Scrap no more!

Here's few of my scrap clays... when working with canes, it is impossible not to have scraps! i usually use these scraps in my beads... i knead them, cover with fresh clay, then cover with canes slices... i love love love beads!

but today, i made something new.... in my previous blog, i talked about resin and how i enjoy working with the medium. i love the idea of making collage using mixed materials, and pour it with resin... bezel plays an important part... in the Philippines where materials are limited and expensive, you have to be a little creative to get what you want.

i baked these last night... from scraps to these... yeheyy!!!  (the reason why i am sleepy now. lol! )

my very own bezel! :)

i used makins clay extruder and makins texture sheet for this one... applied some mica powder too!

i used ballpen to make textures

Hello hello Sebastian! :)

made some swirls and attached it to clay

will put holes using drill bit - no worries everything is secured.. a wire /jumpring is attached for protection.
im soo excited to use these in my collage projects! :)

will try to make a tutorial soon!  see yah!

Note: im just a crafter, not a writer.

Something New....

I have been busy lately... busy thinking of what to sell in Global Pinoy Bazaar this coming November 5 and 6....  Yes, I am pressured. The participants are the members of the Phil Polymer Clay Guild - and they are great great artists! I need to make something different... my works may not be as great as theirs.. but it could be a bit different at least. :)

I just bought a beading book, and it inspired me to create something unique... the author used brass bezel, crackle paste, dried leaves and few text cut-outs and ice resin!
She put the crackle paste in a bezel, painted it and made a collage using the dried leaves and few cut-outs then poured the ice resin.. ahhhhhh the output is sooo lovely and i fell in love with it!

it just hit me an idea and worked on my own version.. i dont have bezel so i made one using polymer clay! lol! since im still practicing the technique i just used what's available... 

in this project, i used my newly bought setting as texture.. yes.. i made my own setting using a setting.. lol! anyway so i used 2 settings here... they have nice textures huh?
i stamped clover leaf in one and transferred  image (heat transfer) in the other...

 

this is the back of my own version of bezel

poured few drops of EasyCast Resin Mix.

one thing i learned, yes, resin hardens overnight.. but it fully cures in 24 hrs.. so never never touch it until its fully cured, this is to avoid having dust all over your work.

and yes, since i wanted to make something different. i covered it with wire... this is just a practice project.. the wire isnt perfect yet... (bara-barang gawa)

i created this last night.. poured resin... i wanted it to look like the face -  just got our from the water... i dont know that to call it yet. but i love the result!

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call me cheap! but you just dont know how happy i was when i received this from raymond... :) i was planning to buy these later, but i got it for free sooo i am happy.... 

What? do i hear you asking what's this for?

there....  when working with RESIN you have to make sure that you have the right measurement... 1:1 ratio. it isnt an easy to measure just few ml using measuring cups... this is a great alternative. currently, i am using only one syringe, and i know it would be great to have separate containers.. Yipeeeeeeee!!!!!


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i also had a chance to use my old old plug... i just inserted few slices of golden brown polymer clay and covered it.. here's what i got...

a Dangling Stud Earrings heheheh !

im planning to make stud earrings using only the filigrees... i think it would be better than this,  it will be sturdy and i wont have problem attaching it with studs! :) so excited to try it !;)


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Hey... look! been working with wires for 2 weeks in a row! and so far i am enjoying it...  i made a wired cuff using # 16 wires... and designed it with clays...

my friends call this a nymph... with wind blown hair...

the back side

swirled...  im just super happy with my new pliers... Nelson wrapped it with rubber so my wirework is neat and clean! yeheyyy!

when worn...

Expect more of these in Global Pinoy Bazaar - Rockwell Tent November 5- 6!

See you!

Working Area

yesterday i was super excited to use my new working area... i used to work inside my room where i would put all the opened storage boxes on my bed and work in a customized table with size 1'x1.5'. yes, i know it is too small! i was too lazy to arrange all stuff after using them; so in one month i did not play with my clays. I missed claying, but organizing stuff after playing with clay is not an easy task.. hayyy....

so i decided to have my own working area just in front of my room, actually it it looks like an extension of my room... it used to be my brother's study area; a computer table and a huge round table was there, so i had to get rid of that table and replace it with a customized one... thanks to Joel the carpenter for being there in such a short notice! yes i know.. i took my brother's place... well they can use the area when I'm not claying so i think its ok... Marlon put a fluorescent lamp just under the shelves.. i love it!  
the area is well ventilated.. with 2 huge windows and door going to our terrace... i can clay while the oven is baking.. :)

after a month of not claying, I've gone too slow! its as if my first time... but was able to make the following  ;)

Lolo Sheldon in Filigree Ring

Some flowers

Its really nice to have your own working area.. when you are comfortable working.. creativity hits!

i tried making my entry for Mica Challenge for CF, but it didn't goes well.. so i decided to stop.. ill just work with it within the week.. it would be my first time joining CF challenge, and i am excited!

i wish to transfer my rack of beads soon.. :)

Crafting Time accepts 1 on 1 workshops!

~ Paper Flower Craft
~ Basic Jewelry Making with Wiring
~ Polymer Clay 101
~ Advanced Polymer Clay Techniques

Release your stress and earn money through craft!

Shoot me a message for details!

Have a crafty day!

Melody

P3's Trash to Treasure Challenge

What’s keeping me busy?

It’s The Philippine Polymer Clay Guild (P3 for short).

We just had an election for council, and I was elected as one of the Ethics heads. P3 is the First org I’ve ever joined, well except for the SFC long time ago… We just published the Rules and Policies and now ready to accept new members. We also had our first ever publicity when we joined a bazaar in UP Diliman.

Everybody knows I love craft… anything about craft… creating something crafty excites me.. And it makes me really happy.. But I’ve never been this happy until I joined this group! With P3, You get to meet a lot of crafty friends, learn more techniques through tutorials and challenges. and of course it feels really good when you get compliments from the experts! J  Though we are from different walks of life, we think alike- CRAFT!

P3 focus more on Polymer Clay. It is our objective to uphold more Pinoy talents through education and challenges.

In my previous blog, I talked about P3’s 1^st challenge. The Black and White Bead Swap. 

Our 2^nd challenge was announced on 1^st week of August. THE TRASH to TREASURE. As the title says, we need to convert trash or recyclable materials into something useful and creative using Polymer Clay as a medium.  And since I want to challenge myself, I signed up!

I wanted to repair my doll using polymer clay… and i'll call my project TREASURE TO TREASURE since I never considered it as trash.. never ever! I love my doll so much.. i received this from my Tita Lina when i was 7.  :)

my repair didnt work.. lol! i still need to get in touch with my drill bit and wires. and it isn't crafty at all.. if the challenge is "to become sentimental".. maybe id get more votes!

A week had passed and I still couldn’t think of any trash that I could convert into a treasure; it was so stressful! 

I thought of a packaging tape core… I can make a bracelet from it.. or a clay covered box. I don’t know why.. but I didn’t feel the excitement in doing it.. its just not me… maybe because I already did something like it..? The decoupage box?

Just not to stress myself, I stopped thinking about it and focused with my Wired Filigree rings ala CF.

 

I noticed that my filigrees look like bottle caps! Yes! A bottle cap... I can make jewelries out of bottle caps! Excitement rushed all over.. I asked my niece and nephew to get some bottle caps from convenient stores just few steps away from our house. We cleaned the caps, and put holes in them. Excited as I was, I worked straight from the cap… didn’t bother to paint them first!

I tried to put a little life to it by adding diamond glaze… but since there was a hole in the cap, the glaze leaked. And maybe a chemical reaction between the cap and the glaze caused the cap to tarnish.

(Lesson learned – paint the cap first!)

(diamond glaze)

Diamond Glaze leaked and left tarnish on the unpainted area (i painted the back when i saw the tarnish. too late! lol!)

So I made new ones…

i tried painting more flower designs in these caps.. but was not able to take pics..

(background is from Donna Dewberry’s One Stroke Painting book)

I used picasa to edit my entry... just wanted to have a vintage look... here's the output!

Our entry was supposed to be posted anonymously… Mine speaks loudly! It’s as if I’ve printed my signature all over… ngek!

So I decided to submit new one.. this one was from a broken locket that I thought I could never use again.

I was happy with the output and sent it!

My Bottle Cap entry won the 3^rd Place! Yahooooooo!!!!! J

I am sooo happy…

2^nd place – from my new Idol, Jhoi Montano

https://www.facebook.com/enjhoiwith.clay

 

 1^st place – from The Cane Queen of the Philippines, Jennifer Cruz.

https://www.facebook.com/purpleluggage

 

Here are the other entries…

Everyone put their best effort in making these lovely pieces… and I salute you girls for joining the challenge. (pede ko na ba iuwi lahat? i love love love everything..  )

  

         

 

  

As I have said a while ago.. P3’s objective is to produce more local talents… and I believe P3’s challenges are ways to improve our craft. We need to challenge ourselves!

I love P3!  You may see our creative jorney here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Philippine-Polymer-Clay-Guild/172264889494140

Note: Im just a crafter.. not a writer...