Idea Swap “Ideas”

(How’s that for an innovative title!)

from Pat Sernyk (aka Fishy)

Quick and dirty idea #1

Little Wild Woman pendant

This was an adaptation of Roberta Altshuler’s pendant that I made with leftover ivory clay.

I made several “heads” (using molds) and pre-baked them so as to always have my heads ready and my wits about me.  I antiqued them slightly after they were cool.

I made the cocoon body using ivory clay, impressed with a rubber stamp.  The back is flat ivory, in the shape of a narrow shield, textured if you want.  I placed a cornstarch packing foam bit on top of it and then adhered the stamped body on the sides, trimming to form a neat edge.  For the hands, I did some easy cuts into some snakes and covered the arms with leftover stamped cocoon parts.  Attached these to the cocoon’s shoulders.  Drilled some holes with a skewer.  Baked that.  After baking, antiqued with burnt umber and rubbed off the excess with rubbing alcohol on an old face-cloth. (I find this way easier and less messy than using paper towels and water!)  Buffed it with a cloth.

While the cocoon was baking, I added “details” to the face.  Made a “neck” and attached it with some liquid tls.  Inserted a piece of wire,behind the face, (in case I want to decorate with waxed linen thread later) and added “hair”.  Then I covered the back  of the head in black…ala a wrap,  and  affixed some black snakes in coils.  (Actually I made the coils with black Premo mixed with superflex, just to make sure they’d be able to accommodate the neck cord.)  Then I added a “mantilla comb” sortof thingy to hide the joins in the back.  I made sure the neck fit snugly in the cocoon and baked the head.  The head can come out so you can put little stuff inside the cocoon body.  One woman actually asked me if I was contributing to crime by making a hiding place like that…but she bought the piece for $30 anyway!

I think the rest is self evident.

Qwick and Dirdy Idea #2

These “pods” are made from leftover cane slices on a thin background and an inner base of scrap clay.

These can be made either into pins or pendants, or if you’re clever with the backing, both!

I rolled a 2 inch blob of scrap clay into a fat cigar stub, approximately ¾ inch by 2 inches.  Then I adhered some very thin slices of small canes (about 1/3 inch in diameter) in a sort of pattern onto a thin base of co-ordinated colour clay.  I used the acrylic roller to blend the slices in and then rolled at about #4 on the Atlas.  The sheet was about 4 ½ inches square.  I trimmed the sheet into a “convex-rectangle” and covered over the cigar of scrap clay. (You get good at estimating how much you need after you’ve made one or two!)  I rolled the ends into a tapered point for the pins.  I flattened the backs slightly so they would rest flat on the index card and baked.  After baking, I affixed a pinback.  If you would rather make this into a very phallic pendant, you can drill a hole near the top either before or after baking and insert your cord. 

For the other pendants, I simply joined three of the above cigar pods at the sides, and curved them slightly. I made a hole through the entire piece.  Then they were baked and slightly buffed and voilà!  A pendant!

Hope these are quick enough!  And my hands were only slightly dirty…don’t ask me about back filling!

Okay I’m interested! J

 I throw all my prototype beads, all my leftovers (one extra from making a bracelet, my beads are done in very small batches..) into a bowl. I string one handmade polymer bead with a few glass beads onto a length of cord which I tie to a zipper pull for instant purse charm/backpack charm/zipper pull…these sell quickly for 3-4$ each and cost almost nothing to make… make them a bit longer, attach to a keychain ring for instant belt loop charm to pretty up plain jeans.

Fireplace Match Container- Gera

I  purchased  Duraflame 11" matchboxes- $2.37/ea!

It's not brain surgery- after removing  the  matches & the little clear plastic cap at the top of the cylinder  I covered it with clay I ran the clay through the p.m. on #2 with some textured upholstery cloth then did some stamping and texturing and fired it. I backfilled and because of the cardboard, dry sanded. The clear top and matches were inserted after armouralling . Easy to adapt the concept to a Seasonal theme!

Really quick & low cost - I plan to charge around $40

  Tina

Jannie

My suggestions will be mainly for the figurative sculptors, but what the hey, that is what I do.

Glastic Eyes

If you are using glastic eyes in your figures' head, you usually worry about cracking, splitting or even bulging.
My suggestion, it works, after you make the nostrils and the ears, use a darning needle and make a puncture directly through those orifices as though they were real, right into the aluminium foil, making sure to puncture the foil.  I also leave a minuscule hole at each corner of the eye.  These holes release any kind of heat buildup and keep the eyes in good shape. 

After discovering that, I changed my style and started doing painted eyes, go figure!

Armatures

I use copper wire twisted together for large pieces, but for smaller ones, 14 inches (35.5 cm) I use ten (10) gauge coated electrical wire.  I buy the wire in a double sleeve.  There are two copper plastic coated wires and one not coated.  figure out the length of the body.  Remove the outer sleeve partially from the top and the bottom, leaving the torso length covered.  Use the uncovered wires (usually a black and a white one) for the arms and the legs.  The bare copper wire is used to go into the neck (doubled up) and also to wrap back up the torso for even more strength.

Okay, there you have it.

Jannie

Marie

Idea for a tree ornament by iggy

 I hope the photo will clarify the words.

It takes me about 15 – 20 minutes to make this ornament.  I do it by an assembly line technique by

1 – Using brownish/gold twisted clay –although it doesn’t show much, so any brownish

      streaky color would do -- and flattening it into sheets on the second thickest              

      setting on my pm, I cut out a circle about 4 inches in diameter.  Cut this circle into

      five equal parts, one will become the template for the trunk of the tree.  From the

      clay sheet cut this cone shape.  Join the long sides together and bake for about

      15 or 20 minutes.

2 – I now roll out thin snakes about 1/8” diameter and cut 8 that are 2” long,

      8 that are 1 ¾” , 7 that are 1 ½”, 7 that are 1 ¼”  and 6 that are 1” for each tree.

      These numbers will vary from tree to tree by one or two depending on the height and

      diameter of the cone.

      I use a streaky green or pearl or gold or silver, or any color that strikes my fancy.

      Then I make a tear drop shape from each of these small snakes..

3 – I rub a bit of tls on the baked cone, and then starting with the bottom, put the

      biggest tear drops on the cone with about ¼” hanging below the cone.  I stick the

      cone on my index finger to do this, then spread each of the bottom bits out so that

      the tree stands on the cone.

      (sorry about the lousy drawing!)

 4 – then I continue with each size of tear drop up the tree, putting more tls as needed.  See #3 top   diagram.

 5 – when I reach the top I pinch the tops of the tear drops closed.

 6 – then I roll pearl or gold or silver thru the pm til shiny and then cut two stars with my     cutter. I turn one upside down because then I can put two sides together that have the      upside down star smooth edge facing out.  Then I make a small hanger of wire,      lay it on the upside down star with one point at the tip of the hanger, and place the   other star on top and gently press it together, removing fingerprints.

7 – then with a little tls between two points opposite the hanger, I ‘glue’ it to the top of      the  tree.  

8 – using a small paint brush I brush the ‘branches’ with pearlx or other powders until      I like the look.

 9 - now bake again for about 20 – 30 minutes.

 Now here is a photo of the tree.

I think that cutting tear drop shapes with a cutter could also be used, perhaps even cutting down the time to make these.  I like the openness of the teardrops as above, however.

Cath

Here's my Down and Dirty production basic. Hardly a new idea, but fast to
make and sell, which is the idea, no? My OH can't get through a winter
without a set of these adorning his ski-wear hehe:

NATASHA BEAD ZIPPER PULLS

Good sellers this time of year as stocking stuffers. Fun and functional.
Great for using up ends of canes and bits and pieces of old clay before they
turn into pinky-purple gunk. Quick to make, easy to co-ordinate with
snow-wear or backpacks, every one is one of a kind. What's not to love?

Make your rectangular chunk of scrap clay a good 1.5 inches long and a
half-inch thick. Bigger is better---big enough for gloved hands to grab
without fumbling. Cut and refit natasha-style. To give the ends a nice
finish, press a small square of clay in a co-ordinating solid colour, #3
pasta thickness, to the top and bottom. Pierce lengthwise. Bake, sand, and
buff or rub with Armor All. To assemble, run a 6" or 8" cut of vinyl-coated
telephone wire (chosen to complement clay colours) down through the hole
(twist two wires together for more colour or heft), slip on another
co-ordinating bead, or washer or two for the industrial look, at the bottom,
then run the end of the wire back up through. Form a loop at the top, with
ends of the wire coiled nice and snug around the "stem" of the loop. The
whole thing should look beefy and colourful. Clip a lanyard to the loop, et
voila.

Cheers,
Cath

Amy (Eyelashes)

I make a lot of beads and I dip them in
future.  To do this and save time I have a wire shelf from an oven and
it sits on a metal folding table that has no top, just the feet.I can
reach under the little table as well as on top. I use fairly heavy
silver metal paper clips and I unbend them into an s-shape. I insert
one end into the bead and the other end to hang it on the wire shelf. I
usually dip several at a time in the future. This all sits on a sheet
of styrafoam thats covered with paper towels. Then I use a long paint
brush to take the droplets off the bottom of the bead.

Cookie-Cutter Frame Ornament (or magnet)

Jem  

o       Large Cookie cutter (or cardboard template)- for shape of ornament

o       Smaller round  (or other) cutter for photo frame cut-out

o       Thin cardboard (approx. thickness of #3 clay) rectangle. Size:  ¼” wider than circle cutter x 2-4” long (depends on size of your cutter).

o       3 clay sheets a bit larger than your cutter:1 decorative sheet (Patterned or textured, etc) #3 or thicker (TOP)

          2 sheets #3 thickness (MIDDLE & BACK)

1.     Cut decorative sheet (TOP) with cutter & cut out hole in centre

with small circle cutter. This is the front of your ornament.

2.     Lay TOP on MIDDLE sheet and lightly trace shape & hole

onto MIDDLE. (don’t cut thru at this point) Remove TOP.

3.     Place cardboard rectangle over traced circle, making sure

it covers circle but is inside shape on 3 sides.

It should extend past your clay shape on one side.

4.     Cut around cardboard, and remove clay from under it,

putting cardboard back . This will make a pocket where the

photo goes when sandwiched between top & back layers.

 Burnish together.

6.     Place TOP&MIDDLE, with cardboard, onto BACK sheet.

Burnish together.

7.     Cut MIDDLE & BACK layers, using TOP as guide,

up to cardboard that is sticking out.

8.     Turn over and cut off extra clay that was under cardboard.

9.     Bake with cardboard in place. Gently slide cardboard out & in to make sure it isn’t stuck to the clay, first.

10. Drill a hole for ribbon or glue a magnet on back. Trim the cardboard and leave in to use as a template for cropping a photo.

Wine Bottle Drop Catcher- Vio

A quick and easy item to make. They are potentially an inexpensive item to sell.

Basically it is a ring, lined with felt.

Here are some instructions to get you going.

The most complicated thing about making these, is finding a round cylinder that is the

right size. For most wine bottles, you will need a cylinder measuring 1 ¼ inch in

diameter. Some wood dowels are that size; I use a cardboard cylinder.

Cover the cylinder with a piece of paper secured with double-side tape.

Then roll a sheet of clay, could be scrap clay, on the thickness you want. I did mine on a

one (but I have some done with 5). The width: I find ¾ to 1 inch works well for me.

Length, about 4 ½ inches. Make the best joint you can (a bevelled cut helps).

Bake. I like to work in two steps but it could probably work with only one baking (to

save time and steps).

Prepare a decorated surface of your choice. I use a fairly thin sheet, 5 on the pasta

machine.

Take your baked clay ring, and cover it with the decorated layer, making sure the joints

are not at the same place. The reason being that the ring should be solid and have no

weak points. That is why I work with two layers. It will be under some pressure on the

bottle, as it holds by friction. I tend to cut this decorated sheet larger than the ring in order

to cover the top and overlap it a little on the inside. Make sure there is no air trapped

between the two layers. Bake again

Sand and buff or whatever.

Cut a piece of felt, I use black felt because the wine drops remain invisible. The felt is not

as wide as the ring, leaving about 1/8” on each side. Glue with white glue and make sure

the edges of the felt butt together, no overlap.

And voilà. The friction will keep the ring on the bottle even when you pour the wine.

Sounds like a lot of work, but once you really get it, it takes no time at all.

And if you donýt want to do the felt thing, they can be napkin rings.

Oh yes, I found some felt squares at the $$ store.

.

That's it!

Violette

Sýcuze le picture: it is very dark here today and the options are minimal.