Steampunk Jewellery Workshop

Hurah, it's here at last, a one off extravaganza of fabulous neo-victorian steampunk jewelry making.

It's going to be a great weekend, 22nd/23rd May 2010 - starting with some polymer clay techniques (including how to make your own millfiori cog cane!) and then continuing onto working with filligree and vintage items, distressing and aging, cleaning and shining! resin, shrinkplastic, stamping, riveting, and so much more!!!

Each participant will recieve a fabulous steampunk starter pack created specially for us by The Altered Element, and is encouraged to bring additional vintage and broken jewellery and watch/clock pieces to re-create into gorgeous things.

Places are very, very limited so do be sure and book soon.
To book your place you need to contact Joan Gordon (editor of Making Jewellery magazine) on 07549 5225753 or by email jg.makingjewellery@googlemail.com
hope to see you there...

You can tell I've been busy!!!

I've been so busy since Christmas I've had no time to blog! How shocking. I shall now try to remedy that with one huge post, jam pack full of the exciting things I've been doing...

First up on the Jewellery front...I've now had 3 front covers for Making Jewellery Magazine ;) Two more since Christmas, including the current issue, March which showcases my Polymer Clay Tulip Tiles. These are really, really sweet, and bound to make you feel like spring is on the way...

I've also got a full on steampunk article in Aprils issue of Craft Stamper coming up, with details of how to make a working cogamascope, using the stunning new stamps from Ink and the Dog

Talking of spring I was hoping to get to Spring CHS international today and say Hi to Tim Holtz and other fab crafty people, but when I woke up there was snow everywhere - at least a foot deep! Hopefully it'll clear by tomorrow or tuesday and I can pop down then instead...

I'm also halfway through my new book "Steampunk Jewelry" (or Steampunk Jewellery for those
in England...) which I'm writing for North light books. It's going to be fantastic - I'm very excited...

I also went down to Oxford history of Science Museum to the Steampunk Exibition at last. We had a great day out in full costume with all the other "mannequins" who had volunteered to be Steampunk statues for the day.

It was lots of fun and the science museum is absolutely incredible...full of beautiful artefacts like orrories. The Steampunk exhibition was certainly perfectly suited to the museum, although it's overall portrayal of the Steampunk genre was a very narrow one, I felt.

I finished the gorgeous Tudor wedding gown I'd been working on over Christmas too... It looked absolutely stunning, and the bride was thrilled. It is entirely silk, with the most exquisite silk brocade front panel and petticoat opening. I hand embroidered the top edge with Elizabethan goldwork, including real pearls and garnets too.

It's very much "The Tudors" rather than historically acurate Tudor. The sleeves are completely separate, the strapless bodice is fully boned and comes over the hip, the skirt is held in correct sillhoutte by a farthingale and petticoat.

I've also been very busy on the teaching and workshop front - I've been creating replicas of my exquisite original late victorian corsets for "Foundations Revealed" including patterns and step by step instructions on how to re-create them yourself.

Although they are both from roughly the same date they are so different, the first (in gold) is just one fabric layer, with exquisite shaping and godets - it's a factory made Charles Bayer corset. The second is a gorgeous corded corset, very similar to Symingtons "pretty housemaid" I had lots of fun working out how they were originally made as you can see on the site...

I taught workshops all through January and February too, including one for some wonderful Swiss girls who came over to Nottingham to learn corsetry, I also had visitors from Ireland and Wales in the studio in January, and what a fun, well travelled group of students they were...

I will soon be announcing details of a super exclusive special Steampunk Jewellery Workshop - so watch this space ;0

Making Jewellery Issue9

These polymer clay pendants were inspired by Donna Katos techniques in "surface Design" I combined a few of them, added my own twists and voila! They shine like stained glass - and could be just perfect for Christmas presents...

If you'd like to learn the details of how to make them, using normal polymer clay and liquid clay, they are featured in this months Making Jewellery Magazine

Mmmmmm, must put "more polymer clay" on my Christmas list...

Craft Stamper

Januarys issue of Craft Stamper is now in the shops with a lovely steampunk/altered art pocket watch project from Yours Truly. It's a little bit Mad Hatter, a little bit Rococo and all Steampunk!

Here's a little sneak preview of the main project - if you want to see more you'll just have to look in this most excellent magazine!

I have another awesome steampunk project in the magazine next year so watch out for that one too!

Making Jewellery Issue 8

My projects for this months Making Jewellery Magazine are a sweet origami star necklace made from christmas wrapping paper, and a special polymer clay Christmas bauble bracelet with a huge sparkly crystal and Vintaj wrapped clasp - you know how much I love my polymer clay!

The bauble project didn't photograph particularly well in the magazine - the original bracelet and my own photograph is much brighter in colour and sparkle!

I chose lovely bronze and gold steampunk colours with dark reds and purples and flashes of pale mint green - a colour combination I love!

Oh and if you missed my cover project last month with the art silver and polymer clay spacers, combined with purple and turquoise swarovski crystals, then Making Jewellery have thoughtfully provided it as this months on-line tutorial! check it out .

My sister is the usual recipe sharerer in the family but I made some pumpkin pie muffins this weekend that were just soooooo delicious I felt I should share them with you.

They were so good I even had to eat one off my best china... The frosting was hubbys idea as I had a pot in the fridge left over from the cupcake styling on the burlesque photo shoot. I wouldn't dream of buying this type of icing normally - but oh boy!!!

I don't know what sparked my mad muffin desire - perhaps these gorgeous polymer clay cupcakes I've been seeing everywhere.. these polymer clay miniatures are from Christal Jensen and are absolutely gorgeous! She has a dvd you can buy too on how to create them ;)

But as I haven't got round to making polymer clay ones yet, and there just happened to be some pumpkin in the freezer I was defrosting.....

Anyway here's the recipie..

1 and a half pints pumpkin puree (mine was frozen in junks -I just defrosted in microwave, cooked for a minute in microwave, drained off the water and whizzed through the blender...)
1 tablespoon black treacle (mollasses) mmmmm
8 oz soft brown sugar
4 fluid oz melted butter
2 eggs
7 fluid oz milk

Mix that all together in the food processor or by hand till nice and blended - don't overdo it though.

10 oz plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
4 oz rougly chopped pecans
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinamon
1 tsp mixed spice

To finish - a bit of cinnamon sugar (optional)
Betty Crocker Vanilla Frosting

Sift and mix all the dried things in a separate bowl thoroughly. then add the wet mixture and mix roughly - just blend the ingredients, don't go wild and over beat it.

Spoon into 12 large muffin cases, sprinkle a little cinamon sugar on the top and bake in a gas mark 6 (200 C) oven for 20 -25 mins

Either eat warm as they are or let cool and then swirl frosting on the top....

Making Things

I pulled a weird muscle in my chest this week and couldn't move much, so I've been mainly writing magazine articles and experimenting with jewellery techniques. I've also had a bit of an
etsy frenzy and put a lot of new things in the shop.

Then I saw the state of the dining table and decided I really ought to have a tidy up. Whenever I'm on an artistic roll I just can't bear to put things away -one random thing will often spark up another idea, However I can never find the tool or stamp I need, as it's usually being sat on by the cat or bunny....

I tend to do most jewellery and polymer clay at home, keeping the Nottingham studio free for the big frocks and teaching, it means I can easily fit chores in around baking polyclay in the oven or waiting for glue to dry. I can also have a browse on t'internet for inspiration...

Speaking of which these are my attempts on some of Christy Friesons peppermint twist beads - I love her work so much but her swirls and things never look like octopuses, sigh... perhaps it was the blue colour...mine have come out just a little bit too like cthulu...

I had a go at some Halloween candy canes too with a steampunk edge - these are now available in my shop and I'll do a tutorial too, I used Donna Kato's candy stripe technique as a base then got a bit carried away with cogs and gears and rust. I know candy canes are christmassy too but I just felt like doing some purple and orange ones...Candy canes are such fun but I can't say I like the taste particularly, I'm more of a chocolate girl. Polymer clay ones are much better;)

I used a bit of iridescent powder and some liquid clay as glaze to make them really shine at the top swirl. The steampunky bits were dusted with metal powder and then grunged with acrylics. Then I popped them back in the oven to set.

My First Cover Project!

I'm very excited as today sees my first magazine project to make a full cover! Making Jewellery Issue 7.

It's a very fabulous 5 strand victorian necklace with swarovski crystals and pearls. The article shows you how to make the gorgeous spacers from silver metal and polymer clays. Obviously there is a little steampunkiness in there - the pattern I emboss on the turquoise clay is teeny cogs and gears, subtle but steamy!

I've also got another article in that issue, a write up of the fabulous Helen Cox's Polymer Clay Play Days I wrote about earlier in the year. The dates for 2010 are already up on the website and places are selling fast!

As if that wasn't all enough! In a fabulous double whammy, the first article I've written for "Craft Stamper" is also out now.
You can just see the pendants on the top left hand corner of the front cover. Two front covers! As you can tell, I am inordinately excited about this...

There's more pretty steampunk in this project too, the polymer clay is stamped with cogs and overlaid with delicious rose millfiori (from the lovely Marcia) theres some on line content too for tags and cards made with corset stamps and stuff.... I'm going to do more articles for Craft St
amper too - the editor Katy is just so lovely!

These pendants are also going on sale soon in my Etsy shop soon, so do mark it as a favourite in your etsy list!

from Polymer Clay to Fabric!

I've been experimenting with polymer clay for a while now in my Steampunk-style jewelry, creating beautiful textures and layers with stamps, millfiori etc.

One day I was showing my muse/friend Lyssa my latest piece, when she said "Oh that would make such a beautiful decal for my nails". Lyssa has lovely nails and regularly adorns them with spectacular patterns and motifs. It got me thinking though, as well as decals, why not fabric?

How beautiful would it be to have a corset or waistcoat from custom steampunk style fabric? So I set about finding somewhere to print it!
I just took a photo of my polymer clay slab, tweaked it and cropped it in photoshop and saved a 300dpi jpg. The polymer clay is on the left, the fabric on the right of the photo!

Spoonflower were by far the easiest (and cheapest) net based company - you can upload and play with designs online, automatically "tiling" your image in a number of ways. Then order cottons by the meter, all from their user friendly website. Despite coming from the US, my fabric arrived incredibly quickly, and looked stunning! It's so nice to be able to just get a meter or so rather than a whole roll of a custom fabric!

Then I made the polymer clay slab into pendants and pins to match the fabric ;0 watch this space for the custom corsets!

2nd European Polymerclay Play Days Weekend

Oh my goodness, I have just had the best weekend ever! Huge cheers for Helen Cox who organized it absolutely beautifully. Considering there were over 15 nationalities represented I can't believe how well everyone comunicated and how extremely well planned everything was.

There was a wonderful selection of workshops and 6 inspiring internationally acclaimed tutors, I made loads of incredibly cool stuff, learnt new techniques and met loads of like minded lovely polyclay enthusiasts! What more could you possibly ask for?

These are the things I made in the workshops. I learned so much, not least of which was how to condition Kato clay , to which I am now a complete convert.

I made lots of new friends, particulary Lone from Norway, Valerie and Craig from Scotland and Sue from just down the road! Valerie teaches poly clay oop north and had loads of really great advice, as well as a tool for everything (and many spare ones to share!) Lone and I were both totally blown away by Iris Mishlys workshop and had to be forcibly stopped from making flower canes and pillow beads for the rest of the weekend!


It was also wonderful to meet my polyclay heroine, Donna Kato, whose books and work have inspired be for many years, I had a great class with her and also managed to get an interview which will hopefully get a print in Making Jewellery soon.

On the last evening we had a party and all swapped beads we'd made specially, this is my haul! aren't they totally gorgeous? Every single one a work of art from a poly clay student, usually scattered all around europe!

Poly clay play days!

See, I said I'd be inspired....

yes these are my gorgeous tulips recreated in polymer clay. I'm off to a workshop with Donna Kato polymer clay queen and other awsome tutors in a couple of weeks, and I'm just sooo excited!

Polymer clay is deeply underated and misunterstood here in the Uk soI do my best to share the amazing things that can be done with it!

These little tiles are made from tiny slices of millfiori canes, (created by me) of my favourite tulips, oh and a bit of forget me not for contrast... all placed on a spring green background!

Steampunk Article in Making Jewellery

Hurah! It's out at last, the lovely 2nd issue of Making Jewellery - featuring a project, by me, of a steampunk watch and also a mini article (also by me, suprise suprise) on the rise of steampunk...

The articles came out really well, and the magazine is really modern and exciting - lots of good articles and hopefully lots more to come!

polymer clay cruise

O.K. This is my idea of heaven. A whole cruise dedicated to playing with clay and living in the lap of luxury, who could ask for anything more? Polymer Paradise Clay Cruise.... leaves from New Orleans on April 19th 2008 and sails to the carribean. Without me. Hmmm, maybe I could stow away, sigh.

Easter weekend Polymer clay extravaganza!

Just had a great time playing with clay and creating my entries for the bead and button magazine "bead dreams" competition. I'm really please with the objects d'art but it's the first time i've entered anything for competition so we'll see...

I used kato clay liquid medium on some pieces, which is awsome, by far the most transparent liquid clay on the market, really good viscosity too, no air bubbles and a wonderful smooth finish, as you can see by the piece on the right. I shall definitely be using it again! Donna Kato's new book The art of polymer clay surface techniques...is awsome as well, very inspirational for those serious about clay!

New Article in Beads & Beyond

I was pleased to see my latest article looking very pretty in the April edition of Beads & Beyond. It was a commission to promote the "Egyptian Treasures" competition in the magazine, the prize is a trip to the Tutankhamen Exhibition at the O2 center in London.

The gorgeous artifacts are well worth a visit, although I've been told they don't actually have the original king Tut sarcophagus in the exhibition...I was fortunate enough to see it at the Cairo Museum whilst on honeymoon and it was deemed just too priceless to be allowed out of Egypt!

The article is called"Egyptian Treasures: Jewellery set inspired by the scarabs and gems of Egypt", and uses polymer clay as well as some gorgeous beads from my stash! I took molds from some of the smaller sculpty scarabs I made ages ago, and made them up to look like pure burnished gold, adding a bunny in faux-jade as a centre piece. The rabbit, in Egyptian hieroglyphics, means 'no'. Any excuse for bunnies :)

Polymer Clay at Claires Beautiful Beadshop

What a busy week! I've just finished leading a polymer clay workshop in the newly opened Belper store, Claires Beautiful Beads which was lots of fun. Everyone made wonderful things, it's always great to see how different things look when individuals bring their own taste in color and style to a project... we did millfiori, photocopy transfers and a few faux precious stone effects too. Not bad for an evenings 'play' :)

I'm off tomorrow to Stafford College to teach millinery to the HND students. we're doing "fascinators" loads of feathers and net, perhaps some Dior roses and ribbon manipulation, we need to pull out all the stops for their end of year fashion show! It's a great opportunity for the students to ask all those questions about working as a designer in "the real world".

It's a very tough and competitive world in the creative arts, no matter what area you want to go into. You have to be really focused and extremely hard-working to be successful. More so now than ever...