I was featured in the Etsy Blog by Mary and Kate from Reverie Magazine

I was featured, well my goldfish in the Hoarders Closet were featured, along with other Etsy sellers and their products, in a blog by Mary and Kate from Reverie magazine.

Thank you, Mary and Kate, so much!!

You can read Reverie Magazine here: http://reveriemag.com/

Every thing for the bride, photographed with style, written with love, and all the latest for your Wedding Reverie.

And here is the blog post, where I and many lucky others, were featured on The Etsy Blog.

Handmade Weddings: Inspired by a City

http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/handmade-weddings-inspired-by-a-city/ 

Reverie Magazine is a quarterly online wedding magazine created in London, England. Mary and Kate hope to spread their love of wedding design and ideas to brides on both sides of the pond. The next issue of Reverie Magazine will go live on April 12; you can also find daily wedding inspiration on the Reverie Blog.

I learned about my fish and weddings too, from Kate.

The tables would be decorated with wild flowers in mismatched glass bottles, and each guest’s place setting would have spiky air plants and napkins tied with gold fish charms (said by the ancient Greeks to enhance good luck in marriage and relationships).

Thank you again Mary and Kate! and thank you Etsy for having them blog!!

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.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

May the spirit of Christmas bless you with love, abundance, joy, and peace in your heart!

Wishing you all the very happiest of Holidays with your family and friends.

May your New Year be better than 2011 ever was.

Relax. It is all good.

 

Santa Can Christmas 2011

Marie Segal

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!!

Come play with us

Cabin Fever  Clay Fest in Laurel, MD is just 2 months away – Feb. 17-22, 2012…have you registered yet?  27 Workshops – 15 Instructors – 1, 2, 3 or 6 days of non-stop creative fun!  AND -You could win a $200 scholarship just for attending!  Register for the pre-conference only, the conference only, or both…pick your choice of instructors!  Still time to ask for that holiday gift you’ve wanted! 

Visit the website here at: www.polymerclayfests.wordpress.com

It’s not too late…there is still time for you to attend and win! It’s easy … all you do is register for the regular 3-day conference!  Winners will be selected and awards given during the conference. To register, download registration form here.

We have another year with a full schedule (workshops descriptions of incredibly talented instructors in polymer clay, metal clay, mixed media, and metalworks including Blair Anderson, Jana Roberts Benzon, Jeffrey Lloyd Dever, Lindly Haunani, Liz Potter Hall, Linda Hess, Doreen Kassel, Barbara Lewis, Shannon Nelson, Kathryn Jo Ottman, Nan Roche, Lynne Anne Schwarzenberg, Marie Segal (the 2012 Creative Pioneer and Innovator Award Recipient), Sarah Shriver and Laura Tabakman.  

If you haven’t attended CFCF yet, it’s an action packed one to six days of non-stop creative learning and fun and we want you to be part of it!  We will also be honoring Marie Segal with the Creative Pioneer and Innovator Award at the Tuesday evening celebration and there will be an opportunity for you to bid on some incredible items at the silent auction! 

Want to donate an item?…donation form is attached!

Review the workshops descriptions here and fill out your registration form and send it in.  It’s that easy!  Then, two (2) lucky attendees will be selected at the Tuesday night celebration. For additional information, please email cabinfeverclayfestivals@yahoo.com.   To register, download registration form here.

Kathryn Ottman

Central MD PC Guild, PCCAF and Cabin Fever Clay Fests

www.polymerclayfests.wordpress.com

cabinfeverclayfestival@yahoo.com

Something of interest- Etsy’s best

I don’t usually do Etsy showcases, but in one day I was sent some interesting stores.

The first one is someone who I featured in one of my blogs Halloween weekend. She is the Day of the Dead Catrina I took a picture of at the Day of the Dead Festival.

She saw my blog and contacted me, how cool is that?

Here is the blog post

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2011/11/wonderful-halloween-weekend.html

She also sent me some much better pictures to share with you.

This Catrina’s name is Nathaly

She has two Etsy Shops too.

One is for shoe accessories and hair baubles, Lola Lolita
http://www.etsy.com/shop/girlwithredshoes

And the other shop is a vintage finds shop with things from all over the world. La Femme Moderne

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LaFemmeModerne

Take a look at Nathaly’s shops, she has incredible things in them.

I love this blog! I am so excited to meet and know more about Nathaly and to have better pictures of her too. At the DOD Festival I wondered about her and who she was. I did not get to talk to her there at all, she was surrounded by people most of the time.

What an incredible costume.

How can it get better than this?

The second wonderful shop is from a fellow guild member and friend, Beth. She thought I would appreciate this shop. The shop was featured in her paper on Sunday. She knows I love Day of the dead and art, so she sent me the shop only a few minutes after Nathlay wrote me. I thought this must be a blog post or something.

This my friends is Raw Bone Studio

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RawBoneStudio

Cute, right??

These beauties come from the mind of Robin Romain.

I love these tin can skulls, It is a skull and tin can, how can it not be more perfect? Sardine cans?? Can it be my next palette? I seriously doubt it, I can not stand sardines. I will leave that to Robin  and her friend and artist Joe William Crabtree.

Picture this!!

I found these little frames, which are actually slide holders.

These look great in scrap books.

I used them for templates and made some clay frames which can also be used in scrapbooks, made in to jewelry, or magnets.

What about Christmas ornaments with pictures in them?

You will need:

Cernit Biscuit, White, or Opaque white (You can use other colors, I just used these for these pictures)

Clay machine

Clay slicing blade

Exacto-type blade

Textures

Pinata inks

Slide frames

small stencil brush

Metallic inks (brilliance, MicaMagic, these heat set and are permanent)

All links above lead to my husband’s on-line store, the Clay Factory, as always thank you for looking

Condition and roll out your clay on the 3rd thickest setting in your clay machine.

Lay the slide frame on the clay and trace around it cutting with your blade.

I have better luck cutting with a exacto type blade on the inside of the frame.

You can stipple with a stiff stencil brush.

Put on a little Pinata alcohol ink.

Then add another color and daub with a paper towel to blend (Kind of) ;-D

You can bake this one just like this or…

Stamp with gold metallic ink and bake. Tah-dah frame done! Scrapbook and flexible frames.

What about a necklace?

I will play with this later for ya!

Here is another way. Roll out the sheet of clay and then roll through with a piece of lace fabric to texture.

Cut out frame from this sheet.

Highlighted with Distress ink so you can see the texture. This wonderful ink (love for my cards) is not the best to use with Polymer clay, it really never dries and will rub off. Great for step by photos though, YAY!

Here it is colored with another metallic ink and then blushed with a gold ink to further accent.

Bake and go! That scrapbook is waiting. Also you can glue to the cover or paper with a small bead of glue along each side and the bottom and you will be able to slip a small photo in and out of it when the glue has dried..

Here is another way. Roll out your clay on the above setting and then roll through with a texture plate.

Ink and bake.

Back with more on this later.

Happy Tuesday, ya’ll.

Have a great week, go play now!

I love you to the moon and back!!

Wednesday Wonder- Step right up!

I know, it has been a while.

I have had this in the back of my mind for a while.

One of my blog buddies even did a post on it, you can see Nicole’s thoughts on this trend here

http://beadwright.blogspot.com/2011/10/shoes.html 

and here

http://beadwright.blogspot.com/2011/10/i-cant-help-myself.html

So you see shoes have become the latest art form and I do not mind at all, even though some of them seem quite ridiculous.

I have always wondered how one could walk in these, they are way higher than any platform I ever wore.

I do love these though, they are Steve Maddens and you can get them from Heels.com

These are works of art and the have 18 k gold heels. “Crafted by Mai Lamore, don’t degrade them by tagging them as mere shoes as they are no less than a work of art. They 27,000$ plus.”

I would never wear them outside and they best be the most comfortable shoes I have ever put on and kiss my little tootsies as I walk too.

I got this pic from http://elitechoice.org

How about shoes in shoes as a statement from DIS magazine

http://dismagazine.com/distaste/new-style-options/13659/shoes-in-shoes/ 

This might be a great choice for a Day of the Dead wedding theme.

Now these from the Prada Spring 2012 collection, I believe these to be truly some of my most favorites and you can see more at this site Talkshoes.com

http://www.talkshoes.com/5970/fashion-week-shoes-prada-spring-2012/ 

They have others that look like they have tail lights on the heels, you know the ones that look something like bullets. I believe 50′s cars, like Chevy’s had them.

Christian Louboutin Deja Vu Slingbacks, $1595 via Christian Louboutin

And these Louboutins rock my world.

Eye adore them.

http://www.talkshoes.com/5507/louboutins-with-eyes-sure-why-not/

Also from Talkshoes.com

What an awesome website!

Ok, maybe it is me, but I think we are moving in to the space age with aliens invading the planet.

Heelless shoes??? WTF? These are amazing.

Do people really wear them though??

I want to see the video!

Are your bunions and toes just screaming seeing this?

Also from Talkshoes.com, can you understand why I love this site?

http://www.talkshoes.com/5510/daphne-guinness-wears-heelless-natacha-marro-shoes-to-paris-couture-week/

Gives me an idea of the money wasted on foolish things, while people do not have health insurance.

That is always good for a laugh in the morning.

Here is another wonderful blog with a real persons view of shoes. Unique Style.

Some of these would definitely qualify as art.

Photo by Tommy Ton

http://uniquestyle11.blogspot.com/2011/11/shoes-shoes-yummy-shoes.html

Check out the rest of the blog too.

So if I look at these as art, I feel better about the prices and the looks. I would never wear them though for fear of getting them wet and breaking my leg or maybe even having worse back problems than I already have.

I do, though, love the design aspect of these and the ideas that bloom in my head from just looking at them.

Now those google eyes ones I would wear, I will have to use my glue gun and payless shoes though.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Dem bones, dem bones, dem fish bones! Part 2

This tutorial post is continued from

Dem bones, dem bones, dem fish bones! Part 1

Spooky fish skeleton that is not just for Halloween.

At least that is what I think anyway.

I love this cane.

I hope you have fun making it too.

You will need:

Black Cernit

Opaque White Cernit

Porcelain Cernit

Biscuit Cernit

Clay slicing blade

Clay machine

Ruler if you wish

I mixed the black clay with Biscuit and the white clay with porcelain in equal parts

Condition and roll out the black in to a sheet on the thickest setting in your clay machine.

This is the last picture from part 1 here

Dem bones, dem bones, dem fish bones! Part 1

Add a sheet of white to the center of the cut on one side. The sheet will be rolled out on the 3rd thickest setting.

Put the stack back together with the white sheet in the middle…

Roll a 1/2″ coil of the white clay and press in to a triangle with your thumb and forefinger.

Add the triangle point up to the fish bones. Like this.

Roll a 3/4″ coil of black.

Press that coil into a triangle too.

Make the points of the triangle pretty sharp.

Trim the triangle black piece to fit the stack of rib bones.

Cut that triangle piece in half.

Make the points even sharper if you have too.

Add one half to one side of the tail and the other half to the other side of the tail. Press in to the tail evenly.

Add a sheet of black clay rolled out on the thickest setting in the pasta machine to the bottom of the tail.

Like this!

Roll a 1″ coil of white clay and trim to the length of the stack of bones and tail.

Press this in to a triangle shape and see if it is the same size as the stack of bones and tail.

Cut straight down and cut off one point of the triangle.

Like so!

Place a bamboo skewer or brass rod on the cut side of the big triangle on the top 1/3 of the triangle.

Press the rod gently in to the triangle.

Add the other cut sections right back to the triangle with the brass rod still in place.

Form the 2nd cut half around the rod to form a half circle cell in the both pieces of the triangle.

Peel the one section off the other section and remove the brass rod.

Roll a coil of black clay the size of the brass rod about 1/8″ and place in the channel of the big part of the white triangle.

Cut off the black coil so it is the length of the white triangle piece.

Place the smaller section of the triangle together with the larger one leaving the black coil inside.

This will be the eye for the fish bone cane.

Using your blade again cut into the opposite side of the cane at more of an angle. Cut all the way through to the bottom edge of the white triangle.

Like so.

Pull off the small section with never changing the orientation of the pieces.

Roll out some black clay on the 3rd thickest setting and place a strip about 1/4″ in width on the length of the small cut off white piece of the larger triangle.

This piece will slide under the bigger white piece of the triangle, so the black strip will go along the outside edge of the small piece.

Like so!

Using your thumb and forefinger compact everything together. Shaping back in to a triangle and pressing the small piece with the black together with the large piece of the triangle as if it is one piece.

Place the triangle head in the center of the bones on the stack.

Roll a black coil that is 1 1/8″ in diameter and the length of the stack of fish bones.

Press in to a triangle shape and cut the pieces in half.

Make the points of the triangle more defined.

Place one half on each side of the head of the fish.

Wrap all sides with a sheet of black rolled out on the thickest setting.

Reduce by compressing all sides one at a time with the palm of your hand and then flipping the cane from end to end and compressing all 4 sides of the cane again.

Repeat this slowly and gently until the cane is smaller by half the size.

It is best to be more forceful in the center of the cane to force the inside of the cane out.

As Katherine Dewey once told me “Oh, you are pressing on the “x” and the “y” axis which forces the “z” out through the center”.

EXACTLY!

This is the inside of that cane using that method!

Enjoy and have a safe and fun Halloween!

Boos and hisses!