Efco Cernit Flower Ring

Ok, so I didn't manage to get the project up on Saturday...sorry! My fencer arrived to start putting up a new fence so I haven't had a chance until now...but better late than never (I hope)! Here it is...

Cernit Flower Ring

Materials needed:
Cernit (Glamour - light green, green, violet & yellow)
Cernit Roller
Cernit Blades
Cernit Tool Set
Efco Octagonal Ring for Modelling (97 742 04)
Efco Ring Holder
Domestic Oven for baking & Oven Thermometer

First condition your background clay, rolling it out to approximately 1mm thick when conditioned.

Place the metal insert in the ring backing and lay the clay across the top. Remove the excess by cutting downwards around the edges.

Smooth the edges with your fingers and thumb, creating a bevelled edge and cleaning the metal sides as you go.

Condition your clay for the flower petals before rolling it into a very small sausage. Cut small pieces from the sausage and roll them into tiny balls and then teardrops.

You will find it easier to work on your ring if you place it on Efco's ring stand. (It's also great for baking the ring too.) Position the teardrops on top of the clay with the larger ends almost meeting in a ring. Use the pointed Cernit modelling tool to press the base of the petals into the background clay and create a petal shape at the same time.

For rounded petals make little balls and use a less pointed Cernit modelling tool to press them into the clay.

Add little balls for flower centres. Use the pointed tool to give them a textured finish.

Or use the rounded end of a Cernit tool to gently press them to adhere them to the clay underneath.

Fill in the background with green teardrops for leaves before baking the ring (on the stand) following the manufacturer's instructions.

Et voilà! :)

Trials and Tribulations...

What a busy week it's been... progress is still being made on the new studio, despite the rotten weather. I even had a visit from a lovely enforcement officer of the local planning office (thanks to a kind neighbour me thinks) but fortunately my builders are very professional and all is well so no need for planning permission as they had assured me right at the beginning. 

It won't be long before I have a roof and maybe even some windows and doors!

Anyway, this morning started with another excitement (if you can call it that) when I tried to start my laptop only to find that it refused to turn on... (I must admit there are some days when I know exactly how it feels but I could have done without that today!) After a quick trip to the apple store (which proved totally pointless) I managed to solve the problem myself and am thankfully back online again... and breathe once again...

So, this week I had another Cernit project for you...but that will have to wait until tomorrow as I now have to drop everything and go pick my niece up from boarding school for the Easter hols (what a lucky Auntie!). ;)

Check back tomorrow for the Cernit project...fingers crossed Saturday goes to plan unlike today (anyone would think it was the 13th the way it's gone so far! lol). 

Hey ho, the joys of living...happy crafting one and all!

Easter's on it's way....

Hi all, sorry I missed last week too... these builders are soooooo demanding! Tea, coffee, biccies...and now we're onto donuts! Before you know it they'll be demanding bacon sarnies too, lol! But then, when they are doing such a fabulous job on my nu studio shed how can I begrudge them, eh?!...

Anyhoo, I have managed (in between all the interruptions) to get a downloadable project sheet for the Sutton Slice Technique up on the website, under the Polymer Clay tab.

PC/0009 Sutton Slice Ring

With Easter fast approaching I've also designed a quick and easy Easter Basket project which is ideal for presenting a selection of mini Easter Eggs or even a few primroses (provided you line the basket first).

Easter Basket

You will need:

Efco Papp Art Basket
Efco Ivory Decoupaint
Cernit Glamour: Carmine Red, Skin Colour, Yellow, Mauve, Light Green & Green
Efco Flowers Texture Mat
Cernit Blades & Roller
Polymer Clay Pasta Machine (Optional)
Efco Molding Plate Mini Press
Flowers and Leaf Cutters
Gold Brads
Flat Brush, Craft Knife, Super Glue & Baby wipes
Ceramic Tile, Kitchen Foil, Oven Thermometer & Oven

1. Paint the Papp Art basket with several coats of cream Decoupaint, leaving to dry between coats.

2. Condition the carmine red clay either by massaging it in your hands, repeatedly rolling it out on a ceramic tile or running it through a pasta machine several times. (nb. If you use a pasta machine for polymer clay NEVER use it again for food.)

3. Start pushing lumps of clay into the recesses of the Flowers texture mat. Make sure you smooth out the joins as if they show on the top they will show underneath in your finished pattern. Fill the entire mat with clay.

4. Use the Cernit flexible blade to remove all excess clay. Hold the blade as flat as possible whilst you cut slivers of clay, always cutting towards the outside edges. You should be able to see all the raised surface of the design.

5. Condition the skin coloured clay before rolling it out to about 1mm thick. (You can pass it through the pasta machine, starting on the thickest setting and reducing until about the 5th setting.) Lay the clay sheet over the top of the filled texture mat. Lay the plastic sheet on top before pressing down with the molding plate.

6. Remove the molding plate and carefully flip the texture mat, clay and plastic sheet over onto a ceramic tile. Press down on the back of the texture mat with your fingers to help the clays to adhere to one another.

7. Give a quick roll over the back of the texture mat with the Cernit roller before carefully checking that all the edges are adhered as you remove the mat.

8. Gently press down on the raised surface to make sure all the carmine red clay is firmly adhered.

9. Cut out 3 large flowers and 2 small flowers using the cookie cutters.

10. Carefully remove the excess clay from the plastic sheet.

11. Gently peel the flowers off the plastic sheet and insert a gold brad into the centre of each one. Make little rings of kitchen foil to support them whilst they bake. Bake following the manufacturer's instructions (30 mins @ 130ºC).

12. Repeat Steps 2-11 for the yellow and mauve clays. 

Then repeat Steps 2-11 again with the two green clays, this time using a leaf cutter instead of the 2 flower cutters and draping them over a roll of foil instead of little rings.

13. When cool lay your flowers and leaves on the basket to work out what position you want them in. (I used 3 large flowers and 2 small flowers in contrasting colours with 3 leaves on either side, but you can mix it up how you like.) 

Use a craft knife to cut small slits in the papp art basket to enable you to feed the ends of the brads through. Open out the ends on the inside to secure the flowers.

14. Use little dabs of Super Glue to stick the leaves in position.

For a finishing touch you could tie a ribbon to the basket handle before filling with lots of yummy mini Easter eggs and bunnies...positively scrumptious!

Alternatively, you could line the basket with plastic and fill it with a few Easter flowers such as primulas or pansies.

For a free downloadable version of this project go to the Polymer Clay page of Projects4Crafters.com

Happy Crafting! (oh and munching too!! :) )

Sorry, no post this week...

I've been so busy with the builders all week that I didn't get my planned post finished :( Sorry!... but when you've got such lovely builders you have to keep them fed and watered otherwise they end up lying down on the job!...lol