Updates: Still Alive

Firstly I apologize for my absence as of late. Funny thing is as I recall my last post was about how I wouldn't disappear because of baby planning. Apparently I fibbed just a little. ;)

Lately I have been having troubles getting online, as well as typing on the keyboard. Unfortunately, with my pregnancy has come lots of blood work, and I have very tiny, slow healing, veins. They can take up to a week to fully heal, mostly because the nurses tend to miss a few times. I am happy to report though that next week should be the last of my blood work, at least that's what the doctor tells me. :)

Generosity Awards:

In other news my hubby and I setup the crib as our first big baby project. I know this is a little late, but do you remember the generosity award? I was given two gifts.




This beautiful pen by Kat. I actually made a holder for it out of polymer clay and it is used for all my note taking at my work table. As a fellow polymer clay worker, I know how much work it took so I thank you very much.



I also got this painting by Kristen. It is hanging above my babies crib as his/her first painting when the baby is born. I love the bright colors and the hearts are just me, thanks a lot!

Polymer Clay Tutorial News:

I will be starting a 3-D flower tutorial just as I promised long ago this week. I am going to get back into the swing of things. ;)

Technique Time: Flower Power Part 1

This post is the start of my flower power series. In this set of tutorials I will look at various ways of making flowers, as well as different flowers, in polymer clay. Spring is near where I live so I thought it would be fun to do. :)

This specific tutorial is about how to make a six-petaled flower cane.

Why Make Six-petaled Flower Canes?

First off these are pretty easy to make once you know the basic shapes involved, try looking at a flower outside or an image online. Also they are pretty common, and great for beginners to start doing flower cane work with.

They can be a great way to use up scrap colored clay or left over canes as well.

How To Make A Six-petaled Flower Cane?

My flower cane is actually made up of other canes, but one can start off with solid colors. ;)

1) My petals are made from a rainbow skinner blend. Yes I am using the Cindy's Teardrop technique still.



As you can see above I used a ripple blade to give the rainbow skinner blend an interesting look to it, swirling the colors together.

Tip: If you don't want to go through the trouble of making a skinner blend then just use a solid color that you wish your petals to be.

2) I made a long snake from my rainbow skinner blend with my palms. Then cut that into six shorter snakes. You can see one of my shorter snakes below.



3) Gently shape your snakes into petals by pinching one side of it with your thumb and index finger.




As you can see from the picture above my petals are now shaped like a teardrop.

4) Set your petals aside for a moment to rest and you can now begin the center of the flower. This can simply be a rolled up snake of another color, with a thin sheet of a contrasting color around it. This snake should be smaller then the petals.



The picture above shows my center, which is a checkerboard cane that I made round instead of square. I reduced this cane until it was small enough to be used with the petals.


5) You may or may not need to do this step, depends on how you want your flower to look like. For my flower though I decided to wrap each petal with a small sheet of black so the petals would not blend in together when the flower is complete.




6) Now you may slowly put the petals around the flower's center, be careful not to distort the petals' shape.




7) Once step # 6 is finished you may decide that this is how you want your flower to look. If that is the case feel free to reduce your cane, the picture below shows my flower up to this point.



8) For my flower I added another step. I decided to wrap it with a two sheets of transparent clay. This gives it a nice look when it is cured. Make sure to blend the sheets ends nicely.




I used the #5 setting on my pasta machine for the two sheets of transparent clay as shown above wrapped around my flower. On my pasta machine, #9 is the thickest, yours may vary.

9) After the transparent sheet was put on I reduced and this is my completed six-petaled flower cane:





My Final Words:

Flower canes are really fun to do and can be put on a number of items such as glass, beads, wood, and so forth. One can also use any color combination, or canes to make them truly unique.

My next post for this series shall be about 3-D flowers.

Updates on Me + Future Postings

Updates On Me:

Not many here know this but I have been trying to start a family with my husband for the last four months. Today a digital test confirmed that indeed I am pregnant! I wasn't really sure this day would ever come, she/he will be our first so we are more then just a little excited. What I thought was interesting is what I got from my pregnancy tracker lol.

According to it:

"
Ovulation date: Tue, March 3rd ,2009
Conception date: Wed, March 4th ,2009
Implantation date: Thu, March 12th ,2009
Due date: Wed, November 25th ,2009
Still to go: 252 days to go


Your pregnancy begins at conception. (Wed, March 4th ,2009) Your due date is 266 days (38 weeks) later. (Wed, November 25th ,2009) We will use the more popular numbering, starting 14 days before your conception. According to this, you are already 2 weeks pregnant at the time of conception, making your total pregnancy last 40 weeks, or 280 days. "

First off this means I probably won't be eating Thanksgiving, also implantation date is my birthday! This is the best belated birthday gift. :)



Future Posts:

I don't want anyone to worry about me not making posts for the next nine months or so. I will continue to do so. :) In fact my next series of posts will be tutorials on different flowers you can make either as a cane or 3-D flower. ;) I thought this would get us all in the mood for Spring.

Number 26 + Number 100 equals...

1) I will start with the "number 100." This is amount of times I have probably watched a video from Cindy aka PolymerClayTutor. She is very helpful in the polymer clay world, and has even discovered a new way of making the ever so complex skinner blend! She calls this the "Teardrop Method." I have tried it out myself and it is very simple, and a lot less time consuming. As an added bonus no math is involved. ;)

Cindy is also kind enough to have her full video of this technique up for free for a limited time. Hurry up and watch it by clicking the link below, and have fun experimenting. :)

1) Video of Teardrop Method

Make sure you post a comment on Cindy's website. Click on the article 4 link to find the video.


Below is a picture of my skinner blend using this technique:



My skinner blend is purple, red, and orange. For some reason my camera turned purple into blue though. I probably could of done a few more rolls on this one to get it more blended as well. ;)


2) "Number 26" is how old I am today. I was born March 12th, weighing only five pounds and nine ounces. I am now one year older and past the half-to-thirty mark hehe.

Final Words:

I guess you could say I have a lot of time on my hands today because 26+100= 126, and that is a lot of time. :P

Blog Contest Winners

Congrats To The Winners:

Second place goes to....DesertSoapstone! You win 1000 EC credits, plus three weeks of advertising on my blog. Since you don't have Entre-card on your blog, I will give you an additional week of free advertising. ;)

I think my polymer clay would make charming charms for your soap.


Third place is held up by...Duni You shall get 500 EC credits :)

Very creative way to use my clay with your purses!

Fourth and Fifth place also get 500 EC credits they are.....Kat, and rkdesigns.

Kat: Our polymer clay babies probably would take over the entire world of blogging lol.

rkdesigns: Our crafts combined would make cute babies. ;)

*Drum Roll Please*......

The person with the most creative response and the taker of first place is.....Caraspace!

Caraspace I really liked seeing my blog as a cartoon through your eyes. I love the playful words and descriptions you used, great job!

You will win free advertisement on my blog on your shop or blog (choose one) for a month and get a special feature on your blog/shop.


Final Words:

I did this contest just to have fun, so I hope you all enjoyed it. :) Tomarrow I shall hand out the prizes, as well as put up a spot on my blog for the free advertising!

Generosity

This is a couple days late, but this is my second surprise of last week, a blog award! A different kind of blog award that is....

The Generosity Award

To give a gift is a gift within itself.

I Give This Award To:

There are two bloggers who have stayed with me since the beginning. They will be getting a special polymer clay surprise by me as appreciation for all their sweetness. :) They are:

* Kat and Kristen * I hope they like penguins!

I also wish to give this award to everyone else in the blogger community who is reading this post. If you want to advertise your shop or blog, let me know in this post, and I shall tweet about you on twitter. ;) This is only in effect until I post a new post.


Award Rules:

1) Show generosity towards others in the blogging community by giving a small gift of appreciation. This can be free advertising, a card in the mail, or anything else your imagination takes you.

2) Send this award to at least five others. If you wish to send the award to more then that, feel free to. Generosity has no limits.

3) Link back to the person who sent you this award.

4) Copy the rules as well as the award into your post.

5) Enjoy yourself and have fun!

"Let's Be Friends" Award

Last week and this week I got the "Let's Be Friends" award from two bloggers. :)

1) Kat's Blog

2) Kristen's Blog

These two have been way too sweet to me since I first joined the blogging community, and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.

This is what the "Let's Be Friends" Award represents:

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.


I pass on the award to this wonderful bloggers:

1) Lovely Purses

2) Cara Makes

3) Linda

4) Rock Creek Creations

5) SHI

6) RKDesigns

7) Digital Rose

8)Miss Gina


Congrats to you all, your blogs are truly lovely. :)

Contest: Win Free Exposure, Advertising, EC credits!

Remember a couple days ago I said I had a couple surprises planned for later this week. Well this contest is one of them. ;) In this contest everyone will at least get some free exposure.

Rules:

1) Answer one of the questions below either through comments on this post or at my email (christina_kerr@msn.com)

Question A: What do you think would happen if your blog married my blog?

Question B: How would you mix your craft with my polymer clay?

Question C: If someone made a cartoon out of my blog it what would it be called, and what kind of cartoon characters would there be?


2) You may answer all three questions if you want to, but please only answer one question once. Meaning if you answer "question A" then you can't answer "question A" again. :)

3) Please try to do at least five full sentences for your answer.

Entry Deadline:

You have until Friday, March 6th midnight eastern time zone to complete your answer.

Prizes:

1) First place: 2000 EC credits. Plus I will advertise their blog or shop (you choose) on my blog for a month for free, this includes a special featured post on your blog and/or shop.

2) Second place: 1000 EC credits, plus three weeks of free advertising on my blog.

3) Third, fourth, and fifth place: 500 EC credits. If you do not have entre-card then I shall advertise your blog for a week.

4) Everyone else: Free exposure on one or two big posts. When I announce the winners of this contest all entries with links to blogs will be put up.

My Final Words:

I am looking for the most creative answers to the questions. Have fun! :)

Technique Time Basic Beads Part 2

This is the final part in my series about basic beads. You can find the first part by clicking on the link below:

1) Technique Time Basic Beads Part 1

In this post you will learn different ways of making those basic beads really look great. For the most part I show pictures of the round bead, but what I show can be put on any sized or shaped bead. :)


Why Should I Spruce Up Beads?

There is a time that a plain bead goes perfectly, especially if your pendant is already very colorful. There is also a time when one wants to make a colorful necklace made simply out of beads. In this instance one may want more then just a plain black polymer clay bead strung up on some cord.

Another reason is it's a lot of fun. You think just polymer clay beads are addicting wait until you start decorating them! ;)


How Do I Spruce up Polymer Clay Beads?

There are several ways of making a beat look different, many times one simply has to change materials. I shall explain some of these ways below, but remember there is always room for experimenting.

1) Two Colored:

a) Take two contrasting colors, such as black and white. Blend them either using your hands or even a pasta machine. The point is to blend the two colors so that both colors show.

Tip: With my hands I like making snakes, one for each color, then twisting the snakes together to get a blended look.

b) Form the blended colors into any shape you desire for a bead. In the picture below I made an egg shaped bead that is black and white.




2) Sparkle Beads:

There are a few ways of getting a dash of sparkle onto your bead.

1. Glitter it Up:

a) You will need heat resistant, very fine glitter for polymer clay, so it can bake in the oven.

b) What I do is make the thinnest sheet of transparent clay on my pasta machine as I can, then with my finger I spread glitter over that sheet. Here is an example of my gold glitter sheet:




c) Form a bead of any shape and size, and put put parts of the glitter sheet on the bead. This makes for a very sparkly bead, especially in the sun.


2. Fooling With Foils:

a) A lot of foils can be put directly on a bead without making a sheet of it first with transparent clay. I do like making sheets though, as it can be easier to put the foil on the exact spot I want it on.

b) You prepare a sheet with foil on it the same way you do a glitter sheet. Only with some foils you will rub it on the transparent sheet all at once, instead of sprinkling bits on one at a time like the glitter.



c) As you can see from my foil sheet above, this not only will add a little sparkle, but also colored foils reflect their colors in the light. This makes for a very shiny, colorful bead. :)


3) Twisted Beads:

a) Twisted beads look especially well as tube beads, it is similar to the "Two Colored" only you keep a twisted look of two or more colors.

b) Start by taking two or more colors and rolling them into snakes.

c) Twist the colors together, if more then two you may wish to braid them.

d) At this point you can leave it as it is to get a more twisted look:




or you can roll the twisted colors with your palm to blend in seams to get something that looks like this:




e) One can cut these twisted colors to make interesting looking tube beads. One can also curl it up, or even wrap it around a round bead. Experiment and have fun with it. ;)


4) Slicing Canes:

Cane work is much more complicated then what I have on here, but since I already have a tutorial on canes, I thought I would make it short and sweet. :P

a) Make a cane, any shape, size, and colors. Then slice them to make some colorful and interesting looking beads. Below I have a very colorful bead made from a jelly roll cane.




b) One can also slice very thin slices from a cane, then put it on a bead. Blend all the seams together. Using the same jelly roll cane, I got this look on a black bead:




My Final Words:

This is really just a small fraction of things you can do with beads, but I don't want to give them all away. It is much more fun to experiment with different materials, and techniques. Off the top of my head mica powders, micro beads, stamps, and inks come to mind. :)

Blog Changes

As you can see I am changing my blog, finally putting a layout on it. I procrastinate way to much this was something I was planning on doing months ago. I do need to do a few minor adjustments though, so don't worry if my blog looks a little odd in the next couple of days. Just think of it as growing pains. ;)


Tomorrow I shall post "Technique Time: Basic Beads part 2." :) It shall be all about making those basic beads really stand out using various materials, and techniques.

I also have two surprises planned for later this week, one involving something new I have been doing with my polymer clay. At least it's new to me. :)

Quizes: Just for fun!

I was on kat's blog today and came across two fun online quizzes. They are fun to do and quick as well. To go to Kat's blog click here.


1) You get to pick what tarot card you are. For example I am....the link to take this quiz in on the bottom of mine.

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

2) The second quiz you determine what word you are. I am....again if you want to take this quiz too feel free to to click the link on the bottom! :)

Your Word is "Peace"

You see life as precious, and you wish everyone was safe, happy, and taken care of. Social justice, human rights, and peace for all nations are all important to you. While you can't stop war, you try to be as calm and compassionate as possible in your everyday life. You promote harmony and cooperation. You're always willing to meet someone a little more than halfway.

What's Your Word?

Hope you like these quizzes and feel free to post your results in comments. :)

Technique Time: Basic Beads Part 1

Polymer clay can be very easily used to make a variety of beads. I will be doing different parts for this as there are so many things to learn when it comes to polymer clay beads! For this first part, I will show you how to make some common, and basic beads.


Why should I use Polymer Clay Beads?

Many people would rather just make a pendant, and not have to make lots of beads to go with it. Making beads though, especially from scrap polymer clay from a pendant, is an easy way of making sure you have coordinating colors on a necklace. The beads can also make a necklace all on there own for a bold, chunky look. They are great as rings, and bracelets as well as parts to sculptures.

How Do I Make Polymer Clay Beads?

There are several different shapes one can make with polymer clay for beads. We will start out with the most basic, a round bead.

A) Round Bead:

1) To make a round bead one simply takes a chunk of polymer clay and rolls it between their palms, until it is round and smooth all seams blended well.



From the round bead above you can make other beads easily, it is our base bead as it were.

B) Flat Round Bead:

1) Using the round bead you just made you can now make a flat round bead. You will need something flat with an even surface. I used an acrylic sheet, so I could see the results underneath. Tile or glass would work too.



2) Carefully press the acrylic sheet, or whatever you are using, onto the round bead. You do not want to press too hard or else it will be too flat.

Tip: Make sure you press with both hands with even force so the surface of the bead is also even.

3) Lift the acrylic sheet, and you should now have a flat round bead. Put a needle through it to make a hole and you are set to go.





C) Oval Bead:

1) Using the finished flat bead, carefully pinch the sides of the bead with your index and thumb as shown below.



2) Some spots will rise, and make the surface uneven, time to get out that acrylic sheet again! ;) Very gently press the now oval bead until it is even.



3) Put a needle through it once done pressing, and you now have a oval bead! These look great when paired with round beads.




D) Square Bead:

1) Starting with a round bead, one can make a square bead.

2) Pinch the sides of the round bead in with your index and thumb as shown below.



Now pinch the other sides still using your index and thumb until the shape is that of a square.

3) Put a needle through it to make a hole and you have a finished square bead.



One can also make these into diamonds simply by putting the hole through corner to corner, or try making a hole through the top to bottom. Square beads can be very versatile based on how you string them. :)

E) Tube Bead:

1) A tube bead is a skinny, long bead that looks like a tube. You start by rolling clay with your palm into a log or snake.



2) Then cut off a part of your rolled snake. Poke a hole with a needle and you have a basic tube bead.



These really help take up space in a necklace, and at times look like pasta. ;)


F) Twisted Bead:

1) Using the tube bead from above you can make a twisted version. Using your index finger and thumb on both ends of the tube bead twist it, and you shall get a twisted tube bead.



One can also take a different color of polymer clay and roll it into a skinny snake. Then wrap it around a tube bead. The picture below shows a partially wrapped tube bead.





My Final Words:

Polymer clay beads are very addicting, and can be easily made. Now the ones I did in this post are pretty plain, in the next part I will show how one can spruce them up using different materials, tools, and techniques. :)

Blog Contest: Win layouts, EC tokens, and more!

COME ONE, COME ALL, EVERYBODY IS WELCOME TO JOIN!

A JOINT BLOG ANNIVERSARY GIVE-AWAY CONTEST
JANUARY 25 to FEBRUARY 10, 2009
for the rules click here: Contest Rules

The list below is a copy of the wonderful sponsors of this contest, they deserve lots of appreciation so give them a hand!


1st PRIZE
$25 - c/o Random Thoughts
Customized Blog Layout (blogger platform) c/o My Web-Blog Designs
1 Swarovsky Bracelet c/o Yen's Handmades [Click here to see the ITEM]
$20 + 2000 EC credits c/o Windmill on the Hill
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$10 + 500 EC credits c/o Things I Did Not Know Before
$10 + 500 EC credits c/o Unique Ideas For Your Beach Weddings
2000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Night Clicks
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3000 - EC credits c/o Random Thoughts
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1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Tales of a Pinay Single Mommy
1 Photo Pop Art Make-over c/o Sweety Tots

2nd PRIZE
$20 - c/o Mira's Web Journal
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20GB Web Hosting c/o http://angelic-melody.net + 500EC credits
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