Revisited my past...

I used to make these polymer clay tile embellished boxes all the time a couple of years ago and sold them in local shops.  Then I got burned out on the projects and put the clay aside.  The other day I was going through my art stash and saw all the tiles left over, so I decided to make another box.  It was fun!  Meditative and no pressure whatsoever.  It's like putting together a puzzle with the tiles, and then I paint the box.  Check it out!  I might get the mosaic "bug" back, but right now I'm into art journaling and painting, but the progress is too slow in my opinion.  I rearranged my studio and that felt really good.  If only I could get all the bits of paper and other detritus into some semblance of order....
This box encourages you to dream and believe that all is possible as long as the will is there.  It is available in my etsy shop.

Busy week...

I had a very busy creative week and it feels great!  Didn't make anything very different from what I usually make in crafts, but it feels good to be productive. These items can be purchased at Serenity Now in Palm Harbor.  I took just one picture of the lot.

Have a creative week, folks!  

Where have I been??

That's a good question... I got away from blogging and blog cruising for a while.  I miss it!  I've been making some things, but mostly polymer clay mosaics, so those types you have already seen.  Though, I have a couple of things that are a bit different, a large star box, and a mirror that promotes PEACE!  I thought that was a worthy thing to be reminded of while looking into a mirror.  Peace begins within, with us.  When there's peace within, there will be peace all across the world! 

I've been selling some art pieces and there's a demand on the polymer clay mosaics, so here is the "how to" for the star box I made.  It'll appear in my etsy shop pretty soon.  I'm mostly selling locally, but you never know...

 

The stamped and painted tiles for the star box.

 

I painted the lid black to conceal any cracks showing between the tiles, and also to seal the wood.

 

Trial and error.  The star shape is a challenge!

Voila!  Laid out and glued down.  Yay!  Where there's no space for tiles, I glue down glass beads.

I decided to paint the box itself red.  It was spray painted gold inside and on the bottom.  The inside of the lid is a bright turquoise.

Angel wishes...  BELIEVE they can come true!

I like loud color combinations!  Finished. 

The Peace mirror!  Available in my etsy shop now.  It's difficult to take pictures of mirrors without the camera showing, hands, or inside ceilings.  Did you ever encounter that?  Those trees are some live oaks in my yard.

Not in the mood!

Everything got out of whack for me with the oil spill in the Gulf, and I'm still really upset about it. How do we move on from here??  I haven't been able to create anything much since.  If feels pointless.

I did however produce some polymer clay mosaic boxes over the weekend, and as they read "miracle box" and "angel wishes," you know what my wish is...  I also painted a load of tiles for future boxes so now my work surface is bare and inviting.  Maybe?  Soon? 

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Something new in my shop for your prayers or trinkets!

I like to write down intentions and put them somewhere. I have my own little box, well, it's not so small, and I keep all my wishes in it. I date the pieces of paper, and later on when I go through my wishes/prayers/intentions, I find that most of them have been answered. Of course there's a Big Ear in the sky that hears everything, and not clamped to a cell phone either! My prayers might not be answered in the way I envisioned, but they are always answered. I'm very grateful that someone wants to listen to me! This box can be purchased at Artfire here and it's quite reasonably priced, and of course made with love. :)

Boxes up the wazoo...

I've been making lots of mosaic boxes and I'm very grateful that they are selling here locally. Sometimes there gets to be a few too many polymer clay tiles, though. They are EVERYWHERE! I step on them, sit on them, my cat sits on them. They underhandedly sneak into my basket of paper ephemera that lives under my table. And then I can't find some of the lettering. I was looking everywhere for a polymer bar with "heart's desire" stamped into it--actually I was looking for "heart's" and could only find "heart" pieces until I discovered that "heart's desire" resided on one single polymer bar. The word "your" had to be put on extra. Gets complicated, doesn't it? (The picture is a different heart box.)

At some inspired moment I stamped the words like "Life is singing" on a tile. When in the world am I going to use THAT??! It might be singing, but I don't think it'll go on a box any time soon. I also have startling words like "Secrets!" and "Forever" lying around for future projects. Forever is a good Valentine's Day word, isn't it? I could do a "Secrets!' box for someone working at the CIA. Maybe I should make a box with all the left over letters across the lid. That would surely sell...yeah right. So, I'm going letter crazy. :)

It has been driving rain all day and gusting winds, so maybe I can blame it on that.

Cheerio,

Maria

I'm in Mosaic Box heaven...

Well, I've been really busy the last couple of days, finishing some more mosaic boxes with inspirational "sayings." They are selling really well, so I might be busier than I thought this summer. (Bailey is not. He was so spooked when he went outside this morning--for unknown reasons--that he sat in the same spot for a good 45 minutes. Not that sitting (or lying) in the same spot for hours is unusual behavior for him.) The boxes are one of a kind, and lots of fun! Here are two that sold last Friday.

Keep on creating!

Maria

BAILEY SAYS: "LAZY CAT WHO DOESN'T CREATE..."

.....BAILEY ACTUALLY SAYS: LAZY CAT LIKES TO SLEEP"...

Well, at least he knows what he wants. I think he's lazier than Garfield. However,

I have not been lazy this weekend. I created a polymer clay tile mirror and a inspirational box! Bailey slept through the whole thing... Did you know you can use cool buttons to make patterns in polymer clay? Anything that has a dramatic surface makes a good imprint. Sometimes I even embed small charms and figures in the clay. As long as it can be baked safely, the sky's the limit! The paint adds dimension and interest to the surface. You can't go wrong, really, as long as you stay with colors that compliment each other to cut down on the "busy" look that can come from too many mixed patterns and colors.