So, I had a new blouse....with a pattern....an excuse to create a custom necklace based on the pattern and colors, right? Of course, I wanted to use Sculpey Soufflé and the colors matched the trending colors in the blouse right out of the package. Can I get any luckier? Yes, because it was a floral pattern on the blouse, so...
This weeks color mix is a little different. As you know, my "Rule" (made up entirely by me) is that I pick a color to mix for the month and I can only mix that color with one other color that I find on my table that week. (Actually, if you saw my table, you would see that this is a...
If you are an Etsy, Pinterest or jewelry fan, then you've probably come across artists creating intricate, raised clay designs that resemble embroidery and appliqué. I'm no exception. As a designer and writer, I love to spend time developing various techniques to replicate other objects and surfaces outside of our medium. One of my first published booklets on polymer clay contained textured faux fiber pieces...
Our featured mix color this month is Premo! Accent Fluorescent Pink. Our first mix uses our April mix color, Premo! Turquoise with the Fluorescent Pink (yes, I'm showing off that I can spell BOTH those colors!) The 1:1 mix is my favorite, what's yours?
Ever see something and think, "ooh, that'd be cool in clay?" Well, if it's something you see repeatedly, you'd probably better just do it! Such was the case for me. About two weeks or so ago, I bought a new tablecloth for my dining table. In the screen printed pattern, there are many variations of a William Morris-esque oakleaf and...
Easter is right around the corner and as the weather starts to think about warming up I am ready to decorate and add some touches of adorable fun to my home. I made these adorable spring chicks using the designs in my licensing portfolio to get started and can't wait to share them. The first step was to look through...
I was processing my photos on my camera card and I came across this photo from a couple of weeks ago. As usual, I was making a last minute necklace to go with a new blouse before I left for a trip. It had some rather tricky color mixing to make the matches. I tend to work on either large...
I was inspired by color from a recent fabric dyeing project. I might try to recreate the look of the fabric in clay. I think it would look great set in a bezzle and turned into a focal for a necklace. These colors would look good for a few different seasons depending on what was paired with. What would you...
So after having a box of Bake Shop Light sitting in my "deluxe designer studio" (yeah, it's a garage) for almost a year, I've suddenly become obsessed with it. I had sent a photo of a project I had just designed and she wrote me back, "Can you do it in Pluffy?" CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! Pluffy, like it's older sister, UltraLight...
No thanks major department stores! As a matter-of-fact I DON'T want a boring sponge holder with suctions cups (seriously, it's the 21st century - we all know they don't work!). I'm trying to do the right thing and get a sponge holder to help cut down on bacteria left in an always-wet sponge. First of all, it took FOREVER to...
With the big Craft and Hobby Association trade show just days away, I thought I would review the new Pearl Ex colors for you and at the same time, drop some tips on how to work with Pearl Ex (or any micro powder) on Sculpey clays. First, the good stuff. The new colors are highly pigmented, so it doesn't take...
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I'm taking advantage of my two extra days off by spending time at my clay table experimenting and preparing for my January blog month on Sculpey.com. These were *supposed" to be bracelet blanks I was going to cover. (You know, the kind you put on a soda can like I did years ago, but this time...
The picture for the Color Combination Inspiration came from a trip to NYC. I had to make a stop at my favorite store, ABC Home and Carpet. I could spend hours in the store shopping and taking pictures. The home store has 5 floors of pure awesomeness. Each time I go to the store their merchandise is different. I never...
Color Inspiration can be found almost anywhere, but I think mother nature provides the best color pallet. Not quite sure that these are purely mother natures work, their might be a little dye involved. wink wink. But no matter what the results are lovely and inspiring. I hope you enjoy the combinations and create some beautiful projects with them. Thecolors...
This color combintaion was inspired by a pile of dishtowels at World Market. I loved the bold bright colors. The clay colors I picked to match are from the Pluffy line. If you have kids and havenot tried the pluffy line, you should. It is light weight, easy to work with and super fun. My kids love it, because if...
Last week I posted a color combination and had several emails asking for more. Who knew picking colors would be so popular? Not me, that is for sure. I thought I might try to bring you a new one each week through the rest of the year. I love photography and will go through my pictures and try...
A snowman is the cutest symbol of winter. My kids and I started plaing with clay the other day and we decided to get a head start on our Christmas. They decided they would make each of their cousins a snowman. So the claying began. My three year old is fascinated by the clay machine and my son loves Mokume...
I'd like to talk a bit about "Surface Techniques" which I like to experiment with in my claywork. I truly believe they are endless and there are many mediums yet to be tried on polymer clay! One of my favorite surface looks for polymer clay is simply the use of paints and pastes. The best example I personally enjoy, is...
Rememeber when a new school year started and the teacher would ask you to share or do a report on, "What you did on your summer vacation"? Well I thought that would be a good place to start off my blogging month. Here on the Oregon Coast the kids in town just started back to school yesterday (the day after...
Wow! End of Summer..it's hot, humid and not a breath of air here at the beach right now. But it's time to look forward to Halloween! I created a really fun multi-media necklace with a Halloween theme last year that I want to share with you. It's a lariat necklace, which means that the ends don't attach to each other...
I had a rare weekend with no clay assignments so I decided to do a little playing. We cherish our butterflies and humming birds in our neighborhood, planting plants specifically for their needs. The Monarchs and Western Tiger Swallowtails are our favorites of the butterflies, with many people counting their caterpillars daily. I have a particular fennel plant that the...
What's in a wrapper? Well for me, my clay wrappers often act as a disposable mini-paint palette! They are just perfect to hold the small amounts of acrylic paints we often use to antique a bead or two or three! I like to allow my colors to mix slightly when I'm antiquing a larger piece, so the clay wrapper is...
As the (self-appointed) Queen of Stoobid Simple Clay, I just want to remind you that clay design doesn't have to be difficult or intricate to be effective. This necklace, featured in this month's Bead It magazine, is super simple, but one of the most elegant necklaces I think I've created. Sculpey Bead Projects Are Fun! Magazines aren't always looking for...
So when life gives you lemons, er, hard clay... we still want to use it. This happened when I accidentally set a sheet of rolled out Premo! Peacock on top of my oven WHILE IT WAS ON. I know, right? What was I thinking? Well, it was in a stack of index cards that I "thought" were empty. Anyway...
At my last opportunity to blog a couple of months ago, the last blog I featured one of my tikis on the deck (see blog below) who often shows behind me when I did a Sculpey video. Well, he had lost an eye and I mentioned that one of my goals this summer was to replace his eyes with Sculpey...
HELLOW! I get to spend my birthday month with you! I've been squirreling away little things to blog about with you all. It's been a busy, busy Spring and Summer. I've been traveling and teaching and getting ready to RETIRE from my "real job" of 22 years next Feb. It's so fun to apply to teach at different venues...
Happy student Dana's beautiful and calming bird ring! I am always amazed at how relaxing clay can be. Even in the midst of a busy teaching schedule, just sinking my hands into some Sculpey makes me feel centered and grounded. It's like the rest of the stress and stuff in life just fades into the backfround for me. Many...
Bonjour! I'm just back from teaching in southern France, and am so excited to show you a bit of it! The travel was a nightmare due to an Air Traffic Controllers strike, but we persevered and were rewarded with sights and memories we will never forget. Those of you who know me, know I love to...
Bonjour! Kari here-sort of. I hope this finds you enjoying your summer~(or winter...depending where in the world you may be.) As this blog posts, I will be enjoying teaching a workshop in France! I have many Sculpey projects we will be working on, and can't wait to show you the results upon my return! Until then, I hope...
While working on projects this week, I realized how often I use a few items in the studio that weren't tools to begin with. My mom was a saver and re-user of many things, including plastic bags, rubber bands, and the like. She never bought plastic containers, just reused ice cream buckets and yogurt containers; used envelopes became scratch paper...
