelry. It's nice to have a place to put them-- rather than having twenty necklaces getting entangled while they all hang on the doorknob! (g)
• Probably more things I'm not thinking of at the moment...

So now I need to make myself get out the sandpaper and work on sanding the beads for the tutorial. I'm not really looking forward to that, but at least some of them are bigger items, which makes them easier to sand, I think. And there are only... 4 or 5?...round beads in this batch... (I hate sanding round beads!)