Porcelain clay, the latest air-drying product from Amaco is an absolute BREEZE to work with! It isn’t overly sticky or messy like many air-drying clays and is soft enough to make blending in inclusions a breeze. Many of the techniques you use with polymer clay can also be used with the porcelain clay.
This pin uses gold leaf, pearl ex powders, clay cutters and clay molds to create a unique look!
Supplies:
Amaco Porcelain Clay
Oval Circle Cutter
Amaco Rose Mold (or any other mold you wish to use!)
Pearl Ex in pink and green
Gold leafing and gold leaf adhesive
Clay roller
Jewelry Grade Adhesive (such as E6000)
Directions:
Wash your hands well. This clay is bright white so it will become dingy easily if your hands are dirty. Pinch off a small amount of clay, add a bit of green pearl ex and mix until blended. This gives a more authentic painted-porcelain effect than if you just paint the clay after it is dry, although you can do that too! Press the green dab of clay into the leaf portion of the rose mold. Trim out any extra clay so the green clay doesn’t overlap into the bloom area.
Repeat the process with a slightly larger portion of clay and the pink Pearl Ex powder. Press into the rose mold right next to the green base…you can overlap slightly on the back so the two pieces stick together.
Put aside to dry.
Roll out some more clay about ¼ of an inch thick. Cut out an oval using a clay cutter. Paint a thin coat of gold leaf adhesive over the whole piece and lay the gold leaf down over it. Bray it lightly and pull up (this will give you the streaky speckled effect rather than attaching the whole piece of leaf completely).
Let both the rose and the oval dry completely (overnight is best). Glue the rose to the oval background and the pin backing on the back of the oval. Let glue cure completely.
You can use these techniques on a variety of porcelain clay projects…experiment and have fun!
Filed under: Art Of Jewelry Design, Creativity, Mixed Media, Non-Traditional Jewelry, Product Reviews
Mei Noel was the first person to turn me on to this site…the things you can do with it are amazing, and can be used to make wonderful personalized jewelry gifts!
Load a head shot on the system and fill out the information requested in order to register the image.
The next screen will give you a box that will allow you to crop the image down (I cropped mine to face only.) The screen after that one has you use circles to mark where the eyes and mouth are so the image transforms properly.
You choose how you want the image transformed from different categories and then let the program do its work!
Right now the save button on the system is down, but you can save the image by clicking your Print Screen (PrtScr) button, opening paint, and clicking paste. That will give you a whole screen shot which you can trim down into the image you want.
You can then resize the image to fit the jewelry project you wish to complete.
These images were created using the same head shot that is at the top of every BellaOnline Jewelry Making page. Stay tuned for more jewelry making projects that incorporate these sample images!
Faith As A Botticelli
Faith As A Mucha
Faith As A Modigliani
The New Beader’s Companion by Judith Durant and Jean Campbell 
There are also in-depth sections on stringing materials, conditioning materials, adhesives, and needles. There is a great chart to help you pick the right needle for the work you are doing, and even a section on using a needle threader!
Other chapters include in-depth directions on many different off-loom stitches (brick stitch, peyote, herringbone), looming techniques, stringing techniques, bead embroidery techniques, how to knit with beads, how to crochet with beads, tying knots, macramé, findings, wirework, and even a chapter on finishing details for the different types of beadwork discussed in the book.
There is even blank graph paper in the back of the book designed for different kinds of stitch work that you can copy and use to create your own designs!
I often get emails from people who are just getting started and want to invest in one really good book that covers all the basics. Whether you are in that position or if you have been beading awhile but would love a good tool that covers a lot of basic information in one place this is a fantastic resource!
Knitting fibers or wire to create intricate jewelry designs is easier than you think! A spool knitter does all the work for you, but you get all the creative credit! Spool knitting creates the exact shape you need for a chunky necklace and bracelet…it is really the perfect technique for jewelry projects!
You can purchase a spool knitter for about ten dollars at your local Craft and Hobby store, or pick one up online a little cheaper (before shipping, that is). Of course this isn’t a bad deal if you know this is a tool you will use a lot. But if you are interested in experiment with spool knitting before investing in extra tools, or if need a several spool knitters for a class or group project, you can make your own for just pennies!
Supplies:
Spool (wooden one is best)
4 smaller (picture) nails
1 larger nail
Hammer (or drill and glue if you are using plastic)
Wooden spools are harder to find, so if you can’t get your hands on one, a plastic spool can also work, though you will have to drill the holes and set the nails in with adhesive, instead of being able to hammer them in with a nail. (Hammering will probably split the plastic, but you can experiment to see what works best!) Keep an eye out for wooden spools at your local thrift stores, flea markets, or Ebay! You don’t have to use a fabulous vintage spool…any generic spool will do!
If you look down at the top of your spool, you will see a circle with a hole in it, kind of like a donut. In order to position the picture nails correctly, thing of the circle as a clock face. Hammer in a picture nail at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock (or every 90 degrees if you are geometry whiz!).
The longer nail will be your strand-lifting tool to pick up your weavings and lift them over the nail heads and drop them down the middle of the spool. A short, thin knitting needle will also work if you have one already!
Check out Lili’s Twists at WigJig University for some wonderful spool knit wire projects and Fiber-Wire Beads and Jewelry by Lisa Vann for more info on incorporating both wire and fibers in your jewelry designs!
Filed under: Product Reviews
The best thing about the JEC UltraLite Beehive Kiln is that it is truly is home studio friendly…even if your home studio consists of your dining room table! The kiln was originally been developed by JEC for fine metal granulation (which it does beautifully) and enameling but was upgraded so it fire metal clay as well!
In order to fire metal clay, you do need to purchase ceramic inserts (see the second picture to see the ceramic insert inside the kiln) to lay the metal clay on for firing. Make sure that the clay is thick enough or it will bond to the insert during firing and take forever to come off! Most metal clay instructors recommend the raw clay being at least as thick as three playing cards stacked together. Because metal clay fires to heavy solid pieces, it is tempting to keep the pieces super thin but they don’t fire nearly as well.
Also available from JEC is a temperature control that isn’t necessary for firing metal clay but is very useful if you want to anneal glass or granulate fine or sterling silvers. If you are interested in making your own lamp work glass beads and pendants, I would definitely recommend purchasing the temperature controller so you can use this kiln to anneal your glass work!
The directions for firing the metal clays recommends leaving the kiln cover off to avoid overheating. This works well if you do not have your kiln in a location underneath an air vent. I started my kiln on my kitchen counter right underneath a low a/c vent that pushed too much air over the surface. I had to add the cover back on to keep the kiln hot enough to work with…but that also meant I had to pay strict attention to the piece to make sure it didn’t get overheated!
Metal clay is an expensive investment and the learning curve when you first start working with it can be a drain on your pockets. But the kiln is incredibly easy to use and you will start making saleable production pieces after only a couple of tries! You can purchase the kiln, the inserts, and even add on a temperature controller all for under 200 dollars. With most other kilns starting at 500 dollars this is an amazing deal…especially if you only want to make a few pieces at a time. (Since the kiln is so small, it wasn’t a huge electrical drain either…I noticed no appreciable difference in my electric bill.)
The JEC products site is expanding on a regular basis with new products being added all the time. The owner of JEC told me his is currently working on a book that will encompass all of the techniques (including glass annealing and glass slumping) that can be done with their kiln. When I had purchased my kiln, the only payment option was check or money order by mail but I noticed the site is now accepting PayPal as well. JEC also ships VERY fast. The customer service is just wonderful. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email them and ask…they were very patient with all the pestering I did when I was researching kilns for myself!
On The Web At:
www.jecproducts.com/
Every December at BellaOnline I would do two things. One was to create a project for each holiday tradition (Christmas, Hannukuah, Kwanzaa, and Yule) and the second was to publish a big holiday wish list for jewelry makers. Guess which was most popular and stayed popular even after the holiday season was over. All the books and products I reviewed were things that I have actually tried out myself, and I would always attempt a project from each book before reviewing it so all my readers knew what they were in for.
Although I do have some new books to review, I won’t be doing a complete wish list this year, but I am reposting wish lists from previous years because they still cover some great stuff! And thanks to the poster who found one of my reviewed books at a great discount on the web….if you have a good inexpensive source for any of these items please do post it!
2005:
Bead Books
Beading For The Soul By Deborah Cannarella
The Impatient Beader By Margot Potter
Don’t let those tiny seed beads scare you! The Seed Bead Bok By Kate Haxell
100 Beaded Jewelry Designs By Stephanie Burnhap
Creative Beads From Paper And Fabric By Ann Krier
Simple Glass Beading Book And Craft Kit
Wire And Metal Work Jewelry Books
Metal Craft Discovery Workshop By Linda and Opie O’Brien
Getting Started Making Wire Jewelry By Linda Chandler and Christine Ritchey
Bead On A Wire By Sharilyn Miller
Jewelry Making From Other Materials
Making Jewelry WIth Scrapbook Embellishments by Kristin Detrick
Sandra McCall’s Rubber Stamped Jewelry By Sandra McCall
Every December at BellaOnline I would do two things. One was to create a project for each holiday tradition (Christmas, Hannukuah, Kwanzaa, and Yule) and the second was to publish a big holiday wish list for jewelry makers. Guess which was most popular and stayed popular even after the holiday season was over. All the books and products I reviewed were things that I have actually tried out myself, and I would always attempt a project from each book before reviewing it so all my readers knew what they were in for.
Although I do have some new books to review, I won’t be doing a complete wish list this year, but I am reposting wish lists from previous years because they still cover some great stuff! And thanks to the poster who found one of my reviewed books at a great discount on the web….if you have a good inexpensive source for any of these items please do post it!
2004:
Fabulous, Functional, and Under Five Bucks!
Whether you are looking for an inexpensive gift, or some ideas for filling a gift basket, here are some of my inexpensive favorites:
Future Floor Finish
A big bottle of Future can be purchased at your local supercenter in the cleaning aisle. Although it is marketed for adding shine to your floors, it is a clear, durable acrylic that makes a wonderful sealing coat on polymer clay and other surfaces!
Burt’s Bees Hand Salve
This stuff is an artist’s best friend! When you work with your hands a lot, you need to keep them moisturized but not greasy…Burt’s Bees hand salves don’t leave a nasty film over your hands, and they smell wonderful!
Wax Paper
Don’t laugh! Wax paper is super-useful as a portable, disposable work surface. Anyone who works with clay, glue, or paint is either already a fan of using wax paper, or they don’t know what they are missing! If you work in polymer clay, you don’t even have to remove your clay from the paper to bake it…just put the whole thing in the oven, less jostling of your work!
Pearl Ex Powders
Are a clay and paper artists best friends! A jar of pearl ex’s super conecentrated pigment lasts FOREVER and comes in every color imaginable. It can be brushed on dry, or mixed with gum arabic for a gorgeous watercolor effect
Blank Books
Give your favorite artist (of course that includes yourself!) a fabulous unlined blank book for them to keep an art journal or design idea book. There are blank books to fit every budget…and plenty of nicely made ones for under 5 dollars!
Pliers and Wire Cutters
A jewelry maker can never have too many sets around…mine are forever wandering off. Inexpensive needle nose and round nose pliers make a fabulous gift…as do small wire cutters!
Copper Wire
Lovely to work with, and very inexpensive…it doesn’t have to come from the craft section of the store, the copper wire from the hardware section works just fine. Gauges of wire most often used by jewelry makers are 18, 20, and 22 gauge.
Game Piece Trinkets
Dominos, scrabble tiles, Mahjohng tiles, dice, and poker tiles are only a few of the cool odds and ends jewelry makers love to use in their designs. A bag of these goodies would thrill any dremel-owning designer to pieces!
Jewelry Making How-To Books
Stamp Artistry: Combining Stamps With Beadwork, Carving, Collage, Etching, Fabric, Metalwork, Painting, Polymer Clay, Repousse, and More by Rice Freeman-Zachery
Wonderfully creative uses for rubber stamps…includes some fantastic jewelry making projects! Also check out her latest book, New Techniques For Wearable Art, and read her interview with BellaOnline!
Designer Style Jewelry By Sherri Haab
This book is a great addition to any jewelry maker’s library. If you are just starting out, you will find the directions very detailed and easy to follow (Sherri Haab’s background is in writing children’s craft books…she understands that sometimes you have to tell people to break the egg shell before adding the egg to the recipe!)…for more experienced designers, there are tons of unique ideas to play with. The book works in several different media including wire, clay, resin, leather, laminate, shrink plastic, crochet, mixed media, and image transfers. Definitely something for everyone!
The Beader’s Guide to Color by Margie Deeb
This is an exquisite, highly detailed book can hold its own against any color theory text. Besides discussing the particulars of color theory, Margie Deeb delves further in to how color theory affects beaders…everything from blending techniques to surface finishes is discussed. The book also includes over 20 beadwork projects, each with color scheme ideas for you to work with.
Books To Feed The Creative Spirit
Living Out Loud by Keri Smith
This book is wonderful and so much fun! Like a vitamin C shot for your creative self (without the annoying needle)! This book includes stickers, postcards, permission cards, and other cool punch outs besides the affirming, supportive text. Even a total scrooge will find themselves grinning and wanting to create!
Make Your Creative Dreams Real : A Plan for Procrastinators, Perfectionists, Busy People, and People Who Would Really Rather Sleep All Day by Sark
This is Sark’s biggest book ever! It is full of all the sympathy and support of your best girlfriend, coupled with practical advice on how to go about achieving the life you want for yourself. The best thing about Sark is her understanding of how people work best in baby steps (or, as she calls them, ‘micro movements”), rather than in huge, leaping, goals that seem so unreachable. A “program” anyone can follow!
Urgent 2nd Class: Creating Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, And Other Art From Ephemera by Nick Bantock
This book has more wonderfully creative ideas than any paper arts book I have ever seen. If you love collage, assemblage, trash to treasure, and ephemera, you will ADORE this book. There is no time spent on how-to projects…just tons of ideas, discussion, and inspiration. I have gotten TONS of great ideas from this book…definitely one of the “must haves” on my bookshelf!
The Spirit Catchers: An Encounter with Georgia O’Keeffe (Art Encounters) by Kathleen Kudlinski
This is a wonderful book for young adults, but not to be discounted for us older ones…I read it and adored it! It is a fictional story about a young man during the depression when his life intersects with that of Georgia O’Keeffe. It is full of real life quotes by her that lends an authentic voice to the work. Besides being a look inside the life of one of America’s favorite artists, it has a very positive message about being true to your artistic spirt and living the life that feels right to you.
The Lives of Shadows: An Illustrated Novel by Barbara Hodgson
This is a simply gorgeous book…I think Barbara Hodgson’s best ever, and I have read them all. The research and attention to detail she put in to researching her setting (Damascus) is simply amazing. If you love the illustrated novels of Nick Bantock (author of the Griffin and Sabine series) you will adore Barbara Hodgson!
Cool Tools
Poetry Dog Tags: 250 Tags to Speak Your Mind With Two Chains to Hang Your Thoughts On By Clare Ultimo
This metal box includes 250 metal tags stamped with words stamped on them. Mix and match to create your own poetic jewelry!
Dremel 750D Minimite Cordless Dremel Tool
I have had this Dremel for about a year now and I don’t know how I ever lived without it! It is cordless and extremely lightweight…perfect for jewelry making endeavours!
Symbols of Ancient Mexico: 18 Rubber Stamps by Jim Paul
Of all the stamps I use in jewelry making on a regular basis…I probably use the stamps from this set the most !
Every December at BellaOnline I would do two things. One was to create a project for each holiday tradition (Christmas, Hannukuah, Kwanzaa, and Yule) and the second was to publish a big holiday wish list for jewelry makers. Guess which was most popular and stayed popular even after the holiday season was over. All the books and products I reviewed were things that I have actually tried out myself, and I would always attempt a project from each book before reviewing it so all my readers knew what they were in for.
Although I do have some new books to review, I won’t be doing a complete wish list this year, but I am reposting wish lists from previous years because they still cover some great stuff! And thanks to the poster who found one of my reviewed books at a great discount on the web….if you have a good inexpensive source for any of these items please do post it!
2003:
Usually my Christmas shopping is done by now, but the year just seemed to slip away from me! If you, like me, are still trying to finish off your holiday shopping (or just want to pick up a little goodie for yourself!) here are some of my favorites! If you have any other great ideas to share, please feel free to email me or post on the message board!
Jewelry Design Books:
My favorite new read of the year, and probably one of my all around favorites and back in print! If you are interested in creating antique metal looks or you love recreating museum quality pieces with poly clay you HAVE go have this book. It is also a good book for beginners, as it doesn’t require a huge investment in supplies and tools to start creating!
Rubber Stamped Jewelry: Includes Essential Techniques and 20 Projects by Sharilyn Miller
Rubber stamps are not just for paper artists any more! Check out the latest book by author, magazine editor (Somerset Studio, Belle Armoire, and Art Doll Quarterly) and jewelry designer Sharilyn Miller!
Stamp Artist’s Project Book: 85 Projects to Make and Decorate by Sharilyn Miller
While your at it, Sharilyn Miller’s second book is also a great resource…a significant portion of the projects listed are jewelry making projects!
Making Wire Jewelry: 60 Easy Projects in Silver, Copper & Brass by Helen Clegg and Mary Larom
I own almost every wire work book on the market…and those I don’t own I am sure I have read! Ok, I may exaggerate a bit…but I have a lot of them…and this one is by far my favorite. Beautiful, classic designs!
You may have already read their articles in Expression magazine, but if you haven’t yet seen the work of the Mitchell sisters you are in for a treat…they are really using liquid poly clay in creative and new ways!
Other Books To Feed The Creative Spirit:
True Colors: A Palette of Collaborative Art Journals by Kathryn Bold
While the book is dedicated to the creation of art journals, I can’t think of a better resource on color theory…be brave and creative in the New Year!
The Morning Star by Nick Bantock
The sixth, and final, installment of the Griffin and Sabine series is finally out! Enjoy feeling the secret thrill of reading someone else’s mail! The book is written and illustrated beautifully and it unfolds in postcards and letters that you actually pull out of the envelopes pasted into the book. If you are a newcomer to Nick Bantock’s books, you can start with the first book of the series, Griffin and Sabine: An Extrodianry Correspondence
The Sensualist: An Illustrated Novel by Barbara Hodgson
If you love Nick Bantock, you will also adore barbara Hodgson…this book is my favorite of hers. Although she has less illustrations than Bantock, they are all beautifully done and she makes up for it with more “story”. This one is magical!
Creative Companion: How to Free Your Creative Spirit by Sark
The first book published by author and artist Susan Kennedy (who publishes as the glorious Sark!)…this book is just as glory*full and amazing as her later and more famous works!
You read the interview with the author, now check out the book! An inspirational guide to anyone interested in the business of art!
Magazines:
Artella The Waltz of Words and Art
I’m not listing Artella just because I am published in this month’s issue! I’ve been a big fan of the magazine ever since I discovered it…I love the fact that they are one of the few “art” magazines that recognizes jewelry design as art, and publishes it as such!
The quarterly magazine devoted to wearable art from the publishers of Somerset Studio (and with the same editor). My only complaint? Waiting 3 months between issues!
Expression is kind of a combination of Somerset Studio and Belle Armoire…they publish quite a bit of jewelry making, as well as the paper arts, assemblage, and mixed media pieces. Lots of articles on working with polymer clay and designing jewelry out of ephemera!
The mother of paper and mixed media arts! Somerset Studio continues to be an amazing inspiration and portal of creativity year after year!
Mary Engelbreits Home Companion
Better Homes And Gardens this isn’t. Although focusing on the home, the magazine is replete with beautiful in home studios, and the living environments of all kinds of artists (including jewelry designers!)…full of inspiration and ideas.
The new baby sister to Somerset and Bella, I just bought my first issue of Art Doll Quarterly this month. The price stinged, but it was well worth it in the end…and it motivated me! I am currently working on my first art doll right now…though I think she may turn out to be too big to wear!
How-To Videos:
Potpourri of Techniques (Master Artisans: Polymer Clay)
By Donna Kato…that’s right, of Kato Clay fame! This video covers a bunch of different techniques for one great price!
Imitating Metal (Master Artisans: Polymer Clay)
Learn how to simulate gold, copper, bronze and other metal effects using special pigments…one project includes making jewelry using Hershey’s Kisses wrappers and scrap clay!
Millefiori Basics (Master Artisans: Polymer Clay)
Scared of millefiori canework? This video is full of so many excellent demonstrations that even the biggest idiot (yours truly) can understand!
Music To Create By:
A discussion on my artists group led me to adding this sub-section…it seems I’m not the only one who finds it imperative to have the right tunage playing while I work!
Norah Jones: Come Away With Me
Have you discovered the AMAZING voice of Norah Jones yet? Her music is smooth and smoothing without being light weight…my favorite new jazz artist!
The Voice of the Sparrow: The Very Best of Edith Piaf
The best compilation CD of legendary French torch singer Edith Piaf…and you don’t have to understand French to read the emotion written in every note!
The Indigo Girls released this CD last year as a return to their roots, and it is amazing..the perfect balance of mellow harmonies and kickin’ rock!
I listed to this CD at the music store, and had to order it as a Christmas present for my husband as soon as I could sneak away from his prying eyes. Etta just keeps getting better and better! Her voice has really grown rich as she matures…an amazing CD!
Other Products:
VILLA WARE 177 Al Dente Pasta Machine (For Clay Conditioning)
I searched high and low for the best deal on a hand crank pasta machine for polymer clay conditioning and blending…this price was by far the best (unless you are lucky enough to score one at your local thrift store!). Guaranteed to make your clay working ten times easier!
Euro-Pro TO282 4-Slice Toaster Oven For Poly Clay Curing
Now that I have a toaster oven for curing my poly clay I will never go back again! Not only is it safter than using your regular oven, the portability of the toaster oven makes the work SOOOO much easier! This one is 40% off at amazon.com right now and even comes with a built in timer (if you, like me, tend to forget you have clay in the oven while engrossed in the latest episode of “The West Wing”…).
Rock Tumbler by Natural Science Ind Ltd
I remember when rock tumblers were serious scientific instruments and were really expensive! I remember my grandfather having one and getting in trouble with my grandmother over how much it cost! Nowdays they are considered a kids toy, and this one is on sale at amazon for only 25.00! You can use it to polish your jewelry, tumble rocks, glass, and other items for jewelry making…if you love stone setting or wire wrapping, this is a fantastic item!
Dremel 8000-01 10.8 Volt Lithium-Ion 5,000 – 35,000 RPM Cordless Rotary Tool
A cordless rotary tool! Woohoo! I was forever dragging around my dremel with an extension cord so I could carry it to whereever I was working. My hubby promised to buy me this one for Christmas and I can’t wait!
Filed under: Clay Jewelry, Non-Traditional Jewelry, Product Reviews, Rubber Stamping
I am totally enamored with art dolls. I spend a ridiculous amount of money four times a year on Art Doll Quarterly magazine and look desperately forward to doing so! (ADQ, by the way, is lush and gorgeous and each issue is a collectors item, it is well worth the price!)
I’ve been incorporating beaded art dolls in to my purses but wanted something that wears tougher for jewelry making. Being the self-proclaimed Queen of Polymer Clay, I knew which medium I wanted to use. I found lots of gorgeous art doll rubber stamp sets out there, but they were all way out of my starving-artist price range! After pouting about it for a few months, I lucked on to Vickie Enkoff’s Creative Chaos stamp line.
Both of these dolls come from Vickie Enkoff’s Indigo Dolls sheet. The trick with working with rubber stamps in polymer clay is to get rubber stamps that are made with deeply etched rubber. The cheaper stamps won’t show detail the way you need them too. Vickie’s stamps are the best price for the quality that I have found. You will notice in the picture that I left the edges a little rough…I did that on purpose to take advantage of the primative design elements in the dolls!
Supplies:
Art doll rubber stamps
Black polymer clay
Pearl Ex in Copper, Aztec Gold, and Green*
Polymer clay tools for trimming and smoothing
Clay dedicated pasta machine or clay dedicated roller
Clay dedicated oven for baking clay
Non-yellowing acrylic sealer (I used Future Floor Finish)
Jewelry adhesive such as Jewel Glue or E-6000
Pin backings for each pin
Condition and roll out your polymer clay to about 1/6 to 1/8 of an inch. I used black clay because I like how well it takes pigment powders, but you can use any scrap clay…just make sure you cover it very well!
Press your art doll stamps in to the clay carefully, making sure you embed all of the fine detail. Remove stamp and cut out along the edges of the doll. Smooth out any fingerprints and rough edges (I left a few for a more primitive look) that bother you.
Brush on pearl ex powders. I used:
· A layer of copper
· A bit of Aztec gold to give depth to the copper
· A second layer of copper
· Some green just on the highlights of the patterns to create a soft verdigris look on the copper
Bake according to clay manufacturer’s directions. Add a coat of acrylic sealer and let dry. (I heat set Future Floor Finish to dry for a few minutes at the same temperature that I baked the clay at.) Add pin backing with a jewelry grade adhesive and let dry completely before wearing.
* You can use paints in place of pearl ex powders. Art chalks are another good option although you will not be able to replicate the metallic look of the pins shown here!
Board books can make wonderful journals! They are so thick and heavy duty they can withstand a beating that most paper journals cannot, so they are wonderful to take on trips or to create mixed media projects with. This is especially nice for me since I am forever breaking the spines in my art journals as I bend, fold, manipulate, and mutilate the pages! Do keep in mind that they have significantly few pages than a regular journal, however, so if you are wanting something for lots of space for a long term project, these aren’t the best resource!
There are two different board book options out there. It used to be, if you wanted to create a board book journal, you had to buy a regular child’s board book and sand and gesso all the pages to give yourself a new white surface. This isn’t so bad if you find your books cheaply and don’t mind putting in a little elbow grease, but there is a new product out that makes board book journaling much easier! You can now buy blank board books designed just for journaling projects! The pages are already white, and are non-glossy, which means they are ready to take pen, paint, and other embellishments. They are also the same price as your average children’s retail board book…which is a great deal!
I recently wrote a blog entry that I really loved and I wanted to preserve as a separate journal. It was just the right size for a board book! I seperated the different points and printed them off to be glued to each separate board book page. Since the book was so heavy, I was able to add a lot of embellishments to it that I can’t get away with in my regular art journal. I cut a window out of the front cover and glued a vintage key on the first page where it would show through the window.
I blended acrylic paint with pigment powders, used rubber stamps, and collage elements to create each page and blend with the journal entries themselves that I ripped out of each page to give them an interesting torn edge. On this page, I used a large black and white picture of a building, and cut out three of the windows. Behind the windows I placed small vintage photos so it looked like these figures were peeking out of them. It added depth and interest to the page and it looks greally great!
Your board book journals can be as simple or as intricate as you want! You may carry a board book journal because its so heavy duty and use it to jot down field notes, or you may want to go all the way and embellish your board book into a work of art until itself.
Create&Treasure, the makers of the new blank board books also have a wonderful book out called Altered Board Book Basics And Beyond By Jan Bode Smiley
Arte Es Vida 