September « 2011 « Polymer Clay Etc.

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.

Stroppel Cane Featured on Polymer Clay Daily!

Photo by Cynthia Tinapple - Collaboration by Alice and Meisha Barbee

I was thrilled this morning when I saw that the Stroppel Cane was highlighted on Polymer Clay Daily.

Once again, thank you Cynthia, because of your wide audience more people will see the video and maybe it will spark some fabulous new pieces. Makes me happy just thinking about it.

Oh and can you guys guess which piece Meisha claimed? I didn’t even have a chance to fight over it.

Seriously, we both had fun and made some great memories to go along with these pendants.

The Stroppel Cane – Polymer Clay

The Stroppel Cane – Saving Unused Cane Slices From Ending Up in the Mud Pile!

I am very excited to share my newest invention with you. I call it The Stroppel Cane! For the last couple of months, as I clean up my workspace after a project, I make a Stroppel Cane from the “not so perfect cane slices” and any other scraps I have on my work tile.

You can use these canes in any number of ways and I’ll be featuring some projects here on my blog in the future. From time to time, just do a search for The Stroppel Cane and see what comes up.

Please leave a comment it you liked this new video. Without feed back I don’t know if what I’m sharing is reaching anyone or if you are enjoying or finding what I’m sharing useful. And do share it on Facebook and Twitter and send the link to your friends. I love hearing from you in any form. Enjoy!

Black and White Checkerboard Tile with Flamingos

(Thanks Trish for the color adjustment on this picture)

I was surprised by my husband when I got home from my 10 day retreat. Not only did he have the tile man lay the black and white tile in my funny pink bathroom, he had him put new countertops and back splash in the kitchen. What a surprise and he cleaned everything up after the tile man. What a great guy!

How do you like the flamingo tiles I made (muffled) years ago? Just had to do flamingos in Florida right? Now I need to made some fun drawer knobs for the cabinet under the sink.

Cane Mapped Mosaic Fish Featured on Polymer Clay Daily

I was thrilled that my cane mapped fish slides were featured on Polymer Clay Daily last week. Thank you Cynthia! And I was so happy that all my swap buddies liked the little guys. But they couldn’t have liked the fish as much as I love each and every slide that I got to bring home with me. Thanks to all the swappers…..is that a word?

I would have posted this thank you sooner but I was without phone service and internet off and on. But oh what a wonderful time of just clay and friendship spent in a beautiful place.

I also spent two days after our retreat in Denver with Meisha Barbee. Meisha doesn’t have a website or blog but you can see her work on Polymer Clay Daily. We had the best time exploring galleries and museums and getting to know downtown Denver. It’s a beautiful city with lots of great places to eat and shop.

We visited Pismo Contemporary Art Glass Gallery where Meisha’s work is featured. It is an incredible gallery full of the most fabulous glass and jewelry, put it on your list if you’re going to Denver. We walked over to Show of Hands and what a wonderful shop it is, just my kind of funky, fun place with lots of interesting things to tempt you. Both places are so friendly and welcoming.

We also went to Boulder for a wonderful visit with Polymer clay artist Ann Kruglak and her husband Ivan in their gorgeous mountain home, thank you guys. Talk about view envy, what Ann gets to look at everyday out her windows is truly amazing.

Meisha and I made time to visit Marie Gibbons who is one of the featured artists on my other blog The Figurative Artbeat. I was so glad to get to see her studio and spend some time with her. I was delighted to be able to take pictures of her new work and add another piece of her fabulous swimmers from her Float series to my collection. I’ll be featuring Marie, her new work and the story of her swimmers in the next week or so on The Figurative Artbeat so check in often.

I’m back and full of inspiration and ideas that I can’t wait to get to. But first things first, I had to go to the grocery store first thing yesterday because…….. there was not one thing in the refrigerator, seriously! Then I decided to take just a small little nap and slept for hours so that today I am rested, excited and ready to get to work. The clay is calling me, I can hear it.

I have the best husband, he had such a wonderful surprise for me when I got home! I’ll share pictures tomorrow, think black and white checks. Thanks for checking in with me and to all those who signed up for my newsletter in the last couple of weeks, I’ll be sending one out in the next week or so.

I had the best time, but there is no place like home . (Clicking my ruby reds)

Pink Bathroom Update

I’m clapping my hands…………the tile came yesterday and we laid it out on the counter top and on the shower floor. Now all we need it the tile man to come and do his job.

I’m going to replace the knobs on the drawer with black and white checked polymer clay maybe or flamingos or I don’t know what. I do know I’m going to smile every time I go in there.

PS please excuse the awful color on the bottom picture, just couldn’t get it right. But that’s kind of what happens to your eye when you walk into this PINK bathroom. But it really is more like the top photo. The tile and the flamingos are going to make it happier for me.

Sculpting – What’s Halloween Got To Do With It?

You might be wondering if you are in the right place. This happy girlfriend place has not gone over to the dark side, not in the least. This is the time of year to get out there are buy yourself a skull to use as a guide when you are building a foil base for your polymer clay heads.

I’m teaching a sculpting class after the first of the year and I have a very large skull I bought years ago that has the bones showing on one side and with the skin covering the bones on the other side. But it was not cheap, so for my class I’m suggesting that they buy an inexpensive plastic skull for my class and to have for future reference. This skull is about 4″ x 4″. Or you could go large and buy a scarier big one.

Next thing is to always be on the look out for anatomy books at garage sales or used book stores. I have some really fabulous books I’ve picked up along the way and they help me a great deal.

So if you want to try your hand at sculpting some day, get out there before the serious Halloween party animals and get yourself a plastic skull.

Polymer Clay on This Gate Leg Table

I’m still waiting for the black and white tile to be delivered for my pink flamingo bathroom…see the post below. While I’m waiting, I thought I’d show you my other project.

This is a cute little gate-leg table I found about 6 years ago at a thrift store. I think it’s probably from the 20s or 30s. It just screamed to be taken home and covered with polymer clay. Then poor little thing, it’s been sitting in the corner for all these years and just last week got a good coat of black paint on the legs.

So now I just have to design something for the top. I’m so torn between putting several of my girls on it and doing something serious. Okay I can hear you and I agree, why try to be serious now? Okay so help me here, tell me should I put lots of girls or make a new giant cane and add two large girlfriends? I can almost see it now can you?

Here’s the table closed. Isn’t it cute?

Did I Say I Love Flamingos?

I made these flamingo tiles at my friend Janet King’s studio years ago when we had a pipe burst in my studio’s bathroom and we had to have the whole house re-plumbed. I won’t tell you how long ago….no…….don’t ask to me to…. please. I had never taken a shower down here anyway.

So, we are finally getting the floor of the shower repaired and the big hole in the tile filled in. You have to understand this house was built in the late 60’s and it is not your typical construction even for then. But these tiles are unique to say the least and we could never find replacements so I made the Flamingos.

I made Flamingos because……….the room is pink, I mean P.I.N.K. from floor to ceiling……..

See what I’m talking about? Seriously, who does this? So what else could I do but flamingos? I am way too old for Barbies.

Anyway, the exciting part is we are putting down black and white check on the floor of the shower and on the counter top. It is going to make me smile everyday. How fun is that? Plus I finally get rid of that really ugly counter top.

My husband actually said he is going to like it. What? Is this the same man from the year of the bathroom flood? My how time mellows, but more than that I guess he finally realizes I will never give up my studio and has embraced my weirdness.

I always say there is a reason for everything and maybe not doing the repair was to give him time to realize how cool I am. *G*

So if I’m missing for a while, I’m working on more flamingos for my pink bathroom. Plus I have another project I want to start soon too. I’ll show you that next.

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