Raggedy Ann in Makin's Clay® by Amanda Phillips

It's Raggedy Ann all dressed up in our Makin's Clay® shoes!

Hello and Welcome again, Amanda Phillips here.  Today is the showing of our baby in Mary Janes...AND it is none other than Raggedy Ann!!! Okay yeah, it is my 'homage to her in CLAY!!! MAKINS CLAY®!!! Can you believe it? "Sigh" I love her!!!

I used a full 120g package of Peach to sculpt her and textured her with the very gloves that I cut and used as her socks and pockets!! This gave her face a material texture. Her hair was made with the Ultimate Clay Extruder™. She is a total of 9 1/2" tall. HOW FUN!

The outfit was right from my grandma's handbook of how to sew dolly clothes. And our little shoes shown earlier! MORE FUN! 

Come on over to my blog to see some more details of my baby Raggedy Ann doll.

Mary Janes for Your Doll by Amanda Phillips

Makin's Clay® Mary Janes for Your Doll 

Designed by Amanda Phillips 

Hello and welcome to another day of clay fun here at the Makin's Clay® blog!                            

Today I can share a little bit of my history.  As I have written before here, in magazines, and on my blog about how my grandmother dressed bisque/porcelain and china dolls from around the world for many people around the world and in doing so there are patterns that became standard from just about the beginning of the invention of the shoe.  The normal baby shoe pattern is the same no matter where you go.  The fun, truly FUN, part was trying to make these out of Makin's Clay® - which seems perfectly suited for the job!  Also, in a later post, I will show you my wee lil baby shoes in action...and I'll have some fun shoes later in the year to share as well!

Supplies: 

Makin's Clay® - Black - 1/4 of a of 120g package 

Makin's® Ultimate Clay Machine™
Makin's Professional® Clay Tools Kit 

Plastic wrap or wax paper

Craft knife

Super Glue gel ( I use this due to scent free) Some of us with lung issues are safer this way.

Instructions:

Slightly flatten Black clay and begin rolling in Ultimate Clay Machine™ - start with setting #1, then #2, then end on #3.

Set machine to setting #4 and place texture item you have chosen to texture with (I chose a piece of black cardstock)

Roll clay through.

Place textured clay on cutting mat and place pattern over
your clay....(find the pattern here on my blog) make space to turn pattern over to cut second shoe. This will create both left and right.

When shoes are cut, while clay is still moist, start to bend tabs and shape shoe. Use the medium Ball point tip out of your Makin's Professional® tools to help shape your toe.

Feel free to go ahead and start glueing your shoe together.  Know that you risk some "wonkiness" as the drying process proceeds. Please expect minimal shrinkage, (I like wonkie so this worked for me!)

Feel free to sand and trim shoes to your liking. Quick tip..If you wanted to get fancy placing a hole punch in the top area could make sweet little flowers on your Mary Janes.

There you have it!  I cannot wait to show you who is wearing my little Mary Janes in my next post!

Green Reptilian Chandelier Earrings by Amanda Phillips

Green Reptilian Chandelier Earrings  

By Amanda Phillips

Supplies:

Makin's Clay® - 4 colors #32003 Multi Color 120g

green/black/white and a mixture of green and yellow or blue -These can be any colors you like, Get crazy and have fun with this! 

3/16"  & 1/16"  "standard hole punch"

5/8" & &  7/8" Paper circle punches

35001 Makin's® Roller & Cutters set

35203 Makin's® Square Cutting Mat L

2 earrings findings

8 seed beads

2- 4mm bicone beads

8- ball head pins

4- lg oval jump rings

6-med oval jump rings

2 beads

2 sm round jump rings

Instructions:

Using half of each individual bar of clay roll out to 1/8" thickness.  Stack all your clay and proceed rolling these together making sure to adhere layers to one another.

Place netting material over the clay...This can be fabric store netting/vegetable bag from the store, screen, or a old sock. All works well and the texture turns out to always be a amazing surprise!

I tried to add a link for you to see the possibilities over at my blog.  Link: http://oldenough2beakid.blogspot.com/2016/02/green-reptilian-chandelier-earrings.html

Place netting over clay and proceed to roll some more.
I felt as if my clay was getting to thin so I would cut pieces off and add them to the stack. That gave me a even MORE amazing result! EEK!  Roll clay until it is back at about 1/8" or less and allow to dry 24 hours. Remember: always turn clay over to ensure even drying on both sides. 

Check pictures below, making sure (especially) with smaller beads to punch smaller holes first and work your way out to larger. This allows for less clay to become stuck in your tools. (see picture)

Now assemble your beautiful earrings.

Here is one of my favorite sites to learn and play:

http://www.allfreejewelrymaking.com/Monthly-Jewelry-Favorites/Top-100-DIY-Jewelry-Patterns-How-to-Make-Bracelets-Necklaces-Earrings-and-More

Plum Reptilian Clutch by Amanda Phillips

Design Team Member Amanda Phillips recently shared this amazing handbag made entirely of Makin's Clay® here on her blog.   Makin's Clay® is perfect for making fashion accessories like this one - apply a sealant and they are weather resistant!

Pannier #3 By Amanda Phillips

Design Team Member Amanda Phillips recently shared her creative "Pannier #3" project here on her blog.  Amanda used Makin's Clay® and the Ultimate Clay Extruder™ to create her delicate miniature hoop skirts.

Bird in a Cage Bottle of Hope by Amanda Phillips

Bird in a Cage Bottle of Hope 

Designed by Amanda Phillips 

Hello and Welcome! 

Amanda here today sharing with you my contribution to our Makin's Clay® Bottle of Hope program.

Note - Here is a bit more information about what Bottles of Hope are - Makin's Clay® is proud to have our designers supporting this worthy effort through the creation of Bottles of Hope featuring Makin's Clay®.  

Bottles of Hope are small glass bottles covered with polymer clay and given to cancer patients. They symbolize a wish and a hope for health.  This project was started in 1999 by a Rhode Island cancer survivor and has spread internationally. Bottles are made by artists, students, survivors, seniors and many more who volunteer their time and love.   Learn more about this worthwhile project, see a gallery of many creative bottles and more here on their website. 

Supplies:

Bottle of your choosing (cleaned and thoroughly dry)

Makin's Clay® - Black 4.2 oz (you will only need 1/3 of this package - Makin's Clay® just  lasts and lasts!), Terra Cotta 4.2oz. (1/8 of the package here)

Light Adobe from Earth Tones set 

Makin's® Ultimate Deluxe Extruder set and disc# 1,3,11,12 

Makin's® Clay Cutter

Charms of your choosing, I used a little brass bird that I used nail polish to paint blue and a jewelry pin to hang it by my cap. Also the hope charm.

Beacon™ 527 Adhesive   

Scissors

Instructions for Cage:

Roll back clay in Makin's® Ultimate Clay Machine to setting #3.

Place bottle on rolled clay, and with your cutter cut around the bottom of your bottle leaving a 1/8" space around the edge so that as the clay dries it will stay close to the size of your bottle.

Using your Ultimate Clay Extruder™, extrude black clay using #12 disc and measuring the circumference of your bottle, be sure to extrude that plus 8". Cut and let dry. 

Extrude black clay using #11 disc and again extrude the circumference plus 5" . Cut and let that dry. 

Insert #3 disc, measure the height of your jar plus 1" x 12; extrude black clay for those pieces. I ended up extruding 12 seven inch pieces for mine. Lay all these out to dry being sure to flip for even drying.  Normal drying time is 24 hours, but these fine pieces will take much less time to dry. 

After they have dried, place bottom piece under jar and cut or sand away any uneven edges. Now to the edge of your bottom, glue your # 12 strip around the bottom. Be mindful to apply glue so it does not show too much. Now making sure your jar sits snug in your bottom snip the tip off your #3 tubes and place evenly around your bottle.  You only need glue these to the top of the bottom strip (see pic) After all are placed use your # 11 strip and wrap and glue around. Now glue the remaining to the top to secure (see picture).

I wrapped the remaining #12 strip and made a stopper to place the jewelry pin and birdie in bottle. 

Instructions for Nest: 

Using terra cotta clay, extrude a minimal of 3- 12" pieces with the # 1 disc...depending on your bird cage size..my little nest here is only about 3/4 of an inch. Be sure to extrude more as you determine your nest size. Allow to dry. Tie your strings and then loop back on themselves in a big ole mess. It's a birds nest you can't do this wrong. (see pics)

My little eggs were made from Light Adobe clay from the Earth Tones set with a bit of speckling done with a marker.   Mount the eggs to the nest and mount to the top of the coiled clay stopper.  Add twine bow and HOPE charm. 

Gnome Christmas Diorama Memory Frame Kit by Amanda Phillips

Gnome Christmas Diorama Memory Frame Kit

Designed by Amanda Phillips 

Hello Amanda here, today I get to share my project created by the Makin's Clay® Memory Frame Kit™ - “Gnome Christmas”!

Supplies:

·       #35304 Makin's® Memory Frame Kit™

          Makin's Clay®: you will need 120g pkg. of Brown, Black, Green, Red, White 

·       Makin's® Texture Sheet sets A&D

·       Makin's® Push Mold - Christmas Nature

·       Makin's® Professional™ Tool Kit (double ended assembly handles) Dot end Mushroom dots/Round flow to tuck mushroom stems to mushroom tops

·       Makin's® Ultimate Clay Machine™

·       Accent paper and Ephemeral paper of choice

·       Edge punch again your choice

·       4 feet, I used 1 ½” wooden balls painted with acrylic paint

·       Blue Moon metallic bead hammered out flat

·       Drawer handle

·       Dremel tool to make holes for handle

·       Any small wee miniature item you mind find premade (wagon) radio flyer for me and the Merry Christmas sign.

·       1 yard of matching seambinding for outer ribbon

·       1’ twine for presents

·       Die cutting machine

·       Pine Tree die

·       Handful of moss from the floral department

·       1 Jar Flower soft (snowy white)

·       Acrylic paint White,Red,Black

·       Adhesive, I use super glue and 3M all purpose or Aleenes clear here.   You will be working very close to your project and a strong smelling glue is not recommended.

·       Glossy Accents

Instructions:

First open your Frame kit box and remove all the little handy dandy mats and extra plexi from frame.  Be sure to follow instructions here so as to not damage your kit.

Drill holes to match your handle on top of your project. I used my kit horizontally but it would just as sweet vertically.

Cut all papers to fit both inside and out being sure to watch for space to slide the main Plexi glass back. Glue to your frame kit.

Paint your feet and glue to frame kit.

Add handle.

Now as seen in step out photos, shape several little stems for your mushrooms in white clay…I had so much fun with this because the challenge was to see how eeny weeny I could make them!

Taking your red clay, make tops to match, I used the tool kit tools to help with this, making a good pointy indent to fit together as I glued them.  Let these parts dry them adhere with super glue.

I took a small piece of packing tape and set the assembled mushrooms on it. This allowed me to paint the tops with our dot point (tool kit) little white dots. Paint dots.

For a shiny mushroom I used a wee bit of glossy accents.

Mix a nickel size ball of white and black together to form gray.

Now take gray and add a quarter size ball off black and white and mix to a marble.

Press into texture mold set A cobblestone using setting 3 on your Ultimate Clay Machine™.  Now you have a Cobblestone sheet.

Take same amounts of brown and black clay mix to a marble and press into texture plate Set D woodgrain with Ultimate Clay Machine™on setting 3. Now you have a Timber sheet.

I allowed the textured clay to partly dry on the texture sheet itself for easy removal.

Take Red, and Green clays using  Christmas Nature push mold and make 12 holly leaves and 4 small

poinsettias and 2 large. Place on cutting mat to dry.

The fun trick with a push mold is to press the smallest amount of clay needed in the mold “sorta smear it in” this allows for your clay to dry and curl looking more natural and easier to trim neat.

Take rest of green clay and run through your Ultimate Clay Machine™ to a setting of 4.

Allow all to dry.  Place your green clay sheet in your die cutter and cut a tree. Use a small amount of your Timber sheet to make trunk.

Take extra clay and make a few little boxes to be presents.

Allow all clay to dry for 24 hours.

Remove timber sheets and take advantage of the torn sides, they make excellent forest floor roots.

Roll the clay to look like a tree stump and glue .

After making all the tree stump you want, I wanted to match my ephemeral sheet fence so I rolled small logs and glued like the fence in picture.

Measuring how I wanted my little cobble stone walks I trimmed my sheet accordingly for all 3 windows. Glue walks in.

Glue in tree,

Assemble poinsettias and holly to make 3 clusters for your top accents. (see photo).

Assemble and glue in all your little forest pieces into your frame kit taking your time to choose what you think looks best.  Again I used my ephemeral sheet to guide me. Don’t forget to place moss as well using sparingly as it is winter.

Now take clear all-purpose glue and with place

where you want flower soft aka SNOW. Dust your piece and leave to dry overnight. In the morning turn over in trash can emptying the extra snow.

Place plexi glass sheet over your village, tie on your ribbon and enjoy what you have created!!!

A Wee Gnome by Amanda Phillips

Today Design Team Member Amanda Phillips is sharing her adorable wee little gnome made with Makin's Clay®.  She's got a truly "natural" feel, but we think this cute little art doll would also make an adorable Winter gnome for your Christmas tree!

We just discovered this wee one has a even "wee-er" little sister here on Amanda's blog! 

Mother Nature in Clay by Amanda Phillips - Makin's Clay® Featured in Just Steampunk Magazine

Design Team Member Amanda Phillips created this lovely mixed-media home decor piece featuring birds eggs made with Makin's Clay®.  This piece is one of many on our Pinterest Boards to inspire your creativity -  and was recently published in Just Steampunk! magazine.   Congratulations Amanda!