Eugena's Creations

New Focal Polymer Clay Bead

2012-02-26T10:48:00.000-05:00

I want to show my recent polymer clay creation. Exploring some new areas for me - aiming for organic and rustic look. I 've been working with antique brass a lot recently, and here I tried to mimic that material in polymer clay...

New Polymer Clay Tutorial Faceted Beads

2012-02-19T14:54:00.000-05:00

I have a new free step-by-step polymer clay tutorial on my site, PolymerTutorials.com.

This project is super easy and fun. It also helps to solve a problem of what to do with an old stock of hard to condition polymer clay.

Enjoy!

2012-02-18T17:55:00.000-05:00

Blog and Web Site Updates

I'd like to point out a few changes I just made on my blog and both websites:

Blog (eugenascreations.blogspot.com): added three new pages to showcase my tutorials and polymer clay works, removed dead links and elements that were loading up too slow.

PolymerTutorials.com: added pictures to my list of publications, added more thumbnails and links to the step-by-step tutorials to the side bars of each page.

EugenasCreations.com: updated lists of publications and rewards, added pictures to my list of publications, corrected a few pages to improve their appearance.

I am very proud of myself. The feeling is similar to what I would experience after cleaning up my house. Everything is nice and tidy! Love it!

2012-02-13T20:52:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

So, the cat sculpture in my previous post is based on this old drawing of mine. The cat here is cute, but sad, right?

That is why I decided to post another drawing that would be more appropriate for Valentine's day. Here you go!

2012-02-12T18:05:00.000-05:00

Call Me!

Polymer Clay Sculpture

Cat with a Phone

Scrap polymer clay, acrylic paint, telephone wire. Approximately 3"x3". One of my rare sculpted works, done a few years ago. I wish neither one of my readers would look like this poor cat on Vilentine's Day.

2011-10-22T15:39:00.001-04:00

Walk With Me:

Lake Elkhorn

This is one of our favorite places in Columbia, Maryland.

The pictures are taken by my daughter.

2011-10-10T11:27:00.000-04:00

Quote of the Week

"Creativity arises out of the tension between spontaneity and limitations, the latter (like the river banks) forcing the spontaneity into the various forms which are essential to the work of art or poem."
Rollo May

2011-10-09T12:22:00.001-04:00

Treasury:

Fun and Frolic with Polymer Clay

My Steampunk Butterfly Tutorial is featured in a new treasury by RoyzleDesigns.

I think this treasury is a perfect illustration of polymer clay's versatility. Don't you agreee?

2011-10-08T22:27:00.001-04:00

From My Studio:

New Bead

This polymer clay bead I actually made quite a while ago. It is an experimental one - I was just playing with a new technique.

Overall, I am pleased with the design, but have two problems it.

First, the shape is not ideal. I think I got a bit carried away with the details and perhaps misshaped the bead in the process. Or I was not careful enough during baking. Whatever the problem was, this is the one easy to fix.

The second thing is more serious - I do not remember exactly how I've got this effect with the dimensional details. I know what tools I used, but I seem to be missing some crucial step (or steps?), and because of that the whole technique fells apart. I just cannot reproduce it!

Back to the studio...

...And take notes next time...

Forgot to say: the bead is about long 1.5" and 0.5" in diameter (4 cm by 1.2 cm).

2011-10-06T12:02:00.023-04:00

Walk with me:

Rock Creek Trail and Lake Needlewood

This is one of my favorite parks in Maryland.

My daughter had a rather lengthy doctor appointment yesterday, so took the whole day off of work and we were able to spend a couple of hours in the park.

Here are a few pictures she took during our walk.

2011-10-04T22:00:00.000-04:00

Treasury:

Gold and Brown Autumn

My polymer clay buttons were featured in this beautiful Etsy treasury
by Binster.

Thank you!

2011-06-10T19:04:00.001-04:00

Pictures of Finished Works from the Faux Cloisonne Class I Gave in Texas

I have to apologize...

These pictures of the beautiful Faux Cloisonné pendants made by the people who attended my class in Texas this Spring, were sent to me a while ago.

I should have posted them earlier...

These heart pendants were made by Sandy Williams.

The pendants with faces are by Mary Vanderwood, of cause.

A whole collection of Faux Cloisonne pendants with various shapes and designs by Sherri Sneed.

The necklace with a Faux Cloisonne face and Swarovski crystalls is by Babette Cox.

And these pendants (Faux Cloisonne and cane work, all with the resin finish demonstrated in class) are by Ruth Steiner.

Seeing what other people do with my technique is my favorite part of the whole process of teaching. I am always learning something new from my students...

Thank you for sharing the pictures of your works, ladies!

Sorry again it took me so long to post them - I am in a rough spot in my life right now, and finding time and motivation for my art is not an easy thing to do at the moment....

2011-04-04T22:54:00.000-04:00

Faux Cloisonne Class

in Dallas, TX

I just came back from Dallas, TX, where I taught my Faux Cloisonne class this Saturday at North Texas Polymer Clay Guild.

Below are a few pictures I took during the class. The works shown in the last three pictures are not finished yet - there are a few more steps left, namely finishing the edges, pouring the resin, and incerting the bail.

My students usually do not finish their projects in class, because the resin takes so long to cure. They do get to practice how to mix the resin and how to pour it over a polymer clay pendant, but they use some mock plastic heart shapes I bring to class (not their freshly-made faux cloisonne pendants). I would love to see the pictures of the finished pendants, and hope to get them in a few days.

From what I am hearing, the class participants seem to have a really good time in my class. I certanly enjoed teaching it!

I want to thank Babette Cox, who did so much work to organize my class for the guild, and Mary Vanderwood, who was my warm and gracious hostess. I enjoyed staying at Mary's house so much! The night before the class, we stayed up until 2 or 3 am, talking, and not even realizing what time it was. Mary is a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul and many amazing stories. Her house is full of character, with an astonishing collection of polymer clay works – both by her and by other artists...
...I am getting too tired to write this post properly, so I will probably have to edit it later. I just wanted to say thanks to all my students from Texas for a wonderful time at their guild.

2011-03-24T10:07:00.001-04:00

My Faux Cloisonne Class

in Dallas, TX

I will be teaching a class on my Faux Cloisonne technique next Saturday, April 2, in
North Texas Polymer Clay Guild.

There is still room in the class. If you would like to join us, please contact Babette Cox.

2011-02-22T20:39:00.001-05:00

Featured in Jewelry Maker's Newsletter

I've got a note that my story was featured in the Fire Mountain Gems Newsletter (click the link to see it).

To be honest, I did not even know they had a newsletter. It must be something that this company just started recently. The one I've seen looks quite interesting, with lots of good information. I am going to subscribe!

2011-02-19T17:12:00.000-05:00

My Donations

Orlando Area Polymer Clay Guild in Central Florida, is holding the Sixth Annual Fandango Polymer Clay Retreat at the end of May this year. Charline Ahlgreen, OAPC Guild President and Donations Chairwoman, asked me to donate a few of my works to be used in teh auctions and "goody bags" for participants. Charline says, that the proceeds from the auctions are used to fund their polymer clay community outreach programs (Central Florida Fair demonstrations, public library classes, Bottles of Hope for cancer patients and Beautiful Baubles for hospice patients). The guild also provides two internal scholarships annually that enable their members to take master classes so that they can expand their polymer clay skills, which in turn benefits their more than 40-member organization.

I gladly doated a few of my works for this even, and here are the pictures of my donations.

Indian, Faux cloisonne polymer clay pendant

Red Hat, carved and back-filled polymer clay pendant on a black organza necklace

Yellow Swirls, carved and back-filled polymer clay pendant with an antiqued sterling silver frame

Sculpted Lily, a polymer clay pendant with genuine Baltic amber, fresh-water pearl, and amazonite beads

Pink Beauty, hand-sculpted orchid over a polymer clay base

Ivy Leaves, Faux Art Glass polymer clay pendant

2011-02-13T21:49:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

This polymer clay heart and orchids necklace and a step-by-step tutorial explaing how to make it are available in my Etsy shop.

2011-01-23T21:25:00.000-05:00

New Necklace...

I realized I did not show any of my new work for a while, so here is a polymer clay and metal necklace I just finished last week. It is a study of various textures, with every bead being unique and different from all others. The beads are tied together by their common shape and color scheme.

...And Disaster

This is what happens when an old oven is not replaced in time. The last couple times I baked in it, I suspected there was something going on with the temperature setting, but never got around to actually check it. This time, there is no doubt. I wonder just how high did the temperature spike to turn one of the last sections of my necklace into this ugly blob (I took a picture of it next to the other sections for a size comparison)...

2010-12-24T16:44:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-13T20:38:00.000-05:00

Silver Medal Prize

Fire Mountain Gems Contest

I just received the results of the Jewelry-Making contest sponsored by Fire Mountain Gems.

My two-sided butterfly necklace took the second place in the Holiday Category, in Pearls, Organic Beads, and Kato Polyclay section this year.

2010-11-28T14:56:00.000-05:00

Little Miracle

Alisa

I still cannot believe my luck!

As you may know, I am allergic to cats (to protein Fel d 1 produced by cats, to be exact). Ironically, everybody in my family are big cat lovers, and my kids were begging to get a cat for years. I wanted to get a cat myself, but every time I was around any cat even for a few minutes, I would start sneezing uncontrollably. I cannot even step inside Petco, for example, when they have cats for adoption...

Anyway, recently I've heard about claims that Siberian cats seem to be hypo-allergenic. Here in the US these cats are still rare – they were originally imported from Russia only a few years ago.

To make a long story short, I found myself a Siberian kitty during my last trip to the Ukraine, where these cats are as common as they are in Russia. The kitty is as sweet as it can be, and I have absolutely no allergic reaction to her. I am still being very careful – do not let her sit in my lap, do not let her go in my bedroom and studio, do not deal with her litter box, etc. I also have a back up – a very nice neighbor ready to adopt the kitty if I develop any symptoms as she grows up (I just really, really hope this is not going to happen!).

2010-11-13T06:51:00.000-05:00

Traveling

I am going to the Ukraine for a week.

I leave my on-line shops open, and my son will make sure that everything runs smoothly.

2010-10-25T20:09:00.000-04:00

Many New Items in My Shop

I've been busy today adding some new necklaces and earrings to my Etsy shop.

Among the new additions, I have a few examples of my new faux stained glass collection. These pendants and earrings are made by filling up the cells of filigree with custom-colored resin. The resulting pieces look amazing when the light shines through them - like real stained glass, with sparkling colors and delicate frames provided by the filigree.

The only problem is that they are really difficult to photograph...

2010-10-22T15:38:00.000-04:00

Introducing: Student's Work Gallery

I added a new page to my PolymerTutorials.com web site for the people who use my tutorials to upload their pictures. I am inviting all my students tosow off their creations made following my tutorials. The pictures will get you discount points, and here is how it is going to work:

    - The first picture of your creation made following one of my tutorials will get 10 points.
    - The second picture related to the same tutorial will get 5 points.

    - The third, fourth, and fifth pictures will get 2 points each.

    - Any additional pictures of your creations based on the same tutorial are welcome, but they will not be given more points.

    - Multiple photos showing the same item count as one picture.

    - Multiple items shown in the same photo will be counted as multiple pictures. For example, a photo with three items made following the same tutorial will get 10+5+2=17 discount points. A photo with three items made following three different tutorials will get 10+10+10=30 discount points.

    - Every discount point will allow you to save 10 cents at your next tutorial purchase. 10 points=$1.00 off.

    - To redeem your discount points when you buy your next tutorial, simply pay in full and let me know that you would like to use your discount. You can either leave me a note while paying through PayPal or send me a separate e-mail. Your discount will be reimbursed to you through PayPal right away.

    - Important: to make this system easier to work for all of us, when you upload your pictures to my gallery, please specify the same e-mail address as the one you are using to log into your PayPal. Your e-mail address will not be shown on my web site (it will be kept private and used only to verify your discount points).

2010-10-18T09:24:00.000-04:00

Walk with Me

National Arboretum in Fall

National Arboretum in Washington, DC is one of my favorite parks in our area.

There different parts of this park that are the most beautiful at different times of the year.

In Fall, I love their Asian garden. Surprisingly, there are still many blooming plants there, and others have brightly-colored leaves or berries.

2010-10-17T00:02:00.001-04:00

Finally on Facebook

Just finished making my business page on facebook. Come and take a look. There is a link on the right side of this blog or you can just follow this link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Polymer-Clay-Tutorials-Jewelry-and-Beads-by-Eugena-Topina/166188150060268

I am still trying to figure out how it all works. My son says it is a never-ending process since the site is constantly changing. Sounds encouraging!

2010-10-13T23:15:00.001-04:00

EnviroTex Lite Resin

Now at PolymerTutorials.com

The resin needed for the projects described in my tutorials is now available from site, PolymerTutorials.com.

It is a two-part epoxy resin, the kind that needs to be mixed immediately before use. I explain how to mix and apply it in every tutorial for polymer clay and resin.

I offer a trial-size kit, 2 fl. oz. total, for those who want to try one (or a few) of my techniques, but does not want to buy too much of this material. This kit will allow you to make a few items following any of my tutorials that call for this resin:

Faux Cloisonné;
Faux Art Glass;
Faux Lampwork 1;
Faux Lampwork 3;
Easy Faux Enamel;
Steampunk Butterfly;
Steampunk Hearts;
Perfect Metal Leaf.

2010-10-01T10:48:00.000-04:00

Ready: Tutorial

Perfect Crackled Metal Leaf

on Polymer Clay

This new tutorial for polymer clay and resin is ready and available both through my Etsy shop and through my web site.

2010-09-28T08:47:00.001-04:00

Web Site Updates

Checking the sources of the traffic to my sites a couple of days ago, I came across a post about my polymer clay work at some forum. The post had a link to the gallery at my Eugena's Creations web site with a short comment, something like this: “Polymer clay imitations of cloisonne beads, but very beautiful.”

While I am flattered by the “very beautiful” part of this statement, I felt quite uneasy about the rest of it.

The choice of preposition (“but”, not “and”), probably, says something about the author's taste. I feel, she does not really like cloisonne in general, or she is not a fan of the polymer clay versions of this style. Whatever it is, there is nothing I can do about it.

The first part of this comment, however, made me spend a few hours updating my site. I realized that in fact, the gallery did not represent my work in its variety. I had mostly my faux cloisonne work there (plus a few sculpted flowers), but none of my other works – in steampunk or rustic style, for example. So, I added 25 new gallery pages. Take a look when you have a few minutes.

It was a timely update, indeed. I am shifting priorities in my polymer clay work, concentrating on my tutorials now. I never liked “production” type of work, and with closing of my 1000Markets shop, I decided not to list my jewelry for sale anywhere else at the moment. So, Eugena's Creations web site is now becoming a showcase of my works rather than a tool to lead to my on-line jewelry shop. It is also becoming a portal to my Polymer Tutorials web site, which will be the center of my attention now. In either case, my gallery definitely benefits from showing a wider variety of my works.

2010-09-26T10:51:00.002-04:00

Coming Soon:

Tutorial

Perfect Crackled Metal Leaf

on Polymer Clay

I am finishing a new tutorial. It will be ready by October 1.

Right now, I offer it for an introductory price through my Etsy shop. If you purchase this tutorial between now and October 1, the tutorial will be e-mailed to you no later than October 1.

In this tutorial, I will share my tips and tricks for obtaining the perfect crackled metal leaf effect on polymer clay. I will explain, step-by-step, how to make the necklace shown here, but the technique may be used in many of your future projects. I show a few examples in my listing at Etsy.com.

So, what do I mean when I say “ the perfect crackled metal leaf effect on polymer clay”?

That is simple. I mean: “pretty and durable”. In other words, the colors shall be as vivid as possible and they shall stay that way for a very long time.

As you can see, the colors in my metal leaf creations are really bright, the surface is clear and has a nice domed shape, and the entire piece is smooth like glass. I am using clear epoxy resin to add shine to my pieces and to protect their surface. But that is not all! The tutorial will explain how to do every step – from choosing the materials to adding the finishing touches – to assure the best results.

2010-09-25T23:40:00.000-04:00

Closing My Shop at 1000Markets.com

I just learned that 1000Markets.com was acquired by Bonanza.com. Although the sellers are promised an easy transition to the new place, I decided to close my shop rather than moving it.

In fact, I am planning to concentrate on my tutorials only. They will still be available through my PolymerTutorials.com web site and through my Etsy shop.

My 1000Markets shop will remain open for a few more days. If you wanted to buy any of my jewelry listed there, this is your chance to buy it. Since this site requires Amazon payments account (while many people prefer PayPal), I am willing to take your order off-site and accept your payment through PayPal.com. Please contact me by e-mail to arrange this transaction if you are interested.

2010-09-03T11:42:00.003-04:00

LABOR DAY SALE

I decided to do my fist sale ever and offer all my tutorials for 20% off this Labor Day weekend. This offer expires at 11:55 PM CST on September 6, 2010. The tutorials are on sale in my Etsy shop, Eugena777.Etsy.com

2010-08-05T15:40:00.001-04:00

The New Faux Lampwork Technique:

More Examples

Here are a few more beads and bead sets created using the same technique as that described in my newest faux lampwork tutorial for polymer clay and resin:

2010-08-04T14:06:00.001-04:00

New Tutorial!

Faux Lampwork for Polymer Clay and Resin

I just finished writing the new tutorial in my Faux Lampwork Series.

This one explains how to use polymer clay, resin, and one more material to make focal beads that look amazingly like glass lampwork with swirl and floral design. This third material is revealed in the tutorial. I bet you will be surprised by what I am using for these designs! This material is actually very inexpensive and redily available literally everywhere!

Now that I have three tutorials in this series (two of them call for polymer clay and resin and one uses only polymer clay), I decided to offer all three tutorials in a bundle - for a reduced price.

Both the new individual tutorial and the three-tutorial bundle are availble through my web site and also through my Etsy shop.

2010-08-03T11:42:00.000-04:00

Back from Acadia

I am back from a short trip to Acadia, a beautiful National Park in Maine. We rented a small cabin by the ocean there and spent our time biking, walking, and generally enjoying the life without computers and other electronic devices. Even our cell phones did not work there!

I am posting a few pictures here that I took on our walk on a beach in place called Wonderland. Somebody erected numerous cairns on the shore, with no apparent purpose. These structures looked amazing, especially because there were so many of them together.

My kids added their own cairn to this collection.

I uploaded more pictures from this trip to my photoalbum on Flickr.

2010-07-14T08:49:00.000-04:00

Student Work:

Faux Lampwork

I received a few pictures from Nadezhda Dyachenko, who bought my Faux Lampwork Tutorial about a month ago.

I keep repeating how much I enjoy seeing what other people are doing with my technique.

Nadezhda is experimenting a lot - with colors, shapes, and overall designs.

I especially like her green tablet beads in this picture:

2010-07-10T14:10:00.002-04:00

New Butterfly Necklace

Fly Away

I almost finished my two-sided butterfly necklace.

Here is side one:

And this is the other side of the same necklace:

The necklace can be worn on either side - all in black or in black and fire colors. Both sides have the same wire design, and both covered with protective layer of resin. the body of the butterfly is the same on both sides, with clear Swarovski crystals. The wings are symmetrical and attached to the body and to each other with sterling silver wire. The whole butterfly is about 5.5" wide.

The wire hinges are not glued in yet- I am still thinking how to make them better. I am pleased with the last two pares of wire hinges at the bottom wings, but all other groups seem too crowded... I am considering removing some of the loops so that the wire parts are more in agreement with the rest of the design.

Meanwhile, I sent pictures of this necklace to Fire Mountain Gems polymer clay and pearls contest. Wish me luck! If my necklace takes any place, the necklace will have to be sent to FMG, so I have to decide what to do with the wire connections by that time. Any thoughts?

See my previous posts for work-in-progress pictures of this necklace.

2010-07-05T13:30:00.003-04:00

Available Now: Tutorial
Polymer Clay Pandora Beads
Faux Lampwork Style

The new step-by-step tutorial is ready and can be found at my web site, PolymerTutorials.com, and at my Etsy shop.

The tutorial explains how to make polymer clay Pandora beads.

2010-06-25T22:13:00.000-04:00

Walk With Me

Shenandoah National Park

I went to Shenandoah today for a nice hike in the mountains with my husband and daughter. We love this park, any time of the year.

We even saw a black bear, for the first time ever! He was kind enough to let us watch him from a short distance for a while, then went deeper into the forest...

2010-06-23T16:59:00.000-04:00

Work In Progress

Butterfly Necklace

My butterfly necklace is starting to take shape.

See the sketch for this necklace in one of my older posts.

I decided to make this focal piece two-sided, which quite a challenge, I have to admit.

The picture above shows the faux cloisonne black side of the butterfly, and there will be a red and orange side created with foil and inks like in these pendants.

I still need to shape all the connections and put the wings and the body of the butterfly together. It all looks good so far, but there are too many points at which things can go wrong. I think, this is the most challenging piece I ever made.

2010-06-20T18:10:00.002-04:00

PolymerTutorials.com

I decided to separate my jewelry form my polymer clay and resin tutorials. I created a new web site, PolymerTutorials.com, specifically for the tutorials and information about my classes. My jewelry and links to my on-line shops will remain on my old site, EugenasCreations.com.

The new site is less fancy and more user-friendly. The navigation is simpler, and the text is easier to read. I moved all my free tutorials here, including the information about conditioning and baking polymer clay, as well as tips for beginners and links to sites I recommend for buying polymer clay and tools. Every project tutorial has its own page on the new site (just as it was on EugenasCreations.com), but I also added pictures demonstrating possibilities of each technique and variations of each project as well as links to a few example pages from each tutorial.

I am quite pleased with the results. It feels like after a good cleaning – everything is in its place and in proper order.

2010-06-10T15:23:00.000-04:00

New Pendants and Earrings

I just finished a few more pieces combining polymer clay, metal leaf, resin, and metal frames.

I really like the results, although they are even more difficult to photograph than my Faux Cloisonne pendants. The light reflects in such a way that it is really difficult to see that the surface is absolutely smooth and clear. I tried photographing them from a sharp angle to show the surface finish, but than the pattern and colors get lost, and that is not good either...

While I am experimenting with my camera and lighting to get better pictures, just trust me that these pieces are truly amazing in person – the colors are extremely bright (and I will be ready to share my tricks in a new tutorial soon), while the surface is smooth as glass (that is what I like the resin for!).

2010-05-30T17:31:00.001-04:00

Great Presentation about Motivation

Just wanted to share....

2010-05-28T11:17:00.001-04:00

Chipmunks

Yesterday morning we saw a whole family of chipmunks on our patio. There were three babies and their mama.

The babies kept running around and were really difficult to capture on a camera. Here is one of them. The picture is taken through the window in our dining room.

I gave them some bird seeds, but the little chipmunks ignored the food completely. Probably, they simply did not know it was eatable. Then their mama arrived, carrying a nut. She put the nut away, and immediately returned to my improvised feeder.

Instead of eating the food herself, she kept packing it into her cheeks, taking it somewhere, and coming back for more.

Doesn't she look like a cross-breed between a hamster and a squirrel?

At some point, one of the babies joined her at the feeder.

This morning I was hoping to see them back at the feeder, but none of them came...

2010-05-27T14:50:00.002-04:00

My Class # 4 at CraftEdu.com

One more class, Faux Lampwork – Polymer Clay and Resin is now available at CraftEdu.com.

2010-05-26T17:51:00.001-04:00

Lariat Necklace with White Sculpted Orchids,

Wedding Edition

I finished a white version of my polymer clay orchid lariat necklace originally made for the Fire Mountain Gems contest in 2008. This is something I wanted to do for a long time, and I am very pleased with the result.

This particular necklace is sold, but I can make a new one like this for anybody interested. Find all the details at my Etsy shop.

2010-05-24T13:19:00.001-04:00

Work in Progress

Butterfly Necklace

Here is the sketch for the necklace I am working on right now.

This is the focal part. It will be 5.5" at the widest point, made of polymer clay and resin. There will be lots of wire details, both on the surface and outside of the wings. I have not decided about the rest of the necklace yet. It has to be bold to match the size of the focal part, yet kind of discrete, because the butterfly has to be the center of attention. I think, I will have to make the butterfly first, and then figure out about the rest of the necklace.

2010-05-22T22:55:00.000-04:00

New Pendant

Polymer Clay, Resin, Metal Leaf, and Silver

Yes, this pendant really is this vibrant in color. It is also smooth like glass, which is really difficult to capture in a photo.

This new pendant combines polymer clay, wire, metal leaf, inks, and resin – all framed in sterling silver. I am planning a big necklace I want to make for a competition, and the pendant is a result of my trial of the technique I want to use on that necklace. I will show my work in progress on the necklace during the next week.

2010-05-21T11:28:00.000-04:00

New Class at CraftEdu.com

One more class, Elegant Steampunk – Polymer Clay and Resin is now available at CraftEdu.com.

2010-05-20T08:42:00.000-04:00

On-line Classes

Two of my classes, How to Work with Epoxy Resin and Faux Cloisonne – Polymer Clay and Resin are now available at CraftEdu.com.

I am planning to have a series of Polymer Clay and Resin classes in the future. Faux Cloisonne is the first one in this series. Taking the Epoxy Resin class will be required for all classes in this group (the students will only need to take it once).

The Epoxy Resin class is a good one to take even if you are not planning to learn any of my other Polymer Clay and Resin techniques. This resin is an amazing material, and it can greatly enhance any flat polymer clay design. One coat of this resin is equal to about 50 coats of regular glaze, and you do not even have to sand at all! The resin finish is transparent, attractive, durable, resilient, water- and scratch-resistant, and easy to clean. All these qualities make this material an excellent choice for finishing polymer clay jewelry. I am presenting a lot of information in this class, including a short video in which I demonstrate my own method for working with small quantities of resin. I also explain common mistakes that may happen while working with the resin, how to fix them on your project, and how to avoid them in the future.

The Faux Cloisonne does not need any introduction. This is the class based on my signature technique. In this class, I demonstrate, step by step, how create the polymer clay pendants in any shapes you want, how to form the wire lines, and how to apply the color.

My next on-line class will be Elegant Steampunk, based on my Steampunk butterfly design.

2010-05-19T08:49:00.000-04:00

My New Necklace

with Hollow Polymer Clay Rose Bead

I made this bead a while ago, as you may remember.

This is one of those beads that has a character on its own, you know? I could not envision a necklace with it right away, but I felt a great potential in it.

Anyway, after sitting in my studio for a few weeks, the bead is finally on a necklace. I decided to keep the design simple and a bit moody to showcase the bead.

The necklace is black organza and cotton cords, and the bead is attached with an ornate silver bail. I also used a round agate bead and a Bali silver spacer to finish the top of the polymer clay bead.

What do you think?

2010-05-18T20:05:00.002-04:00

CraftEDU Faculty Gallery on YouTube.com

Just look at all this talent gathered in one place!

2010-05-15T09:44:00.001-04:00

My Gallery Is on CraftEdu

I want to show you the presentation of my work prepared for CraftEdu.com. Turn on your speakers and click on the little icon above.

You have no idea how much work is going on behind the scens at CraftEdu.com right now!

While we are preparing the site for its transition out of Beta stage, so many things have to be taken care of! Donna is urging the teachers to create and post as many classes as possible, so that the site looks inviting and exciting.

I really like the platform that Donna had chosen. From the user point of you, it is quite easy, with most options understandable on an intuitive level. There is no software to download - as soon as you sign in, you can watch the classes. Join the groups of your instructor - and you are instantly taken into the discussion forum and can interact both with the instructor and the fellow classmates.

For instructors, it is much more involved, but still is quite doable. Most classes are expected to be done with pictures and voice narration, which makes the task of populating the site with a good number of classes very realistic.

All in all, I think the site has a very bright future.

Come and join me and many other polymer clay enthusiasts at CraftEdu.com!

2010-05-13T10:27:00.001-04:00

New On-Line Craft Community

CraftEdu

If you have not heard about it yet, there is a new site organized by Donna Kato, CraftEdu.com

Donna envisioned this site as an on-line university, a virtual place to learn many beautiful crafts from the best experts in each field. The site brings together people who love their art and want to learn new techniques and projects.

Each instructor will have a forum for each of his or her classes, where the students can ask questions and share their works and ideas. The classes are created as slide presentations with voice narration, which means that students will be able to see each project demonstrated step-by-step with close-up pictures, and hear the explanations given by the instructor for each step. There is a free preview portion of each class, in which the finished project is demonstrated, the purpose of the class is explained, and all materials and tools are listed. After paying for the class, a student will be given access to the presentation, and the presentation may be viewed a number of times at student's convenience.

Taking a class with a group of fellow enthusiasts and be able to directly interact with the instructor is an unmatched experience. Learning from books and magazines has its own benefits, of course, but anybody who ever participated in a craft class will tell you that it is something totally different and very special. Donna's initiative brings amazing opportunities to people who may otherwise not be able to meet the artists they would like to learn from.

I am extremely proud to report that I have been invited to teach at this wonderful place. The site is currently in Beta form, so the list of faculty does not reflect all participating artists yet, but I am sure you will be impressed by the names on this, even incomplete, list.

If you are interested in getting new ideas for your own polymer clay work (or any other craft you may be interested in), I encourage you to join this site, meet the community, and keep an eye on the list of classes. There are benefits for getting there early – we will need volunteers for testing the site features, and there is a chance to get the classes you like at greatly discounted prices. By the way, there are some free classes out there, available already.

Speaking of my own plans, I am currently working on four polymer clay and resin classes based on my existing tutorials. To each of this classes, I am going to add short videos demonstrating how to work with the resin. I am sure many people, just starting working with resin, will find these demos especially useful.

After that, expect to see my completely new classes for more advanced techniques. I've been refining them for a while, and I am very happy to have this new way of sharing them now. The tools available at CraftEdu will be very helpful in explaining these concepts.

2010-05-09T09:11:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!

If I could give you diamonds
for each tear you cried for me.
If I could give you sapphires
for each truth you’ve helped me see.

If I could give you rubies
for the heartache that you’ve known
If I could give you pearls
for the wisdom that you’ve shown.

Then you’ll have a treasure, mother,
that would mount up to the skies
That would almost match
the sparkle in your kind and loving eyes.

But I have no pearls, no diamonds,
As I’m sure you’re well aware
So I’ll give you gifts more precious
My devotion, love and care.

2010-05-07T10:32:00.001-04:00

New Pendant, Iris

Polymer clay pendant, with image created using my hand-made stamp. The lines of the image were back-filled with contrasting polymer clay. The pendant is framed in oxidized sterling silver frame and covered with clear resin to add depth and shine.

This is a variation of a few of my earlier techniques.

2010-04-16T12:20:00.000-04:00

Vacation: Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon is difficult to photograph. Or, being more exact, it is difficult to appreciate Grand Canyon based on pictures. Yes, the colors and shapes here are interesting, but the main attraction of this place is in it's enormous size - and that is what so difficult to capture in pictures. There is nothing to compare it to. No scale. When taking pictures of my jewelry and beads, I often photograph them in my hands to give the viewer an idea about the size of my creation. In Grand Canyon, there is nothing to use as a size reference. Trees vary in sizes greatly, any people in the picture are either too big (when they stand in the foreground) or too small (if they are down in the canyon)... I guess, what I am trying to say is that you have to see Grand Canyon with your own eyes to fully appreciate its beauty. It is definitely one of the places worth visiting.

2010-04-14T16:06:00.000-04:00

Vacation: Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon was our second stop during this trip. I am glad we went to Zion before that, because Zion looks simply bleak compared to Bryce.

This place is like nothing else on Earth. In fact, with its wild colors and shapes, Bryce Canyon looks like something out of this world entirely. Pictures do not lie - these formations are really this bright orange in color. Amazing place!

2010-04-13T13:51:00.001-04:00

Vacation: Zion National Park

I said that we went to Grand Canyon for this spring break - in fact, we went to three parks: Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon. The first two are in the south-west corner of Utah, and the last one is in Arizona. Each one is beautiful and unique.

I brought back about 300 pictures. Do not worry, I am not going to bother you with all of them, but I do want to share a few from each park.

Today's group is from Zion. There was this unusual combination of sage-green and orange-brown colors throughout the park, and I kept trying to capture this color combo in my shots. They look so great together! I can easily imagine this color combination in polymer clay - perhaps, as a mokume gane pendant or brooch...

The park is beautiful and large. There are many nice hiking trails there - with these magnificent cliffs as a backdrop...

2010-04-11T22:44:00.000-04:00

Polymer Clay Chameleon:

Intricate

During my vacation trip, I visited a few gift shops, and in two of them I saw some amazing polymer clay works.

In both cases, they were these intricately-decorated animals by Jon Anderson of FimoCreations.com.

Amazing, aren't they?

2010-04-10T22:47:00.000-04:00

I am Back!

I just came back from my vacation tonight. It was wonderful! I'll post lots of pictures over the next couple of days once I sort them out.

Meanwhile, I just wanted to say that my Etsy shop is restored and my polymer clay tutorials are available though this site once again.

2010-03-30T10:40:00.000-04:00

Updates to My Tutorial Delivery System

While I am out of town at the beginning of April, my polymer clay tutorials will be available from my web site only.

I am also setting up a new system. Instead of sending my customers a file in pdf format, this system will generate a temporary web page and send a link to that page. The purchased tutorial file will be placed on the corresponding temporary web page. The customers will be instructed to download the file before it expires (in five days).

I hope this system will work better than the current one. With the current system (when tutorial files are e-mailed directly to customers), some of the e-mails get lost or somehow do not reach my customers. This happens rather seldom, but it is still very irritating. Problem is, when this happens, I do not get any mail failure messages, so I have no idea that the tutorial was not received. I only learn about the problem when my customer contacts me. When that happens, I re-send the tutorial manually, and always feel terrible for causing my customers this inconvenience. It seems that some people have protective settings in their e-mails preventing them from receiving big files (and my tutorials, with all those pictures, are usually 2 to 4 MB files). So, the new system, when only a short message is sent, shall overcome this problem.

I finished setting up and testing this system yesterday. I will continue monitoring its performance while I am still here.

After April 2, I will have no computer access until April 10. I hope there will not be any problems during this time.

2010-03-29T09:10:00.000-04:00

New Polymer Clay Book

Polymer Artists Showcase

I've got an e-mail from Tejae Floyde this weekend with an announcement that her self-published book, Polymer Artists Showcase, is finished and available for purchase.

I am very happy to see a few pictures of my works included in such a great collection.

Tejae did an amazing job. She contacted many artists, whose works she likes, and asked to submit pictures of their best works. Originally, the project was intended as a black and white calendar, with one polymer clay creation per day for inspiration. Over time, it morphed into something totally different – a beautiful book with colorful pictures.

This is what Tejae says about it: ”I had a vision of a beautiful book filled with inspiring polymer photo's... It's a wonderful keepsake, studio book and resource for connecting with other polymer artists. I do hope you love it as much as I do. It's a fun, full color 10"x8" photo book, 40 pages. I'm extremely proud of it. It took a long time to put together but I learned a lot and appreciate your patience.”

Tejae published this book through blurb.com – a site that allows to make bookstore-quality books with the help of their software and publishing resources. The book may be purchased here: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1248012

I also want to tell that Tejae put a lot of work into this project, yet she marked up the book only a few bucks above the publishing price ($25 to buy the finished book versus $20 for publishing). The participating artists do not receive any financial rewards from this project.

2010-03-28T21:11:00.000-04:00

Polymer Clay Chameleon:

Mythical

How do you like these tiny dragons by Becca Golins? Aren't they cute?
Becca just opened her shop at Etsy.com earlier this month. Visit it to see a few more of her works.

2010-03-26T23:08:00.003-04:00

The Dragons Weekend

and New Pendants

This weekend, we are going to watch two animated movies about dragons. One is on a DVD - a French animated movie, Chasseurs de dragons (Dragon Hunters), and the other one is “How to Train Your dragon” in 3-D. I just hope the two movies will not mix too much in our heads...

Yesterday, after talking about these plans with my husband and kids, I started to work on a few texture plates I wanted to make for a long time. Suddenly, I realized that one of them looks like dragon scales. After a little tweaking, I came up with these three pendants. Do you like them?

Apparently, it is possible to get inspired by a movie (or two), even before seeing it...

I will be listing these pendants in my Etsy shop over weekend.

2010-03-24T12:09:00.002-04:00

Tips and Tricks

How to Work With Polymer Clay in Light Colors

This is the subject that appears in various polymer clay forums every so often.

Light colors are challenging to work with mainly because of two issues: dust and color contamination.

Strictly speaking, dust can accumulate on any polymer clay project, no matter what color it is. However, any trapped dust particles are more visible in projects using light colors.

The same is true for color contamination. Whenever your tools, working surface, or hands come in contact with polymer clay, there is a chance that some polymer clay will stick to the surface and than later it may get transferred onto your next project. Again, this is more obvious when switching from working with dark clays to lighter-colored ones.

So, how can you minimize these problems in your work?

Read more

2010-03-23T14:30:00.000-04:00

Treasury and Tutorial

I just finished my newest tutorial. This one explains how to make two polymer clay daffodil beads I showed you earlier this month.

While listing this tutorial on Etsy, I was lucky enough to snatch a treasury. Follow this link to take a closer look at all kinds of beautiful daffodil flowers I found in various Etsy shops:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=121366

2010-03-21T22:25:00.000-04:00

Polymer Clay Chameleon:

Original

I love these designs by Russian polymer clay artist Alena Aleshina. Her works are so fresh and original!

Here are a few examples. Each design is intersting in its own way, and the third one is my favorite. A half of this leaf is created using electroforming process, and the other half is made out of polymer clay. The result is simply beautiful!

You can find more pictures of Alena's work in her photoalbum, http://www.flickr.com/photos/tavostia.

2010-03-18T22:14:00.000-04:00

Walk With Me

I spent most of the day today at the beach.

We live not too far from the ocean, so every so often we drive to the beach for a nice walk. Today was sunny and warm - an ideal weather for such a trip.

2010-03-17T22:52:00.006-04:00

Hand-Sculpted Daffodil Beads

More flowers?

I just finished these polymer clay flower beads. There are two types of daffodils. I made them in natural colors, took pictures, and then added patina and took pictures again.

I am pleased with both looks, although I think that an antiqued version of a rose bead seemed more logical than the same thing for a daffodil. Why is that so?

These beads are already listed in my Etsy shop (with more pictures in each listing).

2010-03-14T21:06:00.002-04:00

Polymer Clay Chameleon:

Perfect

The flower canes by MarsDesigns are perfection itself. Intricate, colorful, and precise, they are beautifully designed and skillfully made.

2010-03-13T09:03:00.000-05:00

Experimenting:

Hollow Rose Bud Beads

Last week's polymer clay hibiscus flower custom order put me in a “flower mood”, I think. I kept looking at the petal cane left from the hibiscus, and suddenly got an idea for a sculpted rose bead.

I made it hollow inside, about 1.5” long.

Here is the same bead in two finishes – natural and with patina added. Which one do you like better?

Oh, and by the way, these beads are available through my Etsy shop now.

2010-03-12T13:33:00.000-05:00

How to Use Resin

New Tutorial

New tutorial with instructions for covering polymer clay pendants (and other small objects) with clear resin is now available in my Etsy shop.

This tutorial is intended for people who want to learn how to use the resin for their own projects and NOT interested in learning my polymer clay techniques, described in other Polymer Clay and Resin tutorials.

I included very detailed step-by-step instructions illustrated with my work-in-process pictures, as well as additional tips and instructions for troubleshooting and correcting of the most common mistakes that can occur while working with this resin.

While general instructions can be obtained from the manufacturer of this resin, they are more suitable for big projects and lead to lots of product waste when working on a small scale (such as covering pendants, focal beads, and other jewelry parts). What I am offering here is a demonstration of my own technique tailored specifically for jewelry, which makes mixing and application of this resin much easier and minimizes the waste as well.

2010-03-11T12:42:00.000-05:00

Jewelry as a Symbol of Status

The on-going discussion about renaming polymer clay, as well as some comments I received even on my humble post about this issue, returned me to my old thoughts about the implied value of jewelry.

Obviously, there is something we, as jewelry makers, cannot ignore. Yes, the downgrading of polymer clay, based on it's classification as “just plastic” in people's minds, IS real. Not all, but some customers do think about gold, silver, and precious stones when they think about “real jewelry”. I think the reason lies in the history and is implanted in the buyer's sub-consciousness.

Now, these are just my thoughts, I am not a historian, and I do not pretend to have answers to these kind of questions. However, at least for myself, this is how I explain this phenomenon.

A long time ago (think Medieval times), only reach and noble people could afford jewelry. Right? It was expensive, and it was one of the attributes of power and money. The original purpose of jewelry, therefore, was to manifest it's owners wealth to the rest of the world. It was the mark of the status. Those, who had jewelry, belonged to the higher class than those, who did not. The price of the finished jewelry was directly proportional to the size and rarity of the gems used to make it. The work that went into creating the finished piece of jewelry was if not insignificant, then definitely secondary to the other parameters, when it came to the price of jewelry. Also important, that at that time, there were no ways to mimic the gemstones convincingly enough. The glass was of low quality. There were no lab-grown gems, no cubic zirconium... So, once again, the original and most important purpose of jewelry was the status symbol, and it was an accurate connection, because every piece of jewelry was equivalent to that much extra money.

Later, in late 19-th, and even more so in 20-th century, we see the development of all these alternative processes and materials I just mentioned. What they create are surrogate status symbols – cheaper jewelry, that looks pretty much as “the real thing”. With this more affordable jewelry more people are able to pose as if they, too, belong to the rich and noble group.

I think, that for some people, jewelry is still “the status thing”. And these are the people who look first of all at the material, not the craftsmanship. These are the people who think that “gold” equals “value”, and “plastic” equals “cheap”. I am not talking about poorly-made polymer clay items (which is an issue in itself). I am talking about pieces with high craftsmanship, original, and well-executed, but still "not made of gold".

If people thought logically, and remembered that the manufacturing processes are getting more and more economical, while the manual labor gets more and more expensive, they would have to realize that a high-quality hand-made piece is a better manifest of its price than a piece of “real jewelry”.

I just hope this realization comes while we are still in business.

2010-03-10T13:01:00.001-05:00

Sterling Silver Frames and

How to Attach Them to Polymer Clay Pendants

As promised, you can now purchase hand-made sterling silver frames through my Etsy shop. The frames are available in shiny and oxidized finish and in the following shapes: circle, tear drop, leaf, shield, and wing.

I also prepared a short tutorial explaining how to attach these frames to your own pendants. The tutorial is in my usual step-by-step format, with lots of pictures, and with very detailed explanations. It is also available in my shop.

2010-03-09T08:40:00.000-05:00

Useful Link

(for Etsy Shop-Owners)

I am subscribed to Etsy Success weekly newsletter. It is a great way of keeping up with the best Etsy forum threads, Etsy updates, and many other things. I usually enjoy these letters, although some of them bring me more new information than others.

The recent letter was, probably, the best so far. It included a link to a very thoughtful post by Danielle, one of the Etsy admins, and summed up her experience with reviewing the shops on Etsy. She wrote it in a check-list format with additional explanations for each point. Here is the link:

etsy-success-critique-your-shop

I hope you will find this link as useful as I did.

...And about the picture on top of this post... I could not go without a picture, right? So, I decided to include my new Esty shop banner. I replaced my traditional blue butterfly with this version some time last week. Don't you love it? It looks especially good against Etsy's white background (take a look at it in my shop).

2010-03-08T09:17:00.001-05:00

"Polymer Clay" versus "Polymer"

If you do not know about it yet, there is an on-going discussion, initiated at Synergy-2 conference and continued on-line, about possible renaming of polymer clay into simply polymer.

People talk in length (and quite emotionally!) about it in their blogs and in forums, and I was about to post something smart myself. Like, how I see two separate reasons for this name being an issue – one is coming from the traditional ceramists, who are (supposedly) unhappy with polymer clay artists using the word clay, and the other is from our potential customers, who are (also supposedly) confused with the polymer clay being used for art, because it makes them think of the stuff their kids are playing with.

I could have also talked about the definition of the word polymer based on my chemistry background...

Or how realistic it is to make all the polymer clay manufacturers to rename their product AND change their marketing strategy at the same time (after all, if they start calling it polymer, but continue selling it as the material for kids – do we really gain anything?).

But before I had a chance to write my post, I found one comment on polymerclaydaily.com discussion, which summed it all for me. I am sorry, it might be a bit harsh, and I do not know who is the author of this comment (she just signed it as Jules), but I admire this person's sense of humor. This is what she said:

“? And saying only “peanut” avoids confusion with normal butter? Interesting theory.
It’s not about the name, it’s about what you do with that stuff!
I mean…the clay, not the butter… ;D”

Yep, this really sums the whole discussion for me.

I am voting for leaving the name alone. Let's better concentrate on our art and stop talking.

2010-03-07T15:24:00.000-05:00

Polymer Clay Chameleon:

Tiny

This miniature polymer clay food looks like something that Gulliver could have brought back from his journey to Lilliput – it is amazingly tiny, yet it looks convincingly real.

Can you believe that the box of chocolate is less than 1”x1”, and the pie with all these juicy fruit slices is only about 1.5" in diameter? I found these beauties at OrangePumpkin.etsy.com.

2010-03-06T15:11:00.002-05:00

New 2010 Line

I am working on a new line of my jewelry for 2010.

The first pendant has been listed in my Etsy shop today. Etsy wisdom calls for gradual addition of the items (rather than listing them all at once), so I am planning to unveil one pendant a day.

All these pendants have intricate scroll-work design, sterling silver bezels, and glass-like surface. I will have these pendants in many colors - dark and pastel, solid and with color gradation. The design is hand-carved and back-filled with contrasting polymer clay, then covered with resin.

Perhaps, the most exciting news is that this line will be more affordable than my signature Faux Cloisonne pendants.

These pendants are the result of my recent experiments with polymer clay and resin. Finally, I was able to find the process, which allows me to create unique one-of-a-kind designs with delicate lines, but do it more efficiently than with the Faux Cloisonne technique.

2010-03-05T11:34:00.000-05:00

Hand-Sculpted Hibiscus Flower Bead

Custom Order

I was asked to make a pink polymer clay hibiscus flower that would fit over a 50-mm bead holder.

This is what I made.

There is a soft gradation of color, from darker to lighter pastel pink, on the petals. The pistol of the flower is made with seed beads and citrine chips threaded on a sterling silver head-pin. It is attached to the wire loop in the center of the flower and has some freedom of movement. The flower is about 2” in diameter. There is a vertical beading hole in the back for the bead holder.

2010-03-04T12:43:00.000-05:00

The New Tutorial and Necklace

The new tutorial is now available at my web site and Etsy shop.

This tutorial shows how to make a faux porcelain heart-shaped pendant with tiny sculpted orchids, how to make matching necklace ends, and how to put it all together.

There are more than 40 step-by-step pictures and 12 pages of very detailed instructions. I also included links to a few free on-line tutorials to further explain some steps described in the tutorial.

The tutorial covers the following topics:

- shaping the heart pendant base (both before and after baking),

- adding texture to it (with a simple tool made out of common household item),

- highlighting the texture,

- free-hand sculpting of tiny leaves and flowers,

- using mica powders and glaze,

- embedding beads (fresh-water pearls) into polymer clay,

- creating custom necklace ends,

- making simple beaded pendant bail,

- beading a multi-string necklace,

- adding the necklace ends.

As always in my tutorials, the project is intended to demonstrate the techniques, which can be used for creating your own designs.

The finished necklace is available in my shop at 1000markets.com.

2010-03-03T09:08:00.000-05:00

My Vase Tutorial in a Treasury

Helen of dalmmar.etsy.com made another beautiful treasury, this time in purpple and lilac.

Follow this link to take a closer look:

etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=116661

She included my Sea Urchin Vase Tutorial.

Thank you, Helen!

Now that I own one of Helen's amazing hand-felted scarves (see the pictures below), I am on a whole new level of appreciation of her work. Not only do her scarves look great, the mastership, the quality of Helen's creations is wonderful too. My new scarf is soft, incredibly warm, and a perfect match for my long skirt in the same colors. Too bad the winter is almost over!

2010-02-28T21:44:00.000-05:00

Polymer Clay Chameleon:

Gorgeous

Today I want to share with you these gorgeous bracelets with polymer clay and lampwork beads. I found them at bijoullery.etsy.com.

2010-02-25T15:24:00.000-05:00

Student's Work:

Bracelet

I received an e-mail from Marivi (bOOlingas) with a link to the picture of her new polymer clay bracelet.

Marivi made this bracelet based on my tutorial.

Beautiful interpretation of the original idea, isn't it?

Last time I checked this picture on Flickr, there were 90 comments from people admiring this bracelet!

2010-02-23T09:44:00.001-05:00

New Tutorial Is Almost Ready

I am finishing the new tutorial, Faux Porcelain Heart Necklace with Hand-Made Necklace Ends.

This tutorial will explain how to make the focal pendant for the necklace, as well as the necklace ends, and how to put it all together into a multi-string necklace with seed beads and fresh-water pearls. The resulting necklace is very delicate and romantic, perfect for any time of the year.

The heart pendant recreates the look of hand-sculpted porcelain in polymer clay. My Grandma used to have a beautiful collection of porcelain vases and trinket boxes. They were very delicate, with tiny hand-sculpted flowers. I remember my fascination with them when I was a little girl...

For this necklace, I decided to make a pair of matching polymer clay necklace ends, because anything metal seemed a bit out of place with this design. Making them is quite easy, actually. In fact, the whole project is rather simple, and does not require any previous experience with polymer clay. List of tools and materials is also short and simple. You do not even need a pasta machine to do it!

This tutorial shall be available by the end of February. Please join my mailing list to be notified when the tutorial is ready.

2010-02-22T08:42:00.000-05:00

My Beads in Treasury

I want to thank Viki Twyman and Bobbi Berg (Lorie Lynn Designs), who included my polymer clay beads, The Country of the Rising Sun Series, in their gorgeous treasury Black White... and Red All Over. Follow the link and click on each image to see all the beautiful hand-made items included in this collection:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=114586

Do not forget to visit Lorie Lynn Designs shop to admire their one-of-kind jewelry made using beautiful vintage pieces.

2010-02-21T21:53:00.000-05:00

Polymer Clay Chameleon:

Charming

Zuleykha makes the most charming polymer clay charm bracelets. My favorites are the ones with her pretty and bright flowers and leaves. Here are only a few examples. You can find more in her shop on Etsy.com.

2010-02-16T11:54:00.000-05:00

New Steampunk Butterflies:

Lilac

I just finished two new butterflies. Both are in purple and lilac colors. In fact, I used the same cane for the “mechanic” wings on both of them.

Their design is very similar to the one described in my Steampunk Butterfly Tutorial, except this time I used a stamp made out of filigree parts I used earlier.

2010-02-14T12:08:00.000-05:00

Polymer Clay Chameleon:

Hearted

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you will enjoy these modern and original creations by Liz Hall. Liz successfully combines polymer clay with precious metal clay to create her quirky and colorful jewelry. Find more of her works at her Etsy shop and web site.

2010-02-10T17:30:00.001-05:00

Snow, Snow, and More Snow

We are in the middle of the second snow storm this week. Like we really needed any more snow after 2.5' of it that we've got over weekend.

This is how the views from my studio look like right now.

Backyard:

And this is our front yard:

I wish our driveway was shorter... We clean up all that snow with just a couple of shovels, which is a good exercise – once or twice over the entire winter, but definitely not as often as we had to do it this year!

I just came back from a little rescue mission. We have a group of leyland cypresses at the end of our property, and they were all pinned to the ground with all the heavy snow on their branches. I put on my snow pants and heavy boots and walked all the way to the cypresses in this snow that is above my knees right now. I took a broom with me and used it to shake off as much snow as I could from those poor trees. Then I realized that now they look like a dinner invitation to our deer (we have a lot of them in the neighboring park). All this green against white snow sure looks great to the starving deer, and there is even a path leading to those trees! I feel sorry for the deer, but I am not about to feed my trees to them! By the way, I know that, technically, leyland cypress is a deer-resistant plant. Trouble is, our deer are not aware of this, and every year they come and chew a few branches here and there. So, I retraced my steps, using the broom to cover them with some snow. In the middle of this interesting activity I imagined how this should look like to any passerby... What would you think of a person swiping her snow-covered backyard, while standing knee-deep in the snow, and with more snow coming down?! Luckily, there was nobody else outside in this weather...

2010-02-10T09:25:00.000-05:00

My Faux Cloisonne Heart in a Treasury

Helen of dalmmar.etsy.com included one of my heart pendants in her beautiful treasury:

etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=112146

I am especially flattered by her choice, because the works that Helen offers in her shop are AMAZING. She works mostly with felt and a little bit with polymer clay, and every one of her designs is elegant and romantic. Visiting her shop, make sure to look through Helen's gallery of SOLD items. I just love her felted necklaces in there!

2010-02-07T15:55:00.000-05:00

Polymer Clay Chameleon:

Blooming

The polymer clay artist whose works I want to show you today is Barb Fajardo. She used to make the most beautiful and colorful swirl beads I've ever seen. Around 2005-2006 she switched to these fantasy flower beads, with rich texture and great colors.

2010-02-01T11:21:00.001-05:00

Polymer Clay Smooshers Scavenger Hunt

The group of polymer clay artists of ArtFire organized Valentine Scavenger Hunt. To see the rules and participate in this fun game, please follow this link:

http://polymerclaysmooshers.blogspot.com/

2010-01-31T15:38:00.000-05:00

Polymer Clay Chameleon:

Modern

These cleverly-constructed interchangable polymer clay rings caught my attention at Flickr this week. The author is Bettina Welker (http://www.beadworx.de/), a German polymer clay artist, whose works I've seen and admired before. Her jewelry usually has a certain modern flare, great colors, and clean lines. Bettina recently published her first book, which is available in German (with project translation in English, French, and Spanish).

2010-01-30T10:52:00.000-05:00

Impossible!

My kids spent this summer in Ukraine, and there they really enjoyed watching Ukraine Got Talent show. Here is one of their favorite performances. What these guys are doing is simply impossible for a human body!

2010-01-28T15:59:00.000-05:00

My Interview at PolymerClaySmooshers.blogspot.com

I joined the polymer clay guild of Art Fire, where I have my newest on-line shop. The guild has a nice blog, in which (among other things) every member in turn is featured. Head there to see the works of some wonderful polymer clay enthusiasts and to read their stories. Here is the link to mine:
polymerclaysmooshers.blogspot.com/2010/01/introducing-eugena.html

2010-01-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

The Sunshine Award

Samantha of Amadora Designs UK nominated me for the Sunshine Blog Award. The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspires others in the blog world.

I accept this award with a great pleasure and pride. I know for sure that maintaining optimism and positive attitude is the best thing that a person can do both for herself and for the people around her. Here is of my favorite quotes by Dale Carnegie: “ Happiness doesn't depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude. “

The twelve blogs I would like to nominate for this award are all from my new group of Etsy Bloggers. There is a wonderful, creative woman behind each of this blogs, who loves what she is doing and who shares her love with other people through her blog and through her creations:

sandists.com/Wordpress

culinarydelightsbykarengrant.blogspot.com/

joeyandaleethea.typepad.com/blog

beadedtail.blogspot.com/

tiltcreations.blogspot.com/

feltedchicken.blogspot.com/

bunnykissd.blogspot.com/

foxygknits.wordpress.com/

lizswares.blogspot.com/

ladyartisan.blogspot.com/

sweetsallyssoaps.blogspot.com/

knittingdragonflies.blogspot.com/

2010-01-26T11:22:00.000-05:00

My daughter is a finalist in Champions of Courage

My daughter is one of the finalists in the 23-d annual “Champions of Courage” essay competition.

The competition was open to the middle and high school students in Maryland, and required writing a brief essay saluting their personal “Champion of Courage”, a positive role model who has touched their lives.

My daughter (who is a six-grader), wrote about her dad, which was a great surprise for both my husband and me. Being viewed by your own daughter as a personal hero and a role model is a dream-come-true for any father. For my husband, it is a very special validation, because he is quite tough on both of our kids – always fair, but tough. When it comes to kids, he is the kind of a person who believes in teaching them how to get the things in life by themselves, rather than providing everything for them.

The competition is designed to commemorate Black History Month by celebrating positive role models for youth and to share the legacy and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. My husband is not a political or civil rights activist, and he is not even black, so I was surprised that her essay was even qualified for the competition, and yet alone being chosen as one of 28 finalists out of 12, 500 entries received this year. Needless to say that my daughter is enormously proud of herself, especially since she is dreaming of becoming a published author one day. With all the other finalists, she was invited to FOX 45 studio in Baltimore to have her essay recorded. They will feature one essay a day every day in February in local news on FOX 45 and the CW Baltimore.

I took her her FOX 45 studio yesterday, where each kid had to read their essay from a teleprompter. There were only five kids, including my daughter, during this session. I was surprised how well-posed these kids were, controlling their nerves, and looking very confident. The staff of the studio was very professional in handling the kids, so I am sure that helped a lot. After the recording session, we were invited in a separate room, where they showed us a semi-final version of each reading. On television, there will be also an introduction part, music, and a picture of each kid's role model. We had to provide my husband's picture for that, which made him cringe quite a bit. Anyway, for our 12-year old it is an unforgettable experience. At the end of February, there will be a Gala Awards Luncheon, where the thee winners will be announced and the prizes will be presented. She is looking forward to that.

2010-01-24T09:33:00.000-05:00

Polymer Clay Chameleon:

Humorous

I am pretty sure that Christi Friesen is a household name in any polymer clay artist family by now, and it is difficult to find somebody, who is interested in polymer clay, but has not heard about Christi.

Like many others, I admire Christi's works. They are so intricate and graceful, yet often humorous and funny, and somehow she manages to keep her style recognizable through all the variations. Just like Barbara Sperling is my millefiori guru, Christi Friesen is my source of inspiration for sculpting. Refraining from the urge to copy her is difficult, but I am trying to maintain my own style.

I've met Christi in person a couple of times. She has a sunny personality and it is a pleasure to be with. I think, this is one of the reasons why she is such a wonderful teacher and why her books are so popular. Speaking of Christi's books, I am very happy and proud to have one of my works included in her most recent book, Steampunkery.

2010-01-22T10:12:00.000-05:00

Eugena's Creations at La Boutique De Mon Amie

I am happy to report that some of my jewelry may now be seen in a brick and mortar store in the beautiful historic part of Elicott City, MD. This store is called La Boutique De Mon Amie, and it is owned by two elegant women, Debbie Kehoe and Kimberly Kepnes.

I went there this Wednesday, on my friend's recommendation, and was absolutely charmed by the place. The shop is located in an old French-style cottage, and has its own charm a certain European aura. There is Little French Market Cafe right next door to this shop. While I was talking to Debbie, a girl from this cafe brought her some most deliciously-looking coffee. I did not have time to check out the cafe, but I will definitely do it next time.

The boutique sells various accessories, purses, and jewelry. It has three floors, with a nice cozy room at each floor. Visitors are greeted at the first floor, the second floor is dominated by a huge wall mirror in a wrought-iron frame and a few glass cases hosting black velvet jewelry displays, and the third floor (the attic, as they call it) is all sunny and colorful. Everything is presented with a great taste and in a very friendly atmosphere.

There are only a few of my pieces there right now, but I shall bring some more in a couple of weeks. We are also talking about me creating an exclusive Mon Amie collection to be carried in this shop only.