New Figurine Challenge for 2015

The new challenge for this year is to make a new figurine every week.  Fifty-two figures by the end of the year.  Yay!  I decided.  It was a hard decision.  In addition, if I have time, I'll also make a new brooch a week.  The figurine shouldn't be as hard as the brooch since I'm used to making figurines.

I've also joined Katie Acres 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge on Pinterest.com.  You can watch the progress of myself along with many others as we work on our challenge throughout the year. 

Here is the link: 
http://www.pinterest.com/katersacres/2015-polymer-clay-challenge/

#2015PCchallenge

New 2015 Challenge?

After finishing my Snowman a Day Challenge last year, I realized that one a day is too ambitious for me to achieve.  I did finish, but this year I would like a more relaxing challenge.  One item a week is what I'm going to do this year. 

Now is my decision of what to make.  What should I make?  What would you like to see?  If you have any ideas, please send me a message.  Should it be snowmen again, bears, angels, Santa, elves, fairies, pigs, lambs, bunnies or ???  Or should it be bracelets, necklaces, earrings, pins, etc.

Vasa Fall Craft Show

Vasa Fall Craft Show
October 18th to 20th
Thurs. and Fri. 10am to 7pm
Sat. 10am to 5pm

A sample of my creations:

Button Bracelets and Necklace

Look at the bracelets and necklace created from buttons. A few weeks ago my friend asked me if I would like some buttons. Of course, I said yes. There is something inside of me that loves buttons, maybe it comes from my early days when sewing was my passion or maybe it was from looking through button jars at my grandmothers house. I don't know what it is, but there is just something intoxicating about buttons. Campfire will be using the extra buttons at summer camp for incentives. Today has been fun, creating something different from my clay creations. Now don't get me wrong, my mind was wandering off to clay land while I was making my button creations, thinking about ways to incorporate the two. I'll put it on my bucket list.

Metal Rings

After breaking my wrist made it impossible for me to wear my rings, the solution was to make new rings in larger sizes. Here are a couple of my creations that I can wear until the swelling goes down on my right hand.

The Great Clay Escape 2009

Last weekend was "The Great Clay Escape." My girlfriends and I had so much fun. Cathy Johnston was our special guest, teaching us a couple of classes, her necklace purse and mini book. This was the one of the best classes I've had in a while. Cathy showed us book making and an easy transfer technique. The necklace purse has compartments inside to hold credit cards, drivers license and a couple of folded dollar bills. This is going to be really handy, imagine shopping without a large purse. Check out my finished projects below. All of us had a wonderful weekend. The weather was perfect, allowing us to have lunch on the deck both days. If you want to see more pictures of our weekend, they are located here: http://picasaweb.google.com/HelenMHughes/TheGreatClayEscape2009#

Turtle Necklace Purse

Miniature Book

The memories of last weekend are not far from my mind as I sit here creating sculptures for my upcoming shows. I have several shows coming in the next months. The first of which is next week. Pumpkins and halloween sculptures are all around me. Those little pumpkins do get to me and so enjoyable to make.

Triple charmed earrings

New earrings to match my bracelet made with the same beads.

Triple charmed earrings
Originally uploaded by helensclayart

Extruded Bead Dangle Bracelet

Handcrafted extruded polymer clay beads, bugle beads, metal disk beads and matte black square beads adorn this antiqued brass bracelet. This very simple designed bracelet is fun to wear.

Blue, Gold and Black Striped Necklace

Necklaces

Creative inspiration

A couple of weekends ago was the Northwest Bead Society Bead Bazaar, I renewed a friendship with another clayer, Fanita Brandeis. She has a unique style. Most of her beads are larger in size and incorporate many layers, mixing paints, foils, papers, and textures. Our polymer clay guild is lucky, Fanita will be giving a demostration at our meeting in January and I'm looking forward to her presentation.

After the bead show I came home and sitting in front of me was a veneer sheet of polymer mokume gane waiting to be used in some manner. Immediately inspired from my bead show experience and Fanita, I used that veneer to make the beads on this necklace. My beads don't have the level of depth to them that Fanita puts into her beads, but she inspired me. Thank you Fanita for the inspiration you have given me.


So the inspiration didn't stop with the previous necklace, it kept going. The smaller round word beads were also sitting on my work surface waiting their turn to be incorporated into a creation. This next necklace and bracelet set is more rustic and organic, but allowed me to use those word beads, many of which are inspirational.

Three Strand Necklace

Sometimes a picture does not show the true beauty of the piece, and it is the case here. Oh how I wish you could see it in person.

A Work in Progress

Charm Necklace

Definately a work in progress but it is exciting to add to this necklace bit by bit. Many hours have been spent on it and I am thinking that there are many more to come. A mixture of materials are used, polymer clay, glass beads, pearls, and more.

What I'm wearing today

Blast from the Past

Here is a necklace I'm wearing today with an outfit of black and white. These fun beads were made a couple of years ago at clay camp. It could of been last year, but I'm thinking it was the year before. Anyways, they are super simple and I'm almost embarrassed at how easy they were to make. Just take an oval unbaked clay bead that has been sitting for some time, push colored eyelets into the bead in a random order. Pierce and bake. See! Super simple! Some other thoughts on how to change them are to add a different color of clay to the center of the eyelets. Wouldn't that be fun for summer? Mix and match eyelets and clay. The combinations are endless and could match any outfit. Isn't this a great beginner project?

Blue Green Etched Necklace

After the first stringing of these beads it was apparent, considering the work involved in making these beads, they deserved a much nicer chain. Below is the necklace reworked, adding a small faceted bead on both sides of the handmade etched beads.

Etched Translucent Necklace

It is a good feeling to complete another project. This etching technique was first taught to me by Linda Goff at Ravensdale 2000. Gwen Gibson had Linda come into our inro class for a quick demo on etching or the rip-away technique. Recently the technique has been revisited by Louise Fischer Cozzi and is the inspiration for this piece.

New and Old

It has been an effort to clean up. During the ordeal I've come across several projects that were started or beads that were made trying a new technique. My friends tell me that I never put together jewelry with the clay beads I make, so it my goal to work on all of the half finished projects and actually make jewelry with them.