Quick & Easy Facelift for a Frame

Found this funky frame and painting at a junk/antique store and could see the potential in it. You can find these frames everywhere and don't worry if they are not perfect because we can fix that with cast objects. There are basically three easy steps to change the look of the frame.

As a mixed media artist, the hunt for these treasures it part of the joy when I do a piece of art. The magic of art is the other part.

SUPPLIES

Creative Paperclay®
Black spray paint (Krylon)
Fondant molds
E6000 glue

I have a large collection of fondant molds as well as silicone molds that I have created. Depending on the piece of art or the time I have, I may leave the paper clay in the mold until it has dried. If a piece has delicate edges this is a great way for it to dry. It also prevents warping. I keep a square of linoleum in my studio that I put my "wet" cast objects to dry. They tend not warp when I put them on the linoleum.

Next, I glued the cast pieces on to the frame with E6000. I like how fast it sets up. When working on a painting there is so much waiting time for paint or clay to dry. To spray the frame, I used a Krylon matte black.

 Close up of section of the painted frame with cast objects.

Finished painting collaged with part of the original painting an placed in the updated frame. Not only fun but looks so much better than the original. Now, wasn't that easy?

Dream in Color!

Darlene Olivia McElroy

How to Create a Prop Umbrella

Hello everyone! My name is Cinnamon Willis and today's tutorial is going to show you how I made this prop umbrella. I've been wanting to make an umbrella for my dolls for a while especially with all this rain we've been getting this April. I have been trying to decide which would be the best way to go about it, so I thought I'd try out this method where I put the clay over some tulle and let it dry. The steps that I went with are listed below:


Supplies:

• Creative Paperclay®
• Thick wire 16 gauge
• Pliers
• Masking tape
• Sand paper
• Your choice of Acrylic paint
• Sealer, Varnish

First I started out with some wire about 16 gauge and made this armature for the umbrella.

I took the masking tape that I had and wrapped each piece of wire individually so that they could be re-positioned later.

After wrapping the frame thoroughly with masking tape, I carefully stretched some tulle across to cover all sides of the umbrella. After the tulle is stretched tight, I took some thread and secured the tulle at the bottom of each spoke.

To begin covering this piece, I took two pieces of clay and sandwiched the tulle with them from the top and underneath. Use a drop of water to make the pieces softer if you need to. Work from the middle outwards towards the sides. Make sure that you have the piece in the shape that you want it to be, monitor it and reshape it while it dries since the clay shrinks a little. This step is crucial as the clay will warp the piece if you don't keep an eye on it while it dries.

Add the clay in thin layers allowing it to dry in between applications. Sand the piece to get it smooth if you would like. I didn't do too much sanding to smooth out this piece so it is still rough in a few places. I have to stop myself from sanding since that is the step that I usually obsess over, but by all means, sand your heart out if you please!

I used some chalk art paint that I had from Plaid's Folk art collection. I liked the Tiffany blue color so I decided to go with it to give the umbrella a bit of Je Ne Sais Quoi. Here's how I used it in the photos below with a doll that I've previously made.

Thank you all once again for stopping by, and I hope that you enjoyed today's tutorial! You can find Creative Paperclay® at the following retailers Creative Paperclay® Online Store, Michael's, Amazon, Joann's.

See more of my work at Melandolly.com and be sure to catch updates on my Instagram page! Click here to go to my Etsy shop if you are interested in purchasing the doll modeling the umbrella!

Delight Air Dry Eggs with my 5th graders

It is getting close to Easter and my classroom is in full holiday swing mixed with April recycling projects!  My 5th graders have been working on recycled magazine basket weaving.  Of course, students work at different paces and a few have already completed their baskets.  What next??  Why eggs, of course.

I have an enormous box of plastic eggs that were donated a couple of years ago ("Could you use a bag of plastic eggs?  I have been weeding out"...my surprise?  the "bag" was a lawn bag FILLED with eggs!!).  I pulled out the box of eggs and let each choose one.  We added some glass beads to the inside to turn the eggs into shaker/maraca eggs.  Then came the clay...

I pulled out the Delight clay and gave each student a piece (about 1/8th of the package).  I demoed how color can be added with washable markers by dabbing the marker onto the clay.  Kneading the color into the clay will turn the normally white clay into the color chosen.  Many students chose to marbleize the color by partially mixing the color into the clay.  Others decided to cover the egg before coloring with markers or acrylic paint.  Soon snakes and coils, polka dots and pancakes of clay took over the tables.  As you can imagine, no 2 were alike!

 

I have a ton of Tandy leather stamping tools that I use with my clay students for texture as well as texture sheets and rollers.  I put everything out for the students to use to embellish their eggs. 

 

Once complete, we placed the eggs in (what else??) an egg carton to dry.  (NOTE: I used a Styrofoam  egg carton to keep the clay from sticking to the sides)

 

Super easy project!  Great for all ages and abilities.  Don't have plastic eggs??  The Delight Air Dry could also go around paper mache' eggs or ceramic eggs or create a free form egg shape from foil!

April 2019 First Friday Fan Day

Need some inspiration for your next Creative Paperclay® project? Check out what folks are making with Creative Paperclay™.

	Cactus Candle Holders Love Birds
	Cookie Cutter Earrings Whale Mobile Phone Holder Spring Birds
	Clay Pot for Succulents Cream Puff Charm
	Creative Paperclay Fascinator Lock and Key Pendant

HELP US FIND YOU!!

1. Use the hashtag #CreativePaperclay on all your social networks.
2. When using Facebook, be sure the your posts and images using the #Creative Paperclay hashtag are set to public, otherwise we won't be able to find you.
3. Share your projects on the Creative PaperClay® Facebook page.

I'm always trolling the web, looking for great Creative Paperclay® projects. If you find something, post it on our Facebook page.

GOT QUESTIONS???

Find the answers to your paperclay questions. See what other folks are creating. Stop by our Facebook group and say, "Hi!" Creative Paperclay Q&A

Carole

Speckled Easter Eggs

Hello, Easter is almost here so I have been busy making Easter Decor. I colored some Delight Clay™ with chalk pastels and made these adorable Easter Eggs. I then decorated a tiny basket so my eggs had somewhere to go. I have made a video tutorial for you, so you too can make these Speckled Easter Eggs.

Supplies Needed

• Delight Clay™
• chalk pastels
• mini basket
• acrylic paint - Folk Art Acrylic Vintage White
• bronze or brown acrylic paint
• ribbon to wrap around your basket
• small bow
• shredded Kraft Paper
• glue
• scissors
• craft knife
• plate
• glue gun and stick
• wet wipe or damp cloth

Follow along in the video below and make your own speckled eggs!

Aren't they beautiful? They actually look edible.

You can share your creations with us on our Facebook page. We would love to see them! For more inspiration have a look around the blog. There are tutorials for many levels using Creative Paperclay®. You can also visit my blog www.papermachepatch.com.

You can find Creative Paperclay® online at Creative Paperclay Co and also at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Dickblick, and Amazon. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Suzette

Blog: https://papermachepatch.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/papermachepatch/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/papermachepatch/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/suzettehussey/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PaperMachePatch

Skillshare: https://skl.sh/2QyIn93

Creative Paperclay® Lover's Eye

My friends call me a mad art scientist because I love to experiment. In this case, I am using a Creative Paperclay® element as a Lover's Eye inside a cigar box that has been laser cut and etched then embellished. The embellished clay eye becomes the "sweet" spot in this piece of art.

SUPPLY LIST

Creative Paperclay®
Acrylic Paint
Alcohol Inks
Silicone Molds
Cigar Box
Metal Leaf
Pearls & Rhinestones
Glass Eye

 The Creative Paperclay® flower was dry brushed with a Titan Buff acrylic paint after a wash of Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold acrylic paint had dried. A glass eyeball was glued to the center then vintage pearls were glued around it.

The inspiration for this project was Lover's Eyes. In the 18th and 19th centuries, wealthy British and European lovers exchanged "eye miniatures" -- love tokens so clandestine that even now, in the majority of cases, it is impossible to identify their recipients or the people they depict.

Next I took a cigar box to the local makers space ( a makers space is a shared workshop and artist/artisan community.) These spaces throughout the country allow you to use 3D printers and laser cutters/etchers as well as many other techno tools. Often local junior colleges have these as well.

Before taking it in, I applied metal leaf to the box, sanded it and then worked out the design I planned to etch into it.

I laser cut the hole in the center and etched the floral design into the metal leaf box. I painted the etched flowers with alcohol inks then added the rhinestones and crosses. The inside of the box was painted black.
















I added my Creative Paperclay® eye by building up a backing to it and gluing it to the back of the box so the eye floated in the hole. A circle of rhinestones was added before I placed it in place.


Have fun. Dream in Color.

Darlene Olivia McElroy

How to make some pretty napkin rings for Summer

Supplies Needed for this Project:

Creative Paperclay

Plaid Paints

Molds

Brush

Water for cleanup

Powder or cornstarch

Roller

Glue

Clay knife or xacto knife

Spray Sealer

Step 1:

Gather the materials needed to complete the project. Take the Creative Paperclay and roll it out to about a quarter inch thick. Cut the clay into six, three inch wide pieces. Shape the clay into circles that are three inches across and set aside to dry.

Step 2:

Use a leaf garland mold and the Creative Paperclay to make pieces to wrap around the napkin rings once they are dry and while the leaf garland is still wet, apply it to the napkin ring with glue and set aside to dry.

Step 3:

Use the flower mold and the Creative Paperclay to make six flowers which you can glue unto the dry napkin ring while the flowers are still wet and then set them aside once again to dry.

Step 4:

Use your Plaid Evergreen Paint to paint around the napkin rings and use the Martha Stewart metallic gold to paint the flowers on all of the napkin rings. Take a little of the Rub & Buff gold and highlight the napkin rings with it. Once dry, spray seal the napkin rings with the sealer of your choice.

Except for waiting for the Creative Paperclay to dry, this project went very quickly. My sister is going to be receiving these napkin rings as she is such a help to me and she decorates her table for every season and in between. I hope you like how these turned out and will go to the Creative Paperclay Website and check out the many projects that they have on the website also and that you will go out and purchase some Creative Paperclay for yourself.

Barbara