My obsession with faux china continues...

>> Wednesday, May 26, 2010



  I am a bit odd, I'm okay with that.  Can I go make some broken china jewelry with real broken china...well sure.  Do I feel the need to continue my quest to recreate broken china in other materials instead...yes, yes I do. 
  My latest necklace is an uneven chunk of white polymer clay that I flattened with a glass, hand stamped, baked then colored with markers and sealed with utee for a glass like finish.  I feel satisfied now...and I love the way it hangs on my neck!  Try it, it's fun!

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Tutorial - Faux Broken China Necklace

>> Tuesday, May 25, 2010


I love to come up with out of the box recreations of things I love...my latest creation is a lighter funky alternative to broken china jewelry.  Made with shrink plastic, stamps, ink, markers and utee. This necklace looks fabulous and is fun to make!

Supplies- White shrinky dink paper (sanded), pretty floral stamp, permanent markers, utee (or clear embossing powder, 1/8 hole punch, chain and jumprings.

Let's begin!


step 1 - use a semi dark ink to ink your stamp



step 2 - press down onto sanded shrinky dink paper


step 3 - begin coloring the stamped image lightly with permanent markers



step 4 - cut out a section to resemble a broken piece of china.  remember to cut your piece approx 3 times larger than you'd like your pendant.  this one is 3.75 inches long



step 5 - using your 1/8 hole punch put two holes on either side of your shrink paper (for the jumprings)





step 6 - place in 350 * oven bake until it shrinks 2-4 minutes (or what ever directions your paper says to bake)



See how bright the colors become!



 ALERT!  Amazing techinique you can you for so many things
step 7 - sprinkle the entire pendant with a decent layer of utee or clear embossing powder



*notice how it's covered up to the ends to prevent dripping over in the oven.  place back in 350 degree oven and watch it.  you'll see it bubble up get clumpy weird then smooth out like glass...take it out when it's smooth. (be careful it's ridiculously hot until it cools and hardens...like 2 minutes)

 

see...smooth and pretty



  Step 8  - Attach jumprings and chain of your choice and voila...fabulous faux china necklace!

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Giveaway Time! - Shabby Chic Rose Tutorial

>> Monday, May 24, 2010


I'm excited to have my first tutorial for sale in my etsy shop!  Follow my blog and leave a comment here telling me what you would do with these lovely shabby chic roses and I will randomly pick a winner to recieve the new tutorial PDF!

I will also keep posting free new tutorials on my blog for fun stuff I love to make too :)  Up next, Faux Broken China Jewelry...look for the "how to" soon!

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Not your mama's shrinky dinks!

>> Saturday, May 22, 2010


Okay, once again I've found the need to act like a kid again.  But man, look at what happened...Retro Cool Shrinky Dink Jewelry.  I am loving this fun way to create something girly while still playing with my kids!
Just goes to show you how simple fun from the past can be reinvented!

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Roses are red...

>> Thursday, April 8, 2010

I don't know what it is lately but I can't get enough of little dainty post earrings.  They make me feel super girly and feminine for some reason.  I've decided to create some little hand sewn rosie earrings in tons of spring colors...a girl can never have enough earrings right?  I just listed some in my etsy shop http://www.poppychicdesigns.etsy.com/ so you can feel like a retro girly goddess too!

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Artist Festival...

>> Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Over the weekend I had a booth at the local Frederick Artist Market during our downtown "Go Green" celebration.  It was lovely.  Sometimes doing so much of my work online, I forget just how nice it is to actually look someone in the eye and talk to them!  I loved seeing how people look when they buy one of my flowers then pop it in their hair right away.  Never underestimate the power of a well placed hair flower :) I even got the chance to catch up with a few of my crafty mom friends and we made plans to get together for crafty bonding in the near future.  So nice...thought I'd blog about, ironic huh!

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Spring Blooms

>> Monday, March 1, 2010

Yes I love snow, but I love flowers more.  Spring makes me happy, and the beautiful colors of the season are so inspiring.  I've been making some new spring corsages, big beautiful blooms handmade with love!

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