Aug 1, 2016

CaBezel Molds, Silkscreens and a Tutorial

New things...
Wendy from “Shades of Clay”, a Canadian online store (ships worldwide) for everything polymer clay related, was kind enough to send me some CaBezel molds to try out to see if they work with Silkscreened veneers. She also tucked in some great accessories, a keychain with bottle opener and purse hanger, nice surprises. The Cabezels Wendy sent are the Block and Dots (foreground), Organic and Fab Focals 1. Thank you Wendy!
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There is such a great myriad of techniques that can be used with the Cabezel Molds, you name it! Mokume Gane, Textured and stamped polymer clay, caned veneers, faux stone and so much more and I thought why not try them with Silkscreens! So I wrote a tutorial. Don’t miss the new Silkscreens I developed this past week and the COUPON after the tutorial…
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CaBezel Pendants with Silkscreened Crackle Stones
Created by Tina Holden
I’ll also show you how I silkscreen on metallic crackle. Here I’ll demo how to silkscreen on a simple foil crackle (different than leafing). You can use any silkscreen you have on hand or this Paisley design which can be found HERE. I’ll also show you a tip on how I cut the CaBezel shapes without the use of a tissue blade or knife. I’ll demo a couple of different shapes, one for the frame and another for the cabochon…
…and what I like about the CaBezel molds is they have both a frame and a corresponding cabochon mold that fit into the frame. Shadesofclay.com has a large variety found here http://shadesofclay.com/products/molds/cabezels-tools-supplies/ and here http://shadesofclay.com/products/molds/exclusives-molds/ There are 8 Frames and 8 corresponding Stones/cabochons shapes for the “Blocks and Dots” mold, 4 sets are round, 3 are square and 1 set of rectangles. The “Fab Focals1” has 3 sets of wonderful shapes and the “Organics” has 4 sets. There are so many great CaBezel Molds to choose from.
Materials:
· Polymer Clay: Black Fimo and Silver, White, and Turquoise Blue… or Sculpey Premo in Black, White Gold Glitter, Frost white glitter, Peacock Pearl
· Lisa Pavelka foil, iridescent or oilslick
· Heavy Body Acrylic Paint in Black
· Water and spritz bottle for Premo or…
· ArmorAll Original Protectant (found in Automotive section at large Retailer)
· Brush for ArmorAll
Tools:
· Pasta Machine
· CaBezel Molds, various styles or shapes that you like. I’m using the Dots ’n Blocks and Fab Focals 1
· Silkscreen: Paisley or other
· Acrylic Hand roller
· Paint brush
· Squeegee or old credit card
· Flex tissue blade*
· Large round or oval cookie cutter *(optional)
· Bucket of warm water to rinse silkscreen















clip_image010 Step 1: Creating the Silkscreen Sheet
Mix Premo Peacock Pearl with White Gold Glitter. The White Gold Glitter is very rich and adds a lot of sparkle to the Peacock Pearl. I used a ¼ block of peacock with ¼ of a ¼ block of White Gold Glitter. Roll to largest setting of your PM or #1 on Atlas.
clip_image012 Step 2: Apply Iridescent or Oilslick Foil with shiny patterned side facing up. Burnish onto clay with folded piece of paper. Rub back and forth. The friction of the rubbing produces heat which transfers the foil onto the clay. You don’t have to press hard when rubbing and you don’t need to burnish for very long, maybe 30 seconds. Lift up a corner of the foil to see if it all transferred, if not position back into place and burnish some more. A few odd specks that don’t transfer won’t matter. Remove the mylar/plastic film from the clay.
clip_image014 Step 3: Roll clay through at #2 (next smallest setting after #1 on Atlas PM), rotate the clay ¼ turn and roll through to #3, which is thinner yet. This is what the sheet and crackle will look like.
clip_image016 Step 4: Silkscreening onto Polymer Clay
Place the silkscreen with the shinier side face down on the clay. The shinier side is also slightly textured. For some it is hard to differentiate which side is which, but I mark my screens with a tiny sticker and provide instructions with each screen. The type of paint you use is also important. Liquid or thin bodied paints will not work as they’ll run through the mesh and won’t keep the pattern. Heavy body acrylic paint works best.
Apply a strip of paint. A little goes a long way and if it’s not enough more paint can be applied.

clip_image018 Step 5:Use a squeegee or old credit/phone card to apply paint over surface.
clip_image020 Step 6: You can check to see if paint has been transferred to the clay through the entire mesh of the silkscreen by lifting a corner of the screen and peeling it back a bit. If there are some spots that require more paint place the screen back down, and apply a bit more paint. You could use your finger to apply paint through the screen at that spot. If the transfer of paint is complete, remove the screen and place it into a container of lukewarm water. Take care of your screen by not allowing the paint to dry onto it. After the screen is washed, dab it dry with a paper towel and lay it on a tile or shelf with the shiny side facing up. (Don’t place it shiny side down as it might ‘glue’ itself to the surface and you’d have to wet it well for removal. Mistakes happen). If you want to reuse the screen as soon as possible, give it a quick blow-dry on a cool to warm setting, but avoid hot or the screen could ripple from the heat.
clip_image021 Step 7: Beautiful pattern on an iridescent crackle. Let the paint dry. Should take only about 30 minutes or so.
clip_image023 Step 8: Making the Cabochon
Using the CaBezel mold, spray it with water or if using Fimo clay, brush it with a bit of Armorall (Water renders Fimo sticky). You could use Corn-starch but I find ArmorAll works well with any photopolymer, plastic and even polymer clay mold.
Press clay into the mold. It’s ok if it overlaps or spreads over the side of the mold. I used 2 thicknesses of clay at #2 setting on the pasta machine. You could use scrap clay for this as this part of the clay will get veneered or covered with the silkscreened clay.

clip_image025 Step 9: Trim the edges of what will become the ‘filler clay’. (Ignore the frame clay piece above the piece that I’m cutting here, we’ll get to that)
clip_image027 Step 10: CaBezels are see-through so you can choose a section you want for your pendant. Firmly press the CaBezel over the part to mark the cutting lines. Cut out the shape, using an Exacto blade knife or tip of the tissue blade.
clip_image029 Step 11: Note I’m using a different shape here. This one here is from the “Fab Focals 1” set
Place the silkscreened shape over the filler clay. Smooth the edges and sides so they touch the work surface. This will give your cabochon/stone a domed effect.
clip_image031 Step 12: You can also pick up the cabochon piece to manipulate the veneer edges over the sides of the filler clay.
You could then cure/bake the piece at this point, but I prefer to have an oven full of pieces as I don’t like to waste electricity.
clip_image032 Step 13: Making the CaBezel Frame…
The pendants shown here are from the “Blocks and Dots” CaBezel Set, but I’ll be demoing a shape from the “Fab Focals 1” as a square shape is so easy to cut out with a tissue blade, but I want to show you a trick I use for more complex shapes. Coming up…
clip_image034 Step 14: Condition 2 segments of Black Fimo clay (or ¼ package of black Premo). Put it aside and condition ½ segment of White Gold Glitter Premo. Then mix the 2 colours together by either marbeling or with a Skinner blend.
clip_image036 Step 15: This way you see plenty of sparkle, but still see some of the black also.
clip_image038 Step 16: Roll clay out to #2 on machine and fold in half. Basically you’re repeating step 8 except you would now choose the CaBezel frame that corresponds with the cabochon or stone you created…unless you are making a bunch of frames and cabochons and want to mix and match later.
clip_image040 Step 17: Spritz your CaBezel mold with water for Premo or as before brush with ArmorAll if using Fimo.
clip_image042 Step 18: There are a couple of other methods to create the frame from what I demonstrated in step 8. Use a piece of paper on your work surface to work on as it prevents the clay from sticking onto your tile. If you forget the paper, as I sometimes do, you can use the tissue blade to slide under the clay to lift it from the work surface. One way to create the shape is to press the CaBezel mold onto the clay with your fingers and firmly press the sides. Don’t roll over the clay with a hand-roller as that will stretch the clay and shift it from the recess of the CaBezel and cause a double lip. Try it and you’ll see what I mean, lol. A much better way…
clip_image044 Step 19: … which works really well and is a great tip from Wendy, is to use the hand roller end. Wendy explains to hold it in your fist and rub in every direction until you can see the clay is up into the mold. This way you get a great impression and shape. Thanks Wendy, this is absolutely the easiest way!
clip_image046 Step 20: So, there are a couple of ways to cut out the shape. One is using a flex blade. Another would be using an Exacto (x-acto) knife or…
clip_image048 Step 21: Here is my trick! Use a cutter!
Choose a cutter that is larger than the CaBezel shape and has rounded sides. I have so many styles of cutters that using them to cut out the shapes is much easier than using an Exacto knife or tissue blade. A Football shape cutter would also work here.
clip_image050 Step 22: Smooth the edges of the frame with your finger.
clip_image052 Step 23: Insert the silkscreen shape / cabochon from step 11. Because the Frame hasn’t been cured yet you can push or nudge the frame edges to fit the sides of the silkscreened cabochon. Also, because the cabochon hasn’t been cured yet, it will stick to the frame without the use of glue or Liquid clay.
Cure/bake/harden to clay manufacturers recommended time and temperature. Because I used both Fimo and Premo in this project and Fimo cures at a slightly lower temperature than Premo, I use the Fimo temperature for curing, but extend the time by about 10 to 15 minutes longer. In general when you cure Fimo at a higher than recommended temperature the colour will darken, but with black this doesn’t affect the colour J Have fun.
Here are a few more Cabezel pieces that also fit some of the other items that ShadesofClay has available, for instance, a very cool Keychains with bottle opener and a purse hanger! Purse hangers are handy at Restaurants when you don’t know where to put your purse, simply hang it from the table!
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I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.
Share with your friends…
Copyrights 2016 Tina Holden
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Ok…and I have a dozen NEW Silkscreens in my shop. Use BEACHES10 for 10% off until August 7th Winking smile...UPDATE...read the end...
Here are a couple of samples…DSC00023BC59Circles and Dia 1 BC56
…go have a look Here . You can message me on Facebook through my Supply Page or Tutorial Page which 4 you want and I'll invoice you through Paypal. US$30 plus shipping ($1.80 USA, $1.50 Canada, $2.50 International)

Jul 5, 2016

Glad there won't be a Strike

Unions. I’ve had to deal with them when I injured myself on the job years ago and no, they did not have my best interest at heart. And while I suffer the consequence of those injuries for the rest of my life because I was not provided with the tools to prevent the injury in the first place, the only positive outcome was it put me on the road to becoming an Artist. I work with wire, bead embroider, polymer clay, resin, concrete, I write, innovate techniques…
Mr RobotoTina Holden Wire Kumihimo silver sandDSC00069amber and green sea glass
While Canada Post has been trying to negotiate with 4 of the Postal Worker Unions on various deals. I had no idea that there were FOUR Unions for postal workers until a Postal Worker told me about it. Four Unions…crazy huh? Glad there won't be a loomng strike and that the Union and Canada Post agreed to keep talking...
Tina Holden Silkscreens

Besides working on silkscreens am also creating a few Little Faerie/Gnome Doors. Perfect for a Garden. Maybe the Galleries would like some of these…
Fairydoor10Fairydoor3fairy house on beach
Hope to be mailing you soon…

May 17, 2016

Sand Dollar Pendants and Wire Kumihimo

I’m getting ready for the annual Blitz season of Shows, supplying shops and Galleries which has begun a month earlier than previous years. I make my usual products of Beaded Dragonflies, Sea Glass Jewelry, Enamel painted metal pendants, Polymer pendants which include Sand Dollars which do enormously well living near the Ocean. Also Sea Urchin beads and Starfish or Sea Stars as my husband insists on calling them and he would be correct as they are not a type of fish, but most people tend to call them Starfish. DSC00032DSC00033

I’ve created a myriad of things including my Euro style Beads with our townname on them, but still need to make Beach pebbles bracelets, assemble my handmade pendants into earrings, crochet a few sea glass bracelets and then tag and price them. Time flies!!

Here is my most recent set…my first attempt at Wire Kumihimo. I think it turned out well although for the necklace inserting the beads was a bit of a challenge as the wire cage wanted to pull in on itself. Now everything is strong and stable.

wire cage necklace set

Should I do another set? Perhaps a necklace for this bracelet and earrings?

Tina Holden Wire Kumihimo silver sand

And I still need to assemble these…

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So much to do…and loving it!!

May 16, 2016

Open Live Writer and Blogger

Everyone likes convenience, right? One of the reasons Istopped blogging for a while was because I couldn’t log into my Blogger via Windows Live Writer. I liked the convenience of being able to post with Word and use different Font, add frames for my photos etc. Going directly to ones blogspot doesn’t allow for those extra features. When trying to log in I kept getting errors “Password not found” even though I used the correct password. So I kind of gave up…until I read…

…that Googles 2 step verification process might have something to do with it, but despite trying everything I could find on the subject except for being able to add a mobile phone number (I don’t have one!) Windows Live Writer still wouldn’t budge. Then I discovered Open Live Writer. It’s very much like Word for your blog and looks very much like the Windows Live Writer. One can’t tell the 2 apart, really. Yay!!

Now I don’t have an excuse not to blog Smile. Here is the link for the Program. http://openlivewriter.org/

Mar 31, 2016

Have you made your 10 x 10 for the Fimo World Project yet?

Covering the World...in 10 x 10 squares.
Here is the Facebook Group link https://www.facebook.com/groups/1810793605813598/
There is still time to make your project. Here is what I submitted. And yes I used Fimo. I switched back to Fimo (Professional) after a long absenteeism. Why did I switch back? Because I got tired of the inconsistencies with other polymer clay.
True, some say Fimo is a bit harder to condition, but if you have spent enough time with polymer clay, you'll soon appreciate why after a bit of  handling, the rolling snakes to a fine tip without a hitch makes it THE reliable clay. I don't mind whacking it a bit with my acrylic roller before putting it through the pasta machine, I actually enjoy it! lol

So here is my 10 x 10 titled 'Nautilus'. It's an 'Aquarium style' with free floating beads. I used Black Fimo Professional, my crackle technique (tutorials are on my website http://beadcomber.com). I even used some Fimo Metal Pulvers I still have in my stash. The metal vs. mica is obvious.


While I was at it, I also created one of my Aquarium Pendants...Want to see a tutorial? or two? I'm almost finished with an Aquarium pendant tutorial and then I'll share "Secrets of the Nautilus"....

Jan 31, 2016

2016...

I didn't mean to ignore my blog, but Facebook seems to have taken over in that regard. Still, I reminded myself that this blog isn't just there for others, but a journal for myself. Today I posted some pendants on Facebook with the intent of selling them. I haven't gotten them posted to my new Website yet and if I should also list them on Etsy since it's always been a good venue for me. I go back and forth quite a bit and it's so difficult to know unless one has stats etc. which I rarely look at because I just don't understand it that much. I just want to create!
I enjoy creating multi-colored pieces. I love Lotus, Owls and Sea Urchins. Right now the Cabochons are just that...discs, but I can drill them any which way, they can become earring pendants, maybe even matching necklace pendants or buttons! I made 3 colors of a simulated Ceramic finish with a Lotus, Owl, and Sea Urchin design that I created from my own textures. I can drill holes, just tell me top, bottom, middle. oh...and if I make buttons they can be put in a washer and dryer without worry.




I charge more for these on Etsy (because of the fees) but offer a special deal on them...The Owl pendants measure about 22 mm ($6/pr), the small urchin rounds 20mm ($4/pr) the large urchin 36mm ($5) and the lotus 30 x 38mm ($5). I have multiples of each. Grab them fast as I only make so many (unless you do a custom order) Just comment or message me your email, how you would like them drilled. Prices are in US currency. Shipping to US is $5.50, Canada $3 and I even ship International $8.75. I know...Canada Post takes a big bite...
oh...and check out my new website at http://www.beadcomber.com/

Jan 10, 2016


Aloha!



The kit is up for purchase
The Aloha Necklace Kit that I'll be teaching in May is now available. There are a limited amount of these. I've listed 12 but there will be more, but need to count all my materials as I've also started to list separate components if you want only some of the parts.

Sign up for the Virtual Retreat here...Take classes at YOUR leisure, all year long...Go to the site and have a look at the Calendar of events, meet the teachers etc.
http://bit.ly/AJA-VirtualRetreat

This kit is for the Aloha Necklace that I'll be teaching in May



Cheers! :)









Oct 19, 2015

Special announcement! New Art Jewelry Adventure 2016!

 
News!!!
It’s been a while since I posted here, but well, I'm so excited and wanted to share this with you and can't wait any longer! 
AJAWinIt

This is the first time I'm participating in the Art Jewelry Adventure 2016 with 19 fabulous teachers some of whose names you will be familiar with.

PLEASE help me SHARE the POST on any social media platform or with your guild or other polymer clay/bead group and ENTER with my links below to win. Simply clicking on the first link shows your support for me and the second is to be entered into the Contest. I'll announce a winner on Saturday the 24th. Also, if you enter the Contest I'll be entering you into a drawing for something personal from me.

Sales Begin Next Sunday the 25th

This is the class I'll be teaching...Aloha!

TinaHolden

There are classes in soldering, torch fired enameling, resin, quilling, soutache, wire work, molding, mixed media (painting, stamping) shrink plastic, silver clay, epoxy and polymer clay. We have tried to keep it down to materials you can easily get and nothing requires a kiln- so maybe you might need to pick up some things you don't have if you want to try something new, but the most "exotic" thing you might need is an inexpensive butane torch!

There was a contest, but sorry you missed it...you can still sign up for the classes tho!

Tina


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