Playing with polymer clay

I've been playing with polymer clay - making 'button' size discs for a swap I joined.   I spent a day making them, baking them, sanding them, and painting them.  Then disaster struck.  I had painted some with Verday metallic paint, and opened the lid of the Verday patina in readiness to spray some of it on the discs, when somehow, and I haven't a glue how it happened, the bottle flipped over and covered my table with all with it's contents, including everything I had made - so ruined everything.  Books, painted clay, which included flowers and moulded heads and so much more.  I was gutted.  Doesn't liquid go a long way, and isn't it hard to clear it all up.  I was gutted!  What I couldn't dry, I left out to dry, and today when I went back in - everything it came in contact had turned blue - and the untreated clay was wet and boggy - so back to square one.

 This time I have experimented and mixed colours

 And just had fun and experimented

 And involved different techniques

 These are straight out of the oven

 Having been baked for 30 minutes at 130 degrees

 In real life they look very much brighter, and this one for example, has sparkling gold which appears lime green in this photo!

 

All the  polymer clay has yet to be sanded  to make any rough bits smooth.

 The above do not look much - but wait until you see what they look like when I transform them into earrings to match the pendants.

 Sanding also creates a shine - it's hard work though.

 Then after that I will give them a couple of coats of Rennaisance wax

Then I will give them a really really good polish.

All of which I will do tomorrow!

Happy Daze Halloween Challenge - Something wicked comes!

I'm not the best at doing paper crafting of any sort, but I thought that I would have a go at the 'Halloween Challenge' on the Happy Daze blog.

I had a rummage around among my old cds and finally found the one I was looking for.

I bought a set of three from the USA years ago which have examples of all things Victorian - like vintage photos, labels, etc.

 I printed out some images and used some of them to create a collage

 It actually looks more colourful in real life.  I think that the fact that I rubbed on Renaissance wax to the collaged images to give it a lovely sheen and feel of leather, has reflected the flash light and made it look pale!

The colours are darker and much richer than shown here.

The stamped chandelier is a free one from a magazine.

And the quote 'Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where their is no path and leave a trail'

I can't remember the manufacturer and the stamp is in my garden studio and I'll not go out there in the rain and dark  - so will amend this post tomorrow!  It's part of a set with a vintage balloon etc on it!

Sneak Peek

 I have been somewhat busy of late - mainly in the garden and on the allotment - which inspired me to use the colours I saw all around me.

 

I have started getting back into my studio and creating - but I can't reveal things yet.

I've been playing with polymer clay again.

 

I have been experimenting with different techniques, making little discs.

They are about the size of a 2p coin and are pierced ready for all sorts of uses

I read lots and lots of books, all subjects, fiction and non-fiction, and I am always losing my bookmarks - so I need plenty and these metal ones work really well.

Fabulous Flower Arranging Friday

Q:  What can you do on a cold wet Friday in the middle of the countryside?

A:  Drive to another lovely village in the middle of the countryside and do some flower arranging!

It was one of those days when you really just want to stay indoors in the warm and dry.

But I am so very glad that I didn't

Instead I drove for half an hour to another lovely village in the middle of nowhere.

 And together with eight other like minded ladies

 We got together and had a fabulous time playing with flowers

Mine are a mixture of English country garden flowers and foliage

 With roses, and carnations bought from a supermarket for £2 a bunch

So for the princely sum of just £12 which included all the flowers, hall hire, two pieces of cake, refreshments, and wonderful company, who could ask for anything more.

The rain didn't seem so bad on the drive home, the long traffic queues  in the town I go through as all the children come out of their respective schools and waiting parents in cars clog up the roads, cars pulling out of side roads causing more mayhem, a silly  driver on one of our country lanes doing an emergency stop then suddenly trying to turn right down a lane he had over shot - didn't even manage to spoil my mood!

Today the sun is out again after heavy rainfall most of the night, and having such a small bungalow I only have one table I can put my arrangement on to it's hard to photograph - but oh how the sunshine through the garden room roof has opened up the roses and the deep pink iceplants, and hydrangeas.

It's summer in my heart today.

Off to let my chooks out.

Requested by Maggie - the other end of my studio

Well you saw the 'best' side in my last post - this other end still needs sorting out

Ok - here goes - starting from the left.

My computer workstation - minus a computer - but cluttered up with curtains that need sorting out, and on the top shelf a picture I bought in Cyprus many many years ago and I can't decide whether to throw it or keep it!

Below and in front are - left to right - a folded up easel, my sewing maching, and a box of craft stuff for the charity shop.  Then my grandson's rocking horse in front of the side door.

 On my desk are my work in progress - polymer clay items - being polished with sandpapers, and of course my halogen oven for baking them in, and a desk 'daylight' light and magnifier.

 Various pots of pens and paintbrushes etc

Underneath is all my flower arranging equipment, mainly in big plastic roll out boxes but a some bags of things too big for the boxes.

Not too bad I don't think!