December 22, 2023

Happy Holidays to all.

While I was working in the small shop in town I made some polymer clay gnome and troll figures. 

I also made some gnome magnets and lapel pins. I put some magnets and pins out at the recent craft fair and all the magnets sold quickly. So I have been making new ones to sell.

 

I use polymer clay because it stays soft until it is baked so it can be sculpted easily with no time limit. Plus the designs that can be created by rolling two or more colors together is endless. I love mixing colors together. There are lots and lots of different colors so it’s fun to experiment with them and create one-of-a-kind sculptures. 

I begin by rolling out a piece of black clay for the body base/back. I decide how long I want the whole piece. In this case I tried to keep the gnomes to about two and a half inches tall. I cut out a form from paper as a pattern that is about two inches long. I laid it on the black clay and used a clay knife to cut it out. I laid the clay over the magnet.  Then I made little black teardrops to add as shoes. The clay on top will wrap around the sides and will bring the piece up to the two and a half inches when finished.

 

I then decide on a color scheme. I usually choose three colors to go together for the hat, shirt, and pants. If I create a piece that is just the head I choose colors for the hat and the flower that goes on the hat.

 

There is a process I follow. First I lay the black body base over the magnet and press it so the clay covers the magnet. Then I make the pants by rolling out the clay into a small square. I lay it over the body base making sure it wraps on the sides. Then from the back I cut the clay. I want to make sure the black base is covered on the sides.

 

Then I choose the shirt color and hat colors. I make the shirt like the pants, by laying the clay over the body base and deciding the size. Again I press it on the body base and wrap it along the sides, then cut it from the back. I then create the arms and hands and attach them to the body. I leave them laying to the sides until I get the beard on.

 

At this point I put on the beard. I use a mix of black and white clay (sometimes adding in some silver clay) . I swirl them together to get the look of gray hair. I begin to form the beard and lay it over the body to check for the size. I cut clay from the top whatever is needed to fit with the nose. The top of the beard will be covered by the hat and the nose. If you want a younger gnome you could use brown and white to make the beard.

 

Once the beard is on, I lay the hands over the sides of the beard. If I am putting a heart into the hands I lay it on now. Then I press the arms and hands into it to secure it. It will be solid once the clay is baked. I make an indentation for the nose and put the little ball of flesh colored clay on.

 

Then I create the hat. I swirl together the two, or three, colors and work to get a fun design. I shape the hat and trim the under edges of the sides until I get the perfect fit. I press it down a little to make sure the clays all stick together.

 

Once the gnome is finished, I carve my initials in the back and lay it on a small piece of paper to put into the oven. I use a dedicated toaster oven. The oven must have the temperature dial on it so you get it right. Some toaster ovens don’t have a temperature dial.  I don’t recommend using your home oven because there may be fumes from the clay when it is baking that can be toxic. If you do use your home oven be sure to clean it thoroughly before baking any food in it.

 I bake the gnome magnets for about thirty minutes at 250 degrees. I want to make sure they bake through but not burn. I let the pieces cool for at least an hour and then put on a satin glaze. I use the Sculpey glaze that I get at Michael’s.  They also have a gloss and a matte glaze.

 These gnomes seem to be very popular right now at the craft show. I enjoy making them and love to see the faces of the people when they see them. Most of them are bought to give as gifts. Here are a couple of GnomeShrooms that are getting some attention. I got the idea from Pinterest for them. 

 

I hope you experiment with whatever medium you enjoy working with. I am always looking for new ideas for all my art and craft supplies. I can spend hours on Google and Pinterest looking at art, sculpture, sewing projects and anything that catches my eye.

Note: These Gnomes are Not available at this time on my Etsy shop. 

 Til next time.

 Terri

 www.Etsy.com/shop/TerriWarrenCreations

 

December 8, 2023

Jewelry Holders from Picture Frames 

Today I am going to share how I made this earring holder. Originally, years ago, I made a large jewelry holder for myself for all my necklaces and earrings. The photo below is that first one, now covered with lots of stuff. I used a large piece of scrapbooking paper that has a tiger design. It turned out really cool. It's perfect because I live in an RV and wall space is almost non-existent. 

 

I recently needed a way to display earrings for local craft shows. So I created a display with a 16x20 frame based on my original creation. I found the frame and fabric at the local big thrift store. The fabric is a printed lightweight denim. I thought the Paris theme was perfect for a jewelry display at a craft show.

 At the craft show I had several ladies admire the display and one even took photos so she could make one for her friend. She suggested I make them to sell. So I decided to make a couple as an experiment.

 I found this frame, meant for an 8x10 picture, at the thrift store. It didn’t have any glass or cardboard so I took cardboard from a packing box and cut it just a little bit smaller than the hole cut in the back of the frame. It had to be a bit smaller because of the fabric on the edges. Be sure there is no writing on the cardboard because it can be seen through the fabric.

 

I also found some really nice brocade fabric at the thrift store and cut it about a quarter of an inch bigger around than the cardboard. I then glued the fabric to the cardboard. I learned the hard way to use a thin layer of glue. Too much glue will seep through the fabric and discolor it. I covered the entire piece of cardboard with the glue. It needed to be secure so the bobbins would be solid enough to hold the weight of the jewelry.

 

Once the glue holding the fabric to the cardboard was dry I cut the fabric close to the edge. The edge is hidden by the frame. I removed the staples that were in the frame because they weren’t needed. I then put glue on the inner edge of the frame and put the fabric/cardboard piece into it. At this point it will look like you framed a piece of fabric. Allow the glue to dry overnight just to be sure it won’t come loose. I laid it face down and put magazines on it to hold it flat and make sure all edges were completely glued down. I cut a piece of colored paper and used glue around the edges to attach it to the back. I wanted the back to look nice and not have the cardboard showing.

 Now is the time to add all the hardware to the front.

I used sewing bobbins and necklace chain to create a way to hang the earrings. I used E6000 glue to glue the bobbins in place and let them dry overnight. It’s important to allow plenty of room for the earrings to hang down. In the smaller frame I only allowed for two rows. In the larger one I did for shows I put in three rows, making sure the bottom row could accommodate longer earrings.

 

I happened to have lots of sewing bobbins because I love to sew. I used old ones on my own hanger but used some newer ones for the displays. On the show display I left them silver colored, even though the cup hooks are brass. For the small display I spray painted the bobbins with a gold-brass color so they match the brass cup hooks.

 

I then used jewelry jump rings to attach the chain to the bobbins. I held the chain up to the bobbins and measured before cutting. I used two rings on each end just to be sure the chains didn’t come off. I also used some gold glitter glue and put it into the groove around the edge of the frame. I wanted it to be little more glamorous but not gaudy. It took three coats to get a good look to the glitter.

 

On this small one I put frame wire so it could be hung on the wall. Even though the frame had a saw-toothed hanger I prefer the wire so two nails can be used. If you hang it from just one point it will tilt due to the weight of the earrings. If you get too many on one side, or heavier ones on one side, the whole thing will tilt. By using the wire and two nails you can keep the frame level no matter where you hang the earrings on the chains.

 At the bottom of the frames I added cup hooks. For my personal one I put bracelets on them. On the show display I am able to hang necklaces or bracelets. They add a little more display space which is always necessary when doing art or craft shows. I also have hooks on the sides of my personal one. I have lots of necklaces, most of them I made myself. I also glued a decorative heart on the frames at the center of the bottom. One was a metal lapel pin, the other a button. They were both gold colored and added to the theme I was going for.

 

I found the cup hooks at the hardware store. I drilled holes for the hooks before screwing them in. They go in so much easier and don’t break the wood. I use a drill bit that is just a tiny bit smaller than the shank of the hook shank. If the hook won’t screw in you have to make the hole just a little bigger. Don’t force the hook because it will break off in the hole. (I have done this and had to move the position of all the hooks to fix the problem)

 Here is a photo of the second Paris fabric jewelry holder that I made from a 16 x 20 frame. I designed this one to hang necklaces on either side of the earrings. The bobbins work so well. You could add cup hooks on the sides at the top or the front if you wanted to hang more.

The jewelry chain I used was purchased at a Michaels. I buy the packages that contain three or five feet of chain. Or I buy the larger rolls of chain. I like the larger loop chains because they hold the earrings so well.

This is a fun project and I may even make another one for my necklaces.

 I hope this inspires you to be creative with out of the ordinary supplies.

 Terri

 Check out the new t-shirt designs in my Etsy shop.  Etsy.com/shop/TerriWarrenCreations