Member Benefits Vol-053: Friends Stories

JOYFUL MEMORIES: Ah’ Your are too sweet Cindy :)  You remind me so much of my middle school teacher. I learned tons of things from her such as carving stamps and printing, macrome, potters wheel, decoupage, water color panting, sketching, how one side of the brain is our artistic side. so forth. She was awesome. What is sad is that everyday Life gets in the way of that creativity and you forget what you had learned. Being a member of your site has brought back many joyful memories. I thank you for that *hugs* ~Brenda-M >> Original post was here: Polymer Clay Tutor

JOY AND ABANDON: I got together with 2 of my closest friends today and we saw the exhibit – Abstract Expressionist New York: The Big Picture. All of this great Jackson Pollack and lots of others from the ’50’s abstract movement. Talk about inspiration! I was telling my friends that I felt artistically constipated and my polymer clay work all looks like rocks. Okay looking rocks… but rocks. One of my friends said to just understand the process and let it unfold. I want to explode in color. So on the way home I got a giant bath sponge to dip in paint and splatter on clay. I went through the wonderful book “Polymer Clay Surface Design Recipes” by Ellen Marshall, a wonderful let-go and be wild kind of book. And I watched some of your videos, with your wonderful, let-it-be attitude, your giggling when you miss a word, your playfulness. And I remind myself that I have to reach in and pull out my own inner kid and assure her that there are no such things as mistakes, and to explore with joy and abandon. Thank you always for your inspiration and for letting me share this story. ~Trudy-M >> Original post was here: 8 Stages of Creativity for Polymer Clay Artists

JUST DO IT: Thank you, Cindy, for re-posting Rose’s comment. I have worked in different mediums and I’ve never worked on something just for the heck of it. I will give these items away and seldom have any extras to remind me of the items I have made (some I’m amazed that I was able to make and no longer do because I’ve moved on to some new craft!). I love your comment “Build the Bead and the Purpose will Come” and some how this will make it ok in my “I can’t waste anything” mentality! Thanks again to all that give such inspiring comments here and freeing me to just do it! ~Catherine-R >> Original post was here: Learning About Polymer

MAGICAL MOJO: Thanks Cindy for such a great post about our wonderful get-together, it really was a lot of fun and a wonderful kick-off to our weekend workshop. I totally agree with you that shared passions can make for instant friends. I have to say though, that when the person has as fun and dynamic a personality as yours – friendship is a given! I also agree with you that as far-reaching and information-filled that the Internet is, that nothing beats some good ole face-to-face time. There is something magical happens when we share our thoughts, ideas and energy with other people – it’s where I get my mo-jo and I wouldn’t miss it for anything. ~Linda-G >> Original post was here: Polymer Clay Get Together

CLOSE FRIENDS: Jackie – Thank you so much for the update. You know we all think of you often as we have all gotten pretty close on these blogs. Please remember all the wonderful and caring friends you have here as you go through these holidays. I am glad you are able to keep busy and have family around supporting and loving you. I also had to laugh at your earrings from the cane you did not like. I think these earrings are beautiful. I love the blue and the copper together. The bracelet is very cute too. With care and best wishes. ~Laurel-B >> Original post was here: Making Polymer Clay Beads

DIRTY LAUNDARY: Dear Cindy, I totally enjoy listening to your tutorials and then playing with polymer clay. I have been collecting all the tools for a few years and now have started to really play. I can sit for hours in my laundry room and do the laundry at the same time. ~Carolyn-K >> Original post was here: Polymer Clay Stories

MAKING IT YOUR OWN: Elizabeth-K: You really hit the nail on the head with your comment … each different … that’s what makes it so great … same techniques, different results. No matter how closely we follow Cindy’s videos, our own personalities show through. Isn’t it fun! ~Carolyn-F >> This comment was originally posted at this link: Polymer Clay Bead Giveaway Contest

THE THEORY OF SCRAPS: I look at it this way, the scrap pieces are just that… scrap. Chop em up, blend them together and see what happens… worst scenario, you hate it. If you hate it, then save it and combine with more scraps and you keep trying till you get something that you can work with. You won’t know the end results until you try! ~Hobokenmary >> Original post was here: Spliced Flower Canes

MEMORIES: Oh, yes I would love to learn to make puffy beads, especially hearts. I have a thing for hearts! Thinking of puffy hearts though reminds me of a story from when my daughter (now 31) was just a little girl, maybe 7 or 8 years old.  She asked me what her heritage would be. I knew this was an important moment, but didn’t really know what she meant so I started telling her about our family history and talked about our faith and how that would all be hers no matter what…and on and on. When I was done she said, “What about your puffy heart necklace?” LOL! I love that memory! That particular puffy heart was very cheap costume jewelry and of course I still have it, but I’d love to make some puffy hearts out of polymer clay! ~Marsha-N >> Original post was here: Hollow Polymer Clay “Puffy” Beads

BUTTONS FOR BABY: Since my baby is coming very very soon, my mom came to Alaska from NY and she’s been knitting non-stop. She offered to put some buttons on her creations and then I thought to myself, “why not make some because I just watched Cindy’s video.” :) They came out pretty neat (for a first set anyway) :) I’m very excited about this. Thought I’d share. It’s my first baby, I’m so happy that I can do something hand-made for her, as I never thought of myself as a “crafty” kind of gal hehe. Cindy does make it easy. ~Rada-F >> Original post was here: Making Polymer Clay Buttons

LOVE THE BANTER: Wow, Cindy you are fabulous and so understanding. I love your videos and all the time and attention you provide us! Being one of the 10-20% of people who always need to do it their own way (and often times I must try things before you can provide the video) I am so grateful with every bit of knowledge you can provide and every bit of individuality that everyone else provides because all the little pieces slide into my brain to help me create. I love the banter and the discussions here and though sometimes I’m not always vocal (or typical????) I’m here reading, learning, laughing and creating and thankful for the family unit here! You all are wonderful! ~Melinda-H >> Original post was here: Leopard Print Cane

INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES: You bashful embarrassable folks should all come Down Under to me – I work at the race course, so if Cindy wants us to use cow patties, I will be happy to deviate from her instructions slightly – as we all do -, and bring out huge barrels of horse patties to share.  Further more, the Duck Shooting Season starts 2nd May and I live very close to many lakes, so plenty of opportunity to hitch your skirts slightly as the guys head out, to acquire a bit of their decoy cord.  I am sooo fortunate I don’t have to brave the “bloke” stores if I don’t want to – I just wander in to our garage and raid my partner’s supplies (heat gun, gas welders, air gun, compressor, sheet-metals, electric grinder, hammers, safety glasses etc etc etc).  I retrieved my Dremel from out there, and my soldering iron recently, lent him my binoculars in exchange… Oh, and Cindy, if you want us to start using fishing tackle, he has all that too, including a motorized Kontiki, so if he hasn’t got enough, we can send that out to sea to tangle with and bring back other people’s lines to chop bits off.  (Never mind keeping the fish – unless you have some ideas about their skeletons as framework for PC mobiles, their scales instead of buffalo snow?). Actually, I wonder if the fins coated in TLS would come up well…. anyone already done that?   I’ve been watching MasterChef lately, and each advert break says the chefs get their stuff from a supermarket. and if Silverleaf can’t get here to help out,  we have 2 KFCs, 3 MacDonalds in town and many many fish and chip shops, so no-one would starve while you crafted here.  Plenty of motels means plenty of ovens too – for cooking PC, not food :-) ~Squiddy >> Original post was here: Hammered Metal Bezels

COMFORT AND SUPPPORT: Thank you everyone  for your support and your love. This community is so wonderful I’ve really come to rely upon all of you. I know you are all there with your warmth and support. I had lost my Aunt just a year ago in India – a medical mistake, so losing my close friend who was so much more. A brother was really hard to take. Thanks once again. I love you all. ~Cheryl-H >> Original post was here: Jewelry Resin

HOW I GOT STARTED SELLING MY JEWELRY: Carole – I love your beads and I totally understand how you got into selling your jewelry. I was creating my own polymer clay beads and having lots of fun. Then a friend gave me a gift certificate for an introductory bead class for my birthday last year. Wow! A few friends at work liked the jewelry I was wearing and asked me to bring some of my pieces in — I sold a few, even one necklace right off my neck! Then some ladies at work asked me to do a class on the basics of jewelry making, which I did. It began a lot more exposure (and sales) of my jewelry and beads. I’ve been selling more and more of my work.  And last night, a local bead store owner expressed interest in buying my swirl beads to sell in her store! WOW! ~Bonnie-D >> Original post was here: Making Polymer Clay Jewelry

DAILY RITUAL: It is great how Cindy makes every thing so interesting and keeps up with everyone as if you are her only concern. What were we ever doing before we came here. This is  a daily ritual now for me too. Nice site, nice people, nice feelings. ~Elizabeth-K >> Original post was here: Rocker Beads

BACK IN MY COLLEGE DAYS: Thanks for the link to the sanding pads, this looks very nice, easy to hold. Also wanted to ditto you on why I find polymer clay so fascinating. In college, I was fortunate to meet and visit glass artist Dale Chihuly’s workshop on the river in Providence while he taught at RISD. At the time he was working on the Salvador Dali style drip containers and the neon lit glass block structures. I was the coffee girl, lol. Watching those folks work that glory hole during those long winter nites on the frozen river, the heat, the colors, the sheer muscle, and the fineness of the end results… just incredible, but unfortunately, far beyond my financial capabilities. I lusted to make milliefori canes, swirl colors, and design my own shapes. Who knew, years later, my beloved nieces would expose me to a material with which you can mimic the same techniques for the cost of a toaster oven, lol. Yea Fimo! Cindy’s adaptation of the dichroic glass is the perfect example, as you know, from working with an artist with a kiln. Looks even better than glass, in my opinion, and is such a “high” to produce something so remarkably beautiful in your own home. Fondly. ~Jocelyn-C >> This comment was originally posted at this link: Faux Dichroic Glass

GROWING AS AN ARTIST: Thanks for urging to me submit my mask, Carolyn. So, I am going for it from now on… thanks to you! I agree with you totally…thanks to Cindy, I have learned a lot and it is only because of her and my guild that I continue to grow as an artist. Many thanks, Cindy! ~Lupe-M >> This comment was originally posted here: Embossed Metal Stamps

ADDICTIVE: With all this polymer clay info, I can see why everyone I talk to says that claying is addictive! I can’t wait to see what new technique you release on Friday! ~Cheryl-B >> This comment was originally posted at this link: Polymer Clay Color Recipes

FEELING BLESSED: Although it hasn’t even been a full year since I joined this loving, caring and sharing family, I feel truly blessed to be among you all. ~Marlene-C >> Original post was here: Merry Polymer Clay Christmas

CHANCE TO LAUGH: Not only do I anticipate the fun tutorials that Cindy provides on Fridays, but I also get my chance to laugh. I can relate to the crank of the pasta machine falling too. Although I find a lot of lost beads as I’m crawling under the table to pick it up. ~Loretta-C >> Original post was here: Faux Knit Technique

A-SERIES COLOR PALETTE: Oregon Shipwreck (4 Premo Sculpey Recipes) ** B-SERIES COLOR PALETTE: Covered Wagon (4 Premo Sculpey Recipes) VIDEO: Checkered Paisley Cane – Mehndi, Vintage Euro, Zentangle