I'm a little teapot short and stout

Check out my latest tutorial on how to make a copper tea pot out of a baby food jar!Yes. I have yet another project for baby food jars. I know I need to think of something else, but this one is super cute and really can be adapted to fit any jar you have ready for trash.

This time, I am using Polymer clay again. It's a little more complicated but imperfection works well in this example.
First things first, You will need:
1. A baby food jar or something comparable
2. One pack of polymer clay
3. A pasta roller (for polymer clay only) or a clay roller
4. A cutting utensil. I used a blade specifically for clay
5. Mica Powder in copper
6. Translucent Liquid Sculpey for added extra strength to attaching larger parts.

Step 1. Condition your clay. I used pink and ran it through my pasta roller several times. It's thickness should be about 3 mm or a little thicker for durability.

Step 2. roll your clay in a long strip and roll it onto your glass. Cut off excess clay and blend in the seems. You can cover the threads of the jar, you will not need to screw your lid on for this project. Cover it all. This par will be the most time consuming. Keep in mind it doesn't have to be perfect. Copper pots, usually have lots of dings and imperfections. You may develop air bubbles. The best way to handle this is to try to work the bubbles out of an opening. If there is no escape for bubble, poke a small hole with a pin and force the air out and seal it back up with your finger.

Step 3. Roll another square of clay out with the same thickness and If you have your baby food jar lid, stamp it out to make a bottom cover for your pot. Blend in the seems. Rest your pot from this point on upside down. The clay on the bottom of your pot will stick to your surface and ruin the work you just did.

Step 4. Roll four balls out of the remainder of your clay. Three larger ones and one very small ball.

Step 5. Roll a snake out of one of the larger balls. This will be your handle. I used a very small minuscule amount of the liquid sculpey to attach the bottom half of the handle and I can't mush it down like the top.

Step 6. Roll another snake. This one a bit a bit fatter. This will be your spout. If it's too long use your cutting utensil and slice on an angle for a better fit. don't forget to poke a hole the size of a pea in your spout to look realistic. Attach the spout, again with a minuscule amount of liquid sculpey and blend in the seems.

Step 7. Roll out last large ball and completely cover your lid. Cut off excess clay

Step 8. Your last small ball of clay, will be your lid handle. Form a snake and make a sharp u shape. Press it firmly onto your lid. Liquid Sculpey is not necessary here, but add it if you'd like.

Step 9. Add your artistic elements and embellishments. I used a stamp here, that I got a while back from a  Donna dewberry collection of something I can't remember. I brushed the mica powder lightly on the stamp and pressed it onto my pot. The mica acts like a baby powder to prevent sticking. At this point I added little joints and rivets characteristic of a typical copper pot.

Step 9. Dust your pot with copper colored mica powder.  There are safety warnings with using this medium so please be careful and take precautions as suggested.
Step 10. Bake your pot according to package directions. In this case, I like to place my piece in the oven while it heats to 230 degrees on a wooden plank over a cookie sheet I never use for baking. I wait 15 minutes after it reaches it's goal temperature and then turn off the oven and let the piece sit until it's cool enough to handle.

Step 11. optional. You can leave it as is or you can add oxidization. Which I prefer. You will need a minuscule amount of black, green, and blue acrylic paint, brush, dry paper towel and a damp paper towel. Using a dry brush..no water. dab your brush into all three colors and work it in your brush. Then apply the brush to the rivets and imperfections of the pot. This will bring out the stamped design really well. Take your dry paper towel and rub it off. If not enough comes off then use your damp paper towel to wipe off more if needed. it all depends on your style.

So, another piece of trash turned into something resembling an antique! Let me know how yours turned out!

Finished Product!

Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Inspired of course.

My new piece "Belle" I did last week. I like her. Although she was a little fussy with her dress. She was fun to make. I am starting on a new one today. Pretty soon, I will be done with the Disney Princess thing. I am already planning on a Movie of the 20's era. It's gonna be cool. Belle is available on Etsy as I write this.

Fairy Tale Memory Tray Project

On one of my many trips to Hobby Lobby, I spent a great amount of time wishing I could do something interesting with charms that I found in the jewelry isle. Being as that I am not one to wear jewelry that often or make it for that matter, I left the jewelry isle sad and defeated.

I do this often with several isles as I admire the things to use, but have a lack of imagination to use them.

Until one day!

The call of my people, 50% The Paper Studio items. I finally got that cute memory tray that has no purpose really but to display papers and pictures.

On the side, there was a few packs of the Artist Trading Cards that were 50% off as well. "heritage"

I took a cue from the ideas and decided to look again in the jewelry isle. Would you believe that they had the "Fairy Tale" by Bead Treasures for 50% off as well?  

It was meant to be. 

I gathered all the ones I loved the most and I even found a few different ones on the clearance rack. Never forget the clearance rack. 

EVER!

So I picked up a pad of papers I liked that I thought went well with my vision. 

Jodie Lee Designs "Nature Garden" Collection Very pretty romantic designs. 

I love paper like I love a cupcake. 

seriously.

So here is the loot. 

I had a few pieces from different places that I wanted to add such as the wooden cut chandelier, clock pieces, and a necklace I got of a mermaid from the "sparkle girls" booth at the comic con. 

With this project I needed a paper cutter and a bottle of the magic goo.

This was the most time consuming part. Cutting and gluing. 

I used the Artist Trading Cards in the appropriate sized slots. I cut up papers in smaller sizes from the paper pack. 

I waited over night to let it dry. I don't Mod Podge over it.

 Maybe I will later. 

Then the task of cutting out all the charms from the cards. 

it took forever.

The I used 

E6000 Glue to attach the charms to the little divided boxes. 

I didn't have enough. 

I bought more. 

Then I found some keys. 

I still have some spots open. 

This can grow a little as I collect things. 

The theme was Fairy Tales. My favorite symbols of the Fairy Tales I used to read. The charms from this brand are so cute. I couldn't help it. 

This is how it turned out. 

I added a little bling and paint to the chandelier. You can't really see it, but I spritzed a "glimmer mist" on the black keys to add a little extra somethin'.

I love this. It makes me happy. There is so much more you could possibly do with this item. Go get one. The sale is almost over and they have them in white and bigger box slots. 

Go. Hobby Lobby.

cinderella

As with all the things I do in life, it begins with an accident or at least an unintended purpose. I have lots of clay, but I got discouraged with making mermaids because I decided I need to raise the bar, and I am currently learning what processes I can take to make that happen. Plus, I have very thin skin and when I get negative comments, I take them to heart. Wrong business right?

Anyway, I still have chapters of messy lists of future pieces that I want to do. But I need to cleanse the pallet and do a little something different. I usually find some nice little crafty project to distract me. I have a ton. It's getting ridiculous. Oh. and I have a family and a home and a dog maintain.

Anyhoo....

I've been making "chibi" version of my Disney princesses. Why? because Disney stuff makes me happy and I love girly stuff. So, here is my two latest. I am beginning a new one tonight.

 Oops. I can't find my pic of Rapunzel. that will come later. I need to fill my belly with cereal and pick out some random hair out of my little one's silly putty. 

Face-up a doll. My experience so far.

I am a YouTube junkie. I have used it for learning how to change the light bulbs in my car to learning new painting techniques. My favorite thing at the moment is watching "Face Ups". An art form that has me glued to the computer. Basically, it's changing the face of a doll into something entirely different.

It's not as easy as it seems. Wiping the face and applying new paint is not all what you imagine. I learn best by following along. So, I bought a monster high doll from Walmart. I tried to remove the makeup with my nail polish remover. It was nearly impossible. I just ended up with a smeared mess. I got pure acetone and in seconds it was gone. However you cannot use Acetone on the body of a doll because it's a different material. The doll heads are a resin and can withstand the harshness of acetone. the body is plastic and starts to melt at the slightest touch of acetone. So I had to tape up the doll tight to avoid ruining the body.

The Monster High Dolls are greatly painted with serious makeup. Underneath it all, it's a beautiful face in no need of such harsh lines and garish designs.

I can't say that I succeeded. I managed to get a face on her that I liked however it was exceptionally difficult to draw on the face even after I sprayed a matte sealant. In these videos, there is specific paints and sealants they use which are apparently Japanese. You can buy them online. the ones I had were claiming to be matte and somehow I ended up with a dewy finish.

Like many of the artists, I tried using watercolor pencils. For me, they didn't work. I believe it was the sealant's fault. I used pastel pencils very carefully and it they worked. Also, brush on pastels and very fine brushes for detail work. Through this I learned about Gouache paints and how the artists use them. I am understanding the benefits, however I am still lost on my such a medium would be used on a doll. again I think it comes down to sealants.

I didn't change the hair like some of these other artists. I did change the dress into something I sewed together however I am not happy with it and won't bother keeping it on her. Funnily enough, the monster high dolls are so skinny that sewing a dress on them is hilariously impossible for me. I had an inch to work with.

I am not sure I will sell it. I may wipe her face and try again if I find a sealant worth using. So far, nothing I have works like I want it to.

Elsa inspired Chibi.

I love Disney.

I love Chibi.

I love Frozen.

I had fun making an Elsa Chibi Style.

I can go on forever making chibi's I think I might. At least for a while. It's certainly not original but it's oh so fun. I am not exactly sure if I am using the term chibi correctly. It's something small and tiny that usually lends itself to manga and other art forms similar.  This piece is 3 and a half inches tall. These kinds of pieces usually come much smaller. I have a habit of making things bigger than they should be. Being that it is just for fun, I was not hard on myself for slight imperfections. It's silly and cute and just a hint of what the character is which is the point.