December 3, 2012

ABS Ornament Blog Hop

Deck the halls with lots of clay, fa, la, la, la, la, la....

Welcome to the ABS Ornament Blog Hop.  I'm so excited that you've joined us for the 3rd annual event.  It's no secret that I'm a Christmas nut.  Jess and I have had a tradition since our early newlywed days (almost 20 years ago) that we make ornaments for our tree each year.  Jess was busy crafting paper ornaments this year and I have been having fun with felt, beads and clay.  Everything has a handcrafted, woodland motif which goes nicely with the birds, nests, pine cones and snowflakes that we've been collecting and making over the years.

Grab a cookie and let's get this ornament party started!

Supplies:
Original white Sculpey polymer clay
Holly cookie cutter
Roller or pasta machine
Large rubber stamps
Black Stayz On ink
White glue
White fine glitter6" steel wire 21 gauge
12mm polymer clay disk
14mm beaded bead
10" sari silk ribbon

Directions:
1. Roll out the clay on the thickest setting of the pasta machine or to an 1/8" thick with a roller.
2. Cut out the leaf shape with a cookie cutters.
3. Stamp the image unto the clay, use gentle and even pressure but don't stamp the clay too deeply or it will stick to your clay.  (At this point poke a hole with a thin straw or use a small hand drill to create a hole after the clay is baked.)
4. Bake the clay according to the manufacture's directions.
5. Apply a think layer of glue in the white/negative spaces of the stamp, sprinkle on the glitter and let dry.
6. Pull the wire through the hole and create a wrapped loop around the top of the ornament.
7. String on the polymer clay bead and beaded bead.  Create a large wrapped loop at the top.
8. Tie on the ribbon.

Why original Sculpey clay?  I don't recommend this clay for many projects, but this one has a very porous nature that reminds me dough ornaments and a nice off-white color. You'll find it in a large box where they sell Sculpey III.  This will keep the ornaments matte, non-plastic looking and more like a natural piece of clay. 

Resources:
Clay, beaded beads, glitter, ink and stamps: Michael's.  Polymer clay bead: Humblebeads.

 
Grab another cookie and head on over to see what the other creative designers whipped up for the ornament hop!  
Humblebeads - you are here!
Treasures Found
Song Beads
Viki O'Dell
Sue Beads
Modern Nature Studio
Diane Hawkey
Suburban Girl Studio
Jen Judd Rocks
Ellie's Bijoux
Island Girl's Insights
Life By The Seat Of My Pants
Too Aquarius 
Shelley Graham Turner
Artfully Ornamental
Charis Designs Jewelry
Harrison Hollow Designs
Silver Nik Nats
Bead Soup Mix
Toodles and Binks
Bead Recipes
Play Sculpt Live
BeeTree by M.E.
Billi RS Rothe
A Half-Baked Notion

28 comments:

Rebecca said...

Oh wow Heather! I absolutely can't wait to see the finished article!

Marie Cramp said...

Can't wait!

A Hovel to Home said...

OMG Heather they are beautiful. I just love the holly berry touch at the tops too.

Kay
Toodles and Binks

m.e. said...

I Love these!
I'd have to display them all winter long!
I'm thinking with a change of leaf shape and color palette,I could make a set for every season .
m.e. :)

Islandgirl said...

OOooh pretty. I especially like the bird!

Unknown said...

hmmm... I just happen to have a holly leaf cookie cutter....

re-maker said...

Heather, not only are your ornaments beautiful and unique, but you've told us how to make them too!? Fantastic.

SueBeads said...

Beautiful and thank you so much for hosting AND the tutorial!

Kathleen Lange Klik said...

The ornaments you created are really beautiful! I love that you and Jess have a tradition to create ornaments each year, makes the holiday even more special. Thank you for including the tutorial; I recently started working with polymer clay and am enjoying learning the various techniques. Happy holidays to you and Jess!

Lori Bowring Michaud said...

Gorgeous, as are your ornaments on the ABS blog! I happen to have a couple of 3.75 lb boxes of the white Sculpey at home. I'll have to give this a try! Merry Christmas to you in your new home!

Monique (A Half-Baked Notion) said...

OMG, so sweet and sparkly, Heather, I bet they are even lovelier catching the light on a tree!

Lori, thanks for the idea; I also have those larger boxes of the old Sculpey which I had stopped using as it is so much softer, and more brittle when baked, but ornaments would be a fantastic use for it!

TesoriTrovati said...

Ugh. Lost my comment. Recreate.

Oh my word! I love these! You, two are nuts, creating all new ornaments each year. What do you do with the previous years? My husband and I exchange an ornament. I love these, with their black and white look and the festive touches of color and the GLITTER! OMG! I would like to buy them. Will you be selling any? Thanks for hosting this fun hop! Enjoy the day. Erin

Rosanne said...

I love everyone of them! The little sparkle you added just made them perfect. Gonna have to give them a try!

Unknown said...

I love these Heather! And, of course, it sets my mind to racing! I too have many, many cookie cutters!!!

Beverly Herman said...

I love all the things you make. This year the beads and ornaments have been exceptional. glorious, beautiful and oh so lovely.
Merry Christmas!

Anonymous said...

Those are amazing. Really impressive as a set for a great gift.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for a great tutorial, Heather, those are beautiful ornaments. I've been thinking about playing with some polymer clay with my kids, and this looks great.

Caron Michelle said...

Thank you for sharing - these are gorgeous!

Kimisjewelryandgifts said...

My words as I talk to myself at 6am. Ohhh pretty. They are lovely. Everything you make is lovely. Happy Hopping. Dont forget to add mine to the list. I forgot to send the link. http://kimisjewelryandgifts.blogspot.com/2012/12/abs-ornament-blog-hop.html

Alice said...

Beautiful and so elegant. They remind me of transferware dishes. Thanks for sharing the tutorial.

Anonymous said...

Oh my, these are truly spectacular...LOVE them!

Line said...

Wow, you always amaze me! This is gorgeous, an ornament and a tutorial. Cool, just one question though, on #5 in the instructions, is it a thick or a thin layer of glue? Think??? lol

Diana P. said...

These are great Heather! Also, thanks for posting the tutorial!

Anonymous said...

Bless you, Heather, for generously sharing the ''recipe'" for these wonderful ornaments. I have some in my toaster oven right this minute for sweet little gifts for friends and family. Can't wait to paint them with a bit of snow glitter.

Anonymous said...

[url=http://directlenderloansonlinedirectly.com/#grgjs]payday loans online[/url] - payday loans online , http://directlenderloansonlinedirectly.com/#ibahq direct lender payday loans

Billi's Paper Batiks said...

So pretty. The ones you shared are beautifully peaceful. Thank you for organizing this year's ornament blog hop. Happy Holidays!

Cece Cormier said...

Incredibly beautiful. Thanks for the tutorial.

baymoondesign said...

Gorgeous! Thanks for the directions!