Glittered Cupcake with Carrie!

I made this little Sculpey cupcake pendant... but it needs a little something... Some glitter perhaps? After a little gluing using Art Glitter Institute Designer Dries Clear adhesive and then a little glitter dunking... It looks like this now! I first covered it in Art Glitter #85 Crystal Ultrafine Transparent glitter. I then added #46 Summertree Green Ultrafine Opaque glitter to the bottom of the cupcake and then some #141 Magnolia Pink Ultrafine Transparent glitter on the icing. I grabbed a little embroidery floss and rolled that around in some glue and then some #322 Paris Purple Ultrafine Transparent glitter and made a bow on top! I love the new look and how glitter transformed it into something so dazzling!

Thanks for joining me with this "yummy" treat!
Carrie

Glitter Disco Balls by Linda Hess

Can you hear the Funky music playing?? Are visions of polyester leisure suits dancing in your head?? Well then let’s create some beautiful jewels to accompany those visions! Here are some super simple baubles that can be created within 5-10 minutes plus drying time.

These start with round wood beads from Indus Trading Company (www.buildurbeads.com). I love working with their wood products, because the surfaces are all SO smooth…perfect for any type of surface decoration. They are also quite lightweight.



Next I paint the surface of the beads with a color of Shimmer Opaque paint from Earth Safe Finishes (www.earthsafefinishes.com). I LOVE this product! It easily covers in one coat and gives whatever you paint a glowing finish plus it dries quickly. Perfect for those last minute projects that need a big impact. Plus all of the products from this company are EcoFriendly. For this particular project I used “Ruby” Shimmer Opaque to coordinate with the GORGEOUS “#291 Fire Engine Red Ultrafine glitter.

Allow the paint to dry completely and then cover surface with Art Glitter™ Designer “Dries Clear” Adhesive. Be sure to cover the bead surface completely, then roll in glitter (I dunk the bead directly into my glitter pot, but this makes some artists cringe!). Tap off excess glitter and set bead aside to dry. Repeat with additional beads. Once the glue has dried, tap or blow any loose glitter off the bead. If you decide to blow the glitter off, I highly recommend doing it outside. Otherwise you will be finding “fairy dust” in your work area indefinitely!

Seal the Glitter Disco balls with one of the varnishes from ESF. My favorite is the no-VOC version. A local decorative paint shop swears by the Marine varnish. All work well and clean up easily.

Once the sealer dries disco balls can be made into earrings (as shown) or strung to create a necklace or bracelet.

Boogie on…………

Glitter Beads by Linda Hess

Many years ago I met Leslie Blackford on a polymer clay retreat in Virginia. I was intrigued with all of the colors she was able to achieve by mixing anything available into translucent clay. Spices in the cabinet, dirt from the ground, pollen from the flowers all became color for her creations. Naturally I began to look at possible “inclusions” in a whole new way.
When I discovered Art Glitter I was creating small angels. Painting their baked wings with tacky glue and then sprinkling them with ultrafine glitter was a wonderful touch and gave them all sparkling personalities. However my dear husband had a problem with all of the glitter left behind as I blew the excess off after the glue dried (can you imagine?? A problem with “fairy dust”??). Following Leslie’s lead I began to mix the glitter into the clay thus skipping the glue and sprinkle steps and possibly saving my husband’s sanity. Glitter clay soon took over my creative thoughts (and my table) as I moved from angel wings to beads.

I discovered a few things about mixing the glitter into clay along the way. First, small amounts of glitter at a time work much better than trying to add all of it at once. Second, using a tool of some type (knitting needle, toothpick, teeny tiny spoon) to take glitter from the jar or container to the clay is much better than pouring in on! Third, ALWAYS work over a piece of paper to catch any excess glitter.

Here are some easy steps to help you bring out your sparkly side:
1) Choose a translucent clay (there are many brands to choose from). Condition clay and flatten into a sheet (this can be accomplished with a pasta machine, 2 popsicle sticks and a roller, or your fingers).
2) Add small amounts of glitter to the center and fold in the sides to enclose the glitter. Use your hands or pasta machine to mix thoroughly.
3) Flatten the clay again and add more glitter. Continue to repeat the steps until you are happy with the look. Please note that after baking the look will change…the translucent clay will “clarify” and the glitter will be more noticeable.
4) Roll beads with hands or bead roller of choice. Use a bead reamer, knitting needle, or turkey lacer to make a hole in each bead. Bake @ 275* for 15 minutes per ¼” thickness. Drop beads into ice water to cool when baking process is complete. String as desired.

Glitter Give Away

Marie Segal of "Art From My Heart" blog and one of our favorite glitter enthusiasts is having a thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts giveaway.

She and her husband have been in the polymer clay and craft business for 30 years now and they want to thank all the many wonderful people, friends, customers, and acquaintances they have met along the way.

This is going to be the beginning of a year of giving for them.
This is what you will get in their kick off kit:
Art Institute Glitter- basic set with fabric glue
Sculpting tool
Bamboo skewer
Clay blade
Set of 3 round cutters
2- 2 ounce blocks of Cernit phthalate free clay in black
Rhinestones
Pendant I made from photographing the step by step instructions
Step by step instructions

To enter in this drawing go to Marie's blog : "Art From My Heart" and follow her instructions, be sure you leave your comments on her blog and not here.

Thank you for playing with us Marie. Love your blog and your art!