Something new I can show you...

I have been very busy making things, most of which I can't share here as  I don't want to ruin any Christmas surprises. Thank you to all the lovely people who have placed orders with me, it's been a pleasure dealing with you all.

I did find a photo of a new bracelet I can share with you, it is sat in my stock box til my next sale... or until I open my online shop! It's based on the technique I learnt from Natalia Garcia de Leaniz last year, she now has it available  - Fold It on  Craft Edu I see.

I have finished my teaching for the year and my children finish at school tomorrow so we are all looking forward to a well needed break. My children have lots of Christmas presents they have made or want to make from polymer clay and I am constantly amazed at how their skill is developing! I'll post some pictures after Christmas, don't want people to get a sneak preview as I know some of the people they are going to read this blog.

I have also been stocking up on polymer clay ready for after the holidays, I also ordered myself a few new tools to play with. I will try and review them for you after Christmas. 

I am starting to think about 2012 and so far have come up with 5 things I want to do; go for walks in the woods with friends, set up an online shop, play more games with my children, experiment with some resin jewellery and make some cake pops! How about you, what have you planned for next year?

Purple discs

I was playing about with ideas for a present for my mum's birthday. She wears a lot of purple so the colour choice was easy at least! I wanted to incorporate many different shades so it would go with lots of different purple things.  I made a bullseye cane using quite a few different layers in differing thickness's for added interest. I cut some slices and used my favourite texture tool, a texture sponge sheet I bought from the lovely Natalia García de Leániz at Polymer Play Days in Nottingham (UK) last year. There is an email address to order some on the Clay Yo! website and I see Prairie craft are stocking them.

I domed them slightly and pierced a hole through the edge of the domed bit rather than through the middle or at the circular edge so they would hang down showing the circle shape (couldn't quite find the words but hopefully you can see from the photo). I was going to suspend a crystal in the dome at the bottom of the head pin used to attach it but it didn't look quite right. I found some interesting small purple beads instead. The shapes of the polymer were too organic for the structure of the crystal and perhaps the colour of crystal not quite right. Trying to get the beads to hang right on the chain proved to be a bit of an issue but I got there in the end.

Here I am trying it on

I also made a stretchy bracelet of the textured discs and the small purple beads. Mum doesn't wear bracelets so this one will go into my sale stock (unless I decide to keep it, it does go with that top I was wearing.... would have to make myself a necklace to go with it of course!)

This was inspired by Natalia's textured bracelets that I saw at Polymer Play Days too. I always find it strange how things you've seen can lurk around in your head for ages and then pop out with a twist when you least expect it. I knew it was Natalia's bracelets that had prompted this design as I was making it and I thought this was more similar to her bracelets until I looked them up. They have the same texture and the beads are both discs and they are both on elastic but they aren't really that similar. I guess we take inspiration from all the things we've ever seen and have stored up over the years. A great excuse for some trips to beautiful places or to go look at beautiful things! Or just a quick flick through Flickr as you eat your lunch (as I like to on a weekday when I am home alone!)

Natalia's fold it class on Craft-Edu

I know some of you have admired my work based on Natalia Garcia de Leaniz's class at Polymer play Days in Nottingham 2010 (see below for a reminder). The focal in my Giveaway (still a few days left to enter!) is off course also made with this technique.

Well the good news is now you can take the class too on Craft-Edu - Natalia's fold it class on Craft-Edu

Further good news is that there will be a Polymer Play Days 2011 in the UK - see the blog for more details.

And even better is that tomorrow I shall be packing to go to Polymer Pamper Play! I can't wait to see some old friends, meet some people I know from online but not real life and meet some totally new ones and spend all that time with nothing to think about but polymer clay! We have a workshop in the mornings on Sat and Sun. I am really looking forward to Christine Dumont's butterfly beads workshop as this will compliment the Pods and cocoons workshop I was lucky enough to take with her earlier in the year.

So my next post will be an exciting one as I will be announcing the winner of the give away and sharing what I got up to on my polymer clay weekend. Hope you all have a good weekend!

Cara

Purple and green jewellery set

Here's some green and purple jewellery I made using the technique I learnt from Natalia Garcia de Leaniz  at Polymer Plays Days in Nottingham earlier this year.

Yes a hat pin! But can also been worn as a brooch or decorating a bag.

You may recognise these colours as being the project which produced the scrap clay for the lentil pendant I showed you recently.