Little translucent head pin flowers

You will need:

2-3" headpins gold or silver

Cernit Translucent clay- I used Emerald, Violet, Turquoise, Ruby, and Amber

Square cutters- 3/16", 5/8", and 3/4"

Scotch Quick dry adhesive

Cernit can be purchased at 

http://www.clayfactory.net

#Cernit

#mariesegal

Little Head pin flowers

Put a tiny drop of the glue on the head of the pin and let it dry. The bottle has been re-labeled I will place a picture of the new bottle below

This is the new labeled bottle

Condition and roll out clay on the 3rd or 4th thickest setting in your pasta machine. Using the 3/4" square cutter, cut out as many squares of the color as you want to make flowers. I used 2" Skinner blends for my flowers. Emerald for the leaf squares which is the 5/8" square. And all the centers will be the new 3/16" square cutters that we are now carrying. Push the head pin through the center of the flower square.
You can find all of these square cutters at any of our etsy stores ask for special order.
Or at http://www.clayfactory.net/kempertools/pages/pattern-cutters-kemper-tools.htm
On this page you will find links to all of our shops and my blog
http://www.mariesegal.com/Shops.html

Add a 3/16" Amber colored square to the top of the head pin with the dried glue dot and press the flower square and the center square around the head pin top.

Here is the link to all of our shops.
http://www.mariesegal.com/Shops.html

Pull all the corners together in the center by doing the left and the right side corners first and then top bottom corners. Tack the lightly together with out smashing together.

Slide the 5/8" Emerald leaf square on to the end of the head pin and slide up against the flower bud. Tack the leaf and the bud together in the centers of each the leaf square and the center of the bud bottom.

Like so.

Curl under two opposite corners to the center of the leaf square and tack to the clay lightly with out smashing the curl.

Curled leaves have rolled look like a curl of chocolate.

Here is the completed bud. Lay on a piece of card sock in your tray and bake in a oven at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes. I also tint the whole tray with aluminum foil. I bake in a regular electric oven for 50 minutes. I plunge them into an ice water bath hot out of the oven until they are cool. The translucent will be more translucent if quenched in ice water.

Have fun!
#Cernit

A Blast from the past Jewelry Crafts 1997

There is something about cleaning out your studio thoroughly! The things you find can be surprising.

I found a large box back in a corner, it had been sealed from a Bead and Button show in 1997, it was similar to a time capsule of bead work from before 1997. Lots of beads.

I also found this article that was written about the same time in Jewelry Crafts magazine. A very fun day all in all.

Princesses have castles, I still don't have one!

Memories, I have many! Welcome to my studio time capsule!

Finally Friday- whew

I have been trying to get ready for our guilds yearly retreat, Sandy Camp.
It is challenging with a bouncing 2 1/2 year old that has no idea why I am ignoring her. Like I would. She has finally lain down for a nap, thus my frivolous time writing a little blog. ;-D
That is why I haven't been posting in the morning, I usually schedule posts the night before. I finally get to work after dinner and that is what I am doing when I should be writing my blog.

I always get a slew of ideas when I am writing a how-to, preparing for a show, getting ready for a class, packing for a trip, or anytime I am trying to focus on the impending job at hand that I am running out of time for.
So what I wanted to show you is a piece that came out of that time.


I have a few sculpts that I did years ago and I was making molds from them to sell in the Sandy Camp store. This one has always been a favorite of mine.

A happily content Green Man in the Cernit Nature color Basalt (502 in our Clay Factory store) smiles happily.

This was taken from an architectural influence and  replicates a piece of a building for you to wear.

The piece is medium size.

It is stained or antiqued with black Ne-opaque acrylic paint.

And then it is blushed with Super Bronze Lumiere. I have made a few in different stone and metal colors.
This one is in my Etsy store now
http://www.etsy.com/listing/82858271/greenman-brooch-1

A Green Man is a sculpture, drawing, or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, nostrils or other parts of the face and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit. Commonly used as a decorative architectural ornament, Green Men are frequently found on carvings in churches and other buildings.

The Green Man motif has many variations. Found in many cultures around the world, the Green Man is often related to natural vegetative deities springing up in different cultures throughout the ages. Primarily it is interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, or "renaissance," representing the cycle of growth each spring. From Wikipedia.com 

I didn't get the whole blog written either had to put it away and start again later.
So friday is almost over now.
Have a wonderful weekend.

Some new things!!!

We have a couple of new things at the Clay Factory, my hubbies store!
We have a few new pages of Kemper Tools. There are many things here that can easily be used with other mediums.
Kemper tool Index

Kemper tools page 1

Kemper tools page 2

Kemper tools page 3

Kemper tools page 4

Kemper tools page 5

Kemper tools page 6

Kemper tools page 7

Kemper tools page 8

Kemper tools page 9

We also have two new Making's Clay molds, which I also learned worked great with fondant and gum paste

M39009 - Baby Push Mold

M39010 - Masks Push Mold

We have also added three new Air Brush Paint Exciter kits, which work nicely with Cernit Polymer clay and on fabric and everything else



Metallics oh these are yummmmmmmmmmmmy!!

Transparent also very nummmmmy

Opaques very nummy too.

Glazed flowers

Links for the supplies will connect you to my Hubby's shop if you are looking for these products.

Thank you so much for supporting myself and my family.



Flowers and leaves cutter set (The cutters I used for this project are shown below)

Cernit Porcelain white 2 ounce package will make several flower and leaf sets
Air Brush Exciter Packs Metallic and Transparent

Small brushes

Ultimate Clay Machine or acrylic roller

Small knife (not a razor type knife)

Bic Round Stic pen

Condition and roll out the porcelain white on the thickest setting in the clay machine or 1/8" thick or a little thinner.

Cut out the 4 petals and score them with a small knife. Do not cut through them, just score them to make the lines in the petal.

Cut out the leaves and score the veins in each leaf, start with the center vein and then cut the side veins.

Cut the back flower out of the rolled out porcelain white Cernit. It is the large cutter with 5 petals shown above.

Lay down the 5 petal flower first and then place the leaves where you want them.
Press the very bottom of the stems on to the 5 petal flower.

Now add the 4 marked petals to the back flower.

Roll a 3/8" ball of the porcelain Cernit clay and flatten a little with your thumb and forefinger.

Add to the center of the petals. Poke several holes in the center.

Bake the flower in a 275 degree pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, shut off oven and let the flower cool in there.

I used these colors to paint the flower and leaves.

I let the paint dry completely and then coated with the air brush varnish.

You can also heat set this paint by placing in a pre-heated 200 degree oven for 15 minutes and let it cool completely before touching it at all.

Transparent yellow is used for the petals and the metallic yellow is used for the center.

These flower and leaves sets make nice embellishments for scrapbooking, journals, and jewelry, decorating mirrors and pots etc...etc...etc...

The Air Brush Exciter Packs are a newly listed product for my Hubby's store. 

There are 3

opaque

transparent

metallic

http://www.clayfactory.net/

7th Giveaway- It is Dead!

The next give away is going to be this pair of Day of the Dead earrings.

They have Sterling silver wires hand formed by me.

Two flowers in pink, orange, green, and complimentary shades made from Cernit phthalate Polymer Clay. Each of the colors are layed in to the pattern you see, they are not painted.

This topped off by a skull sculpted by me also.

The flowers are about 1 1/4" across at the widest point and the earring from the top of the silver wire to the bottom of the flower is about 1 1/2" long.

If you  do not follow, then follow, and leave a comment in the words of wisdom comment area.

I am closing this one on the 27th at 6 pm pdt.

Good luck and thank you!

I will ship world wide.

Why we are doing this for a year!

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2009/05/1st-giveaway-thank-you-thank-you-thank.html

Small Hand Mirrors

For the small hand mirrors you will need:
3” round mirror
Cernit Phthalate free clay in Black 2.2 ounce pkg
Brilliant Gold and Silver Pearl EX
Pearl-ex varnish
Victorian flexible push mold
Craft Knife
Clay blade
Applicator sponge
Clay dedicated Pasta Machine
All links above take you to my husband's store Clay Factory and to the page where the supply highlighted can be seen and purchased. Or you can visit the Clay Factory site a http://www.clayfactory.net/

1. Condition clay.


2. Roll out in your pasta machine on a thinner setting than the handled mirror, I used the 3rd thickest setting.
Put a thin layer of glue on the back of the mirror, let dry completely.
Place the back of the mirror on the sheet of clay.

 
 
3. Press the mirror down firmly.

4. Trim around the mirror with your craft knife leaving a 1/8” allowance
Press out all the air bubbles, you will be able to see them.


 
 
 

 
 
5. Press the clay up around the edges of the mirror.

6. Trim off the excess with your clay blade.

7. Roll out another sheet of clay on the 3rd thickest setting.

8. Cut a strip ¼” wide and long enough to go around the outside of the mirror.
Cut one end of the strip at an angle.
Press the strip on to the outside of the mirror attaching it to the clay on the outside edge.

9. Trim the end that’s left with your craft blade and butt the edges together.

Smooth your seams gently with your finger.

 
 
 

 
 
10. Mold little pieces of the Victorian mold and place on the strip.











Here you can see that I am not molding whole pieces, just parts of them, I am using ¼” balls of black in the mold

 
 
 
 
 
 

11. When you are done embellishing the mirror place a small amount of silver powder into a Ziploc baggie, zip it closed and shake the powder around in the bag


Place the mirror into the bag and shake the powder onto the clay around the mirror, again you will get powder on the mirror but you will be able to wash it off after you bake it

 

12. Now I take my applicator sponge and on the front of the mirror I daub on the Brilliant gold powder lightly on the high spots


13. Bake in a preheat 275 degree oven for 30 minutes

14. Shut off the oven and let cool

Paint with Pearl-ex varnish, let dry and place back in a preheated 200-degree oven for 15 minutes, shut off oven and let cool

Place into a little bag and this little beauty is ready to give as a gift or go right into your own purse. Wouldn’t this make a great bridesmaid’s gift???

Magic Mirrors

I wrote this up in 2003 and I like them so much I thought it would be nice to publish it here for you. One is a palm held mirror that you can carry and the other is dresser mirror with  handle.

I still carry the Victorian Decor push mold (a mold that I designed) that I used and at a highly discounted price yet ;-D but any hand rolled design or sculpted pieces would work well for this. You can find other molds now that will be just as lovely when finished.

It is the building of the mirror that is the lesson here.

I loved my grandmother’s hand mirror, I always felt so elegant holding it and combing my hair. It was silver and beautifully detailed with flowers and leaves all over the back of it. I have always looked at these mirrors later in life as a reminder of a simpler time with very fond memories. I found that with my favorite medium, Polymer clay, pearl-ex pigments, a fork, and with little round and oval mirrors I could bring back a small piece of a pleasant past. By putting the little mirrors in the great drawstring fancy bags that you can find available just about everywhere you could also share a small smile and a tiny bit of nostalgia with your friends or family too.

You will need these things for both mirrors

Clay Dedicated pasta machine

3” round or a 3”x5” oval mirror

A very inexpensive small dinner or salad fork

Cernit Phthlate free polymer clay 2- 2.2 ounce blocks of black and 1 block of pearl
Silver and Brilliant Gold Pearl-ex pigment

Piñata Chili Pepper red ink
Hammer

Old towel

Needle type tool, tooth pick or needle

Crafters Pick the Ultimate glue  from Adhesive Products Inc.

Victorian Flexible push mold

Pearl-ex Varnish
Applicator sponge or brush
Clay Blade

Craft Knife

Ziploc baggie

All of the links above will take you to a page in the Clay Factory's website where these products are and can be purchased.

Or you can browse the whole site at http://www.clayfactory.net/

Handled mirrors

1. Take an old towel and wrap it around the tine end of the fork. Take this outside to the sidewalk. I suggest you don’t try this on your kitchen counter. Hammer the tine end of the fork until it is flat.

2. Put glue on the front of the tines of the fork and down to the base of the fork where the handle is, but not the handle.

Place this on the back of the mirror. Now put a layer of glue all over the back of the mirror. Let the fork and the mirror dry overnight without disturbing it or moving it.

3. When the fork and mirror is completely dry condition your clay.

4. Roll it through the pasta machine on the thickest setting. It would probably be a good idea to use a whole block of clay at this time so you have enough for the mirror and the fork.

5. Lay the mirror and the fork on top of the sheet of clay and trace around the handle and the mirror with your craft knife leaving a 1/8”allowance all the way around.

I lay the mirror and the fork on their front (it lays flat then) to trace it and then turn it over to press the clay on it.

 

 
 
 
6. Press the clay to the back of the mirror and fork pressing the air out as you go. I start around the tines of the fork on the back of the mirror and work my way out. Press the edges up over the edge of the mirror.
 
 
 

 

7. Trim away excess clay from the top of the mirror and fork handle using your clay blade or craft knife. Trim flush with the top of the mirror and the fork.
 
 
 

 

 

8. Roll out some more clay on the thickest setting and turn the mirror and fork over and trace the front side for the fork handle. You do not need a 1/8” allowance for this piece.

Press the front and the back together smoothing the seams.

 

 

9. Trim off the excess from around the bottom of the mirror where the fork handle meets it following the edge of the mirror.

10. Add a little 1/8" coil of clay all the way around the edge and over the front of the mirror face. Butt the ends together and press gently down on the edge of clay around the mirror.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
11. Roll out a 3/4” ball of pearl and roll it into a teardrop.
 
 
 
 
 

12. Flatten the teardrop between your forefinger and thumb.

13. Take a toothpick and make a dent in the top of the flattened teardrop. It will look like a heart.

 
 
 
 

 
 
14. Place this on the center of the back of the mirror.

15. Paint the heart with Chili pepper red Piñata ink and let dry.
When it the ink is dry paint it with Pearl-ex varnish and let dry completely.

16. Roll out a 1/8” coil of black clay and place it around the heart.

Trim off the end with you craft knife and butt the edges.

17. Take a needle or needle like tool and make indentations in the coil all the way around the heart.



18. Embellish the rim of the mirror and the handle with things that you mold from the Victorian mold. Remember that you can use pieces of the molded item without using the whole molded piece.
Attach those firmly without distorting.

19. When the mirror is embellished take a small amount of Silver Pearlex and place it into the baggie. Zip it closed and shake it all around.

Place the head of the mirror gently into the bag and rub the powder on to the mirror. Be very careful and rub off the excess powder, proceed to the handle of the mirror. It will stick to the glass of the mirror, but you will be able to wash it or brush it off after the mirror is baked.

20. Bake this in a preheated 275 degree F oven for 30 minutes, shut off the oven let cool for a while in the oven.

When the mirror is completely cool wash off the excess powder and let dry.

21. Coat with a couple of coats of Pearl-ex varnish letting each coat dry in between.

Place back into a preheated 200-degree oven to harden the varnish for 15 minutes.

22. Shut off the oven and let cool.

Next post the palm size mirror.