Books
& videos & kits
Ornaments &
some techniques
....Metallic powders/waxes,chalks... Stamps/molds
....Cutter shapes --cookie/canape
....Sculpting objects & figures (freestanding
or on background sheet)
........bas relief
....Liquid
clays (transfers, drizzling, etc.)
....Glass
ball ornaments
......buying
& preparing
......uses for glass balls
..........covering
(basic & slices), scenes, torsos/heads, partial
covering
..........outsides, insides
+ swirled paint
..........glass bulbs broken out, lighted
from inside
..........xmas lightbulbs,
used as forms, misc)
Canes
Other ideas (many)
....houses
(summary) & more scenes
Websites
& info re Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Solstice
Websites, all winter
CHRISTMAS - Winter - Solstice - Hanukkah,etc.
Christmas or other ornaments
are practically the perfect thing to play around with in clay. ....You're
not really restricted by theme (except xmas, the season, or whatever occasion
you want to represent), or by size, or by techniques, pr by ways to hang, etc.,
etc.
....In short, you can play around with just about every
technique in polymer clay while making ornaments!
.......here
are just a few examples:
http://www.sculpey.com/projects_ornamentinspirations.htm
OR,
make a whole Solstice or a Winter tree and hang themed items
from it
. . . OR decorate small artificial trees, a wreath or
a garland with a theme ... e.g. a particular sport, hobby, job, interest
… or use many of one item like large snowflakes or gingerbread people
or candy or other cutouts or embellished glass balls or mixed
media items, etc.
some
info about Christmas symbols & legends ...for Solstice, Hanukkah
& Kwanzaa, see bottom of page
http://www.geocities.com/jcconfer/masterlegends.html
BOOKS & VIDEOS& Kits
Design
Originals books: http://www.d-originals.com/polymer.html
... or go to 6 pages of all
their polymer books: http://tinyurl.com/6we2x
Holiday Happenings (# 3332) by Michelle Lott's (cute Christmas
character ornaments: mice, snowmen, reindeer) $7.99
Clay Cut-Out
Kids (# 3268 ), (mostly bas relief, Chris.
ornaments using cutters, clay gun
& craft knife) $6.99
Schiffer Books for Craftspeople:
Making
Christmas Jewelry in Polymer Clay, by Bridget
Albano ...(dangle Santa & 13 more)
http://www.polkadotcreations.com/books/sb88740832xa.jpg
Creating Christmas
Ornaments from Polymer Clay, by Bridget Albano (short book) . . . reindeer,
penguin, snowman, Santa, etc., all created in bas relief (but wihtout background)
to hang from tree . . . arms, legs, head, hat, etc., overlapped or onlaid on each
other
http://tinyurl.com/6cc2m (then
click on "Look Inside this Book")
Cecilia Determan's mostly
out-of-print books on Christmas ornaments, figures, etc.
are all EXCELLENT
.... (try e-Bay or out of print book businesses....(DB
add)
various other short or regular-length polymer books have lessons on making at least a few Christmas or winter things
VIDEOS:
Gingerbread
House and Christmas Ornaments, by Maureen Carlson
video on making a gingerbread
house and some candies to go on it... and gingerbread man & tree?
http://www.weefolk.com//xmashse.jpg
(photo of house and candies) http://www.weefolk.com//videos.htm
(description of video)
(...see much more on making Gingerbread houses and
candies in Houses-Structures > Gingerbread
)
St. Nicholas, by Maureen Carlson
...how to dress a more complicated
figure... how to build an armature to support an all-clay St. Nicholas figure
(both standing and sitting) ...make hair, beards, and learn how to drape clothes...
add a clay sack filled with toys and sweets made from clay as well
http://www.weefolk.com/sell.htm
(under "Instructional Videos")
KITS:
....Sculpey brand clay now offers a number of Sculpey kits (for all their
different clays) which come with a number of bars of clay (and some instructions/projects...
some are seasonal, or relate to one topic like faces or dinosaurs,
etc.)
http://www.clayfactory.net/sculpey/skits.htm
(Christmas and regular)
http://www.sculpey.com/Products/products_activitysets.htm
http://www.sculpey.com/Products/products_samplers.htm
(just clay, no projects)
ORNAMENTS
& some techniques
(see
many more in "Websites" at bottom)
If you do figures, you could get around the easier-breakability of Sculpey brand clay somewhat by making a figure in partial or total relief *on a background piece.* Sculpey breaks most often when little parts stick out from the thicker parts. So try to keep the arms, feet, etc. stuck to the background or to the body for extra support if they get knocked (or better yet, use Premo). You could also sculpt the figures, then just press the whole thing firmly to a background square, oval, etc.
ornaments that actually look like cookies. . .
Make lots of them, all different kinds (including chocolate chip, gingerbread,
thumbprint, and pin wheel) and then use as ornaments or assemble them on a wire
wreath form . . . . Mini cookie wreaths also make great pins. One of
the first things I ever did with polymer clay was to replace my bread dough cookie
wreath and ornaments.. .
...You can frost with white acrylic paint....
use a dry brush technique to look like powdered sugar; the plastic cake
decorating tubes you get in the grocery store will screw right onto to Hyplar
in a tube (which is one brand of "modeling paste" available at crafts
and art stores).
...To make cookies look cooked, use an umber (brown)
wash.Katherine Dewey
(see more on cookies and frosting in Houses-Structures
> Candies, Sweets)
ornament hooks (...making your
own)
...you can make your own fancier version of an ornament hook in
various ways
...bending wire... possibly with beads, dangles,
etc. ...or wrapped wire
......lesson using 4" of 18 g wire...bend
end for hook around a small dowel or handle of a paint brush, depending on size
you want... bend wire at end of hook so there is a straight vertical section and
thread on one or more beads, cane slices, etc... then bend the wire just under
the beads to hold them on... for loop end, make large-ish open wire spiral ...thread
ornament loop onto open spiral from spiral middle.
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/christmas/ornament-hooks.shtml
(see
Wire > Basic Wire Shapes for many
more wire bending and/or embellishing techniques which could
be used)
...various kinds of cording could work too... either for the
whole hook if stiff enough... or as "extenders" with a hook or
loop on each end
...chain with hook and loop at ends (purchased, or
make your own from jump rings)
METALLIC POWDERS & Waxes & Chalks . . . and STAMPS & MOLDS
The
most commonly used ones with clay are Pearl Ex (mica powders).
...Pearl
Ex powders are around $6 a jar (though they can also be purchased in sampler
packs), but last forever.
... Try a gold powder, for example, for highlighting
a molded or stamped or textured bit of raw clay... using a soft brush or finger,
spread over top areas only (**see below),; bake. . . If rubbed in sufficiently
or not subjected to much wear afterward, they can be left unsealed. Otherwise
seal with Future Floor Polish or a can of water-clean-up (Satin or Gloss) Elite
Diamond Varathane--again around $6 a bottle, but will last and last).
...(Also,
embossing powders can be used, inside the clay, in carved areas, or very lightly
rubbed all over; heat 250 degrees for about 10 min.)
Rubbing Compounds like Rub 'N Buff, the Treasure Golds . . . or even tube acrylic paints, especially in the metallic colors or the duo-toned "interference" colors . . . can be rubbed over the same kinds of clay items, but they're usually applied after baking; no sealer necessary, I think. )
To
simulate a light frosty look, whitish mica powders like Pearl Ex
(micropowder pearl?) can be dry-brushed onto the wet clay before baking.
I used it on my lightswitch cover of holly berries. syndee
...both
Rub 'N Buff and acrylic paints come in white also, which might give a touch-of-snow
look.
...I've added
gold Pearl-Ex to white acrylic paint then painted bisque with it - the
result is a subtle metallic glow when the light hits a certain way.
Sidewalk chalks or artist's chalk pastels--scraped onto sandpaper and applied dabbingly with a soft brush--or blusher/eyeshadows can be applied to raw clay also. The effect will be softer, but looks great on faces or things like angels and flowers where you might want a soft effect. These you might already have at home.
**impressions in the clay can be made with ordinary stamps or household items like Philips screwdriver tips (they make "plus" or starry shapes), bolts, pen tips, lace, screening, or ANYTHING--you can use the simpler items repeatedly to make patterns too.
**baked-clay
molds can be made from objects around the house or from something you make
yourself then make a mold from--e.g. a face from a toy; just make sure there are
no undercuts in the object to be molded, or mold only the not-undercut portion.
~"Tweek" (the cast of a molded) clay face...by that I mean...age the head...adding
lines and wrinkles, add an extra ball of clay on the end of the nose for a real
santa look....laugh lines...you know all those cool santa traits...this
will give you a good base to work from...and if you don't like the look...start
again by repressing the clay. Add ears...you can glue the front part of the head
onto a styrofoam ball after baked...paint the head and add lots of hair to cover
the back of head and add a wonderful beard.....Jodi Creager
Patti's
lesson on making a flat mold from a stamp, which can be run through
the pasta machine with clay (...she made a holiday gift tag with
reversed lettering)
http://www.polymerclayhaven.com/lessons/gifttag.htm
very small candy molds (usually in a sheet mold) are often available for making tiny shapes, figures, etc.... these could be highlighted or covered with metallic powders,(or even painted) etc., to be hung on tiny Christmas trees as ornaments, or glued onto gifts or gift tags, etc.
syndee's
lesson on making long, coiled spirals of clay as simple ornaments
by wrapping long ropes of clay around forms like paper cones or wood dowels
(and using a strong clay like Premo)
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_HolidayRibbons.htm
(see
more on inexpensive stamps and molds with Christmas and Winter
themes in Stamping,
and Molds)
CUTTER SHAPES... Cookie & Canape, etc.
(see much more in Cutters-Blades > Cutters)
Snowmen, gingerbread houses and people, Santas, reindeer, xmas trees, stars, candles,
little trains (dolls or other toys) or actually almost anything
that's hung on a tree (with or without
xmas "colors") will be seen as an ornament.
To your cut-out shape, you could add decorations on top (e.g., eyes, nose,
mouth, antlers and maybe a neck bow on reindeer), or simply cover with a powder
or rubbing compound (can use more than one color too)--these look really elegant;
...
don't forget to make the hanging hole before baking; the end of a any kind
of straw works well (use a twisting motion and repeatedly cut the end off if the
clay gets too jammed).
Cut-outs of
baked clay are often thin enough (especially if rolled with a pasta machine first)
that I will be able to trim edges with decorative cutter/(or scissors?)
...
or to "leach" the clay to make it a bit stiffer. . .I cut out some shapes
then weighted between two pieces of cardboard and a book overnight before cutting
out, adding my hole, and baking.
You can bake your flat shapes between two tiles to keep them absolutely flat (if you use shiny ceramic tiles and adhere without bubbles, the surfaces will be shiny after baking). Though unless the cut outs are very thin, this won't be a problem.
faux puffed shapes... vbffl had an idea which could be adapted to polymer clay ... she created a reindeer and snowman with two sheets of paper bag which were sewn together near the edge and had paper inside to puff them a bit (embellished with a painted face, twigs or greenery, buttons, etc.,... one had candy canes for horns)...for clay, these could instead be made with two sheets of brownish clay (or white for a snowman, etc.), embellished, then sandwiched with some clay or even a bit of tissue inside, etc. ... edges could then be crimped or faux "stitched" with tracing wheel indentations. . . . or the forms could be made puffy by blowing into them as with pillow beads (see Beads > Pillow)... could be made small for pins or larger for ornaments... could use cookie cutters or free draw the shapes
Chicago
Area Polymer Clay Guild's various kinds of ornaments
http://www.capcg.org/orn01.htm
.... and http://www.capcg.org/orn99.htm
polymerclayexpress'
lesson on holly and berry wreath, using 4- and 6-pointed
canape cutters
http://polymerclayexpress.com/nov2000.html
Nettie's lesson on making a star-shaped Santa
ornament, with star cutter
http://www.geocities.com/nettieinohio/starsanta.html
Heather
P's lesson on making small mitten shapes with clay, then embellishing
them with can slices for cuffs and here and there (her mittenshapes are cut around
a cardboard template or freehand with a Xacto though,
rather than a cutter)... ornament
http://www.humblebeads.com/mittens.html
Marcy's
mittens, embellished with checkerboard cuffs, faux "patches",
simple dots, and/or holly leaves/berries
http://www.marcysclaypen.com/christmas/christmas2.html
Lisa
P's lesson on making a gingerbread person cutout for a card or
as ornament
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_holidaycards.htm
Karen R's lesson on making gingerbread person with bow,
wavy blade-cut rickrack, heart cutout , clay balls for nose/buttons,
impressions for mouth, and painted eyes
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/shows_hcc2c/article/0,3110,DIY_27284_4938571,00.html
Elizabeth's
lesson on making mini-gingerbread house fronts, and many candies
(LS and TLS)
http://polymerclayexpress.net/dece2002.html
(be sure and click on Templates, and the last houses photo for a larger
version)
(more gingerbread people, houses,
etc., in Houses > Gingerbread People,Etc.)
Michelle
Ross' lesson on holiday (Christmas & Hannukah) 4” by
5 1/2” postcards with cutter onlays, etc. (instr.for
red card not shown)
http://www.polymerclayplay.com/html/projects/holidaypostcards/holidaypostcards.htm
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_occasions_december/article/0,1789,HGTV_3270_2392071,00.html
Nina
K's pine tree shape made from collage sheet of clay patterns, surrounded
by thin clay rope frame
http://www.polymerclay.co.nz/nzpcg/nina.html
Sue
D's Christmas tree cutout made from collage sheets of pattern (dragged
lines, mokume gane?, spirals of diff. colors & Pearl?)
http://www.brpcg.com/Galleries/sue/GallerySue01Trees.jpg
cutouts
of snowflakes textured before cutting out, then highlighted
w PearlEx, baked (orn's by playsclay2)
http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL526/531344/4530485/75544602.jpg
Kris
Richards' lesson on making a snowflake ornament with a 6-pt. snowflake
cutter
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_Snowflakes.htm
(...or see instructions in
Cutters >Uses for All Cutters)
Eberhard
Faber's lesson on making a snowflake by cutting it out with
an Xacto knife (over a pattern under glass sheet)
http://www.eberhardfaber.com/Giant_snowflakes.EBERHARDFABER?ActiveID=95156
(another variation on page uses logs of clay)
Barbara P's small Christmas
tree cutous made with dots, ropes, etc., as "ornaments"
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bdbear10/detail?.dir=dd90&.dnm=6a5c.jpg&.src=ph
(gone?)
Darla's Christmas tree with "ornaments"
--can begin with cutout, add rows of clay extrusions from clay gun
or garlic press, then add stars and other small clay items/cutouts for the ornaments,
and twisted square ropes of clay for tinsel
(hobbystage --inaccessible?)
the
Mitchells' openwork
grid of thick slices could be thick cutouts,
strung together with small beads as separators, to create a
Christmas orn.
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_ornamentinspirations_AnnKaren.htm
Marie's Christmas tree
with extrusions from clay gun + ornaments http://www.marieidraghi.it/feste.htm
Eberhard
Faber's lesson on partially covering a clear drinking glass
with cutouts of textured translucent clay (reindeer and
branch shapes) ..these plaqued a lot -- could use a less plaquing
translucent too
....they also create a "frosted drinking glass"
by covering it completely with translucent clay first ... then apply cutouts
of white clay (also textured?) (looks like base layer not
baked first, but could have been, then liquid clay between ) ... used as "vases"
http://www.eberhardfaber.com/Reindeer_Vases.EBERHARDFABER?ActiveID=17190...
patterns available by clicking on "Motif
Reindeer" or "Motif Mistletoe"
Sarajane's
lesson on a star-cutter "frame" ornament
for a photo ... she cuts out a fluted star shape, textures the flat star
with various tools, then creates a sort of filigree effect with onlays
(.. a clay rope as a frame to cover & hold down the photo's
edges--textured with a comb, plus twisted ropes and other little clay
balls, etc.)
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_StarStudent.htm
Cecilia's
many framed photos for xmas ornaments (onlaid) (website gone)
Ginny's
xmas tree frame (clay gun squeezes on clay shape with hole cut out
in middle)
http://members.aol.com/ftofclay/minitree.JPEG
(gone?)
...see more of this type
in Frames/Mirrors > Medium & Small
Frames
component
pieces of somewhat 3-D simple objects, created in "layers"
.....hacrafter
makes wood cutouts (which could be polymer) as component pieces of ornaments
.... for example, she has a snowman head cutout, in this case, embellished
with a scarf,sticking out from the back of a large decorated
mitten (but extending) and has a snowman arm onlaid on the mitten as
well
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/craft2decor8/index_frame.html
...the mitten's decorations could be polymer too (slices or onlays)
SCULPTING ...
(3-D Figures & Objects... and Bas
relief)
mostly
3-D
(ornaments, figures, items, scenes)
Again
almost anything will work as an ornament ... whether
it has a Christmas/winter theme, or not!
. . . (e.g. wreaths, candy canes
made by twisting together a red and a white snake of clay, other candies, little
boxes with bows, cookie cutter or other shapes, gingerbread houses or fronts,
etc.)
*Elizabeth's minatures
(more of a lesson to come): http://thepolyparrot.com/cookies.html)
gingerbread people cookies with icing and raisins , hot chocolate
and mini marshmallows,cups, saucers, mixing bowl,
cookie sheet, wooden rolling pin,wooden spoon, dough
Donna
Kato's lessons on making (Nativity) figures and animals (plus
turban, fez type hat, crown, halo)
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_nativity.htm
Oscelyn's
owl and penguin (Nativity figures), next to stable
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4153008&a=31266991&p=68352143
Linda
WP's lesson on making a polar bear with ice skates
on mirror pond ...and a dog on a sled
(made w/ FimoSoft's "Metallic White" clay)
http://www.chasummershow.com/productsheets/dogandbear.pdf
(... to enlarge the text,
change the %
to 175 from 125, in
the pdf toolbar window )
Linda WP's lesson
on making a seated snowman and penguin sitting
on clay "candy dish"... with scarf, mittens,
earmuffs, and holly vine
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=23141
Nanetta's
lesson on making a snow person "babe" with a dotted and fringed
scarf, a hat, sunglasses, wire arms, etc
.... she uses a bullet shaped
"weight" in, and protruding up from, the bottom ball... places
the middle ball on top of that plus a toothpick in and protruding through that
... then places the top ball (little bit of toothpick protruding on top too)
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_Snowbabe.htm
(click also on pg. 2)
(see
many more snow men below in Websites)
Sculpey's
many lessons on Christmas ornaments & decotations
http://www.sculpey.com/projects_seasonal.htm
(many)
simple
mini Santa (wings also) made on a clay base shaped like a tall cone
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_AngelClaus.htm
Bonnie
W's sculpted figures, reindeer, snowmen, etc.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/crafting/article/0,,HGTV_3352_1529000,00.html
Kathy W's snowmen (w boots), Santas (w legs),
angels (w feet) and candy canes... hanging as
ornaments
http://people.delphiforums.com/kkephart/xmasorns.htm
chellebeadz'
simple snowmen, penguins, and other characters, with hats, etc.
http://s217.photobucket.com/albums/cc289/chellebeadz
Ruth's babies in blankets ornaments
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4218486&a=31279335&p=68441898
Shane's ethereal angels for sale, with many tiny Christmas items in
their arms...
http://www.shanesangels.com/xmasangels.html
Babette's
adorable little elves dressed in Christmas colors
http://www.babettecox.com/polymerclay.htm
(click on 10 Little Elves)
(see
more elves in Halloween > St. Patrick's
Day)
Tamara's
lesson on making a tiny (gingerbread) Christmas house
(2-storey) with decorations, plus tree etc, on a base mostly with
slices from tiny canes... she cuts two thick slices from house-shaped logs (one
smaller and cut thinner than the other) ... lays a sheet of white clay on roof
of each ...puts the smaller one on top of the larger one as a 2nd floor ...adds
cane slice decorations ...places house on disk of white clay and adds a tree,
bushes, etc. in "yard"
http://www.designcanes.com/christmas.htm
... NoraJean's tiny gingerbread
house plus path and yard-scene on top
of Altoid box!
http://www.norajean.com
(click on Mini-Food at top... then click on Gingerbread-3 on left)
darcangel's.
s'mores snowmen made with simulated foods
...
each has 2 polymer marshmallows for body, 2 stacked faux
chocolate slabs for hat, faux graham cracker
underneath, and faux carrot and raisins for
nose, eyes, smile ... arms are just jute sticking out to sides
http://www.geocities.com/forevermyspace/snowmen.jpg
many wonderful lifelike Santa faces (mostly with fabric clothing,
over simple armatures)
http://www.thegrandfatherclaus.com/Gallery/default.htm
Susan's
cool lesson on making a shelf-sitter figure, using parts
from 2 red socks for clothing!
...face, hands, boots made from
clay with molds
http://www.theclaystore.com/pages-tutorials/polymer-clay-project-tutorials.html?action=showTut&tutID=48
...cut each sock into 2 pieces (under ribbing, leaving ankle and foot area)
...for
torso, make large egg-shaped ball of clay (over aluminum foil ball for
armature, if desired) --large end should fit into ankle area of one sock)..
can flatten bottom a bit so will sit well, and widen upper part a little for "shoulders"
...form
complete head from face mold + pad of clay, over aluminum foil ball armature
mounted on a long wire with lg. loop at one end (for head)
...add more clay
to make neck and upper shoulders... insert head wire into torso, and smooth it
to torso
...bake head-torso ... (sit figure on edge of a box for rest of proj.)
...slip
ribbing from sock 1 onto whole torso... sew or glue along top of shoulders
except for neck area
...slip ankle area of sock 1 onto bottom half of
torso ...trim off tip of sock, then cut sock-foot vertically creating two legs
(remove and sew/glue ea.into tube)... glue molded (baked) boot into end
of each leg tube... replace and glue to torso
...cut ribbing from sock 2
into two long arms... glue into tubes... glue molded baked hand/wrist
into end of ea.
...sew/glue arms to shoulder area ...(add beard, hair, felt?suspenders,
buttons, etc.... can use toe for cap)
(see
many
more FIGURES and HEADS of snowmen,
Santas, Nativity, etc.... and ANIMALS
(penguins, reindeer, etc. )..... and lessons:
in " Websites" below, in GlassBalls
> Outside (on top), and also in Sculpting
> "Websites")
I recently made a couple of experimental "icicles" out of transparent clay and cane onlays.... as Christmas decorations. They haven't come out exactly as I wanted yet, but they seem pretty strong. They are all Premo, and about 6 inches long is the longest one.... tapering in width. melanie
Lisa's
pinecone (or flower) created by making many cuts in a egg-shaped
(?) piece of clay, beginning at the bottom?) and bending them back; if the shape
is flatter to begin with, it can resemble a multi-petalled flower (add a center?)
http://communities.msn.com/Lisafamilyncrafts/newtechniques.msnw
Pennydolls'
sled (with baby inside and other decorations)-- lesson on making a
support to go into a purchased sled to hold the figure
http://www.pennydolls.com
(click on English flag, then on Fimo Workshops, then on November photo)
...also her winter pine trees & toy train & snow
(December photo)
faux pine tree or Christmas
tree (held in arms of Santa figure) ... a straight length of artificial
pine (one decorated with tiny polymer balls, etc.)
http://www.marcysclaypen.com/christmas/christmas2.html
SNOW
To
simulate a light frosty snow look, whitish mica powders like
Pearl Ex can be dry-brushed onto the wet clay before baking. I used it
on my lightswitch cover of holly berries in the December Arts and Crafts (the
one with Hillary on the cover). Syndee
...both
Rub 'N Buff and acrylic paints come in white, which might
give a touch-of-snow look wherever applied.
...I've added gold Pearl-Ex to white acrylic paint
then painted bisque with it - the result is a subtle metallic glow
when the light hits a certain way.
..I
once used the white Liquid Sculpey )-- not the
regular translucent LS-- (currently available
only mail order, but you could try white oil paint or a white powder) for
a snow look. It was amazingly real looking. . . .I think I painted on the
item, and then used some kind of stenciling brush to pounce on it
for a snow like pattern. Jeanne
...make a bunch of small
cones of white clay and place them on tips of trees for
snow dripping down. ....add a layer of TLS and sprinkle glitter
over it.....cure. Kim K.
....for a powdery snow, try grating
cured Pearl clay on the tiniest grater you can find. .... the dust
from my pearl snowman beads would be good too . Denise M.
...make a falling-snow
background by making large and small ropes of blue, then inserting
tiny white ropes in among them before pressing them all together;
stand them vertically and cut this sky-with-snow background into whatever pieces
you need (to surround your tree).
Eva's
ornaments ...twisted-ropes circle frames, with small sculpted figures
standing or sitting on the bottoms of frame (like a swing)
http://gallery.gundo.com/gallery/album52/EvaMiniOrnaments1
or http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/claypen_minis.html
Sandy's
mini-wreath with twisted vines & bird (see other wreaths on
this page)
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_ornamentinspirations_sandy.htm
CD
roms can be used in various ways (see Covering
> CD's and also Onlay > CD Shards for
more)
.... lesson on scene with simple snowman "fishing"
through hole in center, snow around edges
http://www.playandlearn.org/Activities/c11.htm
...
to make the water look blue, use blue paint on foam core under the CD...
will show through)
...could use polymer for all; see polymer pastes
(Paints) for snow..
...
skating scene idea... if you want to cover the hole in the middle you could
make an island. -Nf
egg ornaments with scenes
.....or any polymer sculpts or embellishments:
...long ago my
great aunt used to cut small images from Christmas cards (in an oval shape), then
glue them inside a blown egg which had an tall oval area cut out of one side.
The egg became sort of a fancy frame or shadow box. She then put
some cotton in the bottom of the egg and added tiny shell flowers and leaves she
used to make. To finish the outside, she glued a row of pearls around the cut
edge, with a row of ruffled lace behind that. Awesome... I've never seen directions
for these or other photos, but would love to if they exist. Diane B.
...Treebelly
has many creative ideas for eggs, including egg
houses, mosaics, and many more.
http://www.treebelly.com/art/eggs/eggs.html
(click on each photo for many more photos!)
...(see Eggs
for many more ideas re eggs)
see more sculpted Christmas items in Other Ideas below
more
on making little scenes of all kinds here at GlassAttic:
Kids-Beginners
> Scenes & Dioramas
Houses-Structures
for houses, castles, "ground," stone-brick,
scenery, furniture, etc.
Sculpting
> Bases
Miniatures
for plants, food, other items & scenes
Halloween
> Scenes, Dioramas, Houses
mostly Bas Relief sculpted things
Elizabeth's
lesson on making mini-gingerbread house ...fronts, decorated
with candies
http://polymerclayexpress.net/dece2002.html
(be sure and click on Templates and the last photo to see details)
.....I
think I'll print out that lesson and send it with some clay
to my daughter-in-law wholikes crafts and has 5 small ones at home. Maybe she
could do this with them for next christmas . . . I think that they could also
attatch them to wreaths for decorating the door, as well as ornaments
for the tree. Could even put one tied onto the bow for that special touch on a
christmas present. Amanda
...Thank you so much for the lesson. I'm going
to make this one up and send the pieces to my mom who is in her
80's and doesn't cook now.
(see Houses-Structures
> Gingerbread for lessons and photos of gingerbread houses and fronts
Garie's kids' (mostly bas
relief) Christmas scenes & figures (reindeer, snowman, Santa,
trees) on bases... also gifts, Jap.cartoon characters,
xmas trees, some on interesting backgrounds (tree, house, etc.)
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/more_greetings.htm
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/happy-holidays/christmas.htm
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/x%27mas%20images/x%27mas.htm
Martha's
winter seascape bas relief (on background slab of clay with edges "gathered"
upward)... pine trees with snow, ocean, lighthouse . . . also
simple scene with simple figures and other winter themed items,
including skater, snow scene with snowmen
http://polymerclaycentral.com/chall_dec03.html
(click on Details)
Kathy G's winter pine trees (metallic) with snow ... (Liquid Sculpey with white/pearl Pearl Ex?), stars outlined in blue (onlay) (website gone)
Marie R's lessons
on making: a log cabin bas relief (on a xmas ball ornament or a
votive, or anywhere) with snow (made from light blue tanslucent
sheet under a white sheet of clay), some icicles created by pulling the
snow under roof, etc., downwards, and snow-covered mountains created by
manipulating the strip of clay cut into a mountain range shape and applied to
ball, adding a darker blue clay here and there for valleys, etc.) . . . she uses
a base clay cut with a cookie cutter to add her logs to.
...also showing
snow on the ground made with a metal "clay shaper"
(like small, short stiff palette knife, wood handle)
........ she mixes white
Premo with small flecks or gratings of turquoise, dark
blue and possibly lavender clays in the pasta machine until they begin
to "melt" into the white (these will be the snow "shadows")...
place on surface (in her case a winter scene ornament) and manipulate with
the shaper or fingers into hills, valleys, drifts, etc.
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_BasReliefOrnament.htm
Consuelo's
wonderful decorated pine tree
....tree created with overlaid rows
of green textured (almost like crochet), scalloped, green clay curled along lower
edges... with twisted strips of gold clay as tinsel ...and poinsettias
and tiny balls as ornaments
...also textured
night sky with stars, snowflakes
...and textured snow (with bit of blue along top?)... stacked snowmen
http://groups.msn.com/WoodchuckMuldoon/polymerclayart.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=10
plus
her other snowman with faux knitted scarf and tree
http://groups.msn.com/WoodchuckMuldoon/polymerclayart.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=14
(see other websites on this page for more tiny objects that can be put on a background sheet)
Maureen's lesson
on angel ornament (high-relief) with wings and dangling feet
under skirt, using her pattern shapes-- & head and wings mold
http://www.weefolk.com/12_1996.htm
Amy
K's lesson on making a bas relief tile (could be hung) . . . snowman
head and embellishment
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_SnowDaysTile.htm
Garie's kids' Christmas bas relief scenes
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/christmas.htm
snowman bas relief scene from Marie R kids'
class ...with snow, starry sky, moon and bare tree
http://www.marieredmondartsandcrafts.com/images/Starry_night-183x118.jpg
*Feat
of Clay's relief snowman, etc., from her book Clay
Cut Outs
http://hometown.aol.com/ftofclay/gallery.html
lesson
on making a family of snow people ornament
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=23193&categoryid=10
Karen
P's lesson on how to use the hands, feet, and face
molds to make a bas relief old world Santa on a plaque http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_HolidaySantaPlate.htm
**Heather R's lesson on using different
colors of clay to fill in a mold (in this case, for a Santa
figure)
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_SantaSled.htm
(....also see many more below in "Websites". . . and in Onlay ...and in Sculpting > Websites > Bas Relief)
see Liquid Clay page for many more ways to use liquid clay . . . , including window clings, decoupage, drizzling, etc.
You
can "transfer" a photocopy of a person or other
winter/xmas image directly onto raw clay... or you can make a decal-type
transfer which can be placed onto baked clay or anywhere else.
....(to
learn how to do these transfers--and they are neat!--check out
Transfers... esp. the Photocopy and Liquid
Clay sub-categories )
Various
powders can be used with liquid clays, either as inclusions for
color or texture, or to create dimensional embossing.
......These could
include metallic powders, embossing powders, chalks, etc.
Another way to color
the liquid clay is to mix in tiny amounts of oil paints or scrapings
from oil pastels into unbaked liquid clay.
Kathy G's liquid clay (with white and or pearl clay or maybe Pearl Ex ?) to make winter pine trees (metallic) with "snow" ... stars outlined in blue (onlay)
using embossing powder
on liquid clay. . . Marie R's lesson on drizzling-drawing an xmas
tree or other shape onto baked clay withTLS, pulling more lines
out with needle tool, then dumping embossing powder over liquid clay areas
and tamping off excess, before rebaking 275 for 15 min to melt powder ... (can
use as ornament, gift tag, etc.)
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_TLSEmbossed.htm
....Sculpey's
lesson on using metallic powders or inks to color liquid
clay, before placing drops of it onto clay shapes (in this case
tinted-translucent clay stars)... toothpick can be used to pull through
the dots creating longer line patterns in the liquid clay; bake 275, 25 min...
can then stack onto another or larger shape and repeat process with baking,
if desired
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_TLSsnowflake.htm
I once used the white Liquid Sculpey )-- not the translucent -- (currently available only mail order, but could try white oil paint or a white powder) for a snow look. It was amazingly real looking. It has been a long time, but I think I let it set out for awhile, painted on the item, and used some kind of stenciling brush to pounce on it for a snow like pattern. Jeanne
Donna C's lesson on making flat xmas
tree ornaments with ropes of clay (hers from a clay gun) made on a tile
or sheet of glass... "closed shapes" created, then filled in
with liquid clay (some colored with metallic acrylic paints, swirled Pearl
Ex, etc.)
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/tls_ornament.html
GLASS
BALL ornaments or items
...or
light bulbs ...or eggs ....or wood forms ... or papier mache balls...or ping pong
balls
for more info
on these ball ornaments +breaking them out + more info on covering/embellishing
xmas lightbulbs -- indoor or outdoor
see
Covering >
Glass > Glass Balls
buying & preparing the balls, etc.
Generally,
either the colored glass ball ornaments or the clear ones can be
used...( see below for removing color, or can leave color as is)
...if you’ll
be using white, translucent, or glow-in-dark clay,
the ball's color can show through
though...so for those, buy silver balls which are mirrored
inside but don't have a color coating on the outside (or clear ones?)
I
use cheapo glass balls from Walgreen's or Michaels, e.g....about
$3-4 a dozen. obirtasil
......and after Xmas, they're cheap
everywhere
...they come by the dozen... in boxes
..the
better ones have filigree-type gold-colored tops...
the others are a plain dull silver.
To
make the colored ones clear:
....soak in hot
soapy water, possibly with a little bleach... can add a bit
of fabric to solution inside ball and shake to help remove
....another
thing try for removing the color would be to use denture tablets (you know,
like Efferdent tablets). It will even take flash-plating off of cheap jewelry,
so I'd bet it will take the coating off of Christmas balls! Susannah
...I cleaned
mine using salt and water....NO SMELL....loved it! It was so easy....I
just put a lot of salt and a little water inside and swirled it around. ..came
off quickly and no mess, then poured that into the next ball, and maybe add a
little more salt but kept pouring that mixture into the next ball! ...and made
the glass sparkling clean....plus the balls I used were soo old......
Then I just rinsed them out and dried them. Deb in PA
...You can soak it in
bleach OR ammonia OR
vinegar ...BUT NEVER MIX
any of those together!!!!!!!
(...some paints come off better in ammonia, some in bleach, and some in vinegar)
...In
my experience, most of the ornaments made recently don't need the colors
removed if you don't want... It is mainly with older
ornaments that you need to worry about what is in the paint (to
prevent bubbling or other problems), and therefore need to remove it. Kimba
...I
bought these glass balls with a pearl coating on the outside which dissolves
easily in water. . .the silver inside though is different.
Dawn.
..these glass balls
are made by
different companies, so there is probably a difference in the paints
they use
.....for difficult ones, maybe you could coat them with an extremely
thin coat of liquid clay and bake, before putting the decorations on???
...What am I doing wrong?.... Tried putting
a santa face on a red glass ball I bought. Worked just fine, but whatever was
painted on the outside of the ball baked off.
..It's still red, but you can scratch
off the paint easily with a fingernail... I salvaged it by coating
it with a clear acrylic finish.. Ellen
WARNING
....the glass shapes
which Michaels sells
for ornaments (the ones you buy separately for about $1.00
each) are really fragile!
and thinner than ordinary the glass balls bought as 12 to a box, etc.
.......my
thumb went through one (while I was putting slices on it) & shattered the
glass w/ very little pressure
...... the glass went all
over everywhere too
......I went back to attempt to do the "other" (teardrop)
shaped ornaments I'd bought--same brand, even thinner! One shattered when I gently
laid a cane slice on, then rolled it against the palm of my hand. ...I'm not sure
it would withstand a drop off of a tree branch . .since they're more expensive,
I'd expect them to be less fragile and dangerous, but they're A LOT thinner. Laurel
...i
have learned, thru experience dealing with fragile surfaces, to never use my
thumb (too strong), ring, or baby fingers
(little control). ...use the index finger only with an occasional switch
to the middle finger.... also roll the fingers back and forth
only, never push....
apply all the canes first using the pointer finger to secure them to the surface
without any regard to smoothing... once all the canes are applied, then use a
small roller or brayer to smooth and blend them out. Sunni
...to strengthen
those kinds of glass shapes, maybe you could cover them with liquid clay and
bake before covering just like one way of preparing eggs for covering. (Brenda
Lea)
......I use a stabiliser (on my fragile quail eggs) before covering. .
. PVA (white) glue - the thicker the better (let dry overnight). You possibly
could consider a similar treatment for the glass ornaments - they'll be an awful
lot stronger and if they do break, the glass will be covered in a plastic envelope
.. Alan V.
ROUNDED-CUBE SHAPES
...Sandie
W's rounded cube shape (and star) glass ornaments, covered with
clay
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4217709&a=31300662&f=
....the
square (cube) ones are the easiest (...i have problems doing the
round ones so they are really smooth)
.......
to cover the cube ones more safely:... measure a rectangle
of clay which is long enough to fit around the 4 sides of the cube (plus 1"
which will give an extra 1/2" extra on each end), and wide enough to cover the
side plus the top and bottom... (centering the strip) wrap it around the
4 sides of the ornie, and seal side edge (don't do anything to overhang
just yet)...then do the ornie bottom (do not touch corners) by pulling
up the overhanging clay (from the center of each overhung side) and laying each
side so it touches the bottom glass ... then pinch the corners tightly, and cut
them off with scissors (...gently smoosh the clay smooth)..... do the same with
the top (sometimes the top gets too high so i use a blade to trim)....
then put the cap and hanger back on ...remove any lumps...and bake ...sandie
GLUES
& MISC:
...if covering the balls completely, you can use an
adhesive underneath, or not
.....coat with white glue
(Sobo, Weldbond is especially strong, etc.) then let tack up if you need to give
a little more tooth to the ball, then add the clay and bake
.....or
use "sizing" (a white glue that remains
tacky after drying)
......I would use a light brushing of liquid
clay to secure raw clay to glass if I'm not going to get a mechanical
grip, and it works quite well...Sue
.....Marie S. also suggests using a
little bit of E-6000 (?) under raw
clay before baking in a Michaels lesson
.....however... if
you're only partially covering the balls (with pieces that aren't connected),
you can glue the UNBAKED clay on with liquid clay or superglue and
just see if it sticks well after baking
...... if it doesn't stick well, bake
the pieces in place (esp. if large so they'll be properly curved), then pop
them off the glass after baking, and glue back on with Goop/E6000
or 2-part epoxy glue, etc.
There
is no problem baking the balls since they are glass... you can take out
or leave in the metal cap while baking.
.....can also paint the
metal caps, or cover with clay
.....or
you can make a clay stopper for the neck hole... but it the stopper is
solid, it will pop off
during baking because the air inside the ball heats up and expands...so
leave a tiny hole in the top or bake it separately...see more on making lids for
bottles in BOH > Stoppers)
for the hangers,
I glued on jewelry caps. Teri
...Gay's
lesson showing how she adds a wire "hanger" around the neck of the bulb
which allows a light to be suspended inside it
http://www.pbase.com/zudagay/wire_hanger_for_ornaments
(where is more on hangers?)
To
hold the balls upright while painting, drying,
etc., you can use snakes of raw polymer clay and form them into circles
....
or cut rings from cardboard cores, or cut holes in egg cartons, etc..
Remember, if you're using mostly Sculpey light-colored clay or a large proportion of some brands of translucent, keep the temp. at only around 225 or it will brown --or use the "enclosed baking method" or tent the item with aluminum foil --but don't let it touch.)
Glass balls (clear or metallic) sold as tree ornaments can be used in several ways with polymer clay (for Christmas-related items, or not):You
can cover the entire thing, or you can cover only parts
....options
for covering the whole ball would include everything from a single
cane slice (maybe centered, at several places around a clear or colored ball),
to ropes and vines, to molded shapes, images impressed with
stamps, or cutouts . . . to ANYTHING!).
...using metallic
powders or waxes is an easy way to get a holiday look
Linda
Geer's many covered glass balls (various techniques used
...including
openwork, Balinese Filigree, wrapping with thin snakes, etc.)
http://home.comcast.net/~caneguru/ornaments/ornaments.html
Chicago
Area Polymer Clay Guild's AIDS donation ornaments
....onlay, partly
covered, whole-ball Santa, etc.
http://www.capcg.org/orn01.htm
.... and http://www.capcg.org/orn99.htm
BASIC COVERING
...Bev's
excellent lesson on covering a glass ball ornament
......she
first covers with a base layer of clay (by pinching 4 seams
top and bottom in a wrapped-around cylinder of clay, then slicing off the excess,
and smoothing)
(where other lessons, ways?)
COVERING
with SLICES
.... (see Bev's lesson just above for making a base layer)... for
this lesson, she uses more than one cane, and slightly overlaps some
.........then
she adds lots of cane slices to about 70% of the available area
..........
then she adds her favorite or more complex cane slices to
the remaining areas, partly overlapping or actually centered on top of others
slices . . . hand rolls, bakes and sands.
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/pcc/ornament.html
Peggy's
almost completely cane-slice covered glass ball ornaments
http://www.craftsonline.com/americancraftsonline/amoror.html
Jeanine's
large cane slice on the front of an egg, surrounded with background-cane
pattern like a "frame"
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1175021&uid=527261&members=1
Cynthia
S's cane slices grouped here and there in star-like or other
patterns on the surface of a colored glass ball ornament
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_occasions/article/0,1789,HGTV_3268_1393087,00.html
(click on purple ball)
Anna's cane slices and other
pattern bits ... here and there on colored glass ball ornaments (website
gone)
SCENES
...Marie
R's lessons on making a log cabin bas relief scene on a glass
ball (or on a votive, or anywhere) with snow, icicles,
and snow-covered mountains ... are above in "Sculpting")
...cover
the bottom 1/3 of a glass or wood ornament with white clay.....cover
the top 2/3 (or 1/4 and 3/4, your choice) with the sky blue clay...
then make trees out of the green(s) in all different sizes and place
on ball with their bottoms resting somewhere on white clay. .....make a bunch
of small cones of white clay and place on tips of trees for snow dripping
down. ....Add a layer of TLS to (either) half and sprinkle glitter
over it.....cure, add TLS to the other half and glitter it. Kim K.
TORSOS
& HEADS
.....a
glass ball could be used just as a torso . . . e.g. for a reindeer
or Santa, etc., and have head and limbs added separately if needed,
or be used as a form for a round head
Personalized's figure
(snowman) made using ball as torso ... "shirt" is cone-shaped
and wider at bottom to grab around the top 1/2 of the ball (then
head and arms added); feet or shoes are pressed to the bottom of
the ball
http://www.personalizedfree.com/Pages/ornaments/sp_bask_so.html
Consuelo's fancy fish body covered with large cane slices, with dimensional
clay bits for fins, lips & eyes
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_ornamentinspirations_Consuelo.htm
snowmen (or any face) made with white or silver glass
bulbs (eyes,nose,mouth & earmuffs, head covering added)
(could all be polymer)
http://www.thefamilycorner.com/homegarden/crafts/glass_snowmen.shtml
snowmen, Santas, figures made by heavily sculpting clay around
glass balls, baking, then painting afterward (bas relief)
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/elem/Christmas.htm#Pet
tallmouse's snowman, reindeer, penguin eggs ... onlays on egg with
many materials, but could be polymer
http://www.tallmouse.com/projects/xmas/xmaseggs/index.htm
more of tallmouse's projects... could be done with polymer instead
http://www.tallmouse.com/projects/xmas/main.htm
Josh's
Santa face lesson with
hat & tiny legs,feet; face is onlaid over most
of the ball (don't need
to use use plastic ornament... there are small colored glass orn's
available)
http://joshclay.com/santa.html
Shandell's
glittered glass ornament torsos, with feet and large heads (moose,
snowman, etc.)
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/Gallery?id=65464&pageNumber=6
Shelly's
cute moose head, with holly sprig under forelock as head atop a knitted,
stuffed body
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_ornamentinspirations_shelly.htm
*Karen's
lesson on face-and-body wood egg figure (Santa, etc.)
~my little guys
are made from a wood egg, covered with floral tape (it makes the clay adhere better
to the wood). Karen
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_WoodenEggSanta.htm
...Lynda's Santa lesson, based on Karen's lesson
http://www.hecht-haus.net/lynda/lsart/santa.htm
Linda's
figures with torso of glass ball (some completely covered, some with
just head on top of uncovered colored ball, etc.)
http://www.itsjesterclay.com/ornamentalbum.htm
Pam A's many figures made over covered
glass balls (using paper clay)
http://www.ornamentalley.com/mainframe.htm
Garie's kids' Santa figure made with plastic ball .. with long clay legs/arms
and head added to ball
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/more_greetings.htm
Merri
Beth's figure
formed over xmas ornament or light bulb?
...with jointed arms made from beads and jingle bells...
bottom covered, top has slices only here and there http://www.nwpcg.org/ravensdale/rave/rave00/hill.shtml
katbyte's
Grinch, snowman, witch, on glass balls etc. (website
gone)
MORE COVERING + ITEMS
...Marcy's
teapots made from glass ball ornaments (hers covered with clay first,
then spouts, handles, lids and bases added)
http://www.marcysclaypen.com/teapots/teapots.html
...Lonnie's
mini-lesson on making glass ball teapots
in which acrylic paint had been swirled to create a glassy "pot"
that resembles
ceramic...
......then
added polymer parts to the outside: .....added a ruffled collar around
the neck as her lid, and a molded ring as a base on the bottom so
it could stand independently.... then a fat rope for the spout (mostly
pressed to the ball) and a handle (make sure that the handle and
spout are lined up the same... and also that they have plenty of contact with
the glass -- or use a bit of liquid clay, or white glue underneath .
. . .then she baked
--could also pop some parts off after
baking, then reattach with glue
(she also added an xmas themed rub-on to the center of the
outside)
http://www.geocities.com/happycraftinginwi/teapots.html
http://www.geocities.com/happycraftinginwi
(more examples)
....cute
teapots can also be made with standard lightbulbs (with the
break-out-the-bulb-after-baking method) and there are a lot of other fun
shapes available. Jody B. (see Jody's video... and see Covering
> Glass > Lightbulbs)
...see
also teapot made with blown egg in Eggs
(Treebelly)
(...more teapot inspiration in
Miniatures > Dishware, and in Beads
> Other Types & Shapes)
a
tiny house (with the neck hole used as the door, a chimney, window,
vent pipe, etc.) could be made with a covered glass ball
. . . fantasy
type, even themed as for Halloween
I
use a twisted square rope
of mica clay to coil around a form like
Mike Buessler's "Bee Hive" technique
....this
can be left dimensional as is, or rolled smooth(see
Mica > Mike Buesseler > twisted ropes, for details)
PARTIAL
COVERING
LeeAnn
A's cut out stars, spirals and strips, etc., on clear balls (can see through to
other side a bit)
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/1178798106051149783DuoBkP
Diana
C's frosted glass ball, partly covered with flowers and vines
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44/album/576460762327065043/photo/294928803358724745/16
....Marie
S's green glass balls ornament, partially covered with ropes of clay
in spirals, loops, etc.
.......clay is black(!?)... could also cover raw clay
on ornament with metallic powders before baking
.......prob. used bit
of liquid clay or white glue under raw ropes, but maybe could cover whole ball
with clear acrylic sealer to give some tooth for atttaching?
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_ornamentinspirations_Marie.htm
... Shaneangel has beautiful glass balls (and also bottles) partially
covered with leaves, vines, etc. (applied to glass with superglue
or liquid clay) ... leaving lots of glass to show through
...http://members.aol.com/shaneangel/index2.html
(gone...phooey!) and not at new site http://shanesangels.com
...(for
lesson on partially covering a drinking glass with
translucent clay cutouts (reindeer, branches), or first covering
glass with translucent clay, then applying cutouts from white clay, see above
in Cutouts)
...Michaels' lesson on putting clay tree
cutouts onto a glass ball (they use an air-dry clay though) .. large ribbon
top of ball
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=e02693
...Marie
S's lesson on partly covering a glass (vase) with a long strip of
clay (to which letters and embellishments are added)... she also uses a
bit of E-6000 glue under the strip if needed before baking!
(?)
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=c00178
...Karen's
lesson on applying fabric shapes embedded with solid clay (#2 thickness
sheet), to a glass ball ornament ... she cuts out the shape with scissors, sometimes
adds rope frame, then applies to ball over some dried white glue and flattens
edges of frame... then bakes
http://pcpolyzine.com/0205may/fabric.html
Elise's
partial coverages, with beads-dangly inside
....and Balinese
Filigree at top ..like
jester-collar top and bottom ... encircling
vertical lines in 2 directions) http://people.delphiforums.com/drelisew/ornaments2.jpg
(gone)
Diane
V's hot air balloon ornament ... balloon is a glass ornament (not perfectly
round, but could be)
...she partly covers the middle of the ball with
X's of clay strips as the "ropes"
(+ small medallion over each join)
...she connects the top and bottom of X's
with rows of scallopped +leaf-cutter holes cut out, and twisted ropes
......also
adds on the top row four larger, dimensional, 4-loop bows (each loop a
pointed oval cutout, pinched at each end... each folded over (a tube of paper,
etc.to hold shape in baking) so that pinched ends stacked... all 4 pinched tips
joined tip-to-tip in a "plus" shape ...tiny flattened ball placed over
the join area to hide it
....then she hangs a clay basket underneath
(thin rope of clay coiled around removable form as base... twisted ropes (2 of
same color?) coiled around that... another strip of scallopped, cut-out clay near
top, etc.
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_ornamentinspirations_Diane.htm
can
cover a ball with clay, then use sharp cutters to cut out multiple shapes
(could later light from inside, or could do over swirled paint inside, etc.)
...
or cover or partly cover sheets or strips, etc., with the shapes already cut out
a
"display window" can be created by mostly covering a glass votive,
leaving one area blank
.........Kara mostly covered a jar and put a
baby inside http://www.kasa.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk//57.jpg
....I
tried cutting windows intoclay covered ball as cells for stained glass,
etc., and also trying to figure out how to make Art Nouveau style designs. Diana
....some
glass balls look as if they are frosted, with a window area that's
unfrosted for seeing inside
........might be a fun thing to
do with fine glitter held with glue/waterlike Elmers, or
glass etching cream
OUTSIDE
Add
clay on top of or around the balls:
...lesson:
snow-like cane slice tops for glass balls (syndee)
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_clay_other/article/0,,HGTV_3239_1379885,00.html
Add
small sculpted clay figures or heads or anything to the
top of the balls (or anywhere)
..
but be aware of the balance of the ornament when
you complete it so it isn't out of "plumb".. my angel made the ornament top
heavy and it didn't hang correctly. Patty B.
...Becky
Meverden has a lesson on Carol Duvall showing how to make a snowman
with cap and sign, then glue it on top of a glass ball ornament
with cotton balls inside ("snowballs for sale").. some holly is glued
to the outside also
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/crafting/article/0,1789,HGTV_3352_1567322,00.html
...Dianne
C's snow people on top of ornaments
http://www.pbase.com/artintheattic/christmas_year_round
...Ria’s
figures on top of ornaments, presents
http://users.bart.nl/~creation/new.htm
(find new URL)
Diana's
balls with large rose, leaves and bow on top of ball (could
be just swirled paint inside instead)
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
for kids (of adults)... could also put small clay representations of things that happened during the year, or favorite toys, characters, hobbies, occupation, etc. ....inside or outside balls
SINGLE
SMALL ITEMS (outside)
...individual raw cane slices or molded
shapes or strips of clay, etc., can be placed on a bare ball (or on
a interior-swirl-painted bare ball, or on a base of clay) --with or without white
glue, super glue or liquid clay-- then baked in place ...I've decorated some balls
with as few as 4 small cane slices (on the "equator" at 4 points)
......if
the balls won't receive too much handling, the pieces may stay on fine especially
if they aren't heavy or projecting
......to attach more firmly though,
pop off and glue back on with E-6000, 2-part expoxy glue, etc.
(pre-baked
single items can be added to balls too, but larger ones may not be curved enough
on their back sides to fit well (so could bake on ball first or on something with
a similar curvature)
MORE OUTSIDE
glitter
overlay...
...after smoothing your cane slices or marblized clay, etc.,
over a glass ball (or pen, etc.), pour some ultra fine glitter into
the palm of your hand and roll the ball around in your hands to stick a light
coating of glitter all over. ... press it into the clay so that the surface is
quite smooth... bake and when it's cool, coat with Varathane or Future. Jody Bishel
(DB: or use Pearl-Ex??)
...example of this on a pen at Kim's
page with snowflake cane
http://www.tlcnet.com/~polyclay/canes2.html
You can also draw designs onto the outsides of ornaments
with bottled glitter or other paints
which have a fine tip --in several sessions to avoid smearing (see
above for holding balls while drawing or drying) ... can be baked after drying
as well?
... or use liquid clay (drizzled, painted, etc.), tinted
or with inclusions
... or use paint pens
transfers
(esp. decal types) could be added to the outside of glass balls,
then frames or other embellishments added (see Transfers,
esp > Liquid Clays)
.... these could be transferred images of people,
clip art, or any xmas images (from favorite Chrismas cards, for example)
...Christmas
graphics from Thomas Nast & Coca Cola's Santa http://www.geocities.com/jcconfer/christmasgallerypics.html
Add
clay things inside the balls...clear or lightly tinted xmas balls
can also have small pieces/figures or polymer scenes inside
them...with long tweezers, or forceps?
..........I have a great
gripper tool (to place the items into the ball with), courtesy of my job.
:-) I am a surgery nurse ...this one is about 14 inches long with scissor
type handle at a 90 degree angle to the rod with a gripper device at the
end. It can also be rotated from the handle. Very useful. CC Cathi
...since
I started shipping the ornaments, I realize that some
of the clays used as a base inside the glass balls (which
attach to the figures, etc.) have become dislodged...so
now before I add the clay to the bottom of the ball, I add a few drops of crazy
glue first. So far this has seemed to work.
....pignstuff's glass
balls with scenes inside (the pieces are baked first, then
raw Sculpey is placed inside on the bottom of the glass ball, the baked
pieces are added and then the whole piece is baked again)...Teresa
http://www.pigsnstuff.com/index.html
....Cathi's scene in glass ball with trees, polymer
snowpeople frolicking, and snow drifts around perimeter
of aluminum foil lake.
...lesson:
"I put heavy aluminum foil inside the bottom (not completely smooth),
shiny side out, and secured with a small square of two-sided tape ....I rolled
a circle of clear plastic (cut from the flat side of a blister pack) around my
finger enough to get it through the top, then it sprang back into shape &
fell flat on the foil, using a small sponge-tipped paint stick to move
it ...since I couldn't bake the plastic, I formed the snow in segments which could
fit through the top, baked, then glued them and the trees (stems of green dried
freesia from Michael's) in place with E6000 ...same with the snow people.
. . . I am putting a gingerbread house scene in the next one." CC
Cathi
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=3208040&uid=820896
...a
cute idea for the inside of a ball might involve making a little scene
inside on cotton with a truck, or just the truck, etc. .... then add clay around
the top outside area of the ball to hide the mini-light you'd
drop into the top? Diane B.
....for that Carol Duvall show ball, you make polymer clay
fish, hang them in the inside with string, and place a kitty
cat on the top of the ornament.
....Kathy
W's fish dangling inside glass ball (cat on top of ball)
NOW
AT? ... http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumList?u=4153008hyweinberg/1016048179-001425.html
(gone)
...lesson
on making a real terrarium in a glass ball ornament (could add clay
figures or clay structures to it... or just use plastic greenery, moss, etc.)...for
the terraium, a baked clay lid could be glued onto it to keep it going for a long
time
http://www.cottageliving.com/cottage/gardens/article/0,21135,785211,00.html
....for
a "California Snowman" inside a glass ornament, make a little
carrot nose, 3 lumps of coal, a couple of sticks and a "scarf,"then
drop those items inside with some sand, and let it rattle
around. Kim K.
clear plastic balls available at Michaels etc., can be opened in halves, then re-sealed (be careful of the orientation though for hanging)
lesson on printing
a photo, etc., onto transparency (.005 acetate, overhead?) film
with an inkjet (or must be made with a laser copier?),
then cutting into a circle which is rolled up around a pencil and inserted
into a clear glass ball (on Carol Duvall)... of course, clay embellishments
cold also be added
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/crafting/article/0,,HGTV_3352_1382715,00.html
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_occasions/article/0,,HGTV_3268_1382884,00.html
Carol
Duvall also has a lesson on cutting and decorating a .005 acetate sheet
before rolling it around a pen to allow it to be inserted into
a clear ball (instead of the acetate, we could use some of the decals?TLS
clings? tattoos? or other transfers?) . . . for her disk, a
drawing can be made with paint pens or permanent markers, or color laser copies
can be attached to one or both sides of the disk using a glue stick; nudge into
place with chopstick, etc.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_occasions_december/article/0,,HGTV_3472_1371450,00.html
Daniel Rowland's "memory" ornaments
on Carol Duvall
..each year he decorates a glass ball for each
of his grandchildren
.......makes notes of all the cute things
the kids say, dates the notes, then puts them inside each child's
ornament
....also writes down special events, what each received
for Christmas, etc...he hopes to sit down with the kids once they're teenagers
and have a good laugh over them.
...SWIRLED PAINT INSIDE
swirling
acrylic paints inside of clear glass balls to create glossy ceramic
look
.....can be either a solid covering of single-color paint,
or could be marbled or streaked, etc...
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=99173
http://www.deltacrafts.com/projects/seasonal/ceramcoat/marbelousornaments.asp
...since
the exterior is glass, the result is a high gloss finish resembling ceramic
...white
glues (dry clear) can also be used, and have inclusions like glitter,
etc, sprinkled on them (wh.would show from the outside when dry)
...Tim
Holtz's lesson on using gold leaf sizing (a white glue that stays
tacky after drying.. he used Duo Embellishing Adhesive) instead
of paint, then put in different colors of metallic powders (he used Perfect
Pearls pearly embossing powders, but others would work fine) which he applied
by tapping off a brush inside....when that dried, ball was filled w/ black
paint diluted 50/50 with water & drained... he used various
natural metal colors (silver, copper, gold) to make a numbeer of balls for a wreath,
etc.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_occasions_december/article/0,1789,HGTV_3270_2398680,00.html
...I
used fabric paint, it was shimmery and worked great. kristal
...I paint
the insides of some with BOTH glass paint and acrylic paint...gallery
glass and glitter first (used a soda straw to blow the paint where I wanted
it.) Turn upside down and allow most drip out. Hit it with hair dryer if needed.
The finished piece will have a thin coating of paint, and look like a soap
bubble with bits of glitter. When that's dry, then use the acrylic paints
(either "Gleems" or pearlized paints) as the second layer.
Turn over & drain. Mary
...these painted balls could have added bits
of polymer on the outside, or the ball could be partially covered
with clay in the usual ways leaving less of the paint showing
....Genevieve
first soaked the color off her colored balls, then put some
red paint inside and swirled it around to coat ...she had to
wait for it to dry before putting them in the oven.
kellie
...before adding the paint, be sure you rinse
the inside of the ornament out with rubbing alcohol or vinegar
and let dry COMPLETELY!!! I did have a few where the paint
didn't stick in some places, but not much ... I had also tried a different
paint (Plaid) and that may have been the problem.
Lisa
...The paint swirled inside the ball worked really well--except
for the one in which the paint hadn't dried long enough.
It takes several days to dry thoroughly. Genevieve
. . . .a hair dryer or possibly baking
at less than 250?, can speed up the drying.
...I
used Folk Art acrylic paint - it's pretty thick. I just dumped some
in, kept turning the ball - kept having to dump more in. When I felt it
was throughly covered I just let it sit an hour.... then I tilted it
up side down over a cup and let it drain out
...try
using a straw inserted into the neck of the ornament to blow the
paint around...or drop a small bead into the paint and swirl it around
the inside
... since you had a problem with
your paint looking streaky rather than giving solid
coverage... maybe your paint was a little thin -
or maybe you should just wait a while for the paint to set up a
little before trying to drain it out. .
.....I only had frosted ornaments, but the frosted
look went away when I put the clear glitter paint (inside?) Tomah
.... I think that if you add a metallic or
a pearl paint to the mix, it really helps to keep it from looking
flat. Lisa
... Iridescent Glass Paint (Delta Air-Dry PermEnamel)
can also be used in the ball (to see some effects using these, click on http://www.deltacrafts.com/Search,
then search for glass balls)
....I poured clear-drying
glue (like Elmers white glue) on the inside, rolled it around so it covered
only half of the inside of the ornament... and then added blue glitter
so it looks like water for the dangling fish inside. soapy
... Lonnie
swirled acrylic paint inside glass ball to make teapots (by adding
polymer spout, handle, base and lid to the outside of the ball):
...added
a ruffled collar around the neck, and molded ring on the bottom so it could stand
independently.... then a fat rope for the spout (mostly pressed to the
ball) and a handle (make sure that the handle and spout are lined up the
same) . . . .then she baked
(she also added an xmas themed rub-on to the center of the outside)
http://www.geocities.com/happycraftinginwi/teapots.html
http://www.geocities.com/happycraftinginwi
(more examples)
BULBS
BROKEN OUT:
Glass balls could be covered or partly covered, then have the glass
broken out after baking, as below ....leaving just a hollow clay
ball
...The other day I was playing with an idea
for a broken out ornament ball.... I hit on the notion that windows
could be cut out of the clay. I oriented them 'on point' and put a small
hole at the top of each window. This is so something can be hung in
each window (after the bulb is broken out).... I have thought of small
brass charms...or polybeads that match or contrast with the ball. Diana
...stained
glass effects?
....Kim's
round Christmas ball ornament with glass ball broken out, leaving only
latticed clay
http://www.beadyeyedbrat.com/leafcane.html
caneguru's
many techniques on glass balls (some balls broken out) (website
gone)
(for much more
on possible looks when doing this, see below in
Light Bulbs
... and also see Eggs
> Vinegar for blown eggs covered partially with clay, then shells dissolved
out after clay added and baked, leaving "hollow" clay egg shapes
LIGHTED
Gay's
lesson on lighting a covered glass ornament from inside the bulb (to
hang on the tree)
http://www.pbase.com/zudagay/wire_hanger_for_ornaments
(see more on lesson in Christmas
> Glass Ball Ornaments)
...my
goal is to have a bowl full of covered glass xmas ornament balls using
see-through layered canes. If it seems safe, Id like to put a tiny string
of lights inside the balls to make them glow. Kind of an alternative to candles..
...I
made two different types using translucent clay which allowed some
of the light to show through..
...The second balls were done with a single
layer of cane slices that have a lot of translucent in
the cane. Slicing the canes very thin make it a lightweight ornament and
lets light glow thru the translucent parts. I also took a razor and shaved
any thick parts down to make the final sanding easier.
. . . looks really
pretty to create a darker base layer first... then cover it with a top
layer that's a thin sheet, or cane slices of translucent with small
bits of gold clay barely mixed in (silver should work too) so the the metallic
bits seem to float over the design.
...(The first try had been an attempt
to make several layers; these turned out sort of heavyweight. Using your
pasta machine and mud cover a ball neatly and bake (this is a step you can omit
but it does make working with the thin glass easier later.) The first layer
was applied, it has a lot of transluscent stripes in it so the mud
shows thru it a bit. It was baked and then sanded and buffed... .For the
second layer, I made a simple cane of translucent slabs and thin
white sheets. I cut thin thin sheets of that cane (lengthwise?) to
lay on the baked (mud-covered) ball and let it smoosh and wander all over
the surface. Smooth and bake again. Sand sand sand and buff buff buff! A coat
of Future and its done.) Diana C.
...(see more on translucent canes
and see-through effects in Canes-Instr.
> Translucent Canes)
....could cover
a ball with clay, then use sharp cutters to cut out multiple shapes ...
or cover or partly cover sheets or strips, etc., with the shapes already cut out
(then later light from inside)
...mini Christmas lights
......to use these, I just pop off
the metal top from the ornament .... place one or two bulbs from the string of
lights inside... then, very carefully, I replace the metal top, taking special
care to not slice into the plastic covering on the wires of the string of lights
(in all honesty, it's probably not the safest thing to do_.
.......the metal
caps have 6 or 8 individual segments that form themt - I bend them out a bit to
give more room for the wires.... I've seen some where the cap is all connected
though, so in that case, you'd probably have to snip away part of it to make room.
Claire (website gone)
...Gay's
lesson showing how she adds a wire "hanger" around the
neck of the bulb which also allows a light to be suspended inside it
http://www.pbase.com/zudagay/wire_hanger_for_ornaments
.....
I begin with about 7" of wire. . . Leaving a short tail, I use the
handle of a paint brush to wrap the wire around and then twist it to form one
loop, and then make another loop with about an inch between
them (the diameter of the glass bulb neck will determine the distance between
the two loops since they should be exactly opposite each other on the neck). .
. . Leave enough wire tail at both ends to overlap each other a
bit. . . .Then I cover the bulb with clay, including the neck and inside the neck
a bit, and bake the ornament..
.......To attach the holder, I use just enough
superglue to hold the wire in place on the ornie so that I can get a clay
covering on it without it moving out of place . . . I put one light bulb
into the hole (the electric cord lies between the wire loops). I
then thread a ribbon through the wire loops and tie it around a
branch on the tree... it is on very secure.. . .I can then add embellishments
such as leaves around the neck if I want and rebake.
....... I have
never had a problem with there not being enough light in the ornie to make the
whole thing glow. The only problem I can see is if there isn't enough translucency
to the clay. Gay
..a cute idea for what you want might involve making a little
scene on cotton with a truck, or just the truck, etc., and putting it inside a
glass ball, then add clay around the top outside area of the ball to
hide the light you'd drop into the top??? Diane B.
for larger blank strings of lights which can be completely covered with clay, see party lights in Covering > Glass (could also cover those plastic ropes of lights, just over the light parts?) ...these have mini-xmas lights inside
(see also below in Other Ideas for more lighted interior ideas)
small xmas lightbulbs
can also be covered in a similar way
...Lynn
K's lesson on covering & decorating a small xmas light
bulb for ornament
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_BulbOrnament.htm
...Babette's
version
http://www.babettecox.com/polymerclay.htm
(click on Santa head)
...Kris Richards' lesson on making a Santa
head with a larger xmas lightbulb (could be done with smaller bulb
as well) http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_santalb.htm
...a
Christmas pin I make is out of the larger Christmas tree light
bulb ... they make figures (beautiful
angels, etc.) ...the threaded
part is the feet, and I use moss for the hair .....the clay will stick
right to this type of bulb, and the E6000 will hold a pinback on if you want to
make it into a pin
...Terry Lee's covered xmas bulb, with head & ruff added
at top (as stopper?) ...and bottom tail curled back to body
http://polymerclaycentral.com/pcc/swap_vessel97.html
(top row)
...Jan’s
xmas lightbulb-covered pendant containers http://members.delphi.com/Jruhnow/BULBS.JPG
(gone?wrote)
...Cheryl's
babies in bunting ornaments (small xmas lightbulb)...
a molded face-hood is added to the top front area of a clay covered bulb
http://members.tripod.com/~ctrottier/Babyfacelarger.html
(can't find at http://ctrottier.tripod.com now)
...can
also use Balinese Filigree to completely (or
partially) cover balls or bulbs (see Clay Guns
> Balinese Filigree)
For
more on covering Christmas bulbs, see Covering
> Glass
> Lightbulbs > Small Bulbs
.... also on that
page under Light Bulbs
for covering them then breaking
out the bulb... including this:
.......using the small
Christmas or night light bulbs, you don't have to break the bulb with a hammer.
. . just squeeze the metal end with pliers and it breaks right out! I do take
a bit more care removing the glass at the opening, though. I found that I got
cracks if I didn't use a tool to loosen the fractured glass for about the first
quarter to half inch. After that part is gone, I can go back to the squeeze and
dump method. Jody (also see Vessels-Rock)
...some
of the painted bulbs may bond to the clay...for those remove the paint
first
as REMOVABLE FORMS
....igloo
... could make a hollow igloo by covering one half of a glass
ball or lightbulb with a sheet of white clay, the cutting out a U shaped door
hole in one side
......(could impress lines in raw clay for snow "bricks,"
or cover with pearly or iridescent Pearl Ex, or paint with acrylics
after baking --possibly adding a bit of glitter)
......remove clay from ball
or bulb after baking cooling... make tunnel "door" with
thick strip of clay placed as an upside down U in front of door hole
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=20178
(igloo with penguin family)
...or could use to make Christmas bowls
(see Vessels > Bowls)
NON-REMOVABLE FORMS --other
many wonderful things can be done with blown eggs as ornaments or table top decorations too (see above in "Sculpting" for putting little things in eggs (with windows) or using in other ways... and also in Eggs)
Pat's
lesson on covering a round or egg-shaped papier mache ball
with slices from canes for an ornament
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_occasions_december/article/0,1789,HGTV_3270_4155708,00.html
