my thing-a-day for february

more thing a day projects
Originally uploaded by Zoeowyn

The plan was to join the thing-a-day for February, of course I had a mental laps, and did not sign up in time. I still wanted to go for it, so I did. I kept track along with a few other crafty folks over on tribe, as we conducted our own unofficial thing a day.

I have photos of some, and not of others, here goes my list of February's thing-a-day


Feb 1 • I made a body stocking
its shiny and purple
Feb 2 • I worked on my altered collage box, painted a Hamsa
Feb 3 • the kid and I made her habitat dioramas of an African savanna, we poked grass into styrofoam blocks, glued it the front, modge-podged the definitions on the outside of the box, and modge-podged a photo wrapped around on the inside of the box
Feb 4 • design and start carving a hamsa print block

Feb 5 • I ended up getting a bit carried away with the hands and drew a bunch more
Feb 6 • I fixed a bracelets link, I collected the stuff for my belly dancer altered box and cleaned off the table in the art room so I can use it for art.
Feb 7 • I finished the hamsa block print
Feb 8 • a friend and the kids and I made heart crayons (see earlier blog)
Feb 9 • We made more crayons
Feb 10 • I painted the edges of a painting that I need to finish
Feb 11 • I painted a second layer and taped the sides of a canvas
Feb 12 • I finished the striping and black detail work on that canvas and one other one
Feb 13 • I finished painting the sides, and did the eye details,
I actually finished and signed one of them!
Feb 14 • I ended up taking pictures to post, and some doodling
Feb 15 • I started my Swimmy etsy fish project (see earlier blog)
Feb 16 • I "moved" into my clay bag and taught a friend how to make scrap cats
Feb 17 • I finished the fish

Feb 18 • I finally got to use the hamsa block I carved, and I made some gift cards
Feb 19 • I posted process images of the fish I did for etsy, the pics were crap, but I posted them anyway on flickr
Feb 20 • I got a good pic of the fish and made a lizard on a rock, and some plant life fimo
Feb 21 • I baked the creations from yesterday, made some more Hamsa cards, sewed the "'first draft" of a dance costume, tomorrow I make the revisions to the outfit so its dance-able for Saturday
Feb 22 • Finished dance costume
Feb 23 • Performance Art! Performed in the costume
Feb 24 • made and burned a little hamsa pendant
Feb 25 • had flu but still made a hamsa pendant
Feb 26 • had flu worked on mermaid cane
Feb 27 • made a dragon bottle, and a scrap dragon
Feb 28 • shopped for cake decoration supplies worked on mermaid cane
Feb 29 • worked on mermaid cane

Finished the mermaid cane on the 2nd, posting its picture here as well!

Z with the the original zizzer

Z with the the original zizzer
Originally uploaded by Zoeowyn

Big Z little z what begins with Z?
At this point Zoe shouted "I do!"
Last week for the school Dr. Suess parade she was selected to be in it from her class (only 8 kids from each class were in the parade, the school is that big).
So she comes home and says she wants a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz costume.
I say "Ok when?"
She says "Monday!"

3 discount white sweat shirts and 2 bottles of spray on fabric coloring, and 2 pads of post-its, and ta-dah

one 7 year old Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz

the Polymer Clay collection

the Polymer Clay collection
Originally uploaded by Zoeowyn

MY husband thinks if Ive gone this far to organize them I should set the drawer up chromatic order.
The damage was mostly done at the latest Michaels 99 cent block sale. I ended up going back 4 times.
It seems like a lot at first glance, but then when I use it I think, on no I've already used so much gold!

This doesn't look like a problem to you does it?

Im not allowed to work alone

dragbox
Originally uploaded by Zoeowyn

Ever.
Whenever I start to "work" in clay it becomes a family affair. I have even gone as far as getting the kids their own clay supplies, since they usually want the ones I am currently using! I have a "clay bag" that is free access clay. They are encouraged to use their personal supplies first, but inevitably they NEED the color I am using, so they can get it from the clay bag.
If they don't want to do any work they have to sit in my lap. I work with sharp knives so they have learned to sit next to me, unfortunately they still lean on me, fortunately they love me, and want to be with be, and think its really cool that I make stuff with clay and they get to use mommy's tools (but not the really sharp blades).

Im IT!

I’ve been tagged!
And, yes I’m, gonna play!
Here are the rules:
A. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog
B. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
C. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

A. My tagger: chickietsy

B. 7 facts:
1. I have red hair, crazy wild frizzy curly red hair, and its natural!
2. Men in kilts! yummmmmmmm
3. Crushes: the hubby, Gerard Butler, Tarkan, Billy Zane, Keanu Reaves
4. If there was a way that I could be the big bread winner and let my hubby stay home with the kids I would. Not that I don’t adore my children, I love them the bits, just that he is sooooo much better at it than pretty much anybody. He has the BEST daddy magic, and it not just my kids, it’s all kids.
5. I am blessed with instant karma. This is usually how I know I have made a bad decision, because payback is instantaneous and as embarrassing as it can possibly be.
6. I have art ADD. I start too many projects, purchase the supplies for too many project, and never seem to actually finish, or even start them. This is probably why I work in so many mediums: sewing, painting, clay (polymer and PMC and occasionally ceramic), collage, print making….
7. I have had my own art business in one form or another since I was 18. My first one was called PopPix. I custom painted teeny bop stars on t-shirts. My biggest order was for my cousin’s boss’ mother. I did 10 t-shirts of some guy on a motor cycle. I even had a commissioned sales person. I think I paid her a whopping 50 cents for the sale of one shirt.

C. 7 people tagged (this was the tough part, finding 7 "random" blogs that haven't already been tagged or are arent already "playing" Im cutting myself off at 5, or this will NEVER get posted
1. idiosyncratic daydream
2. Maureen Grey
3. Divadea
4. tejaesart
5. kabidesigns

My First CAKE!!

Jonathans Sixth Birthday Party 001
Originally uploaded by Mat Culpepper

Well, actually I was about 8 or 9 when I made my FIRST cake, and I put in 3 to 4 cups of water instead of 3/4 of a cup!
This is my first "Ya know that fondant stuff is a lot like fimo, I bet I could do that" cake.
Yes I have been watching Ace of Cakes, yes I want to be like Duff, but a girl, with hair.
Here it is the lego Star Wars cake!.
Its based on the Lego Star Wars video game, apparently the reg lego block is the big points thingus, and when you are blow up you explode into blue and silver and gold coins.
The lego blocks are 6x6 cakes--6 of them, 4 in the green block, 2 in the red.
The "coins" are frosted DingDongs.
As soon as I get all the pics in one place, I will post a step by step of what we did (I has a partner in crime, shes the one who did the actual baking and picture taking!) in words and pictures.

Swim swim swimmy

I jumped on the band wagon and decided to participate in the etsy swimmy project. I took some pics with a cheap point and shoot to show the work process.
Well the first step truly was to "drink" the kool-aid and join the cult. A-hem, decide to participate. I printed the template that etsy provided, and thus began the process.
I decided to use polymer clay as my media for my entry, since PMC would be cost prohibitive, and I wasn't "feeling the love" for a collage.



+ Step one, select a collection of gold-ish colored clays. I use Fimo, Sculpy and Premo. I usually go for color over brand. In this case I went with color plus what I already had open.


+ Blend the heck out of them with the pasta maker.
Now, I dint usually go for smooth skinner-esque blends, I like my blends a little more organic, so its not all pasta machine, here in the blending process, there is some hand blending involved.


+ I rolled out a nice slab of clay on the thickest setting of the pasta machine, and then traced the template on to the clay. next step is to cut out the fish following the template. And start making lots and lots of snakes in the left over clay.


+ I like to incorporate jewels and beads and the like in my polymer clay creations. One om my favorite ways to add big shiny bits are glass baubles. I selected and placed the chosen glass baubles for the fish. I used a blue one for the eye, opaque orange for the fins and transparent swirly orange for the rest of the "scales."


+ The building of the fins was using straight snakes, and the scales were built with swirls and dots to lock in the glass baubles.

+ The fish was cured in my little toaster oven for 35 minutes at 265 degrees.


+ After the clay was cured I added an antique finish by applying a mix of acrylic paints. I used navy and green. I usually use some compination of brown, navy, purple, and black. I painted the fish thoroughly. After the paint began to dry, I began the cleaning process. First I started by wiping the paint off with a dry paper towel, followed by a damp paper towel, followed by a Mr Clean Magic Eraser. After the paint was completely dry, I used an old dental tool to scrape and clean paint from the glass surfaces.

+ The fish was sealed and polished with Sculpy glaze.

I sent the fish on its merry way after I had some better pictures taken by my friend and her swank camera.

Who wins? you or technique?

There are a few things about polymer clay I like. Well, ok a lot more than a few, but there are a few that I wonder about. There are so many things that can be done, do I really need to attempt and succeed in all of them? No.
Im a grown up, I now realize that I do not have to be good at everything, and just because its something that can be done with clay doesn't mean I have to be able to do it.
That doesnt mean there are some things that I don't try or wonder how do others get so good at it.
Case in point millfiore canes. Im not actually a huge fan. back in the day when it seemed like everyone was jumping on the cane wagon I was playing with faux ivory exclusively and figures.
Of course I didnt really consider the faux ivory a cane, since it wasn't an image running thru.
Well I gave making canes a try, the first cane I made was an ant. I made a huge cane of my tattoo (I still have about a foot of it). I made a few celtic knots, then I tried a face, or was it a flower, it was so-so at best. Nothing I fell in love with. And, so I went off and continued to make figures.
Well in the making of the figures the thought of sanding would occasionally pop up. Eeek sanding, grit, where the heck to I find 1500 grit any thing, and then a buffer? If it doesn't fit on my dremel forget about it.
Then I noticed something-Christie Friesen occasionally left visible finger prints, well if she could I can! I then passed on the sanding thing.
Well, until I went back into making canes. I tried to make a dragon, it failed miserably. I have lots and lots of scrap from the cane, so I decided that I would stick with knots. Celtic knot canes are pretty handy, and I can do them easily, and they always turn out ok, so I started making a few more. I really wanted my little knot slices to have that polished finish that is possible with out a varnish.
So....
grit...
fine grit...
brain storm!
finger nail files. I love the ones that have 4 different grits on them, I can polish just like Im buffing nails. I then use a buffing file to get the shine.
I finally got it figured out!
Now if I could only find the right polishing bits for the dremel it would go so much faster

oh and about the knots, I've tried another non knot, a celtic mermaid. Currently she is sitting in all her built up glory. she has taken several months to complete, and I will admit I am a tad intimidated to reduce her.
So who wins? me or the cane?

picture is slightly out of focus of a few of my Celtic knot canes

3rd Place!

There were something like 217 votes and 26 entries.
The winner was the adorable manatee, and the cute animal kingdom mirror was second and my Octopus guy took third place! I think thats awesome!
You can read more about it at www.pcagoe.com!

Go Vote!

NO, not election time. Its The PCAGOE Monthly Challenge time!
o look, go vote. You dont have to vote for me, but that would be nice!
I have 2 pics on the PCAGOE webpage now, the Octopus that is in the challenge, and the little scrap cat I made for the gift prize!