Polymer Clay Canes for Beginners 27 videos, step by step, beginner cane workshop
What people are saying about this tutorial.
jennifer rose
Just finished this first workshop on how to make canes, and I must say I learned so much. This is exactly what I have been looking for, someone who could explain cane making in a step by step that process that I could replicate. I watched the videos, went into my studio and began to create all of the canes Alice showed. I finally have results I can be proud of, and I say thank you so much for doing this workshop. My only question now is when do we get more workshops. If you are only going to take one online class let it be this workshop. Thank you Alice for your hard work, and your dedication to helping others learn the joys of polymer clay.
Online Workshops with Alice Stroppel
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In April of 2010, I was experimenting with a different kind of face cane and made 13 bracelets from it. I’ve sold several of them and have but a few left. I started photographing this one to put in my etsy Shop to sell. It has a flower that looks like a poinsettia so I thought it would be perfect for the season and I’d better get it posted.
When I looked through the lens, what did I see but a Stroppel cane that I used for a collar and a hat band. I started to laugh because my memory is so bad. At least about dates and when I did what. I knew I’d been making Stroppel canes for quite awhile, but didn’t realize it’s been almost 2 years.
 If you look close at the bottom of the bracelet, you can see the date. Now I’m thinking I’ll keep this one, I have another one that is even more Christmasy. I hope this made you laugh, it sure made me glad that I date things.
I did list another pen and ink face bracelet that I finished last week. It’s in my Etsy Shop.
Arlene Harrison from Harrison Hollow Designs left a comment asking what a slide was. Well my understanding was something that slides off and on a cord or wire. But later I began to think about the difference between a slide and a pendent with a bail. Or why isn’t the fish with the hole considered a bead? If I drilled the hole more in the center of the fish would it be a bead or does a bead have to have a design on all sides and be round?
What is the difference between my fish and the pendant I made for my class at Beads F.O.B. in Sarasota? I made the “bail” out of polymer clay for the class pendant and drilled a hole through the bail, with the fish I just drilled a hole straight through with no bail.
 But when I googled bail here’s what I found;
Bail A finding that connects a pendant to a necklace. They come in different forms: some clip onto the pendant, some have mounts to glue the pendant to, and some attach to a ring on the pendant. The purpose is to hold the pendant flat when worn.
So maybe the pendant above is really a slide just like the fish? I don’t know …….I’ll just have to ask Marty and Karen at Beads F.O.B.. But the good news is I can tell you how to make whatever they’re called.
 Once I’ve finished my mosaic fish I mount it on a piece of clay (double thickness of the widest pasta machine setting) and cut out with a exacto knife.
Then I poke a hole straight through the body of the piece and then insert small rivets that you can purchase in the scrapbook department.
I bake it and then remove the rivets and re-drill the hole with my Dremel tool then replace the rivets with a tiny bit of super glue. Make sure you don’t fill the hole with super glue. The rivets just finish the hole and neaten everything up.
Here are all my almost finished fishies, some are going to my Etsy shop. But I have to finish them by signing the back with my name and the date, so it will be later today.
When I came home from Woman Creative – Art and Jewelry Design Center just outside Atlanta, I came loaded down with rubber stamp shapes from Barbara McGuire’s collection. I started playing around with them and because I am so involved with my pen and ink technique I decided to marry the two elements. I, as always have created something I think if incredibly fun and a bit off beat, but I’m diggin’ ’em.
I have tons of old jewelry and buttons and well just stuff (cool stuff mind you) that I’ve be gathering over the years and have decided to continue to use those bits and pieces to accent my work. I’ve added a cool button to the top of the face pendant above.
The pen technique is the one I demonstrate in my video for sale in my Etsy Shop and the shapes are rubber stamps from Barbara McGuire’s collection. The ways you can use the pen and ink technique are endless. Use some of these ideas of mine or dream up some of your own. The sky is the limit and the only thing keeping you from floating away is you thinking you can’t fly.
Okay, okay, you can’t REALLY fly, but you can feel that way sometimes if you lose yourself in your creativity. Stop judging yourself and you will be more than surprised at what you can create. I’m talking to myself as much as to you, I produce things I’m proud of when I make them for the joy of it, not for the dollars I might gain.
Learning to let them go to someone else is the next big stumbling block for me, but I’m doing much better at that too. I can’t wear, look at or hang all the things I make, so I find it much easier to let them go than I did in the beginning.
I’ve also been playing around with whole shapes. I like this girl and really wanted to keep her, but I’m putting her in my Etsy shop. I have ideas for oh so many more. Here I am again, too many ideas and not enough time. Oh well, there’s always tomorrow. Maybe I’ll see you then too.
I just have been having a fabulous time yesterday and today. Had a dental appointment but there was a terrible storm and I have to drive over an hour to get there, so I didn’t go.
That meant I got to stay and continue experimenting with different shapes to hold my pen and ink and polymer clay.
This was great fun, but it’s still a WIP. Needs beads and a chain. The pen technique is the one I demonstrate in my video for sale in my Etsy Shop and the shape was a rubber stamp from Barbara McGuire’s collection.
I’ll post it when I have it finished. I have several more pieces that I really am excited about and I’ll be sharing those with you too.
On this piece I drew the woman and then layered slices of canes off to one side. I like the way it came out.
Here’s another of my pen and ink and polymer clay bracelets. This one has five panels and no canes, so there are more pen and ink drawings than usual. I’m crazy about animal prints. I keep waiting for them to go out of style, but it doesn’t ever seem to happen. I had fun with the Lady in Blue and decided to add color to this girls too.
She has her leopard shoes and purse and a zebra scarf in her hair, she’s ready to go to your house. *g*.
Visit my Etsy shop for this and more crazy, funky pieces of artwork to wear…or just hang around here and watch some videos…..
 I got very focused for the last couple of days and have really accomplished quite a bit. On Wednesday I couldn’t get online at all and spent the whole day on the phone with my carrier. Yuck….but I’m back here and ready to go.
I have two finished black and white bracelets, one Zentangle, and 7 black and white waiting for pen and ink. I’ve listed this bracelet in my shop and will list the other two tomorrow.
I’ve also just finished 20 inchies for a Valentines inchies swap with Polymer Clay Italia, the first Italian polymer clay guild. I can’t wait to get 20 inchies back from this group. Actually it’s an international swap with Leila Bidler from Polymer Clay Italia as the sway mistress.
There are swappers from Italy, USA, Germany, Serbia, UK, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, exciting! I can’t show you mine yet, but I will after everyone has theirs, next month sometime.
Plus, I’m in another Treasury. I can’t believe it and I’m thrilled.
This Treasury was currated by artbymar, Maria Soto Robbins, and she’s from South Florida, Miami to be exact. You can see here tropically influenced artwork in her Etsy shop. Thanks Maria
I’m thrilled to be included in another Etsy Treasury. This time Marsha from LunasLoot used my Lady in Blue as inspiration for this lovely treasury called, TaDa, “Lady in Blue”.
LunasLoot sells Supplies and Vintage Goodies Marsha has accumulated over the years, plus she’s been so kind to me and has included many of my items in her treasuries.
Thanks Marsha.
I hope everyone here in the states had a fabulous Thanksgiving, I know I did.
I’ve been featured in several Etsy Treasuries and wanted to show them here. I know I’m several days late with this post, but I’ve been busy having fun.
Thanks so much to HiGirls, Lisa featured my work in two treasuries. First was my Funky Girlfriend Business Card Holder in PCAGOE gift guide and second was my Queen of it all ornament in Ornamental.
  Thanks to 11BOLDstreet for her under $50.00 treasury featuring my black and white cuff.
 And…….thanks to Laurabeestudios for adding my Purple Face Cuff to her Hey Big Spender treasury.
Now, back to work for me.
It was a busy day yesterday as I uploaded item after item to my Etsy Shop. This Flame Necklace is an interesting piece with large unusual beads.
It will prove to be the same tomorrow I believe. Most of the items I’ve made in the last few months and just haven’t taken the time to do all the legwork needed to get them ready for Etsy.
 Another crazy girlfriend bracelet. She’s a single lady.
 This is one bracelet in a series of 13. I really want to make more of these interesting face canes. Maybe after Christmas.
 Black and White Treasury by Patricia Paquin I’m very excited to be listed again in another Black and White Treasury on Etsy. I guess there is a reason that I have been doing so many things in black and white. Fashion trends are featuring black in everything from eye glasses to home decor. The hot HBO series, “Mad Men” is leading the wave and the 50s and 60s are to the younger generation what the 20s and 30s were to the older generation. What goes around comes around I guess.
But black and white has always been a strong fashion statement and it shows up heavily at least once each decade and never really goes away entirely. I have always made things in black and white and have been waiting for it to come back strong. Well here it is and I for one am dancin’.
The curator of this treasury is Patricia Paquin, a very talented ceramic artists from Canada. You can find her funky faces and fine work in her Etsy shop, ARTISTS’ LOFT Patricia Paquin.
She is now the owner of my “Baby Blues” necklace with the crazy lips and eyes, and I am very lucky to own not one but two of her “Funky Face Trivets”. Not this one but like this one. Can you see why we like each other’s work?
The internet is such a wonderful place. It allows us to find artists that we would never be able to come in contact with. I really do have a wonderful time here.
Thanks Patricia, and if anyone stops in to see her, tell her Alice says hello.
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