Polymer Clay Creations

Polymer Clay is my newest hobby. My interest in clay was sparked when the children I was babysitting asked me to help them make things with clay. I had a lot of fun, and decided to try it on my own. These little guys were my sister's Christmas present; she loves monkeys, so I decided to make a trio of Hear No Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil monkeys that could sit on the edge of a shelf.

I've made a lot of flowers - a few of which are in my Etsy shop. This little bouquet went to a friend who was recovering from shoulder surgery.

This was my Mom's Christmas present. She loved the flowers I'd made, and when I spotted the little watering can in a store, I knew it would be the perfect bouquet holder. I did have some trouble getting the flowers to stay where I wanted them. I made the stems short, and figured I would poke them into some styrofoam. That didn't work very well, so I tried some cotton batting. The batting didn't work either, so I put some tissue paper in the bottom, and wrapped the bouquet in tissue paper. I also put in several pieces of Limonium to look like Baby's Breath or Statice. I wanted to give Mom the option of arranging the flowers, or even putting them in another container, if she wanted, otherwise I would have glued them down permanently.


Cupcakes! My sister wanted to send a care package to a college friend. Her friend likes cupcakes, and she found some cute cupcake earrings on Etsy. The problem was that the seller lived in Poland, so she asked me to try making some.
This is what I came up with. My sister chose the lighter pair to send to her friend. The other pair will probably end up in my Etsy shop.

Project Resolutions

Every year I rummage around for the previous year's resolutions, realize I didn't really accomplish any of them, and make a few new resolutions. I leave the list out for a month or two, then file it until next January. However, when it comes to projects, I do a little better. Maybe it's because I keep my list in my craft notebook. Whatever the reason, I usually manage to meet a few goals throughout the year. I also reevaluate once in a while and set a few new goals. This year my crafting goals are simple, and a little more open-ended than usual.

1. Finish at least 1/2 of the projects on my current WIP list.
2. Take pictures of completed projects.
3. Start Christmas gifts ASAP, and finish them by the end of August.
4. Empty &/or downsize sewing basket.
5. Frame completed cross stitch projects.
6. Update Etsy shop on a regular basis.

 The WIP's I would like to finish this year are the crocheted afghan, one embroidered pillowcase, cross stitched family tree, Lady of the Thread, knit stockings, knit socks, and the punch needle design. I will be trying to post regular updates of these projects.
Speaking of projects, I have removed the drop down menu of my completed projects. It was getting too long, and I didn't enjoy messing with all that HTML. My completed projects are now listed on this page. You can also find the link underneath my blog header, next to the Scrappin' Saturday page.

For the month of January, my goals are:

1. Finish and mail belated Christmas gifts.
2. Finish granny squares for crocheted afghan.
3. Start participating in Tatting Tea Tuesday.

Scrappin' Saturday XV

Welcome to Scrappin' Saturday - take a peek into the pages of my scrapbooks, and learn how I made them.

Background Paper: A sheet of pink paper, probably from a pastel 'stack'.
Border: Spellbinders Borderabilities Classic Lace Border
Photos: Some I simply cropped, others I cropped and rounded the corners. The center photo was cut and layered using Creative Memories Cutting System Oval Patterns
Die Cuts: Spellbinders Nestabilities Scalloped Paisley and Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels One On the die cuts I listed the pattern, and a few notes about it.
Project Pictured: My first heirloom sewing project. The pictures and a few details are in the slideshow at the bottom of the post.