Friday, September 30, 2011

Something Ghoulish with Creative Paperclay!


I’m rather pleased with the way my project for today turned out. I totally thought “outside the box” on this one. lol I started out with my Creative Paperclay and a cannonball gourd. Yep, that’s the name of this particular gourd. First I covered the whole gourd with paperclay and let that dry overnight. I then made and attached all of the ghoulish paperclay features and let them dry also. I don’t think I had this much fun with clay since I was in grade school!
Spooky cute Halloweenie with Creative Paperclay 001


                                              Spooky cute Halloweenie with Creative Paperclay 002 Spooky cute Halloweenie with Creative Paperclay 004
The eyes are actually brads, which I just bent the posts down and pushed them right into the clay. I next attached the head to a spindle (remember me mentioning that I bought a whole box full of them quite awhile back?) and a purchased wood base. I also inserted a dowel rod through the spindle.
                                             Creative Paperclay Halloween 1 001 Creative Paperclay Halloween 1 002              
It’s really hard to show in a picture what the features really looked like ‘cause the clay is white. After attaching these parts together I decided to add ears and an eyeball in the back of the head. Once this was done and dried, I went to work with the paint and embellishments!!! Woo Hoo what fun!! I painted all the details spray sealed him and gave him a collar made out of “Recollections” 12X12 Cardstock. I cut strips of the cardstock, sewed them with needle and thread and glued them to the spindle. Looking good isn’t he?
                                            Creative Paperclay Halloween 1 004 Creative Paperclay Halloween 1 005
Well……. he does look pretty good but you know me, I just had to add a little more. So I put another collar under the first one made out of tulle. I made it the same way as the first. Then I used some “Recollections” border and cut the skull border and hung it from the dowel rod and cut out the labels individually and glued them around the bottom of the spindle. Here are pictures of the finished ghoul:
                                             Creative Paperclay Halloween 1 014 Creative Paperclay Halloween 1 013
                                             Creative Paperclay Halloween 1 008 Creative Paperclay Halloween 1 009
                                              Creative Paperclay Halloween 1 010 Creative Paperclay Halloween 1 011
I really had a lot of fun making this ghoulish guy! I guess he does look kind of scary ‘cause when the dog saw him he growled and then barked at him. LOL Why don’t you buy some Creative Paperclay and make yourself some Halloween fun! You can use any type of ball to cover with the paperclay. A styrofoam ball works great too.

Barbara






Thursday, September 29, 2011

Paperclay Garden Stakes - How To

By Amanda Marks

This project is super easy and is a GREAT kids project!  Since I wanted to show how easy this project is I enrolled the help of my children (the princess and the Booga).  I will say this project was a little too advance for the Booga (he is 2 and thought we were making cookies - the disappointment was apparent when he tried a piece of clay) but was perfect for my daughter (who is 5).  I used the Delight for this project because it is much easier for my daughter to handle (she doesn't like the "feel" of Paperclay - any clay for that matter.   She thinks it has a muddy, icky feel.)

Materials:
Delight Paperclay
Big Craft Sticks
Cookie Cutters (Halloween Themed)
Fondant Roller (Rolling Pin)
Water
Sculpting tool
Paint
Paint Brushes
Googly Eyes
Sealant



"Smoosh" the clay into a ball and flatten it with the rolling pin.


 Once the clay is an even thickness, take the cookie cutter and cut two pieces (one will be the front and one will be the back.)



Take one of the cut out pieces - scoring the clay with a scultping tool add water.  Place the craft stick in the center and add the top piece of clay.



Smooth the sides together and allow to dry for 24 hours.






Paint, add googly eyes and seal.





Place in your new garden stakes in your plants!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Creative PaperClay Sign w/ giveaway


Good morning friends

Today I want to share a project that was super easy and fun involving some more alphabet cookie cutters.  I love working with it for embellishments for my scrapbooking and cardmaking but this time I used the paper clay to make a sign for Miss Bella's door.  I am taking over decorating for her room and everything is coming together black and pink...

Here are my step by step instructions, kinda picture heavy.
I laid out some paper clay to the size I wanted the
sign to be...it measures 2.5 x 9 and then used my
fiskars embossing plates to add some flowers
Then I used my alphabet cookie cutters 
to cut out her name
now the centers of the B and A don't depress
enough, so I thought I'd cut heart out in the middle
I used the hole of a mechanical pencil to cut 
out the holes for the ribbon to hang
Here are all the pieces dried and ready to paint.
As you can see the holes in the A and B didn't
work, so I changed my mind...
I painted the sign first pink, then black and then 
washed a pink over it again.  I also painted all the 
letters pink and....
highlighted the edges with black
I glued all the letters to the sign, hot glued some lacy
ribbon around the back...glitzed up the letters with
rhinestones and added some bows with the lace.
I also made one stick pin for accent to the top
and added some pink and black ribbon as the hanger
I really love the way it turned out.

So, today I am giving away (1) 8 oz brick of Creative PaperClay.  I used half of a brick to make this sign and all the embellishments, so depending on what you want to make, it can last a while.  Be sure if you do not use it all at once to put it in an airtight container or it will harden on you as it dries by air.  I store mine in ziplock baggies after I've sucked all the air out of it.  

So, now to qualify to win this please let me know what you would make with it...have I given you any ideas or do you know of something you'd like to try?  
Leave a comment here.
Also, please go to Creative Paperclay FB page and "like" them for a second chance and tell them I sent you and then come back here and tell me that you did that
For a third chance go to the my blog and become a follower and come back here and tell me you did that

This giveaway ends on October 2nd and I will announce the winner 
October 3rd on my blog, so please make sure to go there then to see if you are the winner.


Monday, September 26, 2011

All About Paperclay and Halloween -- Online Class


Trick or Treat! 

Do you love spooky ghosts? Goody bags filled with candy corn? Funny spiders made of paperclay?

If so, All About Halloween is for you! In this jam-packed course, taught by three amazing teachers: Kim Parkinson, Bethany Kartchner and Jennifer Priest, you'll be creating everything you need this spooky season from cute Halloween cards and goody bags to whimsical home decor using paperclay to fun layouts and mini-albums to document all the precious memories. If you need inspiration this season, look no further. You are in for an entire bag of treats! No tricks!



·        Week One with Kim Parkinson: Fabulous gift bags and cards using alcohol inks, distress inks and embossed metal. We'll explore ways to highlight certain areas of a design using watercolor effects with UTEE.
·        Week Two with Kim Parkinson: Create a spooky coffin mini book made from cardstock. It even has an easy stitched pamphlet inside! We'll discuss embossing on metal or pliable aluminum. If you do not have access to embossable metals, no worries! Kim will give suggestions on using other household items for embossing.


·        Week Three with Bethany Kartchner: BOO! This week is all about spooky ghosts. You'll meet Zeke, Spooky and a whole gaggle of adorable ghosties. We'll create not just one, but three different home decor projects based on these transparent haunts using Creative Paperclay and supplies found at your local craft store.
·        Week Four with Bethany Kartchner: Silly spiders are all the rage as we further explore sculpting with Creative Paperclay. Four unique projects involving our eight-legged friends are on the docket including a Halloween wreath with a spider named Jimmy, napkin holders and Miss Samantha, the most fashionable spider in the whole arachnid kingdom. Eeek!


·        Week Five with Jennifer Priest: We'll explore innovative ways to create spooky effects on three unique scrapbook pages using googly eyes, paint, ink, and more. We'll also experiment with color and quirky embellishments for a mix of "scary" pages and whimsical, child-focused pages.
·        Week Six with Jennifer Priest: Memory preserving continues as Jennifer shares several versions of mini-albums to lock up all of your spooky memories using leftover decorations to create up-cycled embellishments. To top it all off, we'll create custom "spooky" woven ribbon binding using the Bind It All machine.

If you are a new scrapbooker or crafter, don't worry! We will be covering all the basics along with more advanced techniques in video demonstrations, narrated presentations, downloadable pdf tutorials, forums and a student gallery.

To find out more and to register for class, please visit My Creative Classroom.


And, don't forget to stock up on Creative Paperclay before class! You can find some here.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Halloween Magnets Tutorial

Halloween is my favorite holiday and the cooler autumn air has me thinking the same question I have pondered every year around this time since I was about 5 years old: What will I be for Halloween this year? I decided to make some cute Halloween magnets to celebrate this special and spooky time of year! This tutorial will walk you through the process of making a pumpkin, a witch's face, a ghost, and a skeleton's face.

What You Need
Creative Paperclay
Round magnets the size of nickels
Aleene's Tacky Glue (or your favorite craft glue)
Acrylic Paint (not pictured)
Cup of water for sculpting and paintbrush wash
Sharp pottery tool or toothpick
Chopstick and/or regular pen


1. Take a lump of clay at least the size of a quarter. You can work larger if you want as long as the piece is light enough for your magnet to hold it to your fridge or filing cabinet later!


2. Let's make a pumpkin first. Take your sharp tool or toothpick and carve two lines.



3. For the stem, make a small teardrop shape out of the clay. Use your sharp tool or toothpick to score the teardrop onto the top of the pumpkin. Basically, you want to take your toothpick and blend small the end of the teardrop shape into the top of the pumpkin. Don't worry about this being smooth. In fact, if it is a bit rough, it will look more realistic.




4. Set your pumpkin aside to dry. Let's start the witch! Start with a lump of clay the same size as the pumpkin.


5. Make another tear drop shape from the clay. Dampen this teardrop with a drop of water. Place it in the middle of your round shape of clay. This will be the witch's nose.


6. Poke two holes, one on each side of the nose you just created. Carve out a mouth as well. I prefer happy witches!


7. Make a witch's hat by sculpting a small cone-shape, and a flat round shape. Make a slip to attach the cone to the round, and then the hat to the witch's face. "Slip" as potters call it is a paste made from clay and water. Place a little paperclay on your finger, dip into water, and then rub between fingers. It should be sticky and paste-like. This is slip! Use it to attach sculpted parts together!


8. To make your witch's hair, take small bits of paperclay, dampen your toothpick or sharp tool in a bit of water, and poke the bits of paperclay under the witches hat. Once you've applied all of the hair you want (just a few in the front will do), press the back of the hat rim down. Remember, these are magnets, so they need to be relatively flat in the back. The good thing is, this will secure your witch's hat and her hair!

9. Set your witch aside next to your pumpkin and let's start on the ghost. Sculpt a bell shape out of paperclay about the same size as your pumpkin and witch. Pinch the bottom of the clay two or three times to make slight waves.


10. Use your sharp tool to poke eyes and a mouth. Again, I prefer happy smiling ghosts. Here's a picture of the three sculpted pieces together.


11. Finally, let's make a skeleton face! Make an egg shape with the paperclay. Take the end of your sharp tool, the blunt of a chopstick or pen and press two eyes. Take your sharp tool tip or toothpick and make a couple of holes for the skeleton's nose. You can carve out a mouth or paint it on if you prefer.


12. Now that you have your Halloween characters sculpted, allow them to dry completely or pop them in a toaster over - bake at 225 degrees for 10-20 minutes turning once halfway.

13. Now it's time to paint! Cheap acrylic paint works well!!! Michael's Craft Stores usually has a good deal where you can buy two 2 ounce bottles of acrylic paint for under $2. And then you can go over to the clay isle to get a few new packages of Creative Paperclay!



14. Once the paint is dry on both sides, apply a good drop of white craft glue to one magnet at a time and place your Halloween character on top. Give a good press and allow to dry before your adorn your fridge with your lovely new creation! Repeat three more times and enjoy!


Love Creative Paperclay? Let Michael's Craft Stores know as they may be discontinuing the sale of this excellent product!!! If they do, you can always purchase your Creative Paperclay on their website:

http://creativepaperclay.com/

Vist My Blog Here When You Get a Chance!
http://marissartdolls.blogspot.com/