Some new work

After watching Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg's (Riverpoetdesigns) new DVD three times, I decided to give it a try. What she does with clay is absolutely amazing. She makes it look so very easy and believe me, it's not. I doubt anyone will come close to her beautiful flowers and placement on her pendants. There's a lot of room for improvement, but I'm working on it.

Georgia O'Keeffe Necklace

This is my challenge entry for the October Challenge of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy. We had to pick our favorite artist and design something around their art. I chose Georgia O'Keeffe and added Kambaba jasper rounds and tubes and highlighted it with yellow magnesite. I just found out this was accepted into the Customer Gallery at www.turquoisemagpie.com.

Bringing Back the 60s

The peace sign is all over the place, in clothing, in jewelry, on backpacks and more. I decided to add one to my Etsy shop. Here I used a transfer image on polymer clay and finished it with resin. I tried to find one that was a little different and not so psychodelic. This one has the stars, moon, earth and sun. It comes with a black cording. I guess the peace sign was a cool part of the hippy era.

Polymer Clay Book Thongs

These are new to my Etsy Store - polymer clay book thongs - they fit in the crack of your book to hold your place. LOL. The hearts are made of polymer clay with a transfer using magic transfer paper. I then finished them with resin for a lasting, beautiful shine. I'm selling them in my store for $9.95. They would make a nice gift for an avid reader.

Putting some necklaces together

Decided to finish some of my pendants with beads. Here are a few I made this week. The brown one is carnelian gemstones and Swarovski crystals. The green one is adventurine and yellow crystals.

Featured Artist - ToniNZ

http://www.toninz.etsy.com/

Very rarely do I purchase premade canes. I try to do them myself and most times I am fairly successful, BUT, I have recently been following a polymer clay artist in New Zealand, Toni Ransfield. Her flower canes are absolutely the most beautiful I have ever seen. I purchased two of them this morning and I am so excited to make some pendants with the flower canes from Toni.

Surprise 40th Wedding Anniversary Party

Last night my children gave my husband and I a surprise 40th anniversary party. It was great to have all my family celebrating with us. Thank you so much Ken, Dawn and Nicole for a fantastic party. Wow, who are those people?

Butterfly Heart

Another new style heart pendant.

Lone Rose - Resin Finished Pendant

Here's a new style pendant from a tutorial by Lynda of SCDiva. She has helped me along getting the sides so they look professional. Thanks so much Lynda for your help. You are a great friend and mentor.

One Lovely Blog Award

Thank you to Dori of SassyClayCreations for this great honor. I truly appreciate being selected along with so many other talented artists. Thanks once again.

Barrettes - Totally addicting

For the past week or so I have been making barrettes and doing well selling them. If you look at my Etsy store, you can see a few I have done and put into my shop. These are done with a technique called mica shift. The clay is stamped and then you are supposed to shave off the top. I have not done that, just sanded and sanded and then buffed. This way of doing mica shift was taught to me by my friend, Lynda of SCDiva. Here's another one.

Violet Heart Bracelet - Something New!

This is one of my new bracelets with matching pendant. It is made with polymer clay, alcohol inks, silver leafing, stamped with a French text, and resin finished. The design is on both sides of the hearts so that if one heart happens to turn, you will still see the text and silver leafing. I have added adventurine beads with Swarovski crystals. It has a silver heart shaped clasp. The pendant has an AAnraku bail which will accommodate any type of cording.

Krissy is Back!!! WELCOME HOME!

My niece, Kristen Erario, served six months in Iraq. Yesterday she came home escorted by approximately 100 motorcycle riders from the "Iron Shield". It was the most awesome, emotional experience! Her sister, Danielle Aiello, arranged for this exciting homecoming!

Featured Artist - Mai of 4Thesparrowsnest

http://www.4thesparrowsnest.etsy.com/

Recently on Etsy’s front page comes Mai (pronounced May, like the month) of 4thesparrowsnest. She delights in creating beautiful, functional treasures that brighten up everyday life. Newly married, she studied art at Appalachian State University in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. She’s an avid crafter, and has a fervent appreciation for all things handmade–especially felt, unique jewelry, and pottery.

She says, “I find myself most intrigued by nature and the beauty and humor that can be found in it, and I love to translate what I see into whimsical narratives. Allowing the little melodramas of animals to unfold captivates my inner story-teller and brings me to what I love most–the process of creating.I ADORE birds of all kinds, and love to play with woodland/forest themes. I enjoy working in different styles, utilizing a diverse spectrum of materials. I really enjoy switching between jewelry and felt; it keeps my thoughts and ideas fresh and keeps me from getting bored with one particular medium. While working with felt, I often get new ideas for jewelry, and vice versa.”

“My process for my polymer clay creations involves a mix of hand-shaping and constructing, as well as mold/casting techniques. I find sources for molds in many places, and many of my molds are custom created by me (meaning I created or significantly altered the original item myself.) Even after a piece is cast, I always alter it further by sanding, carving, antiquing, and gently polishing. All of my felt frames are crafted using my own hand-drawn patterns. They are embroidered and assembled in a very time lengthy process. If you would like to know more about my creation process, feel free to contact me.

Featured Artist - Maryellen of Beetreebyme

http://www.beetreebyme.etsy.com/
Trying to blog about Maryellen of Beetreebyme was a difficult task. On her website, she has the most beautiful pictures of her work. Not only does she sculpt, but makes buttons, caketoppers, bracelets, necklaces, you name it.

I could not pick three pictures; they were all so beautiful. Here's a little about her: She is inspired by almost everyone - artists, jewelry designers, people she meets. Other people’s tastes, interests and emotions show her the world from different perspectives. That leads her down different paths and inspires her to try new ideas.
Nature is her biggest source of inspiration for designs. Almost all of her work is fashioned after realistic or fantasy flora and fauna. Her inspiration for color comes from everywhere. The natural world, magazines and unknown sources. Sometimes color combinations just pop into her head. She said, "I think most of us store inspiration without realizing it. Then we draw from it as needed."

Maryellen has been working with clay since the late 80’s. At that time she had a farm and sold fresh herbs at local farmers' markets. She met a vendor who was making great pins that were collages of cane slices. She experimented and came up with a design for a vase style brooch that would hold a tiny herb bouquet.

The brooch upside down looked like a skirt and that became her angel and fairy design. She never looked back after that. What an amazing artist! You are such an inspiration to us all Maryellen!

Nominated for Award!

I have been nominated for an award called the "Sisterhood Award." Given to me by Lynda of SCDiva. It was given as she thinks my blog is creative and inspirational, and in return, I get to nominate 5 women whose blogs inspire and encourage me. I have chosen Alissa of

http://divadea.blogspot.com/, Jan of http://www.jangeisen.com/, Pippa of http://www.pipsjewellery.blogspot.com/, Laura of
http://www.laurabeestudios.blogspot.com/, and Marcia of http://www.marciapalmer.blogspot.com/. All of these wonderful artists have amazing blogs. Check them out!

Featured Artist - Lynda of SCDiva

Inspiration for polymer clay designs comes from many places, nature, texture, colors, but my greatest inspiration comes from other polymer clay artists. Here is one artist whose designs are so elegant and exquisite, I draw from her creative talents. Lynda of SCDiva (http://www.scdiva.etsy.com/) incorporates semi-precious gemstones with polymer clay to complete the most beautiful necklaces.

Her image transfer pendants are imaginative and different. She puts her own spin on brooches and pendants using Magic Transfer Paper. She is my friend and my teacher. Here is one of her designs.

One of my very favorite necklaces is a newer piece she has just done using gorgeous African jasper slab cut beads and a matching polymer clay pendant of the same colors. Amazing and lovely.

Tyler William Riopel on his Christening Day

Our grandson, Tyler William, in his little tuxedo, Christening Day, Cure of Ars Church, Bellmore, New York, March 15th, 2009. Isn't he adorable?

Magic Transfer Paper

I purchase Magic Transfer Paper from www.polymerclayproductions.com/ to make these pendants. Here I have started the process by transferring these images onto white clay. (I will post new pictures when they are completed.) I wanted to let you know that they are so vibrant and bright because Ilysa of Polymer Clay Productions has a new method of transferring the images onto the clay. Once she has decided on her images, she copies them onto photo paper and then onto the Magic Transfer Paper. It makes quite a difference in the color and clarity of the images. If you would like to know more about this technique, just let me know and I will give you all the information.

Guest Artist - Pippa of Pippsjewelry

http://www.pipsjewellery.etsy.com/

In beautiful village in the heart of Wiltshire, England, lives one of the most inspirational polymer clay artists, Pippa of Pipsjewellery. She has been using Polymer Clay to create things at least since 1990. She describes herself as a bit of a butterfly, and loves trying new techniques in her beads so you will always be able to find something new and different in her shop.

From her blog - "Addiction. Not a word I ever thought I would use in a description of myself! But here I am, addicted to the stuff and loving every minute! Come and share with me the up and downs and ins and outs of trying to be a Polymer Clay Artist."

I definitely think she has succeeded! The one recurring theme that you will find in her jewelry, however, is leaves. She loves incorporating them into jewelry in lots of different styles and colors.

Here's a magnificent kaleidoscope pendant. The precision is amazing - just like the artist.

Guest Artist - Keith Henning - Creativewriting

www.creativewriting.etsy.com

One of our newest members and one of three gentlemen in our Guild is Keith Henning. Keith’s beautiful pens are elegant, classy and have a definite masculine quality. Although he does have one pink one in his Etsy shop I have my eye on. He also makes tie tacks for the discerning GQ man.

He has been been making polymer clay pens for a little over a year and considers himself a rookie in the field. Making pens is something he stumbled upon in his search for a hobby. He changed jobs several years ago and came into a situation where he was no longer working weekends and nights (the normal chef life). With new found time on his hands, he needed to find a hobby. His first choice was woodworking. He says, “The intrigue of power tools growling away in the garage and the man verses wood excitement kept my interest for a few years. During one of my many trips to man world (the Woodcraft store) I saw a demo on pen turning. Suddenly I felt the need to make pens. They were smaller, more intimate, and everyone needs a good one. The first problem I had was no lathe. A lathe is essential when trying to turn something (duh) and not having one wasn’t going to break my spirit. It would have been easier to go buy one, but it was the premise of trying to figure out how to make a pen without a lathe that drove me to polymer. ”

“Wood has many constraints and I wanted to make pens that were only limited to my creativity and imagination. I grew up around polymer clay and usually helped my mom kneed it when her hands were tired, thank god for reformulation and pasta machines, and I was curious if it was durable enough to make pens. In my research I came across a few kit pens, but mostly Bic style pens covered with clay. As I delved deeper into the world of PC I started to see different techniques and uses than what I remembered as a kid. Faux effects, mica shifts, caning and that was only the beginning - I was hooked. So here I am making pens and having a ball. The power tools and memories of man-world are gathering dust, except for a few (tools not memories) I still use for my pens.”
He now scans the newspapers for clay sales and hangs out at Michael’s - just like the rest of us.

Guest Artist - Eugena 777

I first saw Eugena's magnificent flowers a while back. They amazed me with their life-like quality and beauty. She uses no molds or stamps and all her jewelry is sculpted by hand. In her shop at Etsy at Eugena777@etsy.com , you can also purchase tutorials to make these gorgeous flowers yourself.

She has a variety of tutorials including the directions for these steampunk hearts.

The tutorials are extremely detailed. They show and explain every step of the project. Following these tutorials, you will be able to re-create the item shown on the cover of each tutorial and apply these new techniques for your future creations. The lovely necklace below shows her talent and sense of style. To see more of her work, please visit her Etsy store at Eugena777@Etsy.com or her blog at http://www.polymerclaychameleon/.

My article is in the April Issue of Polymer Cafe!

A few months ago, I wrote an article on the generosity of polymer clay artists associated with Etsy. PCAGOE (Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy) has approximately 90 members. One of the goals of that group is to help various charities with their art. I received the April issue today and they have printed my article. Donations by PCAGOE members are sent to numerous charities some of which are Pendants for a Purpose, Bottles of Hope, and Polymer Clay for a Cause, please visit this wonderful store and purchase an item for a very worthy cause.(www.polymerclayforacause.etsy.com)

This past year, alphabet tiles were made by members and then reconstructed into a collage for a pediatric center. Several of these works of art now adorn several children's centers.

To read the entire article, pick up a copy of Polymer Cafe, April 2009 issue. And, thank you.

Featured Polymer Clay Artists

There will be a new section on my blog page beginning Friday, February 28th. I want to showcase some of the most talented polymer clay artists in the community. Some of the work you will see are from the hottest artists in Polymer Clay. Check back next week to see a collection of guests and their beautiful artwork.

No it's not painted.

Here's the completed pendant, resin finished with Aanraku bail.

Some people ask me if the flowers on my pendants are painted. They are not painted. They are tiny pieces of clay made into a "cane." A cane is a cylinder of clay with a design running through it very similar to those holiday cookies you buy to slice and bake. In the first photo, a skinner blend is prepared with slits to form the veins of the flower. Then the plug is reduced (or made longer and cut into six pieces. Then they are placed around a central stem (as in the second picture). The third picture shows the translucent clay placed between the petals and around the plug. The plug is then reduced again as in the fourth picture and extremely thin slices are taken from the cane and placed on the pendant as in the fifth picture.

Skinner blend plug with slits made for the veins of the flower.

After it has been reduced and cut into sections, placed around a central stem.

Then translucent clay is wedged between the petals to keep them apart. The cane is then reduced once more to elongate it and make different size flowers.

Here is the cane made into different size flowers.

Extremely thin slices are then taken from the cane and placed on the pendant before firing.

Spring Classes

I will be starting the spring classes for polymer clay I and II at the Adult Continuing Education at Hauppauge High School and Smithtown High School. The evening sessions for PC I at Hauppauge High School begins on Tuesday February 24th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 and run for four weeks. The PC II at Hauppauge start on Tuesday March 24th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 and runs also for four weeks. At Smithtown, the PC I classes begin on Thursday, March 5th from 9:00 am to 11:00 and run for eight weeks. The PC II classes at Smithtown begin also on Thursday, March 5th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm and run for four weeks. Contact me at NIKKIKEN20002000@yahoo.com if you would like more information.

Valentine's Day Hearts

Something a little different, mixing silver leafing on silver polymer clay, red flowers and a resin finish with Aanraku bail.