Fun with Lesson Plans

Oh my gosh I soooo love playing with clay - even doing lesson plans are fun for me (although I could easily leave the picture taking to someone else). Just want to show you some of the finished pieces I've been doing lesson plans for - all is going freaking fantastic.


A cross between the woody technique taught at the Clay Carnival by Kim Cavender and Christi Friesens gremlins.


Imagery cane (my signature cane). Kathi from Bakersfield taught me this one.


Some painted clay tube beads. This one was inspired by Donna Kato who taught me the faux silscreening. This is a variation on that technique.


Awesome flowers and leaf sculptures. Christi taught me the leaves and how to put it all together and I came up with some of my own flower designs to give it a twist.

Peek-A-Boo Brooches/Pendants

As Rachel mentioned - Autumn Roundup is nearly upon us (yay! so love this weekend) and I've been playing around with different things wondering what would be a great thing for the ladies to make. I've been tweaking lots of different techniques that I learnt with all these fabulour artists in the US and decided to have some fun with the Desert Brooches as taught by Natalia Garcia de Leaniz at the Las Vegas Clay Carnival. I loved the design of these and the peek-a-boo effect so you could create 2 different layers and have a "window" looking through from the top embelished layer to the decorative layer below.

This is what I came up with. I sooooooo love them and sure hope the ladies do too. There are lots of techniques involved in this one and so many that I learnt while I was away - yay!!

Autumn Round up 2012!

I've been getting myself organised for this years Autumn Roundup in Mullewa, for those of you who don't know about Autumn Roundup...its an amazing craft event held in the little regional town of Mullewa in Western Australia. It attracts around 150 - 200 people annually, which is a big effort for an event that receives no funding and is held in a town with a population of just over 900 people. This year is its 20th year and sadly it will be its last! Over two days crafters from all over the state take part in two, one day workshops of their choice, this year the workshops are:

Deb Crothers – Peek-A-Boo brooches & pendants with Polymer Clay

Elizabeth Morley- Paint, Print & Pattern to create your own fabric.

Fiona Parker – A day of paper craft

Rachael Mc Kenzie – Silver clay for beaders and Silver Clay trinkets and charms.

Anne and Tammy  Ringrose – “Ribbon Cottage” & embroidered woollen bassinette blanket.

Erika Monique – a figurative clay sculpture

Kaye Street – “Many Trips Around the World” in a day

Carol Brady – Links Quilt using strips and point to point Diamond Quilt.

Judith Lubieniecki – Quick Cathedral Windows & Make a Bag Day

I'm using some of the skills the fabulous Kate Mckinnon taught me for the Silver clay for Beaders workshop! These are the results of a play date/test run with my mum and her friend!  I love, love, love mums golden patinaed(is that even a word) bead caps!

Here's all the components all put together into a finished piece!

The trinket and charm workshop is a little bit fiddly but I love the sense of fun 

and play when making these little babies!

For more info on Autumn Roundup please contact Janine Crudeli at cruauto@westnet.com.au  

              

Painted, burny bits!

Debbie has been bringing me up to speed with some of the amazing stuff I missed out on

while we create more lesson plans. Today we are working on Dona Katos painted clay technique...which by the way...I Lurve to bits!

Debbie has some baking trays she found in a second hand shop that she thought 

would work well to form polymer clay and bake it on.

Good plan but something went wrong. Half way through the baking a little smelly 

smoke wofted from the oven alerting us all was not well!

Oh, my lovely painted bits are now a little bit burny, bubbly and flat out burnt! 

Oh my! We are not sure exactly what happened, maybe the oil etc left on the 

baking tray from previous cakey baking! Who know...?

Back to the drawing board!

Busy beavers!

As part of this project we are creating a series of lesson plans to share with 

community members for the next stage of the Thousand Mid West

 Flowers  project. 

Lots of making, photographing and note taking!

.....and more photographing!

The finished patina!

From shiny, shiny to midnight black , finishing off with a nice subtle 

colour to bring out the details!

I was always a pure matt silver gal but I have to say I have been seduced by 

patina's potential and her fickle mind, you never quite know what shade of the 

rainbow she will deliver!