Polymeri Online 23.10.13 | Coffee anyone, Twisted side of polymer clay, 17 ideas for jewelry hangers, PC Bowteek, Ahemm picture of me 20 yrs ago and new Flower Academy upgraded IKEA picture frames

Now that most of the hard work on the Flower Academy tutorial is behind us (all that's left is packing and packing), I can go back to my regular routine and post interesting links from the world around us.

I stumbled across Italian Duecentogrammi's work via Intagram, then followed her into Facebook, enjoying the view. 

Colorful millefiori patterns & designs are surrounding her work, so bright and wonderful! 

In this Coffee set she decorated plates, cups and a pitcher! Geometric patterns are her main focus and they combine beautifully with the rainbow skinner blends.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/duecentogrammi/172383894855

http://www.duecentogrammi.com

Another polymer clay artist I found via Instagram was UK DeeRaaArts, Kirsti which is playing with polymer clay for 6 years now. She mixes her cartoony, colorful and happy side, with a dark, mischievous, slightly twisted side, as she calls it. She posts her process photos in Instagram, look her up and follow.

https://www.facebook.com/DeeRaaArts

http://deeraaarts.bigcartel.com

ArchitecturArtDesigns blog posted 17 creative diy ideas for jewelry hangers. You can use those simple yet impressive ideas by collecting some of your un-used or neglected home tools! Garden tools, boxes, cloth hangers and even a grater! Click the link below to get inspired.

http://www.architectureartdesigns.com/top-17-creative-diy-ideas-for-jewelry-hangers/

Last one for today is PGBowteek (Shannon) Etsy boutique where she creates every bow with lot's of love!

She is a wife and sahm of 8! (I admire these mothers!) and also have a grandson.  Shannon has been creating bows since 1993 but been online since 2000. Every hair bow is decorated with a matching polymer clay center and the final result is so fun and cheerful! 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PGBowteek

Last Reminder! If you're still looking for a special gift for yourself (a blooming tutorial) or for your loved ones, how about creating a magnificent flower brooch for your auntie? A flower bouquet for your mom? A set of flower pot magnets for your cousin? A beautiful flower decorated mirror for your sister? 

Create beautiful and colorful bobby pins for your bridesmaids? Dramatic flower ornaments to decorate your Christmas tree? Add pizzas to your home with cheerful holy branches? Decorate your gifts with life lasting Mistletoe branches?

The options are endless!

The Flower Academy tutorial is still on promotion and dozens of new students are joining the "Academy",

Thank you Sage Bray and Cynthia Tinnaple for the feature!

Here are 3 photo frames I made a couple of days ago, upgrading simple IKEA frames with acrylic paints and adding fantasy flowers for decoration. Isn't this colorful and happy? 

My son, age 10 months (He is 14 now....time flies...)

My daughter Maya

Yes, and that's me, 20 years ago... So 90s! ;)
My husband will never forget his bordeaux suit ("...why did I choose this color?!"..)
He did not imagine it would match the frame color, 20 yrs after...

Get answers to 11 of the most burning questions regarding the Flower Academy tutorial - All your urgent questions are answered in this link.

Just in time for the Christmas holiday, join the hundreds who watched the FREE Mistletoe video offered as a complimentary gift -

In case you are wondering who is the sweet girl in our photos, that's my lovely daughter, Maya, who gracefully agreed to all her mother's requests (ahemmm and there were quite a few...) and posed as our flower girl model.

 

Don't miss the special offer expires on November 1st!

Make sure you start early and create the most original Christmas gifts!

http://www.polypediaonline.com/polymer-clay-tutorials-life-like-flowers-polypediaonline.html

As Gabriela said -

..."This must be the most extensive flower guide in polymer ever made; there are quite a few for air dry clay or sugar, but those don’t of course solve technical issues related to polymer clay, nor do they offer such variety of projects. Well thought out and well made!..."

Come and follow us into the garden..

http://www.polypediaonline.com/polymer-clay-tutorials-life-like-flowers-polypediaonline.html

The "Flower Academy" Polymer Clay life-like flower Encyclopedia | Follow Us Into The Garden...

Congratulations!
Locart!
You are the winner of our contest!

You have just won The new "Flower Academy" Online Tutorial set! 
Your prize will be sent to your Email, as promised. We truly hope you'll enjoy it and create many beautiful flowers!

The Flower Academy tutorial is our new, full scale, one and only Polymer Clay life-like flower Encyclopedia! 

Want to check out our garden? Click here & come on in!

I must tell all of you that we were truly amazed, while reading all 138 comments you wrote.
Lots of them were ON THE SPOT!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Creating a lasting bouquet that never has to be watered, will never lose its beautiful petals, will never fade. Fresh PolyFlowers any time of the year!" (Kris)

"I think the tutorials are about sculpting flowers and seeds, Chrysanthemum, Lilly, Holly, Roses, etc. Perhaps for use as table decorating, wreaths and even Christmas tree ornaments. Can't wait" (Land Dillon)

"I see exotic flowers of stupendous beauty and the opportunity to learn how I too can be successful with new techniques that create exotic flowers and foliage" (Sandra Boyer)

 "Life like flowers!" (Effeemac)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So what is the New "Flower Academy" tutorial all about?

It is about a world of color, beauty & emotions, creating eternal life like flowers, to be enjoyed by all flower lovers.

With the Flower Academy tutorial set you can own any flower you want, any time you want it, in any color, size and quantity, regardless of seasons, weather and availability in flower shops!

 You will learn how-to create 26 different realistic flowers with a striking life-like appearance, no one will believe they are made of clay!

 You will learn new techniques that have been created especially for this tutorial. These techniques will become an inseparable part of your creating knowledge.

As far as we know, this is the only comprehensive real life like Polymer Clay flowers video and PDF Encyclopedia, available world wide!

 This is a all levels tutorial to create your favorite everlasting, always fresh PolyFlowers!

To find out all about my secret partner; how we mixed sugar and polymer clay, and last but not least - How you too can become a polymer play floral master in our Academy,

Come, follow us into the garden; Peony, Rose, Dahlia and 23 of their floral relatives are anxious to meet you! 

Click Here -http://www.polypediaonline.com/polymer-clay-tutorials-life-like-flowers-polypediaonline.html

Announcing the 50th tutorials celebration and a special GIVEAWAY!

"…Deck the halls with boughs of holly la la la la, la la la la…"

You are probably wondering why I'm spreading Christmas cheer in October, well, in a few days I'll be announcing a new tutorial set I created with a very good secret friend of mine, my special gift to the upcoming holidays.

I can't tell you anything about the tutorial, just yet, but I can tell you it is the most magnificent tutorial set I have ever created.
It is by far the best, most elaborate, extensive, tutorial available anywhere!

Do I have your attention? 

Well, since this is a big surprise, we decided to have a guessing contest, and the winner will win all 5 volumes of our tutorial, with unlimited on line access to all videos, files and fun!

The tutorial includes over 40 final projects, 29 easy to follow videos, 14 hours of step-by-step content and a gallery of over 250 photos for close observation and multiple viewed angles of each project!

Wait till you see it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So what do you need to do in order to participate and have a chance to win this amazing prize?

3 things....  

Check out closely the image posted on top of this post. 
Thank You! The contest is closed!
Enter our Flower Academy garden!

1. Guess what you think our tutorial is about or what you think you see in the photo and write your guess in the comment section (psssstt... you can peek and see what others wrote...)

2. Write your e-mail in your response, we want to send the prize to our winner!

3. If you want to share this blog post with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers you will double your chances! Press on the relevant icon on the bottom of this post to share, or "copy & paste" the post link.

That's it! You're done!

To determine who wins our fabulous prize we will hold a raffle and the winner will be announced on the blog.
Make sure you come back on October 15th 2013 to find out if you won!

Good luck!
Let the guessing begin! :)

Polymeri Online 6.10.13 | Zipper your pendant, Flipped tin foil tray as baking surface, Kate's amazing cosmic ceramic beads, Brrrr..Fleshlettes and Playing with dots

Wait! Wait! Before you throw your rotten tomatoes at me, asking where did I disappear, you will understand in a week or so. I was 200% occupied. Believe me, I look like a chair and feel like a chair after so many hours of sitting...and my chair is not even comfortable!!

But let's leave that aside,
What's new in the Polymer clay world Webosphera?

I'll have to rely on fellow friends and share with you some of their goodies, Eva Susanska found these 2 great links - One by Avalin from polymerclayfimo blog, Avalin is demonstrating a short and fun tutorial for creating a faux zipper for a pendant or any other creation of your choice.
http://polymerclayfimo.livejournal.com/2470618.html

And Kralemie is sharing a simple and un expensive idea to bake your beads on - Use a disposable tin tray, cut it's edges and you have a channeled tray for your pierced beads!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/krale-mie/6222488909/
Although she is into crocheting, she is offering her ideas on polymer clay.

Kate's cosmic ceramic beads

Kate Golding surprised me with her BEAUTIFUL cosmic ceramic beads. They are all listed in her Etsy store but if you want to enjoy her gems all in one shot, press on this photo to enlarge. I was so excited to see it!
Art and Craftsmanship have always been a part of her life. Thanks to her mother, who introduced her to a world of crafts and skills, Kate's youth was filled with, drawing, painting, basket weaving, beading, macrame, sculpting ( including 70s version of polymer clay).
https://www.etsy.com/shop/SkippingRockStudio1

Jonathan's faux eyes

Beware of this link - scary stuff -
California-based artist Jonathan Payne has created a series of grotesque-looking sculptures called the ‘Fleshlettes’.
Made with polymer clay and acrylics, each Fleshlette has a unique personality and has been molded to look like a human body part such as the eye, tongue etc. Amazing how realistic this looks, if only we could use these as replacements... Brrrrr, seems like a great gift if you want to scare someone to death!
http://designtaxi.com/news/355075/Grotesque-Sculptures-Of-The-Human-Body/

Kollika's polymer clay owl tutorial

Let's finish with an elegant mini-tutorial; A wonderful owl brooch using thin snakes and balls by Kollika. A tooth pick is used instead of hands/finger. I truly believe that artists who create such a work deserve a medal.
http://kopilka.rv.ua/?p=5116

My next post will be (almost) announcing my new tutorial and playing a fun game with you guys. Stay tuned.

Polymeri Ooooooonline | Polymer clay projects to get you into the spooky Halloween spirit

Although Halloween is more then 1 month away, I have gathered some of my favorite Halloween polymer clay projects and inspiration designs to get you into the spooky Halloween spirit.

Free projects from PolyPediaOnline -

How to create a creepy polymer clay eyeball ring, magnet, pendant or treat bowl
http://www.youtube.com/user/polypediaonlineTV#p/a/u/1/VO56w3eLLQU

Polymer clay tutorial - spider magnet or a 5 minutes ring
PDF file, you'll have to enter your email address to download the file
http://www.polypediaonline.com/133688/FREE-PolyPediaOnline-Tutorials

How to create a spooky-cute polymer clay millefiori mummy face cane

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8fks0RdCAg

How to create a creepy chopped polymer clay witch finger to use as a barrette, bookmark etc...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuvTascaIZ0
You can see a similar project on this site, only created with a material called model magic, idea is the same and you can use polymer clay.
http://www.countryliving.com/crafts/projects/best-halloween-crafts-ever#slide-6
55 projects for Halloween (non polymer) are included in the link above.

A collection of polymer clay Halloween idea projects by FamilyHoliday.net
http://www.familyholiday.net/easy-halloween-polymer-clay-ornament-projects

And for inspiration -

Cool zombie stitch markers by Lady Rando

Cool zombie stitch markers by Lady Rando
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=304244.0#axzz2fKd1nnT7

How to make Halloween pumpkin beads from polymer clay
here - http://theconstantcrafter.blogspot.co.il/2009/10/halloween-polymer-clay-projects.html
and here - http://www.cookonstrike.com/how-to-make-halloween-pumpkin-beads-from-polymer-clay/

Ann Klocko's pictures

Ann Klocko is a long time polymer clay artist I remember from the day I started doing polymer work. Here are several of her polymer clay picture frames, Halloween themed, to inspire you
http://www.anneklocko.com/pix/halloween.htm

Amy's sculpted polymer clay zombie jewelry

Rapscallion (Amy) brings you hand sculpted polymer clay zombie jewelry, psychobilly jewelry, horror jewelry and a variety of accessories.
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/rapscalliondesign

There are many ideas & projects to choose from, endless links online.
Just Google for your favorite and you're ready for the holiday...

"and yes, there will be blood..."
{Liquid clay?)
;)

Polymeri Online 16.9.13 | Winning Mokume-Utensils, Horses-acrylic-polymer Trio, Pressed flower beads tutorial, Shiny vessels and Crazy clown earrings

First batch of September's holidays is over, second is still ahead, so between family gatherings, traditional feasts and other activities I am finding some time for PolymeriOnline posts.

Check out Rebekah Payne's tutorial for antiqued pressed flower beads. Rebekah is using polymer clay and molds to create these beautiful beads, her molds seem to be handmade but I am not 100% sure about that, I think you can create similar molds by using leaves from your back yard and embed them inside Mold maker, silicon base or even scrap clay.
Rebekah was mentioned in PolymeriOnline blog in April 2011, then, with her lovely heart pendant.
The Art Jewelry Elements blog is written by several contributors so you may want to look around to find more treasures.
http://artjewelryelements.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/how-to-two-more-pressed-flower-bead.html
This is a previous version of her beads -
http://artjewelryelements.blogspot.co.il/2013/08/how-to-inside-outside-pressed-flower.html

Caren's TRIO - polymer-horses-acrylic

Caren Goodrich is a lifelong artist. She paints horses in acrylic and also work in metal clay and polymer clay. These beauties are her horses meeting polymer clay, she did these with a very thin, watercolor-like application of acrylic paint and used a coat of liquid polymer as a sealer. According to her this kind of work is much more time consuming than her paper canvas painting....
https://www.facebook.com/caren.goodrich
http://beadbunny.blogspot.co.il/2010/04/painting-meets-polymer.html

Helen's Utensiles

Helen Hughes posted a beautiful set of utensils made of translucent mokume gane stack. She won Polyform's August Make-It-Your-Own contest.
Helen is enjoying her time in sculpturing as well and her Etsy store is all ready for Halloween!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/HelensClayArt?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Beefball Bowls

Beefball Papa's work looks and feels like glass & polymer clay all together.
In her perfect finish she creates a smooth and shiny piece which makes you wonder what these bowls are made of or if she places her canes are on the inside of outside....
Her mixed canes and patterns, looks wonderful.
She is from China, Beijing and I hope we will see more of her art.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37203469@N02/

Crazy Clown earrings by Maddalena

Last is a colorful example of a very easy technique for mixing straps of clay to achieve a happy design.
Maddalena Gianni posted these earrings in her flickr and she calls them "crazy clown" design. She is from Piza Italy (Yay! been there!) and it seems that at the moment millefiori canes are her passion.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/maddalena_g/8672184262/

See you soon with more news and posts!

Ahoy Czech Republic! | Building Skyscrapers and seeing the INKredible; 2 days of polymer clay goodness!

When my son was young, he used to play tennis.
He was sitting next to the TV screen and updated me on any new rising star in the world, winning tennis awards.
One of these stars was Martina Navratilova from Czech Republic. She was statistically the second best female player of the 20th century behind Steffi Graf. My son knew it all. "Mom", he said, "Czech Republic is somewhere where champions come from, we must see it".

When I met the beautiful Czech Eva Susanska in Frankfurt, while demonstrating in the Creative World fair for Staedtler and later we met on Nuremberg when I gave the Brocade purses class in Staedtler's factory, we agreed that Czech Republic should be one of my future destinations.

The Czech Republic artists are slowly discovering polymer clay as a crafting medium and artists begin to emerge, seeking for advanced knowledge and higher education in polymer clay. It was the perfect timing.

Eva immediately scheduled a master class and the last weekend was the finale of those plans, 2 handsome hostesses (Eva and her husband), 2 days of wonderful weather, a beautiful country, intelligent and super professional students, good food, beer(!) and...of course, polymer clay.

After hearing so many good things about Czech Republic in general and Prague in particular, I had to visit and see all.
My other half joined me for a short 3 days trip and we toured the city left to right, top to bottom, on Segway, on foot, it was wonderful.

Polymer clay millefiori canes?

Million Babushka dolls! So colorful! 

Trdlnik delights - Sweet bread/cake

Me on Segway  (for the 1st time in my life) next to John Lennon wall

With my other half on Prague top view

Second stop was Pilsen with Eva, her husband, Ladislav, as a devoted assistant and the lovely students.

I know I am repeating myself a bit, I taught the same subjects in Switzerland (INKredible and Skyscraper techniques) but for me, every teaching experience feels like a new baby being born, the discovering of new ways to use polymer (I always learn something new from my students!), the birth of a new bead, the happiness on a student's face revealing a secret, it is all so exciting even after 1000 classes.
Amazing how each and every student takes a technique to his own colors, design and style and create a completely different piece than mine.

You can see below some of the wonderful creations made by Czech Republic ladies, including some nice tricks to use on your Pearlex jars - they used a round baked clay sample (half white half black) to tell which Pearlex color is inside the jar and how it looks on the baked clay.
Why didn't I think of that?

Selection of final beads created by the Czech Republic ladies

Demonstrating...

Skyscraper beads (before resin)

Skyscraper beads (before resin)

INKredible beads

Class is ready...

Skyscraper beads (before resin)

Students certificates!

INKredible Sheets

 They also use a bakes clay sheet as a guide to alcohol inks - Adirondack and Pinata.

Alcohol inks samples - how convinient!
Original sample by Ludmila Štěpánková FranStudio, 

INKredible beads - (based on Melanie's Muir shapelets)

INKredible beads

INKredible beads

INKredible beads - Faux silk screen sheets beads

INKredible beads

INKredible beads - Faux silk screen sheets beads

Pearlex jars with baked samples on it

Pearlex jars with baked samples on it

Skyscraper beads

INKredible beads

Skyscraper beads

Skyscraper beads

INKredible beads

INKredible beads

INKredible beads - pendant by student

Eva and myself (Eva is posing her new earrings)

INKredible beads - cracked

Last day was dedicated to tourists attractions - underground historical medieval tunnels, (an amazing experience), a visit in Pilsner Urqell beer brewery and a visit in the Jewish Synagogue.

underground historical medieval tunnels

Yummy goulash soup inside a bread!

Pilsner Urqell brewery tour

I want to send a HUGE thank you to Eva Susanska and her husband Ladislav for such a warm and pleasant welcome and stay, it was a pleasure to stay, teach, chat and hang out with you two and our wonderful students, I feel so blessed to have these opportunities - thank you!
I had a fantastic time and will definitely come to Czech Republic for more!
Another thank you for Monika Tyna Brydova for taking some of the photos posted above :)

Additional pictures (98 to be exact) are published in my Facebook account, you are welcome to drop by.
https://www.facebook.com/iris.mishly/media_set?set=a.10151689752617968.1073741831.608452967&type=1

Jewish new year holiday is ending today so I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my friends a sweet as honey year, full of joyous events and million happy moments!
I will be back for a regular PolymeriOnline post as soon as everyone is back to school and I'll have a bit of peace and quiet around... ;)
Take care and enjoy your weekend!