Filed under: Kitchen Magic
I thought I would share a recipe that is perfect for using up all the leftover turkey that seems to be around this time of year!
2T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium stalk of celery, chopped
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped ham
1 large potato cubed
5 cups chicken or turkey broth
2 cups turkey, coarsely chopped or cubed
2T flour
¼ cup sour cream
2 cups milk
Sauté garlic, carrot, celery, onion and ham in olive oil for about 5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Stir in broth and potato and bring to a simmer over medium heat about 10-15 minutes. In a separate bowl whisk together milk, flour and sour cream (I use a 2 quart jar with a lid and shake it up!). Add turkey and milk mixture to soup and simmer 10-15 minutes longer or until carrots are tender. Makes about 8 one cup servings.
– Fiona Blackwolf
Filed under: Home and Garden
In the floral section at Wal-Mart my daughter found some new bags of glass pieces…they were flat backed glass “wiggles”. I hot glued them to the wall on either side of my laundry room. The good part is I can pop them back off the wall again if I get bored since I only used hot glue!
Filed under: Kitchen Magic
32 ounces hash browns, frozen — (cubed) & thawed
1pound bacon — cooked & crumbled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese — divided
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
8 eggs
2 cups milk
In a large bowl, combine hash browns, bacon, 1/2 cup cheese & salt. Spoon into a greased 13×9x2″ baking dish. In a bowl, beat eggs & milk until smooth; pour over hash brown mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-50 minutes until golden. Top with the remaining cheese. Yield: 8 servings.
I found my packet of unfinished SoulCollage cards when cleaning out my garage studio this week. So I went and dug up the site where I had posted my mostly-finished ones a few years ago. It’s still active! Yet another project I really need to finish one of these days.
SoulCollage is a great book, my mom stole my copy of it so I haven’t seen it in awhile, but still…I have fond memories of it.
Filed under: General Info & Housekeeping
The good news is that all my old completed articles are finally up and archived. The bad news is I found a ridiculous number of half-finished pieces on my hard drive, otentimes just asentance or two of ideas and maybe an accompanying picture if I was lucky. I’ll have to do something about them. Eventually.
The other good news is I will using this blog space to write about the new projects I’m working on and reviewing new books. I’ve been interspersing some new stuff with the older proejcts I’ve been uploading (such as the fabric collage round robin I’m participating in) and from here on out it it will be, generally speaking, all new stuff.
I’ve had some people ask about my ebooks. Currently, there are two etsy links in the left hand sidebar of this blog. My etsy shop has two of my ebooks available, and Fiona’s etsy shop has the two published issues of Coloring Outside The Lines available. All four of these books/zines are also still available at Beadbabe.com for the same price (10% off if you are a premium member).
Beadbabe’s owners and I have talked in the past about adding some of my other ebooks to their stock. I haven’t gotten off my tushie and done the clean-up work I think they need before sending them over. When I get that done I will add them to my etsy store and send them to Beadbabe for inclusion as well. All the ebooks that were free in the past will remain so, and some of the smaller ebooks that sold for 2.50 or less may become so. But I want to go over them all first and then decide, because it will pretty much have to be a final decsion. I’m not going to give away something here that another site is selling. Beadbabe has been a good company to work with and that would be tacky. More information forthcoming on that front!! If there was a specifi ebook that you have been looking for that I wrote, contact me in the meantime and maybe we can work something out!
“Lynne Perrella’s book? Why are you reviewing Lynne Perrella’s book? It doesn’t have anything to do with jewelry making!“
All teasing aside, I think my friend is just jealous I got a copy of this fabulous book before she did! I have been a huge proponent of art journaling and keeping a design journal for a couple of years now. Always one to do things obsessively, I went from never keeping any kind of diary or journal to keeping three! One is for notes, ideas, quotes and pure “writing”, one is a pure art journal that I use for experimental and artistic “play”. My third is a jewelry design journal that I use to sketch out ideas, make notes for projects that intrigue me, and paste pictures of jewelry and other objects from magazines that I find inspirational. While this may sound obsessive (ok, maybe I am a weeeee bit obsessive), they all actually work together.
Design Journal Page
The design journal is the most important one for jewelry makers (for obvious reasons) and also the first sketchbook I ever started. I fill up about two blank books a year of notes, drawings, and magazine clippings. My big rule with this journal is that I allow myself to be ugly, and messy and scrawly. I have found if I don’t worry about “pretty”, I don’t limit and censure my self and my ideas. The above page are the notes and rough sketches of the Dragonfly Pin Project. When I am working on an idea that I think I may eventually turn in to an article, I usually go in to more detail so it is easier for me to recreate my directions at a later date. My other pages tend to be even messier and shorthanded.
Art Journal Page One
Art Journal Page Two
My second journal, a pure “art” journal is prettier by default. Since I use it to play with color and texture and elements of assemblage and collage it doesn’t relate directly to jewelry design. But I have found it to be a fantastic source of design inspiration. And fills my obsessive need to make something pretty after working in a messy design sketchbook. As you may have noticed already, this two page spread from my art journal was the inspiration for the dragonfly pin project.
Although I was already an art journal convert when I received a copy of Lynn Perrella’s book, I found it to be incredibly inspiring and useful, not just for journaling but as a source of jewelry design ideas. Besides being a physically beautiful book, it holds a huge amount of practical information. Including tips and ideas on:
· Working with photocopies
· Use of color using paints, washes, chalks, and textured mediums
· 9 different image transfer techniques
· Using slide mount frames (which can make gorgeous little photo frame pins)
· Attachment techniques, including brads and grommets
· Stamp carving
· Making faux postage stamps
The collection of featured journals themselves are of a huge variety. Besides the “typical” art journals (although art journals tend to be anything but typical) she includes photos and resources on an incredible array of sketchbook ideas. If you are interested in starting your own journal, you are sure to find an idea that appeals to you! She includes a decorator’s sketchbook and file, a project sketchbook (both are very similar to a jewelry designers sketchbook), travel sketchbooks, a mixed media epherma collection, a diary collage made out of rolled paper beads, and even diary quilts and skirts! Of course since this is the densest 130 pages I have seen in a long time, I am barely scratching the surface of what is included.
I may sound like a bit of a sketchbook zealot, but the amount of grown in my work I have gotten just from keeping a journal is amazing. My mom is very supportive and has even been wearing my jewelry for many, many years, but isn’t someone who is interested in the subtleties of design and technique. She commented to me a few months ago about the difference in my work over the past couple of years. She had noticed that I had started to make the leap from stringing beads to creating wearable art. Thinking about design, experimenting with technique, and giving myself permission to play on paper has made all the difference for me. Whether you are thinking about taking the next step design-wise, or just looking for a great creative and emotional outlet, this book is a FANTASTIC resource!
Filed under: Clay Jewelry
I received a bit of scrap jelly roll cane that got me thinking….this has some serious malachite potentional! You don’t have to use a whole cane for this project…it is a great way to use the trimmed ends and smushed bits!
Leftover green and white jelly roll cane
Cutting tool or blade
Clay dedicated pasta machine or acrylic roller
Needle, toothpick, or awl
Non-yellowing acrylic sealer
Slice off about 1/8th of an inch of your jelly roll cane, and with your pasta machine on #2 setting, run it through to warp and distort the cane. You can also do this with an acrylic roller if you don’t have a clay-dedicated pasta machine. It takes a bit more work, but you will also achieve some more natural variations by hand rolling!
Fold the clay in half and run it back through your pasta machine. Fold in half again and repeat.
After these three passes, the green and white will have blended enough to recreate the various shades of green found in malachite.
To form your beads, fold the clay in to the shape you want (instead of rolling it, which can muddy up your layers). If you want the final bead to be round, fold it to shape first then round off the edges gently with the palms of your hand.
Pierce the clay to make bead holes, and bake according to clay manufacturers’ directions.
Seal with a non-yellowing acrylic sealer, and let dry completely before stringing!
Up until the mid 19th century, all fibers were dyed with natural sources. Although textiles decay very quickly, archeologists have found some textiles colored with natural dyes that are at least 6000 years old….many from sealed tombs and burial chambers.
The first synthetic dye (a purple color) was created in 1856, by chemist William Perkin who was experimenting with the hydrocarbons in coal tar. Synthetic dyes rapidly became popular because they were more cost effective to produce. But ironically, they never really did improve upon the color palette of the homemade dyes…they synthetic indigo developed in 1904 was no richer or more vibrant than the real thing!
While it makes sense to use synthetic dyes on a larger scale, for costuming purposes the natural dyes can be wonderfully fun to work with. The natural variations lend a wonderful authenticity to your work!
Wild Color by Jenny Dean is as about as complete a resource as you can get if you are interested in doing your own dying.
The first section covers all sorts of dying techniques and methods, preparing fibers (whether animal or vegetable), using and making mordants, and modifying colors. But don’t let all of these ideas and new terms scare you…it is all broken down in to easy steps and alternatives. Jenny Dean is definitely of the Don’t sweat it…just give it a try! school of thought. The wonderful chart that shows how 25 different shades can be made from just one dye bath…by applying different mordants and color modifiers. For those of us who are visual learners, this is a big help.
The second section covers different dye plants you can use for natural dying. Each plant has it’s own color chart, so you have a good idea of what colors you can get from the flower, the leaves, or the bark. The different shades crated with mordants and color modifiers are also listed. These color charts are also listed on the right edge of each page…you can literally flip through the book like it is a color chart until you find the shade you want…how easy is that?
Whether you want to dye cloth, yarns, or even buttons (mother of pearl takes dyes beautifully…who knew?) this book is a wonderful tool. Check it out!
“As you read through this book, you’ll notice a few underlying concepts. These are the basic concepts of creative action. Consider for a moment that all of life is creative action. Art is just the tip of the iceberg.”
–Victoria Hughes–
It has been a long time since I have been really excited about a new book. I almost always glean some new ideas, and learn, if not a new technique, a new twist on an old one. But this book, Polymer: The Chameleon Clay by Victoria Hughes was a rarity in that I found it truly exciting. The book introduces with more than just the normal overview of techniques and materials. Tory Hughes also offers advice and motivation for readers, whether new to the medium or old hands, that reminds me of the warmth and artistic support of Holy Moly Mackeroly: Reflections On The Business of Art and The Art Of Life by Gloria Page, which as many readers know is one of my all time favorites!
The Chameleon Clay focuses on techniques for re-creating the look of expensive natural materials in clay to a beautiful result. Her projects include an ivory brooch, beaded necklaces in polymer coral and turquoise jade ginko leaf necklaces, and many others. Although finely attuned to detail, none of the projects have that you’ve got to be kidding! element of complication. Even if you are new to working with clay, she baby-steps you through each project in a way that is a guarantee of success! One aspect of the book that I greatly appreciated was the actual visuals of the color mixes she uses. Instead of just saying “1 ounce of translucent to one pea sized bit of purple” you actually see pictures of her amounts before the clay is mixed and conditioned. VERY helpful to the numerically challenged.
Although there isn’t an enormous number or projects and recipes, each one is a keeper and a very true duplicate of the material it mimics.
My fight with creating a faux turquoise is legendary. I have made some truly awful versions until I tried the recipe from this book. On my first try I got amazing results! Even allowing for the time to condition and chop clay by hand if you don’t have a dedicated food processor and pasta machine, you can still create a piece for resale for a tenth of the cost of real turquoise.
I have also been playing with her jade recipes (and quickly learning, that it doesn’t translate well to more complicated designs) and I am excited about experimenting with other techniques from the book. Besides the projects in the book, the author assembled a beautiful gallery of work from ten other polymer artists that is truly amazing. This title is definitely a must-have!
About The Author: Tory Hughes is a self supporting artist has been making and selling artwork in polymer clay for more than 30 years. She started her business ArtRanch (formerly known as Art For Life) in 1982. Her development and use of innovative techniques has influenced a generation of polymer clay artists, both through her jewelry and sculptures. Her work is seen in galleries nationwide and in numerous publications across the United States and Canada. She travels nationwide teaching her ArtRanch techniques.
Filed under: Clay Jewelry
A few years ago, soap making was the “IT” craft and it seemed that everyone had a stash of soap and lollypop molds for this purpose! I recently received a big box of them and was thrilled with all the possibilities. Now, soap and candy molds are a lot more thin and flexible than clay molds which means they are that much more fragile and likely to warp so when you are using these kinds of molds for clay, it is really important that you brush a release agent (like corn starch) in the mold before pressing in the clay. Other than that, they are no different from regular polymer clay molds!
Supplies:
Black polymer clay
Pearl Ex Pigment Powders in Copper and Green
Mold of your choice (I used a Celtic patterned soap mold)
Small square tipped paintbrush
Clay working tools for cutting and smoothing
Convention or toaster oven for baking clay (preferably clay-dedicated)
Non-yellowing acrylic finish
Corn starch or other release agent for the molds
Barrette backing
Jewelry adhesive such as E-6000 or Jewel Glue
Directions:
Condition and roll out your clay to about ¼ inch thick. Brush some releasing agent in to your mold andthen press the clay in. Remove the clay and brush off the releasing agent. Push the barrette backing in to the back of the clay so the clay molds to the shape of the barrette. Dry brush on a coast of copper pearl ex and then lightly brush green over some areas of the copper. (Pearl Ex powders are available in multi-packs at Michaels and by the jar at most art supply stores. I purchased mine at http://www.texasart.com/ in Houston. You can also use paint instead of pigment powders, just bake and cool the clay before painting!
Bake the piece according to clay manufacturer’s directions leaving the barrette backing in place so the barrette bakes to its shape.
After the piece is baked and cooled, remove the barrette backing and seal the clay with a non-yellowing acrylic sealer such as Future Floor Finish. After it is completely dry, glue barrette backing back in to place and you’re done!
