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Tag Archives: polymer clay

Sculpey Wonderland

27 Sunday May 2012

Posted by createdforjoy in Make

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Tags

charms, craft, dessert, Fimo, food, make, miniature, polymer clay, Sculpey, sundae, tiny, waffles

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After battling a bad case of bronchitis and tonsillitis the last two weeks, the time I normally spend in the studio and blogging was replaced by hours on the couch nursing cups of hot tea and consuming unreasonable numbers of cough drops.

Fortunately, with my crafty daughter Kenzie around, there is never a vacuum of artsiness in the house. Despite its entirely delicious, real-size appearance, the yummy sundae above is actually a tiny clay charm, made by our 12-year-old sculptor-in-residence.

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This inspiring girl of mine excels at transforming little bits of polymer clay into diminutive feasts for the eyes. She has certainly inherited her mamma’s affinity for both the gourmet and the miniature. But really, who wouldn’t love an inch-wide plate of waffles, complete with itty-bitty butter and a sliced fruit garnish?

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I really appreciate her attention to detail, from little individually formed sprinkles, to twisted wafer cookies as big around as a toothpick. She meticulously pipes clay “frosting” out of real cake decorating tips, and brushes her Sculpey cookies with golden brown chalk dust to give them that freshly baked glow. And you haven’t seen cute until you’ve seen a dozen little glazed chocolate crullers on a charm bracelet.

As it turns out, I am what you might call culinarily impressionable. The only problem I have found with her creations so far is that I inevitably find myself in the kitchen making the real-size, edible version soon after. So stay tuned: I may be the first person on record to commission a bowl of minuscule clay broccoli… ;)

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Clockwork Cthulhu

27 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by createdforjoy in Make, Read

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

art, cthulhu, gears, glow in the dark, H.P. Lovecraft, Jules Verne, make, pocketwatch, polymer clay, read, steampunk, vintage

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I made all the holiday gifts I gave to grown-ups this year, and these three polymer clay miniatures were without doubt the most fun to construct. I made one each for my husband and two close friends, all of whom like Steampunk and the work of H.P. Lovecraft. For those of you not on that particular bandwagon, be warned: you may feel yourself growing geekier as I explain. ;)

Lovecraft was a prolific horror fiction author from New England who lived in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Cthulhu is one of his monsters of the deep, a sort of winged cephalopod with a few human cousins somewhere on the family tree. Cthulhu is one of Lovecraft’s most beloved creations and has gone on to inspire a whole range of modern fiction and film. (I personally attribute his popularity to those charming tentacles.) Of course little did Lovecraft know, he wasn’t even scratching the surface — have you seen the stuff that actually lives in the deepest parts of the ocean? (Don’t get me started on that episode of Blue Planet with the anglerfish…)

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On to our second geeky definition: Steampunk is a science fiction sub-genre based on a sort of anachronistic alternate future, modeled after Victorian England’s technology. Just picture our society as a Victorian might have imagined it — steam-powered, clockwork-driven, and founded on the principle that everyone wears hats and gloves at all times. Jules Verne wearing goggles + metal gears + computers = Steampunk.

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I love working with vintage materials and I appreciate a vivid literary imagination, so these projects were a good fit. I decided to blend the two genres and create captured, clockwork Cthulhus, so I emptied out my jar of pocketwatch parts, grabbed a pack of glow-in-the-dark Fimo, and got to work. I really enjoyed crafting the tiny clay miniatures, brushing them with mica powder, and posing them in their new habitats.

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I am such a sucker for anything luminescent, and I spent as much time sitting in the dark watching these glow as I did actually sculpting. :) The smallest Chtulhu is about an inch high and spends his life inside a pocketwatch case. The other two measure about 2″ and 4″ across and make their homes in vintage mainspring advertising tins. I used tiny old screws, cogs, and rivets to add a little extra Steampunk flair.

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While studio time is often both cathartic and challenging for me, the hours spent on these were just plain old, inventive fun. They were also a great exercise in using what I already had on hand to create what I had in mind. I vow not to stop here, and there are definitely more tiny clay creatures in my future. I’m thinking a tiny jar of miniature, glow-in-the-dark, mechanical fireflies…

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If you’re interested in making your own Steampunk creations, you might check out Steampunkery: Polymer Clay and Mixed Media Projects by Christi Friesen. Her design sense is a bit different from mine but wholly inspiring nonetheless, and she has a fantastic sense of humor. It’s a great starting point, especially if you’re new to the world of polymer clay. Happy Steampunking!

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Leftovers Fairy

24 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by createdforjoy in Make, Think

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

fairy, leftovers, make, polymer clay, think

leftoversfairy

As I’ve mentioned before, I love a good bout of organizing and order, and in general I am not one to hoard things away just in case. (After all, my name is actually in the phrase “spring cleaning…”) However, all that goes out the window when it comes to art. My family knows I’ve got first dibs on all empty bottles, tins, and interesting cardboard containers, and my studio features lovingly sorted, labelled drawers full of what others might consider trash: out-of-date maps, vintage greeting cards, pages from encyclopedias older than me, and rusty hinges, just to name a few. I respect and value the daily ephemera of the past, and I hate to waste anything that might one day find new life in a piece of art.

Enter the Leftovers Fairy. He’s a charming, slightly odd little fellow made from a blob of polymer clay left over from the Truth Rocks project. His other features are made from bits and bobs lying around the studio after I made a few Clockwork Cthulhus. The Leftovers Fairy is the patron saint of waste not, want not. He loves listening to cover bands and taking long, moonlit walks at the flea market. His favorite foods are wilted chard, bits of chicken stuck to the bottom of the roasting pan, and slightly stale brownies. He believes in the importance of cleaning your plate and saving your recyclables, and some day he would love to settle down with a nice lady fairy made from popsicle sticks, dryer lint, and glitter.

I think I’m in love. :)

Truth Rocks

18 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by createdforjoy in Make, Think

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

art, Brave Girls Club, daughters, decoupage, glass pebbles, honest, make, mothers, polymer clay, retreat, think, truth

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Art represents both communication and restoration for me. It helps me revel in the joy of every beautiful, blessed breath I take today. It also allows me to explore and share the hardest parts of yesterday, so that I can grieve my losses and discover the goodness that will undoubtedly come from them.

To me, art is also about relationships, about voicing the feelings and truths that might otherwise go unexpressed. I love that both my children are artistically inclined in their own ways, and I treasure the artwork they share with me; every piece is like a little window into how they feel, what they think, and who they are. Kids are complicated, always changing and questioning and becoming, and I value the glimpses of clarity their art provides.

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A few months ago I wandered on to an art site called Brave Girls Club, and the name alone was enough to win me over. It is run by a pair of sisters whose main focus is art classes that give girls and women opportunity for creative fun while encouraging some real soul-searching, honest reflection. When I saw they were hosting a three-week on-line art retreat for mothers and daughters, I knew it was an opportunity I didn’t want to miss. My daughter was equally excited about the prospect of making art and memories together, so we signed up and gathered our supplies.

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Each week there are new projects with how-to videos, detailed directions, and pdf’s to print out. Last week, we made Truth Rocks. Brave Girls Club provided gorgeous little inspirational phrases, which we printed and cut out, then decoupaged on to the backs of large glass pebbles. The last step was to cover each one with polymer clay; I also stamped mine for texture and brushed on metallic mica dust to give them a little shine.

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I love the sentiments the Truth Rocks express, and there is something so special about reading them, about holding a small piece of something real and beautiful in your hand. It has been touching and more than a little revealing to discover how my daughter perceives me, what needs she senses and what strengths she values.

I appreciate this kind of focused quality time with her, and it also gives me a bit of peace to know she is carrying away something concrete to show her how I feel. An 11-year-old girl’s memory might get hazy with time, and I won’t always be around to tell her how greatly she is valued and loved; but I know the art projects we’ve made in the last few weeks will keep on echoing those important truths.

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