Eugena's Creations

2009-11-11T09:54:00.000-05:00

Unbelievable Story

or How the Inspiration Works

A while ago I've got this picture through Etsy conversations.

This is a picture of a cake from somebody's blog, which was inspired (get this!) by my steampunk butterflies!

Too bad I do not have the link to the blog itself. If anybody knows where this picture came from, please let me know, OK?

2009-11-05T07:26:00.000-05:00

New Tutorial

Polymer Clay and Fiber

Poppy Beads

The new polymer clay tutorial is available now.

My detailed step-by-step instructions show how to make a beautiful poppy cane, how to shape it into a poppy bead, and how to adorn it with fibers.

This project is simple enough to be enjoyed by a novice clayer, yet fun and innovative enough for those who already have some experience. As always, the skills learned following this tutorial can be used for many various projects in the future.

This tutorial is already listed both in my Etsy shop and on my web site.

2009-11-04T10:34:00.002-05:00

Sunny Walk

Here are a few pictures I took on our walk in the Arboretum this weekend.

2009-10-26T09:46:00.000-04:00

My Article in Polymer Cafe

My how-to article was published in a recent issue of Polymer Cafe (December 2009 , Vol. 8, No. 1).

It is a fun project. I show how to make an original vase using polymer clay scraps and left-overs. Rather than covering a glass vase with polymer clay completely, I am leaving a bit of glass exposed. I think it adds interest to the look of the vase.

I hope the magazine readers will enjoy this project.

I love writing for Polymer Cafe. Their editor, Anne Huizenga, is a pleasure to work with – she answers e-mails in a timely manner, and all her instructions are clear and helpful. I am already planning my next article.

2009-10-21T12:53:00.002-04:00

Student Work

Faux Cloisonne

I received an e-mail from Dora Kollar, who shared with me the results of her first attempt of my Faux Cloisonne technique.

Dora created her own original design, with a graceful shape and beautiful color gradation from purple to black. She has a couple more pictures of this work in progress in her Flickr photo album: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bydk/, as well as pictures of her other polymer clay and beaded jewelry.

Thank you for sharing, Dora!

2009-10-13T21:12:00.000-04:00

My Faux Cloisonne Workshop

in Baltimore

November 14, 2009

I have finally received a confirmation of my hands-on class scheduled at Baltimore Clayworks studio on November 14, 10am-4pm.

In this class, I will demonstrate my faux cloisonne technique. The picture on the left is the one that was chosen by the studio to represent the possibilities of this style, although I usually advise my students to start with a simpler design.

Cloisonne is an ancient metal-working technique that involves soldering pieces of wire to the metal base and filling them up with glass enamels in various colors.

My faux cloisonne technique allows to get a very similar effect using polymer clay, wire, and resin.

In this workshop, I will demonstrate and then let the participants do the polymer clay part. At the end of the day we will cure all projects in an oven so that they could be easily transported home and finished there later.

In the second part of the class, I will demonstrate how to work with the resin and let everybody practice on some scrap pieces, which I will provide. With this training, the class participants will be able to finish their projects at home. The projects cannot be finished in class, because the resin takes at least a day to cure, and it shall not be disturbed during this time.

I will also provide a detailed review of resins and glazes available on the market, discuss possible errors and ways to prevent or correct them, and demonstrate variations of this technique, including the use of beads, crystals, and metal leaf.

You may find more details about this class and register at http://www.baltimoreclayworks.org/class/mtclasses/fall09/workshops/WS7_workshop.html

2009-10-10T11:10:00.002-04:00

New Tutorial

The Framed Pendants

Is Finished

As promissed, I finished writing the new tutorial, Polymer Clay Pendants with Leaf Imprints and Silver Frames.

The tutorial is currently available through my web site and my Etsy shop.

This is the first time when I am offering the same tutorial in three different versions, with different levels of information provided: in addition to the full version, I also have two shorter ones. Part 1 explains how to make the frame, and Parts 1 and 3 also shows how to attach the frames to the pendants. This turned out a bit different from my original plan, but i think this structure is the most logical and allows my customers to choose the level of instructions they need.

2009-10-09T11:54:00.000-04:00

Polymer Clay Calendar 2010

Marjorie Oxman sent me a link to the 13-month calendar she published through lulu.com. The calendar contains full-color picture of beautiful works by 29 polymer clay artists, and is great for inspiration. It would also make a nice gift for polymer clay ethusiasts. I am very happy to see my Steampunk Butterfly included in this amazing collection.

Follow the link below to preview the calendanr and to order your copy. You can save 25% until 10/11/09 by using coupon code FALLFOTO at checkout.

http://www.lulu.com/content/lulustudio-calendar/2010-polymer-clay-calendar/7238894.

2009-10-06T10:49:00.001-04:00

New Shop

Eugena's Creations

at 1000markets.com

I am in the process of setting my new on-line shop at 1000markets.com.

The idea is to move there all my jewelry, while leaving the tutorials, beads, and polymer clay supplies at Etsy.com.

1000markets offers many ways to manage my products, sorting them into logical collections and controlling the page layout. It is a juried environment, which, I think, will be more suitable for my jewelry. I also like the fact that the products do not need to be constantly renewed in order to be seen by the customers.

I am planning to list most, if not all, of my available polymer clay jewelry by the end of this month. Meanwhile, I am adding new listings every day.

2009-10-04T15:00:00.004-04:00

Exhibition at Baltimore Clayworks

Adornments Adorned, an exhibition focusing on jewelry made with ceramic, polymer clay, or PMC elements, opened yesterday at Baltimore Clayworks.

Here some pictures I took at the exhibition.

The variety of jewelry was great. There were about 30 artists invited to participate (refer to the exhibition web page for the complete list of participants). A few rooms and hallways were filled with jewelry.

I was happy to see many interested visitors.

Surprisingly, there were quite a few gentlemen, who seemed as interested in all this jewelry as the ladies.

Some artists also made it to the opening night. I met glorious Gloria Askin, who presented her new black and white pieces along with her easily-recognizable colorful collection.

All displays were put together by the staff of Baltimore Clayworks, who, I am sure, put a great amount of work into the organization of this event.

Most works by the same artist were presented together. Some were on stands or wall hooks like mine here:

I especially liked this creative presentation of Kate Clawson's (Organic Odyssey) leaf-imprinted pieces.

A few displays were formed with ropes and clothes pins, and I personally was not too impressed by this idea.

I hope the beautiful jewelry pieces on these displays stole all visitor's attention.

Some pieces by the same artist were scattered throughout the exhibition, presented on smaller displays here and there.

The exhibition will continue until November 6, and I hope there will be as many visitors every day as I saw at the opening reception. All works presented at the exhibition are for sale, so I would advise all interested people to get there sooner rather than later.

Here is the address:

Baltimore Clayworks, 5707 Smith Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21209

2009-10-01T12:07:00.004-04:00

Coming Soon

A New Tutorial

Polymer Clay Pendants with Leaf Imprints and Silver Frames

I am working on a new tutorial, which is going to be rather unusual in its format.

One part will explain how to make polymer clay pendants with positive and negative leaf impressions. This is not a new technique, and many people are probably already familiar with it, that is why I decided to separate it from the rest of the tutorial. I want to give people an option of buying the tutorial with and without this part. This part of the tutorial will stand on its own and explain how to make a finished pendant, although without a frame (in case somebody is interested in this technique only).

The second part, however, is rather innovative, because it will explain how to use readily available commercial supplies to make your own flat and custom-shaped frames for polymer clay pendants. I am including instructions for making at least three different shapes of frames, although the possibilities are really endless. I will show how to make smooth and two types of textured frames, as well as how to create a patina finish on these frames. This part will NOT explain how to attach the fames to the pendants - only how to make the frames. All these techniques can be applied to frame any kind of flat polymer clay pendants (with any design), that is why this second part will also be self-sufficient and may be purchased separately from the first one.

I will also have a more detailed tutorial, with a complete set of instructions for making the pendants shown above.

I am planning to finish the tutorial within about a week. Once finished, it will be available through my web site and my Etsy shop.

Edited on 10/09/09: The main tutorial and its versions will be available today. I decided that the polymer-clay only version (with the explanations of the leaf-impressions techniques) will not be as desirable as an abbreviated version that would explain how to make the frames and how to attach them to the polymer clay pendants. I am in the process of listing all three versions (one full and two shorter ones) on my web site and in my Etsy shop.

The pre-order option is now removed. If you would like to take advantage of this option in the future, please sign up for my newsletter (see the form on the right side of this blog).

2009-09-17T10:24:00.004-04:00

Polymer Clay Exhibition in Baltimore, MD

Baltimore Clayworks is hosting a jewelry exhibition entitled Adornment Adored from October 3rd to November 6th.

Baltimore Clayworks is a ceramic arts organization, which strives to showcase the best to educate and intrigue the public. This new exhibition will showcase the work done with polymer clay, PMC and ceramic components.

The exhibition is intended as a cash-and-carry show, so the customers will be able to purchase the works they like.

I am thrilled to be chosen as one of the participating artists. You may find more information about the exhibition, as well as the complete list of the participants, on Baltimore Clayworks web site.

2009-09-09T11:05:00.007-04:00

What Is on My Desk
My Son's Science Project

With my love for polymer clay, I think it is quite expectable that my kids very often use this material in their projects. Here is the latest example: my son's science project. Last spring, shortly before they had to start planning their project, I showed him the works of Bird Artist, which he really liked. So, I was not surprised when he asked if he could use some polymer clay to make humming bird feeders for his study.

We have lots of humming birds in our backyard, and usually feed them using a regular store-bought feeder with four red plastic flowers. My son decided to find which color is the most attractive for these birds. He made five feeders: yellow, white, red, blue, and black. I thought it would have been better to vary the intensity of one color, and make white, red, and a three or four pink feeders with different proportions of white and red clay. This way, he could use graphs to present his results. However, he and his teacher decided to go with various colors, so that's what we have now.

First, we made just one test feeder. We replaced our regular one with it to see if the birds would use the new feeder. It looked as if they did not even notice any change.

This weekend, my son made the rest of the feeders, and we placed them around our gazebo. The gazebo has eight sides, and on five of them we placed the feeders. Every day, my son is going to put an exact and equal amount of syrup into each feeder, and then record the amount left in each of them at the end of the day.

Since there is a chance that some feeder locations are more convenient for the humming birds than the others, he is going to vary the position of each feeder every day. Thus, a yellow feeder, for example, will be placed in the first opening of the gazebo on day 1, in the second on day 2, and so forth, until it's been moved through all positions at least a few times. My son wants to run this experiment for a month, but we are afraid that the birds may migrate before the time is over.

It will be interesting to see what he finds out, but I am pretty sure that humming birds do not care what color is behind the hole with their syrup. Once, when we were cleaning and refilling our regular feeder, a humming bird flew to the empty feeder spot (right in front of our kitchen window). She looked quite puzzled by the absence of her food, and tried to get her syrup by sticking her beak first through the feeder hook, and then through these little vent holes we have under the roof. It was very funny! Clearly, neither the hook, nor the vent holes were the color of the feeder, and they definitely did not look like any flowers...

2009-09-03T11:31:00.001-04:00

The Price We Pay

A new anvil - $20.
A hammer - $6.
Some scrap wire – $0.10.
Time spent with my teenager – priceless.

I am writing a new polymer clay tutorial with a wire-working part, so I bought a new and shiny anvil to make some nice-looking pictures. As soon as I take the anvil out of its box, my son comes to the studio. The anvil grabs his attention right away. “O! May I try it?”- he asks, excited. “Sure, honey!”. He grabs the anvil along with a hammer and some scrap wire, and settles on the floor. I almost say something like: “Work gently!” or “Be careful!”, but then remember his continuous fight for independence ever since the school started on Monday, and bite my tongue.

It took him less then two minutes to cover the WHOLE surface of the anvil with nicks and scratches...

Well, hopefully he learned something when I did not yell at him. Or maybe not...

Yet another day of parenthood...

On a positive side: It does not look nearly as bad in the picture as it is in person. I think I can still use it my tutorial (with a little creative photo-editing, perhaps).

2009-09-01T12:00:00.002-04:00

New Buttons

I just added these two sets of my new hand-made polymer clay buttons to my Etsy shop.

They are square, with an interesting abstract design in earth tones. I did not use any paints or sealants on them and added some nice texture on their front sides.

I think these buttons would look great on some knitted or crocheted things.

2009-08-28T08:19:00.003-04:00

One More Etsy Treasury

Tonja of tonjastreasures.etsy.com created this lovely treasury:

etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=66243

Thank you for including my bracelet!

2009-08-27T10:15:00.002-04:00

Turtle-quoise Treasury

My green and turquoise earrings were included in a cute polymer clay treasury by Linda Riopel of NKDesigns.etsy.com:

etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=66088

Linda explained her collection by this cute story:

Talking to my 4-year-old granddaughter, I asked her if she knew what color her beautiful dress was - “Of course I do gramma, it's turtle-quoise.”

2009-08-25T06:51:00.003-04:00

A Purple Treasury

Jenny of jencom72.etsy.com included my earrings in her purple treasury:

etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=77946

Many beautiful polymer clay creations are in this treasury, and I am honored to see my earrings in such a great company.

Follow the link above and click on each picture to visit the shops of these artists.

Thank you, Jenny!

2009-08-22T16:29:00.002-04:00

...And More Student Work!

I've got another picture from Donna (I wrote about her work earlier this month).

This time, Donna followed my Steampunk Butterfly Tutorial, and this is the pendant she made. She says, the she showed this pendant on her www.mosaicandstainedglass.org mosaic site, facebook, and flickr, and was very pleasantly surprised by the amount of comments that she received. Donna was kind enough to provide a link to my tutorial, and I really appreciate it.

On a side note: my kids are back after spending two months with their grandparents, and while I missed them a lot, I have to admit that now the amount of my free time dropped down catastrophically...

2009-08-16T09:17:00.003-04:00

Another Green Treasury

My Steampunk Butterfly Tutorial is in a another green treasury by Carrie & Kathy of Ametista.etsy.com:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=76271

I love green!

Thank you, Linda!

2009-08-14T08:26:00.002-04:00

My Necklace in Fire Mountain Catalog

My orchid lariat necklace was published in the new FMG catalog. It took the third place in the polymer clay category of their beading contest - 2009 (although physically the work submission and all judging was done last year) .

The necklace features three hand-sculpted polymer clay orchids on one side of the lariat balanced off with a half of a dozen sculpted leaves on the other side. There are six strings of seed beads and Swarovski pearls in various sizes that hold the orchids in place and split on the other end of the lariat in a tassel-like fashion. This design could have been executed in other colors, but for some reason I wanted it in gray (or silver and steel if you prefer). I think in person it looks great this way, although for a beading catalog pictures I am sure a brighter version would have been better.

Earlier this year, when this design was appeared on FMG web site, I was commissioned for a bridal version of this necklace (all white, with white pearls mica powders on the flowers and interference green on the leaves).

2009-08-13T09:44:00.002-04:00

Treasury: Green

My orchid pendant is included in a beautiful treasury by Linda Riopel (NKDesigns.Etsy.com):

www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=76079

Linda featured polymer clay works by the members of Etsy PCAGOE team. What a great showcase of polymer clay diversity!

Thank you, Linda!

2009-08-12T07:39:00.002-04:00

Another Student Work

Zuleykha, who bought my Faux Cloisonne tutorial, responded to my yesterday's post with a link to a picture of her creation. I decided to post her picture here.

Zuleykha used my technique to make her own design, which is very beautiful and received many compliments both in her photo album and in her blog.

Zuleykha is an anthusiastic polymer clayer, and has a shop on Etsy, Zuleykha.etsy.com, where she sells her pretty beads covered with millefiori cane slices.

2009-08-11T08:17:00.003-04:00

Student Work

I really, really love it when people, who buy my polymer clay tutorials, later share the pictures of their creations with me.

Last week, I received this picture from Donna, who made this pendant following my Faux Art Glass Tutorial.

I am glad Donna had fun working with this tutorial. She said, she also bought the Steampunk Butterfly Tutorial, but did not have a chance to try it yet. I hope the result will be as beautiful, and she will share it with me as well.

Added: Donna sent me a link to her photo album. She does amazing mosaic!

2009-08-10T13:48:00.002-04:00

New Treasury

I've started listing the polymer clay and resin pendants from my new line in my Etsy shop.

I was very pleased to learn that one of the pendants was added to the new treasury by Kathy of RozPetalzStudio.etsy.com.

Here is the link to the trasury:

etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=75210

Thank you, Kathy!