Debi Scott

I ran accross this picture from a few years ago and wanted to add it to my blog as a reminder.  It was a fairly easy one.  Extrude a snake of green clay.  Roll a small brown clay base and put it at the bottom then start laying out the snake in a tree shape.  I cut a small star from yellow clay and put it at the top, and added little balls of color around into the holes for decoration.  I am sure you can think of more ways to decorate it.  This would also make a cute pin.   I added a little wire hanger to the back before it was baked…with, I think, another gold star.  I remember putting gold ‘rub-n-buff’ on the high spots after it was baked. 

The little candy canes are just white and red snakes rolled together and make very thin.  then cut and turned onto a baking tile.  I just hung them onto a miniature Christmas tree without adding holders, they go right over the branches. 

I got an inspiration last night and turned out this pin.  Finished it today, putting a back on it and even got to wear it to a meeting.  I think the finish looks better in person, as I brushed on Pearlex Powders before baking, and it leaves a nice sheen to the leaves.   As far finding inspiration ?…,  just pick up any magazine with Christmas stuff and something will come to you, I am sure!  Again I used my favorite - flat marbles with silver rub n buff on the back.  Let it dry, then place on a sheet of clay, …then I cut out the three leaves and placed them where I thought they looked good.  Also, I tried making some smaller than usual snakes with my extruder and wrapping them around the leaves….?? see the one in the center? for a little suprise….  Hope you like it.

I just found a great tutorial from Nancy Lotzer on balanese filagree, the bowl idea is really cool!  Can’t wait to try my hand at this.  The way she used the garlic press is very inventive!  Her kaleidescope canes are beautiful. [Link]

Although time consuming, it is easy…another example of balanese filagree as inspired by Donna Kato.  On a circle cut out, I started making coils with an extruder and cutting little bits and rolling them for the balls then slowly the design emerged.  I believe I used some liquid clay to adhear the elements, and probably baked this 3 times before it was finished.   It is about 2 inches wide, and the pin back is embedded into clay and baked on the back. 

I know it isn’t much of a post, but as I was talking about using a cookie cutter yesterday to make a polymer clay Christmas tree ornament, I thought this site was a good one for future reference.

The snowflake cookie cutters are a definate for next year for me.  ?? Santa are you listening ??

Go to the Sculpey website too and look at their version of a snowflake using these cutters.

Thought I had better get into the Christmas spirit for this year and make something new.  I found an old cookie cutter, saved to use only with PC, of course, and cut out a shape of some scrap green clay.  I wasn’t at all pleased until I used some two different shades of green Pearlex Powders on the tree, prior to baking.  I had to work with a small brush around the ornaments.  How do you like the little light bulbs?  I made them with a teeny-tiny bit of white in a flame shape with an even tinier bit of yellow in the same shape placed on top, then using a needle tool, placed it onto a spot on the tree…the needle tool give it the dark spot in the center that helps give it a flame look.  Then after I put all the ‘flames’ around the tree, I rolled, by hand, some black clay in a very thin chord and put it under the flames, for the wire.  I used a dark gold Pearlex Powder for the trunk of the tree….OH…and before I even put the first ornament on, I used that needle tool to score some lines for tree fronds.  Putting on the PPowders makes the lines stand out.  I used a small cutter for the star and coated that with PP also.  I made a simple wire holder and stuck it to the back before baking….I had to glue the wire onto the finished piece, because I didn’t embed it into the clay before firing…just sort of stuck it to the back and it didn’t stay.

This is one of my favorite pieces.  Again it was inspired by Donna Kato’s balanese filagree instructions (see last post). It started out as a small round mirror ornament that I found at a garage sale….in fact I think I have more like it,….?somewhere in my ‘future projects stuff’…… It is very relaxing to do this, as I tend to ‘zone out’ as I focus in on the project. I tend to do numerous bakings as I work on these.  That is so not to ’smoosh’ something that I’ve done, while trying to add another part. 

I had to include my ‘man in the moon’ magnet on my blog, because I always get compliments on him.  He was inspired by Donna Kato and her  Balinese Filigree work that I learned from her first (and I believe only book).  The back has two round magnets surrounded with clay to hold them in.  Funny, he looks less angry in realy life. 

I was reading over some posts from one of the Polymer Clay Yahoo Groups tonight and there was some talk about "Perfect Pearls" being better than the Pearlex Powders most of us use on the clay prior to baking.  Evidently, unlike the Pearlex, these powders don’t need any after-coat to keep them from washing off after baking.  It is a Ranger craft product.