Polymer Clay Bytes! - Tina Holden's Beadcomber

It's been a year! Giveaway and more

2019-05-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've blogged.
I guess with all the social media such as Facebook and Instagram, which are so easy to access and you can instantly chat with other people, get instant feedback and with a blog...well, one just doesn't know if anyone will even see or read it. Might make a good 'journal' tho? Will have to see if I can revive it...

But here's a test...if you see this, type a comment?
Also...hop on over to Beading Gem. I've got a Giveaway over there as well as a huge Coupon code!

https://www.beadinggem.com/2019/05/beadcombers-20-gift-certificate.html

Happy Creating!

Imitated Nature

2017-04-05T20:49:00.001-07:00

For those that don’t know I love to recreate things found on the beach with polymer clay. That’s also where my choice of name ‘Beadcomber’ came from, beachcombing.
I know a couple of my pieces are missing from this photo, namely a sea star or starfish and a whole sea urchin, but I wanted to see how a group shot of my handmade bits would look like. Sea urchin piece, sea glass, driftwood, pebbles, shells and my most recent addition, sand dollar.
The Sea urchin, driftwood and shells are made in a similar way with the help of chalk, the sea glass is made from a liquid form of polymer clay and the sand dollar is caned or made with a method called milifiori which is based on a technique that was originally used in glassworking for making complex designs.

So what is a cane? It’s a log or cylinder of clay that has a design running through it, so each slice of the cane - the cross-section - contains the design. I made a cane that measured approximately 2 inches in diameter and the larger the design, the easier the cane is to handle. It can then be reduced in size by pressing, stretching and rolling it so the cane becomes longer and thinner and the design becomes smaller along with it. Then when cutting slices from the cane, the design will look the same front and back.

I have tutorials on all, except for this and the driftwood. They can be found Here. Just look for the Download Category with Tutorials. If you want some sand dollars or other things, I have them too!

Silkscreen + Chalk + Ink + Liquid Polyclay = Faux Ceramic

2017-03-22T15:46:00.001-07:00

I was just going through my photos on my computer and while I had posted this tutorial on Facebook, I completely forgot to post it here. It’s not my usual style for a tutorial, but made it as short as possible. If you aren’t into making Christmas or Easter Ornaments, this technique can be used for plenty of other projects including Sun Catchers, Pendants, Bracelets, Boxes etc.

I’ve been making silkscreens for more than 10 years now and they have become very popular for use in polymer clay. Here is one of the earliest techniques I developed using chalk.

Silkscreen + Chalk + Ink + Liquid Polyclay = Faux Ceramic. Enjoy!

For my Silkscreens, check out the nice variety in my Etsy

Beaders Supplies in Faux Stone, Raku, Batik and other techniques

2016-11-02T20:03:00.001-07:00

As you might know I create silkscreens and molds for polymer clay artists, but lately I've also enjoyed making and selling my handmade supplies.

I'm on a bit on a jewelry-making hiatus. Having pinched nerves in my neck don't make for comfort when long hours hunched over beadwork are involved, but I still need to make a living. I'm glad others are enjoying my components and that these do just as well as my jewelry. I have the components available on my Facebook Page Beadcombersupplies. The album with current items is found here:

Silkscreened Polymer Clay Feathers...a Video Tutorial

2016-08-04T20:34:00.001-07:00

Here is a Video Tutorial I made and forgot to post here.

Silkscreens, Pan Pastels and Chalks

2016-08-04T18:58:00.002-07:00

When I began to make silkscreens for polymer clay about 10 years ago I never dreamed they would become so popular. The late Gwen Gibson, a Pioneer in the World of Polymer Clay, innovated the use of silkscreens and etching plates with Polymer Clay. Gwen was generous and I was fortunate to chat with her on a couple of occasions. Although I also use acrylic paint, which is the medium Gwen had primarily used with silkscreens, my passion has always been Mica. I then added Chalk and Pan Pastel. I began using Metal Pulvers in 1989 and then moved to the less toxic Mica. Back in 1989 no one told you about wearing a mask when using the pulvers or fine metal shavings and when Jacquard introduced Mica powder for Card making, scrap-booking etc (which we also use in make-up and eyeshadow) this wasn’t necessary. If you use a brush and really go at it, you might want to wear a mask, though. I primarily use my fingers to apply.
For many years I sold this tutorial, but have decided to share some of my older tutorials as I develop newer ones. Enjoy!
“Low Relief Stone Rubbings”
by Tina Holden (2008)
This is an older tutorial, but still valid. I just reformatted the layout of the text. Here I will teach you how to create 'low relief stone rubbings' on Polymer Clay. These stone rubbings are based on grave stone rubbings, but aren't as morbid. Instead you'll discover various ways and possibilities with this technique using silkscreens or stencils.

Tools:
● Tissue blades, rigid and flex (flex is optional)
● Pasta Machine (Atlas 150 used in examples)
● Needle tool or knitting needle
● Silkscreens or stencils
● round, oval or square cutters (optional)
● Flat soft bristle paintbrush
● Oven
● Baking tile or glass
● White unlined paper or card stock to bake on
● Thin Foam texture sheet or other suitable texture such as silken fabric or tulle
● Armorall as release agent
● Baby wipes or Windex for clean-up
● gloves (optional)
Materials:
● Premo! Polymer Clay: 1 small block each of white, translucent or frost, pearl and either Turquoise
Blue or Sea green (note: Sea Green is no longer available)
● Fimo Gloss or Fimo Water based Varnish
● Decorator Chalks (or pastel powder eye make-up in cobalt blue, bright green and yellow) or Pan Pastels in similar colours
● Jacquard PearlEx Mica Powder in Turquoise (optional)
● Embossing powder in green, blue or verdigris
The clay I prefer is Premo but you can use any of the other brands if you prefer, although for jewelry I don't recommend Sculpey III as it is too brittle for thinner pieces. (note…this is the older Premo packaging)

Preparing the Clay base:
Step 1. Mix ½ block each of white, translucent, and pearl with ¼ block of turquoise or sea-green. Roll through Pasta machine on thickest setting (#1 on Atlas)

Step 2. Blend clay with 1 tsp. of embossing powder.

Step 3.Blend clay with ¼ tsp. of Turquoise Mica Powder (optional). Roll through pasta machine on thickest setting (#1 on Atlas).

Step 4. Cut sheet in half and lay one half aside. Prepare Silkscreen by using a little Armorall on finger and spread over the 'rubbery' side of the screen. This will prevent the fine mesh from clogging up with clay. Roll out on smaller setting, next size down, #2 on Atlas.

Step 5. Stack Silkscreen – shiny side down onto prepared clay sheet, with foam texture or tulle at backside of clay. Roll through pasta machine on thickest setting (#1 on Atlas).

Step 6. Peel off Silkscreen and texture. You should get a low relief or stamp-like texture on your clay. (I’ve darkened the first photo so you might be able to see the texture a little better)

Colouring the relief texture:
Step 7. Lightly cover finger or gloved finger with chalk and gently stroke or rub
Colour onto your textured sheet. Don't apply too much pressure as you will want to keep your texture intact. Start with one colour and apply in various places on the relief. I used green chalk here.

Step 8. Then apply another colour/s. Second colour I used is blue, third I used yellow. Cover entire sheet until you are pleased with the effect. You may have to go over the surface with more powder to darken it. It doesn't really matter if you apply some green over the blue, it'll actually turn it into a nice teal.

Step 9: Take sheet that you laid aside earlier and roll out at #2 setting and then texture one side with foam texture or tulle. Remove foam or tulle and carefully lay your coloured relief rubbing sheet onto the sheet you textured (texture side down), avoiding trapping air bubbles.

Step 10: Trim away rough edges. Any of the coloured scraps put aside to roll into matching beads later if you want to.

Step 11: Cut into tiles for Bracelet, Earrings, put holes where you need them. Other creative uses would be for coasters or tiles.

Step 12: When putting in holes horizontally, Hold the tile as shown and maneuver a thin needle or needle tool through the tile, just until it peeks through the other side. Complete the hole by pushing tool through from opposite end. For a bracelet you'll need about 5 to 7 tiles, it depends on what size beads you use as spacers, on wrist size as well as the tile size. I do have a tile bead tutorial on both my website and Etsy (links below)

Step 13: Rub some chalk or pastel on the sides and back of the bead tiles also.

Step 14: Bake, Let cool and varnish, then string with elastic. Tie knots and hide knots inside large-hole glass beads.

Note: you can roll your unbaked/uncured stone rubbing through smaller settings to lightly stretch the design which I did with the earrings here.

For variation try other colour combos and other patterns.
Variation: mix a different colour clay base such as ½ ecru, ¼ translucent, ¼ pearl, ¼ raw sienna and use chalks in brown and orange. Always use a light colour clay base to bring out the colours of the chalk.
Have Fun creating!!
Tina
For a variety of silkscreens, molds, tutorials etc…
My Etsy: https://beadcomber.etsy.com

Silkscreening technique on crackled foil and Cabezel Molds

2016-08-01T00:17:00.002-07:00

Silkscreening technique on crackled foil and Cabezel Molds

	Tutorial by Tina Holden I’ll also show you how I silkscreen on metallic crackle. Here I’ll demo how to silkscreen on a simple foil crackle (different than leafing). You can use any silkscreen you have on hand or this Paisley design which can be found HERE. I’ll also show you a tip on how I cut the CaBezel shapes without the use of a tissue blade or knife. I’ll demo a couple of different shapes, one for the frame and another for the cabochon… …and what I like about the CaBezel molds is they have both a frame and a corresponding cabochon mold that fit into the frame. Shadesofclay.com has a large variety found here http://shadesofclay.com/products/molds/cabezels-tools-supplies/ and here http://shadesofclay.com/products/molds/exclusives-molds/ There are 8 Frames and 8 corresponding Stones/cabochons shapes for the “Blocks and Dots” mold, 4 sets are round, 3 are square and 1 set of rectangles. The “Fab Focals1” has 3 sets of wonderful shapes and the “Organics” has 4 sets. There are so many great CaBezel Molds to choose from. Materials: · Polymer Clay: Black Fimo and Silver, White, and Turquoise Blue… or Sculpey Premo in Black, White Gold Glitter, Frost white glitter, Peacock Pearl · Lisa Pavelka foil, iridescent or oilslick · Heavy Body Acrylic Paint in Black · Water and spritz bottle for Premo or… · ArmorAll Original Protectant (found in Automotive section at large Retailer) · Brush for ArmorAll Tools: · Pasta Machine · CaBezel Molds, various styles or shapes that you like. I’m using the Dots ’n Blocks and Fab Focals 1 · Silkscreen: Paisley or other · Acrylic Hand roller · Paint brush · Squeegee or old credit card · Flex tissue blade* · Large round or oval cookie cutter *(optional) · Bucket of warm water to rinse silkscreen
	Step 1: Creating the Silkscreen Sheet Mix Premo Peacock Pearl with White Gold Glitter. The White Gold Glitter is very rich and adds a lot of sparkle to the Peacock Pearl. I used a ¼ block of peacock with ¼ of a ¼ block of White Gold Glitter. Roll to largest setting of your PM or #1 on Atlas.
	Step 2: Apply Iridescent or Oilslick Foil with shiny patterned side facing up. Burnish onto clay with folded piece of paper. Rub back and forth. The friction of the rubbing produces heat which transfers the foil onto the clay. You don’t have to press hard when rubbing and you don’t need to burnish for very long, maybe 30 seconds. Lift up a corner of the foil to see if it all transferred, if not position back into place and burnish some more. A few odd specks that don’t transfer won’t matter. Remove the mylar/plastic film from the clay.
	Step 3: Roll clay through at #2 (next smallest setting after #1 on Atlas PM), rotate the clay ¼ turn and roll through to #3, which is thinner yet. This is what the sheet and crackle will look like.
	Step 4: Silkscreening onto Polymer Clay Place the silkscreen with the shinier side face down on the clay. The shinier side is also slightly textured. For some it is hard to differentiate which side is which, but I mark my screens with a tiny sticker and provide instructions with each screen. The type of paint you use is also important. Liquid or thin bodied paints will not work as they’ll run through the mesh and won’t keep the pattern. Heavy body acrylic paint works best. Apply a strip of paint. A little goes a long way and if it’s not enough more paint can be applied.
	Step 5:Use a squeegee or old credit/phone card to apply paint over surface.
	Step 6: You can check to see if paint has been transferred to the clay through the entire mesh of the silkscreen by lifting a corner of the screen and peeling it back a bit. If there are some spots that require more paint place the screen back down, and apply a bit more paint. You could use your finger to apply paint through the screen at that spot. If the transfer of paint is complete, remove the screen and place it into a container of lukewarm water. Take care of your screen by not allowing the paint to dry onto it. After the screen is washed, dab it dry with a paper towel and lay it on a tile or shelf with the shiny side facing up. (Don’t place it shiny side down as it might ‘glue’ itself to the surface and you’d have to wet it well for removal. Mistakes happen). If you want to reuse the screen as soon as possible, give it a quick blow-dry on a cool to warm setting, but avoid hot or the screen could ripple from the heat.
	Step 7: Beautiful pattern on an iridescent crackle. Let the paint dry. Should take only about 30 minutes or so.
	Step 8: Making the Cabochon Using the CaBezel mold, spray it with water or if using Fimo clay, brush it with a bit of Armorall (Water renders Fimo sticky). You could use Corn-starch but I find ArmorAll works well with any photopolymer, plastic and even polymer clay mold. Press clay into the mold. It’s ok if it overlaps or spreads over the side of the mold. I used 2 thicknesses of clay at #2 setting on the pasta machine. You could use scrap clay for this as this part of the clay will get veneered or covered with the silkscreened clay.
	Step 9: Trim the edges of what will become the ‘filler clay’. (Ignore the frame clay piece above the piece that I’m cutting here, we’ll get to that)
	Step 10: CaBezels are see-through so you can choose a section you want for your pendant. Firmly press the CaBezel over the part to mark the cutting lines. Cut out the shape, using an Exacto blade knife or tip of the tissue blade.
	Step 11: Note I’m using a different shape here. This one here is from the “Fab Focals 1” set Place the silkscreened shape over the filler clay. Smooth the edges and sides so they touch the work surface. This will give your cabochon/stone a domed effect.
	Step 12: You can also pick up the cabochon piece to manipulate the veneer edges over the sides of the filler clay. You could then cure/bake the piece at this point, but I prefer to have an oven full of pieces as I don’t like to waste electricity.
	Step 13: Making the CaBezel Frame… The pendants shown here are from the “Blocks and Dots” CaBezel Set, but I’ll be demoing a shape from the “Fab Focals 1” as a square shape is so easy to cut out with a tissue blade, but I want to show you a trick I use for more complex shapes. Coming up…
	Step 14: Condition 2 segments of Black Fimo clay (or ¼ package of black Premo). Put it aside and condition ½ segment of White Gold Glitter Premo. Then mix the 2 colours together by either marbling or with a Skinner blend.
	Step 15: This way you see plenty of sparkle, but still see some of the black also.
	Step 16: Roll clay out to #2 on machine and fold in half. Basically you’re repeating step 8 except you would now choose the CaBezel frame that corresponds with the cabochon or stone you created…unless you are making a bunch of frames and cabochons and want to mix and match later.
	Step 17: Spritz your CaBezel mold with water for Premo or as before brush with ArmorAll if using Fimo.
	Step 18: There are a couple of other methods to create the frame from what I demonstrated in step 8. Use a piece of paper on your work surface to work on as it prevents the clay from sticking onto your tile. If you forget the paper, as I sometimes do, you can use the tissue blade to slide under the clay to lift it from the work surface. One way to create the shape is to press the CaBezel mold onto the clay with your fingers and firmly press the sides. Don’t roll over the clay with a hand-roller as that will stretch the clay and shift it from the recess of the CaBezel and cause a double lip. Try it and you’ll see what I mean, lol. A much better way…
	Step 19: … which works really well and is a great tip from Wendy, is to use the hand roller end. Wendy explains to hold it in your fist and rub in every direction until you can see the clay is up into the mold. This way you get a great impression and shape. Thanks Wendy, this is absolutely the easiest way!
	Step 20: So, there are a couple of ways to cut out the shape. One is using a flex blade. Another would be using an Exacto (x-acto) knife or…
	Step 21: Here is my trick! Use a cutter! Choose a cutter that is larger than the CaBezel shape and has rounded sides. I have so many styles of cutters that using them to cut out the shapes is much easier than using an Exacto knife or tissue blade. A Football shape cutter would also work here.
	Step 22: Smooth the edges of the frame with your finger.
	Step 23: Insert the silkscreen shape / cabochon from step 11. Because the Frame hasn’t been cured yet you can push or nudge the frame edges to fit the sides of the silkscreened cabochon. Also, because the cabochon hasn’t been cured yet, it will stick to the frame without the use of glue or Liquid clay. Cure/bake/harden to clay manufacturers recommended time and temperature. Because I used both Fimo and Premo in this project and Fimo cures at a slightly lower temperature than Premo, I use the Fimo temperature for curing, but extend the time by about 10 to 15 minutes longer. In general when you cure Fimo at a higher than recommended temperature the colour will darken, but with black this doesn’t affect the colour J Have fun.
Here are a few more Cabezel pieces that also fit some of the other items that ShadesofClay has available, for instance, a very cool Keychains with bottle opener and a purse hanger! Purse hangers are handy at Restaurants when you don’t know where to put your purse, simply hang it from the table!	I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Share with your friends… Copyrights 2016 Tina Holden

Here are a couple of samples of my silkscreens. I have 79 in my Zibbet shop now…
…go have a look Here . You can message me on Facebook through my Supply Page or Tutorial Page

And...if you want to know how I do the colouring method shown in the last 2 photos, it's a technique I developed in 2007 with the lowly but effective chalk pastel. While I still use chalk for a more subtle effect I love using Pan Pastel as they are super-rich, ultra soft...you should try them if you haven't already. So many fun possibilities.

CaBezel Molds, Silkscreens and a Tutorial

2016-08-01T00:17:00.001-07:00

New things...
Wendy from “Shades of Clay”, a Canadian online store (ships worldwide) for everything polymer clay related, was kind enough to send me some CaBezel molds to try out to see if they work with Silkscreened veneers. She also tucked in some great accessories, a keychain with bottle opener and purse hanger, nice surprises. The Cabezels Wendy sent are the Block and Dots (foreground), Organic and Fab Focals 1. Thank you Wendy!

There is such a great myriad of techniques that can be used with the Cabezel Molds, you name it! Mokume Gane, Textured and stamped polymer clay, caned veneers, faux stone and so much more and I thought why not try them with Silkscreens! So I wrote a tutorial. Don’t miss the new Silkscreens I developed this past week and the COUPON after the tutorial…

	CaBezel Pendants with Silkscreened Crackle Stones Created by Tina Holden I’ll also show you how I silkscreen on metallic crackle. Here I’ll demo how to silkscreen on a simple foil crackle (different than leafing). You can use any silkscreen you have on hand or this Paisley design which can be found HERE. I’ll also show you a tip on how I cut the CaBezel shapes without the use of a tissue blade or knife. I’ll demo a couple of different shapes, one for the frame and another for the cabochon… …and what I like about the CaBezel molds is they have both a frame and a corresponding cabochon mold that fit into the frame. Shadesofclay.com has a large variety found here http://shadesofclay.com/products/molds/cabezels-tools-supplies/ and here http://shadesofclay.com/products/molds/exclusives-molds/ There are 8 Frames and 8 corresponding Stones/cabochons shapes for the “Blocks and Dots” mold, 4 sets are round, 3 are square and 1 set of rectangles. The “Fab Focals1” has 3 sets of wonderful shapes and the “Organics” has 4 sets. There are so many great CaBezel Molds to choose from. Materials: · Polymer Clay: Black Fimo and Silver, White, and Turquoise Blue… or Sculpey Premo in Black, White Gold Glitter, Frost white glitter, Peacock Pearl · Lisa Pavelka foil, iridescent or oilslick · Heavy Body Acrylic Paint in Black · Water and spritz bottle for Premo or… · ArmorAll Original Protectant (found in Automotive section at large Retailer) · Brush for ArmorAll Tools: · Pasta Machine · CaBezel Molds, various styles or shapes that you like. I’m using the Dots ’n Blocks and Fab Focals 1 · Silkscreen: Paisley or other · Acrylic Hand roller · Paint brush · Squeegee or old credit card · Flex tissue blade* · Large round or oval cookie cutter *(optional) · Bucket of warm water to rinse silkscreen
	Step 1: Creating the Silkscreen Sheet Mix Premo Peacock Pearl with White Gold Glitter. The White Gold Glitter is very rich and adds a lot of sparkle to the Peacock Pearl. I used a ¼ block of peacock with ¼ of a ¼ block of White Gold Glitter. Roll to largest setting of your PM or #1 on Atlas.
	Step 2: Apply Iridescent or Oilslick Foil with shiny patterned side facing up. Burnish onto clay with folded piece of paper. Rub back and forth. The friction of the rubbing produces heat which transfers the foil onto the clay. You don’t have to press hard when rubbing and you don’t need to burnish for very long, maybe 30 seconds. Lift up a corner of the foil to see if it all transferred, if not position back into place and burnish some more. A few odd specks that don’t transfer won’t matter. Remove the mylar/plastic film from the clay.
	Step 3: Roll clay through at #2 (next smallest setting after #1 on Atlas PM), rotate the clay ¼ turn and roll through to #3, which is thinner yet. This is what the sheet and crackle will look like.
	Step 4: Silkscreening onto Polymer Clay Place the silkscreen with the shinier side face down on the clay. The shinier side is also slightly textured. For some it is hard to differentiate which side is which, but I mark my screens with a tiny sticker and provide instructions with each screen. The type of paint you use is also important. Liquid or thin bodied paints will not work as they’ll run through the mesh and won’t keep the pattern. Heavy body acrylic paint works best. Apply a strip of paint. A little goes a long way and if it’s not enough more paint can be applied.
	Step 5:Use a squeegee or old credit/phone card to apply paint over surface.
	Step 6: You can check to see if paint has been transferred to the clay through the entire mesh of the silkscreen by lifting a corner of the screen and peeling it back a bit. If there are some spots that require more paint place the screen back down, and apply a bit more paint. You could use your finger to apply paint through the screen at that spot. If the transfer of paint is complete, remove the screen and place it into a container of lukewarm water. Take care of your screen by not allowing the paint to dry onto it. After the screen is washed, dab it dry with a paper towel and lay it on a tile or shelf with the shiny side facing up. (Don’t place it shiny side down as it might ‘glue’ itself to the surface and you’d have to wet it well for removal. Mistakes happen). If you want to reuse the screen as soon as possible, give it a quick blow-dry on a cool to warm setting, but avoid hot or the screen could ripple from the heat.
	Step 7: Beautiful pattern on an iridescent crackle. Let the paint dry. Should take only about 30 minutes or so.
	Step 8: Making the Cabochon Using the CaBezel mold, spray it with water or if using Fimo clay, brush it with a bit of Armorall (Water renders Fimo sticky). You could use Corn-starch but I find ArmorAll works well with any photopolymer, plastic and even polymer clay mold. Press clay into the mold. It’s ok if it overlaps or spreads over the side of the mold. I used 2 thicknesses of clay at #2 setting on the pasta machine. You could use scrap clay for this as this part of the clay will get veneered or covered with the silkscreened clay.
	Step 9: Trim the edges of what will become the ‘filler clay’. (Ignore the frame clay piece above the piece that I’m cutting here, we’ll get to that)
	Step 10: CaBezels are see-through so you can choose a section you want for your pendant. Firmly press the CaBezel over the part to mark the cutting lines. Cut out the shape, using an Exacto blade knife or tip of the tissue blade.
	Step 11: Note I’m using a different shape here. This one here is from the “Fab Focals 1” set Place the silkscreened shape over the filler clay. Smooth the edges and sides so they touch the work surface. This will give your cabochon/stone a domed effect.
	Step 12: You can also pick up the cabochon piece to manipulate the veneer edges over the sides of the filler clay. You could then cure/bake the piece at this point, but I prefer to have an oven full of pieces as I don’t like to waste electricity.
	Step 13: Making the CaBezel Frame… The pendants shown here are from the “Blocks and Dots” CaBezel Set, but I’ll be demoing a shape from the “Fab Focals 1” as a square shape is so easy to cut out with a tissue blade, but I want to show you a trick I use for more complex shapes. Coming up…
	Step 14: Condition 2 segments of Black Fimo clay (or ¼ package of black Premo). Put it aside and condition ½ segment of White Gold Glitter Premo. Then mix the 2 colours together by either marbeling or with a Skinner blend.
	Step 15: This way you see plenty of sparkle, but still see some of the black also.
	Step 16: Roll clay out to #2 on machine and fold in half. Basically you’re repeating step 8 except you would now choose the CaBezel frame that corresponds with the cabochon or stone you created…unless you are making a bunch of frames and cabochons and want to mix and match later.
	Step 17: Spritz your CaBezel mold with water for Premo or as before brush with ArmorAll if using Fimo.
	Step 18: There are a couple of other methods to create the frame from what I demonstrated in step 8. Use a piece of paper on your work surface to work on as it prevents the clay from sticking onto your tile. If you forget the paper, as I sometimes do, you can use the tissue blade to slide under the clay to lift it from the work surface. One way to create the shape is to press the CaBezel mold onto the clay with your fingers and firmly press the sides. Don’t roll over the clay with a hand-roller as that will stretch the clay and shift it from the recess of the CaBezel and cause a double lip. Try it and you’ll see what I mean, lol. A much better way…
	Step 19: … which works really well and is a great tip from Wendy, is to use the hand roller end. Wendy explains to hold it in your fist and rub in every direction until you can see the clay is up into the mold. This way you get a great impression and shape. Thanks Wendy, this is absolutely the easiest way!
	Step 20: So, there are a couple of ways to cut out the shape. One is using a flex blade. Another would be using an Exacto (x-acto) knife or…
	Step 21: Here is my trick! Use a cutter! Choose a cutter that is larger than the CaBezel shape and has rounded sides. I have so many styles of cutters that using them to cut out the shapes is much easier than using an Exacto knife or tissue blade. A Football shape cutter would also work here.
	Step 22: Smooth the edges of the frame with your finger.
	Step 23: Insert the silkscreen shape / cabochon from step 11. Because the Frame hasn’t been cured yet you can push or nudge the frame edges to fit the sides of the silkscreened cabochon. Also, because the cabochon hasn’t been cured yet, it will stick to the frame without the use of glue or Liquid clay. Cure/bake/harden to clay manufacturers recommended time and temperature. Because I used both Fimo and Premo in this project and Fimo cures at a slightly lower temperature than Premo, I use the Fimo temperature for curing, but extend the time by about 10 to 15 minutes longer. In general when you cure Fimo at a higher than recommended temperature the colour will darken, but with black this doesn’t affect the colour J Have fun.
Here are a few more Cabezel pieces that also fit some of the other items that ShadesofClay has available, for instance, a very cool Keychains with bottle opener and a purse hanger! Purse hangers are handy at Restaurants when you don’t know where to put your purse, simply hang it from the table!	I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Share with your friends… Copyrights 2016 Tina Holden

Ok…and I have a dozen NEW Silkscreens in my shop. Use BEACHES10 for 10% off until August 7th ...UPDATE...read the end...
Here are a couple of samples…
…go have a look Here . You can message me on Facebook through my Supply Page or Tutorial Page which 4 you want and I'll invoice you through Paypal. US$30 plus shipping ($1.80 USA, $1.50 Canada, $2.50 International)

Glad there won't be a Strike

2016-07-05T11:30:00.001-07:00

Unions. I’ve had to deal with them when I injured myself on the job years ago and no, they did not have my best interest at heart. And while I suffer the consequence of those injuries for the rest of my life because I was not provided with the tools to prevent the injury in the first place, the only positive outcome was it put me on the road to becoming an Artist. I work with wire, bead embroider, polymer clay, resin, concrete, I write, innovate techniques…

While Canada Post has been trying to negotiate with 4 of the Postal Worker Unions on various deals. I had no idea that there were FOUR Unions for postal workers until a Postal Worker told me about it. Four Unions…crazy huh? Glad there won't be a loomng strike and that the Union and Canada Post agreed to keep talking...

Besides working on silkscreens am also creating a few Little Faerie/Gnome Doors. Perfect for a Garden. Maybe the Galleries would like some of these…

Hope to be mailing you soon…

Sand Dollar Pendants and Wire Kumihimo

2016-05-17T16:34:00.001-07:00

I’m getting ready for the annual Blitz season of Shows, supplying shops and Galleries which has begun a month earlier than previous years. I make my usual products of Beaded Dragonflies, Sea Glass Jewelry, Enamel painted metal pendants, Polymer pendants which include Sand Dollars which do enormously well living near the Ocean. Also Sea Urchin beads and Starfish or Sea Stars as my husband insists on calling them and he would be correct as they are not a type of fish, but most people tend to call them Starfish.

I’ve created a myriad of things including my Euro style Beads with our townname on them, but still need to make Beach pebbles bracelets, assemble my handmade pendants into earrings, crochet a few sea glass bracelets and then tag and price them. Time flies!!

Here is my most recent set…my first attempt at Wire Kumihimo. I think it turned out well although for the necklace inserting the beads was a bit of a challenge as the wire cage wanted to pull in on itself. Now everything is strong and stable.

Should I do another set? Perhaps a necklace for this bracelet and earrings?

And I still need to assemble these…

So much to do…and loving it!!

Open Live Writer and Blogger

2016-05-16T09:27:00.001-07:00

Everyone likes convenience, right? One of the reasons Istopped blogging for a while was because I couldn’t log into my Blogger via Windows Live Writer. I liked the convenience of being able to post with Word and use different Font, add frames for my photos etc. Going directly to ones blogspot doesn’t allow for those extra features. When trying to log in I kept getting errors “Password not found” even though I used the correct password. So I kind of gave up…until I read…

…that Googles 2 step verification process might have something to do with it, but despite trying everything I could find on the subject except for being able to add a mobile phone number (I don’t have one!) Windows Live Writer still wouldn’t budge. Then I discovered Open Live Writer. It’s very much like Word for your blog and looks very much like the Windows Live Writer. One can’t tell the 2 apart, really. Yay!!

Now I don’t have an excuse not to blog . Here is the link for the Program. http://openlivewriter.org/

2016-03-31T11:50:00.002-07:00

Have you made your 10 x 10 for the Fimo World Project yet?

Covering the World...in 10 x 10 squares.

Here is the Facebook Group link https://www.facebook.com/groups/1810793605813598/

There is still time to make your project. Here is what I submitted. And yes I used Fimo. I switched back to Fimo (Professional) after a long absenteeism. Why did I switch back? Because I got tired of the inconsistencies with other polymer clay.

True, some say Fimo is a bit harder to condition, but if you have spent enough time with polymer clay, you'll soon appreciate why after a bit of handling, the rolling snakes to a fine tip without a hitch makes it THE reliable clay. I don't mind whacking it a bit with my acrylic roller before putting it through the pasta machine, I actually enjoy it! lol

So here is my 10 x 10 titled 'Nautilus'. It's an 'Aquarium style' with free floating beads. I used Black Fimo Professional, my crackle technique (tutorials are on my website http://beadcomber.com). I even used some Fimo Metal Pulvers I still have in my stash. The metal vs. mica is obvious.

While I was at it, I also created one of my Aquarium Pendants...Want to see a tutorial? or two? I'm almost finished with an Aquarium pendant tutorial and then I'll share "Secrets of the Nautilus"....

2016-01-31T21:03:00.001-08:00

2016...

I didn't mean to ignore my blog, but Facebook seems to have taken over in that regard. Still, I reminded myself that this blog isn't just there for others, but a journal for myself. Today I posted some pendants on Facebook with the intent of selling them. I haven't gotten them posted to my new Website yet and if I should also list them on Etsy since it's always been a good venue for me. I go back and forth quite a bit and it's so difficult to know unless one has stats etc. which I rarely look at because I just don't understand it that much. I just want to create!
I enjoy creating multi-colored pieces. I love Lotus, Owls and Sea Urchins. Right now the Cabochons are just that...discs, but I can drill them any which way, they can become earring pendants, maybe even matching necklace pendants or buttons! I made 3 colors of a simulated Ceramic finish with a Lotus, Owl, and Sea Urchin design that I created from my own textures. I can drill holes, just tell me top, bottom, middle. oh...and if I make buttons they can be put in a washer and dryer without worry.

I charge more for these on Etsy (because of the fees) but offer a special deal on them...The Owl pendants measure about 22 mm ($6/pr), the small urchin rounds 20mm ($4/pr) the large urchin 36mm ($5) and the lotus 30 x 38mm ($5). I have multiples of each. Grab them fast as I only make so many (unless you do a custom order) Just comment or message me your email, how you would like them drilled. Prices are in US currency. Shipping to US is $5.50, Canada $3 and I even ship International $8.75. I know...Canada Post takes a big bite...
oh...and check out my new website at http://www.beadcomber.com/

2016-01-10T13:20:00.002-08:00

Aloha!

The kit is up for purchase

The Aloha Necklace Kit that I'll be teaching in May is now available. There are a limited amount of these. I've listed 12 but there will be more, but need to count all my materials as I've also started to list separate components if you want only some of the parts.

http://www.beadcomber.com/aloha-necklace-kit

Sign up for the Virtual Retreat here...Take classes at YOUR leisure, all year long...Go to the site and have a look at the Calendar of events, meet the teachers etc.
http://bit.ly/AJA-VirtualRetreat

This kit  is for the Aloha Necklace that I'll be teaching in May

Cheers! :)

Special announcement! New Art Jewelry Adventure 2016!

2015-10-19T00:47:00.001-07:00

News!!!
It’s been a while since I posted here, but well, I'm so excited and wanted to share this with you and can't wait any longer!

This is the first time I'm participating in the Art Jewelry Adventure 2016 with 19 fabulous teachers some of whose names you will be familiar with.

PLEASE help me SHARE the POST on any social media platform or with your guild or other polymer clay/bead group and ENTER with my links below to win. Simply clicking on the first link shows your support for me and the second is to be entered into the Contest. I'll announce a winner on Saturday the 24th. Also, if you enter the Contest I'll be entering you into a drawing for something personal from me.

Sales Begin Next Sunday the 25th

This is the class I'll be teaching...Aloha!

There are classes in soldering, torch fired enameling, resin, quilling, soutache, wire work, molding, mixed media (painting, stamping) shrink plastic, silver clay, epoxy and polymer clay. We have tried to keep it down to materials you can easily get and nothing requires a kiln- so maybe you might need to pick up some things you don't have if you want to try something new, but the most "exotic" thing you might need is an inexpensive butane torch!

There was a contest, but sorry you missed it...you can still sign up for the classes tho!

Tina

Gilded Paths Surface Techniques

2014-07-29T20:13:00.001-07:00

I finally finished another tutorial after starting quite a few and not finishing them…yet, however…

The tutorial guides you with 49 steps, 58 photographs and 18 pages which includes a Resource list at the end. Use a variety of simple surface techniques as a foundation to add onto with the use of stamps, textures, mica pearls, chalks etcetera. The tutorial also offers plenty of tips to incorporate into your own pieces. Create sheets of clay to use in various projects such as to wrap pens, crochet hooks, bangles or as journal covers, to create buttons, beads, pins, jewellery etcetera, or whatever you imagine. This project is technique based, so the projects are up to you. Here are some examples of easy works that I made using these techniques which you can leave as simple or enhance as lavishly as you want.

The projects are up to you, but here is a way to make quick ring dishes with some of the treated sheets.

I stacked two sheets, cut a large circle. Molded on a small glass ball. Cured in a dish of sand or on an oven safe nylon cutter. Voila!

You can download your copy of Gilded Paths Techniques on my Etsy or purchase it from my Zibbet shop and I’ll email you the copy shortly after.

8th Bead Soup Blog Hop Reveal!

2014-05-10T10:25:00.004-07:00

I planned on publishing this right at midnight or earlier this morning, but for some reason my Windows Live Writer wouldn't publish. It just kept on saying "publishing your post" with the little animation of files going to my blog, but nothing ever happened. I decided to copy this post over to Blogger, but it wouldn't copy the photos, my font etc, long story short...Time flies and I'm late!
This is my reveal. I admit that Participants of this Party are given plenty of time to construct something with the bead soup each partner challenges one with, but I constantly struggle with prioritizing my time. Juggling family, a special needs adult at home, work and then trying to fit in some fun ‘me’ time is difficult. Somehow I get it done though. I’m glad Lori Anderson, our amazing hostess extraordinaire, of this Party and blogger of http://www.prettythingsblog.com/, gave us an extra week as she struggled through some issues of her own. So...I managed to make all these yesterday!!! Just in the nick of time!
My Partner Fay Wolfenden http://torchfairy.blogspot.ca/ is a fellow BC Artisan who lives in sunny Kelowna which is located in the Interior of BC. Fay creates yummy lampwork beads. Here is the bead soup Fay sent me…(I lost my photo of the stash, so snagged hers. Hope you don’t mind Fay)

Fay included a couple of sets of handmade copper clasps along with her beautiful lampwork. Owls!! How did she guess?? Maybe she read my mind because I very much like owls! Blue and purple are some of my favourite colors to work with. There are also a pretty lampwork flower bead, more of her fun dotted lamp works, some purple copper swirl beads, metal copper tone beads, glass pearls, crystal and vintage glass. Fay sent me natural and dark copper wire (not pictured) linen and ribbon. Oh, what a challenge! lol
Here is what I sent Fay…

I included one of my handmade button clasps and a large polymer clay focal. The soup includes mother of pearl, coral, jade, Chrysoprase, cultured sea glass and some copper findings. Can't wait to see what she does with these!
OKAY…here is my big reveal! I used every item, that Fay sent me!…but for one.

I really wanted to challenge myself to use it ALL! The thing that got me was the natural linen. Maybe it reminded me too much of hemp. My husband is the hemp champion knotter, but my fingers just don’t fly like his, lol. So after a few attempt I gave up. I did use the black linen and ribbon though! I crocheted the black linen, then braided 4 strands of it together. All that I ended up left with are 6 teeny golden pearls. Pretty good, eh? From my collection I incorporated the chains, rings, crimps, silver toggle, headpins, ear hooks, the green faux sea glass and some copper flower heishi beads.

Here are some of the items from the collage…I used the hammered wire clasp as part of the focal, and used the S part as the clasp only. I think it works.

Which is the nicest...to give to my mom for Mothers Day?? She likes both necklaces and bracelets...

Also at your leisure, check out the many Participants and links here…http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.ca/2014/05/8th-bead-soup-blog-party-participant.html

Rigid and flexible molds for Polymer Clay

2014-03-02T23:41:00.001-08:00

I use both rigid and flexible molds. Flex molds are becoming so popular and they are certainly easy and fun to use. One or the other may not necessarily be better however. Depending on use, a rigid mold can sometimes give better and cleaner results. The rigidness of a mold allows for more control and prevents the design being molded from getting stretched and distorted. Flexible molds are great for when the item is rounded, like a button for instance. Rigid molds are impossible to use for a rounded object like a sea urchin that has a bit of a curved underside. In this example you can see the advantage of being able to stretch a mold to pop out a 3 D item, without distorting the curvature and details and you can virtually turn the mold inside out.

Flexible molds do have their limitations however, in that it is difficult to create texture plates with them. If one has a large surface area to cover such as creating a 4 x 5 sheet, for example, it’s pretty much guaranteed that one will either end up with an unevenly textured piece, that is some areas will be more deeply impressed and others not enough and some of the details may look stretched. Even if one is successful in creating a texture plate with silicone rubber, creating a positive from such a large mold is difficult as the rubbery texture will shift and distort the image you are trying to copy. Another limitation with the flexible nature of such a mold is that if you are trying to create an equal front and back for a pendant, the stretchy nature of the mold might cause one to end up with 2 slightly different sized pieces.

Here is a short version tutorial on how to create a 2 sided item using a rigid mold.

	Materials: Polymer clay such as Fimo which is my new /old preference, but you can use any of the polymer clay brands. Tools: · Tissue blade · Rigid mold made from polymer clay · Water · Soft or absorbent brush, or small spray bottle for water · Rubber chisel blending tool · Needle tool · Small metal spatula or exacto knife · Texture such as coarse sandpaper or rough craft foam · Small textured bead or stamp to hide seams
	Step 1: Spritz or brush your mold with water. If you are going to use Fimo to cast from the mold, then do not use water as it will make the Fimo sticky. Use corn starch instead.
	Step 2: Condition clay, roll into ball and press into the mold. Starting in centre of clay press outward to edges of mold.
	Step 3: Use tissue blade starting at about centre of mold and slice away excess. Use the edges of mold as a horizontal blade guard or as an indicator of how much excess to trim. Hold the blade as horizontal as possible as not to slice into the mold. It’s kind of like slicing multi levels of colour clay for mokume gane.
	Step 4: Turn the mold 180 degrees and slice away clay excess on other half.
	Step 5: Using your thumbs, push the clay toward centre of mold or away from the edges of the mold.
	Step 6: To remove the clay from the mold, press onto coarse sandpaper or a coarse craft foam texture.
	Step 7: Mold should lift away, by causing the clay to stick onto the texture, but if it doesn’t…
	Step 8: …you can also use a small metal spatula or needle tool to carefully lift the edges up and then the molded item is easier to remove.
	Step 9: Create another piece as before and then mount the 2 pieces together matching the edges.
	Step 10: With a rubber chisel tip you can easily blend and smooth seams. You can also use your fingertips to gently pinch the largest seam together first and then use the rubber chisel for the finer details.
	Step 11: Seams won’t then have any of the texture. To camouflage you can create a similar texture by using the sandpaper to impress a little bit of texture over the seam, use part of the mold itself, or…
	Step 12: If you have any metal beads with an interesting texture that matches, you can use this as a roller on the seam.
	Step 13: This pendant is done. All it needs is a hole for stringing and a bit of colour. One of my favourite method is to use mica or metal pulver on black for an antique metal finish. Of course you can choose any colour you like. Find my latest molds, both rigid and flexible in my Etsy shop WWW.beadcomber.etsy.com

I’ve added a variety of molds to my shop including this Raven Thor Hammer Pendant mold. There is another hammer, a Sea Horse, Mermaid, Egyptian Themes and much more. I’ll be adding more tonight!

Spiky Elegance Bangle Bracelet Tutorial

2014-02-02T16:32:00.001-08:00

I forgot to tell you about my latest tutorial! While it’s not persé a Polymer Clay tutorial it could certainly work with polymer clay beads! A while back I created faux rock spiky beads and used a shambala style clasp, that is with the macramé pull strings. The tutorial shows how to attach metal clasps and beadwork, but you could add the cord pull strings.

This is the initial bracelet I made with the polymer clay beads

And this is the Tutorial. It’s in all my shops, including Zibbet.

Waterscape Jewellery

2014-02-01T16:44:00.001-08:00

Currently one of the things I’m working on are some Waterscape Jewellery reminiscent of what I used to do in the early 90’s. Back then I called the popular miniature pieces ‘Underwater Scenes’ because they involved fish, octopus and other marine life. I created tiny pieces like coral, fauna, flora and fish from polymer clay and then mounted them on Hair barrettes, brooches, earrings, necklaces etc. Now I’m also creating scenes that take place above or on water that include lizards, frogs, and dragonflies. I just spent a few weeks making a variety of pieces and am told to prepare a bucket full, that these will sell well this season, but I also want to create each piece as a unique piece. Although tedious and a bit time-consuming, not only because of the small scale, but because of the multiple curing process in between elements, I do enjoy making these. Right now I’m contemplating putting away the clay and focus on completing some of these with cording, or beadwork such as bead-embroidery. The other part of me says to keep going with just a few more while the materials are out and on the go. Am thinking the later would keep the momentum going. That’s the downside of a small studio, not having enough desk or counter space to work on multiple things on the go or through the stages from start to finish, even though my husband keeps telling me I would have enough space if I didn’t clutter up my work areas so much. He’s probably right, but as an Artist I keep an ‘organized’ mess. I need to have a lot of materials in front of myself to keep the muse entertained, right?

I have a couple new creatures to add, such as lizard, toad and dolphin…

Kick-starting 2014 with a Mini Tutorial …

2014-01-20T22:14:00.001-08:00

Kind of a late kick-start, but it’s still January. With ‘everyone’ seemingly on Facebook now, it’s easy to neglect ones Blog, but it is actually easier to navigate. One can search for a particular subject, keyword or even tutorial. Posts on Facebook get lost amongst all the posts from Friends in the Newsfeed. The benefit of a blog is that while it shows up on my FB wall, I’ll also have it here to refer back to. This year I strive to bring you more updates. I tinker around so much with stuff in my studio and do have so many tips to offer, but I just get so involved that I forget to show you! I need to re-evaluate how I spend my time, you may be able to relate, lol. I also want to focus more on my Zibbet shop as my Etsy and ArtFire are well set up. My Zibbet is far less costly and we all appreciate some savings right? You may have heard about an Exodus from Etsy to Zibbet, but I don’t intend to give up on Etsy yet, as each shop has its own benefit. Enough said, I digress. Show me already! you say, lol. Okay, okay! The Mini Tutorial!

USB Cover!

I had thought of doing this last year, but never got around to it, but recently a clay friend inspired with her version, so I bought a bunch of USB sticks. Mine are by HP (Hewlett-Packard) which is my fave trusted brand for computer geekery. And these sticks are very small physically, but not so small when it comes to saving Data. I bought both 16 GB and 32 GB. I plan on listing some finished ones that I cover, like this one…a mere 1 1/2 inch tall. A cent for comparison. Cute eh? If you want to make some consider the shape as you won’t be able to cure the actual USB or you may ruin the delicate technology within.

This truly is a MINI Tutorial in regards to both size of finished product and steps involved. My paid tutorials go into much greater step by step description and photography meant for any level of ability. My minis are meant for those who can look at something and know how to get there without the steps in between.


From this…	…to this and a regular USB stick for comparison.

Create a slab cut to same size as the mini USB and cure. This will be your USB template. Here you can also see the larger USB without its cap, to show how deep the USB part is that gets inserted into a laptop or computer. Score your blank for appropriate depth. Then use Armorall, Kato Repel Gel or Vaseline to coat your clay blank surface.	Cover top half of template to the score line with a clay sheet and cure both pieces together. When cool, the wrapped clay should simply slide off the template. Before removing (or mount back on) Use a cutting tool to score some shallow lines into the template. The carved ‘inny’ lines on template will translate to little ‘outy’ lines to the cap and will grip the USB stick so the cap doesn’t just fall off.

Repeat last step, for the cap, by using Armourall or Kato Repel etc…and then cure. Let cool and test fit on USB. Then decorate both pieces by adding more clay.	Here is one of my examples. Glue the top part to the USB, but don’t glue the cap!

Going to hang this one on a pretty cord of sorts. I have a whole bunch more stuff to show you soon. Jewelry in the works and another Tutorial to publish tomorrow!!!

Time to let go and on to bigger things

2013-10-17T22:55:00.001-07:00

Summer means a lot of production work, namely small pieces and quick sellers. It also happens I get asked for something more substantial but I don’t have a lot of time to spare during the busy season as beadembroidery takes several hours if not days, so I set aside Fall and Winter to work on that. I also intend to blog a bit more often.

The big destash. Time to let go of a few things, mainly my handmade components as I can’t use them all. I’ve already sold quite a few as I’m listing these at insanely low prices, $15 for a pack which means individual pieces are going for less than a Dollar and some for just cents. Normally I sell these between $5 and $15 a piece each. Why am I selling them and why for so little? Because I don’t have enough time to use them all, plus I continually make more than I can use. I also collect them with the intent to list and sell, but end up not having the time, and the box full grew and grew, so it’s time to start fresh. I kept a few pieces to create into beadembroidery (shown below) and the rest are now in my shop. If you enjoy beading you will enjoy these. What do they look like? Here are a few examples, but have a look in my Zibbet as there are close ups photos and better descriptions.

I’m planning 3 beadembroidered neck collars with matching earrings, maybe bracelets as well. I have sorted colours of beads to compliment the polymer clay cabochons. I’m not quite sure if I should add the amber glass to this Hawaiian Hibiscus? My husband thinks yes, what do you think?

Then there is the Fuschia and Orange, and Turquoise with Green.

I still need to destash other things, including molds, textures etc, but this will have to wait as I’m going on the road until end of November. I’ll take this netbook (and bead collars) with me, so I can blog and still send my PDF tutorials and show you some progress.

Fall is the time for new things

2013-09-09T12:52:00.001-07:00

or is supposed to be. In my last post I told you about the unexpected renovations around here, but I still managed to get another couple of tutorials done. I also realize that I hadn’t even posted the one just before that, so should tell you about it also.

If you like Pandora, Pave, Panda or Beads with large holes and eyelets, I’ve created a Beach Themed bead that even comes with (or without) molds (your choice). The one with molds is $19 and includes shipping and the one without is $6. The molds are also available separately for those wishing to purchase but live outside of North America.

The newest tutorials are the Fish and Dragonfly tutorials. This is the Combo Tutorial for both. It’s only $14 for both, or $9 for the Dragonfly and $7 for the Fish.

These tutorials have a lot of information.

Make a small gift for the guys, someone that fishes for sport or just because! Or His and Hers key chains.
A variety of things in this tutorial: sculpting, molding, casting, painting with alcohol inks, gilding, and assemblage. First sculpt a Fish and a Dragonfly, and then create molds with backgrounds. Next, add a subtle and soft color, or another that is much bolder and vibrant. Some paints are optional but demonstrated. The projects here can be used for key fobs, pendants, pins, key chains or even box tops.

The Fish tutorial consists of 35 photographs, 38 steps, 12 pages, the Dragonfly has 49 photographs, 59 steps and 17 pages, both with a List of Tools and Materials, in 2 instant pdf file downloads. The precise instructions will guide you to create the projects outlined.
The PDF tutorials are Instant Downloadable files

Crazy Fogust

2013-08-27T22:46:00.001-07:00

Foggy August equates to Fogust in this part of the world, but for our family it could be called the same for the blur of activity that went on and is going on. Right during the busiest time of our season a pipe in one of the bathrooms decided to burst.

We woke up to a puddle in the kitchen, and a flood in the bathroom and hallway. The water had also seeped into our daughters bedroom and laundry room. At first we thought the toilet had flooded and that our daughter who has Autism was trying to use the plunger, but it was quickly obvious that a simple leak was not the problem, it turned out to be much bigger. The valve couldn’t be shut off because the break had occurred just below it. As our nice laminate floating floor began to blister it became obvious that we’d have to involve the Insurance. Water was being trapped between it and the original floor. Their first question was “Is it Poly B?” They know it is a problem. In 2010 a class action lawsuit for $950million had been settled in Canada and the USA, but of course we were oblivious to that knowledge. Fixing this pipe would be at our own expense since the Insurance considers this a home maintenance problem, not ‘damage’ itself.

Insurance, assessment, repairs. Noisy fans, nights spent at hotels, no access to washer and dryer, no bedroom and respite room for our daughter, no access to her washroom, most of the furniture crammed into the living room, all during the busiest and most stressful time of the year. It’s been difficult to concentrate on work. Right now things are quiet and work should be completed by September 12th. We decided to pay extra and have our daughters room renovated with a floating laminate floor also, instead of carpeting, plus hubby painted her ceiling while it sits empty. We also had a Plumber replace all the Poly B pipe to PEX which is a relief because we don’t want to risk another disaster. I feel for the people that have this plumbing in their home and don’t even know it.

OH…and before I forget…I have a SALE in my Etsy shop. Until August 31, use SUMMERTIME2 for 20% off any purchase, no minimum required...if you miss it, use SUMMERTIME20 until Sept 21, but there is a $12 minimum.
The Sale...just because…

Reflections and Eyeglass holders

2013-08-01T23:22:00.001-07:00

Now what may those two things have in common? Not much other than Reflections can be something one sees when looking in a mirror or when remembering the past. For me it’s the latter because today I received an email from my father who lives in Germany. We haven’t seen one another in many years and he told me he had been looking at some photos of when I had visited him in Germany in late1989, including this one, of when I first started to work with Fimo! Gosh…that is almost 24 years ago!! Perms…never again, lol. You might recognize some of the metal pulvers on the desk and the paper in the basket at my feet is a good indicator of the year. What was I working on…brooches. I’ll have to find that booklet I was using…or maybe create some of those pins again.

Nice to think back to some good ol’ days.

So what was I working on over the last couple of days? Brooches…but of a different sort. I was asked by a local Gallery to make some eyeglass holders. Normally one would think of those long leashes worn as a necklace with the little rubber gasket type of ends. I made a few beaded ones, but then wanted to make some with polymer clay and came up with these since the Gallery likes my Ocean Themes. Sand dollars which can be worn either as a brooch or pin, but also as a necklace as the brooch findings have a loop for cord.

Now that I made these I have even more ideas…back to the work table…