Craftside

Polymer Clay Surface Design Recipes used on a Skull Necklace

It's time to mix it up!

Polymer Clay Surface Design Recipes
100 Mixed-Media Techniques Plus Project Ideas
By
Ellen Marshall

Regardless of your level of experience with polymer clay, the techniques and recipes for creating for combining clay with other media will inspire you to create unique surface designs. In addition to covering basic polymer clay techniques, tools, and materials, this book teaches you to use unique surface embellishments in your work.

Styled as a recipe, each illustrated surface design is shown with complete instructions for replicating the design and is accompanied by three variations. Informative explanations of specific inks, paints, and powders are included, along with a section dedicated to showing complex design combinations.

This book covers a range of topical application processes that include stamping, painting, and writing on clay along with step-by-step project ideas that put these techniques to use. A gallery of polymer clay art is included for further inspiration.

Ellen Marshall has worked with polymer clay for more than a decade, and has been teaching her techniques for four years. Her work has been displayed at an exhibition produced by Donna Kato and Van Aken International, and in the studio and fabric store of Lonni Rossi, a nationally renowned fabric designer and quilt artist. Ellen lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

So I totally savored every morsel of these recipes, got out my trusty pasta machine and got cookin'!
But not in the traditional sense, no not me, I mixed it up a whole bunch.

In Monday's post there were links to other crafty bloggers and I not only post them, I read them.

So over at The Impatient Blogger The Impatient Crafter Margot Potter made a cheeky video tutorial on making UTEE glittered skull jewelry.

I loved it!!!

But I saw these two pages in Polymer Clay Surface Design Recipes

(Click on images to enlarge)

and so I thought I'd cast a skull the way Margot did but with polymer clay and try some of these surface recipes out on the skulls.

I grabbed a skull and molding compound and mixed it up.

I pushed the skull into the molding compound and let it set up.

I then cast a bunch of skulls with white polymer clay and then taking a bit of inspiration from

page 53- use embossing powder to decorate the clay

combined with the technique from

page 35- to paint the textured clay to bring out the design.

I brushed embossing powder on parts of the skulls to bring out the design.

To make it easy to use these in jewelry making I cut about a one inch piece of wire, formed a loop on one end and curved the other slightly and poked it through the clay skull before baking.

I then baked them as indicated.

Then to make the necklace I grabbed this old earring that I had lost one of and some chain.

And this is what I made!

Here are two I did in gold. The one on the left I dry brushed with some black paint over the gold.

I hope you'll get some inspiration here and bake up some bling of your own.

Don't be a "Square" try a Triangle folded book from Creating Books & Boxes

As promised-here is a wonderful "how-to" for the Triangle Accordion Book I shared with you in yesterday's post. It's from Quarry's:

Creating Books & Boxes:
Fun and Unique Approaches to Handmade Structures
By
Benjamin D. Rinehart

Complete step-by-step instruction, full-color project photos, detailed step illustrations, diagrams, and tips.

Creating Books & Boxes presents a new volume on book-making techniques by contemporary book instructor Benjamin Rinehart. Rinehart presents a comprehensive resource for creating basic book-making structures as a starting point, but then adds unique twists to make them a little more surprising, fun, and dimensional. The book includes all the basics (tools, adhesives, archival properties, cutting and terminology), through detailed and highly illustrated instructions and includes unique and special methods for finishing the pages. It covers adding elements such as paper dying, copy transfers, stamping, and paste papers. Sophisticated, beautiful, and original projects in a simplified and accessible presentation make this a perfect book for beginners and experienced book-makers alike.

Ben Rinehart is a trained artist, and teacher. He teaches printmaking and book arts, and started and led a book-arts program at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). He has also taught in New York and New Jersey at Rutgers/Mason Gross School of the Arts, Pratt Institute, Fordham University, Long Island University, the Center for Book Arts, Manhattan Graphics Center and the Children's Museum of the Arts in SoHo. He conducts workshops at Minnesota Center for Book Arts in Minneapolis, MN, Pyramid Atlantic in Silver Spring, MD, San Francisco Center for the Book in San Francisco, CA, Newark Museum in Newark, NJ, Pelham Center for the Arts in Pelham, NY, Brookfield Craft Center in Brookfield, CT, and Silvermine Guild Art Center in New Canaan, CT. Ben currently lives in Appleton, WI where he teaches at Lawrence University. Ben can be found online at www.benrinehart.com.

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And I have one more tidbit of crafty goodness to share with you.

I made a closure for my book in one of my favorite ways-a slider bead!

Simply wrap a ribbon around each short side and thread both ends of the ribbon through a bead. Snug up the ribbon to close or slide the bead toward the ends to release the tension.

Fill your book with anything that makes you happy!

New from L.K. Ludwig-True Vision: Authentic Art Journaling

I just can't keep this in, I have to give you a little sneak peek of this great new book that you will very, very soon be able to get too!

True Vision
Authentic Art Journaling
By

L.K. Ludwig

**Featuring the artwork of over 25 leading artists**

As art journaling grows in popularity (even attracting a new breed of scrapbookers who call themselves "life artists"), there is a movement afoot toward creating more authentic, personal, what some people call "raw" journals. These journals are filled with not just attractive, well-composed pages, but pages that are filled with personal, meaningful content.

True Visions is focused on ways to bring authenticity and meaning into one’s art journaling. The book examines themes and topics common to all while offering activities and exercises to create rich meaningful content. Each chapter highlights familiar subject areas such as life events, spirituality, childhood, and even an artist’s favorite writings. Within each topic, readers are given guided activities and exercises for developing content, provided one or two artistic techniques, and are shown inspiring examples of work by a variety of talented art journal artists.

About the Author:
L.K. Ludwig works predominantly with mixed media artist books and photography with a strong inclination toward creating personal intimate works. Her artwork has been featured widely in books, magazines, and galleries and is held in private collections. She is also the author of Mixed-Media Nature Journals.

This book is just what I needed to help me figure out where to start on my paper adventure.

This beautiful piece is by Sarah Fishburn
 

(Click on Images to enlarge)

This chapter is all about the written word. I had to back up and start with just a letter. It's actually a word too, when said, so I guess it is a word. But on the page I used just my favorite letter-"Y". It gave me a place to start. I cut images and letters from magazines that captivated me and threw in a bit of scrapbooking paper. I really just let go and played.

(Click on image to enlarge)

This is the triangle book closed. I used a plaid wallpaper sample to cover the front and back panels.

To see the full "how-to" on how to make this triangle book pop on back tomorrow and I'll have it posted.

Quayside at BEA, Crafty Links and Slash from Guns N' Roses

Happy Monday!

What a wild and crazy weekend!

I spent the last three days at BEA-Book Expo America and what a great time I had! Our Quayside booth was beautiful and sparkly!

Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S was in the booth signing copies of:

The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth
The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What Treatments Work and Why

A comprehensive look at natural treatments and healing methods that work.

Jonny Bowden takes his practical, knowledgeable, and open-minded approach -- the same approach that made his previous book, The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, so successful -- and focuses it on natural cures, revealing the best of alternative medicine for a mainstream audience. Through his personal use, extensive research, and wide-ranging expertise in nutrition and health, Jonny sorts through the myriad home remedies from every discipline and tradition to show which work and how best to use these proven healing techniques. He also explains through approachable and articulate descriptions why they work and on what basis he selected these cures -- whether it is patient testimonials or the latest scientific studies to give you peace of mind and the information you need about each treatment.

The book explores more than 75 common conditions, including allergies, cancer, high cholesterol, depression, diabetes, hypertension, menopause, and stress.

Catch Jonny on Better.TV.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S., is a nationally known expert on weight loss and nutrition and is author of 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. He has been featured in the New York Times, Time Magazine, GQ, Muscle and Fitness, Self, Fitness, Men's Health, Prevention, In Style, and Shape, among others. He lives in Woodland Hills, CA. Visit www.jonnybowden.com.

“It is time to be healthy, stay healthy, live longer naturally, not by medical means. Read, absorb, use this book to be healed. Get everyone you love and care about to read and use my friend Dr. Jonny’s brilliance.”

─Mark Victor Hansen, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul

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I will post lots of pictures so you can get an idea of what it's like and mixed in I will share with you the "Crafty Bloggers" Linky Love for the week.

I would have to say most of the star sightings were unexpected! Yes-that is me and SLASH!!!!! From Guns N' Roses, I know I look dorky but hey, the security guard doesn't care, he's just trying to keep the line moving!

Aileen's Musings
The Fairies have landed at Aileen's Musings! Check out her Mini Fairy Birdhouse tutorial and maybe you too can capture a fairy or two!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Love books and beads? Then you'll love this call for entries from Interweave Press.

Cross Stitch Bracelet
Stitch up quick Cross Stitch bling using floss and plastic canvas.

Diary of a Crafty Chica
Kathy gets crafty with words and shares a cautionary tale about the perils of cake in the office.

Layers Upon Layers
The year-long Bead Journal Project is winding down, and Cyndi is thrilled to be finished!!

Polymer Clay @ CraftGossip
Here's the scoop on making your own polymer clay buttons.

Another rock star I got to hang with was the Naughty Secretary herself Jennifer Perkins. Pop on over to her blog to see her adventures from the weekend.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Over at Sweater Surgery there are a bunch of cross stitch sayings and note cards made from photos of the sayings.

The Impatient Blogger
Join The Impatient Crafter Margot Potter in this cheeky video tutorial on making UTEE glittered skull jewelry. It's magically craftlicious!

And just to round out today's post here I am with The Guinness Book of World Records Tallest Dog-Gibson.

Why was Gibson at BEA? Why here "wrote" a book with his best buddy Sandy Hall. He was wonderful and sweet.

Gibson Speaks

Stay tuned for more BEA star sightings with lots of crafty goodness!

And on another note I thought I'd share with you the view of the Universal City Fire from my front yard.

Read, craft and stay out of the fire!

Paper Art Workshop: Celebrating Baby

The big question in life; "What can I make that's unique and fun for a new mom or as a new mom?"

Read on for the answer.

Paper Art Workshop: Celebrating Baby
Personalized Projects for Moms, Memories, and Gear

By

Linda Blinn, Jennifer Francis Bitto, and Jenn Mason

Paper crafts that celebrate the new baby.

It's suddenly terribly chic to have babies! The celebrities are doing it. Everyone is doing it. If you aren't a mom yourself, you’re an aunt, a grandmother, a girlfriend or a sister. Stylish baby gear, baby boutiques, and customized baby gifts are EVERYWHERE. Women everywhere are really celebrating their beautiful bellies and their beautiful babies. And this book offers a wide range of beautiful paper-based projects to help them: from lovely handmade birth announcements and baby brag books to journals, picture frames, baby memory books, ABC flashcards, and growth calendars. This inspiring new book is the first in a series of volumes targeted to the large and growing paper arts/memory/book making audience. Each book in this new series, including Handmade Gifts, features sophisticated techniques and paper art projects for stylish crafters. There are many craft books devoted to babies that cover knitting, crochet, sewing, nursery décor, and general craft gifts, but this is the first to cover all the paper-based items that new moms want and need--announcements, thank you cards, photo mailers, memory books, and more.

Linda Blinn – is an editor, teacher, writer, designer, and artist in the mixed media arena. As editor of of Somerset Studio’s Mélange she focused on current trends in art journals, collage, zines and the wide spectrum of mixed media art. Her credits also include work on True Colors, Signatures, and the Art Journal Calendar all published by Stampington & Co. Linda lives in San Clemente, CA.


Jennifer Francis Bitto - is a teacher, artist, writer, and photo stylist. She is the editor and art director for The Stampers’ Sampler, Inspirations, and Take Ten. Her work has been featured in Legacy, Somerset Studio, and Art Doll Quarterly magazines She lives in San Diego, CA with her husband and daughter.


Jenn Mason – is an accomplished and published paper and mixed media artist and author. As co-designer for Anna Griffin, Inc., Jenn created artwork for national ads, television and books. Her commissioned work has appeared in Memory Makers, Paper Crafts, Legacy, and Take Ten magazines. Her first book, Pockets, Pullouts and Hiding Places shows her wide range of talents including book making, altered art, collage and memory art. Jenn lives in Brookline, MA with her husband and two daughters.

This is a really fun page from the book. Not only does it include a super cute project made from an unusual container, is packed full of good ideas and sources.

(Click on image to enlarge)

You can score these capsules at The Container Store. But as with most things it seems...yes, I have a stash. Here are two capsules from the stash. Quite a size range, eh?

The big one is a really cool thermos! And the little one is a pill container on a key chain, ironic.  The capsule thermos was a promotional item that drug companies gave to doctors to "inspire them to prescribe the drug" My first job while I was still in college was to apply logos to objects for the sales staff to bring to the drug companies, glam-or-ous! The key chain was scored at the pharmacy counter at the local drug store.

I plan on spiffing up my capsules inspired by what The Mixed Mediums have shared with us in their insightful and creative way.

And if you liked this project and need more simple click here to see more of Jenn Mason's designs from her other books.

Craft something fun with an unusual container this weekend!