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!!

Mrs. B is giving away one of my cup cake pendants

 

 

Mrs B is giving away one of my bat cup cake pendant necklaces on her blog here.

http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/2011/10/giveaway-from-marie-segals-art-from-my.html

It closes on October 25th at 12 noon EST.

Comment on Mrs.B’s blog, not here, for a chance.

She has several ways to win.

Good Luck!!

Happy Halloween from both of us!!!

 

Finished on the 15th Tin can pumpkin box part 2- DIY

This is my post for the Fave Crafts Blog hop, Finished on the 15th.

http://www.favecraftsblog.com/october-blog-hop-halloween-crafts-anniversary-giveaway/

It is a themed Blog hop for Halloween and I have the chance to win 50$ worth of craft products if you vote for me. Could you please check it out. I would love to win. You have to go to the fave craft  page (click on link of above) and like my post there.

Look for this picture.

You can click on this pumpkin to to go there.

Thank you so much if you do.

I did not get much done because I was getting ready for the San Diego polymer clay Guild’s annual Sandy Camp. You can see the witches here

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2011/10/1st-day-of-sandy-camp.html

A good time was had by all.

This is continued from part one here

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2011/10/tin-can-pumpkin-box-part-1-diy.html

I thought you would like to see how I make the can boxes.

Never throw another can away again.

LOL!!

You will need:

4 ounce Ortega chili can (You can use any can size but the cutters I am using are for the 4 ounce size can) to find the right circle cutters, put a cutter inside the lid top to see which cutter will work and then use the nest size up for lid top.

Cernit Clay in

Orange

Light Green

Gold

Caramel

Opaque white

Black

Poppy red

Yellow

Large block of Biscuit

1/2″ Oval Kemper cutter

3/16″ round Kemper cutter

1 1/8″ round cutter

2″ round cutter

2 1/2″ round cutter

2 3/4″ round cutter

Clay slicing blade

Knitting needle or bic stic pen

I mix all of my colors equally with the same amount of biscuit.

Condition to one color.

Condition some of the light green Cernit and roll out on the thickest setting in your clay machine.

The mix some of the gold Cernit with the light Green 1:1 and roll it out on the thickest setting.

I used a maple leaf cutter and cut out one leaf in each color.

Cut out the stem of the leaf.

Please disregard the piece of clay on the blade ;-D

Cut a “V” at the base of the leaf.

With a knitting needle make marks in the leaves you cut out for veins.

Like so.

From the back of the leaf pinch down the center vein just a little.

Place on the lid of the can. I make the leaves were the “V” is cut go up the stem a little and scrunch up the leaves to make them look real.

Take a 1/2″ ball of the light green Cernit and roll out in to an elongated cone about 3″ long.

Place the thick end in the dip of the stem and curl up.

Like so.

Roll out some black Cernit on the thickest setting in the clay machine and fold a part of it in half.

Using the 1/2″ oval cutter, cut out 3 ovals.

Stack together. You can wrap these with another piece of very thin black clay if you wish, but I leave them like this.

I roll them gently on the work surface to tack together.

Make 4 sets of these black stacked ovals and place at four corner on the bottom of the can.

Turn the can over and place on the feet and press gently to flatten feet a little.

Cut out 4 more double thick ovals for bat bodies.

Cut out 4 single thickness rounds with the 1 1/4″ cutter.

Cut those single thick circles in half.

Using the point of the 1/2″ heart cutter starting on the out side of the half circles cut 3 points across the cut halves of each set.

Like this. Do that with all of the sets. They will look like wings now.

Using the 1 1/4″ cutter mark partial arcs from the points  to the top of the wing.

Like this.

Place a set of wings over each foot like so.

Roll the little body balls of clay in to stubby pear shapes. Place the smaller end up and place the body over the wing tips and the feet

Roll out some of the red Cernit on the 6th thickest setting and with the 3/16″ round cutter cut out 4 sets of two each for the eyes on the bat.

Cut out a single thickness of black Cernit with the 3/16″ cutter and roll into a short little coil and place over the red eyes. Mark in the center with your knitting needle. Do this on each bat.

Roll another little coil of black and cut off tiny slices and roll into a balls for the pupils in the eyes and place like above.

Make a mark for a mouth by moving the knitting needle. Do this on each bat.

Bats done, now for the face of the pumpkin.

Cut a 1/2″ strip of single thickness black.

Cut the strip so you have 3 triangles for the eyes and nose.

Place the eyes and nose on your pumpkin.

Press gently on.

Using the 2″ cutter, cut out a round and then cut a thin moon shape.

Using the square 1/2″ cutter cut out a tooth on the bottom.

Like this.

Roll out some more of the red on the 6th thickest setting and cut out 3/16″ rounds and place on the triangles for the eyes.

Sometimes you can place the cutter with the red clay on the triangle and pull back quickly and the clay with stay on the triangle.

Roll out a tiny coil of yellow and cut little sections for pupils and place on the cut out rounds of red.

Like this.

Bake like this on a piece of cardboard shipping box in a pre-heated 275 degree oven for 1/2 hour, shut off oven and let cool.

When the piece is cool you can antique it with brown Ne-Opaque. Brush on the color over the whole piece and wipe off with a damp not wet old piece of towel. It will look like the picture at the top.

Tah-dah!

Happy Halloween.

Thank you for dropping by!

Tin can pumpkin box part 1- DIY

I thought you would like to see how I make the can boxes.

Never throw another can away again.

LOL!!

You will need:

4 ounce Ortega chili can (You can use any can size but the cutters I am using are for the 4 ounce size can) to find the right circle cutters, put a cutter inside the lid top to see which cutter will work and then use the nest size up for lid top.

Cernit Clay in

Orange

Light Green

Gold

Caramel

Opaque white

Black

Poppy red

Yellow

Large block of Biscuit

1/2″ Oval Kemper cutter

3/16″ round Kemper cutter

1 1/8″ round cutter

2″ round cutter

2 1/2″ round cutter

2 3/4″ round cutter

Clay slicing blade

Knitting needle or bic stic pen

I mix all of my colors equally with the same amount of biscuit.

Condition to one color.

Cut off top of can with a side cutting can opener.

Put a thin layer of the Ultimate glue on the lid and the bottom of the inside of the can bottom and the top.

Roll out orange on the thickest setting.

Cut out 2 circles that fit in the top and the bottom of the can and the lid.

Place Orange clay circles in to the bottom and the top and start pressing gently in the center of the circles and working your way out to the edges to press out air bubbles. It will also push clay to the edges if you have a little bit smaller clay circle.

Now use the next cutter size up from the one you used to fill the top and the bottom and cut out one of those.

Place on top of the lid.

Press into the clay already in the lid and fold over the edge just slightly.

Roll out a strip of orange clay on the 3rd thickest setting and cut off the bottom for a straight edge.

Make sure it will wrap around the whole can. I forgot to measure it. ;-D

Place a layer of glue on to the surface of the can with your finger.

Cover the sides and the bottom edge.

Wrap around can and over leading edge to make a slight mark so you know where to cut the strip.

Press out air as you wrap around.

Cut just inside the line close to the can.

Match edges together and smooth with finger or tool.

Hold blade at an angle and trim around the top of the can.

See how blade is angled down and rotate the can and trim.

Even out the edge and press to the top of the can side.

Turn the can over and press the side clay to the bottom of the can clay.

I use a 1/8″ metal rod to make indents in the side of the can like the indents in the side of the pumpkin.

I make 3 close together for registrations marks.

Like so. Some of the lines do not have to go from the top to the bottom and can be just marks on the top side or the bottom side.

Using the rod again, place the lid on the can and mark from the side of the lid where a top mark on the can starts to…

The middle of the can.

You can see my three lines for registration already marked on the top of the lid.

All the top side marks continued on the top of the lid to the center of the lid.

Place you blade in to the side of the lid and gently pop off the can.

Take a 1″ ball of Opaque white and mix with a 1/2″ ball of caramel till one color.

Pinch off enough for a 1″ ball and roll till smooth.

Roll into a kind of bowling pin shape.

Flatten around the top edge on the smallest side of the “bowling pin”.

Put a Little dip in there.

Now flatten out the bottom.

Pull out little pinches of the bottom and roll between your fingers to lengthen.

I made five little fingers in the bottom all of varying lengths.

Place in the center of the lid and use the metal rod to mark up the sides of the stem.

I start in the dips between the little fingers and go up the side of the stem.

Stay tuned for part 2…

Tin can pumpkin

I did not get much work accomplished at Sandy Camp.

I had loads of fun visiting but didn’t get one thing done!

I made this before I left, because I had to donate something for being in the store.

I donated the other Tin can box also.

For the Clay Factory.

And I made this one for my contribution.

Sandy Camp was based on a Halloween theme this year, it was our 13th one.

I was in my glory, I adore Halloween.

Here is the top of the can.

Here is the side of the can showing the little bat feet.

He came in on little bat feet.

Here is the top and the side of the can together,

Another view.

Another view.

A view with his hat on (or top).

I put my own tickets in for this, I wanted it back, is that wrong? ;-D

I put my own tickets in for the other one too.

The people who got them, make me happy, though.

I made this one on a sliced water chestnut can.

I think I love these.

Something else I got side tracked on

Halloween cupcakes!
I was making molds and had to try some of them out.

I got stuck here for a while, I made one for everyone on the Sandy Camp committee. I really appreciate all of these ladies.

No wonder I do not have enough time for everything.

I keep adding stuff to my list. ;-D

Do you do this?

Are you having a wonderful start to your fall or spring?

I am loving our weather.

The light is changing.

The sky is so beautiful.

What a planet!

We are so lucky to be here.

Go outside and wiggle your toes in the grass before it is gone and too cold to do it.

My favorite time of year.

Something new

It is hot hot hot here and humid, it is gross. How do you guys in the east handle this for day after day after day during the summer? I know, air conditioning, I don’t have it! Yuck.

I have been creating through the sopping wet heat. I do it with a fan pointed right on me! Every minute of the day ;-D and night.

I want to share a couple of new designs. Unzipped Hearts, but with new things in them.

First is Frankie

 

 

 

 

I am gearing up for Halloween, at least that makes me smile when I am hot.

Fall nights, crisp air, and trick or treating, YAY!

 

 

And the Unzipped Monkey, at my daughters suggestion. She loves monkeys.

 

 

A sock monkey, I love him. Isn’t he cute?

Thanks kid!

 

Have a great day, stay cool, and extend kindness to someone who is not.

Happy Halloween

Playing with my food again-episode 5, part 1

I am playing with my food again and you can see the previous installments,

Here

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2009/04/playing-with-my-food.html

Here

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2010/09/playing-with-my-food-again-episode-2.html

Here

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2010/09/playing-with-my-food-again-episode-3.html

Here

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2010/09/playing-with-my-food-again-episode-4.html

This one is going to be about using those fabulous clay tools called Texture plates for your food. Not just clay tools anymore.

This got me to thinking, when I first started working with polymer clay in 1978, I use my ceramic tools and kitchen tools.

I think I can say I have come full circle to using my clay tools for food now.

I have learned that I do not put labels on my tools now. If I find it at a hardware store and it works, it is a tool. If I find it in nature and it works, it is a tool. Now, tools are everywhere!!!

I do suggest though that if you are going to use the texture plates for food that you get a new set. These are inexpensive and will be used over and over again if you are having as much fun playing with your food as I am.

They can also be used as large stamps, crayon rubbings, texturing plaster, texturing paint, or even cement and probably a lot more things than I can think of right now!

So we will play with the texture plates and then from there we will move in to the project Jodi and I made from this.

Just in time for the upcoming Halloween Holiday!

Links will take you to the corresponding page in my Hubby’s on-line store, www.clayfactory.net. Thank you for supporting my family and myself.

I rolled out my fondant to about 1/8 ” with the green roller.

Place the texture sheet over the rolled out fondant. I used texture sheet set M38004, this has the scale and the wood grain in it.

We are going to use both of them for this blog.

Press down on the roller and slide across the texture plate. You could roll it also, but I found that just pressing and sliding worked very well.

If you are going to roll the fondant in to the texture sheet then the roller has something to grab on to. It is easier to roll then.

This is how the fondant looks after the texture sheet is removed. I did not use anything on the fondant to resist the texture sheet, but you could use shortening or powdered sugar as a releasing agent.

Click on the picture for a larger view.

Here is the wood grain texture sheet. I used the chocolate fondant from Pila’s Pantry, (this one is my all time favorite fondant, it tastes like Tootsie rolls) and followed the instructions above to make this sheet of wood grained texture.

I then used some matt brown pigment I also bought from Pila’s to highlight the texture of the wood grain. Put some on your finger as if it was pearl-ex and spread on the sheet of fondant wood grain. Or you could use a soft brush to place it on the fondant. The soft brush will though cover the whole surface not just the high spots.

Here I have tried to get the variation in the color by using the powdered pigment.  You can click on the picture to see a larger version of this picture.

I also brushed on some of the Pearl pigment for food, this one is called gold dust.

Fun, fun, fun!

We then took a bamboo skewer and placed three large marshmallows on it. Wrapped the wood grain fondant around them and sealed the seam with a little water. I let the bottom crack instead of cutting it off and featured the cracks as roots.  

We put this aside and continued on to the next part.

With the scale texture plate, some black fondant and the instructions on how to roll out the fondant and tah-dah, some scale textured black fondant. We then high-lighted that whole sheet with silver powder to get this. Click on the picture for a bigger view.

This is one of my very favorite textures in clay or food.

I add the powder to the fondant like this. I take out a small amount with a knife or spatula and place it on a paper plate then close the lid on the jar.

I then spread the powder out with my finger so I have no clumps and brush on to the fondant. If I do not do this the clumps will fall off my finger and cover everything not just the high spots on the texture.

We then drew up a small simple stencil on paper for a house. Cutting it out with the rolling cutter which is part of the rolling-pin set.

The top strip is going to be the sides of our house.

 

We saved all the trimmings too, just in case we might need them later. We did.

We laid the front of the house on a plate and then we cut pink marshmallows in half (it was what we had ;-D) to make it the right thickness and “glued” them to the back with the chocolate icing. The marshmallows cut very nicely with a pair of kitchen shears.

We “glued” on the sides and the back of the house with chocolate frosting, Added the roof which was just more of the scale textured fondant, added a chimney, painted the pink marshmallows that showed inside the windows with chocolate frosting and set the house aside.

I am so sorry there are no pictures for this, we both got so involved with what we were doing, we forgot to take them.

Stay tuned for part 2… 

It is never too early for Halloween and Fall

I know you are all having fun and playing in the sun, but it is never to early to start getting ready for Halloween and fall.

Becca from Seasons Art http://www.etsy.com/shop/seasonsart1031  aka Magikal Seasons has just put up a new Treasury to get you in the mood!! What a great team we have, check it out!! You will be glad you did.

Thank you Becca for including me!

Boo!