Lurking-no-longer (kitten included)

[BeePea]

Hello all!

I've been lurking here for a while, and want to contribute something back to the forum which has given me so much in the past week-or-so.

So...

I'm finally putting pictures up of some of my completed projects!! I've just started getting into crafty stuff and it's, quite literally, saved my life. Without going into too much detail, bad things have been happening in my life and crafting has been the most fantastic distraction- and this forum has helped a billion times over.

*smiles*

so here are a few of my bits-and-pieces. I've only been using polymer clay for 3 days now.. and apologies for the kitten picture, but she only became a member of my household 2 days ago! Her original name was "Fimo" (see what I did there??), but it was later changed to Yoshi.

Love to all
BeePea
x


Experimenting.. I tried to put real petals from my garden into the clay. They dried up (obviously), but i'm going to figure out how I can "set" organic material before I put it in the clay.. any tips would be appreciated (I'm thinking dipping in varnish?)


My very first attempts at polymer-clay-food. Very unoriginal products, but I'm trying to avoid having to make canes as much as possible (I'm going to try and use polymer clay without ever having to make a cane, although this probably means i'll never be able to supply my miniatures with lemons/oranges/etc!!)


My favourite completed project. Should probably be under "jewellery" as it's been turned into a necklace. I can't take credit for the image (stolen from someones myspace). Transferred onto grey Fimo-soft by putting the image onto the clay, rubbing with vodka and leaving to set for 5 minutes. Bake for 5 more minutes, remove paper, bake for another 20. Voila!


If only I could craft more of these!

[devilninny]

i despise cane too!  i work without using it.  down with cane!  no i do appreciate it, but i dont want to use it.

your kitten is sooooo farkin cute!  i have three cats! 

cant wait to see more of what you make!

[Sarie23]

I love your mini food!! 
I don't use canes either.
And that is a cute kitty! 

[MoZub]

Cute food... I wanted to let you know I avoid caning also and I made some citris!


I cut the clay into wedges and put white clay in between then wrapped it... didnt turn out good so I touched it up with just a little white acrylic paint! You could probably skip the wedges and go straight to the paint.

It's not perfect, but those things are a lot smaller than that IRL so they look better... the bead strand there is only about 4.5 inches.

The watermelon was a simular thing most people would cane... that one didnt turn out so good so I tried again more neatly:



What made those better was just working on parchment/wax paper (like people bake on.. so I could flatten it out amd make it thin like I wanted.... then bake right on my work surface.. peeling it up was very bad distortion the first time).  Moving and squishing the piece as little as possible helped too... which is different than usual sculpting for me!
I think next time I do the limes I might be able to get it right.

Good luck... dont want your little animals to get scurvy!! ;-D

[Iellwen]

Forgive me for being a nitwit, but what is caning?  Is it where you --like-- umm . . .  Is it like the sushi method in the Sculpey book that Klutz came out with?  I should prolly shut up and post so you guys can answer . . .

In regards to the things you made, I love the idea of the spoon with the petals, and although I have no personal experience, the varnish sounds right . . .

[teapotdnky]

Forgive me for being a nitwit, but what is caning?  Is it where you --like-- umm . . .  Is it like the sushi method in the Sculpey book that Klutz came out with?  I should prolly shut up and post so you guys can answer . . .

In regards to the things you made, I love the idea of the spoon with the petals, and although I have no personal experience, the varnish sounds right . . .

I pm'd you with a descprition of caning.


I love the toaster the best! 

[Diane B.]

I tried to put real petals from my garden into the clay. They dried up (obviously), ...how I can "set" organic material before I put it in the clay.. any tips would be appreciated  (I'm thinking dipping in varnish?)

Ooops... sorry, I didn't see this before. 

There are lots of fun ways to use petals, leaves, twigs and other organic stuff with clay!
 
You can put them, whole, under a thin layer of translucent clay, or put various clear finishes including liquid clay over them (or even place them in a depression for protection, then pour a clear finish or 2-pt epoxy resin into the cell), or flake or grind them then mix into the clay or liquid clay, or even use them to make impressions which can also be highlighted or antiqued later, or use as masks for metallic powders, or use them whole in other ways, etc. , etc.

For info on using liquid clay as "decoupage" for dried-pressed ferns, leaves, and flowers on baked clay, see this page, under two categories:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/LiquidSculpey.htm
 Strengthener ... also "Plants & Flowers (decoupage,  dipping)

Also take a look on this page for more ways to use dried organic material of various kinds,
and also some ways to dry them so they retain their color:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/mixing_media.htm
(... click on Dried Nature...)

One thing is that any organic items you actually put in the clay will need to be dry because any moisture will cause steam, and bubbling and/or plaquing (areas of opacity seen in clays which aren't totally opaque themselves).   
Fresh leaves (and sometimes petals) work fine for making impressions and other things though.

I once dipped a dried-out weed?-flowers thing into Varathane, then embedded the stem into the top of a stopper for a small glass bottle, but it can't take too much stress or it will break off here and there...pProbably should have added a few more layers of finish, or used liquid clay at some point which acts as a strengthener.
http://www.glassattic.com/imagesCANES_COV/cov-BOH/BOH.htm
(3rd row... orange-wrapped bottle, with faux cork and flowers)

...On that page with the bottles, you can also see an example of having used a fresh leaf cluster as a "mask" to create a mica powder (Pearl Ex) background (on a Skinner blend sheet of clay) --a famous Mike Buesseler technique
(top row, center... though really can't see easily that it's a SB in this photo).

Also, if you want to flake or grind organiic material and use it as an "inclusion" in translucent clay, check out this page:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/inclusions.htm
(...clicik on Spices, Incense, Herbs, Dried flowers...)

There are other ways to use twigs, pinecones, rocks and other nature stuff with clay too, so you'll have lots to explore!




Diane B.
GlassAttic....polym er clay "encyclopedia" http://glassattic.com/polymer/contents.htm
little bit'o photosharing: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/dianeatglassattic/my_photos

[BeePea]

To Diane and Matthew

Thank you both so much!!!