Virginia’s Derek Brown (strangeclaycreations) toils away fixing motorcycles when he’d rather be sculpting in polymer. You gotta hand it to those artists caught in that disconnect.
You can see Derek’s heart in his characters like this Santa on Instagram and Etsy.
Watching him airbrush one of his pieces will calm you right down. Never seen that before. It’s obviously his happy place. Thanks!
Ok, enough with the trees and ornaments and such. I need a break. You too?
The sunglasses from Israel’s Gaila Daniel were just the thing. Edgy, bold, different.
Galia is a great lead-in to my plug for StudioMojo. We go deeper and head to wherever that leads us. This week we found links to several videos that lead you inside polymer factories and TED talks that explore the reasons behind the joy we find in polymer art.
It’s all fair game in our Saturday morning newsletter that gets you thinking.
New Jersey’s Megan of MakerMegan turns cutout capsule shapes into very perky Christmas trees.
She stacks the shapes with the top one hanging over slightly so that she can attach the star and jump ring.
The colors are very 2022 (have you checked out new palettes from Pantone? Looks like it’s our year!
I’m stuck on the sculpture and holiday ornaments that I could, should, might be creating. Full disclosure: I have a lovely poinsettia plant on the hearth. That’s it in the decorating department.
Today’s ornaments that fall into the “I could try that” category are from New York’s Rosanna Cappellno.
She transforms old ornaments into jesters, Humpty Dumpty, pigs….you name it. Dead lightbulbs become elves! They’re quirky, whimsical, and recycled. Perfect for the tree. Oh wait, no tree.
Just because I’m not making ornaments doesn’t mean that I’m not enjoying, remembering, savoring them. I have made a few new pretties just in case the grandchildren can get vaccinated in time for a visit.
In the meantime, I’m taking vicarious pleasure in Rosanna’s site. Sumptuous!
Lisa Clarke (PolkaDotCottage) brings families together on the Christmas tree. Her jaunty characters have big smiles and quirky clothes.
Catching kids and pets together for a picture might be tough but Lisa gathers them into one cheery, memorable ornament that will be treasured. She’s stopped taking orders for this year so it looks like you’ll have to take a stab at a family ornament yourself.
Check out her polymer crochet hooks, tutorials, and other goodies.
Bre of North Carolina’s (shophosmerco) Hosmer Co. brings us her version of holiday earrings in these minimalist Christmas trees on hoops. Very sleek and trendy.
She’s most known for her more extravagantly spotted and complex moth designs but a girl’s gotta go with the seasonal vibe and stay fashion-forward.
Follow her to get up to speed on one important direction polymer is headed.
On StudioMojo we’ll be tracking everything from pop-up shops to galleries and shows to see artists who are trying new ways to build a following, a business, a life.
New Jersey’s Helena Bogosian celebrates Hanukkah in polymer and illustrates how families of all faiths gather for the holidays.
Simple flat circle heads with a dot for eyes and the slightest dashes for other features still read very powerfully and clearly. We know those curly beards and hair! We recognize those foods and the menorah. Helena pares everything down to its wonderful essence.
Is your workspace littered with earring parts? My collection of “possibilities” was getting impossibly large as it outgrew snack, sandwich, quart, and gallon baggies.
Finding the pairs among all the parts was soothing. But the steps after that became less and less interesting. Finding findings. Finding reading glasses and pliers. Assembling. Are we done yet?
Punching cards and mounting, labeling, pricing. My back hurts. This is tedious.
My hat is off to all who repeatedly grind through these chores, particularly at this time of year. Keep it up! I’ll cheer you on from the sidelines. A blog, a newsletter, and a few bowls a year are all I can manage.
I’m just showing off while I can. I feel your pain.
Remind me again why we do this. Oh yeah, colors, patterns, shapes. That part never loses its appeal.
I laugh when I watch jewelry appear with a finger snap on TikTok. Mountains of packages disappear under a shower of digital glitter. In your dreams.
Australia’s Dani Rapinett (daniartandjewellery) puts memories, pets, and other mementos on the tree. These days it’s easy to snag special effects to layer onto a photo.
Print out your creation and transfer it to polymer. (YouTube is full of videos to assist.) A cut-out, a ribbon, voila! Handmade, heartfelt…what could be better?
When Black Friday beckons, defy the system and redirect your muse to making memorable hangups for your family.
I was worried the StudioMojo would be difficult in this week of distractions but not so. Take a gander at what’s for sale in the online shows, see super trendy polymer high fashion photos. Thumb through lists of classes to propel you into the new year, and always a few new products that promise to solve all your problems. Join us!
Barbara Nalepa (Barmisal) pretty much captures how we feel here in the US on the day before Thanksgiving.
How to shove working, shopping, and cooking into one short day?
A few scraps of black and white canes express our potato-mashing, turkey-basting, table-setting exasperation.
Eventually, we’ll take a breath, sit down and remember how thankful we are for this wild and crazy life. Happy Thanksgiving!
