Letters on clay! (image transfer)

There is something very special to image transfer on polymer clay. The technique is simple or at least the theory is simpel. The practical side is not. It means a lot of trial, of getting a feeling for the material. But I think this is one of the reasons I am drawn to it!

You just print out your image with a laser printer (or in a copy shop). Don't use an ink jet printer because the colours have to be water resistant or better to say, they should not be solved by water. Just press the image on the polymer clay (I use fimo), let the stuff in the polymer clay have some minutes to start solving the colours out of the paper and then wet the paper on the polymer clay with water.

Now the great as well as problematic step comes: Gently start rubbing of the wet paper from the clay.... but without disturbing the transfered image / colours! The only way to get used to it: Practice! 

And don't forget, this is not about perfect image transfer. The little imperfections make your stuff beautiful and living! :)

Last but not least: They already got a new home! 

The true meaning of pictogram!

You think that pictograms are some kind of hieroglyphical pictures?

You are so wrong, sorry to tell you that!

Just take your time and speak out the word slowly... and then you will be aware what it is all about! ^^

This illustration is made by "Rumpel" (the one I am in a relationship with... somehow for a surprisingly time already! More than half a year...!). I just love his illustrations! I already asked for an eyeball octopus and an eyeball cat! The first one he made for me but he says it is not perfect until now... so we'll see what kind of octopus will evolve from his brain!

And in case you wonder, yes, he makes illustrations on commission. And yes, not cheap but worth it! :)

(Just write me if you want to contact him)

Graduate cap - earrings!

I am not the only one who defended its thesis. A friend from me also had her big date and I made these little graduate caps for her as earrings. I used polymer clay (fimo) in black. The shiny surface was created not due to lacquer but to a lot of sanding and polishing. For most projects this takes too long for my nerves... but for a gift it had to be :) 

In germany you get that graduate cap not for school or college or something similar to that but only for your doctorate. 

The little tassel I made with embroidery thread (cotton). 

I am thinking of offering earrings like this in my dawanda shop but not sure about this...

Axolotl going fabric and plush!

Say hello to my axolotl! A friend made him (or her?) for me! She has a blog together with friends of her: "Some nifty things"

Here you can see her first (and original one, even the colours are real axolotl like, but I love my colour choice too ^^): "I am cute!" 

And it is a big plushie! Love him / her / it? 

The fabric is a kind of fake wild silk but really good if you like the shine but want a sturdy fabric as well. 

Yes, that are my feet you can see! ;) Just so you can get an idea about the real size of the axolotl! By the way... doesn't the word axolotl sounds just so cool?!

Bright and shiny! More of crochet earrings...

You could think someday I had enough of crochet earrings... but sure, that seems to be still far away! The ones in pink are with embroidery thread (the 8 threads cotton one) and you see it is quite big and just a few crochet stitches are needed to fill the whole ring.

Normally I don't recommend embroidery yarn for this kind of earrings. But the colour... there was no pink like this pink and I wanted a real pink! Yes, I used the word pink a little bit too often... but you see, this were meant to be a pink "thank you" for a very good friend who helped me in the last years when everything was difficult for me (yes, the same one which gets the pink advent calendar every year!).

And some in violett... with my new crochet yarn! Another friend asked about some crochet earrings in violett. You see how thin and shiny the thread is? Beautiful! Love it... and already bought new colours! ^^ But more about this in the next days.

Inspirations: On the streets (Leipzig)

Beware of the trash can monsters! 

They are lurking everywhere... just look around!

You may not notice them at first...

...but take a closer look!

Some are even painted!

They are living next to us!

Just add some eyes!

...and be watched by your lamp! 

He (or she?) is cute with the eyeballs added! Such a tiny details which gives the lamp a kind of personality ^^

The eyeballs are made from polymer clay (fimo classic white and fimo liquid) with a thick layer of laquer on top. I am now thinking whether all not-living stuff around me should get some eyes... what do you think? 

Sea urchins - dark green

This are some of my last sea urchins I made with polymer clay (fimo). Not the only ones but I didn't make jewelery out of the other sea urchins until now. Even if I already chose most of the beads which I would love to combine with the other sea urchins, I am not happy with all colours and also I am tempted to change the arrangement of the earrings themself. 

So even if these earrings made their way to my shop, the rest will still need some time! I even took them with the to formentera for some sanding and new colours ^^

Here you can find the other sea urchin earrings I already made :)

Stamping - Use what you can find!

I love background stamps. Especially the ones using dots. But most of the time I think them way too expensive. Hey, we are talking about some rubber and dots! 

I just used some foamed rubber stickers (I got a big package in an euro store but you can get cheap foamed rubber stamps nearly everywhere!). I glued them on some wood (0,5 cm between every dot, I drew the lines with a ruler on the wood before).

I also made some tiny stamp...

Or you would rather like some distressed dots as background? Use some bubble plastic!

See the effect?

Love it!

Or cut some foamed rubber...

Use the foamed rubber stickers itself as stamps!

If you don't like there shape, just cut them in the desired shape (I also added an eye!)

Oh, and another hand carved stamps which I made after a paper cut out design...

(but to be honest, my knife was not sharp enough anymore)

As you see, I use just some wood leftovers to mount the stamp!

Bigger dots!

To clean them I use some baby oil wipes / towels.

And my stamp trials :)

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)