Glass gem bits, baubles and polymer clay

Today I picked up the oodles and oodles of glass gems my friend Kevin Midgley so patiently custom made for me.

Kevin's work has been featured on the front covers of magazines, such as 'Chatelaine' and 'Food and Wine' as well as being frequently found in fine recipe books and restaurants. If you are looking for Christmas presents such as fabulous Art Glass platters or even the most glowing kinds of dichroic gem earrings or necklaces, go visit his studio and/or the link above.

You're probably wondering what I will do with these little gems?!

I had googled for glass rectangles on the net, but couldn't find anything other than the common glass baubles/drops. I wanted some plain glass rectangles measuring between 10mm x 15mm-20mm. These are for my upcoming project, based on an idea I've had in my sketch book since 2000 but never followed up on...until now.
Want to know what I will do with these?!...

Ancient Jewels in Polymer Clay

This weeks creations of Polymer Clay bracelet and necklace with an ancient feel. The stone is Dragonscale Agate, the band is woven from Japanese Cube and Triangle beads. The clasp is a convenient Rare Earth Magnet....strong! What should I name this bracelet?

A viking drop and medieval type cross incorporating crystal and pearls.

Before getting my first computer in December 2000 (Ya, the big y2k, lol), I used to try and keep track of my bead and polymer clay designs via sketches and the odd photograph. The digital age certainly has made things easier and more practical, although I now'loose' pictures amongst the thousands that are now in my files, so I still sketch the occasional piece.

Kotomi Yamamura's beautiful Elizabethan polymer clay designs have rekindled my passion for the medieval jewelry of the late 1490's and early 1500's. Kotomi sells her designs through numerous galleries as well as on etsy.

Back in January 2000 I created pendants from Polymer Clay that looked like ancient Viking pendants along with the odd medieval or Elizabethan piece. All the pieces sold very quickly and to this day my husband gently scolds me for selling these and not making more. He's right, but too many muses are chattering in my mind to do this, that, this, lol.

Here are a couple of sketches I had done January 2000. Wow....talk about rockbottom prices, they'd be a bargain now. Current pieces like this would fetch about twice as much now, considering the labour and experience that go with it.

Here are a couple of pieces I beaded in 2005/6. One has a polymer clay transfer with a Tall Ship and the other a polymer clay cabochon as the centrepiece of the front of a mirror compact.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
I have to give thanks to my Creator for giving me many gifts, including the gift of creating...

Another box with Polymer Clay

I've been thinking of doing more with paints, either on polymer clay or on other objects and then incorporating polymer clay as embellishment. I took this generic slide lid box that was black to begin with, primed it with Gesso and painted it with Acrylics. I guess I'm really drawn to blues, greens, yellows and browns these days....

Addition to Starfish Polymer Clay Box

Am posting another picture of the Starfish Polymer Clay Box which I gave an additional embellishment of 'kelp'. I just felt it was missing something, the starfish alone felt too empty. Also finished some necklaces with the recent beads I made. This one with the celtic applique to prebaked polymer clay beads.
This necklace set is made with Polymer Clay ovals which I gave an 'impasto' matte crackle finish. The frosted glass beads are recycled glass from bottles.

Polymer Clay Bottles, Boxes and Pendants

Was inspired to try something a little different with my Polymer Clay media. Choose to make things less shiny, give things a slighty more 'organic' look and matte. Created a starfish box, entirely crafted out of polymer clay. This one took a few firings. More pictures will have to follow as I actually altered the box from what you see here. I since added some 'kelp' on the outside to add more interest.
This polymer clay bottle incorporates a little eye contact lens bottle, measuring about 2" high. Originally I started making these in the early 90's. Am in dire need for more of these bottles, but haven't a clue whether they are still available. These decorated little bottles are now known as "Hope bottles", although I just like decorating them. This one has a polymer clay lid and a crackle layer.


The cuff I built on a double aluminum flashing base that I first covered with scrap polymer clay and baked before building onto it another layer with a veneered crackle base. Then baked again and gave it an other decorative layer.


The Pendants are the Polymer Clay Picasso version of my beaded ones. I take rebar wire and hammer it into shape and then use Polymer Clay as the base. The one on the left has a crackle version and the one on the right Pinata Inks.

Playful Polymer Clay Lentil Beads

Playful Polymer Clay Day! well, in the late afternoon anyway. Made some lentil beads yesterday and appliquéd and painted them on a base of translucent, green and pearl. Also made another Cuff and some bottles that I need to photograph.I guess my title should have included...'toxic perfume awareness'.

The morning was filled with trying to diminish a quick growing migraine and dizziness when I encountered a visitor at our local Co op wearing, what seemed like, a bottle of perfume. I couldn't escape the smell as this woman left that scent in every isle. I tried to rush through the isles as mental fog quickly set in. People who love to wear perfumes still don't realize (or care!) that many people literally get sick from these chemically laden mixtures, not because of 'dislike of the smell' but because of a physical reaction to it. Imagine people being allergic to bee stings or certain foods like nuts! Well, some of us are allergic to perfumes (and laundry detergent, Swiffer, and god forbid "a breath of fresh air with Febreeze"...) Of course the wearer becomes more and more desensitized to it and feels they have to wear more to be able to smell it themselves! Ever see those signs in Doctors offices and Hospitals "No scent makes good sense!" It's true. Well, I won't be able work much over the next few days. My muscles now hurt like I have the flu. I knew I should have gone shopping right at store opening time because I've been through this before! Darn! Anyway, wanted to make people that read my blog aware that perfume/colognes can cause others to become very ill.
Am glad that polymer clay isn't making me feel like this, plus I'm wearing gloves for most of the work now.

Large Polymer Clay Cuffs and Boxes - Fall Colours

Large cuffs are in fashion and models are wearing stacks of them. This 2 1/4 inch wide polymer clay cuff has a crackled surface with strips of varying colours, ranging from magenta, burgundy and gold to a green turquoise. Abalone chips are arranged on the surface in polymer clay bezels. The inside of the cuff is doubled aluminum flashing with a pre-baked polymer clay base for added strength. My camera isn't wanting to cooperate on macro too well these days, or so I thought...it wasn't on macro because someone else in the family had used the camera without my knowing. This meant a lot of pictures needed retaking.




Also am working on some covered tins and boxes. This starfish box has the same crackle concept as the bracelet and is flocked on the inside. Messy stuff to use, but gives the box a more finished appearance I think.

Falling Polymer Clay Leaves 2008

Back in September 2007 I had created a Fallen Leaves Necklace and thought of keeping up the tradition by doing one every year. Last year's was also posted on Polymer Clay Daily which was a happy surprise. This years colours are slightly darker and the leaves are crackle veneered on one side and leaf veined golden on the other. The base palette was a black, gold and green blend. The strand is wire woven copper.

Rubber stamp for Polymer Clay

I got to play very little with polymer clay today because of other distractions, but managed to make a rubber stamp and test it. It felt a little intimidating at first because those bright yellow gel packets are a bit messy after doing the exposure....sorry no pics of that because even with gloves on things got a bit sticky and was touching as little around me as possible. Work was done at the sink. But after all was cleaned up and made the final exposure I ended up with an almost clear stamp or stamps because I made two 'hands' on one packet and then cut them out individually.

The nice thing about the kit is that you're provided with an acrylic mount that can be used for all the stamps you created because they stick to the acrylic without glue or tape. You can arrange the two stamps I made any which way, I could have mounted them with fingers pointing at each other, lol. If you make several small stamps you could mount them simultaneously to make a pattern in itself.When done stamping, the stamp can be cleaned, peeled off the acrylic and stored in a ziplock. They should be stored out of sunlight and not be used with solvent type inks. The stamps can be made with high or low relief, depending on exposure time...mine turned out nice and deep which one would want for polymer clay.


Here is the stamped image on ecru mix premo polymer clay with embossing powder inclusion. I find it troublesome that all of my pastamachines have the same 'ripple effect' when running clay through at the larger settings, so I use an acrylic handroller to smooth them. I don't know if anyone else has this dilemna with their machines? The ink is a pigment ink and has to be heated to set.

Finished polymer clay discs....maybe for some earrings....

Excited to add something to my claying....

Just received the JustRite Homestamping Kit. Can tell you how excited I am to try and make my own stamps and textures for use with Polymer Clay. It's a bit pricey at $149.95, but Stampingcottage has it on sale for $89.99, $10 less than the JustRite Home website.


I purchased extra packets as I plan on making a few designs and apparently you can make your own embossing dies with this also.
The kit contains all the necessary tools and all you need to provide is the creativity, hot water, detergent and a 60W light bulb.
Contents: imagepac artwork modifying DVD, Instruction and demonstration files, 2 x A6 imagepac sachets, 4 x A7 imagepac sachets, 4 x A8 imagepac sachets, 4 x A4 sheets imageblack inkjet film, Acrylic magnetic clamp, Electronic timer, Tray for hardening stamp, Brush, Knife, Bottle of stamp hardening salts, Pair of gloves, Ink pad, Acrylic mount, A6 piece of test artwork.
Here is a basic video how they are made. Part One and Part Two. The kit actually provides more tools *such as the tray, detack salt and brush) than the cardboard kit she is using here. But the idea is the same. JustRite has an excellent video also and you can view it here.