Vacation is Over.

Everyone went back to work yesterday, although my daughter has today off. I got some things done. I basically did a lot of sanding and finishing, that is putting a top coat on. This time I tried some Polyacrylic from minwax. It seems to be similar to the future acrylic in looks and application. I left a bead coated with each in some water to see what if any effect water has on it. Like swimming, showering, getting caught in a rainstorm... I want to be sure it doesn't cloud up or pucker and get goopy, and slimey.

I also made a couple of pairs of earrings also.
There will be a big craft fair here soon, I believe it is around harvest time, I may apply for a table....Maybe. I dont feel like my wares are good enough. My beads aren't circularly perfect...LOL, I mean ...ROUND!
Also, I will need to come up with a lot of stuff, right now I only have a few things, and I have also been thinking about what if anything i can put together for the silent auction at school during this years harvest 'fest. I may just whip up a quick baby blanket, and pack a few things like bath powder, wash, diapers,wipies, etc and send that in. That will take up much of my time as well and I may not be able to do both, and there is the getting somebody else to watch the kids during that month. ( craft fair is generally there I believe for one month on the weekends, or saturdays..? ) anyhoo, since I am chief babysitter this will mean getting ang to take the weekends off that month.... An Impossible task.

I think my soul will grow bigger and better with the charity for school NO?

I set out to do 4 more paper mache bowls. I am waiting for them to set up so I can put some more layers on. 2 of them I did a bit different this time. Instead of putting 4-5 layers of mash I did a layer of mash and then 3 layers of strips dipped in glue mix, which dries a lot quicker and apparently harder too, then I did a layer of mash on top of that. When that last layer is dry I will see if it set up hard enough.... It will definetly cut my time down if so.

I finished one of the Hyacinth Bead Flowers.( I need to finish the other.) I assembled it, but I need to make some leaves and Pot it before I post the Pic. For some reason I don't like how it looks.....*SIGH*

Also We have been busy getting ready for school. Got the list of supplies, and next week I need to start Clothes Shopping.... A Huge Task as my youngest is so damn Tall and skinny... It is impossible finding clothes, and I am disappointed in myself for not being able to start practicing sewing...... Need to get busy!

Here is a look of what I have been up to this past week.

4 Baskets sanded by hand, BTW, and polished





My tiger skin dangle earrings.
Some Double Hoops.


And some pastel seed bead hoops.

My Anklets

( This is my wrist modelling, not my ankles..LOL).

Remember those translucent pebbles I made? I made some anklets. 3 actually, the one not shown is pink glass seeds with purple pebbles. These 2 are blue seeds with yellow, and clear/white with turquoise. I really need to get a better shot.

Finished! Beaded Choker

I saw this site a couple of yrs ago. I got the instructions for the barefoot sandals there. Ruby the Site owner and artisan has tutorials and I saw this choker, and promised myself one day I would attempt to make it. Well...............I Did it!

VIOLA!

If you would like to see what else she has done drop on in, here is her URL:

http://www.rubysbeadwork.com/index.html

Chillin'

Todays Post? SUMMERTIME!



Just Chillin Today. I rolled out some more barrel beads yesterday and this morning I tried something completely different.... No Pics until it is baked though... (Just In case..:->)

Yesterday I took pics of Anthony in the pool... First time in the big kids pool....With Mom of course. Oh and the doggy's got a dip too..... Weeeeeeeeeee...


This is Anthony with Mom Angela. That's Kylee in the background
Here is a Group shot, that is Gabriel Angela's oldest son in the background.


Puppy Swim.... Angela is holding Bella the Mini Dapple Dachsund, Kylee is holding Scooby the mini S.American poodle

Brain Stormin'

I had some Brain Stormin'. I got some inspiration from a Jewelry Making Show I was dubbing ( Taking commercials out of recorded shows) last week.

Remember those Faux Jade earrings I was bringing to the oven last week? Well I liked the way the colors looked after baking, ( I haven't sanded and assembled yet.... I know.. I know..... I'm Slow) but I got an idea for an anklet.

Instead of buying pearl type beads to use I will incorporate these. Then as I was putting them in the eye pins to bake I got another idea.... Earrings.. They looked so pretty on the pins, I am thinking of doing these in dangles.....

Right now we are heading for the oven...........


I got a picture of Kylee's dog and cat she sculpted last week. Don't laugh now, this was her first attempt.... Better than me.....
Yes Kitty's leg was in need of repair... A little glue will do ya!

Clay Time. Earrings, and Beads

I made some beads last night, and Today.... YES I had time to me and I spent it downstairs, by myself, sometimes..LOL . I started on 2 more bowls from Paper Mache, and I made some beads.

I made these today. I was watching Crafters Coast to Coast this morning. The Artist made Faux Jade Earrings with polymer clay. I had all the ingredients, Translucent clay and paint. I had to try.... Here they are ready for the oven.

I made these last night. Basic black with white dots. After I made them I realized I had seen them before.... I remembered who... Ponsawan, from Silas Stone. She made beads like these.


These Blue marble, I call my Earth beads I had in a covered bowl for the past few months, ( The cane that is). It was something I made after twisting and rolling and twisting again, then slicing it long ways down the middle, the inside looked kind of paisley... Sort of like a bandana print. The same with the Red, which I call Mars beads.

I also found a new craft blog. Artsy Clay

Last night my daughter tried her hand at sculpting... I have to get those pics posted....

Recipe for My Paper Mache.

Let me just say there are a lot of different ways of doing paper mache, that is there is 2 basic ways but lots of differing recipes.
You can do the strip method. Cutting paper into strips and pieces and dipping them in a mixture of diluted white glue and water mix.
Then there is paper mash... Or Paper Mache Clay.
I like that kind.

To Begin, have a Large Pot with lid, a ladle, and a blender ( All these are dedicated to crafting I don't use them on food at this point)
Some Tulle ( used for making veils. ) You can get this at Joanns, or any fabric store, or even some Dept. Stores. I use about 1 yard doubled up.
A colander Doesn't need to be dedicated, it is only there to lay the Tulle in and to catch anything that may pop out of the tulle ( you don't want paper going down the drain).
An Empty Bowl
And a ziploc or 2 ( the Large Gallon Sizes)

Usually I take a newspaper and strip it, tear, cut it put it into a LARGE pot of water. Cover and boil for about 90 mins.
When cooled slightly, I like taking it while still hot, just not boiling, I ladle up some paper and hot water and put it into a blender that is dedicated for this purpose only. ( the newsprint is nasty and sticks to the plastic encasement of the blender..YUCK) I blend the paper in small increments so I don't burn out the motor... The paper is very heavy, TAKE YOUR TIME!

At this point after a few seconds ( maybe 30-60 secs) I take this over to the sink where I have set up my Tulle and my colander.
I run cold water over this as I squeeze the hot water out ( remember this is very HOT!). I extrude the water out. I take the ball of clay out and put it into my empty bowl.

I do this until all the paper has been blended and extruded.


At this point I put all the balls of paper into a large Ziploc, or 2 squeeze out all the air as I am zipping and I put it into the frig until I am ready to use it. If you squeeze the air out of the bag it will keep for a couple of months in a cold frig.

Now for the Glue Recipe.
Here is where I said it varies.
Remember there is NO right or wrong way, it is what is comfortable for you.

I use White glue (ELMERS) ( I got a huge bottle at staples)
Linseed Oil ( to help add strength) About 2 Tablespoons. ( Buy this at your DIY center near the paint dept, usually)
Evergreen oil, or clove oil to cut the smell and retard mold.A few drops from an eyedropper.( Find it at a craft store, or anywhere they sell oils.)
Powdered chalk ( you can get this at your local DIY Center like Lowes. It is used for marking chalk lines in construction, it would be found in the lumber / construction dept.
The chalk is like the bread in a meatloaf, it helps to hold it all together. In fact I look at making this similar to making meatloaf.... I eyeball most of my ingredients, and can tell by feel what I need more of.

I also add some wallpaper/bond that I mix myself... Sadly they don't sell this no more, so I am need of finding something to substitute, or maybe I will omit this step altogether and just use the straight elmers glue.
The reason for the WP Glue was that was what I originally started off using in the beginning.
I also like to dip my hands in the WP mix on the final layer and smooth out the clay, NO sanding when I do.

I mix all this together in a large bowl...Like I said , Think Meatloaf.
If it is to wet, add some more chalk, if it is too dry, more glue, and sometimes I add a few drops of water, ( my WP mix is primarily water so I use this)

I usually use a beach ball or one of those large rubber balls you see in the supermarket / dept. store for kids. They cost somewhere between .99 cents and 1.99 as a armature. I cover some of this, just enough to make a bowl shape. I have found that 3-4 layers with dry time in between layers works well.

After it is done the last time, I let it dry for a week, To be sure it is dry, then I gesso it, ( you could use a reg. primer) and paint it. If you need to sand it I would do it after I gesso it so it is tougher, but to each is own, you don't have to..

One thing I like to do to add Color, is use the colored tissue paper and crepe paper. it breaks down easy in water you don't need to boil it, just let it soak overnight, drain it and mix it with the glue recipe. I get a package of 12 sheets for 1.99 at the craft store. the crepe paper is .99 cents for a large roll. Just be sure to buy enough.
To cover a large bowl bottom ( the outside only) I used 1 roll of crepe paper and approx. 1 and 1/2 packages of tissue paper.( 18 sheets) If you are doing both sides make sure you buy enough.....Better to have 2 much then not enough and have to wait for the store to order more...LOL I have had that happen...Also dip your hands in a mix of diluted white glue to smooth out the paper after putting it on, I found it saves time on the sanding as I said, but also the fluid smoothing movement is very relaxing.

VOILA!
MY paper mache Recipe.... Now Go and experiment. Have fun get messy and CREATE!

Blue Paper Mache Bowl, DONE!

I wore my earrings yesterday... I like the feel, I haven't worn dangles in ages, just hoops , posts, or nothing.
I love them! But I need to be careful around Anthony, my gr.son, he wanted to pull themm..OUCH! NONO! LOL...

While looking at some of my beads yesterday I found my BFS. Bare Foot Sandals I made a couple of years back. Actually I made 2 but this was more intricate then the first pair which was more straight beading.

Remember that Blue PM Bowl? I tried fresh flowers, & silks? I ended up pulling both out. I made some simple flowers from Polymer Clay, and took some slices of some leaf cane and after scrubbing and repainting the bowl I glued these to the bottom.... I like the look of 3D.

Pics of Bead Spinner and My first Earrings.

Earrings I made AND Assembled...Since the assembly usually takes me forever.





Ready for the Kiln...LOL My Oven!


They are pastel swirls, which is a cane that I couldn't do anything with, so I twisted it and made pretty beads.


Also some Peach Swirls, which are a bit of pink mix and a little bit of left over orange mix twisted together.


Some Tiger Chips. Similar to the blue ( see above) but with an impromptu cane I put together the other night. It looks like my tiger lilies I have outside.

Beads made with the tiger skin cane.

And Finally....... Tada....

MY BEAD SPINNER!

Remember that coffee basket I told you about? I covered the bottom of the basket with white card stock and used my clear shipping tape around the side. I put a skewer in the center and plugged it with poly clay then used tape to cover the clay and the skewer edges ( near the hole).

You can see the Lilac beads left in the basket. It isn't perfect, but it beats stringing them one bead at a time, especially when I need hundreds of them to make enough petals for a Hyacinth.
It could use some work. Such as maybe a piece of thin cardboard rather then card stock which tends to catch the sharp point of the wire. I'm thinking packaging like cereal boxes or something.
I found that once I get it going though it is great. Perhaps the double stick tape on the backside rather then tape on the facing.

This and That Chat

It seems like forever since I posted....With summer comes heat and no poly clay designs as much.
I do some work...( I am addicted to the clay.. I love to sit and knead, although I don't like the way the clay feels when it leaves that layer of plastic on my hands...Yuck, I usually wear gloves).

I have been feeling like I want to create...UH-OH Here comes inspiration, with nowhere to put it...Hahaha, HATE THAT! But with the heat and my being upstairs alot to watch the kids while my daughter and S-I-L are working... Well creating while chasing a 13 month old around? UM NO!

My gr.son is into everything......I mean Everything ......He can crawl up onto the couch with ease, look at me with that lil impish smile and then take off running ( we have a sectional).... He knows he is going to end up popping off but he still does it, then here comes Mima to scoop him up off the floor and hug his boo-boos away while scolding him..... LOL... Then he does it again! WHEW! I'm Tired Just thinking about it!

Soooo I wait until he is napping to do anything. Lately with the heat and limitations on my time alone and my patience level ( which I admit runs low.. Alot!) all I can do is make those petals I was making with the seed beads.

AC MOORE had a clearence on some lilac colored size 11 seed beads so I started make petals in that color as well, MY plant will be 2 colors hyacinths...Or maybe I will just make 2 single plants.

I did use my ingenuity to make a bead spinner tho.
My coffee pot Died last month ( end of May really) and when I went to throw it out I seen the basket with handle and thought I know I can use this for something... ( always thinking ahead).

I have some pics to post. I did do a little work this week... I will put them in a separate post