Geeky goodness!

I've seen pens covered in polymer clay in the past but never thought to try them myself until recently. I built a few space invaders polymer clay canes last week so I thought that this would be a perfect project to showcase all of the different sprites. Take a look!


I think that they turned out adorable! I loved the results so much that I decided to try a few more with some canes that I had made in the past, including one of my favourite 8-bit designs that I've done - the pink and purple Mario Bros. mushroom.

One thing I did discover is that it matters which kind of pens you use for the project. The first one I made, I used pens made with an opaque frosty outside that didn't melt or deform while in the oven. I actually attempted a few other ones that consisted of a hard white plastic which unfortunately melted and warped in the oven, making them completely unusable. I should have tested them before baking 4 pens all at the same time but I was so excited to give it a try. Lesson learned....hopefully :)
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One step forward, three steps back....

Yup, I am indeed back.

Will explain later!

But in the meantime here's the first project I've done in five weeks. Soon I'll be back to normal.

And it's only Saturday!

Today was more productive then usual. Finished off Polo, which was a big hit and I got started on a new polymer clay cane! Last time I went to my parent's place, my mother suggested that I do a flower cane, so I did.

Started with my three main colours



Turned them into a skinner blend



Completed cane!



Completed bead!



And last but not least, the completed pendant.

I also had the chance to head out to a friend's birthday bbq this evening. I left with a stuffed belly, so it was successful in my books! Check out a few photos from the evening. Oh, and the lovely Ms. Baker gave me a Lite-Brite that she picked up at a garage sale. Those things are seriously awesome. Much thanks.

Screw you Victoria Day. I didn't like you anyway!

Crappy thing about working for an American company in Canada? I have to work Canadian holidays. Bleh. Nothing downtown is open for lunch, the buses run on Sunday schedule and I can't buy yarn! I've been working on a new crocheted amigurumi project based on this little guy (some of you will who he is!) and I think I have most of the pattern worked out. I started a prototype to see if my pattern was going to make sense and so far it's looking great! Now I just need to find the right colours.

In other craftinista news, I've made a new necklace with the polymer clay beads I made a couple of weeks ago and some *upcycled beads from a necklace that my brother bought me in Turkey (I think it was Turkey??) that I tore apart. I'm still unsure if I like it. It's a little on the chunkier side than I am used to. But it's shiny and sparkly so maybe it'll grow on me!


*Family members have started buying me inexpensive bead necklaces when they go overseas. Awesome! And they all know I don't plan on wearing it as is but rather to break it apart and use it for my own stuff.

Another one in the bag....

I love doing 8-bit designs when I work with polymer clay for one simple reason - it's bloody easy. You simply lay the clay out according to the colour chart and reduce. Not difficult, not even a little bit.

I actually based the skull design on a t-shirt that I saw my cousin wear last week. There were only two colours in the design so it was a snap. I custom blended the darker purple colour as I did not have enough of one any one shade of purple for the whole project. I've learned to pre-blend all the colours and cut all the pieces needed for the project before I actually put it together. When I first started making clay canes, I didn't do this step and it always caused a lot of headaches when I would be half way through a project to only then realise that I did not have enough of a certain colour - and it always tended to be a colour that was custom blended so there was no way to recreate it. I would end up having to scrap the whole project. A waste of time and an even bigger waste of clay (and money).

The project turned out well and was a good way to waste an evening. I've already made a pair of earrings and have the beads completed for a necklace but that will have to wait for another night!

PS. Click here to buy a pair of the earrings!

Translucent clay is my new love. And so is my new clay extruder.

Until recently I never thought of trying out translucent polymer clay. I didn't know how to work with it and I figured what difference could it make in my projects? Man, was I ever wrong. That stuff is genius! It wasn't until I got the book The Art of Polymer Clay by Donna Kato (Kato clay anyone?) that I realised what rad stuff you could do with it. I put together three simple canes using the skinner blend technique between a layer of translucent clay mixed with a lil' bit of white clay and presto chango, I got some pretty snazzy beads out of it. Originally I made one braclet for myself out of it, but after my cousin Kaitlyn saw mine, she asked me to make her one as well. I actually liked how hers turned out a little bit better since I had a better idea of how thinly I had to slice the cane to get the desired affect. I'll definitely be using this stuff more in the future!

My second new love? That's totally my new clay gun. For the longest time I've been using the standard silver metal clay extruder that you can find at most craft stores. I dreaded using it but at times I just had no other option to get the shape and/or consistency that I was needing for my project. It was painful and slow to use and the cleanup was annoying. I used the old silver one for the Nintendo mushroom cane that I had done and by the time I was done, my hands were red and raw and it was painful to touch anything. Anytime I used it after that, I had flashbacks of its evilness. There had to be a better way. Then one day I came across the Makin's Clay Extruder online but it was a little more pricey than what I wanted to pay. But then I read reviews. A bunch of them. Every single one I read said that although it was a little pricey, it was worth every penny. So one day I decided to take the plunge and went ahead and ordered it online. I don't know how I lived without it. It's bloody fantastic. Easy to use, easy clean up and best of all, it doesn't hurt my poor hands! I almost wanted to call in sick the day after it arrived just so I could play and create with it all day (I didn't though, only because I have bills that have to get paid somehow). The first cane I made after getting it also used translucent clay and was made with just the scraps of the cane mentioned at the beginning of this post! It literally took about five minutes to throw together! Best $25 I've spent in a long time!

Mega Man!

No need to explain. That is all.

I love Geeks.

My hands have never hurt as much as they did after this project. Honestly. Using my clay gun once makes my hands go red and raw. Using it about a hundred times within a few hours, made it impossible for me to touch anything for awhile without squirming in pain. I've been making polymer clay canes for a few years now but I've never really tried making any pictures within them (except for a once failed skull, so bad). I decided on an 8-bit Nintendo character as it would be pretty easy to work with. I printed off a pretty basic picture of one, broke it down into a grid pattern and got to work! Originally I was going to do with the more typical mushroom colours but I was lacking in orange and red so I decided to go with cute (and would match most of my clothing) instead.