Ebay auction - benefit Ada starts today. We received more than 80 items donated from Polymer clay artists around the world. Kathy Stuart had finally put some of them on Ebay today. Thanks Kathy. There will be more to come but check out www.ebay.com and put "benefit Ada" in a find box.

Star - Christmas Ornament

I bought a necklace a while ago that has 2 star shape pendants, one gold, one silver. It has a face impression on it and the idea came after I made the snowmen; to put a hat on it.

1. Make a mold using 2 part epoxy mold

2. Using 2 sheet of white clay running at the thickest setting, put the pendant on top of the clay and cut around it.

3. Press the clay into the mold, using texture tools to make texture on the back.

4. Take the clay out, trim, and bake.

5. Using a small piece of wire, bend one end then insert a small white ball on there. The wire will help secure the ball to stay on top of the hat. Cut out 2 triangle from red clay and cut a strip of white clay about 3/4" x 3".

6. Wrap the red clay around the top part of the star, insert thewhite ball on the top, wrap the strip of white clay around the red, tuck in the seam, then texture the hat with needle tool of you choice.

7. Bake and decorate as will. You can use paint or glitter. I was using the diamond dust w/ glue. Rhinestone and crystal can be use to decorate the hat too. Enjoy.

Here are more ideas. Rhinestones on the left and Colts Hat on the right. make one with your favorite football color.

Holiday Jar

I love baby food jar, they are cute. Just the right side to keep beads and things in there. Here's how I covered the lid with a holiday theme.

1. Clean the lid and roll out a sheet of clay, White or Red.

2. I am using a mushroom that I made, also cut a piece of wire about 3", curl up one end. The wire will hold the mushroom in place.

3. Put the lid on clay and cut around it, like so.

4. Poke the wire through the clay before covering the lid, smooth the top and side, make sure there is no air bubble.

5. With Gleen clay, roll out small balls, make them into leaf shape, flatten slightly. With needle tool, draw several veins on the leaf. Stick the leaves around the lid.

6. With White & Red clay, make a twisted snake. Roll out tiny balls, stick 3 of then on to each leaf. Now you have holy leavf with berries. Isn't it cute?

7. Squeeze enough liquid clay on the top of the lid, sprinkle with glitter. I used the thing called Crystal dust. It is the tiny glass flake used by the florist. Squeeze a drop of liquid clay near the wire, put the mushroom through the wire. Liquid clay and wire will help stable the mushroom. Bake and enjoy.

Here are some more ideas.

Making of the Snowman

I made these snowman beads a few years back. They are so cute for the festive earrings. They are about 1" tall. Don't wait till Christmas Eve when you decide to make them. I am so good this year, I even finished making my Christmas cards. Hum... may be I will show you how I draw and paint my card later. It was fun, but let's start with these Snowman.

1. Clean your Pasta machine and roll out a sheet of white clay. I used the small round Kemper tools to cut out 3 different size pieces. Roll them into balls and stack them together.

2. With small round cutter, make 2 small balls from Red clay. Flatten one to make bottom of the hat, flatten the other one lightly to make the top.

3. Make 3 thin snakes from Red, Green and Gold clay, twisted them together, roll into tiny, tiny rope. Wrap a piece around the hat.

4. Make 2 small balls from Green clay, stick them on the belly.

5. Roll 2 tiny Brown clay to make eyes, then a tiny piece of Orange to make a nose.

6. Make tiny scarf with a strip of Red, Green and Brown clay. Bake and enjoy.

Leaves are changing color and I was sitting at my clay table, not sure what to make. I had picked up a few brown acorns from neighbor's yard and want to make some out of clay but the color is so dull. I started mixing some dark-grey color into some orange and it came out really nice. Bad thing is I've never keep tract of my color mixing, just kept adding till I get it right.

1. Roll out a piece of clay into a ball then roll one side till you get a nice cone shape, put texture on it, lightly. Bake for a short time till the surface gets firm. ( I will show you my texture tool and how to make it later)

2. Make a small ball from darker color, flatten it then put it on top of the cone. This will be a cap so we need to texture it. I was using Kemper tool No. K24. Pressing the pointed tip around the cap.
3. Make a small ball to represent stem, bake.

4. White wash the acorn with white acrylic paint that has been dilute with water.

Some ideas: cute earrings with some kinna fall color leaves, or a pin with acorns dangling from it. I might try Rub n' Buff on it. Siver or golden acorn, sound good isn't it?

FLOWER EARRINGS
Now that I have a few canes made, I had so much fun coming up with the way to use them. Earrings are fun to make because it is fast and easy and sell well.
1. Cut out 4 slides from leaf cane. You can cut 2 thick one but I like mine puffy.

2. Put a small piece of clay in between 2 leaves, close the edge by pressing it with your fingers.

3. Poke a hole on the top, set aside.

4. Now we are going to make like a head pin with clay. First cut 2 pieces of wire of your choice. I used copper wire. Bend it down like so. Roll a scrap clay into a ball then press the wire in it. Now you can use any color scrap clay or using slides from the cane that is not so perfect. Set them aside. Make 2 more using the color that match the flower cane.

5. Now we are going to make flower. Cut 2 fairly thick slides from flower cane. You can stretch them if they are too small. Cut 1/2 way through the slides. Wrap it around the headpin in a way that it spiral up the wire.

6. Wrap some green color cane around the stem. Bake.

7. Using the clay covered headpins to make the loop on top of each leaf and flower.

8. Put them on ear wire of your choice.

There are so many way to use the cane. Hope you have fun with them.

PINK FLOWER NECKLACE
This is how I put my necklace together. I used the flower canes that I made and came up with different variety of beads. Using the scrap or left over to make accents beads, you will get matching beads to help pull the design of the necklace together. I used copper wire to make those small flowers and wrapped the together.

The finished necklace is not the same as the original design shown here. The way the second bead was hanging is not quite right.
I have a few more details to add to the necklace. Hope you get the idea.