Scrapping Around

This month's PCAGOE showcase theme was Minimalism. I had a couple different ideas floating around in my mind, but in the end I decided to use up some polymer scraps that have been sitting around my studio waiting to be put into action.

Because I'm an environmental advocate, I have a hard time throwing out things that I might someday use to create something. This can be tough to live with, especially as I generally must do a huge reorganize yearly just to keep track of what's what in my studio. And yes, I also save scraps of polymer that just didn't make the cut, or were actual cuts off of pieces that have since been finished. One half of the pieces I'll be showing in this blog post are an example of those kind of scraps, the other half of the pieces in this blog post use a completely different type of scrap. So, let's start with the first, the cured scraps...

These scrap strips of polymer that you see in the images above were cut off my polymer printing textured wall art that I made back in June of 2015. Here's a shot of those pieces:

Texture plate and Polymer Art Prints

I created those art prints with slabs of polymer that were then pressed with a handmade texture sheet and then colored. The pressing of the texture plate created edges that weren't quite even. So, once all three of the art prints were cured, I used an Xacto knife and a straight edge to make them perfect rectangles of the same size. The thin waste strips that were cut off the art prints still had the color and interesting textures, and I decided then to keep the strips and put them to use in some jewelry. These jewelry pieces were at the back of my mind for a long time, this guild showcase proved just the right moment to dust off that idea. I decided to bend some of the strips back onto themselves to create loops, and I grouped them together in mismatched groupings of loops and straight pieces, and one piece created with just the straight pieces. Each necklace is given a slightly different treatment for hanging, one is beaded, another wire wrapped silk sari, one has a single strand of aqua art yarn and the last one has 4 strands of the same aqua art yarn. Here are a couple close-ups of each piece in this collection:

Pick-up sticks necklace

Pick-up stick necklace pendant

Loopy necklace pendant

Loopy necklace

Simple loops necklace

Simple loops necklace pendant

Little loops necklace pendant

Little loops necklace

The next grouping of pieces I made with another kind of polymer scrap, these were raw scraps that came from the blades of my pasta machine. I took my pasta machine apart to clean my blades (I hadn't done that ever, so it was many years of thin polymer bits that had accumulated under the scraper blades of my machine). When I cleaned the blades there were these lovely pieces of multicolored polymer that I just had to save to use for something. Here's a photo of the pieces that came off the pasta machine blades, you can see one side is smooth and looks almost agate-like or resembles Fordite, and the other side has this interesting minuscule layered texture.

Smooth side of scraps

Textured side of scraps

I found the layered texture side so interesting that I used that side for all of the pieces that I created using these scraps. As of now, these pieces are unfinished... some of them will be brooches, some of them pendants and some of the will be convertible brooch/pendants.

I really had a lot of fun creating these pieces and using some of my polymer scrap stash. I think my favorite piece is the Loopy necklace, though... I'm looking forward to putting some time in the studio to finish up the pasta machine scrap pieces. I'm not sure if I've done Minimalism any justice, it's much harder to do Minimalist well than one would ever think! I always love to hear your thoughts on my work, so be a dear and tell me in the comments which piece is your favorite and why! Most of these pieces will eventually turn up in my CreateMyWorld etsy shop. I'm hoping to get the finished ones listed over this weekend. Be sure to check out all of the other Minimalist pieces that my guildmates have created at the PCAGOE Facebook page!

Recycled Christmas

Any one who knows me, or has read this blog, likely knows how concerned I am with environmental issues.  As a result of my enviromentalism, I have learned to look at "trash" with a different lens.  I try to minimize our trash by refusing, reducing, recycling, upcycling, mending and repurposing.  My OneMoreUse line of products and etsy store was born out of my desire to reduce my household trash footprint (specifically single use plastics).  So whenever any product is past it's intended use in my household, I give creative thought as to how I might repurpose, recycle or upcycle each item. 

For January 2014, my guild's (PCAGOE) challenge theme is Recycled, which is a theme that speaks to both my sensible environmentalist self and also my artistic creative ideas.  I wanted to do something really unique for this challenge.  The solution for something different presented itself when my very organized hubby threatened to reorganize our silverware drawer.  He is the type of person who needs to be able to see and easily access whatever item he needs from a drawer, closet, cabinet, etc.  While I certainly like things neatly sorted too, because I have a pretty good memory of where items are located even when hidden, I am guilty of cramming as much as I can into any available space... so if that means I have to lift up a few spatulas to get to the ice cream scoop, I'm okay with that; this method drives the hubby crazy.  Every so often he threatens to organize something, which essentially means tossing some items, which he deems unworthy of the space they occupy, into a bag for a thrift store donation.   When he does threaten, I make sure to get the job done before he has a chance, that way I can be sure not to lose my favorite tools.

So, when I tackled the silverware drawer, I came across these hand mixer beaters that I had kept although both hand mixers that we've had in the last couple years have died and were irrepairable.  Removing these 4 beaters gave me enough room to organize my drawer to the hubby's standard; Perfect!  Normally I would send these to the local thrift, but I've seen a container full of such beaters sitting at said thrift store, so I don't think they have much of a market once the mechanicals of the mixer actually dies.  So I decided that THIS would be my item to use for my recycled project! 

I envisioned the beater becoming a stylized Christmas tree.  I made a red base for it, with green polka dots.  I secured the beater into the base and then coated the beater with many layers of Kato green colored liquid polymer that I added gold mica to create a custom color.  The scrolled filigree tree design is meant to mimic the look of quilled paper (as I explored in a previous piece here), and the design on each of the 4 paddles is the same.  I added some red dots to carry over the same design as on the base and add some contrast interest in the tree.  In the following photo of the tree with two paddles turned forward, you can more easily see the scroll pattern and you can see the areas of the metal batter more easily. 

While this was my first attempt at this idea, and it's far from perfect, I was very pleased with how it turned out, considering how difficult it actually was to complete.  I do have new ideas on how I will improve upon the execution of this type design in the future.  I just need to make time to revisit the idea before forging into something new, which is always a problem with me!  My favorite part of the creative process is the idea stage, and I always have way too many ideas waiting to be brought to life!  Here's a detail photo of the scroll work:

And finally a top-down view:

 

Voting for this challenge will open on January 1st and will run through January 7th.  I will try to remember to post a voting reminder here when the voting opens.  Last month, I was again honored to be chosen in the top 3 entries of both the public and the member vote for my penguin snowglobe piece.  Many thanks to everyone who took a moment to vote!  Comments are always welcome, so let me know what you think about this piece in the comments!  And a Very Merry Christmas to those who celebrate this holiday.  For everyone I wish you a happy holiday for whatever you celebrate... and a Happy, Healthy 2014 to all!!

A Challenge for Charity... Last day to vote!

Today is the last day to vote for the August PCAGOE challenge. 

About the Challenge:  (Copied from the PCAGOE blog)

For our annual "Charity Challenge" we chose The Global Genes Project, 7000 Bracelets for Hope, which provides bracelets for the rare and genetic disease community. Bracelets needed to be blue, in keeping with the project's color theme. 

Entries for this challenge were sent directly to the organization and will not be in the artists' shops. But, if something that you see in the entries is of interest, you might contact that shop to inquire about creation of a similar item :) 

Here are the entries:

Please go to the PCAGOE blog and vote for your three favorite entries by midnight EST August 7th 2012.

And check out the Global Genes Project to read more about this great charity and how you can contribute.

It's been a crazy month of harvesting, cooking and preserving lots of veggies and fruits, but I did manage to whip up an entry for this month's challenge.  The design of this piece was inspired by the beautiful upcycled T-shirt band bracelets designed by fellow PCAGOE member Marcia Palmer.

Here is a larger image of my entry:

You can view other shots of this bracelet (and lots of my other work) on my Flickr photostream.

Experimental work keeping me busy

Over the past couple months, I have been busy working on the development of four new polymer clay techniques.  {Hint: I've saved my favorite for last, so keep reading! ;) }  The first technique involves bonding food grade plastics to polymer clay.  A design is drawn on the clear food container plastic and it is bonded to the polymer clay.  I have much more work to do on this idea, but here is a sampling of my initial test pieces (more detailed photos can be found on my flickr photostream):

There's something about the ring that I just love (even though it is so basic and you can't really see the drawn paisley design very well, I just like the look of the raised clear plastic on the ring face), and I will be keeping that piece for myself, but plan to make others.  I have a few other favorites in here, specifically, the stained-glass-look piece, the large center piece, the small marquis shaped fish piece and the silver piece with the vines.  I'm having fun with the process and hope to have better results with the next firings.

The second idea with which I've been playing involves incorporating dyed tyvek material (upcycled from used mailing envelopes) into polymer clay.  This idea has much more experimental work needed, but here is a photo of the preliminary results of this technique:

The third project I've been working with involves "harvesting" the fine sanding bits from finishing my polymer clay pieces and incorporating it back into raw clay material.  I decided to try doing this to keep as much of the fine bits of polymer from being washed down the drain and into our water system, because I am very concerned about the environmental impacts of plastic pollution to our water ways.  Though these first beads are a bit drab, because all of the sanding bits in this batch were of many hues, which combined creates a muddy color... I have ideas for separating like hues into separate containers to keep colors more vibrant.  Here is a photo of my initial set:

Finally, (this is my favorite) I've been working on another brand new technique of transferring patterns from fabric onto polymer clay.  I'm so excited about this technique, as it is producing some great batik looks and there are so many possibilities yet to explore with this.  I will be concentrating the bulk of my work in the coming months on this technique and expect to have much more to come, but I wanted to share my favorite pieces from my first exploration.  Here are a two photos from my initial testing of this idea...

There are more photos and some different examples from all of these techniques on my flickr photostream at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/createmyworlddesigns

So, as you can see I've been very busy, and continue to be so.  I'm also in the process of writing a magazine article on the fabric transfer process.  Something I'm simply thrilled to be doing!  So, keep your eye out here for new photos and news of my ongoing experimentation... and at my etsy shop, as some of these new pieces will very soon be making their way into my shop.  And please leave me a comment either here, or on my photostream, about which pieces or which technique ideas you like best.  Thanks!

Free Tutorial: DIY Small Upcycled Recycled Gift Boxes

Upcycled From Toilet Paper and Paper Towel Roll Cores, a quick project for those who enjoy Do it yourself projects...

I'm always looking for ways in which I can: 1. Reuse something that would normally find its way to the trash, and 2. Save money.  I used to purchase jewelry boxes from one of my jewelry supply catalogs, but my supply has dwindled to less than 10 and I just didn't want to spend the money again.  So, I decided to make my own using reclaimed materials.  I love the look of pillow shaped boxes and this is so easy to do, uses something most of us have in our homes that typically winds up in the trash, and takes only a seconds to make. 
These are great for crafters who make small items, as it's quick, somewhat customizable (size and decoration) and you can pre-make at home, then flatten and store in a much smaller space than it takes to store pre-fab boxes.... easier to lug around to craft shows too!

Materials:
Toilet Paper roll core and/or Paper Towel roll core
Optional materials: paint, markers, glue, decorative paper, newspaper, ribbon, etc.

Tools:
A round template (I use the outside band from a Ball jar)
pen
scissors

Method:
1.  Take the cardboard core and flatten it, use the side of a pen or marker to make your creased edges sharp.

2.  Take your round template (you want the diameter of your circle to be larger than the width of your cardboard to ensure that you don't have any overhang of the flaps when you close the box), center the circle over the end of your cardboard with the edge of the arc meeting the edge of the cardboard, as seen in photo below.  Mark this edge with a pen, this will be your cutting line. Again, I use the band from a Ball jar as my template, but I should think something like a coaster sized round object should work if you don't have any ball jars in the house.

3.  Repeat with other side of cardboard.

4. Cut off ends on both sides of the flattened tube, using the pen marks you just made as your guide.

5. Now you are ready to form the box.  Using your fingers, push one of the flaps on each end (the arcs you just cut) into the tube to create the opening sides of your box.  Just push the first flap to meet the other side of the cardboard, you don't want to push it all the way against it's own side...

6.  Pinch the edges of the crease you just made with your fingers to make the edge crisp, do this to both ends.

7.   Now fold the second flaps over to cover the first flaps you just pushed in... this will create a sort of arc football shaped side.

8. Pinch these edges just as you did in step 6, to make a crisp edge.  And you're done!  Now, if you like, you can unfold the sides and re-flatten to decorate the box with markers, paper, paint, etc.  Or, if you're like me, you may just prefer the naked TP roll box with a ribbon or piece of jute tied around it.

Enjoy!  And feel free to share the link to this post with your friends!

Create My World Designs
©2012 text and photos


Do you have any favorite Tutorials using reclaimed or repurposed materials?  If so, Please share them by leaving a comment with the web link!  I love to see new ideas for reusing materials that otherwise would be destined for the landfill!

New Look and New Materials

At the beginning of every year, I start with lots of ambition for my little craft business... but somehow by early autumn, my dedication to my small business tends to fizzle out; hence my lack of blogging and the vacation status of my etsy shop come September.  This year is starting no different than previous years, jumping head first into making some changes to my business. 

I decided to revamp the look of my business identity.  I had been using the same logo since the mid 1990's;  here it is:

although that star pin is an item that I once loved making, I've outgrown that style.  I wanted my new look to reflect what I'm doing now, as opposed to what I did 10 years ago.  My new banner background is detail from one of the pieces of my new line of jewelry, which I physically began developing this past summer 2011.  I say "physically" because I had been "mentally" developing this line much earlier. 

In this new line of jewelry, I marry my environmentalism to my creativity, utilizing repurposed or reclaimed materials, items that would otherwise be bound for the landfill... think plastic bags, metal parts and chain harvested from other broken or discarded jewelry items, tyvek mailing envelopes, plastic food packaging and found items.  To see some of these new recycled, upcycled pieces my etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/createmyworld   

Here is one of my favorite pieces, one that has not been listed to etsy (I still haven't decided if I can part with this set): 

Since it's likely that this set will become part of my "permanent collection", I plan to make similar items to list on etsy in the near future.

I am really excited about this new direction for Create My World Designs.  And though I have this new found media passion, I still have heartstrings tied to polymer clay - which I plan to continue using as one of my main media. 

Aside from continued working on the new recycled jewelry line and bringing new ideas to life in polymer clay and fabric, I also hope to be a better blogger this year - I will try for 1 post a month.  I also hope to create some tutorials of the new recycled jewelry to list on etsy, to appeal to those who prefer DIY (do it yourself) projects.  Let's hope this year I can dedicate myself to living up to my New Year's idealism of keeping Create My World active both online and (more importantly) in the studio!

I'd love hearing your comments about my new look and the new jewelry designs.  And tell me what aspirations you have for the New Year!