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.

I just had to put this on my blog.  I made this about 2 years ago, and gave it to my brothers family.  I kept saying…I’ll make more…..yeah, right….well, I am glad I took pictures.  They are fairly easy to do.  I actually ‘borrowed’ the idea from ?? somebody who posted a picture on the web, and just had to try it.  It turned out a bit different than the original I saw, which always happens when people work with polymer clay.  Your own personality comes out in the piece.  Let’s see….my own personality…..If I go by this piece, I am non expressive, stone face and have a shiny nose.  Oh well.  If you make one, make sure you put clay at the back….as part of the hat, around the top of the shell…..(see this picture.)…… I painted the shell, since it wasn’t white enough for a beard, for my taste.  At this time I think I covered the whole piece with some super acrylic floor wax …thats why it is so ‘durned’ shiney!  Let me know if you have trouble seeing these pictures that I post.  I will soon be using a different method of showing the pictures.

Well, this is a real IPOD Case.  I don’t even OWN a real IPOD.  I do, however, own an MP3 player that I enjoy greatly and except for NOT having an AM receiver, it is perfect.   It took a while to make this.  It was my third attempt at an IPOD Case, but it is by far my favorite.  I made one for my MP3 player too…..here it is.

I made this one with a combination of the regular clay and the ?bendy? clay (whatever it’s called…can’t think) Anyway, it gives it a more plyable functionality and it’s easy to put the case into and take it out of.  On my MP3 player, the earphones come out the top, unlike an IPOD which come out the bottom, so I didn’t make this with a hole in the bottom.  Actually, I think this wearable ‘vessel’ is more suited as a holder for a few bucks and one key, on a short trip to the store.  When I have tried to wear it as an MP3 holder, there seems to be too much ‘chording’ going on….with the necklace and then the earphones.  Well, discovery is a process, after all….right??  Thanks for agreeing with me.

I didn’t say IPOD, did I…..so don’t blame me if your google search brought you here for this, but maybe it was meant to be.  LOL

This is my “Red Eye” POD.  IT is a mystic pod, with a red eye of protection at the bottom.  OK, I made it, or rather –  it made me make it, – and this is what I call it. —-get over it —- it isn’t an evil thing!  Nor am I.

The idea came from a project I did with my “CLAY BUDDIES” a few months ago at a clay day.  We made these great vessels that we found directions for in a recent Polymer Cafe magazine (see an earlier post).  I used the basic idea for the vessels and shrunk down to make a necklace.  It started with a five pointed star and I brought up the points and pinched them each together.  Adding a flat marble (with silver paint, dried, on the bottom first) with clay around to hold it.  Note:  This step was done after baking the pod once, at least.  I think the whole thing took about 4-5 bakings, because I kept adding, the spines, the round loop at the top, and the gem.

I have made others with small metal ‘clangers’ in them to make a rattle.  I’ll post them at another time.  This one is made with black clay – after it was baked it was given a coat of gold “Rub n Buff”, to highlight the details.  Looking at it again I think I will go back and give it a better coat of gold, to show off the details better.