This is a special day for Dave and I ... we have been together now for 25 years this Valentines Day. (Our wedding anniversary is at Christmas but we always celebrate both).
It is also the anniversary of this blog.
Happy Valentines Day everyone....
Showing posts with label Valentines day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valentines day. Show all posts
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentines Day!
This is a special day for Dave and I ... we have been together now for 25 years this Valentines Day. (Our wedding anniversary is at Christmas but we always celebrate both).
It is also the anniversary of this blog.
Happy Valentines Day everyone....
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Make Your Own Flexible Texture Plates
This is how to make your own flexible texture plate so you can use them right in your pasta machine afterwards. For this technique I use ....
That's right ... Sculpey Bake & Bend. It has some really good uses other than making bendable animals... I found they make great texture plates -- and flexible ones at that.
I found these paper heart doilies at the dollar store. I want to use them to make a texture sheet.
1. First of all, make sure the Sculpey Bake & Bend is well conditioned. I find some of the colors aren't quite as soft so I like to mix them until I get a nice consistency.
2. Roll out enough clay in your pasta machine on the 3rd thickest setting (I used the #3 setting on my Atlas) that is slightly larger than the doily.
3. Making a texture plate from one of the paper doilies won't make a deep enough impression so take a stack of about 4 - 5 that are "stuck" together and do not separate them. This will add depth and make a better impression.
4. Lightly dust the clay sheet with some cornstarch to prevent the doily from sticking. I generally use water but with the paper that won't work so well.
5. Change your pasta machine setting to the 4th thickest setting (#4 on an Atlas). Lay the doily face down onto the clay sheet and carefully insert the two together into the pasta machine and roll through.
6. Place your clay sheet facing up on a clean ceramic tile making sure there aren't any air pockets trapped underneath. Lightly tap it so it sticks to the ceramic tile. Carefully peel away the paper doilies and trim the edges all around so they are nice and neat. Bake your texture sheet right on the ceramic tile following the temperature and time on the package.
7. Allow your sheet to cool completely before removing it from the ceramic tile. You now have a texture sheet you can use with your regular polymer clay over and over and it is flexible so can be used right in your pasta machine at your thickest setting.
These are a few pieces I made from my new texture sheet that I highlighted with mica powders.
You can use this method to make other texture sheets. Here is one I made from a piece of vintage lace.
Oh yes, and another cool thing I found is the container from the Sculpey Bake & Bend works great for storing canes afterwards!
I found these paper heart doilies at the dollar store. I want to use them to make a texture sheet.
1. First of all, make sure the Sculpey Bake & Bend is well conditioned. I find some of the colors aren't quite as soft so I like to mix them until I get a nice consistency.
2. Roll out enough clay in your pasta machine on the 3rd thickest setting (I used the #3 setting on my Atlas) that is slightly larger than the doily.
3. Making a texture plate from one of the paper doilies won't make a deep enough impression so take a stack of about 4 - 5 that are "stuck" together and do not separate them. This will add depth and make a better impression.
4. Lightly dust the clay sheet with some cornstarch to prevent the doily from sticking. I generally use water but with the paper that won't work so well.
5. Change your pasta machine setting to the 4th thickest setting (#4 on an Atlas). Lay the doily face down onto the clay sheet and carefully insert the two together into the pasta machine and roll through.
6. Place your clay sheet facing up on a clean ceramic tile making sure there aren't any air pockets trapped underneath. Lightly tap it so it sticks to the ceramic tile. Carefully peel away the paper doilies and trim the edges all around so they are nice and neat. Bake your texture sheet right on the ceramic tile following the temperature and time on the package.
7. Allow your sheet to cool completely before removing it from the ceramic tile. You now have a texture sheet you can use with your regular polymer clay over and over and it is flexible so can be used right in your pasta machine at your thickest setting.
These are a few pieces I made from my new texture sheet that I highlighted with mica powders.
You can use this method to make other texture sheets. Here is one I made from a piece of vintage lace.
And some pendants I have made from it:
Oh yes, and another cool thing I found is the container from the Sculpey Bake & Bend works great for storing canes afterwards!
Hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and have fun with it!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentines Day / Chinese New Year !
Dave and I have four reasons to celebrate today:
1. Valentines Day
2. Chinese New Year
3. Anniversary when Dave and I first met
4. 2nd anniversary for this blog
I started this blog exactly two years ago today and it seems a lot has happened since then. Here is a link to our very first post in 2008:
Happy Valentines Day -- Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008
This year Valentines Day happens to fall on the same day as the Chinese New Year and since this year is the year of the Tiger, I thought I would share with you the heart shaped tiger print pendant and earrings I made.
1. Valentines Day
2. Chinese New Year
3. Anniversary when Dave and I first met
4. 2nd anniversary for this blog
I started this blog exactly two years ago today and it seems a lot has happened since then. Here is a link to our very first post in 2008:
Happy Valentines Day -- Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008
This year Valentines Day happens to fall on the same day as the Chinese New Year and since this year is the year of the Tiger, I thought I would share with you the heart shaped tiger print pendant and earrings I made.
Hope your day is special too!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentines Day
So where do we begin? Well it is Valentines day and I remembered that one of the first clay pieces I made last year was this heart. And that is when I found my second love -- creating with polymer clay. (Of course my husband Dave is still my first love!)
It all began with fooling around with beads. Any kind -- stones, seed beads, crystals -- who doesn't like them? I even joined a beaders group to learn more on what to do with my beads. Then I thought, what if I could make my own beads? The lampwork ones that some of the ladies created were just awesome but that was way too hot for me as I didn't want to have anything to do with torches.
I then went to my first bead show. Wow! There were thousands of beads there! It was so hard to restrain myself! But there were some classes offered -- one was making beads from polymer clay! I never thought of that before. The instructor was Joan Tayler, who is a very talented artist. After spending only a few hours in her class and playing with the clay, I could sense the beginnings of my new love affair.
I began to read more and study up about it. Then I started dreaming about it and all the many exciting things I could make! I even joined another group -- the Vancouver Polymer Clay Guild. I learned even more about polymer clay such as some new techniques and what I could do with it. By then I decided there was no turning back -- I was definately hooked!
The first heart pendant I made represents the love relationship I've had ever since with my clay. Since it is Valentines day, I thought I would share more valentines with you.
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