New pieces

I'm in the process of making several different necklaces, sort of an early start for our shows next year.  Seems I tend to work on one for a while, then go to the next, then the next...you get the idea.  What happens is, I end up with piles of beads, sorted and waiting patiently to, finally, be put together and finished.  All this, while working and getting ready for Christmas {yes, I still have things to wrap!}. Well, I finished one of the necklaces and am happy with the results.  I need to work on the photos for listing the piece on ArtFire, but here is a quick shot.

 Let me know what you think.

Baltimore Polymer Clay Guild

Had the holiday party today at our local guild.  We had good food and a great time.  Got to exchange beads and gifts and spent the day chatting and, for me anyway, relaxing. 

Here we are!

Bead and gift exchange.

We will get back to our regular monthly meetings in January.  Can't wait to start learning new techniques!  In the meantime, I hope everyone has a great holiday and safe New Year.

Til next time.....

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."

- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Special day

Today would have been my Dad's 89th birthday.  Sadly, he passed away in 2008 from cancer.  I think of him, especially today, and wish he were still with us.  I'm sure you are looking down on us and missing all the soup and sweets you loved so much!  Love you Dad.

New ArtFire Guild for the Polymer Clay Smooshers

The Polymer Clay Smooshers are back on ArtFire!  Be sure to visit at http://www.artfire.com/guilds/polymer_clay_smooshers.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!!

Mica Shift tutorial

It's been a while since I had time to update my blog.  The shows are finished for the year and I now can devote more energy on blogging and working on tutorials.  My first one is on my ArtFire site and I hope you all like it.

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/blog_post/DreamWeaversDesigns/3662/mica_shift_technique

Hello to November

I guess now, the countdown begins.  Seems holiday decorations have been out in some stores for a few weeks.  We had our first fall show yesterday and, though the crowds were not as we expected, we did pretty well.  The next, and last show of the year, is in two weeks.  Then the real fun begins.....Thanksgiving, decorating, buying presents, and preparing for the possible "bad" winter ahead. 

I've spent several more weeks working on my mica shift technique, and am pretty happy with how well the pieces are turning out.  Once I have more time, I plan to put up a brief tutorial.

Here are just a few of my finished necklace/earring combos;

I used Premo pearl clay and added cranberry Adirondak alcohol ink for this one.  I was actually aiming for a little darker color, as I couldn't locate my red pearl clay.  Still, I was pleased with the results.

I love this one, the color is so deep and rich.  The pattern is very prevalent.  I used Premo blue pearl clay and added some flat backed faceted crystals for a little bling!

This one was made adding Meadow and Bottle color alcohol inks to Premo pearl.  I also added some crystals for accent.









All of the necklaces were placed on silver plated memory wire and the earrings were hand made using nickle free silver plated 20 gauge wire.  For finishing, I embellished with some crystals and glass beeds.  Feel free to let me know what you think!

Snow day

Well, it's snowing in Maryland.  Gotta admit, it's beautiful with the fall colors on the trees, but I hope this is not a omen of things to come this winter!  Spent the day getting ready for a few shows that we are going to do in the next few weeks.  My dining room table is, once again, a mess.  But we are making some headway. 

I made a few snowmen pendants this past week and was able to finish them up today.  These were made from a tutorial from Cindy Lietz.  She is amazing.  She makes things so easy to learn; clear instructions, great video and her tutorials are short.

I also finished off a few pins.  I think mica shift and mokume gane are two of my favorite techniques.  Now that I am comfortable with mica shift, I may spend some time perfecting the mokume gane.  I'd like to play around and see what other elements I can incorporate.  I definitely need to experiment with different color combinations. 

Hope you all are having a great weekend!

Brown

This weeks Smooshers topic is brown.  Thinking of the holidays coming brings to mind a lot of brown.  Now, some of you may be thinking...brown??? what brown?  With colder temps, the leaves will be turning brown and falling in piles on the lawns.  Think golden brown turkey.  Umm, chocolate chip cookies are my favorite and a staple around Christmas.  And, some people love fruit cake.  {Yes, I happen to be one of them} This holiday, browse through the Smoosher's ArtFire shops for truly one-of-a kind, handmade items.  I'm sure you will find the perfect gift for that someone special.  I recommend you search early so you don't miss anything!

Speaking of leaves, check out AmyCrawley's shop to see more unique works like this light switch cover.

Cynthia Blanton Studio has several mixed media pieces.

May not be all brown, but how cute are these Christmas mice from QuernusCrafts!!

Don't forget to check out our ArtFire shops.  Just go to http://www.polymerclaysmooshers.blogspot.com/     Hope you have as much fun looking at all the wonderful, creative pieces that I did. 

Til next time, remember:

"Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right."

- Henry Ford (1863-1947)

Halloween

The topic this week, for the Polymer Clay Smoosher's, is Halloween.  Thinking of this particular time of year makes me want to hunker down near a fire, with a good book and some tasty tea.  For some reason, no matter how warm October is, this day is always freezing!  I love the colors, fragrances {think apple cinnamon or pumpkin spice candles}, and yes, the decorations in preparation for trick or treating. For those of us that do craft fairs, the rush is on for upcoming shows in November.  There are so many wonderful artisans in our guild, take a look at some fun Halloween pieces.

How cute is this kitty and pumpkin by Buttonwilloe?

Are you into spooky wearable art?  Check out other pieces from Mortimer Inc.

What would Halloween be without The Raven??  Wyvern Designs has plenty of holiday themed pieces to choose from.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at some of the fantastic work from the Polymer Clay Smooshers.  Feel free to check out our blog, at http://www.polymerclaysmooshers.blogspot.com/, where you can browse all the artisans shops on ArtFire.

Til next time, stay safe and don't let the goblins get ya..

Time away

Getting ready to head south for a few days.  We are going to Big Stone Gap in Virginia, where my Mom was born.  Just love the mountains and can't wait to see the fall colors.  I'm hoping I can get re-inspired to get back to my clay work when I return, as we have some shows upcoming in November!

Hope everyone has a great weekend.  See ya on the flip side.