Marsgraphic and Translucent Clay

I like to experiment.

My favorite days start out with me not knowing how things will turn out.

I wanted to try some more media mixing with my fimo effect clay and the Marsgraphic markers.

Here's how one of the experiments turned out.

Hope it gets your Mad Scientist curious.

I used:

STAEDTLER fimo effect translucent

STAEDTLER Marsgraphic layout markers

STAEDTLER gloss varnish

STAEDTLER size for metal leaf

STAEDTLER silver leaf

STAEDTLER silver powder

I conditioned and rolled out a sheet of translucent fimo to the thickest setting on my pasta machine, about 1/4 cm thick. I used the natural shape of the Marsgraphic brush tip to create daisy petals in clusters.

I also used the brush shape of these markers to create leaves. I dabbed in some yellow centers and made some orange tufts with the very end of a brush tip.

I let the marker dry a bit and rolled out some more translucent fimo at the thinnest setting on my pasta roller.

I very carefully set this new very thin layer over the drawn on clay. I tried to keep out trapped air and tried to avoid smudging the flowers.

I rolled over the two layers to seal them up completely and create one solid piece. The thinner the top layer is the better you'll be able to see the design underneath. It's also pretty important to get rid of all the air trapped between the two layers.

I cut out some different shapes using cutters. Some of the shapes were baked over teeny light bulbs (like the hollow beads I made here), others were backed with contrasting clay to make them a bit bulkier.

I baked all the pieces in a preheated 230 degree oven for 20 minutes and allowed them to cool off before the next step.

I added texture to a thick sheet of translucent clay using one of STAEDTLER's texture sheets and placed the domed baked piece over it. I cut around the piece and gently pressed the two pieces together at the edges.

I smoothed the edge of the unbaked clay over the baked piece and re-baked it for another 20 minutes at 230 degrees.

I added some silver leaf and silver powder to the hollow in the pendant and varnished the heck out of it. It looks like a piece of glass or enamel work. I think I'll use it as a focal bead with the new Czech glass beads I ordered from FiveSisters on Etsy. I'm a HUGE fan. I like to shop in colour groups. I set my cart up with everything I think is pretty and then thin it out to three or four colours I feel like playing with for the next season of crafting. Say hi from me if you visit. 

I also made some plain old tile beads and really varnished the heck out of these too.

I'm going to have to experiment with this process more. I really enjoyed it.

Hope you try it too.

Let me know what happens.

:)

Spring Garden Nails

Oh how I missed you my stiletto nails!

I wanted to make some spring time nails and remembered my cache of STAEDTLER fimo nail art canes.

I have made so many flower canes over the years that I could make a whole garden in each nail tip.

I used some green sparkles and some green metallic powder in the tips but mostly kept them light and see through. It looks like the flowers and leaves are floating in there.

I added some 3D daisies too. Couldn't resist.

Here are some of the cane slices I used.

and a link to how I made some canes.

Simple skull canes

Day of the dead skull canes

Using the day of the dead canes

Roses and leaves

Canes in gel nails

Adding rose and leaf canes to nail art

Lemon-aid nail art with canes

Spotty nail art canes

More about nail art canes

New PolymerCafe Cover!!!!

SQUEEEE!!!!

I think this is my favorite publish so far!

I made this tablet bracelet using STAEDTLER fimo and a special secret technique....

You'll have to pick up your copy to find out how I transferred this many images without wanting to pull out my hair. This is another great issue of PolymerCafe. So many cool new techniques and ideas.

I used a heap of old family photos and LOVE that I can see them all day long when I wear these pieces.

Special thanks to my cousins Ashley and Chrissy (Painting with Light Photography) for finding and saving so many of these images. I can almost hear my Nammy's voice when I look at some of these pics.

Simplicity 6550 Blouse in Blue

I decided it was time to make myself some clothes.

I've been wanting to try this vintage Simplicity pattern for awhile.

I went through my fabric stash and found these two kind of matchy teeny prints in blue and thought they'd do the trick.

I opened up the pattern to find it already cut and used. There was a piece missing but it was easily drafted. I was missing the inside facing for the collar / button placket. It was a simple rectangle as long as the front of the piece and as wide as the bottom of the collar front. I also notice the bottom of the blouse front and back had been trimmed and done away with. The sleeves were also trimmed to the short sleeve version so I decided to go with that.

I didn't have enough of either of my chosen fabrics to make a whole shirt. So I cropped the front of the bodice off to accommodate my fabric matching. The top half of the front would be teeny blue hearts and the bottom would be teeny blue flowers. I added a wisp of a seam allowance to each edge so I could sew them together and not loose length on the whole front piece.

I also made some itty bitty covered cord to add to the front seam for decoration.

I covered some worsted weight yarn (Canadiana I think).

I'm pretty pleased with the results.

I added more than twice the buttons suggested. I like the look of a heap of buttons.

I think the next one will be all the same fabric. Something gossamer thin and airy for spring. I will also plan to add the length back to the front and back bodice pieces. It could do with some waist darts.

I really enjoyed the collar construction on this pattern. It has a tiny under collar piece and a very large over piece that extends the length of the whole blouse front.

Have any of you tried this pattern?

I'd love to hear your results.

Mercedes

 Just a few very very short years.....

Seems like just yesterday she was flitting through the backyard with a pocketful of toads, hunting down lightning bugs that she was convinced were fairies.

My goodness.....

It all happened so fast.

Isn't life full of surprises?

Snowed In

It's been an interesting couple of weeks as far as the weather goes.

This is our front yard.

Hope you're staying toasty and tucked in round your neck of the woods.

Valentine Tutorial Glass Style Heart Pendants

It's time for another tutorial!!!!

This time we're going all out with the hearts.

It's a picture heavy tutorial so I'll keep the words limited.

Happy Valentines!

I used three STAEDTLER fimo effect colours. Translucent #014, Rose quartz #206 (New), and Ruby quartz #286 (New). These little hearts would look great in any fimo colour. I especially love the translucent based colours for these guys.

I flattened each of the colours to a 1/4 cm thick sheet and free hand cut out some hearts. Mine range from 1.5 cm wide to 2.5 cm wide.

I cut two sides from a sandwich bag and placed the hearts inside one at a time. I pressed the edges smooth with my finger tips through the plastic.

I used a floral pin to make a hole in the top of each heart. 

I baked the hearts in a preheated 230 degree oven for twenty minutes and let them cool off.

STAEDTLER size for metal leaf was painted on with a liner brush in different patterns. Some swirly... some dotty.... some geometric. I let the size dry completely.

After the size was dry I stuck some STAEDTLER metal leaf onto the areas I sized. I used a rough stiff bristle brush to rub off any extra leaf and burnish it to a shine.

I glossed them up with a coat of STAEDTLER gloss varnish.

I did the backs too. Sooooo shiny!!!

My favorite pliers are three in ones. They have double round nose tips, a flat area and a cutter. I used them to twist three cm bits of twenty gauge wire into eyelets. Each heart had an eyelet twisted into the hole at the top.

I joined each heart to a hunk of chain ranging from one cm to six cm long using a jump ring.

I made quite a few varying lengths.

I joined three hearts... one long, one medium and one short.... a red, white and pink heart on each ring. I made six of these triple strand thingies.

I threaded a 10 cm piece of chain through the eye of each of these joining jump rings and evenly spaced the strands. I added a jump ring to each end of the connecting chain to hold it in place.

I made dangle beads by putting a head pin through a crystal bead and turning an eye at the top of each bead.

Attaching the dangle beads to the main chain will keep the triple strand hearts in place. I also stuck some crystal dangle beads randomly around the piece.

I checked to see if I liked the way it hung. I added a few more single strand hearts to the main chain.

Th ribbon I used is vintage sewing stuff. I cut two strands big enough to go half way around my neck and finished the ends with a crimp fastener.

I used some fabri-tac to stick some bows just over the crimps on each end of the ribbon.

Lobster claws were added to each end of the ribbon with jump rings and I clipped the lobster claws onto each end of the necklace chain.

I love these little hearts!!!

Hope you do too!

STAEDTLER's New Texture Sheet Samples

I just finished up these samples for STAEDTLER of their new texture sheets.

I must say I'm in love.

Thought I'd share the resulting pics with you.

The top left of every sample has been dry brushed with white acrylic paint.

The bottom left of every sample has been painted with black acrylic paint and then sanded.

I've added a coating of STAEDTLER fimo gloss varnish to the bottom right corner of each sample.

The top right corners are untreated baked fimo effect.

 I couldn't resist and made a second sample of the last sheets in pink. I wanted to see the contrast.

What do you think?

How much fun are these going to be?