I am teaching at Cabin Fever Clay Festival

I am teaching at Cabin Fever Clay Fest in Laurel, Maryland not far from Washington DC. in February.

You can read about my pre-conference and conference classes here

http://polymerclayfests.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/cfcf-2012-spotlight-on-instructor-marie-segal/

You can sign up here on the registration page

http://polymerclayfests.wordpress.com/cfcf-2012-registration-page/

This is the first time I will ever be teaching my unzipped hearts, how to use the zipper mold, how to make the embellishments, stamping both sides of the heart at the same time,  making and incorporating the ring bail at the top and anything else I can give you in the time allotted.

I will not be the only teacher there either, there are many great artists coming to teach at this event and it is the perfect thing to heat up your cold winter. I am so looking forward to this and meeting new friends and playing with old ones…

Here is the line up

Beginning 17 Feb. 2012, we will offer a two-day masterclass with Jeffrey Lloyd Dever and seven full-day workshops with each of the following incredibly talented instructors: Jana Roberts Benzon, Lindly Haunani, Barbara Lewis, Liz Potter Hall, Nan Roche, Marie Segal, and Sarah Shriver.

On Sunday, 19 Feb., the conference begins and will offer twelve unique workshops and nineteen opportunities to get the creative muse working again!  Instructors include: Blair Anderson, Jana Roberts Benzon, Lindly Haunani, Linda Hess, Doreen Kassel, Shannon Nelson, Kathryn Jo Ottman, Lynne Anne Schwarzenberg, Marie Segal, Sarah Shriver, and Laura Tabakman.

I will also be teaching a class on wire called “All wired up”

That is the pre-conference (master classes) all day workshop on Friday the 17th of February.

We start out making a simple flower cane .

I will be exploring all kinds of ear wires and making a simple clasp for necklaces and talking about wire basket weaving and how to incorporate the cane into the wire.

This is going to be an incredible conference with many wonderful teachers and 20 classes available to you. I am so honored to be amongst this group.

You should come, it is going to be fun and you will have chance to learn something new in the new year.

All of the instructors are incredibly talented artists in polymer clay, metal clay, mixed media, and metalwork.

 

Happy New Year… finally!

Well, the new year is here and I  for one, am excited.

I hope you are too.

The year has been interesting.

Thank you so much my dear friends for staying for the year, for sharing your love and your hearts, and for giving me a reason to keep writing.

I am better for knowing all of you!

Thank you!

I have been playing with some new things. New year, new things, I started early.

I thought these were very fun and I thought you might like to try too.

This is like scrapbooking jewelry… woooooooooooo whoooooooo.

I knew my boatloads of fun with Jodi would lead to something like this.

I also like it because it is one of the bib necklace findings I just loaded in to my HoardersCloset Etsy store here for gold,

http://www.etsy.com/listing/88706811/vintage-metal-gold-tone-brass-bib

and here for silver,

http://www.etsy.com/listing/88644235/vintage-metal-silver-tone-plated-bib

That is the finding right there in the foreground above with no decorations on it.

I have had these for years and I have added clay to them and that is fun, but this is cool because I can use all of my newly collected scrapbook and paper supplies on these too.

Here is a pic of some of the things I used on the necklace, plus some scrap book paper.

Yes!

You will need:

1 brass or silver tone crescent

Chain necklace with clasp and jump rings

Scrap book paper

Gel medium- soft gel

1/4″ flat brush

jewels and metal bits

glossy accents

scissors

glue

glitter glue

Distress inks

foam applicator

clay pieces

assorted goodies and beads

brads

Distress ink

paper doilies

Glass rhinestones and cabs

Ribbon

Anything else you think might look wonderful on here

I started with one of the brass crescents

Cut a piece of paper that is bigger than the crescent.

Glob on gel medium, with flat brush, on to the front of the crescent.

Turn over the crescent and place it on top of the paper.

Pick up the both of them and press the paper on.

The gel will squish out around the edges

Set this aside and let the gel dry for a little bit.

Cut off the paper below the loop on the crescent.

Like so. Do both sides.

After it has dried a little cut the excess paper around the crescent.

It should look something like this.

I go around the edges and press the edges to the crescent.

Now I cover a paper doily with metallic ink and let it dry or heat set it with a heat gun.

Now I distress the edges of the paper on the crescent with walnut stain Distress Ink.

This colors the edges of the paper so they are not stark white besides giving the paper on the front a nice soft antiqued look. I love this ink!!

I love the way this looks.

I place the doily over the crescent to see where I want it to go and then cut a section out.

Cut a section to go on one end also, I liked it like that.

I put a layer of gel on to the end where I am going to place the piece of doily and then paint the gel on the back of the doily and place the piece where I want it to go.

Place gel on the back of the other piece and place it where you want it.

Put gel on top of that one.

I set it aside and let it dry on the crescent. Because of the curve of the crescent I lift it upon something (scissor covers) so the edges down.

When dry cut, away the excess doily.

Like so.

With Crafter’s Pick Ultimate or E-6000 Glue on your bits.

I had to throw in some clay. I only use a little glue in the centers of the butterflies the glue seems to press out to the edges when I press them down on the paper.

At this point I just start filling up the base with stuff, rhinestones, flowers, keys and other assorted things.

I haven’t finished this but I will post it when I do.

Have fun with this. I would love to see what you do.

Have a great 2012, much prosperity, health, and peace for us all.

Blessings all over you all.

Happy Holidays to one and all, that means all of the holidays. No matter what you celebrate, you are important to me. Blessings all over you and yours and may the new year be very kind to you.

2012, how can it get any better than that? :-O

This is my gift to you.

Thank you for following, your kind comments and support, your friendships, and a reason to keep going everyday!

Large focal buttons can be used on handmade coats, purses, bags, and scarves. Or they can be put on factory manufactured things to give them a little individual style all their own.

Easy to make and great for adding a little flair and uniqueness to a special gift.

This is also very basic instruction. You can use a clay machine if you want and if you do, use the thickest setting for everything.

I also love Cernit  for buttons, because it is harder than most clays on thicker settings, yet still quite flexible at thinner settings.

You will need:

Black Cernit

Two accent colors of Cernit, I used turquoise and poppy red

Cocktail straw

Clay blade-SB

Makin’s clay cutters-M36002 set of 3 squares

Pearl-ex powder-658, I used Aztec Gold

Makin’s Texture sheet set- 38003 I used the “weave” one

Button mold, I made my own from old German glass buttons

Rolling pin or dowel

Ball point pen

Condition black clay and flatten in to a pancake shape.

Roll with dowel until about 1/8″thick.

Roll clay on to texture sheet.

Use largest square cutter and cut out square.

With a little of the Aztec gold powder from the lid on your finger rub the gold powder in to the four corners of the black textured square. Leaving the center of the square free of powders. Put the powder only on the top of the black square and keep it away from the sides of the square too, we are going to place a twisted coil around the square.

Wash your hands to remove excess powder.

Condition and roll out turquoise clay to about 1/8″ thick.

Cut out medium square from set of cutters.

Put turquoise square on top of the black textured square off-center from the black square.

Condition some of the poppy red clay and roll in to a coil about 1/8″ in diameter and then do the same thing with some of the turquoise clay.

Twist the two colors together.

Roll the colors together on the work surface.

Roll down to about 1/8″ in diameter.

Place the twisted rolled out coil around the large black square.

Roll out a smaller coil of the poppy red, about 1/8″ in diameter, and place around the smaller turquoise square.

Make a button from your button mold or some other decorative center.

Powder the top of the molded button.

Place powder on your finger from out of the lid.

Rub your finger around a couple of times to smooth out the lumps and then brush on to the clay lightly and in circles.

You can also roll the whole ball in powder. Make it a little bigger to begin with , press into the mold and then cut off the back so it is flat with the mold.

This insures that there is fresh un-powdered clay on the back to attach to the turquoise square.

Press gently on to the turquoise square.

You could leave the button like this, but I am going to add a couple more things.

Roll 4, 1/8″ or smaller balls of black clay and place in the corners of the turquoise square.

With a ball point pen tip make a little mark in each of the black balls.

With one end of the cocktail straw cut a hole on the right side of the button top.

Turn the straw over and use the other side of the straw to cut another hole on the left side of the button.

I have cut my button holes so the button will sit and be sewn on diagonally.

Like so.

Bake for 30 minutes in a pre-heated 275 degree F oven, shut off the oven, and let cool till you can touch it, in the oven.

Happy Holidays Ya’ll, all  of them!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the USA.

And to those friends that aren’t in the USA…

May the spirit of Thanksgiving grace your heart and tables.

My little Foofa!

Madi did Halloween as Foofa! She was so cute.

Foofa is a character from Yogabbagabba, one of her favorite shows on TV.

We sing all of the songs and even I, know most of them by heart.

My little Foofa patiently waiting to go!

We visited some scary places.

Met some scary people!

Loved this house.

I loved this fence.

Cool, Huh?

Another great place!

This house was the best and the people very nice!

Madi said “can I come in?” LOL!

My little Foofa was quite a trooper and walked the couple of miles by herself.

She got lots of goodies and was only scared once by a talking skull, as long as they do not talk she was fine with them, LOL!!

A wonderful Halloween weekend

**************WARNING this is a picture heavy post***************

I had a great time this weekend. I hung out with friends from out-of-town on Sunday.

We went to the Old San Luis Rey mission in Oceanside for a Dia De Los Muertos festival.

I had not been there in more years than I can count.

That day I realized that I am sitting in the midst of a beautiful and culturally diverse community that I have not utilized for many years. Lucky me and yet, stupid me, for not checking things out sooner.

With Madi growing and learning this is not the time to be remiss on this fact, but to pay attention to the treasure amongst my place of habitat.

I am always amazed at  how much more it means to me at my age than when I visited as a child.

This beautiful lady posed with children and adults in 90 degree weather.

The costume was gorgeous and she looked like a painting or drawing come to life.

I loved this and with the Mission behind her it was amazing.

The Dia De los Muertos Festival  was amazing. With food, yay!

I ate pork and cheese pupusas with curtido and salsa roja, from El Salvador. Recipe links in the titles. I did blend the salsa roja with a little water and then cook again adding salt and pepper, when cooler stirring in the cilantro to make it more like the traditional sauces I have had.

A pupusa is a stuffed corn dumpling or flat bread of sorts served with cabbage slaw(curtido) and red sauce(salsa roja). This is my new favorite thing to eat and I found a great recipe online, above links, totally gluten-free. I have my Sandy Camp committee and San Diego Guild  member, Pat, to thank for this wonderful introduction to Pupusas. She is so kind to always look out for me and my choice to eat gluten-free.

I made it with masa harina but now I want to learn how to make fresh masa because the difference in taste is amazing. Still very good with the corn flour(masa harina) but a 100 times better with fresh masa.

There were also many Spanish and Mexican crafts and vendors, a car show, music, dancing, and beautiful colors everywhere. I want to go back next year and spend the whole there. A couple of hours is in no way enough for all the sights and sounds.

This mission is beautiful and well-kept, I have to go back and take Madi for a tour, there is all kinds of history there.

This is one.

Old adobe bricks.

Commemorative plaque1.

I didn’t have time to stop and really read and take pictures and ask questions because we were on the way out to Encinitas to meet others for a coffee at Swami’s.

Commemorative plaque2

Commemorative plaque3

Commemorative plaque4

I believe I made the pictures bigger for the plaques so you can click on them to read them.

This was right next to my car when we were leaving.

The Lavanderia (the laundry; the laundromat).

Loved the old adobe archway, it was very inviting, on a schedule, snapped more pics. I am going back to see this.

Some folks walking down the sloped gradual steps.

I have to go back now, gargoyles??? Really?

I also bought this incredible shirt.

Lucy, oh Lucy!! Way cool art on shirts. Incredible art. I love this one!

I have to look for the card, they have no website.

See that Key, Kathy Davis made that for me. Thank you Kathy, I adore it!

We then went to Swami’s cafe in Encinitas, a juice bar, coffee shop and good food, I mean good for you food that tastes great. You can look at the menu here

http://www.allmenus.com/ca/san-diego/30678-swamis-cafe/menu/

Yum, yum, yum!!

I found this on the flower shop next to Swami’s and thought it might be a profound rule for life! LOL!!

Then we walked across the street to the gardens at the Self Realization Fellowship Temple there right on the coast. They have a garden off of K Street and we walked over to check it out.

I have lived in this area all of my life and I have never been there. WOW! I loved it. It is not a big place but it jammed packed with beauty. Now I want to go on the Temple grounds too. I bet is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.

Beautiful coy ponds (warning, I may say beautiful a lot!)

Glimpses of the pacific ocean (with fog coming in)

Beautiful flowers.

Bird of paradise and views of the pacific ocean.

A living canopy.

Beautiful plants and rocks.

Rock people. I did not put this here.

Rocks and more ponds with fish.

Bubbling up!

Ocean and fog again. The trail wind around and then back to the ocean and every time we came back to the ocean it would be a different feeling.

I cannot even capture in words the beauty in this small space.

If you come here or live near here you should go and visit.

Wicked cool tree with low crooked branches.

There is a great spider web here, this picture is bigger if you like to look at spider webs click on it.

Where the Swami swam, and incredible tile work.

More flowers.

More beautiful flowers.

Beautiful ocean view!

There is so much duality in this place, shade and sun, light and dark, shiny and dull. hard and soft, and sharp and smooth.

Benches through out.

Walkways too.

I think this might just be my favorite picture of the whole day. The fog rolling in.

Spikeys!

Weird berries?

Gate to the sea?

Beautiful flowers.

Palm.

Gorgeous flowers.

These leaves are furry and huge.

Cactus mouths! or tentacles.

Spikes and soft.

These do not bloom very often. It is very tall. The plant itself is probably 4 foot in diameter.

Smooth.

Fuzzy fingers.

Huge spikes.

1 foot plus long fish.

And very friendly too. I think they thought we were going to feed them.

Lush growth around this fish pond.

OK, this is my favorite picture. The sun has started its trek towards the western horizon and would peek through the trees sending rays out through the branches and dance off the water and the leaves, playing throughout the whole garden.

Again he peeks through.

And again.

And on the way out.

Thanks for visiting with me and if you come here you should go see this treasure and visit Swami’s cafe.

I had a blast.

http://www.yogananda-srf.org/tmp/LocationDetail.aspx?id=938

I live in an amazing place!

Pearl at Beading Gem Blog

I have had the honor of being in one of Pearl’s wonderful blog posts at Beading Gem with other artists, I was so honored.

Her blog is little jewels of beading and everything to do with beading and more. A veritable treasure trove of loveliness and a wealth of information.

Today though, I am featured for my Halloween Jewelry, no, no, my

Artful Halloween Polymer Clay Jewelry by Marie Segal

or here if you like to cut and paste

http://www.beadinggem.com/2011/10/artful-halloween-polymer-clay-jewelry.html#more

WoooooooooooooWhooooooooooo!!

You know what Pearl?  I think you are wonderful. Thank you so very, very much from the bottom of my Halloween heart!!

You have made my whole October complete.

Cleaning Bottles for Bottles of Hope

My friend Sky works at a place where he can get bottles for my guild for Bottles of Hope.

We are so lucky, bottles are hard to come by now days without paying for them.

He saves us the safe ones.

He told me something I thought I would share.

He uses a bottle opener to take off the tops of the bottles.

Boy that was huge duh for me.

I have been using a pair of wire cutters.

I would end up with cut hands.

What ever is in the bottles all over my hands.

If you turn the opener over completely you can move it and the top of the bottle right to the trash.

It took forever.

Well, no longer, thanks to the brilliant Sky.

About 10 minutes.

He also said to clean them with ammonia instead of bleach.

I am going to fill this tub up with water, add a cup of ammonia and clean and soak off the labels.

I now no longer mind doing this at all.

So now I am much better and smarter because of a brilliant friend.

Thanks Sky.

Something was going around, Sandy Camp 13

There was something going around Sandy Camp 13, I suspect these guys.

Patty Mac had them crawling all over her.

Front and back.

Here is why I suspect this.

Lynne Ann is a beautiful, colorful woman.

Talented too.

Here she is with the Princess crown that Ellie makes everyone take a picture with.

A great sport too.

Here she is dressed up. Everyone had costumes on at some point.

But this is what happened after what I think is one of Patty’s pets bit her.

Patty’s spiders have blue eyes too, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!

I had so much fun, I feel like I was hit by a mac truck today.

Oh no, maybe I was bit by a Mac spider too.

Have a wonderful week, my pretties.

You are loved!!!

1st day of Sandy Camp

Broomhilda showed up…

Kelly Broomhilda

 

 

 

Dee Broomhilda

 

 

Marni Broomhilda

 

 

Patty Broomhilda

 

 

 

 

Kasi Broomhilda

 

 

 

Lynne Ann Broomhilda

 

 

 

 

 

Yvette Broomhilda

 

 

 

Deni Broomhilda

 

 

 

Shelly Broomhilda

 

And…

 

 

Marie Broomhilda This is only the beginning. ;-D