International Polymer Clay Swaps on Facebook

There are many Art related Groups on Facebook including for Polymer Clay. Last Fall I created a Swap Group for trading our handmade themed Art.

You may ask that while this sounds like fun ‘what’s in it for me?’ What’s in it for the ‘established’ or even professional Artist? There are no short answers. To say ‘it’s fun’ is too general. There are many reasons why swapping may actually benefit you. Yes, benefit! But in short… It’s not just a ‘Gift Swap’ and you are trading with competent clayers.

More than 12 years ago when I joined a Canadian Yahoo Group called “Clayamies” we had a lot of fun sharing not only our knowledge with monthly lessons, but there was a weekly Monday night chat via MSN, we held virtual ‘Partays’ which included welcoming new members and celebrating birthdays. Close to Christmas we would celebrate Winterfest by sending a partner some kind of polymer clay related gift, then we’d all meet online at a chosen time, we’d write a wish on a piece of paper, burn it (so it would come true), open our gifts, chat and laugh. We also hosted a lot of swaps. The website is still up, so you can have a look around. I had hosted the bracelet swap in 2002, the Matchbox swap in 2004 and Beach Pebble swap in 2007, and also one of the Christmas Swaps, but can’t remember which year. Most of the original members are now full-time artists or are pursuing other work/art and the group has become very quiet although the annual Christmas Swap still happens. I think the last swap I participated in was in 2008 mainly because I have many ornaments and don’t decorate so much now that our kids are grown and family is spread out far and wide.

Ok...so those are fond memories of swaps, but WHY create such a group on Facebook? Facebook has a lot of Polymer Clay related Groups and call it an epiphany…but I wanted to reach out to International Artists, to not just chat or show photos virtually about what we ‘do’ or how we make or what we sell, but what we can create and ‘share’ via snail-mail, by trading something handmade and then chat about it. I do think a lot of Artists are a bit afraid to join in a Swap. Afraid? Yes…I think it’s mostly the afraid of being disappointed. See that look? lol If THAT is YOUR fear…if you join our Group you will change your mind (you don’t have to participate in every swap, only if something interests you) The banner above shows a few examples

This is more like what we experience: Like!

Perhaps the professional artist worries being viewed as not being a ‘serious artist’ by participating in a swap. Or worried about being partnered with an individual who may not be up to their par? Or may even have the feeling that their item is worth too much for swapping? Valid fears, right? Really? STOP!!!…there already other Professional Artists that have taken that step before you and joined the Group. A more valid reason is that Artists may be too busy, but EVERYONE is busy. Yes, right now I’m overwhelmingly busy with wholesale orders, consignment orders, prepping for markets, preparing new tutorials, handling my Etsy/ArtFire, the Groups, my family, household as I still need to cook, clean, do laundry and the list goes on… and it’s taking me days to get to this post and it’s already nearly 2 a.m., lol . Ok, so even though we lead such busy lives, Swap THEMES are a GOOD creative diversion, not only from the repetitive

of the making and the selling of repeats, from the ‘must do’ and the ‘have to’, but it allows oneself to create more freely (in more that one way), it gives ones Muse ROOM to roam, if you will, instead of being imprisoned in that daily routine of things. We all try to fit in or have a niche which is important, but sometimes we just get lost in that maze…and things even though there is so much to do!…get stagnant.

How often do we ask ourselves when the repetitive ‘task or tasks are done “What new thing am I going to make now? I don’t feel inspired! I’m so busy, but this is boring to me!” This is because our Creative spirit and energy gets sapped and the tank runs dry by repeatedly doing the same things over and over. Sometimes our energy may be stuck, with only a few ideas that don’t ‘click’ and then we’re not quite sure HOW to take it to the next level. So, with being given the occasional

with a challenge and a theme in hand, and the task of trading or swapping can open up a whole Valley to envision something new. Plus…you have almost a MONTH to get something made from sign up to mailing.

With our Group rules and guidelines… we must create something that we would WANT to have ourselves and then give it to a Partner who in turn gives us the same. Instead of just making something in a hurry, we are challenged to make it special, as if gifting our very best Friend. The bonus… we are making new Friends, not just Facebook Friends…(insert smile)

So, what kinds of Swaps have we done? I’ll give you our last Swap as an Example and what I traded with my Partner Ilenia Moreni who lives in Italy. Ilenia’s business and blog are Leggende Segrete which means Secret Legends. I think it’s very interesting that Ilenia is a Referee in Renaissance re-enactment fairs, very much like Lord of the Rings. For our Swap, the Theme was “Pens & Twinchies”. A Twinchie is an Art Tile that measures 2 inches square and is the larger version of an Inchie which measures 1 inch square. We recently decided that we’ll make this a collectible item within the Group and will include the making of a Twinchie with every Swap Theme. Here are the Twinchies we made for each other. I chose an Egyptian theme and Ilenia created an interesting fabric-like background with a cane slice, faux turquoise and bone.

And these are the pens we created for each other.

Past swaps include Window Ornaments, Fairy Doors, Hearts & Textures, and Journal Covers. Our Group is a closed Group which means one can join after accepting some guidelines and answering a short questionnaire. A new Swap is also starting with sign ups open until May 24th.The Theme is:

Perhaps you already received an invitation, but if not, find us here and request membership: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Polymerclayswaps/

To explain the theme…Fantasy Vessel: a container of sorts...your interpretation of Fantasy, whether it involves sculpting, caning or other technique as long as it is a 'container'. This may include covering a tin such as an Altoid or other metal tin or your own box made from multi-media (matchbox) and covered with clay, could include covering a locket, may have hinges, screw cap, snap lid etc. Should be no larger than a covered Altoid, but no smaller than a match box and may or may not involve a metal tin as long as it is 'sturdy'. And of course the Twinchie which I already explained.

Hope to see you there!

Dragonscale Ammolite from Polymer Clay

In late February I  published a new tutorial for Polymer Clay called Ammolite, Batik Veneers and Faux Bone Pendants. I love this material, but it is so very expensive that I wanted to make my own. Some of you may ask ‘But what is Ammolite?‘

Ammolite is the gemstone of the thin, iridescent opal-like layers of fossilized shells which are ammonites. Here are some more interesting facts. Lesser grades are the fractured Dragon skin like layers, more valued are opalescent sheets. Ammolites are from the Mesozoic Era, the time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the Age of Reptiles, as in Dinosaurs.

Ammolite is only found from Alberta to Saskatchewan in Canada and south to Montana in the USA. Ammonites that formed Ammolite, inhabited a prehistoric, inland subtropical sea that bordered the Appalachian Mountains—which is known today as the Cretaceous or Western Interior Seaway.

Some examples of Albertan Ammolite with the Dragon skin or scale like fractures. Colors range from golden amber, to rose, red, purple, blue and green.

Photos make it hard to tell as you cannot rotate the piece to see it from the different angles. I didn’t use any fractured gold leaf and it wouldn’t give quite the same effect.

Quite often Jewelry grade Ammolite needs to be capped with a Crystal or Spinel, but I capped mine with resin as that also brings out the iridescence. Of course you can make other colour veneers that are just as beautiful and have a lot of dichroic effects. Of course capturing ‘metallic’ effects is difficult with a camera lens.

If you try it for yourself, you won’t be disappointed. Guess what I’m going to work on today, lol…yes, Ammolite. I need some earrings for those pendants. Have a great weekend!! (raining here today)

Spring and Summer Flower Pendants

Here we are past the mid April mark and I just heard it’s snowing in some parts of the Country. Here on the West Coast the Crocuses (also correct is Croci) are blooming and daffodils and tulips are also sprouting, although they seem a little late this year.

How about making your own colorful Flowers then? I’ve finally published my Flower Tutorial to both Etsy and ArtFire. The nice thing about Etsy, I’m participating in a Beta version of Instant Downloads. It’s not official yet, but I really like the convenience of not having to be on the computer all day long and hopefully my customers will appreciate being able to download the file/s right away.

Isn’t this yellow one cute? I think we’re all ready for some color after a drab grey winter

If you don’t want to make your own petals, this tutorial also works for glass or shell beads like these pendants which I offer for sale as well

Bead Soup Blog Party–Reveal

I’m part of the BSBP 2nd Reveal. There are 500 participants and Lori Anderson split us into 3 Groups. My Partner is Jen Van Benschoten which I blogged about in a previous post. Here is a recap of what she sent me, my progress and my finished pieces.
Initially I wanted to make a fancy collar, but I’m pretty limited with time now that Spring is here. Also, I really only was required to do one piece, but Jen sent me 2 soups, so I went to work.

First I created pendants for the dichroic cabochons. I used black polymer clay with Pearlex mica. For the purple dichroic cabochon I created an almond shape, inlaid some magenta swarovski crystals, cured and varnished. For the blue dichroic cabochon I used a little turquoise chip inlaid in a polymer clay flower to hide the slight imperfection of missing dichroic background that is visible on the left side of the cabochon in the picture above. Maybe I’m too picky, but it bothered me a little. I also created some matching beads which I textured with some of my handmade textures.

Click on the pictures for larger versions.

Then I used the size 8 magenta beads to surround the shape, along with black size 6’s from my stash and embroidered onto some Ultrasuede. I have to admit, the Japanese Stick pearls gave me trouble and I could not work them into this piece.

Isn’t the clasp beautiful? Even more in person because the Swarovski just sparkles. Jen was kind enough to give me the link for 'A Grain of Sand' so I could purchase some more of these. While they aren’t sterling silver, they are silver filled. I know there is such a thing as Gold-filled, but didn’t know that there was such a thing for Silver. I guess because of the increasing value of Silver, this had to happen.

At first I only had the diamond shapes beaded and attached chain between them and the clasp, but it looked too sparse and empty. I couldn’t get my almond shape polymer clay beads to fit in either, so it hit me…and maybe, just maybe I came up with a new stitch…braiding cord through the chain and then beading the edges.

I ended up making a whole bunch of bracelets as I have a large roll of this chain and got hooked on stitching it…


Getting back on topic…with the Blue necklace. Pendant is beaded like the Purple necklace, but made a beaded fringe with the Reconstituted moonstone beads and czech glass drops. Hey, I didn’t know they could reconstitute moonstone…mmm. I have a bunch of the real stuff and the reconstituted reminds me a lot of sea-opal which is a man-made moonstone type of glass. Anyway, I managed to fit in a couple of the polymer clay textured pillow beads and of course wove more chain.

What do you think? Did I succeed with these?
I’ll be posting these to a special Pinterest board where all the entries will be judged by a panel including Nina Designs, Lima Beads, Fusion Beads, PJ Tool and Jewelry, Beaducation, and Kalmbach Publishing. Not sure if I stand a chance to win one of the Prizes as there are some pretty amazing works on there already! I’ll be posting my entry after I hit ‘publish’ on this post here. The following link is the board…(wish me luck)
http://pinterest.com/limamike/contest-entries-for-bead-soup-blog-party-7/

These are so many  participants for the 2nd reveal. I tried copying and pasting the list, but my formatting won’t play along. You can see all the list on Lori’s blog.
http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/2013/04/7th-bead-soup-blog-party-2nd-reveal.html

and of course, please visit my Partner Jen Van Benschoten’s blog to see what she made with the beads I sent her!!

Mini Bowls

Bowls aren’t only decorative but small dishes and bowls are so handy and I use a few myself. They don’t just hold rings and other jewellery removed at bedtime or when doing dishes, but can be used for an assortment of trinkets. My husband uses a small wooden one for pocket change. They could of course hold all sorts of other things like sea shells and bits of sea glass, beads and even soap etc.

These here measure between 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 inches. My favourite is the one with Batik & Shimmer and Faux carved bone trim. I stamped the undersides with either my signature stamp or used initial cane slices.

Bead Soup Blog Party Partner: Jen VanBenschoten

Looks like I’m skipping Phase 3 of my Vases instead of adding the other components I had prepared. I decided I liked them better as they are with the bright faux abalone speaking for itself. Sometimes ‘less is more’.

About more! I’ll have some more beading to do!! About a week ago some gorgeous beads showed up in my mailbox all the way from New Jersey. My Bead Soup Blog Party partner this year is Jennifer VanBenschoten. Beaders should be familiar with the name because Jennifer is the Editor of  Interweave Press’ Beading Daily! ‘Beadwork’ and ‘Step by Step Wire Jewelry’ magazines are just a couple of fabulous hardcopies that Interweave publishes. I’ve had the pleasure of having a wire macrame tutorial published in a past issue of Step by Step Wire. I need to renew my subscription!

When I opened the package and read Jen’s note I had to giggle…yes I LOVE sparkle! Jen hit my taste spot-on. Jen sent me two bead soups. The colours are amazing and look at the dichroic cabochons!! The clasps are beautiful with colour reflecting vintage swarovski crystals.


I’ve already started on the purple set of beads, but can’t show you yet what I’m making, although I may post a sneak peak soon. Jen and I are in the 2nd reveal of the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party which takes place on April 6th. You can visit Lori Anderson’s blog to learn more about this annual Party which this year tops 500 participants from all over the Globe!

I sent Jen some of my handmade beads. Will be fun to see what she’ll create with these.

Vases–Phase 2

Here is the progress of my polymer clay covered glass vases. I used real beach glass for these as I want to use my handmade faux sea glass beads for future polymer clay beach pebble bracelets.
The vase on the right, just under the urchin rim has reflections, and the bottom half looks lighter than it really is, also due to light reflecting. Am pleased how shiny the faux abalone veneer is. The ‘spikes’ on the bottom of the taller vase are supposed to be sunflower starfish arms.The ones on left vase are octopus tentacles.














I could consider these vases finished, but will let them simmer a bit more. I have some boxes planned next.

Vases-Phase 1

I’ve been determined to make a few non-jewellery type of items this year. A few weeks ago I made covered some pens, if that counts, but I also used to make clocks, boxes and candle holders. I’ve had these glass vases for a while. The left measures just over 5 inches tall  and  the other one 6 1/2”.

I used the same mokume gane cane as for the Kaweco Pens. I had aimed for Abalone Shell and it’s ‘close’ but the colours just need a bit more tweaking. Although our West Coast Abalone is paler than New Zealand Abalone, my green is a tad bright and not quite teal enough. I sanded and buffed this first phase.

Close up…

Stay tuned for Phase 2…these aren’t done yet.