Izbzee

Stencils and Clay

Take a peek at this new share on The Artistry!  Perfect for some Spring or Summer decor.  Lightweight stenciled clay ornaments using doodles and mandalas as stencils...  


And while you're visiting be sure to check out the promos now going on!  (shameless plug for @CreativeFabrica.com and affiliate link.)  All promotional pricing on the site is good through April 6!  Don't miss out on some fabulous deals.    

Birdhouse - more color

Not quite finished yet, but getting there.  The last post for this birdhouse featured adding the color to the roof.  For this post, I added a bright cheery yellow Ohuhu marker to the house in hopes of bringing some cheer to what is normally a pretty dreary January around here.  More details and the final project coming soon.  

Once again, I used the eBrush and the hacked adapter.  If you're a copic marker user, make sure that you have a second adapter on hand. 

Need to hack an adapter?  This youtube video that Mitsyana (UpOnTippyToes.com) created is a super reference video.  You'll find more helpful hints on the eBrush page on Facebook.  Link below.    

Craftwell, is offering a special deal this first week of January!   If you've been wanting an eBrush, now's the time to get it! 

Head over to the Facebook eBrush, AirBrush Fun page for all the details.  The special is only good until January 9, 2021!  This is a fabulous deal, so don't miss out.  Order yours today!  

And while you're waiting for your eBrush to arrive, hope you have some creative time set aside for some play time.  I'm looking forward to sharing more eBrush fun with you in the weeks ahead as well as other fun ideas that have been filling my mind in recent weeks.  

birdhouse progress #1

Stress relief -- played with the clay for a couple of hours and it was so much fun.  I'd forgotten how much good it does!  :)

I conditioned the clay (warming it up a bit and making it more pliable. I used a pasta machine setting of 5 for the sides, roof and stones. 

I covered all but the base of the birdhouse with the clay. TIP:  Use Bake and Bond on the wood to secure the clay.  Lay the clay gently to make sure you don't get any bubbles.  Trim as needed with your clay blade or an exacto knife for those tight spots.  

Texture the clay here and there as desired and then following the manufacturer's directions the project was baked at 275 for about 20 minutes since I did have some spots that were slightly thicker than 1/4 inch.  

 

house front

thatched roof view

Next up is adding color.  I still haven't quite decided on the medium yet... acrylic paint with a brush, eBrush with markers or paint or the airbrush.  Might need to play a little and see which one I like best.  I see a little more clay play today to test the best color application.  

new project in the works....

Yep, this is a teaser... we'll see how it turns out. 

The gathering of the basic materials... all from the stash.  Birdhouse is from Darice. the circle is from Wood Hollow, Sculpey clay (yep, I bought it in bulk a couple of years ago... so good!) the dowel was originally used as a "fishing pole" for my Sunday School class.  Being upcycled a bit.  

My craft dedicated pasta machine is at the ready as are my other clay crafting tools.  Let's get started!  

Hoping you'll enjoy some creative time this coming week!  I'm really looking forward to some fun with this project.  

 

 

2018 - going, going, gone

2018 has been a full year.  Lots of good things have happened overall and even the not to great stuff wasn't all that bad when you think about it.

I've really enjoyed my creative time so much more this year.  A few artsy and fun classes from penwork to gelli plate/art and general play with paper, clay and fabric.  Grateful for it all. 

I've decided that for me, it would be fun to recap the year with a few pictures of some of my favorite projects....  you can check the archives by the year and month for the whole year's worth of fun.   

January the Valentine Ornament box.  File from Lori Whitlock - Halloween house adapted for the holiday. 

February a little clay play.  Love using Sculpey, stamps, mica and more.  This was among my favorites for some mixed media play and design team work for Mixed Media Supplies. 

March Lots of pastel colors and a touch of non-caloric chocolate for this fun dimensional card from Simply Crafty SVGs  was a favorite for the month. 

April  A sweet shadowbox card using G45's Secret Garden.  File from SVGCuts.com

May  ATC sized gelli prints -- and digital stamps.  So much play fun! 

June  quick and easy card using a digital stamp from RGStudio360. 

July -  July porch decor using a recycled shelving side panel...

August - we got an early start with October crafting with this paper quilt. So much fun kicking up a few heels! 

September  The Geodesic Pumpkin from SVGCuts was a perfect addition to the mantel for September and October! 

October  brought more than a change in the weather.... it's also anniversary time for our youngest son. We went a little overboard on this year's card, but it was so worth it! 

 

November I couldn't pick just one project for this month, so I'm sharing two!  The first was a fun 12 Tags of Christmas challenge.  All of the details for this one including a video can be found here. 

Dreaming Tree also put out a bevy of great files to work with in 2018... among my favorites was this cutie! 

December   Our Gnomie tree - I love my laser etcher and I've loving having found a new way to showcase some digital artwork using wood pieces from my stash!  

I hope you've enjoyed this review of my year. Crafting is my respite -- my discovery for the year.  I've loved taking the online classes and exploring more ways to develop my talents and play.  I'm grateful to my family for their generosity in time, space and respite. 

We look forward to a fabulous 2019 -- carving in creative time each week. Hoping you're doing the same! 
My word for 2019 - Inspire

leaf imprints

Before all the leaves fall from the trees, make a few imprints in your favorite medium!  Right now, clay is on my table, so I thought I'd take my heart-shaped cuts in a different direction. 

The imprints are crisp and clean and adding the mica metallic powder to the back of the leaf* before imprinting creates even more opportunities for adding color and shine.  Bake as directed by manufacturer and seal with a coat of Sculpey Clear glaze. Be sure to apply some glaze on the back of your piece as well. 

 

*For these imprints I used a leaf from our apple tree. 

I added a flat jewelry bail to the back so they could be used as pendants. 

 

 

clay, texture, mica

Time to get back to some clay.... it feels so good in my hands and is a good "stress" reliever for me.  I had a "brick" of black Sculpey III and some previous posts (here and here) reminded me of some things I wanted to try. 

Using some heart shaped cutters, texture stamps, mica and a bit of wire, some beads, I'd like to share two of the pieces I created during a recent play session. 

You'll need:
Sculpey III
Sculpey liquid clay (used as glue)
Sculpey Glaze
Heart Shaped clay cutters
Acrylic roller
Mica  Powder(Mixed Media Supplies)
Texture stamps
Wire
Round needle nose pliers
Wire cutters
beads and other pieces for embellishment
Paint brush
Baking tile or pan with aluminum foil

 

Condition clay according to manufacturer's directions. Using the acrylic roller, roll the clay to approximately 1/4 inch thick. Press the texture stamp into the clay and roll with the roller to get a good impression.  Cut with the cutters.  Smooth the sides of the clay.

Add beads, gems, embellishments. Use "glue" if needed. 

Brush on a little mica as desired. 

Optional:  Cut 2 pieces of wire about 3 inches long. Create a loop and twist the ends.  Repeat with the second piece of wire.  Flatten and insert into the clay. 

Bake as directed.  I generally add about 5 extra minutes to the baking process.  When the clay has thoroughly cooled, Apply glaze and let dry for 24 hours.  (If you chose not to add the loops, you can glue a flat backed bail to the back of the pendant or a pin back.) 

Add additional beads and chain as desired for a necklace. 

Thanks for dropping by and hope you'll be creating in your crafting space soon! 

more clay and texture

Clay is ranking a close second to working with paper.  Paper has been a fun medium to work with for the last 15+ years... but as you may have noticed recently, I'm delving a little deeper into some basic clay fun.  It's so relaxing to condition, shape, cut and add texture to the clay.

Today's project is a simple pin.  Made with some Sculpey clay, condition as directed by the manufacturer.  Create the desired shape.  Using the Mixed Media Supplies, Bark Background stamp, I added a bit of texture to the clay's surface altering directions a couple of times for a little bit of  "cross-hatching" effect.   Using a piercing tool, add some stems and leaves and add the beads for the flower heads.  I baked the clay according to the direction, adding a couple of extra minutes since the "handle" at the top of the piece was a bit thicker than the base was.  

After the piece has cooled, apply a wash of black acrylic paint, making sure you get a bit into the stem and leaf depressions.  Wipe off any excess.  Let dry.  Apply a light coat of Sculpey Gloss and let dry.  Once it is thoroughly dry, to finish, add the pin to the back with a good jewelry glue or add a large jump ring and chain to use as a pendant. 

You'll Need:
Sculpey Terra Cotta clay
Pasta machine (dedicated to clay use)
Acrylic Roller if  you don't have a pasta machine
Clay blades
Mixed Media Supplies Bark Background Stamp
Black Acrylic paint/water
paint brush for acrylic paints
paper towel
Piercing Tool
beads
pin back finding

Love at Home

"There is beauty all around When there's love at home." *

I purchased some wood shaped houses a while back and I decided I would use them for this last post of May. 

You'll need:
Wood Houses in graduated sizes (Fun Stampers Journey)
Digital Journal Pages (Mixed Media Supplies)
Doily stencil
Digital photo editing program (Photo Shop Elements)
Digital cutting machine and software (Sizzix eclips2, eCal2)
American Typewriter (light) Font
Souffle Polymer Clay (Gold)
Modeling Paste
Acrylic Medium (or Gel Medium)
Gesso
Digital paper (This & That Collection from Echo Park)
Foam brush (1 inch)
Glossy Accents or Hot Glue Gun
Craft knife
Scissors
Xyron X with permanent adhesive
Sandpaper
eBrush, TB adapter
Tombow markers
Ink

Prep your wood. Apply a thin coat of Gesso and let dry. 


This piece has an oops!  I started out doing a transfer and it didn't work out as planned -- so this piece has been sanded and a second light coat of Gesso was added. 

Open your photo editing program and open the journal pages you want to use.  I created a new file and set the size to the same size as the largest house.  Copy and paste a small portion of the desired journal page into the new file as a new layer.  Using the Type Tool, create your text.  Adjust size if needed.   Repeat for the other two houses adjusting the size of the base layer. 

Print the papers for the houses on copy paper.  Print the digital paper from the Echo Park collection on cardstock (110 lb). 

Using the acrylic medium, apply a thin coat to the wood and burnish the journal page prints to the houses.  Trim with the craft knife as needed.  Let dry.

Using the stencil and the modeling paste stencil on the largest house as desired.  You can repeat on the other houses if you'd like.  Let the modeling paste dry thoroughly. 

With the eBrush, lightly spray some color around the edges of the houses.  You'll get some color on the modeling paste, but that is fine. 

Using the cutting machine, cut the lettering using American Typewriter  as desired.  My lettering is just a bit over 1 in high.  Apply adhesive to the back of the lettering by using the Xyron X and permanent adhesive.  Apply to the houses. 

Soften the clay according to manufacturer's direction.  Use a texture plate and add a little texture to the clay.  Cut in to the heart shape using a cutter or a template.  Bake according to the manufacturer's direction.  Let cool.  Attach the heart using some Glossy Accents or hot glue gun. 

Cut some strips from the digital paper.  Measure and trim as needed.  Using the ink or the eBrush, add a little color along each of the edges to soften the colors just a bit. Using some double stick tape, or glue, apply the "roof" to each house. 

 

*(Love at Home, Text and music: John Hugh McNaughton

 

Thanks for stopping by today.  Have oodles of fun in your creative endeavors! 

clay play 3

Did a little playing with some clay this morning after work was done.  I'm sort of liking these, but they still need a little tweaking. 

These two aren't quite finished -  and, I forgot to put a hanging hole  on both of these... so I'll have to create an alternative way of hanging them.  They're a little too big to be a pendant or a pin...

Sculpey Clay III, some seed beads, and a few "tools" from the kitchen are perfect for adding a few details.  All items were baked according to manufacturer's directions.  These are slightly thicker than 1/4"  so I baked for about 30 minutes and they were perfect.  Coloring was done using some watercolor pencils and a waterbrush.    Once the coloring has dried, I began applying a thin coat of Sculpey Glaze. The bunny on the left only has a coat of the blaze on his "belly" at the moment.  I'll apply another coat (full coverage) and let dry. 

There are a couple of additional details to add. I'm really hoping to get another 20 or so done for the tree in the foyer.  Fingers crossed I'll get them all done... and each having a bit of personality to boot.  Should have more photos come Tuesday!  6 down and another dozen or so to go!

I think I'll put on that second coat AND roll out a bit more clay for cutting!  My new Mantra for this week is START.  What's yours? 

Happy Crafting!