Polymer Clay Canes for Beginners

27 videos, step by step, beginner cane workshop beginner Cane Tutorial 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

Catagories

Member IPCA

Member IPCA

Girlfriends Galore – Polymer Clay Bracelet

Girlfriends Galore

Girlfriends Galore

A new listing in my Etsy Shop. This Girlfriend Bracelet has 7 fabulous friends dressed for the town. Trust me, this is one fun to wear bracelet.

I’m still working on the beads from yesterday. Everyone voted for a necklace and I agreed. Sherry McKinney came over yesterday and we had a great clay day. She worked on some luscious animal cane beads for a special order and I worked on the necklace. I had to make some more in between beads and at Sherry’s suggestion my own o-rings. Bake, work on girlfriend bracelets, get beads out of the oven and back to stringing.

Then we decided that a bead closure looked better than anything else, so I had to make those beads, bake and by that point Sherry had long since gone home and I to bed.

This morning I began again to string the beads. Then they didn’t hang just right. So back to the drawing board and other ideas. Suddenly a fabulous idea just jump from the ether into my head and that is what I’m dying to get to. So post this, dinner, then to see if my idea will work.

Tomorrow…………

Bracelet, Necklace, Bracelet, Necklace?

Tropical Leaves Bracelet #2

Tropical Leaves Bracelet #2

I took a picture of this bracelet before I finished it because I’ve strung it on elastic cord and it will be harder to take a picture of it once I’ve tied it off. I really like the irregularity of these beads. I might decide to make a necklace instead….what do ya’ think?

The main canes are from my Tropical Cane Tutorial with small little blasts of color from other smaller canes from my stash.

What to Make Using Canes From Tropical Leaves Tutorial

Tropical Leaves Cane Bracelet

Tropical Leaves Cane Bracelet

I’ve been using the canes from my Tropical Leaves Tutorial to make a couple of bracelets. This is first one over a brass blank. I was getting my blanks from the Clay Store, but alas…they are no longer in business.  But I’ve found another site that has the blanks for a reasonable price. Beadwork-Supplies. I haven’t ordered from them yet, I have quite a supply, so let me know if you do and how you like them.

I’ve used most of the canes I made in my tutorial plus other small canes with pops of color. The Tutorial gives you the basic leaves, all you have to do is add other accents or change the color palette for the leaves. I’m making beads for the other bracelet and I hope to get it finished tomorrow.

Tropical Leaves Cane Bracelet - the other side

Tropical Leaves Cane Bracelet - the other side

I wanted to hurry up and get these pictures up because I have to clean up my studio for a clay day with my friend Sherry. We’re going to take apart her pasta Machine and give it a good cleaning and get rid of those pesky covers. Find out how to take your apart on Desiree’s How To site. She has lots of wonderful things there. You’ll learn a lot.

Teaching Classes at Highlands Art League in Sebring, FL

I’m delighted to be starting up classes again at Highlands Art League in Sebring. The Art Center classroom building overlooks beautiful Lake Jackson and is a fabulous place for classes. It’s one of three buildings that I helped to save in the early part of this decade.

I’m teaching a beginning class that will run for three weeks, one evening a week. I’m hoping to stir up interest for polymer clay in this little town. We have some talented people here and I’d love to see a pc group form.

If you live close enough or know someone who does, and are interested in the basics of polymer clay, download a flyer here. Highlands Art League Class

I’ve also added general class fee information at the top of the page under the Classes tab.
Individual classes have their own pages.  Or you find the link under my welcome video on the right hand side of this page.

I’m looking forward to teaching again. I hope to add more classes soon.

Listed in Two Etsy Treasuries

Change of Face

Change of Face

I was thrilled to wake up this morning to find that I had been listed in not one but two Esty Treasuries. This first one features my Zentangle Bottle Stopper. Look at all the cool faces and you know I love faces. Thanks to Angel from Angel Strumpfer Digital Photography for showing my girl…… She has some pretty interesting work in her Etsy  shop too so check her out.

blue is an autumn color too

blue is an autumn color too

I was delighted to see my Baby Blues necklace featured in this wonderful Treasury. Thanks to The Vintage Recycler for choosing my piece. She has some really cool items for sale in her Etsy Shop. Lots and lots of beads and buttons.

Baby Blues a Polymer Clay Necklace

Baby Blues

Baby Blues

I had leftover bits and pieces of my last big face cane and as usual, didn’t want to just throw them in the scrap pile. So….I turned them into this crazy necklace, fun and strange at the same time.

If everyone can be so into vampires, surely someone will like eyes and lips. Hummm maybe I should have added a couple of fangs. Nah..too scary.

Girlfriend Doll Pin – Polymer Clay

Girlfriend Doll Pin

Girlfriend Doll Pin

Yesterday I started playing around with my faces and I made this doll, put a pinback on her and I think she’s pretty funny. She has jointed arms and legs. She’s 4″ tall and 1″ wide. I wanted to make this very cool hat, but I think it looks like a purple Indian headdress, so I’ll have to work on that one.

Last night was fun at my house. My husband and I had some new neighbors in for drinks to meet some of the neighbors from across the lake. Everyone knew what I did, but really had never seen my studio. It’s always fun to introduce people to polymer clay. The guys talked about cars, sports and the quality of the lake water, while the women talked about other stuff and clay. I enjoyed it and I think they did too.

I haven’t mentioned it, but I have a mango tree and for the last four weeks I have been picking and pealing, cutting up and freezing at least 50 mangos a day. Sometime more, you should see my freezer, there isn’t room for food. So I served mango margaritas plus vanilla ice cream with mango sticks and a ginger wafer. (Okay, so the guys didn’t go for any of that, so we had stuff for them too.)

I love it when in the middle of winter I can pop out a bag or two of mangos and make a smoothie, ice cream topping, or a great margarita. It’s the best life.

Anyway, I like this girlfriend doll and I think I’ll work on a couple of friends for her.

Black and White and Purple – Girlfriend Pin #3

Girlfriend Pin #3 - polymer clay

Girlfriend Pin #3 - polymer clay

Another trio of girlfriends. I guess you could consider these girls either very fashion forward or graying gracefully.

One kind of looks like Cleopatra if you squint your eyes and hold your head just right.

On their way to my Etsy Shop.

A Bunch of Girls – Face Beads – Polymer Clay

Face Beads

Face Beads

I  made 9 face beads, had so much fun, and now I’m selling them one at a time. I’m showing them here before I list them on Etsy. I started taking pictures of each of them, front and back, cutting each one out, putting them in separate files and decided that it was way more work than I wanted to do and not as much fun as making them. I rather spend my time making them…………

So here they are for a day or two before I start listing them on Etsy.  They’re $8.00 each, about 1″ around and slightly flattened from front to back, not completely round.

If you think you might be interested in purchasing one or two or all, email me. alice@polymerclayetc.com. I’ll send you more information and pictures. If you have a paypal account, it’s easy.

Thanks to all those who shot me a quick email or left a comment on one of my post here on the blog. I heard from a lot of you after my newsletter, it nice to know you read it.

And thanks to all of you who have ordered from my Etsy shop, it’s greatly appreciated.

A Girlfriend Pin 2 – Polymer Clay Face Cane

Face Cane Pin

Face Cane Pin

Yesterday, I posted this face cane pin in my Etsy Store. As always, she’s fun and funky and makes me laugh. If you have a minute, take a look.

I also sent out a newsletter yesterday. I was shocked to see how long it had been since my last one. I’ve had so many new people sign up to watch the fish video and receive my newsletter, thank you all. I’ve had quite a few responses from it and I thank everyone for taking the time to open it and maybe click through a couple of links. I’ll try to do better from now on.

Lots of irons in the fire this week. Hope to get a couple of things wrapped up and the first steps of other things started. I have a couple of exciting ideas floating around in my head. At least they are exciting to me and I can’t wait to get started on them.

Summer is over for Moms with kids, but still hot here in central Florida. My clay is sticky, sticky. Don’t which is better, freezing cold so my hands don’t work, or so warm you battle to keep the canes from sticking to each other.