Stamping on Polymer, Blog Candy, and 2 Challenges!

Hi Everyone,

I have some great samples, a cool technique, details on 2 of our current challenges you can participate in and other news. Plus – I’m giving away this beautiful necklace designed and hand stamped with our Fairyland stamps by artist Melanie Kay!

Just post a comment HERE on this blog and tell us your favorite craft, whether it’s card making, painting, beading, photography, knitting or scrapbooking, what do you love to play with and create? Be sure to leave your contact info or check back here. A random winner will be drawn for the necklace and also second winner for a $30.00 gift certificate for any of our products on Monday March 2/09

Melanie Kay is a multi talented artist who has been stamping on polymer clay to create wonderful jewelry pieces that she hand paints. She designed a pretty necklace with our Cherub stamps that I bought from her and wore at the CHA Show last month. So many people asked me about the necklace that I asked Melanie if she would share a few tips and I have a link HERE to her Etsy Store where she sells her creations. Check out her other pieces including her ‘torn paper pet portraits’ like the samples I’ve shown below!

Melanies Tips and Supplies...

I use white Sculpey brand polymer clay to stamp on. I mix in nutmeg to give it kind of a stone like appearance and as an added benefit, it also smells nice! I prefer that look to the plain white, although it would work just fine without it. I've experimented using the regular clay and a product called Ultralight. There are pros and cons to each. Ultralight accepts ink very well once it's baked but it is kind of sticky and very hard to work with. It's also not very strong. The regular clay is much easier to work with but doesn't look as soft and pretty when painted. I paint them using Palette ink pads. Here is the tutorial I learned the coloring technique from on YouTube. After painting and heat setting each piece, I give them several coats of polyurethane gloss varnish.

I love the way Melanie used our Cherub stamps on this necklace and colored the journal angel with dark hair and skin and if you scroll down you will see she the same angel stamped and colored blond and lighter. These necklaces and the other items are all for sale in Melanies Etsy shop.

On this cute necklace Melanie used the little nurse from our Feeling Yucky stamp set. wouldn't she be an adorable gift for a nurse!

She also designs buttons with pin backs and used the cute robin from our Bird Note stamps to stamp the button on this card. The flourishes are from our Cherub stamp set.

Melanie says she loves playing with new materials and surfaces and she has also been creating little muslin bags to stamp on. I love the colors she choose to color the little pixie fairy from our Fairyland stamp set on this bag.

She also admits to loving anything with Kewpies and was first drawn to our stamps when she discovered we had a Kewpie stamp sets. She decorated this wooden tote using a combination of stamps from our large Kewpie stamp set and our medium Fishing Buds Kewpie set. It turned out so cute I had to show you all 4 sides!

* NOTE: This tote is not for sale. She made this one for herself.

As I said earlier, Melanie is multi talented and likes to design and play with all sorts of materials. I was fascinated by these pet portraits she custom designs for people using a photo of their pet - with torn paper! Look at the actual photo of the doggie below and you will see she totally aced this dog! I think I'm going to order one of these for our dog Otis and frame it. He's our company mascot and he is fluffy like this cute dog.

I also want to tell you about a couple of fun challenges! There is still time to enter the 'Spring theme' challenge over at PaperCraftPlanet we are giving away two random $30.00 gift certificates! So far, there are not many entries, so the odds of winning are good! You can get the details HERE. You can also see the gallery HERE.

Marcy is hosting the challenge this week at splitcoaststampers.com. You can get the details HERE and you can see the gallery HERE. Her challenge is to create a single layer card using any of our products.

PLUS - Our wonderful design team is teaming up with the talented Glimmer Mist Tattered Angels Design Team and there will be 4 groups posting samples every Monday next month! Be sure to come back and check out all of the fabulous samples each week!

PLUS - The talented Marlene Bender will be a guest designer next month and I will be sharing some of her great creations as well!

Don't forget to post your favorite craft here and you will be entered to win our random draw for the fairy necklace or the $30.00 gift certificate I'm giving away. Plus, I would love to hear what craft everyone likes!

I will also be giving you a peek at our new Creative Scraps coming in March!

Wishing you joy & creativity
Sandy Redburn
owner

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