♥ Hollymark ♥

I love to watch the seasons change.

2008-11-24T12:09:00.001-08:00

Driving along & reflecting..

I took this picture about a month ago, driving home from a state park here close to where I live. This picture doesn't really show all the fall colors changing, but it was kinda hard to get a good one while driving, Lol! Gotta love the tinkerbell steering wheel cover in my sunflower yellow VW beetle! That car is my pride and joy.

The weather is starting to get a little too chilly for me now, I miss the start of fall!

Lazy bones..

2008-11-23T09:33:00.000-08:00

My little man was snuggled up next to me last night when I was looking through the forums on Etsy, I had to turn my laptop around and snap a pic of him! He's a little bit of a 'mama's boy' Lol. He's my 4 year old chihuahua, and I'm thinking about bring home a girlfriend for him around the holidays sometime.

When I go visit my grandparents, I always go to this flea market they have opened on the weekends. They've got a little pet shop & usually have all kinds of puppies, especially chihuahuas. :) So expect to see some pictures if I do get one!

I've got to get some work done, ciao!

How sweet..

2008-11-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

This is the cabin i made for him in return :)

So i've got this guy friend (well, we're SORTA dating, if that makes any sense..) and well, i had no idea he could be so crafty! He brought me this dreamcatcher the other night, and I thought it was sweet for one, and it's so neat! he did such a good job on it, I had to show it off..

Aw, how sweet.

2008-05-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

There's my little chihuahua, Bitty. He decided to take a nap on the couch last night, so I took a pic of him with the webcam on my laptop. He was barking and kicking in his sleep too, lol. I should've taken a video..

I couldn't even go to sleep until about 7 am today. We had to work a lot of overtime last week, 12 hour shifts all week. 3pm-3am. So I guess that's why I'm into the habit of staying up so late. I hate it though. I'll really hate it when school starts in the fall if i don't have it all worked out by then.

I did some apartment hunting last night, I was looking through the paper to see what I can find. I've found one that seems great.. and its like 2 streets over from where my sister & nephew live. I'm going to call today and see if they allow pets (crosses fingers)

Anyway, I guess I better get off here. Gotta get ready for work and call to a few places about apartments.

Ciao!

Mmm... Cookies!

2008-05-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

So I've got a sweet tooth! I love sweets of any kind. Cookies, ice cream, candy, you name it! So I decided that I'd make some charms to show my love of sweets. My first yummy creation ~ chocolate chip cookies! Ya like?

I'm working on making cupcakes, or ice cream cones. I might also throw in some other yummies like oatmeal cream pies! Told ya i love sweets ;)

Ciao!

T.G.I.F!

2008-04-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here is my newest creation! I'm turning my fairy doors into yard art!

Anyway, I am SO happy it's friday! Monday & Tuesday I was sick with a stomach bug, so I missed work both days. My doctor gave me some pills to keep me from throwing up but they knocked me out. I took one Monday when I got home from the doctor's office and I slept for about 20 hours. I woke up to go to the bathroom a few times, but then I was right back to sleep. Felt good but it's kinda thrown me off all week.

I've got to get to work making some new stuff for my shop this weekend. I think I've got my boyfriend interested in starting an Etsy shop, too :) He's into woodworking and he's been talking about making stuff to sell. What a goober :P I love him, though.

I think tonight's gonna be one of those long nights at work, just because i'm gonna be HOT from working fast. But oh well, at least it's Friday!

Ciao!

Good ol sunday.

2008-04-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

I like sundays... except for the fact that tomorrow is Monday. :( Can't really complain though, my full time job is decent. Working in a factory really isn't all that bad, and at least I like the people I work with. But i never stop daydreaming about being at home and crafting full time!

Just ordered a brand new laptop last night :D Kinda pricey, but it'll definently be used! I've been wanting a laptop for a loooong time. I work hard for my money, so I might as well buy myself something instead of just paying bills all the time, right?

Anyway, hopefully I can be mostly productive today and get some more things made up for my shop. So i guess i should start by ending this blog :P

Later!

Blog feature: IttyBittiesForYou

2008-04-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a little while since I posted one of these, but this shop is awesome! Jennifer creates some of the cutest little miniatures. Very cute & unique ideas! Here are a few of my favorite pieces currently for sale in her shop..

these cookies magnets look good enough to eat!

aren't these little owls a hoot? :)

i love the details on this puppy family!

I asked Jennifer a few questions about polymer clay, and her experiences with it, and here is what she had to say..

1.)What made you choose polymer clay as a medium?When I was first introduced to polymer clay, I had never even heard of it. I was very young, so I think that I chose it because it was an art medium that I could do practically whenever and wherever I wanted. When I found polymer clay, it was very accessible for kids and I had a lot of easy tutorials and books to look through. But it’s interesting to me because as I’ve gotten older I’ve never gotten tired or bored with it. It’s a medium that is capable of growing and evolving with the artist, so I suppose that’s why I’ve never stopped!

2.)How long have you been creating with polymer clay?I’ve been creating with polymer clay since I was 8 years old, so that’s 13 years now! I was introduced to it through a children’s craft book published by Klutz. It was just a coincidence, really. The connection was immediate. As soon as I started using it I couldn’t stop! I immediately started creating my own characters and miniatures and the rest is history.

3.)What are your favorite techniques?I don’t have any specific favorites, but sculpting is definitely my forte. I have to admit that even though I’ve been using it for more than half of my life, I really don’t know how to do the “famous” techniques that many seasoned clayers use. For instance, I still have no clue how to create a Skinner blend and I can’t create a cane for the life of me! In a way it makes me feel out of the loop, but on the positive side, gives me an incredible amount of freedom to use clay in any way that I want and not feel judged.

If I would have to give a new clayer some advice, the first thing I would tell them is to constantly build upon your ideas. If you’ve made a piece that you believe is fabulous, bake it, then sit down with it in front of you and create it again. Only this time try to change something about it and make it better. This is hard to do, but it doesn’t have to be huge...just an element. Think outside of the box and don’t be afraid of what others say about you and your work. You would be shocked to find what you are capable of creating!

Visit her shop!

My Work Space!

2008-04-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

I figured that people might like to see the place i have to create! It's not much... but here's my desk! It was a valentine's day present.. I came home from work, and my boyfriend had it set up for me. :)

Hope ya like!

Ready for the weekend!

2008-04-03T00:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know about anybody else.. but this week seems to be going by sooo slow for me! I work 40+ hours in a factory, 2nd shift. I don't have a whole lot of free time & all I wanna do is create! I can't wait for the weekend because I've got a lot of ideas swirling around in my head :)

I need to add a few more picture frames to my shop, and I also have a few ideas for fairy doors & pixie houses in mind. ALSO ~ I plan to be making a little fairy house tea light candle holder within the next few weeks. Can't wait to work on that and see how it comes out :)

Oh ~ i put a poll up for anybody that keeps up with my blog :)

Ciao!

Blog feature: Dakotamiss

2008-03-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

I found another wonderful polymer clay artist, with such a cute shop! Dakotamiss!

Here are my four favorite pieces from her shop:

This is my very favorite piece from her shop. I love all the colors in this, and the buttons really set it off. I also love the glossy look that this piece has, as well as all of Dakotamiss' other pieces.

Three peas in a pod! These cute little guys are a magnet, and they'll be there on the fridge when you go digging for a late night snack. :)

This precious baby figure would make a great gift for a baby shower!

Last but not least, the graduation bunny. Graduation is coming up soon, this would make a cute little gift for the graduate in your life. :)

Here is what Dakotamiss had to say about crafting with polymer clay:

It all started about 16 years ago. My sister and I were strolling around one of our local craft shows when I spotted this booth full of polymer clay figurines...I was in awe and loved the idea right from the start! After we finished looking around I rushed to the hobby store and purchased my first bars of polymer clay. And so the obsession began :)

I just create things that pop into my head. I'll start with a bar of clay in front of me and sit there until an idea comes to me. It might follow what is currently popular or it may not. I never know sometimes what I'll come up with! :)

I'm very much a perfectionist when it comes to my sculpting. If the finished product doesn't meet my expectations, I will not sell it, if its not something that I would want myself, I will not give it as a gift. I take pride in what I do in every aspect.

I love experimenting with polymer clay and what I can do with it. I have recently branched out into making polymer clay jewelry, which will be featured in my shop very soon. I hope you enjoy my creations as much as I love making them. :)

check out her shop! http://dakotamiss.etsy.com

Blog feature: Katswearableart

2008-03-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

As a proud member of Etsy.com, I've decided to start showing off the talent I've come across on Etsy. I want to put polymer clay artists in the spotlight, where they belong :) The first beautiful shop I found, Katswearableart.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces from her shop:

I love all the details in this polymer clay pendant. Elegant, Beautiful, just a beautiful piece all around.

Here is a beautiful tulip pendant, just in time for spring! The perfect accessory to set off any spring color.

I love the traditonal, oriental feel of this piece. The beads are really the icing on the cake for this awesome polymer clay pendant.

And last but not least, here's one for the fairy lovers (like myself :)). Very beautiful, whimsical piece.

Here's what the creator had to say about her carft:

Polymer clay is probably the easiest, most satisfying and versatile medium I have ever used. It can resemble so many things: skin, stone, wood, ivory, plastic, metal just to name a few. The expense for supplies and equipment is probably the lowest out of any art related start-up costs I can think of. Almost anyone can make something wonderful the first time they use it. The shelf life is very long, too, so it is easy to keep going back to. That is how I started making components for jewelry with it - I was cleaning out my "art/craft" cupboard in the kitchen and "found" all my polymer clay supplies again! (When my daughters were very young they had dollhouses and we used the polymer clay to make tiny objects and food.) Today, there are so many books showing new techniques that I have been very eager to start experimenting again.

I originally started working with polymer clay around 10 years ago; aside from the dollhouse miniatures I was very interested in one of a kind art dolls. I spent enormous amounts of time learning how to sculpt the faces. Unfortunately for me I have absolutely NO sewing skill, so I ended up with all these faces on sticks looking at me! As it turned out, I made a line of pins that incorporated the faces with quotes and sayings.

My current favorite technique is using the polymer clay as a focal bead, or pendant, with a transfer image. My background is in Illustration and Graphic Design so I enjoy putting elements together digitally then transferring it to the polymer clay. It is a many layered process with baking, coating, and sanding till the pendant looks and feels like a smooth, aged piece of ivory. I love combining different textures, colors, and time periods; for me, it is the contrast in these things that make these pieces interesting.

Check out her shop! http://katswearableart.etsy.com

Techniques and equipment for polymer clay

2008-03-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

I've just recently discovered all the things I can do with polymer clay. I seriously never would have imagined that I could make some of the things i've made so far, just from clay. I guess I always saw it as some kind of play-doh. But it's awesome!! The links to things i've made are down in my etsy mini at the bottom of my page. But I've read that a pasta machine is a great tool for making things with clay.

One of these:
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i224/tigerlily100/FOR%20SALE/SOLD/PastaMachineforClay.jpg

I saw one at Hobby Lobby today, but it was $25. I figured I could find one for a little cheaper. I wanted to do a little bit more research on it before i spent my money on it, this is what I found...

Pasta machines are used to condition clay. It turns the clay into flat, even sheets so that there is consistency in the clay. It makes the clay easier to work with instead of trying to condition it and soften it with your hands. neato :)

Got the info from this site: http://www.jaedworks.com/clayspot/polyclay-faq/pasta-machine.html

Well, i'm off to play around in the forums!

new to this :)

2008-03-19T12:21:00.001-07:00

I'm new at this whole blogging thing, but i figured this would be a good way to promote my shop and my craft a little more :) planning on posting friday, hopefully with some pictures of things i'll be working on :)