Creative Homearts Club/Glass-Like Bookmarks

I'm so excited to be in the March/April "Today's Creative Homearts"
Magazine/Club.

They have a section called "Re-Created by You" for recycled objects. I sent in a few of my creations hoping to have a "recycled" object make it into their monthly article.

They chose my Vintage Bookmarks sold on my Etsy!

They are layered with torn paper, stamping, dried flowers, Glimmer Mist,ink, acrylic paint, vellum images, ect.... then covered with layers of UTEE or epoxy for a glass finish. The UTEE piece went into the freezer for a few minutes so I could "crack" the finish. I then inked over the cracks with walnut ink.

This has been a fun club to be a part of. I receive free gifts and have taken part in project packages I was able to keep just for trying the product and doing a survey.

Goddess of Lost Earrings Mask+TeaCup Pin Cushion

This is me as the "Goddess of Lost Earrings".

My friend Nannette Giacoma, casted my face, a very strange but peaceful experience. It was worth it to then be painted, and decorated beyond my imagination. She has a few other mask pieces decorating her home that are just wonderful.
She has a whole business practice called New Moon Rising Coaching developed for artists and their businesses.
This was so fun Nannette, thanks for inviting me to be a part of your creativity!

For a very long time I have wanted to attempt this pretty little project inspired by Lauries Charming Designs. I have been watching her make her lovely pincushions on teacups and spoons. She makes her own birds from wool. I'm going to have to purchase some of those.

So I used my Lenox tea set, my little cardinal winter bird, some vintage buttons I found at my flea market and thought it was a nice spot to also display my white buttons cluster I made a while ago.

Clay Transfer Tile Keepsakes

The above keepsakes are two examples of four I was able to finish. Wow, there were alot of trial and error, mistakes and throw-aways on this project. But I am very happy with the end results.

It all started with my love for the art of transfers. I love the look on clay and transparencies. So I tried transferring onto raw clay using the rub off technique, very hard to do without getting smeared toner. Then I followed the directions for using the baking method with this transfer medium. But the best results came from this Sculpey project idea. Heating this medium directly onto the photo then using the rub off technique gave me the best results for this photo. I'm guessing a lighter colored picture wouldn't have such smearing issues with the basic rub off technique that doesn't use a medium at all.

Then I wanted the edges finished so I tried many different ideas. The best results was simply platinum UTEE after a light layer of silver perfect pearls.

This has perfect pearls added with a bit of water and a brush. This looked really nice with the light gold sheer ribbon and jewels as a finished piece. I didn't get pictures before I gave it away.

These smaller tiles were baked with the perfect pearls on the edges.

The techniques for transferring images, getting the images the correct size, no bubbles in especially transparent clay, and use of jewerly pieces, are all new to me. Thank goodness for web-sites that help because I was really amazed at the learning curve and number of pieces I threw away. I have a whole new respect for artists and jewerly makers who sell their goods!!! Mine were for the parents of the owner of these sweet little feet and my daughters who adore their little cousin.
Cindy,a Polymer Clay Tutor has some great tips!!

"Family Traditions" Scrapbook/Glass-Like Tags

This is a beautiful victorian Christmas picture that came from a wonderful blog Kissed by an Angel. I just love it and had to share it.

I finally put together a scrapbook that will be for truely "throwing" things into. I want to keep all of our traditions in one place, especially our Christmas Advent count down activities, verses we read together each day, recipes and some pictures of each year's, special gingerbread houses.
I love the pull I was able to attach. It came from one of my mom's cabinets. Too bad I let her throw a handful away last year.
The clay pieces I made and posted last year. They now have a home on our new book.
Click on the pictures for a closer look. The clay wings have a blend of perfect pearls powders for the shimmer.

These are a few more of my resin epoxy tags. This butterfly tag has sprinkles of clear twinklets over the butterflies and around the edges (looks like bubbles in the picture but it's just the sprinkles). An example of using these on a scrapbook lay-out is in my November post. I really love the look of these on the pages and other projects!!

If you have tried any projects with epoxy, I would love to get some tips and see what you have done. It's messy stuff!!

Whimsical Christmas Jars

This a close up of the first picture. Gold and green leaves with berries, mitton and candy cane.

I can't stop making these!!

I love using the real pinecones and cedar for a touch of that Maine woods charm .

This is the other side of the previous picture...the stocking.

I add use extra snow on top of the pieces along with twinklets and microbeads.

Whimsical Christmas Jars/Glass Glitter

This weekend at our craft fair one of the ladies had a small display of German Glass Glitter. I was very excited to pick some up from her. It is so pretty on art pieces but never took the time to find it for myself. I think I will have to share some of this with a few artsy friends of mine. I just love the color of the bird.

Here's to finishing all 12 toppers for my mother-in-law!!!! I'm a bit obsessed though. I don't think I'm finished for the season.

Whimsical Christmas/Winter Jar Tops

I have been having a great time creating my jar toppers this year. I love how the details all come together. Sometimes it's hard to stop adding "mini" details!







The trees are decorated with mini strings of lights and red and gold mini tinsel.
Lace adorns the red bird house. Real cedar and pine cones along with all the snow and sprinkles of twinklets and glitter give the look of our rustic Maine winter. I still 4 more to create for my mother-in-law. She wants to fill them with her yummy fudge for her 12 cousins. I'm so glad she wanted me to be a part of her gift giving this year.



So the key to these toppers...sheetrock compound under the glitter snow and hot glue when I can't count on the compound to "glue" the smaller pieces. But I cover any trace of the hot glue with more snow.
I hope to put some on my Etsy soon, after I finish my mother-in-law's order. If anyone has any requests, let me know!!!

Scrapbook pages/Glass-Like Tags

So I finally used the epoxy "glass-like" tags I made a long time ago. I was waiting for the perfect pictures and I finally found them. I went to a CM crop and was able to finish 8 pages in two evenings and part of one day. Not bad since I sometimes get a little crazy about details! I did a little paper tearing and curling, sewing and used some wire on these pages. This is my favorite lay-out of the crop. (check my labels for "tags glass" for the "how to make the tags")

I have some dried pressed flowers on order so I can make more tags. I didn't have any of my own this year. I'll leave the link to the great on-line shop I found when I post them.

I'm working on some Christmas toppers to glass jars for my mother-in-law. I hope to post those before Thanksgiving. They are pretty cute, but I love minitures anyway.