"Hidden treasures" - Whatever you can find, put it onto it!

Now I can show you a box that I already had finished for some time but since it was designed to be a birthday present (or the wrapping rather ;) ), I couldn't show you before.

Again I used some of my polymer clay pieces, added some spices, paper, textiles, metal stuff, plastic wrappings and other things lying around...

...but I also combined it this time with structure paste as well as crackle paste over an old map as background.

I tried to keep a general "greenish" tint. The acrylic paints I used were gold from Schmincke as well as the iridescent colours from pebeo.

Just have a look at the textures!Love the crackles...

...the pepper and pigment corns...

...the sand like structure paste...

And a little lizard as my focal :)

Back from the island.... Impression from Formentera (Spain)

First things first: I want to go back to Formentera right now! ;)

I am still bot really back in my rhythm so I thought I would show you some impressions. Lizards are little living jewels...

Our house is more home to me than any other place and just look at the colours and the light!

Really, really rare for summertime: Heavy rain! Some years it doesn't rain at all and now this!

The cala saona early in the morning after the rain. Red, blue and green... clear and strong colours.

I always pack a lot of stuff. Sometimes I also do a lot, sometimes not. This time.... not... but I made these for Rumpel. Hippie style, a little bit boho... looks good on men!

...and some other bracelets...

...still without clasps...

More later. But just you know, I am back :)

A newborn visitor!

This time of the year lizards come out of their eggs (on formentera they breed two times a year). They are really tiny (just about 3 cm) and try to hide the first days. Because birds and also bigger lizards try to catch and eat them. But in the following three days they grow several cm! In the picture you see a fresh-out-of-the-egg little one trying to hide at the windows of the house.

And yes... I have a lot more lizard pictures for you! ^^

(Podarcis pityusensis formenterae)

Inspirations: Critter (Formentera II)

Look at the beauties!

I am so proud of some of the pictures I was able to snap this summer.

Little dragons, little jewels, sparkling in the sun. 

In blue and green and turqoise...

I have a lot more pictures... some of them below because I love how you can see the scales, how they looked at me and the camera (I was maybe 20 cm away from them, lying on the ground ^^), how cute their long tongue is... and how the try to lift their legs, especially the back ones, because it was so hot! 

I just love them!

The pityuse lizards are a species (with a lot of subspecies) special to Ibiza and Formentera (Podarcis pityusensis). 

Years ago... my old silver stuff...

For a short explanation: my uncle (the brother from my father's side) is a silver smith and his wife a gold smith. During the 9th class (school) I had to do a work experience for three weeks. My aunt had a shop and studio with another artist in a little and also one of the oldest quarter in bremen (it is called "Schnoor" ). 

I learned how to work with metal... cut, sand, solder... It made a lot of fun! This little lizard is my final piece I made during my time in her studio. My design, my work... I was soooo proud (and I still love it!). It is a hollow body made out of silver.

Oh... is this long ago... I mean, huh, I was fifteen! 

This were my first practises... (yea, I still have them all ^^) 

Only a little silver UFO pin is missing... *sniff*

This was a present for my 16th birthday. It was from my aunt and my grandma (from my german family part / father's side) together. My aunt made it after my design and my grandma got the stone... a gorgeous and big precious opal... (no, I don't want to now how much it cost)

You see, my love for cephalopodaes and tentacles is an old one ;)

I tried to catch the beautiful play of lights... but in reality it is more stunning and intense colours :)

A little how-to-do for your own stencils...

...and my newest favorit one! Look at the cute (Yes, I think he is cute ^^) grashopper above! I took one of the pictures of my inspirations: critters (botanical garden Leipzig) and converted it to a black and white image. Just use the image editing functions programms like word have integrated. Better ones are not necessary for you just want to make a stencil out of it. I play a little bit with the contrast and the brightness until I see the lines I want to cut.

The grashopper image:

In b/w and printed:

Most of the lines are easy to see and therefore to cut. But some points are a little bit difficult and have to be modified (hope you see the circles, if not: just enlarge the picture!):

All pieces have to be connected to each other. If not you can either leave a little connecting space (red circle) or move the object a little bit (green circle, originally the legs were crossed!). And if a little detail is missing just add it! Like I did with one of the legs (blue circle).

And another example this time a flower (Inspirations: Flowers (botanical garden Leipzig)).

Printed after some modfications (contrast / brightness) in b/w

Cut out

The negative image

The positive image

If you are not satisfied you can easy modifiy a picture like this. For example if you would prefer that all petals are to be seen separately just cut a line between the two connected ones. Really easy. And don't be frightened to lose your worl. Just make pictures of your stencils and print them out again! This way you can keep your original one and try out a lot of modifications of the shape until you like it :) Also a way for creating stencils with different sizes. Make a picture and print it at the desired size. All what is left to do is to cut it out again ^^

The next one is take from my collection Formentera: Critter. Here I just added the missing tail. I made it a little bit more curvy ^^

And the gecko... think I will change the head a little bit but not now (as soon as there is a specific project for ^^). But the movemont in the body is great!