Our children are our greatest gifts.  I hope you enjoy  looking at these one of kind artwork as much as I did.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23205417@N03/

This was a short article written in a local paper about a art festival being held in one of the local communities.   I reprint it here to remind all of us how important art is in the education of our children.   Too many schools throughout our country are eliminating art and music from their curriculums due to the economy.

A friend of mine, who reads this blog, recently told me that her daughters’ school punished the kids for bad behavior by not allowing the class to have art.  This disturbs me and my friend as we both feel art is not a reward but a necessity!

I am fortunate in not only our school system, but in the fact that my husband is a Clay Model Maker..now retired.  When our daughter was seven she was already exploring the world of art, both at home and in school, the same can be said of our boys.   When our girl got older and wanted to learn more we sent her to the College of Creative Arts here in Detroit for their tremendous youth program.  It was held every Saturday morning for three hours and they basically showed the kids basic drawing techniques.   They took them to the Art Museum, which is attached to the school.   The boys were too young to participate so while she was in class I took them to the Museum around the campus.   All of our children were exposed to art from an early age.

It has not only helped them in their chosen fields but as human beings.   You can see some of my daughters work by going to her website:  http://www.jenniferkraska.com.

Is art and music important to your childs education?  You Betcha!

Your fingerprint is messing up your finished piece. Nothing is more depressing than seeing those marks and knowing that you put them there. However, there are a few techniques to get rid of this little problem.

Gloves can be very helpful. They not only prevent fingerprints but they also keep the clay cleaner. Keep a box next to your workstation.

Keep a small bowl of water on hand. Dip your fingertips into it and smooth the clay gently, this will get rid of some of the fingerprints.

Take a cotton swab or Q-tip and dip it in rubbing alcohol. Then take the damp cotton swab and rub it gently over the clay. This will also grab some dirt. Be very careful when you do this however, as too much rubbing alcohol will cause the structure of the clay to break down and your piece will lose its shape. Or smearing of different colors can occur, so be very careful on the amount you put onto the clay surface.

How can I make my normal clay sparkle like pearl clays? This is one techniques I found on the Internet and I love it.   It is so easy and much less expensive.

To achieve pearl looking clay is to mix a bit of sparkly eye shadow into your clay (or glaze). You have it around the house and you can create all sorts of dazzling colors of clay. You might want to wear gloves when mixing it, unless you want glittery hands for the rest of the day.

You can also mix in fine art glitters, but you have to make sure it is not a plastic based glitter or else it will bubble and melt in the oven. Glitters with a metal base should be used. Also try not to use aluminum-based glitters. They tend to curl during baking and can damage your clay pieces.

Stamp quality glitter, artist glitter, and some body glitters are fine to use.

Mica powders can also be used to give clays a shimmer or sparkle. Although you don’t want to breathe those in, you should wear a mask when using these powders and should work in a well-ventilated area. To quote AJGlass “The mica powders are considered hazardous and the dust if inhaled may cause lung damage. Care must be taken so that the particles do not become airborne.” If you do use mica powders you should apply a protective glaze on top of your piece otherwise the powder might rub off onto other items.

I haven’t braved into the Mica powders yet, but the eye shadow I have purchased at the dollar store and they work great.  I love polymer clay!

But don’t take my word for it…go see for yourself!

Brand-tastic Sale

This month our featured promotion is the Brand-tastic Sale. Each week we’ll feature a different must-have brand, with extra savings on our entire selection. Brands that will be on sale are Sculpey clay, Clover crochet and knitting needles, Gingher scissors and K&Co scrapbooking items. These are all top selling brands, which mean top commissions for your site this month.

Making your own texturizing tools is easy.  Although there are many templates you can purchase (I have some on this site) that make this job even easier, you can make your own.  If you don’t have the money or just want to experiment to see if you even like Polymer Clay then make your own.

I am sure somewhere in your house either on one of your child’s toys or a decoration you have texture.  I use a house the kids bought me years ago for a Christmas Village to get most of my textures.

I take a piece of scrap clay (always save your scraps), and lay a flatten piece of it onto the texture I want to copy making sure it gets into all the groves and crevices. Make sure the clay is not too thin or it will fall apart on you.   I then carefully remove the clay and put it in the oven for the recommended time.  When it comes out I have made a template for textures.

When it comes time to use it, it works the same way as a template you will buy.  Although sometimes if you are not careful the template texture will not be well defined;  so make sure when making the template that you press firmly.

I have made templates for stone walkways, brick patterns, roofs; I go around the house and look at something and say “hey, I can use that texture on something!”

First:  All soy wax is not the same.  Depending on the manufacturers temperature requirements will determine how your candle turns out.  Follow manufacturers directions for temperature.

Second:  If you plan on using electronic equipment to melt the wax, it won’t work and in fact can be quite dangerous not only for your equipment but for yourself.  It is like oil and water…they don’t mix!

Once you are sure about the manufacturers instructions and have the right equipment to melt the wax you are ready to start on your first candle.  Candle making is not hard, so don’t let it intimidate you.  Decide how many candles you want to make.  For every pound of soy wax  melted you should get about sixteen ounces of liquid wax.  To decide how much wax to use you will need to know how much liquid your mold or container will hold.  All you need to do is take some water and fill the container to the level of the candle, now pour the water from the container into a measuring cup this should tell you how many ounces of wax you will need.  Dry this container thoroughly.

Read your directions on the wax package carefully.  Now you are ready to melt the wax.  You will need some type of thermonter to be able to tell when the wax has reached the desired temperatures.  You will heat it and then let it cool down according to directions.  After it has cooled add your desired fragrance.  Stir the mixture slowly a few times, do not whip as you don’t want bubbles.  Now you are ready to pour your liquid wax into your container.  You will know when it is time to pour when it has reached the cooling temperature according to the instructions on the wax and when you see the wax changing its consistency.

If you are doing different colors wait at least 15 minutes between pouring colors. There are different techniques to make your candles unique.  You can decorate them with ribbons, dried flowers, buttons, labels, just use your imagination and have fun.

With the holidays not far away candles would make great inexpensive gifts to give to family, friends, teachers anyone who has touched your life.

One of the more important things I learned in working with my children and crafts was that if I let them do projects around a theme (Thanksgiving, for instance) they gained a better understanding of what the holiday was all about.

It is important for you as a parent to talk to your children about the coming holidays, why we celebrate them, how they are celebrated differently by different cultures. Try reading children stories about the holidays. A few excellent choices are:Thanksgiving Is… The Pumpkin Book Santa Who? By Gail Gibbons