Teddy Bear Picnic

Teddy Bear Picnic Storybook Flower Vase

I saved this Crofter's Superfruit Spread jar for more than a year hoping to find the right project for it. I just ADORE the label. Then it finally hit me--the bear on the label needed a polymer playmate.

The Making of a Teddy Bear Picnic Storybook Flower Arrangement

This cute arrangement is really three separate sculptures that can be displayed together or individually.

"Sandy" the cinnamon bear (colored with real cinnamon) sports a gingham blouse created from a polymer clay fabric tutorial by Meg Newberg and some "denim" shorts that I came up with to go with the blouse.

Sandy embraces "Goldilocks," a doll with lots of sweet details: from her golden spiral curls to the lace collar that accents her yellow "cotton" dress.

The vase itself was a labor of love. For this part, I wove strips of clay--lots of them--into a basket pattern and then placed it over the glass jar, leaving that precious label peeking out.

Make It Yours!
The whole set is waiting for the right kitchen table to call home. Interested?  Check out the listing in my shop, YoungCreative on Etsy.
 
https://www.etsy.com/listing/102855637/teddy-bear-picnic-storybook-flower-vase

Monthly Challenge (Vote to Win!)
I've entered this piece in the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy monthly challenge: "Extruded." The idea is to find creative ways to use your clay extruder, and this piece fits the bill!

You can vote for your three favorite entries through July 7 and be entered to pick out a great prize from one of the artist shops (including mine!)

http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2012/06/july-challenge-extruded-art.html



More pics of this project in progress:

Coloring Polymer Clay: Cinnamon Bear

That little gray bear head that I shared with you on Thursday now has some color thanks to one of my favorite spices. Cinnamon, combined with translucent polymer clay, makes a great color enhancer. I love the depth that this cinnamon inclusion technique gives the bear's fur.

cinnamon bear work in progress

Cinnamon Color Technique
I've been experimenting with different techniques to add color to sculptures without painting them, but to be honest, I hadn't planned on using the cinnamon inclusion technique on this piece.

I started with a dark brown base of pastel chalks on the unbaked gray form. I tinted some satin glaze to go over the baked chalked head. While it looked nice, it was darker and shinier than I wanted.

unfinished pastel chalks on polymer

To try a different approach, I mixed a batch of translucent clay with some latte alcohol ink and some cinnamon. I gently added a thin layer of the mix over the existing head, rubbing in additional cinnamon with my finger to increase the color before reshaping the fur. After baking, I followed up with some light sanding and buffing to get the result you see in the first picture. Read about my past adventures in polymer clay inclusions.