Bacon Salt - My Quest to help my Hubby & I make Helathier Choices

Hello Craft-Stalker fans, I have to first appologize for not posting in quite a long time now. I have gone through a few changes with work that has me putting in more hours at work than there are in a normal day and I have also transitioned into a NEW Quad Core PC with the new Windows 7 and man has it been a mission to learning something new!

Hubby had been feeling very poorly in the last year or more and with no healthcare insurance and not allot of money coming in you just dont visit with a DR as much. He finally broke down and spent $140 for a doctor to have a look and see what might be the trouble....

The weight has always been an obvious issue, however the headaches he was getting in the last few months were enough to make him almost want to kill, I had to insist he find out what may be causing it. Not having issue swith allergies or anything in the past is not a good exscuse to even consider that being older and old age taking its toll can be a factor.  What we may have been able to get away with when we were younger is quickly becoming rather apparent that were can no longer get away with it...its time we take control of what we allowed to spiral way out of control over the course of our 39-46 years of live here. CHANGE IS GOOD, so why not start with DIET...we will work on the excesize part later...lets take on 1 thing at a time for now.

So Doc suggests hubby go on a DASH diet. I immedietly think Mrs. Dash and with good reason, its uses throughout many different kinds of diets where LO SODIUM is the recommendation and taste is a desire many of have when thinking about eating, but who don't care for when its absent from what we choose to put into our mouths.

Create a Miniature Burger Charm - Video Tutorial

Well allot has happened recently that has been keeping me from being able to come and post here to my blog. I have not been able to create anything lately to write about either. I did see this video here and wanted to share it. It was my 1st time seeing it so I believe it may be yours as well.
Enjoy!
Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Viva Decor Precious Metal Colours Hi Gloss Metal Effect Varnish -Review

Everyone has been talking about and testing the new Pardo Clay by Viva Decor, but did you know they had a precious metal colour paint?

Viva Decor Precious Metal Colours Review - Hi Gloss Metal Effect Varnish

Something else to have to try!

I've already am curious to try out the new Pardo Clay by Viva Decor, a new line of polymer clays that is beeswax based. Just recently introduced to the North American Market.

The distributor was kind enough to included some of the new Precious Metal Paints in Leslie's order to try. The new paints come in a collection of bright, metallic colors, that are mixable and seem to be created primarily with gold, silver and pearl mica pigments. Leslie said you can achieve a very high gloss metallic look with just one coat, even on black polymer clay. She works with miniatures and was impressed with the one coat coverage, and the gloss varnish finish that was nice and thin that they don't fill in tiny details!

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Miniatur Wunderland largest model railway / railroad in the world - VIDEO

The image video of Miniature Wunderland Hamburg http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/ , the largest model railway in the world and one of the most successful permanent exhibitions in Germany.

I am in awe, and now have to visit Germany just in search to see this exhibition!
One of the many reasons I love miniatures and you will love them to once you have seen this!!!

It's simply unbelievable. The Miniature Wunderland model railroad in Hamburg , Germany is the largest in the world, covering 16,146 square feet of space with more than 10,000 train cars running around its 6.8 miles of HO scale track. Now, the makers of this huge layout have created a video that gives you a jaw-dropping look at the vast scope of this intricate work of art.Its construction started in 2000, and is still underway, with a tiny airport due for completion by the end of this year. This is just the beginning — there are plans to double the layout by 2014. We especially like the Las Vegas portion, complete with dazzling LEDs lighting up the night.Watch the new video above to get the full impact of this remarkable achievement, which has taken in excess of 500,000 working hours to build. There's good reason why this is Germany 's most popular attraction, already visited by more than 5 million flabbergasted tourists

Hope you Enjoyed!!!!

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

LEGO Artworks by Nathan Sawaya

This is so incredible I couldn't resit sharing with everyone here on my blog. You have to see this to believe it. Live size replicas of people and all sorts of neato LEGO looking things. Not to mention if you read the captions or facts under each one you will learn something about Lego's I myself never before would have thought to even look up.


20 Incredible LEGO Artworks by Nathan Sawaya Bored Panda

Enjoy!
Andrea "Cre8"

CraftyGoat's Notes: Review: Pardo Jewellery Clay

Well this is the most informative of all reviews about this clay. I agree with everything Angela says here in regards to the clay, the stickiness, the appeal of the colors, the lack of colors available in store comparative to ordering online where you will have to pay shipping on top of an already expensive product, and the overall cost compared to the other clay brands, etc.. She does several test on the clay from stressing the clay bending it, using a laser transfer, then antiquing with paint, alcohol inks and finishing with Future Floor Acrylic wax as a finish. A must read if your interested in this product.

CraftyGoat's Notes: Review: Pardo Jewellery Clay

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Norwegian Designer Offering Customized Cufflinks - Miniatures

These are no ordinary cuff links! I love miniatures so I had to share about these when I found them.

Full write up about them at:
Norwegian Designer Offering Customized Cuff links Fashion Trendsetter

Enjoy!

Cre8ively Yours

Andrea "Cre8"

Crazy Little Critters

These were so adorable, I just had to share. Made from polymer clay and allot of creativity. I love imagination working full force.

Tell me what you think




Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

How To Videos on Howcast | The best how to videos on the web

How to do almost anything ~

fun and funny videos for how to do lots and lots of things ...

with good instructions for many .....

I JUST HAD TO TO SHARE IT!!!


How To Videos on Howcast The best how to videos on the web

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Tory Hughes Polymer Clay Rings on Daily Art Muse

I always loved the wonderful work of the talented Tory Hughes, but I had never before seen her rings. I love what she does, this is an artist who really thinks outside of the box. Using her many years of experience working with polymer clay, Tory has created the most interesting and beautifuly fashionable rings that you can not even tell that they were made from clay.

Check them out!!!


high5 polymer clay: tory hughes Daily Art Muse


Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Testing The New Pardo Jewelry Clay Products

Garie Sims does it again this time with a few great and thorough tests of the new Jewelry clay Pardo marketed by Viva Decor.

Pardo Jewelry Clay is polymer clay, that needs to bake in an convection oven at a temperature of 275 º F (120 ºC to130 º C), it contains pure natural beeswax (as a plasticiser replacing phthalates) and premium pigments, its a more eco-friendly polymer clay.

Pardo Clay is available in 69 colours, from basic to various shades and tints, The colours are well produced it's very cool, wide choices for jewelry artist and other clayer.

Testing The New Pardo Jewellery Clay Products

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

I opened a Store - How Can I Advertise it? - Business Advice

You can sign up for Twitter and tweet about it (send a text message up to 140 characters in length, can include links) and let people who like the type of things you create know when you have new items up for sale.

Set your profile status on facebook to your store.

Advertise your store link in your signature for your emails and thus all your message posts to groups. (*General rule to keep your email signature to a maximum of three (3) lines of text). *Please note that when your posting anything to message groups and forums that everyone may have their own rules about advertising certain types of links from within your signature. Example: XYZ Clay Group on yahoo has an Official/ Dedicated supplier (one willing to give a discount off products to all members of that group in exchange for the privilege of having the groups membership base as their possible customer base) and thus you can not have links in your signature to a site or stores that may sell products of the same type as the official supplier. 

Put the link to your store online in anything you mail, or post, make some business cards and be sure to put the link on them in a font that can be easily viewed. On business cards you do not need to have the http:// part of the website address printed, just the www. DebsStore.com should work great. You can get 200 FREE business cards through Vista Print for like $1.99 and the price of shipping or something, its like cheep and they are nice cards. I have heard of other services you can get cards from online and you may find some less that are even better. I know the free ones with Vista have their logo on the very bottom of the back with their info/link. A very small price to pay for FREE cards for just the cost of shipping, but your image speaks of who you are. Your an artist and you don't use cheap materials and supplies in your art, perhaps you don't want to send a message that your cheap on your cards. Many people will not realize this or even care, but there may be few in your own mind then you may not wish to go this route. I have heard different opinions about this.

Depending on what you sell you can create specials and advertise them where those types of products would be of interest and need.

If you sell supplies you might wish to create a class where you can in turn sell the supplies needed to complete the class.

Make up starter kits of clay and tools, and maybe include a little tutorial or 2 in free with purchase, etc..

There is always a way to make your product/sale/service/idea more desirable to others.

Think of contests to win things from you that you sell that can get others to help you advertise.

Submit your site to the search engines. Most are free and there are free services out there where you can submit your site to many of them with just a few clicks of the mouse and your keyboard. *TIP* You may wish to use a separate free email account like yahoo, hotmail, or gmail so that you can register with the search engines using the email you don;t mind getting allot of email to because all those search engines will reply, as well this email account now may be used for other purposes, after all you just registered your website with many of them for free, there has to be a catch somewhere, of course they may send you notices when its time to renew your free listing etc..

Tell your friends and family.

If you have a restaurant, store or someone you know that wouldn't mind allowing you to put up a flyer or a business card stand (can make a neat one in clay) and leave it with them. You could have friends put their names on the back of the cards so that if someone buys something from you they can get 10% commission or 10% off anything you sell, etc... give them an incentive and you never know what you can get others to allow you do.

Craig's List and other Free to post online community classifieds. Post your link to your site and what your advertising in your message, choose the category that's appropriate and hope for the traffic to start flowing in or if you leave a number your phones are beginning to ring.

I hope these tips help you on your journey to new store ownership no matter what it is your selling Deb. I hope this can help anyone trying to open up a business of their own and market their items/products, services or whatever you wish to deal in. All basically the same principles. Advertise!!! You will get it all back at the end of the year when its time to answer to Uncle Sam.

Cre8ively Yours

Andrea "Cre8"

CDHM Miniature Forum: Live Tutorial

We have an exciting Live tutorial for you Saturday, September 19, 2009
that you will not want to miss. There is still time to gather your
materials and register for the class.

Learn To Make 1:12 Raffia Baskets
Instructor: Hanna Meronen (hannajaleijona)
Class: Sep 19, 2009 :: Time: 8pm Eastern (Eastern European Summer Time
(EEST) +0300 UTC) Finland
http://forums.cdhm.org/index.php/board,388.0.html

Check your local time conversion for this class:
http://forums.cdhm.org/index.php/topic,8884.0.html

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

The New Craft Smart Clay 88 Cents, Save 25-50 % Off Michael's and More

Michael's Crafts This week The new clay if you wish to give it a try for yourself if only 88 cents. Its supposed to be the lowest price of the season.

Sale started today Sunday September 13th and runs through until Saturday September 19, 2009.

Crafts smart Modeling Clay

2 oz./57g Reg. $1.29

50% OFF Michaels Coupon

Also if you get the paper you may enjoy the 50% off any one Regular Prices Item (excluding sale items) coupon. If not click

http://www.mycraftcoupons.com/ and find the coupons you want and print easily print them out. No registration or downloads required.

25-40% AC Moore

Enjoy various 25%-60% off coupons* for AC Moore locations. Coupon valid Sunday, September 13, 2009 through Saturday, September 19, 2009.

40% OFF Joanne's Fabrics and Crafts

Enjoy 40% off any one regular priced item* at Joann locations. Coupon valid through Wednesday, October 7, 2009.

40% OFF Hobby Lobby

Enjoy 40% off any one regular priced item* at Hobby Lobby locations. Coupon valid Monday, September 14, 2009 through Saturday, September 19, 2009

Enjoy!!!

Cre8ively Yours

Andrea “Cre8”

Ain't That Purdy Make Your Own Tombstone - Video Tutorial

Here is my favorite You Tube entertainer Zipster as a very funny character called Loco Mama. She.. he will show you how to make these awesome looking tombstones for your Halloween decorations. Use them for your lawn, doorway or turn your home into a cool spooky house for a party.


Well with any holiday or occasion you could use these same tips to make other lawn ornaments and signs. I was thinking the stork for a new baby, baby shower. Cakes, bears and other characters for a birthday or special celebration. How about creating a complete Circus scene for someones very special day.

**WARNING**

The following video is sure to cause you extreme laughter and possible cramps or soreness in your stomach and or cheeks. Andrea "Cre8", tinycrafts.com and or our current or future sponsors or affiliates can be held liable for your liking and or becoming addicted to the creator of such entertaining comedy. May not be appropriate for all ages however I would rate it PG.

If the video above does not play click on the following link:
YouTube - LOCO MAMA's Ain't That Purdy "Tombstone Edition"




*Personal Disclaimer* This is an actual tutorial meant to teach the viewer how to create something useful and decorative for Halloween. The character depicted in the video is in no way mocking nuns or making fun of any gender or religious sect of people and or making a mockery out of people who may choose to have same-sex relations such as when she refers to the Home Depot as Homo Depot. The Owner of this blog believes that the tutorial itself is useful and is a great method of teaching others how to create something fun. It contains the key elements to qualify as being craft related thus belonging here on this craft blog. She believes also that the character depicted in the video is one she herself truly enjoys and highly recommends the viewing of such character and his/her additional content on YouTube, Subscribe to his channel and enjoy future videos. http://www.youtube.com/user/Zipster08


***Special note to Zipster AKA Loco Mama" Whom I came to know her him by. I love you Zipster!!! You Go GIRL!!! BOY!!! <3

Hearts, Roses & Stripes Polymer Clay Canes - Tutorial

These beautiful items shown here created by the talented Rebekah Payne of Tree Wings Studio, the bowl, picture frame and pen contains elements created with polymer clay in a beautiful compliment of colors with the red roses, the tones of greens in the leaves and wonderfully stark black in the background.

On her blog, Rebekah shows you the easiest rose and leaf cane I have ever seen made using two skinner blend bulls-eye plugs. She shows you step by step as she fashions together he own rose and leaf cane but credits hers after the wonderfully talented Leigh Ross tutorial on Polymer Clay Central's tutorial section of their website . You can find her tutorial online here .

Rebekah then shows you how she creates a beautiful striped cane, the same she used to embellish the items shown in the image above.

Click here for her version of a wonderful tutorial! I give it an AAA+

Tree Wings Studio

Hope you enjoyed this, please do comment and let me know what you think.

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

A One-of-a-Kind Miniature Castle

As quoted from the website: http://www.dollhousecastle.com/
The Dollhouse Castle is owned by Dr. Michael Freeman and his wife Lois Freeman and is currently on loan to the Nassau Museum of Art Tee Ridder Division. It is an incredible one of a kind masterpiece valued (and officially appraised) at $1.1 million. It is a work of art unparalleled in the area of miniatures and miniature structures. It is 100% handcrafted in a 1” to 1’ scale and stands a grand 9 feet high (not including the base), is over 5 feet wide, and weighs about 800 pounds. The quality, depth, and attention to detail are so realistic that an interior photo (no matter how high quality) gives no clue that in fact, the photo is of a miniature. Each photo looks as if it is of an actual full size room. The level of detail ranks it as one of the finest miniature structures in the world today. Over 100,000 pieces are contained within its walls, that were built, commissioned, or purchased to the highest standards. It contains gold, original oil paintings, and handcrafted moldings. It must be seen in person to be believed!

Hope you enjoyed this, please comment and let me know what your thinking, what you like to see from me and more. I love to read your comments to me.

Cre8ively Yours

Andrea "Cre8"

Life-Sized (full-scale) Dollhouse by Heather Benning

Well Mary, my friend and partner in the Air Dry Clay group we founded together online on Yahoo Groups, sends me this link. I am in awe over this and just had to post about it.

Still ...Two questions remain, though: (1) what would it look like if you populated it with poseable figures and (2) how strange would it be to try and live in such an enclosure?

As a miniaturist and person who owns a few "dollhouses" of my own I was intrigued by this wonderful find online and the images that show you from inside and out on this one blog, although there are many blogs online who have posted something or another about it. I also could not find a website for the wonderful artist Heather Benning.

Life-Sized Dollhouse Design

Enjoy!!!

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Abney Park - Sleep Isabella - Steampunk Music

Steampunk in everything even Steampunk music.

Enjoy this Music Video, the music is wierd but nice almost Morroccan or something like that, and the costumes of the cast are certainly Steampunkish.

Enjoy!!!


Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Multi Colored Skinner Blend - Instruction Discussion

The questions was asked in one of my polymer clay message groups, how can you cut the clay for making a multi colored skinner blend so it will fit in the pasta machine from left to right (side to side) Horizontally.

Well I just happened to have made a multi colored skinner blend the other day. I figured I would just have to cut my clay smaller to accommodate the maximum width I could achieve within the allowance of the guides in my pasta machine (Atlas Mercado). Approximately 5 + 3/4". Everyone says 6" but its really not.

With a skinner blend you want to keep folding your rolled out clay up over top of itself, keeping the like colors vertically (up/down).

Like most new teachers who try to teach things in a hurry I left out the most important sample to show you by not taking a picture of the blend when it was complete.

However I did take a picture of the plug I made from the blend I had created. (See image on Left)

This is really a good way to condition many colors at once. As soon as you have made your skinner blend you can fold it like a brochure and then run it through on a thinner setting on your pasta machine to get a long strip of all the colors of clay.

You can fan fold it like I did in the image above, before creating the plug you see. You can choose to cut each colors at their end before its blend into the next color and just use the colors on their own now all conditioned for you and ready to use.

Here I just rolled out the plug above and was making it into a long snake. I later used it as a chop and toss Natasha Mix I made rainbow beads with my new bead roller sets from Poly-Tools.

I will show those off in a later blog post when I have finished polishing/sealing them.

Hope you enjoyed this demonstration!

Cre8ively Yours

Andrea "Cre8"

Movies with Steampunkish things in them to get your inspired

5 Weeks in a Balloon 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Nemo uber alles, in general)
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. Air Captain and the World of Tomorrow (diesel on a quibble) Air-pirates
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Dark City
D. Gray Man
Back to the Future III - All of Doc Brown's Wild West gadgets.
Castle in the Sky
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
City of Ember
City of Lost Children - Some very steam punk tech and Props - A great French film with a lot of bazaar technology(with Ron Perlman and Brad Dourif {sp?})-
Delicatessen
The Disney Atlantis movie
Doc Savage (okay, pretty diesel)
Dr. Who/Torchwood - TV Series, available on DVD, some very steampunk planets and tech, clockwork villains, in one episode 51st century's space ship is intertwined with 18th century Versailles.
Escaflowne
Fearless Vampire Hunter
Fifth Element. The flying noodle bar And the (spelling) Monacheewa ship. Firefly: (TV SERIES) Okay, more like space cowboys meet steam technology. But the series is great and well worth a watch :D Haven't seen the movie (titled Serenity after the ship) but I hear it's good too.
First Men in the Moon
Food of the Gods
Full Metal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alcehmist: Conqueror of Shamballa
Geo-Armour (anime),
The Golden Compass
Jason and the Argonauts (just for the big metal dude)
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Any Hammer film with the word "Frankenstein" in the title Any Hammer film with the word "Dracula" in the title Hellboy - Props, Abe's office, and the clockwork villain The Holy Mountain -The weapons
Howls Moving Castle, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and Nausica: Valley of the Wind: (ANIME/MOVIES) Only Howls Moving Castle has any evidence of Victorian-era inspiration, but all of them employ technology that seems much more advance for the time. Laputa, especially, with it's air pirates and steam-powered mine trains. Nausica is almost post-steampunk, but the lives of the people are dependant on jerry-rigged technology.
Kronos: the Vampire Killer
Last Exile
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - (With Sean Connery) lots and lots of period/advance technology
Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland: (ANIMATED MOVIE) Based loosely on the early 1900's newspaper comics. The beginning is set in Victorian/Edwardian era, and follows Nemo -who is NOT a fish- as he finds himself in Slumberland. It's definitely a kids movie, but there are steam trains, airships, and Victorian-styled clothing, so I think it's a good movie for the little Stempumpkins in our lives.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by Kenneth Brannah
Metropolis - the Anime version, steam world.
Moulin Rouge
The Mutant Chronicles (B-movie, made for Sci-Fi)
The Mysterious Island
Mysterious Mercenaries
Naked Lunch - The typewriter
Perfect Creature
The Prestige Recent. David Bowie as Nicola Tesla!
Reanimator - And Basically Anything by Brian Yuzna
Robot Carnival a series of shorts (Anime)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (honorary)
Seven Voyages of Sinbad (just for the Minotaur)
"The Shadow (okay, pretty diesel)
Stardust
Steamboy - Anime, steampunk universe Here is a link to The Steamboy Anime if you want to take a look, you may not be able to understand it though. http://www.56.com/u84/v_MTY4OTgyNzM.html
The Time Machine Tin Man (Sci-Fi Channel)
Time After Time
US The Secret Adventures of Jules VerneValley of Gwangi (cowboys and dinosaurs, hurray!) Van Hellsing - Crap Movie, cool weapons Voyagers (Old TV series now on DVD) I know- not a movie- but the plot often involves mixing of technology across different time periods in unique ways to solve plot issues...
Warehouse 13 (TV show on Sci-Fi)
The Watchmen
The Water EngineWild West Tech - Shows cool and innovative gadget that really did exist, great inspiration.Wild, Wild West - Mad Scientist Villain set in the Wild West. Young Frankenstein

Not a movie but something to see now:
Check out this Bridge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Smaller.JPG

Here is a video of a Steampunk Fair
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b75vrsoT8qM

California Steampunk Convention 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5dJ1YLNC64

True Steampunk - Images of Steampunkish things
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkpfU2DRE-E

Steampunk Final Fantasy Anime Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2YIUdhhkYY

Abney Park - She last Exile - Anime Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCDd8_4Wz6g&feature=related

Steampunk 0001 - Video showing lots of steampunk things
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vpacKQG-IE

Steampunk Trailer - Video of making of Game - Shows lots of Steampunk - Ruggid Functional hard Edged weapons, vehicles and more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn8BXzGJQ8M

Here is a cool video of a game called Cogs, which are the gears in the workings of a clock:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZzWVkJ5fZk



Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

"How can I make even strips of clay for weaving a basket?"

Okay the question was asked, "how can I make even strips of clay for weaving a basket?"





One of my answers was that if you had the added attachment that may have come with your pasta machine you could roll the clay out on the pasta machine and then run it through the added fettuccine attachment and get nice even strips of clay all the same width, and thickness. Length depends on how long you roll the clay out. You can make it as wide as your pasta machine and then run it through the attachment.





I had never before used this attachment. When I did though there was a little streaking of rust, but very little. Only warning those of you who might like to try this to run some scrap clay through it a few times to help clean yours up a bit.





Now I did this example/test with polymer clay because I did not want to mix up a batch of ADC just for this. None the less it worked amazingly well and I believe it would work for most other clays you would put through your pasta machine that at least had a nice dough consistency. Now I did not use talc or cornstarch or anything, just put it through the machine after a bit of conditioning and a few passes to make a flat sheet of clay through the pasta machine. If you have a clay that feels a bit sticky or tacky you may wish to give it a generous coating of talc or corn starch before running it through to ensure it does not get stuck in the slits of the attachment. It appears that there is not real way to clean it out if it should.









I then took the strips of clay and weaved them into the basket weave. Up, under, Up, Under, etc.. and then I cut it out using my large square cookie cutter as shown the collage above. It was a quick few passes with the clay to make the flat sheet and some of the strips of clay I used were not really straight so I decided to draw some lines on it with my needle tool and I think it looks pretty neat. Would make a nice piece as earrings, a ring, pendant, background for a cabochon, etc.. So may things I can see myself covering with these. There is an even smaller attachment on the other side of the fettuccine cutter side I need to try to see what it will cut. Have to wait till I have a bit more time on my hands. Still am late on my August baby challenge baby.

Other methods suggested was to use a paper guillotine, a clay gun with the ribbon disc or just measure, mark and cut with a straight edged tool of some kind.

Cre8ively Yours

Andrea "Cre8"

New September Edition AIM Miniatures Magazine FREE Online Edition

No matter what craft your into, most are into miniatures or should be...so here is a little something to infect you all with the miniature bug if you have not already been bitten =-)



September edition (Issue 15) of the FREE AIM miniatures magazine is now
available to enjoy online at (http://www.artisans inminiature. com/)

Enjoy!
Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Make your own polymer clay cutters - Tutorial

In earlier blog posts I have discussed creating your own cookie cutters for clay, fondant or to be used for just cookies.

Here Sue "The Aggie Journalist" has made a beautiful cookie cutter in the shape of the State of Texas.

Check out her instructions here:
Make your own polymer clay cutters « sue’s news

Enjoy!!!


Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Kiwi Fruit Cane - Polymer Clay - Video Tutorial

GentlemanBunny does it again with a nice brand new tutorial on making miniature kiwi fruit polymer clay cane. You can use air dry clay to perform the same steps and you should get the same results. Just tint your air dry clay to the colors needed for your kiwi fruit cane. go to http://www.google.com/, click on images and search for an image of the inside of a kiwi fruit for more realism.

Enjoy!!!


Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Replicate Lampwork Beads With Clay - Tutorial

Recently I saw this and was in awe. I have seen what appeared to be lampwork glass blown beads created by another artist and I wondered how in the world did she get them to look that shiny. They were ovals with the centers cut out in the shape of round circles and the insides which I remember she referred to as "Inners" were the most beautiful of the beads she had created using this method I imagine. Nothing went to waste and the colors were just wonderful.

I would love to see anyones creations should they use this wonderful tutorial by Judy Belcher on Home & Garden Television.


Enjoy!!!
Replicate Lampwork Beads With Clay : Crafting : Home & Garden Television


Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Basic Rose - Cold Porcelain Clay -TUTORIAL

How to create a basic rose

http://www.coldporcelainflower.com/TutorialRose.html



Again I am sure you can use any kind of clay to get the same results.

Enjoy!!!

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

__,_._,___

Sculpey Clay Rat - Video Tutorial

This is just the cutest so I just had to post it. Could be done in other kinds of clay not just polymer clay but cold porcelain clay or other air dry clay would work.

Enjoy!

Cre8ively Yours

Andrea "Cre8"

Soap Making -Video Tutorial

Melt and Pour Rubber Duck Soaps

A very nice and easy looking project. Make your own decorative soaps.

Enjoy!

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Fast Easy Paper Mache Recipe - Video Tutorial

Certainly he makes it look easy. Does not get his hands messy but makes it look easy.

Hope you enjoyed!

Cre8ively Yours

Andrea "Cre8"

Jane Zhao Rose Tutorial & Spotted Lily Petal Cane NOW ON DVD!!!

The very 1st real (beautiful) flower cane I ever made was a rose cane I made thanks to my good friend Jane Zhao. She is a member of my polymer clay guild and was teaching a class on a night I had planned on driving up and sitting in on the guild meeting to see how it was. Since I live far away from where the meetings were held and far from where Jane lives here in Florida as well as where she is willing to travel to teach I thought it a great opportunity to kill 2 birds with 1 stone and do both. I was taking a class from Jane live on how to make a rose cane from polymer clay. I brought in just the materials she requested, the colors were up to me what I chose and I beautiful rose cane was born, one of which I still have quite a bit of and use in my beads quite often thanks to the methods Jane has taught me.

Jane has just come out with two videos on making her canes. I hope they are just a coupe of more from her to come. She is such a wonderful teacher even though she herself thinks her English is not as good because she is Chinese.

Jane's Rose Cane making video is Two hours worth of making two (2) types of the rose cane. She shows you how to reduce the cane for cutting and slicing into beads for a nice necklace she shows how you can make. She makes beads and shows you how you can roll your own beads by hand without using a machine, how to pierce the beads to make holes in them for stringing and how to use up some scrap clay as well as some other nice things like the skinner blend, using the pasta machine, a nice blend of clay for making a nice clear translucent clay and more. Its $39.99 and can be purchased through her website or at Polymer Clay Productions as they were the ones who helped her make the videos.

The Lily Flower Cane making video is 1 Hour of her showing you how to make a skinner blend, a skinner plug, two type of lily petals small and large, her way of reducing canes, using the pasta machine, fan folding clay, creating lily flower pendent, pin or one that's both a pendent and a pin using different findings, as well as how to make and place an eye pin in the clay, enforce the clay to make jewelry items that wont break etc.. This Spotted Lily Petal cane, Spotted Lily flower and Spotted Lily Jewelry was in the Spring Edition of the 2007 PolymerCAFE' Magazine Vol. 5 No.2. Jane was featured in this magazine along with Charlene A. Therien who made a beautiful Calalily flower cane tutorial and many other nice project how tos are in there as well. The video is only 29.99.

So if you make your own beads and jewelry items and want to learn her methods you now can in your very own living room with Jane on these DVD videos.

Jane Zhao is from Shanghai China and there she was a Chinese landscape artist. When she came here to the US she was not able to do her landscape paintings but instead found polymer clay. A new world was opened up to Jane and she continues to use polymer clay as a way of transforming the same concepts she learned with painting into her wonderful polymer clay canes of flowers, butterflies, fish, leaves, feathers and many other wonderful things. Jane is also a certified Instructor for Donna Dewberry, Bob Ross Certified and also Studio By Sculpey Certified to Teach and Certify others.

I do her website and she has been such a good customer always providing me with her products she sells like her wonderful wet dry color coded micro fiber sandpaper set. I got one of her most beautiful and should be famous for polymer clay beaded watch band watches along with a matching set of earrings. She made me another set of earrings that matched my website and I have a painting by her that was one that got her certified in Bob Ross oil painting. She is a wonderful artist but when it comes to polymer clay canes and replicating images in them she is a master and will take any image and make it into a clay cane.

Visit Jane Zhao at http://www.janezhaoarts.com

Cre8ively Yours

Andrea "Cre8"

Cookie Cutters - Where To Buy

Great online source for Cookie Cutters for use with any kind of clay, fondant or just cookies. Many different sets and shapes. The single cutters are not priced to high and there seems to be a nice selection of mini cutters. I love the maple leaf. http://www.homemadekits.com/

Additionally I went stumbling cookie cutters and found some very unusual ones.

WARNING****The following link is to some adult cookie cutters. If you have young ones do not click to this next link when they are around and or if you yourself feel you may be offended by suck content. Kama Sutra Cookie Cutters http://nerdapproved.com/bizarre-gadgets/kama-sutra-cookie-cutters/ $40 US is a bit much. I would resort to making my own just because I would be embarrassed to buy something like that LOL (Cre8)

NOTE*The rest of the following links are okay for everyone's viewing pleasure and enjoyment:

Here you can purchase kits or just the aluminum strips for making your own using the methods you have seen the others to create your own shapes. http://www.foosecookiecutters.com/store/cutterkits/

Here are some adorable cookie cutters called ABC cookie cutters. Already Been Chewed, just check them out for yourself if you dont believe me. I think they are adorable. http://www.worldwidefred.com/abc.htm

NOW this has to be the Mecca of Cookie Cutter sites to buy from. In my opinion you would need no other....OMG (Oh My Gawd) Cookie Cutter Heaven. http://www.cookiecuttershop.com/ more than 700 remarkable cookie cutters (in their words) YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS! This site claims to have the Worlds Largest Collection of Cutters. They have lots of mini cookie cutters and claim that if you dont see it you can ask for it.

I could not see how to shop this site though. Perhaps someone else attempting to find out more for their own needs will be more successful than I was in my attempts. http://www.kitchengifts.com/minicutters.html They do look like some real nice copper cutters.

Here is a place for cookie cutters and anything cake decorating related who deal internationally and are based in the UK: http://www.cakescookiesandcraftsshop.co.uk/acatalog/Cookie_Cutter_Shop.html

Another site for cutters and other cake decorating tools and based internationally in the UK: http://www.design-a-cake.co.uk/ They have a huge store if your ever in the area.

Grahams Cutters has all kinds of cookie cutters and molds. The metal ones can be found here: http://www.grammascutters.com/categories.asp?cat=81 Nice selection of mini cutters. Look like they come in mini tins for safe keeping.

Okay I think I did enough stumbling for the night. Time for bed to rest my cre8ive head. I am off today, have a new chaise lounger to pick up for my craft studio and its back home for a clay play date with hubby.

Hope you Enjoyed!

Cre8ively Yours

Andrea "Cre8"

Polymer Clay and Free-Form Wire Pendant - Tutorial

Create this beautifully stunning pendant with Polymer Clay and wire with this free online tutorial by Cynthia Powell
Polymer Clay and Free-Form Wire Pendant by Cynthia Powell : Crafters Cafe, Your source for unique art and craft supplies

Enjoy!


Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Weldbond Glue

I was simply amazed at what this stuff can do when I read about it just now on this website for WeldBond.

http://www.franktross.com/weld_craft.asp

There is a contest going on apparently and you can see lots of nice eye candy of things made using this stuff.

http://www.franktross.com/gallery/gallery.html

This stuff is amazing from what I can see. Most cases you mix it with water so you get more out of it dependent upon use. I have seen it sold in Wall-Mart and it was under $3US for what I think was the 8oz size.

I like that it can be used for image transfers, not of photos but of magazine printed type images where you apply it to the image, leave it to dry clear and then let it sit in some water until the paper will be soft enough to remove and the image will stay which can be used for so many different applications. Not to mention decoupage, reinforcing those plaster molds to keep them from chipping, bonds wood, glass, ceramics, porcelain, marble, granite and so many surfaces for so many different craft as well as other helpful uses.

Enjoy!

Cre8ively Yours

Andrea "Cre8"

Warning: eBay will be using photos without creators' permission.

Do you use eBay to sell your handmade crafts and or other items? I don't know about you, but I know I want to see images of the actual item I am to bid on for eventual purchase should I win it, and or just whatever on a Buy It Now (BIN). With the new things set by eBay it seems they have implemented yet another stupid thing that can not benefit anyone who is worth buying from let alone anyone who may be doing the buying. Starting August 31st, 2009 if you don't opt out you may be allowing other eBay members to sell items and use your images in their listings.

Now some eBay users may not be effected by this opt in opt out nonsense, like eBay.ca (Canada) I have heard does not seem to have the option available in their member settings to opt in or out, at least not at this time. It is also believed that eBay is not making an announcement of this change and any user who does not go into their My eBay account and manually opt out will be automatically opting in by default.

Read all about it here:

eBay will be using photos without creators' permission.

Please comment and tell me and others reading and following this blog what you think about this.

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Smallest Toolbox Ever!

Surprise Dad with the smallest toolbox ever!

These tiny tool boxes are the cool. Great way to use Altoid Tins.

Surprise Dad with the Smallest Toolbox Ever! - Once Upon a Holiday - Alpha Mom™

Homemade Cutters - How To Tutorial

Good friend and cold porcelain flower designer artisan Rubina Karachi show you how she makes her own homemade cookie cutters, she uses and creates to use as clay cutters to cut petals and leaves out of clay to create her beautiful arrangements.

Gemini Art and Crafts: homemade cutters

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Clay Ladybug Pot Pal on HGTV

Becky Meverden shows how to create this adorable polymer clay lady bug planter pot pal on HGTV.
Clay Ladybug Pot Pal : Crafting : Home & Garden Television

Enjoy!

Cre8ively Yours

Andrea "Cre8"

Clay Ladybug Pot Pal on HGTV

Becky Meverden shares her method how to create this adorable polymer clay lady bug planter pot pal on HGTV.

Enjoy!
Clay Ladybug Pot Pal : Crafting Home and Garden Television

Cre8ively Yours

Andrea "Cre8"

Popsicle Stick Purse - Video Tutorial

I always wanted to know how to make one of these. Now that I know I wonder if I can make one in miniature with flat toothpicks. If any of you try it let me know. Love the whole technique, looks easy the way this artist does it.

Enjoy!!!




Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

String Art Pendants - Video Tutorial

Interesting way to make string art wearable art. Seems easy enough, not only that but learn how to make your own home made wire curler. Not sure of the technical name for it, but the thing that lets you wind wire into long coils. She uses a cheap simple bracket you can buy in most any hardware stores and some thick gauge copper wire. She then uses a thinner gauge wire to create the frame of the pendent and then embroidery floss to wrap the wire frames to create the string art. Use different colors of embroidery floss and or different wire frame shapes as well as different wire colors to get different looks and effects of string art jewelry.

Enjoy!



Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

How to Make Miniature Potatoes For Your Dollhouse

Very good video tutorial on making miniature baking potatoes. Enjoy!



Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

PHOTO BEAD BRACELET TUTORIAL

This is a neat tutorial on how to make photo beads. Here shown in the tutorial is a bracelet however there are many other items you can make from these same type of beads. All you need is some images you can resize, some clear - see through (Non iridescent) marble 1/2's from the floral department of Wall-Mart or other home department or craft store. These are like mini magnifiers.

You need a printer for your computer to print out your resized images and glue one of each of the images to each one of each of the 1/2 marbles. Make beads with Fimo, Sculpey or other polymer clay and fasten a marble 1/2 with photo hot glued to the flat bottom on top of the clay bead. Fasten with clay.

Air dry clay I am sure can be used since there is no need to bake it, however I think that using a glue gun glue to glue the images to the marble 1/2 which is recommended as this type of glue because it will not yellow when being heated (Good tip to know). The curing process does something as it reheats and re-melts the glue so I believe there are no bubbles in the finished and cured bead.

Tips from Cre8:
Use different colors for you beads.
Try using cane slices.
Try making lentil swirl beads and then applying the 1/2 marbles with the images to make the beads.

They suggest making pins, magnets, key chains and other neat items. How about making a pen with a fat end tapering to a thin end of the pen and on the back (fat end) add a 1/2 marble with the image under it to the tip.

Enjoy!

PHOTO BEAD BRACELET

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Robinsons 'Bird house'

If you love miniatures like I love miniatures you should love this juice commercial. I had to watch it a few times over again to try and check out everything and how they may have created much of it.

Check it out and comment back and let me know what you think of it.



Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"

Video - How to Make a Polymer Clay Heart

Learn how to make a whimsical polymer clay heart with screw in his head. Craftside blogger/author/craftster Stefanie Girard and "Polymer Clay and Mixed Media " author Christi Friesen...
How to Make a Polymer Clay Heart

ArtTrader Magazine - Free Onliine PDF 42 Page Download

Awesome online magazine. ArtTrader is for ATC or ATCO's but other things can be learned by reading this interesting ezine.

There is an awesome tutorial on making an organizer to store your marking pens, water color pens, pens of any kind, and or your crafting tools using Matt board.

Another how to on using Wax to add texture to your cards and or even scrap book projects. Using Wax to add texture can be used on many surfaces and projects.

So check out ArtTrader Magazine and enjoy!

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"