Wily Wednesdays - Mixed Media Tree

Polymer clay. Paint. Wood. Go!

Here's my Yule gift for Kai. I wanted to try some new techniques with this piece, so it was a nice excuse for experimentation. I went for a filigree style with the sun, moon, and leaves, and then I tried braiding the tree with long strands of polymer clay. I have discovered that braiding clay is hard, but it has so much potential for some cool Celtic designs.

Wily Wednesdays - Funky Clay Bottle

This week I ventured into polymer clay again. When I was crafting last Yule, I loved sculpting clay around glass bulbs for tree ornaments, so I wanted to try it out with a vase or bottle. Here's what happened:

Wily Wednesdays - Katamari Frame

Another post inspired by Kyle. Last month he celebrated his 31st birthday, and I thought a Katamari-related card would go over well. (If you're not already familiar with Katamari Damacy, this post probably won't make much sense. It barely does if you do.) The card idea kept growing until it turned into a picture frame, complete with a polymer clay Prince I rolled into being. Lots of fun and absurdity (although the Prince attachment broke as soon as I was about to give it to Kyle -- lame). Kratos is just a placeholder, because...well, why not?

Wily Wednesday - Yule Crafts 2011

It's time to reveal what was keeping me madly busy during the last two weeks of December (and part of 2012). I wanted to wait until I gave away most of the gifts before writing this post, which is why it's late. I had big plans for Yule, but I procrastinated too much, and technically I'm not even finished. Anyway, here's a sampling of the 2011 Yule crafts:

• New clothes for Bender!
• Head scarves for Kai (in the background)
• Paw stockings
• Catnip fishies
• Plush Angry Bird (Kai's obsessed with these guys)
• Winter-themed FSMs (I only had the tree on hand, but I think the Santa hat is my favorite.)
• Polymer clay tree ornaments
• Jars of homemade blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry jams (I'm most proud of the blackberries -- we picked them in our own neighborhood. Doesn't get much more local than that!)
• Homemade soaps, lip balm, and lotions.
• Geeky Perler Bead magnets (I never did these as a kid, so I had to try them out.)
• Oatmeal fudge (a recipe from Kai's mother)

Wily Wednesdays - Petal Earrings

Finally something new! This is one of my first polymer clay projects. I was just playing around with some old clay and familiarizing myself with the medium, and I was surprised it turned into a decent piece of jewelry. Makes me wish I would have started out with a more appealing set of colors. Oh well -- it was a learning process (and I found I have quite a bit to learn). I'd like to give this project another try sometime.