One of a Kind Jewelry Designs and Handmade Gifts

It's Summertime!

2011-05-31T09:30:00.001-07:00

"In the summertime, when the weather is high,

You can stretch right up and touch the sky"

In The Summertime lyrics by Mungo Jerry

Normally it would have been summertime for me here at least a month but our May has been really mild, which rocks. We're all hoping it summer will be nice, too. We usually have the drapes pulled in the living room... it faces west, so we do it to keep the sun and heat out. But I opened them the other day to take some pics of my baby lovebirds playing and, wow! it was nice to have some light in the house. Am realizing now that I've not been getting enough natural light, which is weird considering I'm in Mesa AZ, right? But the light was nice and the weather's been great. Am remembering how awesome a time summer is.

It's the time of bright colors and fresh air and rocking loud music =) A time to feel foot loose and fancy free, right? Well, that's what it means to me. So here are a coupld of things from my fellow Polymer Clay Smooshers shops that remind me of summertime!

From HarrisonHollowDesigns, an adorable, bright, and cheery butterfly plant poke, you can find a whole slew of these in this wonderful shop, all different!
Purple Ikat Butterfly Garden or House Plant Stake AF1001

From Lifeartdesigns a dainty red, pink, and white heart necklace, perfect to wear with your favorite summertime dress!
Handsculpted Polymer Clay Heart Necklace

From popnicute an adorable coral colored necklace, I love this!
Hot Pink Red Heart Pendant Necklace Polymer Clay Valentine Special

From averilpam, you all know how I love my mica powders, yes? And purple? So who doesn't love this combination?
Polymer Clay Brooch, Round Purple and Mauve

A quick note about my new website, DesertRubble.com! I've been working on figuring out wordpress for my website and I've got something going, there will be lots more to come including a gallery and a store, but baby steps =) I'll be splitting my blogging efforts now between her and there, all my new work will be getting posted there but they will also be getting posted to my facebook, and if I have time here, too. But you can follow the new blog by subscribing to the RSS feed, following on networked blogs, or by following in facebook.

Have a fantastic summer!

Hey, I won something!!

2011-05-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

In the monthly drawing at Rings & Things! Check out my goodies! I know those beads are going to be great in earrings and I'll have to make some pendants to match , too. If you're not a Rings & Things Blog Partner, Here's how to become one . As a blog partner, you get the chance to win a package of goodies and then you can review them on their website, each review gets you a chance to win $50.

I think they're even in town today...gotta see if I can get over a check out what they have!

Color is what you make of it!

2011-05-14T07:10:00.001-07:00

I love fall! Growing up in Indiana, that time of year was special for me. Most people adored going to Nashville in Brown County (where my high school was) to see the leaves change color. What I loved was the leaves falling to the ground, when there would be a crispness and a cleanness to the air and it was time for turtlenecks and flannel shirts. Denizens of the woods were ready for winter and everything was calm and quiet and still, you could even hear the leaves falling.

And I do love the colors of fall. I don't know if I love them because of their association with the season or if it's just the warm, rustic tones of it, probably both huh? Take plain old orange and make it rustic and calm, coppery even, and it's such a gorgeous color. It's right around the corner, you know they'll be selling scarecrow and fall colored silk arrangements in the stores in about a month, so here's to Fall and the orange found within! From my esteemed Polymer Cay Smooshers, here are some awesome pieces that fill the order.

From ColtPixy is a gorgeous polymer clay bottle, the sheer size of Star's work is amazing to me, and the texture? Well you all know how I love texture and this faux cinnabar bottle rocks!

Faux Cinnabar Wish Bottle

From DanasJewelryEtc we have some more awesome awesome texture in this necklace and earring set, her polymer clay pieces are fabulous with their colors and textures but so beautiful combined with the dark green stones and cat's eye beads.
In The Forest Necklace

From Michelle at CreativeCritters, Falling Leaves earrings! Michelle has such a great shop with all her critters, but she makes some wonderful polymer clay jewelry, too!
Autumn Falling Leaves Handamde Polymer Clay earrings

Last but definitely not least, from SassyClayCreations

, I do love this kitty, love, love, love it, but the clean and simple design of this polymer clay piece speaks to me as does the coppery color of it, and once again, you gotta love the texture, don't you?

Copper Kitty Kat

The Polymer Clay Smooshers is an Artfire Guild that I belong to, it's full of wonderfully talented polymer clay artists and wonderful people, too!

Wordpress on a hosted site....

2011-04-21T06:19:00.001-07:00

Hubby and I have a couple of websites we registered last year for safe keeping, one is his landscape and pool service company, The Plant Managers, here in Mesa, Az, one for Desert Rubble of course, and one for my lovebird breeding. Pretty much that was all we did last year, got them registered. This year I decided it was time to at least secure hosting so we could something with them, so we did and I decided to go with GoDaddy. Their deluxe hosting can be used on all the websites you have registered with them and when you pay for a longer term than a year, our hosting works out to $5 a month, getting 3 websites hosted. I'm thinking that's a pretty good deal.

But the whole process has been an ordeal and it's only been about a day and a half so far. From getting the old economy hosting off the websites and adding the real hosting, figuring out what password to use where, just figuring out how to get around and find what I need in all the multutudes of places there are that you can end up. Seems there are way too many menus all spread out and too many passwords for this that and the other, and the user name is never what you thought it was when you set it up!

This is all so not for the faint of heart. Or maybe it's just GoDaddy that isn't for the faint of heart? And I still am not getting to my wordpress admin page, sigh. I have a feeling once I get there it will start to all go downhill, I mean it's wordpress, right, it must be somewhat similar to the wordpress hosted free blogs, it has to be. And then there's the waiting anytime you made a change. Right now I'm waiting.....I had the primary site forwarded and I guess that was preventing me from getting to my wordpress admin page, I changed that, now I wait.

Wish me luck!

Obligatory photo......

Steampunk Charm in Polymer Clay w/Watch Gear in Metallic Gold, Silver

Steampunk Street was a blast!

2011-04-09T07:27:00.000-07:00

The costumes were out in full force and I wished I had been able to go check out the other vendors and the art exhibits, I know it must've been awesome, but it was an awesome crowd! I didn't sell as much as I'd hoped but got out a ton of business cards, so that rocks =)

The weather was icky, windy =( And I forgot some of my canopy weights! Jeff had to go back home to get them which left me super behind in getting setup but he was a trooper and helped once he got back with the weights. With my lights and sidewalls up my booth was I think the one respite from the cold and wind =)

My cool new steampunk pieces were a big hit with the crowd which rocks because they were by far the closest I have come to producing truly steampunk work, so I couldn't be happier with that. I didn't sell as much as I wanted but for a 4 hour street fair, but I had really good traffic and got out a lot of business cards, truly my main goal. The organizer for Wild West Con was there and mentioned the 2012 Steampunk show in Tuscon (he'd been keeping his eye open for artists he'd like to see there) and told me how awesome my work was and that I should set up as a vendor next year. I don't know if I could handle the logistics of that (3 days, I don't have a helper, can hubby feed the birds?), but the validation couldn't be more amazing!

Thanks everyone for all the well wishes and thanks to all those that visited my booth, you were all so awesome!

Steampunk Street!

2011-04-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow night in Downtown Mesa, Part of Main Street will be turned into Steampunk Street as part of Mesa's 2nd Friday Sci Fi theme for April 8. And I'll be there! Have been really busy trying to get things made for it and trying to get my booth a better appearance.

In doing all this I totally realize how horrible I am at time management and I know I get so scattered when I have no focus, so it's so awesome for me to get back into doing second Fridays, it gives me a set goal that I can't fudge!

So I did get a lot done! I made little lock and key charms, screw head buttons, lots of small industrial scrap pendant, some uber cool steampunk/goth hearts that I so love! And some really cool steampunk pieces. All these pieces were on the fly, too, no doodles to go by and I love when I work like that, ti's so awesome.

So here's a pic of a bunch of my new goodies! If you're local I hope you can drop by and check them out and say Hi, I would love it =)

Steampunk Dragonflies!!

2011-03-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

A lot of you may not have seen my dragonflies before now but one of the first things I made with polymer clay was a steampunk dragonfly! Well my little Artfire shop ran out and it was time to make a few and here they are, I'm loving the swirls in case you didn't see the fish with them lol

And something I made for a friend.....anyone know what this is?! Or, um, what it's supposed to be lol

Technicolor Fishies!!!

2011-03-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

I love the new colorful fishies!!! They're not entirely finished, they still need a sealer, but I love, love, love these!

I hated making them......I have a bunch of Premo I need to use up then I'm switching back to all Kato....I hate Premo! It's just so darned soft yet so much harder to smooth than Kato, I love the firmness of Kato, it makes handling piece while you're working on them so much easier and just plain doable. I'll be glad when the Premo is gone, guess I'd better start using colors lol

steampunk angelfish pendants

Fishies!!!!

2011-02-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of you don't follow my Facebook or Flickr and I really should make more of a point to post my new work here, too...am gonna work on that! On that note, I wanted to show off my new fishies! I am looking forward to making lots of these, they were so much fun and are going to be so versatile =) And no, the hinges don't work lol

A steampunk piranha

A steampunk angelfish

Some cabochon and bead sets I made yesterday, the one with the beads has quite a few imperfections on the beads....am thinking will be a good giveaway item =) Am getting better at making beads though!

And check out these beauties I won on fellow Smoosher B-Lee Kreations Blog during her giveaway when she hit 15k visitors! She sure does some lovely work, doesn't she?

Thanks for stopping by!

Lynn

Life and all that goes with it!

2011-02-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

There's always so much to do, isn't there? So many things to take care of and get done, and lists, omg I have lists for everything from stuff I need from the store to things I still want for selling at craft fairs. There are lists laying everyone, even my husband has them laying everywhere, this morning he exclaimed that he'd lost a house, crap! How do you lose a house? lol It was all good, but a strange thing to hear. He's started a small landscape and pool service company and I figure it is definitely growing if he lost a house. But it was buried under his lists lol My pile of lists is far more disorganized and messy, so I'm not even going there.

So, life, there it is, it's just busy and a but frazzled and that's OK You get stuff done when you can and I'm still working on finishing my items that I need to list! Hopefully today I will have some new very cool things in the shop =) I did get the other things in the shop though, Am up to 75 items!!!

Thor's Hammer

And life brings surprises! Sometimes timing is everything. If you've been following me you know I haven't been doing this long and there are many others who deserve to be on the front cover of Polymer Cafe, but fate stepped in. I was so honored to be featured on Polymer Clay Daily but it was so much more than that, the timing was uncanny. Joan Clipp just happened to be looking for the subject of a feature for Polymer Cafe on that very day. So that's how it happened and it's an amazing thing and I am flabbergasted to be in the magazine much less on the cover. You can find my first tutorial in this issue, too, so please check it out!

Back to life! Life is the topic of the Polymer Clay Smooshers Blogring and I chose to feature our 2 brand new guild members- it's a very loose interpretation lol, welcome to the Smooshers Bonnie and Pixie!

From

BLeeKreations
BEADED CABOCHON ONE OF A KIND NECKLACE

GOLF STROKE COUNTER

From
ParadoxDesigns
Dragon skull pendant

Tough as Nails Heart Earrings

Thanks for stopping by!

Lynn

I know it's been awhile, but I am working on some new things!

2011-02-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

It's good to be getting new things done, too! I went for a long spell where I was really not feeling well and felt lucky to not be throwing up really, not to mention a nice little bout of depression, don't we all love those? It took a while to gather my wits about me, that's why I had time to get the hubby to help me build a new work table and to get organized lol But I think I may finally be back in a groove, or I hope so anyways, I really want to start growing an inventory so I can do some of these local street shows!

Anyways, I don't love them all, some of them I did to help try and get my creative juices flowing and I can tell they weren't quite flowing yet on those =( But then I started having fun...I like those piece MUCH more!

They aren't finished, not even remotely, they need a sealer still and some of these puppies are getting chains, beads, turned into earrings, whatever. Most of these are just new ones of what I've made before...next time I'm hoping to have more entirely new pieces, that would rock. I gotta keep reminding myself to make new stickpins, too!

Thanks for looking and have an awesome weekend!

Earthy and Rustic from Desert Wind Designs

2011-02-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

I love this shop from one of my fellow Polymer Clay Smooshers, Desert Wind Designs. Her work is gorgeous. Love, love, love the style and colors she uses. They're all so unique with each polymer clay bead being entirely handcrafted by her in a very rustic and free form style. I know her jewelry pieces as soon as I seem them, she has a very unique and wonderful style.

Black and White Bracelet

Earthy Beaded Key Chain

Spiral Green, Blue and Gold Pendant Necklace

Catch up with hr on her Blog and Facebook, too!

Getting Organized.....

2011-02-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

And Staying Organized!

Something I'm working on and I think it's working. Recently I got DH to help me make a new work table and I gathered some things to help get things more organized and still keep them handy while I'm working. That's the hardest part, I want EVERYTHING to be handy while I'm working. I've only sat down to make things a couple times now but I am staying far more organized now than before....and I'm actually putting things back where they belong, how cool is that?! See my super cheap lightbox on the right, yep, that's where I take my pics, nothing fancy. Here's a link to my post with more pics of it

I think by far the best part of the table is that it's deep, so I have plenty of work room and more room beyond that, I'm loving all that room. I made a super easy shelf for that space, too, more easy access space where I can grab things from quickly. I got a bunch of plastic storage drawers from craigslist for cheap. Some of the drawers have other things inside to keep them organized like cutlery trays or just plastic boxes. I picked up an ice cube tray for my tools and I think I'm in love with it, it totally rocks.

A super quick and simple to make holder for pliers and stuff, these would normally be everywhere whether I was using them or not lol

I use a lot of different craft boxes and tackle boxes for my cutters now and for my beads, charms, and findings. BTW Hobby Lobby has their cookie cutters on sale right now everyone! These tiny cutters are normally $.50 but they are 30% off right now. So handy for making odd shapes =)

I'm not 100% there but I am far more organized than I was, and it makes everything so much easier.

Kutter Home Found!

2011-01-30T05:13:00.000-07:00

For now......all my little cutters fit in a little craft storage box! And all the Kemper sets get to sit together and I have quick access to all of them at once, I love that. And I already had it, even better! Now y'all are thinking I'm nuts having seen all my little cookie cutters but I like to use shapes, maybe I haven't used them so much thus far but I also feel like I really haven't made a substantial amount of work either =) I have a tutorial in the April issue of Polymer Cafe where you can see how I use different cookie cutters for different shapes, they're so versatile.

My First Kemper Kutters!

2011-01-29T12:13:00.002-07:00

My arsenal of polymer clay tools is starting to grow! I found a garage sale this morning that was all crafts and it was a ton of crafts, too, let me tell you. We all do this, right? Get interested in a craft and start collecting things we KNOW we'll need for it and maybe never use 1/4 of the stuff we 'had to have.' Who among hasn't got a stash packed away and most of it still in it's package? I for one have a huge stash of cross stitch stuff I am not willing to part with, including several huge Teresa Wentzler kits that I look forward to doing one day. Anyways, there was a bucket full of polymer clay stuff with 6 new sets of Kemper Kutters!

And this totally cool set of sculpting tools made by Kens Tools. I tried to get a decent close up of these tools so you can see them. Not sure what these will do on polymer clay but I'm sure I'll love them =)

So, now, how does everyone store their Kemper Kutters?! I saw where some make a polymer clay sheet, stick the cutter in it, then bake. Any other ideas?

Looking For Some Inspiration?

2011-01-17T15:32:00.001-07:00

Look no further because here it is!

Metamorphosis

Kazuhiko Nakamura

Simply amazing and utterly inspirational. Click on the artists name to go to his website, a must to see the rest of his work and how it comes about.

A New Year!

2011-01-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

For the first time in a long time I find myself taking a moment to look back and to look forward, instead of sitting still. I look at the past year, at what I've accomplished and I'm amazed! This past year has been a new beginning for me. I found something I love and that I can be a part of. After realizing just how bad my circulation was and why I felt so poorly, I am now in the best physical shape of my adult life.

And I'm looking forward with new goals in mind, at what I might accomplish in the new year and it's exciting. Very soon I want to have 100 items in my darned shop lol but I'd love to get it up to 300, but not because nothing is selling lol I hope to continue to challenge myself, improve my execution, and to get farther out of the creativity box. I'd love to start working on a local presence, as well...need inventory for that!

I want to keep getting into better shape and keep feeling better.....and if I could actually slim down some, too, that would rock! I want to really start narrowing down my lovebird stock and start making some awesome pairs.

More than anything I want to stay motivated and focused, those are tough.

With this theme of a new year and new beginnings, I'd like to showcase a couple of items from my fellow Polymer Clay Smooshers who have not had a sale on Artfire.com yet! Hopefully They can start out the new year right and get their first sales soon. Check out their wonderful work-

From 11BOLDstreet
Amber and Earth Tones Two-Strand Necklace No. 112

From CDowdleDesigns
Polymer clay Necklace and Earrings set

From JillKollmannDesigns
Shell Pink Light Aquamarine Light Turquoise Hidden Bead

Peace Baby!

2010-12-30T18:07:00.000-07:00

My photos are super crappy today, I need to reshoot them but I wanted to throw that peace sign up here tonight, I think it rocks =) And I'll be reshooting and listing tomorrow. I like the new Thor's hammer, too!

The Last Dragon's Tooth

2010-12-30T17:57:00.001-07:00

From the sacred dragon that guarded the spring of Ares, this is the last known tooth in existence. It is said that Cadmus of Thebes slew the dragon and stole it's teeth. Upon the planting of the teeth arose an army of ferocious warriors who would do his bidding. Behold, the last Dragon's Tooth

PS This is a submission for the Polymer Clay Smooshers Mythology Challenge =)

Thor's Hammer

2010-12-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

Thor's Hammer, from Norse Mythology, said to be able to strike down mountains, was a symbol commonly worn as an amulet during the Viking era as a testament to his fierceness and their loyalty.

Thor's Hammer

This is one of my submissions for the Polymer Clay Smoosher's Artfire guild Challenge for January, wish me luck!

Buying Handmade and the Artisan

2010-12-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

People who buy handmade don't just want to buy handmade, they want to feel good about buying handmade. They want to feel like there is that artisan on the other side who appreciates their business and is worthy of it as well. They want to know something about the artisan and feel they are approachable, warm, and friendly. If you are trying to sell your craft but are hiding from your customers, you are really quite confused I think about what it takes to sell your craft!

Those that have been following me know I haven't been doing this long. But I set out with a goal, I was going to find a way to stay home and still be able to help pay the bills. I'm terribly unqualified as an employee so any job I can get is not going to pay much, the hours are going to be terrible and we both knew we would both be miserable! So I needed to make money from home. Polymer clay is something that I had been wanting to try for a long time, it tugged at me, it was a yearning really. I don't know how I knew this was my shot, but somehow I did. I learned what I could from books from the library and skimmed form the internet, all the while buying tools one at a time using my coupons =)

I decided I would take this seriously and right off starting trying to brand myself with my moniker and banner and my work. I knew my work would evolve though and it is, I hope that never stops! And I started establishing myself online. That was by far the most time consuming and there is still more to do, lots more. But it's starting to work. I also decided I would try to be as upfront, honest, and approachable as I could. I wanted folks to be able to see me on the internet and hoped that would give them confidence in me as an artisan.

I think as a crafter/artist/artisan trying to sell your work, part of the package is a one on one relationship with your customers. If you can't, won't, or don't want to do that, you should probably find something else to do. I pride myself on making sure I return every email promptly, I worry when I don't get a reply back, because I think maybe they didn't get it and are now frustrated thinking I did not reply back, but I also know not all customers are going to reply back unless they need to, so I try to treat every communication with respect. I try to be active on my FB page and keep it engaged, I love my FB page actually, it's a wonderful public place where anyone can approach me and ask anything or say anything. A lot of folks will let me know how much they loved their purchase o there, that rocks! Blogging I really need to do more lol And I will work on that.

I see so many folks who thought they could just throw something together and expect it sell just because it was there. I think it takes a lot to sell anything these days, especially to sell it online. People who are buying handmade, they're not just buying a product, they're buying the package, the product and the artisan need to be a package. I find it amusing that some crafters will go on about how easily they can sell at crafts shows in person then complain that they can't sell online ....hmmmmmm..... So I'm asking all of you, get out there and meet your customers, return the emails and do it promptly, change the announcement in your shop more frequently, post on your FB page, and yes, even blog =) Let the world see the whole package!

Industrial Steampunk Surrealism?

2010-11-16T09:13:00.002-07:00

Is there such a thing? I've pondered just exactly what to call my style before, it's clearly a melding of styles, a hint of steampunk, a dash of industrial, and just enough reality for good measure, does that make it surreal or a cyborg? Wouldn't it be cool to come up with a unique name? Either way, it is clearly unique and surprising and I have to admit I am having fun!

Steampunk Crow Pendant

The background of steampunk is that it evolved out of cyberpunk in 1970's literature then moved onto everything from art to jewelry to film, to a whole subculture that exists today. The basic theme of steampunk is of an alternate time line that split off (and pretty stuck in) the late Victorian period/early 1900's. This alternate time line is very much based on the steam engine and early flight but invention was rampant! So you have Victorian era clothing with a sense of aviator style and some pretty awesome sci-fi for good measure.

Steampunk Butterfly Pendant

Steampunk inventions are generally entirely mechanical, not organic in any way. You might imagine that most steampunk paraphernalia are fairly vacant of vibrant color. There is a clear difference between what I'm making and the traditional steampunk aesthetic so I've been sitting back waiting to be called out by some serious steampunkers about me calling my stuff steampunk, and I couldn't argue with them.

Steampunk Hummingbird Pendant

Recently I had my first Daily Deviation on DeviantArt and was able to interact with a lot of folks about my pieces. One comment was that it looked more like a "mechanical creature rather than a creature made of mechanics". Yes! That's the advantage of working with polymer clay, I do get to add a sense of reality to it. It's not all mechanics. Another realization is that's why I get to add color and it works, because that piece of a real critter is there.

Steampunk Gingerbread Dude

I got a lot of comments about how they had never thought those colors belonged or would work in steampunk but it worked with mine. Hundreds of comments, not a single call out, I thought that rocked! One of the big Steampunk Facebook pages even posted my shop to their wall. It was like a stamp of approval that what I was doing was OK with the steampunkers, what a relief!

So someone may come along at some point and try to put a name to what I'm doing, and that's fine, I'll call it what ever I want though, and I'm gonna roll with it!

Setting a mood, is it the colors and textures?

2010-11-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

Over time do you start to notice the things you love are similar in certain ways. Similar tones or hues, similar textures. I think from childhood we all start associating certain sounds, smells and even colors and textures to a setting or mood. I'm sure if we were hard pressed (and had awesome memories!) we could probably trace those leaning back to events in our lives. So then we tend toward objects that make us feel good, that somewhere inside us remind of something that felt good.

I spent a ton of time in the woods as a kid, I loved those darned woods, they were an escape maybe, solace. I know a lot of the things that I really love are earthy and organic in appearance and that makes sense tome. That seems strange since the polymer clay pieces I am making are not lol but it's true!

Oh but I also love a good historical romance! And they do know how to set a mood don't they? So you take some antiquey things, maybe something lacey, some warm colors, and voila, historical romance setting complete! I was going thru some of my fellow Polymer Clay Smooshers Artfire Studios recently looking for items to showcase for Christmas Gifts and found some things that struck me as romantic. The colors, the textures, to me, they feel romantic!

PositivelyCharmingThings...

Orange Lucite Lily with antiqued brass filigree wrap earrings

Rivervalleydesign
Polymer clay heart necklace, OOAK, gold leaf crackle effect, ON SALE

Wyverndesigns
Owl Mask Pendant

TinaHoldenDesign
Shawl or Scarf Pin in Antiqued Bone, Polymer clay

I try to add awesome color and texture to my own polyer clay work and I try to seek it out in my life as well, I hope you do the same!

Make Your Christmas Special this year with One of a Kind Gifts!

2010-11-08T19:17:00.000-07:00

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Oh, you do that stuff every year! Make this Christmas memorable and make gift giving special this year, give gifts made by the hands of a talented artisan. Who doesn't love a unique gift and who doesn't love giving one? So shop handmade this year and support a craftsperson =)

To help in that endeavor, the Polymer Clay Smooshers will be hosting a scavenger hunt on Artfire next week! You can keep an eye out for details of the scavenger hunt on the PCS blog where you'll also find a list of perticiapating shops and see what prizes will be offered!

A teaser of what you'll get to see during the scavenger hunt....here are a few wonderful gift items available from some of the Polymer Clay Smooshers....

From

11BOLDstreet

Silver Copper and Gold Mokume Gane Trinket Box Pen

From

LaughingMoonArts

Agean Seas Blue and Gold Swirl Necklace

From
Miramecreations

Polymer Clay Mod Cane Pendant

From
valldawnsjewelrydesigns

Silver Heart, Necklace, Earrings

And something from me

Desert Rubble

Medieval Jewelry Tribal/GothicRustic Amulet

Give the gift of handcrafted this Christmas, and make it memorable!

Resistance is Futile.....

2010-10-31T06:27:00.001-07:00

You cannot help but love polymer clay! This post is about a friend of mine who simply couldn't resist and now loves polymer clay, too. Because it's futile, this stuff rocks. And the sheer variety of things that can be made is amazing. So I'd like to showcase my friend Chris, goldfinch4 on Cubits, who thought she had enough hobbies but realized she was wrong ;P It was barely over 6 months ago that I first picked up polymer clay and started inspiring my friend and now here she is, setting out to sell her polymer clay critters! I think she is so creative and talented, hopefully I can direct some traffic to her store on Cubits, Garden Buddies where you can see all her polymer clay creations, that are lovingly named I might add. While there you might also check out her intarsia store, Timber Treasures, one of those other hobbies she has lol

Clementine

Delphia

Rusty

Buy handcrafted gifts this Christmas and support America!

The Bees and....the Butterflies?

2010-10-26T11:00:00.001-07:00

Well, I made birds last time, right? I'd been sitting on the bee and butterfly for a bit but finally made them. I've got to admit I was iffy on the bee, but once I started working on the design, I knew it was going to be good and it is, I LOVE the bee, I hope you all do, too. I like the butterflies, too, of course :o) Also had a request for a bat that didn't turn out too bad either. I ended up wishing I'd made him a bit more somber, but he's OK.

Purple Steampunk Butterfly Pendant

Blue Steampunk Butterfly Pendant

Steampunk Bee Pendant

Steampunk Bat Pendant

I added dragon's eyes and wings to my listings this week for anyone looking for them. I picked up some magnetic stamps to try on polymer clay this last week. Takes me forever to get around to trying new things though, so it probably won't be anytime soon that I try them, but they look fun! Anyone who has used these please pop in tell me what you thought.

Shop for Breast Cnacer Awareness and Domestic Violence!

2010-10-26T10:47:00.001-07:00

Still a few days left to shop during Ajdjss Guild's Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence Fund Raiser Event

A portion of all sales during the month of October from participating shops (found in the link!) will be donated to support Breast Cancer Research and Domestic Violence Intervention. Or if you just want to donate, go to the link, there's a button for that!

Terra Firma Good

2010-10-26T10:33:00.002-07:00

But that's just me! I like my dirt and I like it underfoot. But inspiration for polymer clay creations can come from everywhere and anything and what an inspiration one can find in the water, around the water, on the water. It's beautiful, I know it is, it's awe inspiringly beautiful. I even know folks who probably would have a hard time breathing if they were too far from a good body of water.

Luckily it takes all kinds to make this wonderful world interesting and I'd to show off a couple of pieces from my fellow Polymer Clay Smooshers that come from, were inspired by, or that just plain remind me of the ocean.

Who doesn't love seahorses, this gorgeous necklace comes from the lovely studio of Art Asylum

Seahorse Pendant on a blue glass chip necklace

An almost steampunk scary mask from the wonderful studio of Bewitching Dreams

Angry Sea God Mask

A gorgeous necklace from the charming studio of Positively Charming Things

Paua shell and glass bracelet and earring set

And last but not least, you all know I LOVE purple ;) and I love this shop (Desert Wind Designs), too, but this piece does remind me of the ocean, I don't know, why, can't put my finger on it, but it is such a nice piece I had to include it here.

Purple and Blue Pendant and Beaded Necklace

Thanks for looking and don't forget to look for inspiration where ever you can!

Challenge yourself!

2010-10-14T19:38:00.001-07:00

I have never really been one push myself, to strive for things I thought would be difficult, but you know what? All you can do is try, you really might surprise yourself. I am surprising myself! Some of you may have seen me say this, but I have not been doing this for long. I started playing in the clay in Spring of 2010. My first sculpting piece was in oil based clay...it is still not finished (I got distracted lol). I really think my woodworking gave me an edge with working in polymer clay. I designed pieces that were made by building different parts to make the whole, a kind of layering, just like we do with polymer clay.

But I was never a carver! or a sculptor. I always thought that as way too much work, way too difficult. I had a recent for a steampunk crow though and to do it justice I was going to need to step out of my comfort zone! I put it off for a few weeks thinking about how to do. I did finally sit down and make it and it turned out great. It is really an awesome thing to push and challenge yourself and see your skill grow as a result. Or to gain such confidence in your abilities. I highly recommend it ;P

Some more new things ...an utterly awesome steampunk wing

an octopus cabochon with a lizard's eye

A crow skull cabochon, another request, waiting to hear if they want it or not

steampunk hummingbird

and one more wing, a very industrial steampunk wing

The Masquerade Continues!!!

2010-10-13T06:44:00.003-07:00

For the entire month of October you can catch handrcrafted artisan masks on the Polymer Clay Smooshers Blog!

Here are the latest samplings, be sure to to check the blog for all the entries!

intothedawn

PositivelyCharmingThings

Are You An Animal Lover, too?

2010-10-10T07:11:00.002-07:00

I find the people I like most and click with best are animal lovers. I am always amazed to find that someone I really enjoy talking to has a household full of pets that are all awesomely taken care of, and yet I shouldn't be surprised, it happens all the time and I love that! I have about 40 lovebirds, a dog, a cat, and currently 4 baby tortoises, those are stats that have changed dramatically over the years and will change again soon, or is already changing- it is breeding season in the aviary!

Boozer, my precious pooch, has excelled in the fine art of sniffing...in, um, private places. It is what it is. He's an awesome dog. But I always know the animal lovers from those that aren't when they enter my home! Oh, and when someone enters and thinks it proper training behavior to bring their knee up into my dog's chest, believe me, I realize why I have never really clicked with this person. I love that darned dog so much, never thought I would love a dog so much, he is the sweetest little guy.

My cat would love to go in the aviary. Silly, silly, cat, not for the birds mind you, but to follow me lol I feel like the pied piper sometimes the way he and the dog have to follow me around. My cat, Peso, was traumatized early on by mockingbirds, now I hate mockingbirds to the center of my being and they are not welcome! They were nesting somewhere out front and would swoop down and peck him when he would be out there. It was a really long time before he was comfortable in the front yard again. So I don't know if it was that or if it has to do with him being a boy (female cats are always the serious hunters), but he is not into the lovebirds. I've had a baby land right in front of his face before, woke him up and boy did he give me a nasty look! This summer I had a family of towhees in the backyard...he'd be sleeping between the aviary and a large cage of birds off to the side, and the 3 towhees would be pecking the ground right in front of him...he'd eventually get up because they were noisy and interrupting his naptime....I love that cat.

Back to polymer clay! If you've been following me, you may know I don't really make a whole lot of stuff that is realistic. Making things that are not real gives me a whole lot of lee way, let me tell you. So I am in awe of those that have the skill to sculpt realistically, it's an amazing talent! So I will showcase some of these talents from the Polymer Clay Smooshers this week, I hope you enjoy them!

From Blue Jane, Fantasy Art by Jane Priser

I think this is so cool, the eyes really make it, but I love the whole effect.

From Tamed...creations by D. Lovegrove

This is so cute! Reminds me of that commercial where the bunny is laughing at the rattlesnake, I swear this bunny is laughing!

From Creative Critters

These are amazing. Such an amazing and awesome talent.

From Dana's Jewelry and Etc.

OK, I had to throw this in, I just think he's so cute, a polymer clay sock monkey, that's awesome!

Have an awesome day!

of Dragon Tails and Wings!...and other things

2010-10-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

I have not viewed myself as one who was going to be doing a lot of actual sculpting and was in awe of what I saw others doing, but I am growing in my skill or maybe just getting more comfortable with it, I don't know, but I see changes in my work and I like it! From simple hearts to bonafide sculpted creations :)

This dragon wing pendant is a total prototype and I am in awe of how good it came out. One thing I have learned is you just to be brave with polymer clay, don't be afraid to make something awesome!

This Silver wing turned out so cool!

The dragon tails didn't come too bad either ;) See them

Here and Here

This awesome medieval Amulet, I love this!

And a smaller one

I made 4 new fairy door pendants, too, they are very cool as well! Thanks for looking :)

The Masquerade Ball Has Begun!!

2010-10-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

The 2nd Annual Masquerade Ball has begun! you can keep up with all the entries and entrants on the Polymer Clay Smooshers blog. In case you're not familiar, Polymer Clay Smooshers is an Artfire guild and they are currently accepting new members, but I think for only one more day, so act quickly to get in on this chance to participate in a great group!

A New Shop, A New Guild!

2010-10-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

I'm sure most of you heard about the Artfire deal, yes? And a lot of you probably took up the offer, I know I did! Well, I hadn't joined any Etsy Teams yet, but I saw the Polymer Clay Smooshers over on Artifre and I joined. I had seen the name before and quite frankly I like the name :)

My new shop on Artfire and The PCS blog links for anyone who dares to check us out!

Like any good guild or team the Smooshers have their own events and challenges...can't believe I just missed the darned steampunk one and medieval one to boot! During October they're having their 2nd annual Masquerade Ball! You probably already guessed the challenge is for masks...can't believe I'm missing this one, too...I had been thinking of doing a few mask pendants, too, wouldn't that be cool? Here is one of last years entries, I think this is my favorite!

I believe they will be showcasing all of this year entries on the blog through out the entire month of October, so you'll want that blog link up above! Oh, and the entries are coming from fans as well as guild members, how cool is that? Can't wait to see them all!

Photographing Your Work!

2010-09-20T13:07:00.001-07:00

What's the point in making something awesome if you can't really show it off in a photo! Right? Now, I'm no pro and it was a VERY short time ago that my photos were considerably bad...I didn't know they were bad of course lol I thought they were OK :) But looking back, the difference is amazing between my new and old photos. If you're already taking great photos and are happy with the results, turn around, don't go farther, this is not for you! This is for the beginner who needs help and wants help and doesn't have a ton of $ for professional equipment. I use a lightbox, yes, but it is crude....and it was cheap! My set up is not perfect and hopefully the day will come when I have better stuff to work with, but I'm getting the job done I think.

The Lightbox
Like I said...it is crude. It's a box that I've removed the top and front panels from. I lined the interior walls with the matte side of some poster board (matte surfaces reflect more light!) and stretched a cheap cotton curtain across the top. The curtain diffuses the light (avoids a lot of the shine!) that will come down from the top, it was something I had in the house and would never use again, I bet you can find something similar. A real light box would have diffusing sides as well and light coming in from all directions, for someone who was inclined that could be done with a homemade PVC frame...I'm just sayin' :) I'll probably do that soon lol Still gotta make some nice covers for my tables :(

I use 3 lights, all lights that I already had, all florescent. I put them as close to the curtain as I can so I get as much light as possible from them.

Now you need props!
I sponged some paint onto a piece of poster board to use as my background, although I see now that the paint doesn't really show up. I position it so I don't have any edge of the box in my photos, you only see that piece of poster board. And you might want something to display you item on, that's a personal choice. If you do and you also pose for those one or two interesting shots, plan on spending some time playing with angles. Every item will have an angle it looks best from, so you have to find it.

The Camera
My camera is not expensive! And it has a big scratch on the lens to boot, I actually have to shoot around that! I use mostly auto settings on my camera. The exception being the white balance and exposure. I reset my white balance every time I take pics. If you notice your color is not quite right, get out your manual, you need to set your white balance manually, you will not be disappointed. The exposure, this is something I am really still playing with, I still have to edit my pics on the computer for that :( It is so easy when you're taking the pic to think the lighting is good, but in truth, it rarely is. Just play around with it, take the same pic with different levels of exposure then look at them on your computer, see which one really makes the piece pop....and which ones just look kind of dull. If you find you have to adjust exposure on your computer, be careful not to overdue that and try adding some contrast at the same time.

These are the things that really transformed my pics. One thing I was really stuck on using was a dark background. In my opinion it helped make the pieces pop because my pieces were dark....wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong. A lighter background and good lighting are what make my new photos really pop. That and some totally awesome posing lol I hope this helps just one person. I know it was terribly frustrating for me to get from there to here, and time consuming! But it was worth it and will be for you, too.

Where did the summer go?

2010-09-18T08:05:00.001-07:00

So, super long time, no blog. I think if someone had the gumption I could easily be diagnosed as having ADD. Time management is not my thing and it takes a great deal of focus for me to get anything done these days! And, oh, if it isn't on the 'list'...it may or may not get attention. I have cleared some things from my plate, though. When I have large tasks on my plate, that really will stall anything getting done, I guess I feel overwhelmed. And clearing some thigns from the plate will always 'free' me to do things I want! Which is play in the clay these days :)

I did manage to make some new things, you may have seen them in my Etsy shop or on flickr, but here are some favorites :) I've made a few dragon's eye's now....and sold a few, too, which rocks! And have made quite a few dragonflies...and sold a few of those, too. Looking at the pics, most of these are sold so that rocks :)

So I need to get to work and make some more super cool things. Need to stay focused and really churn some work out. There is a well advertised street fair (Macfest) every Saturday from fall to spring in downtown Mesa that I hope to sell at....that I hope to sell a lot at lol I've stopped doing the 'free' one that was one friday a month after realizing the city wasn't really advertising the craft vendors, hence the free. People didn't even realize we were there most of the time and were not showing up wanting to shop! I did so well my first time there, fluke I guess. I think this starts in 2 weeks and I need new things!

Another place I'm planning to sell at, and this is a place others of you just starting out might want to check into, is at Cubits.org. Cubit's.org was created by Dave Whittinger, the founder of Dave's Garden, this is his new project that he started last winter after leaving Dave's Garden for good. To quote, it's a "Universe of Communities." It's completely free to come in and start up your own community. You can have forums, pages for info, publish articles, make databases, lots of other things, but Dave is currently working on a store module for use in the cubits and hopes to have it up and running by the end of the month. Like any shopping site there will be a fee, Dave has said what he thinks that will be but I won't post that info until the policy is written and made public.

So with that in mind I created a new cubit just for me to have a storefront there, Desert Rubble. And am beta testing the storefront features as they come along...I only have one item there now ;P I'll have to have unique stock for this store which means I REALLY need to get busy! But I have created a database, so if anyone wants a new place to put links to their blogs or shops please drop by and do so. You will have to join Cubits and my cubit...super easy, I swear, there's a 'join this cubit' button in the lower right hand side of the page on my cubit, it'll take you where you need to go and bring you right back. Once back, you'll see a 'Database' link on the right side, go there and click 'add new entry'. Here's the link to the database if you don't see it :)

So, I have the aviary clean, bird toys made, yard trimmed and weeded, it's already time to weed and trim yet again :( sigh, But I need to make some nice table covers (not my forte) and make new things to sell. At least the birds are taken care of, it's breeding season and little ones will be hatching soon! Am still planning an article on taking pics....maybe this week, we'll see. Anyways, it was good to pop in and say something :o) Thanks for visiting!

Super Swirled Polymer Clay Technique

2010-08-22T14:24:00.003-07:00

I have no doubt this is already out there somewhere, but I haven’t seen it, and if I haven’t seen then that means others haven’t seen it! Right? So here’s my super simple way to get a fine swirl of colors like in the hearts below.

First pick your colors and condition the clay. I’m not going to tell you how much to use, that’s a matter of personal tastes I would say. Now roll the clay out or run through the pasta machine on a thick setting Then cut into similar sized slices and stack while alternating colors…we’re making a basic multicolored log.The pic shows an example…and how it does not need to be perfect, so just relax

: Polymer Clay Log

Go ahead and roll your log out and make a long skinny log. Once you have that fold the log in half and twist. Repeat that last step of rolling and twisting. Roll it out again but this time we’re not looking for a long skinny log. Make your log as short or long as you want, you can shorten it by squishing and rolling alternatively…this is what I love about polymer clay, it’s so much like rocket science ;P

: Twisted Polymer Clay Log

: Multicolored Polymer Clay log

I think I may have even done the rolling and twisting once in that last pic. Now you have your log, slice it in half lengthwise and see what’s inside!

: inside of polymer clay log

Here’s what you get when you repeat that rolling and twisting even more, some very fine striations.

: Inside of polymer clay log

Now I turn the 2 halves around so the insides are facing out and I make a new log.

: making new polymer clay log from halves

Smoosh the edges together to form a seam and roll out your new log. At this point it helps if you know what you want to do with the swirled clay. For this log I made hearts. So I went ahead and rolled the clay out, then cut the log into equal lengths. One half I twisted one way, the other half I twisted the other way. Then I matched my pieces up as closely as I could like in the pic below.

: twisted polymer clay logs

Now I cut off short pieces and rolled out balls which I then used to make ‘bookmatched’ hearts.

: polymer clay balls

: BookMatched Polymer Clay Hearts

This is just a way that I found easy to keep that fine swirl of colors while you mixing them together…without actually losing the swirl of colors. I hope someone finds this helpful!Don’t forget to stop by my shop or follow me on Facebook This post is linked to some link parties!http://www.skiptomylou.org/http://craftingreallyawesomefreethings.blogspot.com/http://www.finecraftguild.com/diy-tutorial-linky-party-11/ http://www.thegypsyscorner.com/http://todayscreativeblog.net/http://www.sillylittlesparrow.com/http://itssoverycheri.com/ http://www.nikkisniftyknacks.blogspot.com/ http://www.creationsbykara.com/ http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/http://www.lifeinthepitts.com/? http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/ http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/

2010-07-31T07:28:00.000-07:00

Yea, it's a rainy day! Hoping we get more than a 1/8" which is what we had last week while the rest of the valley had sheets of rain. Am done with the census, sigh. It was $, definitely, but I find I am unable to focus on too many things at once. So with the taking care of the lovebirds, the house, and the census, I haven't been able to do much in the clay :( In fact, nothing.

I was able to get the photo taking thing nailed down, so that was a huge accomplishment for me. I find I now have a scratch on my camera lens, which really stinks, but am trying to work around it. Am planning to do a post to help others take better photos, well, to offer what I've done lol Am far from an expert but maybe it will help someone. It will be a couple of weeks in the coming though.

But the census is done now and I can focus, which is good because the Dog Days of Summer is coming up in 2 weeks in Downtown Mesa. It's their biggest night of the year, for some reason folks will come out in the heat to bring their dogs out when they wouldn't otherwise? My dog would never crack it, he'd be overheated :( So he'll be at home, but I'll be there, hopefully with some new things!

Had an idea at the last 2nd Friday Night Out in Mesa for a series of bizarre pendants and was playing around with glass gems yesterday to make part of it. Pulled out my 3 color set of alcohol inks for the first time and I am in love. Thankyou to all those before me that have already tried all these things :) So here's a sampling of my new experiements. In the future I want to get some of Lisa Pavelka's UV curing gloss to use instead of the glass gems, but I think these turned out pretty cool. Of course now I need MORE colors of ink!

I awoke this morning to find Tonja Lenderman Of Tonja's Treasure's had featured me on her Blog! This is very exciting for me as I have been following this blog for a bit now and feel quite honored by this. For those of you that have followed her blog, you are missing out, she is always featuring new and exciting tools, supplies, and artists. I know I have much to learn and she helps! In addition to being a talented polymer clay artist she is also a great source for tutorials. Her work and tutorials can all be found in her Shop And don't forget to check her out on Facebook!

Planning a big clayday today...hopefully. Tomorrow I am thinking I'll be picking up some baby lovebirds from a friend who has to move and cannot take them all :( Speaking of which, I need to go take care of my own! Have a great day everyone and pray fro rain for me!

I am taking better photos!

2010-07-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

After using dark backgrounds and unprofessional looking backgrounds, messing around with lights and figuring out how to diffuse light to prevent glare, I just might have this whole photo taking thing conquered!

What I Learned Last Week?

2010-07-20T16:10:00.001-07:00

It's all about the photos, it's all about the photos, it's all about the photos. Sigh. Give me a big yellout if you're on Etsy and still working on getting those fantastic pics that really get you noticed. I thought I was taking nice pics, I wasn't. This has never been my area of any amount of expertise. I just sprouted a yellow orchid vine seed, something supposedly difficult to do, but I can't take good pics, sigh.

I think I've got it now though. No, really, I think so. I made some backgrounds to use instead of the denim I was trying, I had some feedback that it did not look very professional, and from that point of view, I'd have to agree, it did not. I was trying to brand myself and the denim was part of that.

So I have my backgrounds and am taking better pics, I think....waiting on my battery to recharge, argh!

Have been working the census so no new things to show off, I wish I did. It's hard to even think about being creative when you're so busy though. It won't last for too long though.

We are babysitting my step son's dog for 2 weeks while he's off playing Army for 2 weeks. it took a couple of days for the 2 dogs to settle in, but they're both pooped already and we're only a couple days in :o) I almost had to tell my step son that I killed his dog after he went after my cat 2 nights ago, that wouldn't have gone over so great, luckily Peso is fine and so is the dog.

What did I learn besides some photography stuff? I dunno, I feel really scattered right now. I apparently learned how to sprout yellow orchid vine seeds lol Um, yeah, not thinking of anything else. That's been my existence for the last week. Daily chores, pool time (AZ in summer, it's a must), and census. Goal this week, photos! Then edit my Etsy shop, that is not going to be fun.

The photo is from a group of pics I took last week, some were good, some were bad, this one's Ok I think?

Have a great week!

Rory is at it again!

2010-07-12T06:06:00.000-07:00

Link Partiers......add up to 3 items you are selling on this Link Party From Tools Are For Women Too, Don't forget to follow and promote!

What I learned Last Week

2010-07-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

OK, so the premise behind doing this post weekly was that surely I WOULD learn something new.....and I have no doubt I did, but last week was a blurr. I have done some Link Love already but started doing a couple of Link Parties last week and along the way met up with some very generous folks. Runway Crochet, who was very generous when I posted about a link party on her FB page, it was brazen of me and she was so great, thank you! She is very busy on FB and has been very active with Link Love for those of you not familiar with her. So please go check out her work!

And what was I posting so brazenly on another's FB page? A Link Party of course! Not your ordinary link party though, a brand new concept of it. Normally you wouldn't be allowed to post and link to items you are selling in a link party, but this one is specifically for your Etsy items! And it was it's virgin outing, too. This comes from Rory at Tools Are For Women Too and I understand it has been a success and will be continued weekly. You can link up to 3 items you are selling but you also have to promote it as well, so some of you may have seen it on my blog the day it started. I believe it was running thru til today so you can still get in on this week's if you like.

Obviously this was a self promotion week! I discovered kaboodle and stumbleupon, keen resources for anyone selling on Etsy, glad I discovered it fairly early. And I'm pretty steeped that I can't add items to Google shopping.

I really, really, really, meant to get outside and cleanup a strip of the yard by the street but didn't, too hot. Separated out some lovebirds that I thought were female now I think I was wrong, argh. Made spreadsheet of items I've made along with ones that have sold, for how much, and where. And did another 4 hour street show friday night. It wasn't great but I had several repeat customers which was so cool and I had several folks who were in a hurry ask if I would be back. I wasn't planning got do more of these til it cooled down but now I think it will be a good idea so I think it will. And I think being there for these will give me a priority for the organizer come cooler weather, and that will be good to have!

I'm trying to remember where the rest of the week went and it's just not there. it's like when you're driving some where and you get there, but can't recall HOW you got there? Only not so scary lol

So many things to do so little time! This week I need to make a lot of cool things, well, in the next 4 weeks I guess, but my inventory is woefully lacking at the moment and I need add more to the Etsy shop, too. I'm planning to sponsor my first giveaway on Rory's blog and I am making something new for that as well. On top of that I am working the census starting yesterday! Money is money if you know what I mean :) My time management has been getting better of late but it will be getting tested! I also need to get on the ball with some things to do with the lovebirds and help dear hubby with some of his stuff, sigh.

Oh, and I'm following 4 local polymer clay artists' blogs this week!
http://bleekreations.blogspot.com/
http://miramecreations.blogspot.com/
http://itsallaboutcreating.blogspot.com/
http://fishwifery.blogspot.com/

They belong to the Arizona Polymer Clay Guild which I cannot wait to join when I have the time, sounds like a lot of fun.

And now for a gratuitous photo, how about lovebirds this time? I wasn't planning on handraising babies for awhile but little fella got kicked out of the nest by a nervous mum, there were 2 others but I didn't get to them in time :( Pardon the poop! that's a shoulder activity pad in the background.

Link Party For Etsy Items?

2010-07-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

That's right, there's a Link Party where you can link to 3 items in your Etsy Store and this is the first time for it. Since I'm the one showing you this, please take a second and look at MY ETSY Shop? I'm just starting out, brand new, it'll only take a sec, you may have friends who need what I'm making :o) Thankyou! Don't forget to Fan, Follow, and in general, Link Back.

Wire Pendant Hanger for Polymer Clay, here's how I make mine!

2010-07-07T14:02:00.007-07:00

I am by far not a savvy wire wrapper but I get by with what I need to do and you can, too, because these are so simple. You need wire of course, I usually use artistic wire, about 20ga. You'll also need wire cutters, something round to get the shape you want- I use a paint brush handle, it gets me about a 3/8" hole and I like that just fine. I also use a pair of needlenose pliers and a pair of plastic tipped pliers.

Cut off a piece of wire, 4" is plenty. Hold it up to your paintbrush handle (or whatever you're using!) at about the 1" mark and wrap it all the way around. Take it off and using your needle nose pliers to help make a square bend, bend each end straight up away from the loop you just made.

Now I take my plastic tipped pliers and hold the loop securely. Now take the long end of your wire and wrap it around the short end, tightly at first because what's close to the loop will show. Trim the ends. Now take a tiny point and poke a whole in the top of your polymer clay. I add a drop or two of liquid clay at that spot and when I push the hanger in it'll take some of that with it. Make sure you have your orientation right before pushing the hanger in and don't forget to consider the weight of the piece and how it will naturally want to hang! Push it in carefully so it goes in straight, once it's in you can put another drop of liquid clay around the entry point, too. Viola, bake and finish!

I try not to think about it too much, and I know I get better with more practice. That's how it works, right?

Hopefully the photo helps!

Who's doing linking parties? I am! So I'll be linking back to those from here, take a minute and check them out!

Help Beads of Courage

2010-07-06T06:32:00.000-07:00

Beads of Courage is a program that helps children dealing with life threatening illnesses mark their journey, the beads symbolizing the many challenges they have to overcome. They are hoping for a $25k grant from Pepsi and we can help!

Go here now and VOTE, vote everyday, and share it with your friends.

I learned about this from this Art Bead Scene Blog Post

Things I learned last week!

2010-07-05T09:34:00.001-07:00

I like this idea of a blog post, I think I'll try and do this weekly....assuming I learn something new every week, that is.

Last week was a busy one. Had my second time out selling on Friday and Saturday evenings for 4 hours each. It was a pain in the butt as I had to set up and take down both days but we are pros at that now so that is something. The event had a lot of activities and other types of vendors so unfortunately sales were terrible, hopefully I got some good word of mouth activity though from visitors and the sales I did get. So I spent all week working on things for that.

Am doing it again this Friday night, but this is like my first time out, mostly just arts and crafts vendors, hopefully the weather will be nice. And since I didn't sell very many item over the weekend, I don't have to work so hard making new thigns for this Friday...although I do need to make more things, have to get things in the Etsy shop, of course I need to take some nice pics for that. And I have a friend who will let me put a display of items in their restaurant, so need more items made definitely.

So, things I learned this week?

While I knew hand fed female lovebirds were not good mothers, I now realize they are also not comfortable in an aviary/cummunity environment, sigh.

When all the bowls are empty and you go to use a mixing bowl for your ice cream....it can be difficult to tell HOW MUCH you are putting in it :o)

I learned that when I start to look for fairs to sell at and I am actually paying a modest booth fee, I will be choosy and look for events that are geared more towards the art vendors

I learned my research was dead on for buying a canopy, I saw someone putting up a Quik Shade only to break it before even getting it up and I saw someone with a First Up who had to take the top off before folding it up. I got my Ez-up at Sam's club and while I would have liked to pay less for it we do believe it was worth it. Was $200 and came with all 4 sides and an awning, also has plates to put on feet to put your weights on. Was super easy to put up and instructions were great. We also got a First up screen surround for it although we didn't use it, but it fits and was cheap, I think $30 and I know it'll be useful.

And I learned my pasta machine thingy had a ton of clay accumulated in spots! Argh.

Thanks for reading. Here's a couple pics of my darling pooch Boozer. He was a pound puppy, found as a stray at 4 months and he's our favorite toy. Love that dog! The one on the left is from right after we got him obviously, that cute spot on his nose disappeared :( or, well, it's inside his nose now I think lol

Oh, Had to come back and add one more thing! The winners for the drawings for pendants at my booth were Cindy Selogie and Cynthia Mercier! Congratulations to both of you!

Have a great day!

New things, and just in time, too!

2010-07-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

Not only is the 2 day street fair starting tomorrow but my inspiration is lost! Time to recharge, seriously. Do you ever reach that point whereby you wonder that you ever created anything to begin with? I sure do and I did today, could not be happier to take a break from the clay, what perfect timing. For those that might be at the street fair this weekend, I have 4 new steampunk dragonfly pendants! And they are cool, or I think they are anyways.

I made some stuff that I think is so cool, but these pics I took VERY quickly and I don't think they look their best but here they are, what do you think?

So, Phoenix valley residents, come out and show your spirit this weekend in downtown Mesa! ...and stop by my booth of course ;) Bring your water!

What I Learned This Week

2010-06-25T13:37:00.001-07:00

It's been a busy week for me. I am going to participate in more street shows, first and foremost is a 2 day event the weekend of July 4th. The Arizona Celebration of Freedom, July 2-3, 6-10pm. It's again only 4 hours each night, but it will hopefully be pretty busy as there will be fireworks and lots of free things to do and has plenty of sponsors so should be advertised well. No booth fees so you really can't beat that! So life has been about making stuff to sell! On top of that I went to a restaurant last night to set up and sell for a few hours and did sell 11 pieces there! Thankyou Cameron and Cindy Selogie of Il Vinaio! BTW anyone in the area who enjoys fine wine and food should really check them out.

Had to get a canopy for the 2 day event, argh. Now we still have to make weights for it and put it up so we know it's good to go. But this is good, because if I'm gonna do this, I need these things! Still thinking on what to light it with...we have 2 strands of commercial string lights laying around and I'm thinking that will be perfect, but I'll have to come up with a way to hang them (making notes now as I type lol).

But more than once this week I though "Ijust learned something new," I know I learn new things all the time, maybe this week I was more aware of it, I don't know. here are a couple, there were more, but they are already lost in the folds...was a busy week, and next week will be more busy!

I like cereal that floats.

Peso (our cat) loves the dog (Boozer) more than he loves us.

Boozer doesn't like grapefruit juice. He also doesn't like almonds, I had no idea he could be so choosy about what he'll eat (or drink)

I like gold polymer clay.

I like dark colored polymer clay paired with gold polymer clay.

So, back to the matter at hand. I will have a canopy at a street show next week, how cool! So, at my first one I used (OK, don't laugh, really) black nursery pots covered in fabric as elevations in my display and I want something better. I was hoping to have time to make some nesting plywood boxes for that purpose, paint them black, but I won't have time for that. Anyone care to share what they use to help give dimension to their display?

Oh, and here's some of the goodies I made this week!

I'm in a Treasury!

2010-06-18T08:12:00.001-07:00

I'm sure this isn't new for most of you, but it sure is for me. I have barely touched on Etsy so far, there's so much there to learn about and participate in. Once I have some time I plan to do some treasuries, too. But for now, to be picked by someone from all the thousand (hundreds of thousands?) of items on Etsy is wonderful. Thankyou

RozPetalzStudio

Here's the treasury

That was a blast!

2010-06-12T06:26:00.001-07:00

Back from the 4 hour street fair I did last night.....and it was dead. Only stayed for 3 of the 4 hours, but I did sell 26 pieces not to mention oodles of blank chokers/necklaces. Everyone was so wonderful and did a pretty good job of feeding my growing ego. I hate when that happens though because I know some absolutely horrible and necessary event will happen to straighten that out lol But everyone loved my stuff and those that actually paid enough attention to look at the prices were VERY pleased :) It's funny, of those that stopped, most just wanted to look and I had to point out the prices to them, nearly everyone one of those bought something.

Feel confident about the name I picked for my studio/shop, too as I had quite a few folks mention how much they liked it. All the purple went over really well! I want to make a song similar to "Redneck Woman" by Gretchen Wilson (I love that song!) because women love purple, don't we? I just hope at 70 I'm not wearing mismatched purple socks.

Am soo glad I made a variety, because that really helped. I'm sure what sells will be different each time but it really was a true variety of pieces being sold from my booth. I will say the swirled hearts did well, the small steampunk dragonfly and the corseted heart were huge hits and both did sell, there was one large coppery piece that sold that surprised me, this lady knew she wanted it and that was that lol

And the winner is.......Moe Taylor! I had a drawing for a necklace last night, it was one of the steampunk hearts and last night it was on display around the gracious neck of the owner of Il Vinaio, (thank you!) a wine bistro in downtown Mesa. I want to thank everyone who stopped by to see my stuff and entered the drawing and I hope to see you again in the future.

Here's to growing success! You can't see it but my coffee cup is raised ;P

I cannot believe this!

2010-06-07T15:11:00.001-07:00

How cool this came out that is. I LOVE this, I think it's too cool.

I feel an awful lot like a poser....I have put some polymer clay pendants in an Etsy store. I haven't been doing this for long, I know, but it feels so natural. I hope others like my stuff, too...I know a lot of my things are pretty basic, but I can see how I am evolving, and that alone is inspiring.

Am almost ready for the street fair this friday, but we have company this week so work (and creativity lol) is sporadic. But I did get a few items in the Etsy shop, am going to try and get a few more things finished by friday and have some odds and ends to tie up for the the display.

Here are some other neat things I made.

I uploaded lots of new pics to my Flickr if you want to see more! Thanks for looking :)

My first time out in 2 weeks!

2010-05-29T08:29:00.001-07:00

Have been really busy lately getting ready for a small street show in 2 weeks, it's just a 4 hour thing but it's a free booth and commission free so that rocks. But it's my first time out so there's been a lot to learn and a lot to do! Have come up with things to display on, have tags, and things to put signs in/on, still have to print the actual signs but that'll be quick. Have cards coming in, I have boxes and bags, a thing for $ to put on my belt, still working on additional lighting. Have a mirror and receipts.

Have been learning about taking good photos! Want to have items in my Etsy shop before then so folks can go home and see things there after seeing me at the fair and I'm reading you really need good pics, sigh.
So I've been doing a lot of that lately. I realize I really need to get back to diffusing the light but I think I'm getting a handle on adding perspective to the photos. Having a hard time stabilizing the camera for different angles though! Here are some shots I think are not too bad.

Now I need to make stuff to sell! Wish me luck!

Have I mentioned I like Purple?

2010-05-23T14:56:00.002-07:00

I do, always have, always will. And I like playing with purple clay, now! I am amazed at how a ball or log of clay in different colors can end up so colorful. I really like the variations you can get, very cool.

Some misc stuff here....these nuggets look much better in person, they have just a bit of metallic to them.

And more crazy pendants, these were fun, I really liked making these. For anyone who doesn't already know this....eyeshadow applicators are great tools for adding rub'n'buff in tight spots and on small details, works beautifully!

Lots of hearts.......

2010-05-17T14:14:00.002-07:00

Steampunk fun, seriously, I love these! The powders are so perfect for this style, too...am still learning what the different colors of powders look like on the different colors of clay, need to start a serious journal.

And some more fun with color...purple rocks :)

Am learning.....definitely learning

2010-05-12T14:56:00.002-07:00

Have started playing with some color....that was fun!

Skinner Blend and Cane

2010-05-04T15:29:00.001-07:00

My first! Between keeping up with stuff around here and doing the census I was able to get some time to play with the clay and squeaked out my first skinner blend and cane. The cane's not perfect but I think it's pretty good, especially for my first time. I can't wait to use the leaves in a project!

Love these gems!

2010-04-25T15:50:00.001-07:00

More pendants, I just love how versatile these gems are. If I haven't said it...love this clay :o)

A Paperweight and more Pendants!

2010-04-16T15:34:00.001-07:00

This paperweight is totally inspired by Chris Kapono, she does a lot of stuff like this and I think it is all so cool. I think mine turned out pretty cool, not bad for a beginner!

And 3 pendants. I don't even wear jewelry and I am shocked at how easily these just come together, polymer clay must release some creativity hormone I think. I almost feel like if I pick the embellishments before hand the rest reveals itself....or maybe I'm putting too much into this, they could be really bad lol I do love adding embellishments and am starkly aware that I need to make my bag of tricks larger!

My First Piece

2010-04-14T14:52:00.001-07:00

My first piece of jewelry and my first piece from polymer clay (that i actually baked lol). It was poorly planned and I had to improvise on the hanger and used (are you sitting down?) aluminum. I need a better variety of wires obviously...and I really need to work on wiring in general but for a first time without any practice or even trying to learn to wire, it's not bad is it? But I love those pearl ex powders, those are too cool. Was surprised how different the color ended up being, too, wow.

Texture!

2010-04-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

I've made my own texture sheets and technically this would be my first project being as it's the first thing I've actually baked anything. I was surprised how much the temperature in my toaster oven fluctuates, too, that is wicked crazy. I used Sculpey Superflex/Bake and Bend, it was so easy to do and now I have some completely random textures, cannot wait to see how they look on clay.

OK, I like this polymer clay!

2010-04-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Finally managed to get my polyclay out of the package just now and here what I did super quick.

This stuff is so easy to work with I love it! I need to to make some textures for myself and I don't like that this has no texture so it's not getting baked- still have to check my oven temp anyways lol

Here's my dragonfly model I'm working on....need texture for it, too! I need texture, that's all there is to it. ignore my messy tools....they won't touch the polyclay!

New Name....

2010-03-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

And so you can change not only the title on a blogspot blog but also the URL, so that's great! For now I have changed it to what I used to call my woodcrafts business, appropriate since I plan on preparing and posting my patterns for sale (first ones ready are in the pic) soon but maybe The Clay Whimsy would be nice to mark my new adventure? Something to sit on.

The not so frequent blogger...

2010-03-25T04:27:00.000-07:00

OK, at one time I started this then realized for what I was doing at the time, Wordpress was better for me, so I left this and did Boozer's World over at wordpress, mainly for my lovebirds but for other things, too. A bit about me, I used to design and make painted woodcrafts, I love my scroll saw! I am currently breeding lovebirds and am working to produce some wonderful birds, I also love lovebirds :o) There's not a whole lot else to tell, married, no kids, never really had a lifelong dream of any kind, I think that's weird, everyone should have dreams. Am an information hound! So new hobbies are dangerous for me lol

Now I've started a group of crafting forums at cubits.org and while I've been wanting to try polymer clay for sooo long, I held off, but I can stands it no longer! See, the problem is that when I do something, I get a tad bit obsessive about it, I've had 20 or so books out from the library in the past 2 weeks and I already have (among other things, like dental tools, a roller, and a new exacto knife) pearl ex powders, metallic wax, a clay extruder, and a pasta machine (a cheap one) and I haven't even cracked open my Kato polyclay yet! Oh, and clear liquid polyclay is on it's way :)

I've been sculking on no less than 100 polymer clay blogs, sites, forums, and storefronts. I feel like I have found a polymer caly underworld...I always thought it would be a fun craft but mostly what I had seen of it had to do with floral canes and modeling cute critters. Then I found Chris Kapono's clay art.....LOVE IT! Then Christi Friesen and I found steampunk for the first time...another thing to Google, sigh.

I left Christi's site thinking I was totally in love with steampunk....what I soon found was that I am not nearly as in love as I thought....her work seems to have a balance to it that I wasn't really seeing in a lot of the steampunk art that's out there. There are some basic concepts in decorating that you must adhere to if you want a coherent space and a large part of that is groupings coupled with space, the basis being that without the space you don't really see what's in the group. I think that's something you have to apply to art as well or it's just a jumble...unless you're after a jumble of course :) I like balance myself and I think most people do, too, they just don't realize that's what makes something more appealing over something else.

I cannot tell you how many times I've gone over all of Chris Kapono's work lol If either of those two saw their traffic numbers, they probably thought someone was stalking them. Chris's work has an organicness (is that a word?) about it and I love how she uses the gems and clay both as embellishments. And the use of powders and the metallic wax on black clay, That total end result is something else and I am utterly inspired.

I love all the embellishments! This stuff rocks, it is is all so new to me and it's awesome. What I want to do now is to take away what I find inspiring from these 2 artists and combine them to make something unique and mine. And other artists, too, of course, these were hardly the only 2 sites I visited.

I'm also reinspired to work on a clay model that's been sitting for....oh......too long? It's a dragonfly and the end goal is a concrete mold for garden decor.....it'll be taking on a whole new look now, thankfully! I think I stopped because I knew I wanted it to be awesome and I just thought I was going nowhere with it. I do believe there will be a steampunk influence with it, not just because I'm inspired by the art, but I'm inspired by the clay. This is a very different clay of course but I had no idea what I could do with it!

On that note...I'll be thinking of a new name for this blog....Crap, can I rename it? I may have to get another one because I will think of a clever name and this is not it. Anyone who happens to actually sit and read this, please take a sec and go to A Crafty Cubit, my new crafting forums, they are woefully in need of crafters!

Thanks!

Lynn

Lovebirds needs enrichment!

2009-07-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

Don't let your lovebirds get bored, if you love them you want them to be happy and that means toys. That also means changing out those toys frequently to keep them interested. It's important to include different kinds of enrichment, they like to play with shapes in their mouths, chew on things, sort thru things to get what they want- this is foraging. They can forage for their food! And they love it! Check out this website for a small foraging cup that's perfect for lovebirds as well as other toys that are geared specifically for lovebirds.

Desert Lovebirds Aviary

Gardening in the Southwest

2009-07-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

OMG it is hot this week! I have been doing way too much watering, I think my plants are a bit stressed this year due under fertilizing, an unfortunate consequence of the economy's toll on our household I'm afraid. I did manage to buy some fertilizer recently but actually getting out there in the heat to do it now is not something I'm jumping up to do in this heat!

Some things doing well though are my snapdragon vine and my aristolochia watsonii,
not doing so well is my red trumpet honeysuckle,it is dying for me to spray it with an horticultural oil for mites.

One of a Kind Jewelry Designs and Handmade Gifts

It's Summertime!

It's the time of bright colors and fresh air and rocking loud music =) A time to feel foot loose and fancy free, right? Well, that's what it means to me. So here are a coupld of things from my fellow Polymer Clay Smooshers shops that remind me of summertime!

Hey, I won something!!

Color is what you make of it!

Wordpress on a hosted site....

Steampunk Charm in Polymer Clay w/Watch Gear in Metallic Gold, Silver

Steampunk Street was a blast!

Steampunk Street!

Steampunk Dragonflies!!

Technicolor Fishies!!!

Fishies!!!!

Life and all that goes with it!

I know it's been awhile, but I am working on some new things!

Earthy and Rustic from Desert Wind Designs

Getting Organized.....

Kutter Home Found!

My First Kemper Kutters!

Looking For Some Inspiration?

A New Year!

Peace Baby!

The Last Dragon's Tooth

Thor's Hammer

Buying Handmade and the Artisan

Industrial Steampunk Surrealism?

Setting a mood, is it the colors and textures?

I try to add awesome color and texture to my own polyer clay work and I try to seek it out in my life as well, I hope you do the same!

Make Your Christmas Special this year with One of a Kind Gifts!

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,Jack Frost nipping on your nose,Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Oh, you do that stuff every year! Make this Christmas memorable and make gift giving special this year, give gifts made by the hands of a talented artisan. Who doesn't love a unique gift and who doesn't love giving one? So shop handmade this year and support a craftsperson =)

To help in that endeavor, the Polymer Clay Smooshers will be hosting a scavenger hunt on Artfire next week! You can keep an eye out for details of the scavenger hunt on the PCS blog where you'll also find a list of perticiapating shops and see what prizes will be offered!

Resistance is Futile.....

The Bees and....the Butterflies?

Shop for Breast Cnacer Awareness and Domestic Violence!

Still a few days left to shop during Ajdjss Guild's Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence Fund Raiser Event

A portion of all sales during the month of October from participating shops (found in the link!) will be donated to support Breast Cancer Research and Domestic Violence Intervention. Or if you just want to donate, go to the link, there's a button for that!

Terra Firma Good

Challenge yourself!

The Masquerade Continues!!!

Are You An Animal Lover, too?

of Dragon Tails and Wings!...and other things

The Masquerade Ball Has Begun!!

A New Shop, A New Guild!

Photographing Your Work!

Where did the summer go?

Super Swirled Polymer Clay Technique

I am taking better photos!

What I Learned Last Week?

Rory is at it again!

What I learned Last Week

Link Party For Etsy Items?

Wire Pendant Hanger for Polymer Clay, here's how I make mine!

Help Beads of Courage

Things I learned last week!

New things, and just in time, too!

What I Learned This Week

I'm in a Treasury!

That was a blast!

I cannot believe this!

My first time out in 2 weeks!

Have I mentioned I like Purple?

Lots of hearts.......

Am learning.....definitely learning

Skinner Blend and Cane

Love these gems!

A Paperweight and more Pendants!

My First Piece

Texture!

OK, I like this polymer clay!

New Name....

The not so frequent blogger...

Lovebirds needs enrichment!

Gardening in the Southwest

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.