Humblebeads Blog: ornament blog hop

Showing posts with label ornament blog hop. Show all posts

December 9, 2015

Ornament Blog Hop: Metal Sketch Snowflakes

I love making handmade ornaments. In fact, I have a tiny tree in my house filled with ones I've made over the years with special art beads. I also have handmade ornaments filling my tree and love giving them as gifts too. Art beads create instant heirloom status for a handcrafted ornament!

This year I made ornaments to celebrate the release of my new book, Beautiful Elements. The book features many projects using metal, hammers, tools and wire to create images or metal sketches as I've coined them in the book.

I added one of my snowflake coin beads to each ornament along with an icy looking stone. The hangers are waxed linen with copper seed beads.

The evergreen one is featured on the Art Bead Scene. You can also enter to win a set of my snowflake coins over on there too!

Another ornament that has been getting created quite a bit in the studio is this snowy owl. Taken from a drawing in my sketchbook. I made one for my tree and have been sending them out to their new homes too!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Head on over the Art Bead Scene to see everyone's creations and enter to win those snowflake beads.

December 12, 2013

Ornament Blog Hop

Welcome today! I'm hosting an Ornament Blog Hop on the Art Bead Scene and wishing you peace and joy during this holiday season.

We love making ornaments in my house. In fact, we make it a party every year! My tree is decorated with treasures we've made through the years and I love giving ornaments as gifts. I've been making ornaments every year since high school, although most of the early ones have disappeared. When Jess and I first got married we would pick a theme for our tree every year and make crazy artsy ornaments together. We still make ornaments although our tree has morphed into a hodge podge of anything woodland.

Which brings me to my ornaments for the hop, these woodland inspired birds. At a local craft show this year I happened upon a talented Michigan ceramic artist who had these beautiful bird ornaments. As soon as I saw them I know they would make amazing gifts this year with just a little extra work put into them.

I paired these up with lampwork and polymer disk beads. Wire and seed beads were fashioned into a clever hoop for hanging on the tree. The lampwork is from Sue Beads and the polymer clay are Humblebeads, of course!

This is a great way to use up orphaned beads, embellish simple ornaments to create a treasured new piece to add to your collection!

I'd like to invite you to visit the other particpating creative artists who have made ornaments today. Fix yourself a cup of cocoa, turn on some holiday music and enjoy:

http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/2013/12/ornamentbloghop2013.html

Click here to see more ornaments!

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.