paisley cake and topper

paisley cake and topper
Originally uploaded by Zoeowyn

In my search for a way to make my living from art, I occasionally mentally breeze thru the wedding industry.

This is an industry renowned for extreme spending in creation of “that perfect day.” My thinking is if they are going to drop some funds on decorations and jewelry to create a fairy tale perfect illusion, why not drop some on me?

Well I have tried to make some wedding specific jewelry. I didn’t even price it extremely outrageous for a wedding, just made it white and sparkly. No buyers.

Well then I have been thinking about cake toppers, more as an extension of the cake decorating Sarah and I have been doing.

Cake toppers are 2 things: sizable business and intimidating!
What kind of topper would I do?
The generic figure? well if someone is going to spend money on my work, why would I make it generic, that’s what Walmart’s wedding section is for.
The custom look alike figure? EEEK! make a figurine that might actually resemble someone without actually making it look deformed? This is intimidating, but then again if I were to do it, this is how I would do it.

Ok so, I think I’m going to try to make cake toppers. Great, how do I practice? Ahhhh, find a cake and make a person for the top of it. Who? the cousin already got married…

Who???

Ahh the cake for Diana!

We toyed with making architecture for her, but then realized we needed it to be more of her than of where she is traveling to. So henna patterns and paisleys! And my brain said put her dancing on top!

At first I didn’t think I was going to have time, second I didn’t think It would turn out.

This is my first representational figurine. I know the concepts of armatures and have read enough articles, as well as created figurines with bases to know how to start. I also understand the anatomy of a face, and again read articles and books and such on building faces (but have not built a face from scratch before that actually looked like a face—I use molds)

Well it turned out, and it turned out ok, and it took a reasonable amount of time. Of course I’m still not sure how I would be able to price it. I did some research and wedding cake toppers are not cheap. So then how much would non-wedding cake toppers be?

Obviously I need some practice.
But it’s a good start.

I like this idea!

this is a component clay cane.
As in its ment to be used as part of some thing, its an enhancement instead of the star.
Most canes I see for sale are the star.
Whenever I think about selling canes they are stars. --I dont mean a literal star I mean the focal piece.
Good idea!
this is by Valleycreations.etsy.com

And its currently on sale

Its time to prepare for the holidays!

So were were at dinner the other night and the restaurant has a gift shop attached and...
I am amazed at all the Christmas and Halloeewn and Thanksgiving stuff already out. I mean it is only the first week of August.
Then again as a kid my crafty aunt always had X-mas gifts made, done and wrapped before September.
And now here I am thinking gee should I make some holoiday appropriate items?
Im not in a halloween mood and yet it probably is halloween product time.
And I should probably be thinking about X-mas products and presents as well.
Im not too good about this being ahead of the craft market for product, but I guess its time I did some preplanning.
I wonder what I should do?
I know I have a slew of Day-of-the-Dead items I want to make
and I should start planning out some potential Christmas craft classes, as well as make some ornaments.
I dont want to be the Christmas shop, as I am a die-hard 12 days of X-mas fan, and I dont like seeing all the lights go up before Thanksgiving. by the time the day comes around Im ready to be done, and Id rather be ready to get started, with the end party on twelfth night, but thats just me. Maybe a few Santa pins wont be too horrible.
Now as far as the halloween stuff....
I want my stuff to be seasonally appropriate, but not limited to the season
Valentines day is good for that, I mean hearts are good all the time, they dont have to be red and rosey to be a heart
ooh maybe I could that, holiday hearts...
ooh idea is a brewing.....

Too cute!

Shes a wall dancer
I found her on etsy!
kerijoy.etsy.com

Interesting techniques in polymer clay

this piece is made from a carved mold
its by arzumusa.etsy.com




Its a carved egg, the exact hows I am rather clueless on, but it certainly is interesting from folkartfromtheheart.etsy.com



this looks like stained glass to me by CookiesCreations.etsy.com

School days school days la la la la la

Ack!
Summer is "over." We go to school on Friday.
Im temped to feel sad, of all the things we didn't really do, but it was so incredibly hot this year we would not have been able to do things anyway.
This is great, the kids wont be bored and I will have some serious crafting time!!
I think the first project has to be to clean up some. Currently my work area is a dumping ground, and Im working around the mess.
I really need my work surface back, sepecially since I want to do some BronzeClay, and I wont even purchase it until I have a work surface!

BRONZE CLAY!!!!

I must have had my head in a hole!
Bronze Clay!
I just found out about it last night --the pieces pictured are by Yvonne M Padilla--of course that day-of the -dead skull in the middle is my favorite!
I could not go to sleep with my brain going in a million directions of what I could do with Bronze Clay!
I need to get my work surface organized, and I need to invest about $50 since I already have the kiln for PMC
oh the possibilities!!!!

unfortunately I can't just order it immediately right now today, I have to be responsible and get other things done like, work!

She won!

Im so excited to announce that my Spiderwick Fairy tied for second place in the monthly PCAGOE challenge. She tied with an adorable little Phantom of the Opera robot by ittybittiesforyou, who I look at and think its a mini metal Gerard Butler! (he played the roll in the movie)
A great Harry Potter movie poster by ametista won first place.
I would have voted for it myself.
Wining entries can be found at
http://www.pcagoe.com