Late summer blooms

Spain’s Cristina Garcia Alvarez (espiralarte) helps us remember to enjoy the last flowers of summer this weekend with her layered polymer bloom.

It’s a simple brooch made in watery blues that recur frequently in her work. Look at her Instagram and you’ll see samples of any number of techniques. The striking blues jump out as a recurring theme.

Look over your work and see what colors jump out or make your heart sing.

The file of tidbits for this weekend’s newsletter is bursting with juicy tips and stories we don’t have time for during the week. Join us on StudioMojo for the low down. I’m off to write!

Polymer nerve tonic

Need a dose of Nerve Tonic to begin your week? Romania’s Claudia Chindea says her business name came from her grandmother who thought that color was a cure for the soul. Polymer artists would agree.

Claudia’s business that combines polymer, fiber and fabric is now based in Sweden.

Always a seamstress and then trained in graphics, Claudia says, “I learned to observe in a much closer way. To draw first, and then to move on to the material. My mind opened up. That’s how my collection of jewels, made out of fabric, with much color and texture, begins.”

You can read a little about her (use a translator) and see more of her fabric purses in interviews here and here and on Instagram. Helen Breil sent this new link along.

Free I Love Tools

The weekend rehearsal for Wednesday’s free I Love Tools webinar on Craftcast gave me a peek at really cool new tools and ideas. These artists are clever!

Plus Alison Lee is always able to dig up generous giveaways and tempting coupons. Whether you’re in the mood for heavy equipment, the latest little gizmo or just want to keep up with tool trends, you’ll want to join Wednesday’s online party. Sign up. No cost.

May Day polymer

Rosica Mohamed from Sofia, Bulgaria brings us a branch of spring buds realistically sculpted from polymer. I’m guessing that this was part of her May Day attire. Can’t you just picture a maypole dancer wearing these blossoms as she weaves a streamer over and under?

Rosica’s updated blogs and Facebook page make it easy to watch her progress to increasingly refined work and experiment with putting a Bulgarian spin on standard techniques.

Pantone polymer

Unaodd’s Lynn Lunger was inspired by Pantone and spring seed catalogs. She mixed her own Tangerine Tango, Pantone’s color of the year, and started developing her 2012 palette.

Lynn confesses to a crisper drawer full of extra flower seeds from years past. That doesn’t stop her from considering if she should buy some of the new ones offered in this year’s crop of February garden catalogs.

In an effort to resist giving in to seed acquisition, she started filling custom-made silicone molds with her new polymer colors. Imprints of last years’ blooms had been pressed to make the forms. The resulting polymer beads give us visual taste of spring.

What’s happening in Lynn’s studio usually reflects what’s growing outside and her blog is a good garden and studio read. Think spring this weekend.

Spring petals for your hair

In further pursuit of spring, France’s Delphine Roche de Montgrand brings us polymer petals that look fresh and fashionable pinned in long up-swept hair.

Her site has a whole section on bridal accents and I’m particularly keen on her chocolate tiara.

Vacation update

Our vacation group is finally sitting down to work with polymer after a week of hiking, exploring and entertaining family members on spring break.

Avoidance behavior kicked in and the first thing we felt compelled to do this morning was rearrange the studio. Oh the dances we do to get in the right groove.

Fantasy flowers from Korringa

If yesterday’s post put you in a flowery mood, you’ll want to follow today’s links to Kim Korringa’s garden. She posts her signature whimsical caned designs on her web site. Kim’s fish cane tutorial is a popular one.

On her Etsy site she lists one-of-a-kind designs like this multi-color fantasy flower necklace backed with stripe-edged black disks. Pure spring.

Judy Belcher sent the link along. The sun is shining and spring is on its way. Have a springy, sunny weekend.

Forcing spring flowers

Zuda Gay’s layered polymer flowers are about as close to spring as I’m able to get. Her sculpted cane slices and juicy colors are right on target.

Dahlias and sunflowers are her specialty and you can see an entire polymer garden on her Flickr pages.

Zuda shares a quick tutorial on her site if, like me, you can’t wait for spring. We seem to have brought the Ohio snow with us to Arizona.

Doroshow’s polymer theme

Dayle Doroshow’s polymer clay and fabric brooches are part of her larger body of works inspired by her visits to the gardens at Versailles Palace. The bottom layer of petals (see the back of a brooch here) and the center of the flowers are polymer.

Her bracelets on a fabric band (part of the same theme) were a hit with all who saw them and I scored one for helping her spiff up her web site.