Scrapbooking....in disguise!

I swore that when the scrapbooking craze...became a craze....that I would NEVER EVER get into it! Not because I didn't love it....but because...I knew I would love it! I knew I would have to feed the insatiable desire for everything - every paper - every embellishment - every little doo-dad - just plain everything! I needed another craft hobby like I needed another hole in the head. Well...Im sorry to say...I have several holes in the head, I think I'm up to around seven or so by now.

Then it happened.....What if I could justify it? I thought, "Technically, if I found a way to add polymer clay with scrapbooking techniques, I wouldn't necessarily be able to call it a "new" hobby would I?" I would be just branching out and exploring my creative horizons...right??? YES!!! YES!! YES!!! I could scrapbook in disguise...ooohh the possibilities that opened up!!! No more emergency trips to the scrapbook store when didnt have the write color embellishment...and patterns...we'll I could either stamp them or create milliefiore canes for letters... I could make little embellishments whenever or in whatever color I needed for my layout!

So here is sampling of that muse...you can see that my style goes from clean.... to altered. Im so into altered because it's free, expressive, messy and as Maureen Carlson says...."IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PRETTY!".

The little cowboy page in the background is my dad (you've guessed it, now I'm totally into heritage scrapbooking and genaeology - my 8th hole in the head). This layout was featured on DIY Scrapbooking about a year or so back. It combines polymer clay to make rustic/rusty looking embellishments. Mariah also did a similar one on the Carol Duvall Show featuring leather like embellishments.

I have two altered purses with heritage albums that pop out when you open them up. It has many embellishments from airdry clay techniques, wire, metal and more....Isn't this a fun way to display your photo's and create a bit of home decor? And lastly but not least the book with the "39" is called "My First 39 Miles". It's a collaberation of memorabilia from my life - miniaturized report cards and all kinds of stuff. It's a lunch sack album...but the cover features stamped and aged polymer clay techniques based on colors from Basic Grey.

The "Inspire" page was one of the first I featured on the Carol Duvall show. The dragonfly embellishments and Inspire words are all made from Fimo polymer clay.

Well...I guess the I blew my cover.....now I have drawers of paper, nearly every punch that McGill makes (great for polymer clay may I add...), die cut machines (wizard, sizzix and big kick- also great for die cut polymer shapes) and the list goes on and on and on......

I'm out growing my studio!!!

See you next time on the ArtBuzz.......

Bead Rolling is a family affair!

My!!!! OH my!!!!!....I sure have been on a colorful journey lately!!!

Usually one night every couple of weeks or so, my Mom would fix leftovers (my Grandma Molden would call them mustgo's) ....you know...leftovers...a little bit of this... a little bit of that...whatever you had on hand in the fridge. No matter what leftover's we had, my Mom sure had a way of bringing it all together for a yummy meal. You might say that this bracelet fits that description because it's full of all sorts of great bead ingredients which make way for some delicious and tasty bead soup jewelry ! You'll find these and other bead making techniques in my latest book "Bead Techniques - Clay Jewelry with Bead Rollers"

This bracelet along with a Faux Jade Necklace, on display in the AMACO booth during the Winter CHA 07 trade show, caught the eye of the buyers and educational department of JoAnn Stores. Instructions for this project are available on the JoAnn's website.

The Faux Jade necklace is where my real family affair story begins. JoAnn stores decided that they would like to have live samples of the Faux Jade Necklace in select stores and asked if I would be willing to make them! I was honored. What I didn't know, was the necklaces were going to be featured in 235 select stores!

The project took an entire 8 weeks to complete. As I neared the deadline, I had everyone in the family involved. Mariah mixed the clay while my husband Dana, my mom & my dad, and Elise made the base beads. Then, they handed them over to me for stamping, hole poking and baking. Once baked, Mariah painted them, the rock tumbler sanded them and then we sealed them. I strung most of the necklaces in the car on a weekend trip to St. Louis. We all worked together and eventually completed nearly 2600 beads. Each bead had 7 different steps.

The good news?.. We finished on time. It was really alot of fun to have the whole family involved in the project, together in the studio, laughing, sharing old stories and creating new memories. (now when Im in the studio...and I get the bead rollers out...the kids say.."Run away...Run away!!..." - just kidding. They actually used this experience and design their own beads now)

As soon as I get my hands on a copy of the project sheet, I'll post it for all of you. In the meantime, if you happen to be in one of those select JoAnn stores and you see the jade necklace take a moment to remember a time when your family was all together working as a team....maybe doing some yard work or planting flowers ...or during a family gathering...or a planning wedding...whatever it is, I hope it brings you "warm fuzzies" and that you'll continue to create great family moments for many years to come.

Do you have great crafting with family stories??? Please share them!

Next time on the Art Buzz......HOT LINKS! Don't miss them!

Don't let the Summer heat ruin your CLAY DAY!

So you're off running to the craft store today to buy more polymer clay because you've been such an addict you're nearly out of every single color...right?? Okay... maybe that's a little exaggerated but in any case here's a little tip to help you not spoil your summertime projects.

Make your trip to the craft store your last trip of the day. Polymer clay begins it's curing process at 90 degrees. It doesn't totally cure...but it is on it's way. We all know that temperatures in the car get well over 200 degrees and now that Fimo is curing at 230 degrees you could wind up with a nice baked solid color paperweight (otherwise known as a cured block of clay). We DON'T want that to happen!!!

So..what if you wind up with some slightly baked clay...is all lost? NO! Chop it in a food processor (totally devoted to clay), add a few drops of baby oil or veggie oil to the mix. The friction created in the machine and the oil will help to rejuvinate clay that has lost a little bit of it's life due to old age or a little heat stroke. Condition the clay until it's soft and pliable thru the pasta machine.

I know that these tips aren't rocket science...and you've probably heard them before. It's always good to have a little refresher reminder.

Happy Summertime Clay Time!!...until next time on the ArtBuzz.....

Let's have a party!.... WITH BEADS!

I spent most of last week making canes. That is pretty unusual really for me because I'm not a cane maker, Im more of an "impatient bead maker". I can totally relate to "The Impatient Blogger" in the need for instant results. Once the canes are made it really is kind of fun to have a bit of creative freedom and just plunk canes slices on to base beads with no particular look in mind. These beads all work together because they are all of the same color family. This is really a lesson in Skinner Blends! I love Skinner Blends and we'll be exploring these in my new book.

The inspiration for this piece came from the Masquerade costume designed by Liz Welch and embellished with Friendly Plastic. The color palette she used became the focus of these beads. Using the Tube Bead Rollers really made the task of creating so many beads easy and fast. The result was this very fun....very FUNky chunky necklace ensemble. You could just keep adding and adding charms or anything you like to make it uniquely you!

I hope this necklace provides you with inspiration to just create....and not really worry about each individual bead - the whole creative process without regard to the outcome is quite therapeutic

And ....if you need a little more inspiration, click on my BRAND NEW flickr gallery page. I feature of my favorite whimsical characters from years gone by.... to my new updated jewelry gallery. Just click here!...and if you care to...leave a message, I'd love to hear from you...

Until next time on the ArtBuzz................................

What's old....has become New!

In keeping with the flashback to the 80's Blast from the Past Theme....you may recall a product called "Friendly Plastic". It's produced in the here in the States from AMACO. Way back in the 80's, I purchased a pair of earrings and a matching bracelet at a craft show made with it. The ensemble was quite flashy - a little gaudy and complimented my big 80's hair (yes ladies....AquaNet was my friend...). Those pieces have since been broken and I think.....lost. Friendly plastic was quite a popular medium for creative people and came in a variety of metallic and varigated colors. But the 80's crazy died out...and so it seems Friendly Plastic did a little bit too..... Jana Ewy brought a 90's update to the product with her books showing us how to layer and create patterns with Friendly Plastic. In fact to see a project I did, inspired by Jana, just click here!!

Now...take a look at what one artist in the United Kingdom has done to put a real 2000 spin on it!! It's back with a bang! And.... OH! is it so fun to work with!!! Meet textile artist and Friendly Plastic Queen - Liz Welch . I introduced you to her briefly in my CHA show summary. Just look at photo's of her work with Friendly plastic and textiles! WOW!

Liz features an unique way to incorporate friendly plastic metallic designs with textiles to create stunning wearables. I was priveleged enough to receive a beautiful - Totally 2000 necklace and earrings from her. So you say....masks....wearables arent your main interest? You like scrapbooking and paper crafts???? Well...check out Liz's ATC cards too!

Friendly plastic can be molded and cut with alphabet cutters to create stunning titles...think Texture.

I really enjoy the challenge of giving "older" products a NEW Up to the Minute look. All it takes is a little creative inspiration and a little thinking out of the box. Some days...i know...we get stuck in the box! So if you are one of those who have a stash of Friendly plastic laying around...why not ressurrect it??? And challenge yourself to a little creative "up to date" project.

Check back to see what I've created with FIMO using Liz's masquerade costume as an inspiration. It's a walk on the wild side.........

(all photo's featured in this blog are the work of Liz Welch)