Archive for the ‘My Projects’ Category

Polymer Clay

Has added a whole new dimension to my Christmas Village collection. I have always like Christmas Villages, I have collected a few items over the years, made a few when I was involved in Ceramics and bought some pieces here and there, now I am adding to the collection with a village made of Polymer Clay.

I have absolutely no idea where I will put it, but it small enough that it will fit anywhere.  The largest house is only 1″ x 2″ so space isn’t going to be a problem.  Also these little house don’t necessarily fit the Christmas theme, but could be on display all year round. The decorations will include candy canes, gumdrops, various flowers, Christmas ornaments all made using my imagination and Polymer Clay.

To make these little houses all you need to do is make patterns out of card stock the size you want the houses, then use the same pattern for each house.  You will notice one of mine is a Blue and Maize one…a tribute to our Michigan Football team.  Not to be outdone I am in the process of making one out of Michigan State colors.  Most of these still have to be decorated for Christmas…so going to my favorite craft shop today to look and see what I can find in miniature that will fit my needs. I have texture plates that I use to make patterns on the side of the house to resemble bricks, lap siding, log cabins are made by rolling clay and stacking one on top of the other. All very simple that children will have a lot of fun helping you make them.

I know I write about Digital Scrapbooking quite a bit, but it is so easy and fun.     Minimal expense  is required if any at all.  Anyone can do it.   Why don’t you just try it?  Free scrapbooking papers and embellishments are available on the Internet.

As promised here  are some more pictures of my Germany trip.   All done for free!

Making mini designs for the dollhouse for any holiday is fun for the whole family, and with a little imagination you will come up with a wide variety of craft ideas for these miniatures The following paragraphs will talk about methods to create 3 mini Halloween dollhouse decorations created by using polymer clay.

Pumpkins are a vital dollhouse mini decor for Halloween, plus they are very easily made from polymer clay plus a knife. You’ll need orange clay and green clay. Basically begin by creating a rounded ball from orange clay. Crunch the ball a little bit to create an dimple on opposite sides of the ball. Now create a little tube of green polymer clay for the mini dollhouse Halloween decor.

Include depth on your dollhouse miniature Halloween design by developing portions within the pumpkin. Work with a knife and begin near the top of the pumpkin and rotate the knife straight down the side of your pumpkin and continue around the pumpkin. Repeat this many times to make segments in the pumpkin and crunch again. Use the green tube as the stalk and push the stalk into the pumpkin using the knife. You can decorate this pumpkin the same way you would a real pumpkin using paint. This one of a kind mini dollhouse Halloween design is fun for the whole family to make.

Like many of my polymer clay projects I find them online. So when I saw this little leprechaun I had to have it. It really is very simple to make and already I am getting a lot of feedback from friends when I wear it.

May your feet never sweat,

your neighbor give you ne’re a treat.

When flowers bloom, I hope you’ll not sneeze,

and may you always have someone to sqeeze!

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!!!!

Project Courtesy of Crafts For All Seasons

This polymer clay leprechaun is easier to make than you think! Polymer clay is one of my favorite mediums to work with. These step by step directions will show you how easy it is to create this spirited little character.

Things Needed:

• Polymer clay in the following colors:

• flesh colored or pink

• red

• green

• black

• white

• blue or green (for eyes)

• polymer clay glaze (optional)

• a pin to glue on the back

1. To begin the polymer clay leprechaun, the first step is to condition all the clay. You will need a one inch ball amount of the green and flesh clay. The other colors you will not need very much of. Work that clay and warm it up in your hands, until it is not crumbly and is soft and pliable.

Gift jars are gifts that are not only fun to make but fun to give. They are inexpensive to make but given with a lot of love and care.

So to start the holiday season off right I am offering a free giveaway. All you have to do is click on the link below and download ideas for different gift jars. Over the coming weeks I will be looking for other gift ideas for you to make this holiday season and will be sure to pass them on.

Happy Holidays!

****Holiday Gift Jars****

The Penguins are ready for the holidays. Are you? I have started making small Christmas Ornaments for friends, neighbors, and anyone who happens to be passing by the house. This is a very easy project to make and takes very little time.

The individual penguins are made up of one black ball approximately 1″ in diameter with a white ball sitting on top that is about 3/4″ in diameter. The eyes are no more than a 1/8 inch ball of white clay with a black dot painted on after baking. As for the hats…make a cone out of any color you want and fit it to the heads. And don’t forget the beak…orange 1/8″ ball worked for me.

I used blue metallic for the base and made it so that both penguins could sit on it comfortably. The tree was made with a 1/2 ball of green clay shaped into a cone and textured to resemble branches..then I rolled the tree in different color small glass beads.

The sign can be a little more advanced for the beginner, but still easy to do. Get some liquid Sculpey. On transfer paper print the greeting you want the penguins hold up. Take your liquid Sculpey and put an even coat on the transfer, place it up side down on a tile and bake. Once cooled remove the paper backing and place the greeting on a very thing sheet of clay…color of your choosing. Use a small amount of liquid Sculpey to the transfer to have it adhere to the little sign. Sometimes this will take some practice and you might have to do it a couple of times if you have never done it. Be patient as Liquid Sculpey is going to become your next best friend.

A Day In The Life Of Gizmo

Once making a scrapbook was confined to paper, pen, pencils, and any scraps of paper you found that related to the picture.  Now there is a whole new world out there for those of us who like to embellish our pictures.

Scrapbook stores have popped up around the country to instruct people in the different materials and methods you can use to make a page.  Ideas are shared and clubs are formed.

The problem I have, and many others like me, is that I don’t have the time to go to a store and sit for a couple of hours.  Not that I don’t enjoy people, I do, but to cart my scrapbook “stuff” around in the car is not making the best use of my time.  Not only that but the expense can be a killer!  And I am on a fixed income.

So how did I remedy my problem?  I love scrapbooks but I don’t have room for all the papers, embellishments and all other materials needed to make a good page.  A couple of years ago an online friend at one the many forums I belong to mentioned digital scrapbooks.

All you really need is a good photo editor program such as Photoshop, Paint or in my case Microsoft PicturePlus, a scanner and a good digital camera.  All of which I already had.

Finding interesting polymer projects to post on here is not a problem.  The problem is after I try them which ones do I post?

Carol Duvall who is the “queen of crafts” as far as I am concerned always had wonderful ideas and instructions for most crafts, but she is no longer on TV.  So I have to rely on other sources and my own imagination.

My daughter collects watches.  So I am in the process of making her one for her birthday, which is coming up.  Happy Birthday Jenn!

Project courtesy of Lynne Manning of Milton, Mass.

Materials and Tools:
blue, white, pink and black polymer clay
watch with watch attachments
15″ elastic
20 large-hole 6mm beads, silver colored
super glue
pasta machine
acrylic roller
thin slicing tool
cardboard
clay-dedicated oven

Steps:

1. Condition your polymer clay by running it through the pasta machine about 20 times.

2. To make the face cane: Draw a face design in a 2- to 3-inch circle. Start making the eyes of the cane by rolling a black snake 2 inches long. Run some white clay through your pasta machine at the #1 setting. Wrap this around the black snake, making sure the ends meet. Smooth the seam. Do another wrap with the white clay. Make sure to smooth the ends again.

3. Run some black clay through the pasta machine at the #5 setting. Wrap this around the white clay, making sure the ends meet. The end of the cane will sort of look like a bullseye. Flatten this piece slightly lengthwise so that the ends look oblong.