Monday, July 23, 2007

Challenges


I have discovered challenges. For an late middle aged, type A woman, this turned out to be a bit frustrating. I love to WIN! Often I find myself tempeted to spend the month planning, drawing, scheming, and trying to figure out what I can do to win. But, all I really need to do, is to create something that I love.
After this insight, I made this Bottle of Hope for the AMACO challenge. Surprisingly, the satisfaction of seeing the finished bottle and knowing a cancer victim would receive it, was all the prize needed.

'Hope Blooms Eternal' Bottle of Hope.
The red in the roses is for victims of blood borne cancers like Lymphoma and Lukemia. The green leaves are for growing strength, the tiny crystals are visual fragrances. The skinner blend background goes from dark to light - from despair to victory. The three roses on the base represent Faith, Hope, and Endurance.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Bottle Of Hope



When a friend was diagnosed with breast cancer, we all felt hopeless and sad. After seeing the bottles of hope at CHA, I decided to make one for her. We continue to pray for healing and hope that the little bottle brightens a dark moment.
The "Ministering Spirit" Bottle of Hope features a praying angel in flight, in a starry sky shining with hope. A tiny, starlit cross hung from her praying hands is a reminder of the Savior, the great Physician. It is our constant prayer for her recovery.

Made using the Sweetbrier Studio molds 'Angelic Presence' and the tiny cross from 'Renaissance Cross' molds. (I am the sculptor for these molds). The angel was molded using colored FIMO. After applying the molded angel and baking the bottle, I sculpted the back of the head and wings, adding the halo.

Genesis oil paints were used to paint the features and bring out the detail on the wings as well as add the word 'Hope' to one star.

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Glue stick

It seems that every company has to have a new "twist" to their glue stick, some make the tops large, others make the tops small. If you accidently twist the wrong end of the stick and break the twistie end of glue stick off, the glue stick will not screw up and come out the top.

You will have to push the stick of glue up using a pointy screwdriver. It will come out all the way. :(

Note. using a glue stick while holding the stick by the gluey sides is not pleasant. Avoid this.

Friday, July 6, 2007

The mass produced earring test


My friend and I have decided to try selling at a local craft show this fall. Loving polymer clay, I did a test run to see how long it would take to make some dragonfly earrings to sell at the show. If you have never done this, it is an adventure in itself.
After 3 and one half hours of actual work, molding the polymer clay dragonflies (most of them had through the center wings), making holes in each dragonfly for eye pins, dusting with Pearl Ex Powders (on both sides of the bodies), baking, making eye pins for the designs while they were baking, glueing the eye pins into the cooled parts, varnishing, (creating a drying rack for 18 wet, dripping dragonflies, selecting the beads, creating two matching double ended eye pins with the beads on them for each pair of earrings, then linking the dry, varnished earrings to the double ended beaded eye pins which were then linked to the hypoallergenic french ear wires, I managed to create nine pairs of earrings. I then hooked each pair of earrings onto a cardstock back card for hanging or displaying. Whew.
The time it took for each was 23.4 minutes, (about 2.56 pairs of earrings an hour) and the cost of materials was$0.58.
I've discovered that I am not very good at this. Better keep thinking of things with which to stock the booth.
The earrings shown are made with cane wings. Pearl Ex makes the bodies shimmery and shiny. The eyes are heat set Crystals.