The Art of Cane Work (Millefiore) written by Wyvern Designs

The Art Of Cane Work (Millefiore)

written by WyvernDesigns

I have always been intrigued by those polymer clay pieces that use thin slices of a intricately crafted polymer clay canes.  The technique was originally used in making glass making and is called millefiori, which , in Italian, means thousand flowers.  Pieces of this detailed glass work have been dated to  ancient Roman, Phoenician, and Alexanderian times.  The technique was lost by the 18th century but rediscovered sometime in the 19th century.

I don't know who first tried to reproduce those beautiful glass beads using polymer clay, but they were a genius.  The process is long and involved, using rods of conditioned polymer clay in a myriad of shapes, round, square, triangular, and so on.  These rods are then wrapped with thin sheets of polymer clay and stacked together to form one unit.

Once the image is completed, the entire piece is rolled, squeezed and manipulated  until it is the desired size.  The messy ends are cut off to reveal a miniature masterpiece inside!  Then, thin slices are cut and applied to the base piece of polymer clay.

I've tried my hand at making some polymer clay canes.  I have never been too successful.  Most of the time my slices get distorted, smeared or are of varying thickness and are useless for the project I envisioned.   I keep trying, though, because I am fascinated by the process.

Some of the polymer clay artists from the Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild on Art Fire have mastered this difficult technique.  Below are some pieces from those talented artists.

This Flat Modcane Pendant by Dream Weaver's Designs  is a wonderful example of the intricate pattern you can achieve using a relatively simple cane.

This Set of Purple Flowers on Yellow Clay Beads by Blue Morning Expressions  show the delicate beauty of these purple flowers using this intricate cane.

This Black and White Wine Bottle Stopper by Amy Crawley is made with extruded clay.  I'm not quite sure how that works, I'll have to research it, but it produces a bold and striking pattern.

Another piece using the extruding method is this lovely Red and White Extruded Rounds Necklace by Flower Child's Artsy Jewelry

 

These gorgeous Green Web and Orange Tigerlily Focal Beads by Art Makers Worlds  use the traditional method of cane making.

The Black and White Zentangle Cuff Bracelet by Second Sister At Moark Jewelry  fascinates me.  I just recently discover the Zentangle method and I am itching to try it, both on paper and in clay.

After seeing all these wonderful items, I suggest that everyone run out, buy some clay and start smooshing!

And be sure to stop by WyvernDesigns and check out all of her wonderful polymer clay creations!

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Check out the entries for the Smooshers Autumn Colors/ Halloween Challenge!

The entries are in for the Polymer Clay Smooshers Autumn Colors/ Halloween challenge!
From Illusion Everything we have this totally awesome set of 3 Lady Skeleton cabochons available in your choice of colors. 

 The largest measures 1 1/2" tall by 1 1/4" wide. The smaller 2 measure 3/4" tall by 1/2" wide and they would be great to add to your own bezels or just add a jump ring, ear wires and a chain for a delightfully spooky jewelry set!
Just Jewelry by Joan made these wonderful little Pandora Style Pumpkin beads.


These would be wonderful for any Fall jewelry you wanted to create!

Artmakers Worlds really outdid herself with this Halloween Green Bat Pincushion Clay Covered Tin.

   It's unique and decorative on it's own, but is also functional. 25 long, green pearl head pins are included in the tin.  The hands and feet even glow in the dark!
Her second entry is this Spooky Night polymer Clay Covered Pen and Pencil Holder.

It features a big full moon, a bare tree with an owl on the branch and bats flying on the other side. The moon and even the owls eyes are made with glow in the dark clay.

This Wicked Witch art doll from Fantasy Clay would make a fabulous Halloween decoration.


 She has a soft poseable body with polymer clay head, hands and feet and stands on her own. She has a black dress with lace details and a soft shawl. Her hair is Tibetan mohair and she stands 9 inches tall.

Second Sister at MoArk Jewelry created this Falling Leaves Whimsical Polymer Clay necklace.


 The pendant is made with polymer clay and colored turquoise nuggets. The 3-dimensional tree and the gemstones add a sense of depth to this piece. The picture this creates is a tree that has lost most of its colorful fall leaves which are lying around the tree base.

CreativeCritters entered two pieces.  This Halloween Black Cat Keepsake Tin is the Halloween entry.


The cute black cat is wearing a  witch's hat and has the insignia from the TV show Charmed on his chest in glow in the dark polymer clay.  The stars also glow, and glow in the dark powder has been added to the blue liquid clay on the lid.
This whimsical Autumn Dragon sculpture is the Autumn Colors entry.


The red and orange dragon is holding his collection of fallen leaves which have been sprinkled with gold glitter to add a bit of Autumn magic ;-)   The dragon measures 3 1/2 inches tall and would be a whimsical addition to your Fall decor.

So there you have it!  Lots of wonderful entries for this challenge!  And each of these items are available for sale- just click on the picture to be taken directly to the listing.  I want to thank everyone who entered this challenge, as well as everyone who has stopped by to check out these awesome handmade Halloween and Autumn creations :-)

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Collection of earrings for Autumn from the Polymer Clay Smooshers

Earrings for Autumn

   Curated By: DesertWindDes...

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

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The colors of Autumn from the Polymer Clay Smooshers

As summer winds down and the days begin to cool off my thoughts begin to wander towards the crisp days of Autumn.  I do love Autumn- the smell of the air changes, there's a bit of nip to the breeze in the evenings, and of course the colors of the leaves begin to change.  This will be my first Autumn in Prescott Arizona and I'm looking forward to seeing how it will be different from the Autumns in Ohio, which I've known all my life.  In the spirit of the change of seasons I wanted to showcase some of the beautiful Autumn creations from the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild.
This three leaf pendant from Amazing Designs is appropriately called Shades of Autumn.
  
This Autumn Teardrop pendant necklace from Flower Childs Artsy Jewelry shows off some of  the lovely colors of Autumn.
 
This Fall Mums candle holder from kkspolymerclyart showcases one of Autumn's most popular flowers.
 
This Autumn Colors pendant necklace from Sharp Art by Dawna was created using the Mokume Gane technique.
 I hope you enjoyed this sample of Autumn colors from the Smooshers!  Be sure to check out these shops and see all they have to offer!

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Delightful items from the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild

Smooshers Guild

   Curated By: Wyverndesigns

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

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We have a tie for the theme for the Smooshers next challenge!

This is a first, but we have a tie for the winning theme for our next Challenge! So you can choose between Halloween or Autumn Colors (or do an entry for each them, or mix the themes together).  The options are endless! 
For those of you who aren't familiar with the Smooshers Challenges let me tell you the rules.  In order to participate you need to have an active shop on ArtFire and be a member of the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild.  Participation is not mandatory, but it is a great way to bring in views and potential sales for your shop. 
You're allowed to enter 2 items, and they must incorporate polymer clay and be relevant to the theme.  You need to have them listed in your ArtFire shop by the deadline and then post the link to your entries in this thread:  http://www.artfire.com/guild_forums/view_thread/2061

There is no "winner" for these challenges, just the benefit of being promoted, the opportunity to show off your work, and the chance to try new things with polymer clay.  These Challenges are meant to be fun for everyone involved ;-)  I'll promote the Challenge and all the entries on the Smooshers blog, Facebook, the ArtFire forums, and YouYube.  It would be very beneficial if everyone else promoted the challenge as well, on whatever sites you use.  Even if you don't enter a piece or belong to the Smooshers guild, you can still support the guild by promoting the Challenge ;-)

The deadline for entries for the Halloween/ Autumn Colors Challenge is October 3rd, so that will give us a month to complete and list our entries.  If anyone has any questions,  just let me know. You can contact me through CreativeCritters by using the Contact Artisan link under my avatar.  Let's have fun with this! :-)

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Blog Roll- It's a Bug's Life!

I know it's been a while since I've posted here, and for that I must apologize.  I've been going through some personal issues, having problems with my hand (a very bad thing for a sculptor!), and having problems with my internet connection.  In spite of all this I'm going to try to keep up with the Smooshers!
This week's theme for the Blog Roll is It's a Bug's Life!  I happen to be very fond of most bugs myself.  I've always been a bit of a tomboy, so I was out there in the woods with my brothers collecting bugs, watching ants go about their business, and being amazed by spiders spinning their intricate webs.  As an organic gardener bugs are vital to the health of my flowers and veggies (and there are far more "good bugs" than "bad bugs" out there).  The variety of bugs in nature seems limitless, and the same can be said of bugs made from polymer clay!  Here are just a few samples created by the talented members of the Polymer Clay Smooshers guild.
Here are some cute little bookworms from Amazing Designs.  When I was young I raised earthworms and sold them at the local bait shop, and now I encourage them to call my garden home.  They help aerate the soil with their tunnels, and earthworm castings (poop) are excellent fertilizer.  I'm also an avid reader, so I really like these particular bookmarks!
 
Unlike many people, I have no fear of bees.  I find them fascinating and I always welcome them in my garden.  They're such industrious little creatures!  And for all the time I've spent with bees buzzing all around me, I've never been stung.  I respect their space, and they don't seem to mind my presence among the flowers.  I think they appreciate the delightful floral buffet I offer ;-)  This Steampunk bee pendant from Desert Rubble is just awesome (and you know this one will never sting- LOL)! 
Dragonflies are another of my favorite bugs.  When I was younger and lived near a lake I would spend all day swimming with the dragonflies cruising over my head.  Sometimes they'd even land on my outstretched hand to take a little rest.  Now they patrol my vegetable garden and hunt other insects for me.  I've got a few regular visitors that hang out with me all summer long.  The way they cock their head when I talk to them (yup, I talk to bugs- LOL) I swear they're listening to me.  This beautiful necklace from Dragonfly Serenade is a wonderful way to show your love of this delightful creature! 
And who doesn't love butterflies?  Dainty, delicate, fluttering through the air, stopping briefly to sip nectar from a flower before floating off again.  In spite of their delicate appearance though, these creatures are surprisingly tough.  Monarchs fly many miles (all the way from Mexico to the US!) on their yearly migration.  Strength and beauty all in a tiny colorful package ;-)  This butterfly wing pendant from Drunkenmimes makes me think of the Monarchs I see fluttering around my back yard every summer.
 
And those are just a few of my favorite bugs, as seen in polymer clay.  Be sure to check out all the wonderful creations these artists have to offer!  You can click on the pictures to be directed to the product listing, and click on the shop name to view everything they have for sale.
Have a great weekend!

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