Get Ready for the Snap Challenge!

It has been two years since we first introduced our Snap Decisions Collection (Interchangeable Fashion . . . in a snap!) and shortly after that, the publishing of our tutorial.  It seems like yesterday as time seems to fly when you are having so much fun!

So we have come up with a new idea for those who have purchased our tutorial to show off their work and a chance to win some great prizes!  We are calling it the Snap Challenge!

We will be revealing more information on this challenge/contest very soon.  Just one hint -- the first challenge will be a Valentines Day theme.  In the meantime, pick out some of the favorite snaps you have made and take some good photographs to share.

The main rule for this challenge is that it is open to those who have purchased our Snap Decisions tutorial.  So let's get ready to have some fun!

Art Deco Buttons and Snaps in Lapis Blue and Greenery

Whenever we create mokume gane patterns or canes, we end up with a lot of left-overs which would be considered scrap.  But in the polymer clay world there are so many uses for this scrap clay and nothing is ever thrown out or wasted but can be reused again in so many ways.  After creating these buttons in the Pantone colors Lapis Blue and Greenery, we ended up with lots of this 'scrap'.  

I could have just mixed it up or used it as filler but I decided to make them into new designs using my Art Deco Technique.

Art Deco Buttons in Lapis Blue and Greenery

I share in my tutorial, "From Scrap Clay to Art Deco" how to create unique patterns with your left-over scraps.  I love how each piece is unique and have an Art Deco or Art Nouveau style.  Here is a collection of snaps made with the same left-over clay mix.

Art Deco Snaps in Lapis Blue and Greenery

Art Deco Snaps in Lapis Blue and Greenery

Interchangeable Snap Jewelry - Art Deco Snaps in Lapis Blue and Greenery

Interchangeable Snap Jewelry - Art Deco Snaps in Lapis Blue and Greenery

New Buttons at Kelowna Yarn & Needlecrafts

We made a trip to Kelowna today to visit one of the shops that sell our work, Kelowna Yarn & Needlecrafts.  We had our first break in the cold weather for some time and even though the roads were a little slushy, it was nice to see the sun again and enjoy the scenic drive.

The previous owners of Kelowna Yarn recently retired and we had the pleasure of meeting with the new owner, Cheryl.  It was really nice getting to know her a little bit and discover she also has a passion and understanding for the Pantone colors.

We left some fresh new buttons and also our new Snap Shawl Sticks at the store.  We want to wish Cheryl a great and successful 2017.  Here is a peak of some of their new buttons in stock. 

Buttons - Organic 'Peacock'

Buttons - Moonscape Square

Buttons - Color Wheel

Art Deco Buttons

Interchangeable Snap Shawl Sticks

Another Ripple Blade Cane in Pantone Spring 2017 Colors

We have been making lots of mokume design buttons for the yarn shops.  This batch was created using the Pantone Spring 2017 fashion colors Lapis Blue and Greenery.  For this mokume design we used the White Mix (recipe #1-2 in my Clay Color System) in the blend which creates lots of contrast.

After making my first ripple blade cane (see my blog post here), I had to try it again and made some with the left overs.  Because I was just testing the colors out, the pieces came out rather small but I managed to make a few buttons and snaps out of them.  This time, instead of flattening out the pieces like I did the other day, we wanted to maintain that 3-D ripple effect.

Ripple Blade Cane in Pantone Colors Greenery and Lapis Blue

Ripple Blade Cane - Decorative Snap and Button

I especially like how the snap turned out and it looks really cool on several snap base accessories such as the tube bail pendant, shawl stick and brooch lapel pin shown below.

Interchangeable Snap Accessories

Interchangeable Snap Brooch Lapel Pin

Interchangeable Snap Shawl/Hair Stick

Interchangeable Snap Necklace

I love adding a snap to special designs like these as it makes it so versatile and can be worn more than just one way.

Ripple Blade Cane

I was going through our clay stash to see what I could use up and came across a stacked stripe blend.  I was wondering what to do with it and then remembered that slicing it with a ripple blade could give this really cool effect.  If you are wondering what I am talking about, just google "ripple blade cane" and you will see what I mean.  So I gave it a try and was totally in love with the results after the first slice was revealed.

I flattened the pieces when creating the snaps and because there was a lot of metallic and pearl in the colors, they really shimmer.   This is certainly a fun technique and worth experimenting more. 

Finished Snaps in Pantone Colors

We finally finished off the snaps I made with the Pantone colors I showed you the other day.  You can see the post here.  They always look much nicer after they are sanded, waxed and buffed.   I like to photograph them before they get buffed with the Dremel as there can be too much glare after.

Final Review and Clay Recipe Links for the Pantone Spring 2017 Fashion Colors

Here is the final review of the Pantone Spring 2017 fashion colors.   Click on the photos below to see the clay recipes using Kato clay.  If you would like to see more clay recipes for the past Pantone fashion colors, go to the color recipe page at the top of our blog.

Pantone Spring 2017 Fashion Colors Pale Dogwood and Hazelnut

The last two Pantone Spring 2017 Fashion colors are Pale Dogwood and Hazelnut.  Pale Dogwood is a soft shade of pink which is the opposite to the vibrant Pink Yarrow but would combine well together.  Hazelnut is the key neutral for spring with a natural earthiness.  It could combine well with the deeper Pantone colors like Kale and Lapis Blue which I will experiment with a little later.

In the meantime, remember the color combination I shared in my last post?  I went back to the same colors but this time I created a mokume blend (Julie Picarello style) adding some Pale Dogwood and white mix to give it more contrast.  I quite like this combo and plan to play around with it a bit more.  

So here are the recipes for the Pantone Spring Fashion Colors Pale Dogwood and Hazelnut using Kato clay.

Pale Dogwood

4 parts Ecru Mix # 2-8 *

1/2 part Kato Magenta

4 parts White Mix # 1-2 *

Hazelnut

3 parts Kato Brown

3 parts Ecru # 2-7 *

6 parts White Mix # 1-2 *

* Note:  These clay color recipes are created using Kato Polyclay.  Any of the base color "mixes" used are from my Clay Color System.

Tomorrow I will post a summary of the Pantone spring color recipes I shared along with recipe cards you can download to print out if you wish.

Pantone Spring 2017 Fashion Colors Pink Yarrow, Island Paradise and Flame

The Spring 2017 Pantone Fashion colors Pink Yarrow, Island Paradise and Flame are all vibrant shades with a tropical feel.  I wasn't thinking of combining all three of these colors until I came across a scarf I've had for a while and realized it was an almost perfect match plus it also had the Pantone color greenery!

I just love how these colors combine and was playing around with my Bargello technique and here are a few pieces I made.

So here are the recipes for the Pantone Spring Fashion Colors Pink Yarrow, Island Paradise and Flame using Kato clay.

Pink Yarrow

3 parts Kato Magenta

1/4 part Kato Orange

1 part White Mix # 1-2 *

Island Paradise

1 part Kato Turquoise

10 parts White Mix # 1-2 *

Flame

3 parts Kato Orange

1/2 part Kato Orange

3 parts White Mix # 1-2 *

* Note:  These clay color recipes are created using Kato Polyclay.  Any of the base color "mixes" used are from my Clay Color System.

Pantone Fashion Colors Niagra and Lapis Blue

After making some leaves with the first three Pantone Spring 2017 Fashion colors I shared with you yesterday, I was wondering what to create next.  I love how the two blue colors, Niagra and Lapis, go with the Primrose Yellow so naturally keeping with a nature theme I made some flowers!  

Here is a flower shawl pin (with lady bug of course) I made using my Sculpted Flowers technique.  I show how to make the shawl pin in my Constructing Accent Pieces for Your Scarves, Sweaters & Shawls tutorial. I just happened to have a cotton scarf in the Primrose Yellow color that really makes the blue pop!

Here is a sculpted flower made from the same cane I used for the shawl pin but mounted on a snap.   The flower can be worn several ways such as a necklace or as a shawl stick.

So here are the recipes for the Pantone Spring Fashion Colors Lapis Blue and Niagra using Kato clay.

Lapis Blue

8 parts Kato Blue

1/2 part Kato Black

Niagra

2 parts Kato Blue

2 parts Ecru Mix # 2-8 *

1 part White Mix # 1-2 *

* Note:  These clay color recipes are created using Kato Polyclay.  Any of the base color "mixes" used are from my Clay Color System.

Pantone Fashion Colors Greenery, Kale and Primrose Yellow

What better way to start out the new year and distract us from the cold weather outside than to mix up some gorgeous spring colors.   Greenery was chosen as the color of the year which is a yellow green found in nature.  It was only natural to create some leaves by combining it with two other colors, Kale and Primrose Yellow.

All three colors were combined by making a skinner (ombre) blend and then formed to create the leaf 'cane'.  We had to add one of our signature lady bugs to finish them off.

So here are the recipes for these three Pantone Spring Fashion Colors using Kato clay.

Greenery

10 parts Kato Yellow

1-1/2 parts Kato Green

1/2 part Kato Gold

Kale

10 parts Kato Yellow

4 parts Kato Green

1/2 part Kato Gold

2 parts Kato Black

Primrose Yellow

12 parts Kato Yellow

1/4 part Kato Gold

2 parts White Mix # 1-2 *

* Note:  These clay color recipes are created using Kato Polyclay.  Any of the base color "mixes" used are from my Clay Color System.

Happy New Years and Happy Birthday Canada

This is an important year for Canadians as Canada is celebrating 150 years.  In honor of this time, we have been preparing some special items with a Canadian theme.  Some of these will be popping up soon in the various shops and boutiques that sell our work or you can find them in our online store here.

Canadian Maple Leaf Buttons - Series A

Canadian Maple Leaf Buttons - Series B

Interchangeable Snaps with our Canadian Maple Leaf

Snap Base Lapel Pin with Interchangeable Canadian Maple Leaf Snap

Interchangeable Canadian Maple Leaf Snaps and assorted jewelry items ...

Canadian Maple Leaf Snaps - Series B -- on an interchangeable snap
and a shawl/hair stick with snap base