Calla Lily Hair Sticks, A Handmade Polymer Clay Tutorial

For this tutorial you will need the following;

• Green, orange, and white polymer clay (Fimo, Sculpey, Primo…It’s your choice… I just use what’s cheapest)
• Water based polyurethane
• A blade
• A small paint brush
• A rolling pin of some kind

How to:

Using the white polymer clay, work a small piece of clay in your hands to condition it (roll it out like a snake and then roll it into a ball…then a snake…then a ball…you get the idea). This gets the clay warm and then it will move more easily under the roller.
Once it’s conditioned, roll out the white to about 1/8” thickness and cut out the calla shape. Set it aside for later.
Condition the green and orange clay just like you did with the white.
Roll the green into a 4”long stick that has a diameter of between ¼” and 1/2″. Taper the end making the length 5”. Roll the orange into a 3/4” long stick with a ¼” to 1/2″ diameter (same as the green) and taper it at one end making it 1” long.

Attach the large end of the orange stick to the larger end of the green stick by smooshing them together and then gently rolling out that section until smooth.

Lay the orange end of the now 6” stick on top of the white calla cut out making sure that the cut out comes below the orange line.

Wrap the cut out around the stick and using your fingers, pinch along the edge of the cut out all the way around. This will give them a more delicate and realistic look. Next, pinch the tip and curl the end. And lastly, use your finger to smooth the bottom of the cut out into the green stick surface.
Using the instructions on the polymer clay package, bake the finished hair sticks making sure that they’re really straight. Once they’re cooled give them two or three coats of polyurethane and let them dry.

Aren’t they sweet?

I say detergents even though you’ll find it in your “soap,” body wash, shampoo, toothpaste, lotions, and creams, because so-called “soaps” and shampoos made with SLS or SLES cannot rightly be called soap. Real soap, according to the FDA, is based on saponified lye, or lye that has reacted with oils, not SLS or SLES. The FDA classifies those detergents as drugs and/or cosmetics to be regulated by the Administration, unlike soap, which is not so classified.

Ingestion of SLS through the mouth or skin has been found during government testing to be harmful over time. It’s one of the primary reasons we’re warned not to swallow too much toothpaste, as it is toxic when ingested orally. And it causes skin and eye irritation; the Australian government says that it should be fine when used on the surface of the skin for a short time and then immediately rinsed. Well, what of lotions, which we rub into our skin and leave there? What of conditioners, which we leave at least for several minutes? What of repeated, daily use? I know I shower every day at least once a day and wash my hair every time I shower. I’m almost 42 years old. Anyone want to count how many times I’ve used this stuff, at a minimum?

Interesting thing: SLS is used in labs AS a skin irritant on test animals, so researchers can then test the efficacy of healing agents. Hmmm…

SLES causes skin and eye irritation too. Worse, depending on manufacturing process, SLES may be contaminated with carcinogens ad chemicals which can harm the human nervous system and which have been classified as a possible developmental toxicant that interferes with human development by the California EPA. In addition, these chemicals don’t easily degrade, and can remain in the environment long after you wash them down the drain. Now, not all SLES contains these chemicals, but there’s no way for consumers to tell which ones have undergone an additional process to make them uncontaminated.

On top of all that? SLS & SLES may cause hair loss by attacking the follicle. And it cleans by corrosion, drying out skin and hair… and forcing you to use conditioners and lotions! Think about all those shampoo ads for promotion of healthy hair. Then read the ingredients on the back of the bottle and think about the fact that those very ingredients may be making your hair fall out. Interesting, yes?

In fact, I can give you my own anecdotal experience. I have long hair. A lot of long hair. I shed, it’s bound to happen. But I lose less hair in the shower when I use Reef Botanicals bar shampoo, which contains no sulfates. I just do. Better yet, I get my hair dyed about every 6 weeks or so. I get it done to just about my natural color, a nice dark brown. Over the course of the 6 weeks, the color will fade and change, and go more red. You can see it as my roots grow in; they’re much darker than the rest of my hair. Well, once I started using our handmade all-natural shampoo bars, there was no more fading and color change. Honestly, I was shocked myself, but my roots and the rest of my hair stayed the same color!

So why do they use it? It’s cheap! There are other ways to get soaps to foam, they just cost more. However, due to the increased education of the public and increased concern, you’ll notice that a lot of the commercial detergent manufacturers have started advertising “no-poo” or “sulfate free” shampoos.  That’s terrific.  But it’s not everything.

At Reef Botanicals we use various combinations of safe, natural oils like olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil, and castor oil to get all of our soaps and shampoos to lather the way we want them to, without having to use harmful chemicals to do it.

  By Larissa of Reef Botanicals

Beverley Start was always surrounded by creativity thanks to her mom who loved both craft and music.  She currently lives in Kingston ON Canada with her girlfriend of 3 years and their furry kids.  She enjoys a quiet life writing, biking, playing guitar and coffee!  She found that as a tactile person, working with her hands was as natural as breathing; so much so that Beverly spent some time as a pastry chef at True Confections Dessert Restaurant in Vancouver BC!  She worked her magic on pastry and other confections much to the delight of her customers. Beverly also was a Plastics Research Technologist at Polymer Engineering Company…how do these two jobs work together?  Polymer clay artist!

Beverley loves the fact that clay can take on any shape or form or texture she is in the mood for.  The colors keep her eye fascinated and the results are amazing.  She did not set out on this path of poly clay artist but was given a necklace by a friend made of the stuff and she could not believe it.  After hours of YouTube videos she was off to buy clay for herself and Start’s Arts was born.

This talented artist jumped in with both feet after finding her passion for clay, selling right off the bat so that her customers could see the development of an artist as she learned and grew. Beverley sells her creations at a couple of local shops and loves to hear the praise for her growth from her customers.  She also sets up as local craft fairs so that she can get face to face feedback as well as seeing the look of awe when she explains that her treasures are not painted, but in fact created with colored clay!  There is something very rewarding about talking about your process and Beverley has turned it into an art.  She admits, however, that there is a downside to selling her treasures, and that is when she has to let a favorite piece go to its new home with its happy owner.  She admits getting attached to certain pieces as I’m sure most artists can understand.

Beverley is encouraging to all those that are thinking of joining us in selling their own handmade creations as advises them to jump into a local craft fair or two.  The face to face conversations will help you grow as an artist and provide much valuable feedback.  She also puts in a plug for joining a forum like the HandmadeArtists where feedback and encouragement from other creative people fuel the fire to create and help ground you when you are going in the wrong direction.

If you are new to Polymer Clay art or think you have seen it all, I will encourage you to check out what can come from this imaginative lady!  Think back to your younger days playing with clay and then check out what a talented artisan can do with it!  Start’s Arts is easily found on the HandmadeArtists as well as on Facebook, and Twitter.

I went to the Jewelry section of the Handmade Artists’ Shop and perused the first 12 or 13 pages of photos.

Just for kicks, I decided to show some of the ones I found striking, some of what caught my eye:

Now this has nothing to do with actual pieces I prefer or the idea that I might not like other pieces as much. I do. But these are the ones that were photographed in such a way that I actually had to do less work to notice and see them.

I’m a lazy shopper. I think many people are inherently lazy. We as sellers need to catch their eye or we’re a lost cause. No matter how much the Handmade Artists administration tweets and Facebooks and stumbles things, no matter how many cards we hand out, no matter how much we blog, no matter if we shout from the rooftops, no matter how many hits we get, if our photos don’t really show our wares well, no one’s going to be drawn in.

Take an example from a marketing giant: Coca-Cola. Good ol’ Coke. Look at these product photos:

Bold, bright, clear. Instantly, you know what they’re selling and you see nothing but.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with props accompanying products in photos. But they should make sense and not be distracting. I know for a fact I have one photo that doesn’t work as well as the others. Look at the difference between this:

Coffee Soap

and this:

Garden Party Soap

See?

Then, descriptions. I’ve seen so many items in the Handmade Artists’ Shop that have no description. Or descriptions of just a few words, a phrase or one sentence.  Short, non-descriptive descriptions are also incredibly frustrating for me. If I click on a photo, it’s because I’m interested in finding out more about the item. If there isn’t anything more to learn, I’m disappointed. And I click off the item. We both know I’m not the only one.

Descriptions that are misspelled and that use poor grammar also drive people crazy. It’s a turn-off. I honestly will be less inclined to frequent a shop with poor spelling and grammar than one that’s more professional. By the way, I’m fairly certain that misspelled words and poor grammar are bad for SEO, since search engines pick up the text in descriptions, and no one will find you if they’re properly spelling “silver” and you’ve got the typo “sliver.”

We are in business, people. Yes, we are creative, we’re artists, we’re crafters. But unless we’re just doing this for our own edification and our friends and family, we are in business. We can never forget that. There’s a reason advertising agencies can command the prices they do, as well as graphic artists, marketing companies, and branding specialists. It’s because they’re necessary and they work.

Most of us don’t have the money for that. We’re not Coke. We do, however, have tools at our disposal. We have cameras, maybe light tents and some decent lights. We can have some photo editing software, even something free like Gimp. Use what you have.

There’s a reason most product photographers use tricks of the trade to achieve the results they desire, even for something as simple and innocuous as supermarket circulars. Did you know that when you see a cooked turkey in a circular, the actual turkey being photographed has not been cooked? Cooking is too unpredictable. That turkey has been painted. Yes, painted.

Now, I’m not telling you to be deceptive about your products. I’m telling you that cropping a photo well to remove a distracting object in the background is a good idea. Using photo editing software is not unethical if you’re simply cleaning the dust off a velvet backdrop or making the colors in the photo more true to the actual object that’s sitting in your kitchen.

We are in business. That has to be in your head at all times. You know your work is wonderful. Probably everyone who comes into physical contact with it tells you the same thing. But on a website, no one’s right there, touching it, trying it on, smelling it, feeling it, examining it.  Their only contact is that tiny thumbnail in a sea of thumbnails. Make yours pop, draw the shopper in, and you’ll see an improvement. I’d bet on it.

Written by Reef Botanicals

Fran was always a creative soul, learning to crochet from her Grandmother at 5 years old. This creative spirit continued into high school when she was hired to make all the school’s choir performance outfits.  She has even pulled off the ultimate sewing coup and created several wedding dresses as well as the wedding party dresses for friends…now, why didn’t I have a friend like this when I was getting married?  Her gift of sewing and crochet, often making up her own pattern, has never left her and she continues to create wonderful keepsakes for babies of her friends and family.

Fran has also tried her hand at tatting, cross stitch, woodworking, and quilting; but fell head over heals for Polymer Clay.  She has created the most darling wedding cake toppers (again, where was she when I was getting married!) as well as Christmas ornaments.

Fran loves being surrounded by her huge family; 30 nieces and nephews as well as hundreds of cousins, since retiring from a government law enforcement agency.  While working, she even created a “crafting bunch” at work!  She started by bringing her work into lunch with her to work on during her break and soon after others followed along bringing whatever projects they were working on at the time.  Soon, the table would be covered by a variety of crafts coming together as they ate and chatted.

This talented lady’s retirement was a bittersweet event.  She shares that 18 months ago she was diagnosed with a rare form of bone marrow cancer and has been going through continued treatment with her family and 3 Long Haired Chihuahuas by her side.  This has not stopped Fran’s creative spirit by any means; instead she drags her craft supplies with her to Chemotherapy…even selling her treasures to nurses and patients!

Because of her illness, Fran is no longer able to deal with the stress and work of doing face to face selling at local craft fairs or working in her local crafter’s mall so she has joined us in online selling and the HandmadeArtists are thrilled to have her!  Fran says that her favorite part of selling her handmade creations is sharing her love with other people, and the hardest part is pricing her work!  She still is encouraging to others that want to break into the handmade marketplace themselves telling them to “take advantage of every opportunity to share links with other crafters and list your items everywhere you possibly can.” Fran admits that getting found in this vast market is not always easy, but it can be done and once a customer has a good experience with you, they will tell their friends and you are off and running.

Are you ready to see what this intensely talented lady with an amazing positive outlook on life can create given the chance?  Well, she is easy to find on the HandmadeArtists as well as on her own website.  She can also be found on Etsy and Artfire.

Mosaic Art with a Purpose

The primitive patterned designs of the early cone mosaics added a decorative element to the pillars of ancient buildings, but the cones served another purpose. In Ancient Mesopotamian Materials and Industries: The Archaeological Evidence (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), P. Roger S. Moorey—British archeologist and historian, specializing in the Ancient Near East—wrote, “At Urak, the decorative cone mosaics were particularly applied to free-standing columns and to walls with buttresses and recesses.”

In citing other resources, Moorey presents evidence that the mosaics were “patterned after rugs and mats hung as decoration on walls,” and that the decorations protected the walls from “wind and water erosion.” Moorey concludes that the cone mosaics, also found at other settlements in Mesopotamia, show that “the intimate relationship of protection and decoration is evident in most uses.”

Egyptian Glass

Small pieces of glass in mosaics were first used by the Egyptians during the New Kingdom (c. 1550 to 1069 B.C.). Very small pieces of dull-colored glass were used to make mosaic jewelry and mosaic stones. The stones were added to wall pieces and inlays, usually in funerary art. It wasn’t until the Roman Empire took control of Egypt in 31 B.C. that glass production would advance to a higher art form in Egypt. With an abundance of sand and soda, and with years of mastering the art, Egypt created much of the glass for the Roman nobles.

Pebble Mosaics and Tesserae

By the eighth century B.C., mosaics of random patterns were being assembled from black and white pebbles in Gordium (Gordion, Turkey). The pebble mosaics added art and design to an area and provided some protection during inclement weather. Six centuries later, mosaic floors—a precursor to the tile floors of today—were widespread among the Greek nobles. Smooth river rocks, with smaller pebbles used to fill in the gaps and create more detailed designs, were used to form floors and pathways. Mosaic art was further defined with the introduction of tesserae, pieces of stone and glass cut into small squares. These mosaic tiles of small uniform pieces made it much easier to create intricate designs.

Mosaic Art of the Roman Empire

As the Roman Empire expanded, mosaic art grew with it. The mosaics at Pompeii are an excellent example of the styles and types of designs the Romans preferred. Marble tiles became a popular choice for floor mosaics and styles ranged from geometric patterns to bucolic scenes. An excavation in Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) revealed one of the largest collections of mosaic floors from the second century A.D. Many are on display at the Hatay Archaeological Museum in Antakya.

Byzantine and Italian Mosaics

By the late fifth century, with the fall of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire came into power. With a surge in Christianity, mosaic art turned to religious subjects and the walls of churches, temples, and palaces displayed colorful intricate designs made with smalti, deeply colored glass tiles with uneven surfaces. Smalti were also made with gold and silver leaf, layered between two pieces of glass. While other tesserae were also used, with smalti, the variety of colors and the luster of gold or silver added another dimension to mosaic art.

During the sixth century, under Emperor Justinian’s rule, the Basilica di San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, was built with most of its walls and ceiling covered with mosaic art. The town has many other exceptional examples of Byzantine mosaic art and is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Rome and Venice are other towns in Italy with excellent examples of mosaic art. The art was popular throughout Italy during the late middle ages.

Historic Multicultural Mosaic Art

Mosaic art has a long and varied history, and although it was widely popular in Europe and the Near East, examples of ancient mosaics have been uncovered in China and South America. Mosaics served a purpose of protecting walls and floors from wind and water, as well as adding a decorative element With each advancing civilization, mosaic art advanced with it—from clay stones to colored glass, from smooth river rocks to tesserae and smalti. Today, mosaic art has become even more specialized with varied materials combined in a blending of artistic interpretation.

My Handmade Mosaic’s

Done in what is called Pique Assiette, which comes from the French language, meaning literally translated “stolen from a plate”. However I have never, ever used a new plate rim, all my mosaics are made from already damaged china plate rims, broken, scratched, cracked, with flea bites, enhanced with colored stained glass and other pretty’s, vintage broken jewels and baubles, handmade clay roses, pearls and such.

Monika of Myeuropeantouch

The weather’s turning nicer all the time; summer is coming! You think, “I’ve been to all these arts and crafts festivals and everyone seems to do so well. I should do an arts and crafts show – after all, my things are just as good – no, better – than those other people. I’ll make a killing!”

Whoa!!! There are lots of things to consider before your send in that first check for your very first street show.  To get the most return on your investment in yourself (your booth fee), here are some things to consider:

1.  What’s your inventory worth?  Seriously!  At your asking price, if you have a complete sell out, how much money would be in your pocket?  A couple hundred dollars?  A couple thousand?  This figure is going to have a huge impact on what you’re willing to pay for a booth.  If your total inventory is worth $500, you’re not going to want to pay a $475 booth fee.  There’s no guarantee that you’ll sell anything at an arts and crafts festival.  I’ve found a good rule of thumb is 10% of what I have on hand is the maximum you want to pay for a booth.

2.  What are the demographics of your target market?  You could spend boatloads of time and/or huge amounts of money doing market research to determine that your buyers are going to be 25 -50 year old single adults with a median income of $150,000 a year.  But you’re an artist, not a demographer!  You should have a really good idea of who wants your products.  Here’s your starting point…  who are you?  I would hope what you’re making appeals to you!  You’re a certain age/gender/income.  Your product probably appeals to other people in that same group or one very similar.  Maybe you’re the right age and gender, but honestly, you couldn’t afford to buy your pieces.  Consider how that group might expand to the general population.  Just by thinking about your creations objectively, you can get a pretty good idea of the demographics of your prospective buyers.

3.  Do you already  own or can you afford to acquire tables, displays and a canopy?  There are lots of shows that don’t require a canopy, but exhibiting without one leaves you completely vulnerable to the elements (wind, rain, blistering heat).  If you don’t own them, could you borrow or rent them?  Shows typically do not supply any of these items and you certainly don’t want to throw a blanket on the lawn and call it good!

4.  Do you have a way to move all of your items and equipment from where it is now to the show location?  All of those beautiful stained glass lamps you make may not fit in your Mini Cooper!

5.  Are you physically able to put in one or more incredibly long days by yourself?  Each show’s hours of operation will be different.  For conversation sake, let’s say you want to do a two-day show that’s open 9 AM – 7 PM daily.  You’ll need to arrive at the location at least 2 hours early on the first day to set up your booth, so your first day will actually be 7AM – 7PM or twelve hours.  Day 2, you’ll be able to arrive later, but at 7PM you will need to pack all your remaining items, collapse all your displays, and travel home.  In a total of 36 hours time, you will work at least 24 of those hours.

Fused Glass artist Robert McLeod at the 2011 Cedar City Summer Arts Festival

6.  Do you have some expense money available to purchase supplies such as bags and business cards?

Are you completely discouraged?  I really hope not!  By the time you get through this list, you will know what your ceiling is on the booth fee, what your target market looks like, how you’re going to display your items, how you’re going to transport them, and how much of a show you’d like to try.  Maybe you’ve even recruited a friend to take on this adventure with you!

My next article will discuss taking all this information and picking a show just right for you.

By iKnitQuiltSew

My mediums are yarn and fabric, occasionally both at the same time.  My great-grandmother and grandmother taught me to knit when I was perhaps 5.  In fact, to this day, I knit on my grandmother’s needles! I started making fabric toys, specifically rag dolls and teddy bears, when I became ‘mom’ and finances prohibited store-bought toys for my kids.

I didn’t begin quilting until the last of my children was nearly grown.  I didn’t have a clue how to make a quilt, but was driven to learn.  The internet didn’t exist back then, so it was the school of trial and error and whatever books I could find at the local library.

I’ve always, always, quilted by hand.  It’s the tedious, wonderful part of making my quilts when they come to life.  My quilting is never regular or repetitive; it serves to bring up dimensions and textures, and is probably my favorite part of the entire process.

My dolls have taken on a life of their own.  While I think I am making toys, the great majority of my dolls have been purchased by adults for themselves or other adults.  I have a friend, who is a seasoned art collector, who tells me I’ve broken into the “folk art market.”  There’s that word again…

Until February of 2010, all of the things I made were for practical purposes or for gifts.  After years of hearing, “you should sell these,” I finally took the plunge and opened a shop on the internet.  In just two short years, I feel incredibly blessed and lucky to have a small and encouraging following that does nothing but make me even more compulsive to pursue what I truly love.

I quilt on a handmade quilt frame, lovingly designed and built by my amazing husband after he got tired of watching me stabilize quilts under furniture in the middle of the living room!  Our children are grown and scattered all over the country and our grandchildren are following suit.  We share our home these days with my family of handmade toys and quilts and a 9-pound mutt named Rose.

This is my story….

A few weeks ago, I received a message from a client requesting a pair of simple earrings to match the bracelet she purchased. Without hesitation, I agreed to make a pair for her and she knew I did not offer earrings in my shop, nor was it my specialty.

Later that same day, I sent her an email letting her know I shipped her bracelet, along with a few pictures of the earrings. She liked them, they were exactly the length she was looking for and she couldn’t wait until her package arrived.

‘The next week the same customer sent me an email, stating how she loved her bracelet, and the earrings. She has received all kinds of compliments, which made her feel terrific and she was very pleased with everything.

The question was… Why do you create?  I create to share the joy, the excitement, and hopefully bring a smile to someone’s face. Not only for a day or a week but also for years to come.  Even now, I think about how excited she was and I begin to smile.

⌘⌘⌘⌘ ⌘⌘⌘⌘ ⌘⌘⌘⌘

Handmade Artists create for different reasons. Some feel compelled, some for a loved one, some to inspire others, some create only on the weekends, and some… well just because.  Whatever your reason is, everyone has his or her own unique story.  Now I am going to ask the question… Why do you create? Leave a comment below and share your story with us.

Thank you for visiting and have an inspirational day.  Cari

I also wrote a post on my blog about this article click HERE to read my blog!

Check out these tips for more inspiration.

 Written by Cari Baker aka CrochetHooked

By Beverley Start

As an artist the question I get asked the most is “Where do you get your inspiration?” I always spend lots of time surfing the interweb, perusing the library shelves, and searching anywhere really for that ever-elusive “hit” of inspiration.

I usually don’t have to surf that far to find loads and loads of videos, images, and stories that make ideas come to mind and get my wheels chugging. When they do I keep them in my mental list of “possible projects for the future”. I guess it could be considered inspiration when that happens but honestly for me it’s not that. What I call Inspiration is something that makes me feel humbled by the skill level, excited by the color palette, emotional by the subject matter, and that allows me to feel close to the artist. I’m moved, quite literally at times when inspiration hits and I want to get to work right away before the hit wears off.

Inspiration like this must be shared! So, for those of you who are already familiar with his work, it’s always nice to see it again. And for those who aren’t, may I introduce you to Polymer Clay Sculptor, Jon Anderson. Enjoy!

You have until 6 pm EST on April 2nd to enter. All you need to do is comment on her blog. So take a peak and  good luck!

We at the Handmade Artists’ Shop love doing these giveaways as we truly want the help up and coming artists to be successful. Not having to deal with the overhead of a shop, is just one less thing to worry about. Granted $5.00 a month is not much, but still free is always better. So good luck again, and we look forward to meeting our latest free shop winner next week.

Linda as always a creative person who has always had her hands in something.  Her mother taught her to crochet and she quickly created an abundance of pot holders, scarves, leg warmers and even a dog sweater-while she claims it wasn’t the prettiest dog sweater around it was wearable which is better than I could do!  She advanced to afghans and then added cross-stitch, knitting, sewing, latch work, acrylic and oil painting and woodworking which held her attention for quite some time…over 20 years in fact!

When Linda is not up to her elbows in crafts, she works for Homeland Security and spends time with her family.  She is a wife and mother of 2 and grandmother of 4.  I have a feeling if her husband wants to see her he probably has to visit her in her craft room!  When he does get her away from her creations, she loves to play outdoors whether it is hiking, gardening or working on remodeling their home.  She even claims to have two “non-yapping”Chihuahuamixes…though that I would have to see to believe.

With this busy schedule and an ever growing collection of jewelry, Linda quickly found that she would have to start selling and MixedKreations was born.  She set out to do a few craft shows, but with time constraints found that may not be the best way to get her name out there.  She still plans on doing a few, but hopes to make her primary living selling online.  She spent hours building her own website and is experimenting with various venues to get herself and her work seen.  She admits that it has been a learning process far beyond creating beautiful things…marketing, photography, and social networking are not comfortable places for Linda; but if she is one thing she is persistent!  She has joined us on HandmadeArtists and become an important part of our community…in her words, “I feel like I’m not alone anymore.”

Linda loves it when that perfect buyer finds that perfect treasure; almost like someone else has a piece of you that they will enjoy wearing as much as she enjoyed creating it.  Her dream would be to eventually do her jewelry art full time.  Her advice, based on her own growing experience, to anyone that want to jump into a handcrafted business is to stop and think real hard…are they willing to put in long hours on creating as well as marketing?  If so, research, research, research!  See what others are doing and make yours better!  Read everything you can get your hands on about SEO, marketing, social networking, branding, etc.  This is not for the faint of heart and the hours can take their toll, but the rewards are so worth it.

So are you ready to see what this talented lady that began with a dog sweater and moved into amazing jewelry can create?  Well, she is easy to find on HandmadeArtists of course and there is plenty to read and drool over on her own Website.  Linda can also be found on Twitter and LinkedIn as well as StumbleUpon as well as follow her on FaceBook.  Linda has submitted a few articles and even written some tutorials…I told you she was busy!

We all know commitments are important, But do you realize just how important they are to your future integrity as an artist and entrepreneur?  If you promise a customer a piece will ship and should arrive next Friday, when Friday comes and goes and no package how many times can you make an excuse before it escalated and you had to refund the money? Now you lost a sale and all future business from that customer.  And I would bet they would tell their story to anyone that would listen, that’s  not a way to win in this competitive marketplace.

I am writing the post because I committed to be a regular contributor to the Handmade Artist Blog. The wonderful founders of this terrific site are way overworked and asked for writers. They are smart enough to know this has grown so large and at such a fast pace they can’t do it all.  I am committed to writing two posts a month and I don’t want to let them  or myself down.Shows are a huge commitment!  If you show up unprepared with  ill done art jewelry do you think you will be asked to return?

I think as entrepreneurs we need to stop, take a breath, and  ask ourselves if we can do everything we are committing to in a timely manner and with excellence, before we take on more.

We owe it to ourselves to meet our obligations. If we don’t we can only blame ourselves if we feel stressed and overworked. My paycheck depends on my willingness to meet my deadlines. If I don’t show up for an art show my entry fees are lost,no refunds. And I miss an opportunity to sell my art. Not to mention the negative feedback hurts my credibility. In our high tech world word spreads fast. Remember you can’t pay at the grocery store or the utility company with good intentions.

I know it’s hard, but be good to yourself, don’t let yourself get over extended and stressed out. You will not help anyone if you don’t follow through. No one does their best work when they are stressed. I owe myself and my customers my very best, don’t you? Now, I better get busy:)

I will be creating lots of original pieces like these to take to the art shows. These are past works, all sold or gifted. If you would like to see more of my work please visit my HAS shop Nancy’s WildWireArt

Thanks for visiting our blog!

Nancy Pace

He raised his head and looked at me and smiled. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for asking,” he said in a clear strong voice.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you, Grandpa, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,” I explained to him.
“Have you ever looked at your hands,” he asked. “I mean really looked at your hands?”
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making.
Grandpa smiled and related this story:
“Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled, and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. The made numerous usefull, functional or pretty things in my life. They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son.
Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.
They trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse and walked my daughter down the aisle. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw.
And to this day, when not much of anything else of me works real well, these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. These hands are the mark of where I’ve been and the ruggedness of my life.
But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home.
And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.”
I will never look at my hands the same again. I remember the day that God reached out and took my grandpa’s hands and led him home.

When my hands are hurt or sore from cutting china plate rims and glass I think of Grandpa. I know he has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face, one of these days.

Monika of Mosaic Art by Myeuropeantouch

http://handmadeartists.com/shop/Myeuropeantouch

I’ll be enjoying one of those afternoons where I will be cruising the internet and finding inspiration again and again, meeting new artists, and just loving the access we have these days because we’re all online. I mean, it’s such a wonderful thing that we can interact with artists across the world and experience them and their handcrafted art right in our own shops, or homes,  or studios. Anyway, so there I am cruising along and having the most glorious fulfilling experiences when *BOOM* I view an advertisement for handmade polymer clay buttons at the amazingly low price of $.03 each, shipped free anywhere…and my happy cruise totally crashes when it hits me that I could never afford to make them this cheap and even worse, if I could I’d surely be a slave to my art.

I began to wonder if I was nuts. I mean, if someone can buy handmade polymer clay buttons online for just cents, why on earth would they pay dollars for mine?

Well after much tortured thought the answer suddenly and gently came to me…because mine are unique. It sounds so simple but it’s true. It was easy to figure out how they can mass produce these handmade buttons. The canes are most likely HUGE, the clay is probably purchased in large quantities more inexpensively, and chances are they are made in an assembly line style. Now in my books there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s quite efficient and everyone wins but it’s a whole lot of the same flower button design, for example.

For some buttons I make small canes and from each one I get roughly 8-16 buttons. I take my time to design them and enjoy the infinite possibilities. I love to create the canes and each button is hand sliced with a razor, hand smoothed, and molded to shape and size.

When I make character buttons like the cute owls shown in the image below, some details like the eyes and wings are made from canes and the rest is hand-sculpted. Then each button hole is gently poked through, one at a time.

Some of the buttons that I create are patterned on top like these yummy raspberry ones in the image to the right.  I even use my own handmade patterned imprints from polymer clay instead of buying and using the silicone ones that are sold at the craft stores.My colors are mostly hand mixed and I’ll even add pearl powders occasionally to give them a special shimmer in the light.

Best of all is that my designs change and are updated very regularly. Don’t worry though if you like something you’ve seen a while back because I’m sure I could reproduce something very similar you’d equally enjoy.  I love custom orders too and will work with anyone who wants something special.

Now this doesn’t mean that you don’t buy the mass produced buttons. I say “Shop away!” because that’s an unbelievable deal but when you’re looking for something special that will add that unique and perhaps special or personal touch, I’m your gal!

Oh, one more thing…Start’s Arts has free shipping too:) Bam!

Born and raised in Germany, I have been an artist all my life and worked with a lot of different mediums; been a mosaic artist for 9 years now. I specialize in doing mosaics using a style referred to as “Pique Assiette or Tesserae” This process involves transforming vintage china/porcelain plates into artistic designs that are always one of a kind and my own.

About me, the Artist: Growing up in Germany shortly after WWII; watching my parents re-use, re-cycle, re-invent – my involvement in the arts developed very early at about 5 years of age. Trying to make new candles from candle stumps – melting them on my little doll cooking stove, using simple yarn for candle wicks; (almost burned the house down) clothing my dolls by sewing, crocheting, knitting and cross stitch. Creating clay vases, paint and draw in my family’s home in Germany to now creating/working in my home in Florida. My interests and talents have evolved over time. Any type of art has been a constant presence in my life.

After all this experimenting with my very diverse talents I have grown into and have a very addictive desire to create MOSAIC, done from precise cut/nipped vintage fine bone china/porcelain plates, paired with stained glass mosaic, vintage jewelry and other tidbits and baubles. My tools are Glass Nippers, Wheeled Cutters, Glue, Grout and Sealer; sometimes paint. I create from my thoughts, feelings and inspirations around me. I reclaim/re-invent unwanted items from various sources and breathe new life/usefulness in them, create functional, fabulous, or whimsy Mosaic Art. Never having attended a class/course for mosaic I can be called self taught. Every new piece I create is a discovery and revelation for me. I have sold many pieces of my mosaic art since I started 8 years ago. Some of my works are also displayed locally, including being invited and voted to be the Visual Artist at our Classical Concert Series. On commissioned Mosaic Art I always work with the client and involve them in “Their” Art Piece. I invite you to have a closer look, please, as I do use precise cut, nipped bone china porcelain plates that otherwise would have been dispersed off and give it a new life in form of a mosaic art piece. I have sold and shipped all over the world, Hong Kong, Australia, Bahrain, Great Britain to name a few. And of course all over the United States.

Myeuropeantouch

” Hard work spotlights the character of people.. some turn up their sleeves.. some turn up their noses.. some don’t turn up at all ” ..
Share the L ~ O ~ V ~ E .. hugz.. KaT

Thanks for looking,

John

She fell in love with it and ordered one .

I started out cleaning up this teapot, sanded, ruffed it up a bit to prepare it to take a white primer and paint. Before that I removed the finial on top of the lid, drilled a hole, marked the bottom where I would drill the hole for the threaded hollow rod to go thru all the way to the top. I secured the threaded hollow rod with washers and nuts.

After primer and paint where dry, I then cut up vintage bone china plate rims with my tile nippers, added stained glass pieces which were also cut over and over again until the fit to the curved body just right and glue them to the body with thin set.

There, one side done, proceeded to the other side, and partially the bottom, and stained glass around the rim. One can see part of the teapot that is not mosaiced yet, just the white paint. The thin set needs to dry for quite some time before I can go on to the grouting of the entire teapot body.

After usually at least a week the mosaic on the teapot is ready for grouting. The grout just has to be the right consistence to get into all the nooks and cranny’s. I let it sit for about an hour until I wipe the grout overflow of the teapot body with a wet sponge. Then it will sit again for a while until I wipe the grout film of the stained glass and fine bone china pieces cut from plate rims to make everything shiny. I wait a few more days normally before I seal this mosaic on the teapot body with a tile sealer. My client needed this in a hurry for a gift so I sped up some of the process a bit to help her out, by using a hair dryer.

Here we go all done so far…

The lid was then covered in thin set and glue to build it up a bit, I then set in all the clay roses, vintage rhinestone brooches, cameos, pretties and baubles which would dry within the thin set/glue and be secured.
In the meantime I made the lamp shade, finished it up with tear drop pearl trim and an old fashioned Rhinestone Earring. I threaded the electrical cord thru the hollow metal rod and connected the cord to the actual light kit and mounted it on the top of the hollow rod. Put a light bulb in, yep it works, all good….Topped of the spout with a Crystal Chnadelier Tear Drop and a Rose.

Here is the finished project and my client was very happy, which in turn pleased me and made me happy.

Handmade Teapot Lamp Decor, formerly silver plated. An exquisite presentation, loved previously – to remain now a treasure for the next 50 years in your home perhaps?

I sanded, primed and painted this teapot in a cottage white color and then sealed it. This timeless classic, I then adorned the lid with handmade clay roses, vintage antique Jewelry and bling, meticulously laid on this teapot. The handmade clay roses and leaves I arranged so to give the impression they are climbing from the lid. A chandelier Prism hangs gracefully from the spout accompanied by a lil rose.
A classic Cameo, who you might usually find on a sweaters and blouses, settles on the lid and some on the belly of this Teapot.
I am quite pleased with the outcome of this reclaimed Teapot.
An abundance of Shabby, Cottage Chic… A treasure for a Victorian, beach, cottage, shabby, Paris home or Apartment.
I do accept custom orders, please contact me.

Mosaic Art by Myeuropeantouch

I was thinking and decided to try a twisted wire project.  I took three strands of 18 gauge round soft copper wire and twisted them together into one strand.  Showing this to my wife, she said, why don’t you use silver.  I would like something done with this in silver.  I took three strands of 21 gauge square half hard sterling silver wire and twisted them in a similar manner.  When I show this to Debora, she asked what I was going to do and I replied that I was thinking of a twisted drop with a stone set in the bottom loop.  She asked to select the stone, and she selected a 6 mm round peridot.  That set the size and shape of the stone and setting.

The twisted wire was formed into the basic shape, then the top was wrapped with 21 gauge half round Argentium sterling silver wire to form the bail.  A precast head was soldered into the loop with hard silver solder.  The entire piece was then pickled, hand polished and tumbled to a high gloss polish.  The prongs were notched with a square fine file, and the peridot was set into the silver setting.  We have a finished pendant:

These last to views are from the back and the extreme left side.  Overall, the effect of the twisted wire accents the entire design.

This chunky aquarium focal bead featuring pretty little Tang tropical fish murrini

And a set of funky rainbow twisties

The winner will be drawn from the names of FHFteam blog followers who comment on the team blog during January, so don’t forget to ‘Follow’ us, and start sharing what’s on your mind! Drawing for the prize will take place on the 8th of February 2012

I’d like to say a special thank you to Andrew and Kimberly for inviting me to have a guest blog spot here to tell you all about our giveaway. Their tireless support of handmade it truly inspirational.

Happy New Year
Jo x
Kitzbitz on Etsy, Kitzbitz on HAFshop, Frit N Chips.

Can you Believe it's a Jewlelry box?

Where do you keep these pieces of adornment?  Do you have a jewelry box?  Do you spend a lot of time and money on jewelry only to have it all over the house?  Perhaps, the top of your dresser is loaded with these treasures and trinkets.  “No, I have a jewelry box,” you say in protest.  But let’s be honest, is it organized?  Is it just as nice as your jewelry?  Was it handed down from your great-grandmother or your grandmother?  Is it as great an heirloom as some of your pieces of jewelry?  Is the quality worthy of your treasures?  I pose all these questions because I know a secret– handmade jewelry boxes!  “So what?” you ask.  Here’s the “so what.” These aren’t just any jewelry boxes.  Read on…

Nestled in Cincinnati, Ohio is RDC (Ramon Design Concepts) Woodworking.   Ramon is the artist who creates these wooden jewelry fortresses.  The boxes are exquisite, unique, exotic and some are just downright cute!  There is nothing typical about RDC’s jewelry boxes.  The designs are mind-blowing and the only thing you can say is WOW!  How did he do that?

The Zebra Jewelry Box

The first jewelry box that was sold was made of tiger wood.  The customer was so excited, she looked at her granddaughter and said, “You can help me take my jewelry out of the plastic bags and put them in my new jewelry box!”  I cringed at the words “plastic bags.”  However, I applauded the customer for the serious upgrade.

I doubt if the little girl knew that one day she may own that same jewelry box.   It will have monetary value and a sentimental value that will be priceless.  That little girl will have fond memories of helping her grandmother to place treasures of adornment in a little tiger striped box that brought so much joy.

This is called Queen of the Nile

That’s the aim of RDC’s creations.  We design and create works of art that are functional, beautiful, and intended to become heirlooms that will be proudly passed down with sweet stories and precious memories from generation to generation.  Most of all, these wooden beauties are one-of-a-kind.  So the little girl in this story will have a jewelry box as unique as her memories.

Classic Charm and sophistication! Perfect Wedding day and everyday selections flaunting signature woven pearl style, over-the top design, rhinestone brooches, and fabulous beading…wow factor indeed! Every piece has a story and as you embark on this journey why not participate with such Broochaliscious style…besides, your neck is just too hungry to pass these up! Total Accessorization and timeless style and design. ZiLLA’s QuEeN brings you Wedding Delights & much much more!

Charmed,
ZiLLA’s QuEeN

Shop: www.ZiLLAsQuEeN.Etsy.com
FB: ZiLLA’s QuEeN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/ZiLLAsQuEeN

In order to create my art, I first cut the stone that will go in the piece, then design around that.  Here are two stones cut in the lapidary in the past week.  The first is a piece of Lapis Lazuli about 2.5 inches long and it is very heavy.  Will probably use it in a horizontal position in a necklace.  Way too large for a ring.

The second is a free form cabochon made with “Pudding” jasper.  Feel free to change the adjective ‘dding’ to anything that you think describes the stone.

I will wait, but am currently working on a mixed metal pendant (gold and silver) with a highly included rutilated quartz *16 mm round faceted stone.  Another project is a ring to ask Debbie to marry me “again” next October on our anniversary. A friend is cutting this as I certainly can not do it in my shop.  Any way, that is the news so far for the day after Thanksgiving.

John

How do you do Vintage? The beauty in Vintage lies within the actual pieces’ ability to speak with you. Brooches are my favorite pieces to “Remix!” As I received these fascinating pieces Broochaliscious ideas took flight! Fabulous brooch finds placed together, offering total accessorization…just scrumpscious! Jewelry transformed with fantastic necklaces with the thinking “your neck is just too hungry to pass these up”! The brooches long lasting appeal doesn’t stop there…Broochaliscious designs from the Queen highlights Vintage-Inspired Handbags adorned with charming gloves, sparkling brooches, & handmade bib flower necklaces that can double as belts! One-of-a-kind pieces to reflect timeless style & design! Lovely accessory & keepsake!

So when the QuEeN wonders, “How do you do Vintage?” please reflect on the history, gift, and legacy behind such pieces as they reach our hands. The journey is what captivates me and sending these pieces on even further is the real gift! Beauty is truly within the eye of the beholder…so kindly BEHOLD THIS and share the love on your neck!

Charmed -ZiLLA’s QuEeN 
As always, The Queen reminds you…”Never leave home without your charm!”

www.ZillasQuEeN.Etsy.com