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?

Critters

This week seems to have started off with a critter theme.

George has been keeping an eye on things. It's been either too cold or wet for him to roam the neighborhood  so he's been hanging around and getting involved in our activities. It's always much more inviting to sit on the sofa and watch movies with a George cuddled up on your lap.

These little guys have been lingering in my work area since we visited P.E.I..

I'm dying to make a mold from them but I'm worried about crushing them with the mold making compound.

I'm sure I'll figure something out. Maybe a resin dip.......

We had a visit from Mrs. Grouse this week too.

She showed up in our front garden under a bush. I would have never seen her but Mom spotted her right away. We don't see many of these in town. She must have been overcome with the cold. Mom made sure she had some seeds to fill her up. 

How's your week starting off?

Hope you have some critters of your own to share it with.

How I Use STAEDTLER's New Texture Sheets

 Thought I'd share my favorite way to get STAEDTLER's new texture sheets to do their magic.

I chose the leather and reptile sheet set to show you this time. I think it's my favorite........ 

I conditioned some new STAEDTLER fimo effect jade green #506 and rolled it out on the largest setting on my pasta machine. I misted some water lightly onto both the texture sheet and the clay to act as a release agent. I normally use cornstarch but tried water and really like it better for this application.

I placed the rolled clay onto the texture sheet and fed both through the machine at the largest setting at the same time. I had to help the texture sheet decide what direction to go when it reached the bottom of the machine, but it went much better than I expected. I think I thought the whole thing would jam in there or something.

It was very easy to lift the clay from the texture sheet. Very very easy......... It was a really good image too.

I think I'm going to be using these a whole lot more.

I dry brushed a bit of gold paint onto the textured clay just to guild the lily a bit. 

Couldn't help myself.

I also decided to dust some STAEDTLER metal powder in green onto some unbaked textured clay.

Here it is sanded off and just left in the cracks after baking.

So pretty!

Wait till you see this varnished!!!!

Hollow Peekaboo Pendants

I've made some 3D pendants to show off the new STAEDTLER texture sheets and fimo effect colours that I've been playing with.

Here's how I did it.

I chose two colours of STAEDTLER fimo effects clay that I like together and rolled them through the pasta machine at the largest setting. Then I put them back trough the machine at the same setting with a texture sheet. I used the music notes and calligraphy sheet set for this front pendant.

I cut out some rounds of the same size using a 1.5 inch cutter.  One disc I cut a further smaller circle from and placed it on top of a curved bake able surface to create a slight dome. I baked the pieces for 20 minutes at 230 degrees. Then I added some detail with some gold paint. 

I glued the two pieces together using super glue.

I made a thin worm of the top disc colour and pressed it into the seam where the two sheets meet. Then I smoothed the new clay over the old by squishing it with my fingertips. I re-baked the piece for another 15 minutes at 230 degrees.

After the piece had cooled off I coated it with some STAEDTLER fimo gloss varnish and a few rhinestones. I'll drill some holes through the piece so I can hang them as pendants. They might also be used a brooches.... I'm not entirely sure yet.