Faux Granite Easter Egg

Faux Granite Easter Egg

When I wrote about this project last week in my post Faux techniques in polymer, I promised you a few tips on creating your own faux granite. Well here they are:

1. Create the polymer "granite" base layer. I've made some cool stone effects with tinted translucent clay and pepper flake inclusions, but in this I simply opened a packet of Premo Sculpey Granite and blended in a small amount of pearl and translucent premo to give it a nice soft feel.

2. After I covered the entire egg with the base polymer, I added accents with a flat extruded rope.

3. Add a stippled texture to the raw clay with a stiff wire brush. I also added a few "cracks" with a pointed sculpting tool.

4. Bake the granite layer.

5. Add depth to the granite layer with acrylic paint. Brush black or dark umber paint onto small sections making sure to get it into the crevices. Wipe it away immediately with a damp cloth leaving only a small amount in the recessed areas.

6. I finished the project off by adding a flowered vine and rebaking the egg.

Of course if you like this project, but don't feel like making your own, this one is for sale:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/121773536/easter-egg-victorian-gothic-decor-faux

Making hollow egg shells blows

Hand Blown Egg Shells

Hollow egg shells are such a great raw material, but collecting them, well, that BLOWS.

With Easter just a few months away I am doing what I should have been doing months ago--blowing out egg shells to use in my Easter projects.

Most of the time when I cook eggs I either poach them or hard boil them which means no chance at salvaging the whole shell. So when I encounter an opportunity to harvest a hallow shell, I jump at it. Whether it is baking a cake, making meatloaf, or scrambling up a quick frittata--my recipe start with "blow out an egg shell."

The method: One woman, one egg, and a pin

My method is simple in theory.

1. Poke a hole in both ends (I use a thumbtack to start the hole, followed by a pin to burst the yoke).
2. Blow

For a great hand-blown-egg tutorial that has pics of the pin method, check out "Baby Janyne's" blog. One disclaimer: The tutorial shows the egg streaming out of the tiny hole. That RARELY happens for me.

Do ladies blow?
The blowing process is extremely unladylike. Almost every egg I touch has some kind of clot that doesn't want to come through the hole. That means inevitably, my husband walks into the kitchen to find me blowing with all my might into a chicken egg. Let me just say, his crude jokes never get old.

I even picked up one of those hand-held suction thingys that moms use to suck snot out of their babies' noses because I read that you could use that to remove the yokes, but the clot still clogged the hole. Plus, when I used it, I got queasy picturing baby snot. There are also commercial blowing kits available, but I've never tried one.

Do you have a secret tool or method to blowing yolks out of egg shells? If so, PLEASE share!


 

 

5 Polymer Clay Beginner Tips

Here are 5 things I wish I new when I first started with polymer clay.

1. Not all clay is the same

Different brands have different properties. Some are easy to work with, but brittle when baked. Others are stronger, but super tough to condition. Personally, I am most comfortable working with Premo Sculpey. I can buy it locally and it is very versatile. I also like the waxy finish of Cernit. Some people love Kato, but I find it has a chemical smell that I don't like.

Here's a good resource on types of clay.
http://www.polymertutorials.com/polymer-clay-types-tutorial.html

2. Conditioning matters
You have to work the clay by "conditioning" it in order for it to be strong and smooth. Don't try to short cut it.

This site offers some good conditioning tips.
http://www.polypediaonline.com/133688/Polymer-Clay-Conditioning

3. Not all finishes can be used
I learned this one the hard way. After creating a few pieces using chalks as accents, I spayed them with a clear sealer. Things seemed great until about a month later when they got sticky. Lesson: not all finishes work on polymer. Now most of the time I use a brush on finish, Pledge with Future Shine floor finish.  Most people who work with clay refer to this as "Future floor wax."

Here is a good forum chat on finishing:
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/cyclopedia/finishingtips.html

4. Sanding matters
If you are a good sander, and your project doesn't use lots of textures, paints or powders, you can great a great finish just by sanding and buffing. The key is patience and lots of fine grit sandpaper grades ranging from 400-2000.

You can find some finer grades in hardware or auto parts stores, but I find that I have to order online to all of the different grades.

Here is a good site outlining how to use the different grades for sanding success:
http://www.polymerclayweb.com/Tools/Supplies/Sandpaper.aspx

5. Banning fingerprints
Sanding can remove some fingerprinting, but it is better not to leave prints in the first place. You can remove prints before baking with cornstarch, baby powder, baby oil, or mineral oil.

Here are some tips on preventing finger printing:
http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/fingerprints-polymer-clay-beads/93/

Witchy Halloween Treat Bag

Creepy Witch's Grocery List

I have an annual tradition of making treat bags for my niece and nephew. Paper bags make a great base. This year I went with a witch theme since I was having so much fun making polymer clay witch fingers. The finger at the top is polymer clay piece that I glued to a mini clothes pin.

The grocery list is created on a free scroll template that I found here. I inserted the blank scroll image into a Word document and then inserted text boxes to add the witch's "grocery" list onto the scroll. I printed it out and used colored pencils to "age" the scroll. I decorated the plain paper bag with Halloween-themed ink stamps. Stop back to read about what is inside!

Witchy Halloween Treat Bag and its contents

Read about last year's Sepia photo treat bags:

Kids Photo DIY Halloween Treat Bags

Mokume Gane Sea Tutorial

Love at Sea

I love how the waves crash over the lovers in this art piece that I created based on an antique illustration of  "Manon Lescaut." This is my entry for the Polymer Clay Artist Guild of Etsy monthly challenge. Public voting opens Aug. 1 so I'll keep you posted on that.

I started with a photo copy of the original and colored it using markers, paints, and alcohol inks embedded in liquid polymer  to create a "canvas" that I sculpted into a polymer clay Mokume Gane sea, adding more coats of liquid polymer as well as regular polymer accents to build dimension. A post that I wrote a while ago, Freedom in Mokume Gane,  has some background on this technique used to create the waves.

The technique was so much fun, I decided to create a tutorial to share it. Both the tutorial and the original artwork are available in my shop. If you are interested in either, visit the links in the photo captions.

Mokume Gane Sea

Love at Sea mixed media

Vellum Flower Centerpiece

Spring blooms haven't quite arrived in Pennsylvania, but I find this cheery Marta Stewart-inspired arrangement in my living room is a fine substitute until the real thing comes along. It was really easy to put together with few twigs and some vellum flowers. If you like making paper snowflakes, the technique is similar but with just a few rounded cuts. You can find step-by-step instructions here:  Martha Stewart cherry blossom display.

 It is a great project that can bring a lot of drama into your space for pennies.

Jazz Up Simple Letter Stamps

My Great-grandma's crochet hook was gathering dust until I discovered that it could be used to jazz up simple letter stamps. It came in really handy on the latest project that I have undertaken: an inspirational mosaic plaque.

The plaque centers around a couple inspirational words. Since my handwriting leaves something to be desired, I decided to use stamps from my Walnut Hollow Clay Embossing Set. The only problem was that the letters are so perfect, they didn't really evoke the right mood. The crochet hook is the perfect tool to embellish the letters. After the piece was baked, I added alcohol ink into the crevices of the letters so they would stand out.

Here is a "before and after" sample on unbaked clay of the letter "J" . (This is a much darker brown than what I used, but I wanted it to show up for the photo).

The Walnut Hollow Clay Embossing Set comes with letter and number stamps, an embossing tool, and several shaped cutters.

Recipe Scrapbook Project

Recipe Scrapbook

So many of my favorite memories revolve around food:

• rooting in the “candy cupboard” at Grandma’s house
• sitting at the 50s Formica table sampling Great-grandma's egg custard
• learning fractions with Mom using recipes to make math more fun

Many of those memories found their way into a recipe scrapbook that I gave to my Mom as a gift last Christmas. The book highlighted the women in my family (they do most of the cooking!) and the recipes that tell my family story.

As my mom leafed through the pages on Christmas morning, her eyes welled up with tears. For a moment I felt bad that I had made her cry, then I realized she was touched by the memories. It is going to be a hard gift to top.

I started the project during Art Every Day Month last November, but I never shared the finished product here on my blog. With the Christmas gift-giving season almost upon us again, I thought it would be good time to give you a closer look at the project in case you want to make one of your own.

Great-Grandma and her Fried Fudge

The Project Overview
Each page or two was dedicated to a different woman beginning with my great-grandma and ending with my niece and nephew. Okay I cheated a little and included a couple guys: my nephew and my brother. Here's a look at the elements I chose to tell each of their stories.

Family Photos
Old photos played a big role in the scrapbook. I scanned in my favorites and printed them out so that I could cut them out in interesting shapes. I’m not fabulous with PhotoShop so I did everything “old-school” scrap-booking style.

Recipes
I also scanned in some of our recipes, like the old ones in my great-grandma’s handwriting. I typed up other ones that weren’t so visually interesting.

Heirlooms
Family heirlooms made up the other major visual element . My sister and I each photographed things we had inherited that were iconic to us, things like Great-Grandma’s china, a Pillsbury Doughboy doll, and the plastic Kool-Aid Cho-Cho-Cherry mug we used at Grandma’s house.

Stories
Written memories along with the visual ones accompanied each woman. I typed up a little blurb including favorite food related memories.

Including the Kids
My sister staged a photo shoot with the grandchildren baking. We included a “recipe” that my niece wrote in her 6-year-old handwriting. Of course the kids didn’t know why they were doing it because kids have a hard time keeping a secret.

Next Generation of Bakers: my niece and nephew

It took a lot of thought and planning, but everything combined beautifully to make a wonderful gift.  I hope this inspires you to try your own. What handmade projects have you given as a gift?

Devilishly Simple Halloween Card

Emily, Lord of the Underworld

Happy Halloween Devil Cat Card
Directions for this project have been moved to my new site: http://marieyoungcreative.com/devil-cat/

Make a Polymer Clay Puking Pumpkin

This polymer clay puking pumpkin is one of those projects that can be super simple, or you can add as much detail as you want to make a really intricate pumpkin.

Supply List

• polymer clay (I like Fimo)
• Perfect Pearls powders
• stamp with a grape leaf on it
• small craft knife
• needle-pointed sculpting tool

Creating the Pumpkin's Features

Creating the Pumpkin's Features
Start by creating a round or oblong pumpkin shape from a ball of orange clay. Use a needle-pointed tool to add features to your pumpkin starting with the eyes nose and mouth. Then "draw" on lines.  Or, instead of cutting out features, you could opt to add pieces of clay in contrasting colors, or paint on features after the piece is baked.

If you want your pumpkin to have a little sparkle, brush orange-toned pearl powder on top of the clay. If you are adding features made of clay, add the orange pearl to the featureless pumpkin so you don't stain the eyes, nose, or mouth.

Creating the Stem

Creating the Stem
Take a small amount of clay and roll it into a tube. Then begin to shape the tube into a stem. Use the needle-pointed tool to draw lines onto the stem. Twist the finished stem to add some dimension. Brush lightly with pearl powder before pressing the stem into the pumpkin.

Creating the Leaf

Creating the Leaf
For the leaf, roll out a piece of green clay and press a grape leaf stamp into the clay. Cut the leaf-shape out with a craft knife. Pinch the leaf tips gently with your fingers to shape. Then use the needle-pointed tool to add more dimension. Brush with pearl powder.

Creating the Innards

Creating the Innards
Take some of your orange clay and add white to it to create a lighter shade. Roll the clay into thin strings and stream them from the mouth. The thin strands are prone to breakage, so if your piece is going to get touched a lot, make sure the strings are supported by each other. Use the needle-pointed tool to push the strings into the mouth.

Finishing Options
You can keep your pumpkin 3-dimensional, or you can cut of the back as shown above to make it into a pin or a magnet. Bake the piece according to the package directions on the clay.

Here are some examples of projects that I've done using this technique.

Barfing Pumpkin Wine Stopper for sale at Young Creative

AC Moore FB Logo Contest Entry

Clay Inclusion Technique

Cool Technique: Inclusion, the Art of Sprinkling Things into Clay
A couple snow storms and a head cold have me trapped in the house so I am experimenting with clay inclusions. The technique is pretty simple. You add things, like herbs, colored sand, fibers, etc., to translucent polymer clay.

Ground rules:
Really the only rule is that the substance has to be inert (meaning something that won't rot). That makes this a great technique for beginners. For these sample chips, I used Fimo translucent clay. It stays white. Sculpey translucent is darker and would have a different look. The beauty of sample chips is that you can test things quickly to see what you like best before you do something large scale.

Spices aren't just for cooking:
I had a good time adding just about every spice/herb I had in my cupboard. I used ground pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, mint, red pepper, cumin, and basil. Each gave a different look. Now I'm making my favorites into jewelry. The only problem I had was that my husband was a little disappointed to see cinnamon and nutmeg on the counter and no dessert in sight.

Let me know if you've made anything with clay inclusions. I'm kind of addicted now, and I'd love to see what else I could do with it.


Projects using inclusions:
Clay Inclusions Jewelry
Faux Terracotta

DIY Paper Bag Halloween Treat Bags

Kids Photo DIY Treat Bags

Kids are all about what is inside their treat bags, but for me the joy is in the wrapper.

Each Halloween I try to come up with a new way to package the booty for the kids in my family. This year, my “wicked” niece and “devilish” nephew transformed humble paper bags into cute candy containers.

The inspiration for these sepia tone treats came from an article in the magazine,” Somerset” that featured the art work of Ingrid Pomeroy (www.anoriginalbyingrid.etsy.com). Ingrid creates beautiful greeting cards featuring old photos of precious young girls wearing digitally created witch hats.

Here's how to created these simple versions without Photoshop:

1. Pick a photo. I chose Christmas pictures because I liked the velvet dress my niece, Jessie, had on. In the original she was unwrapping a present which I cut away, leaving her hands in the perfect position to brew up some trouble. Ryan’s photo was just asking for devil horns. 
2.  Add the "sepia" effect using Picassa.
3.  Print out the photos and cut out the parts you want to use.
4. Accessorize with scraps of florescent paper.

Hopefully the kids will at least pause for a minute before discarding the bags for the treats inside. If nothing else, Mom will enjoy them.