Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

Last time you read about the tortoise project, the silver clay was ready to fire.   After programming the kiln and waiting the required time, I held my breath and opened the door.   There it was!   Of course I had to try it on to see if it fit before I did anything else.   Success! When silver clay gets fired, the organic part of the clay burns up and the heat fuses the micro filaments of silver to become 99% fine silver.   After the firing the silver looks white.   Once I brush it with a brass brush, the color turns to the silver color one expects.      Now comes the sanding and polishing.   I want to be able to see the pattern of the tortoise better and that requires a patina of liver of sulphur.   The water is warm when I put a small amount of the liver of sulphur gel, mix it, and put in the silver pieces.   After the silver pieces start to darken to the color I want, they will go into a separate dish of wate...

Merry Christmas And Happy New Year’s From Our house to yours! Linda and Peter Linda Britt Design My Paperweight Collection Adds Sparkle to the Table!

Today I decided to make Christmas cookies.   I’ve been putting off holiday baking because …well honestly I don’t need to eat all those cookies and brownies and goodies that show up on my hips!   But today I threw caution to the winds and made sugar cookies – the kind that get rolled out and cut into shapes.   I chose that kind because I wanted to use the cookie cutters that my Mom and I used when I was a little girl.   Yes, I still have them.   They are red plastic and are showing some wear!   I am too! Making the dough was almost like having Mom here again.   I could hear her telling me how to cream the butter and sugar; how to put the rolled out dough in the refrigerator so it would be easier to cut into shapes; how to watch the cookies in the oven and take them out just as the edges started to turn light brown.    “Be sure to put the cookie cutters in the flour before putting it on the dough.”    I thought about how patient my mo...

Before I met Peter, my avid birder, I had never heard of the Sandhill Crane.   That changed as I began to learn about birds and become aware of my surroundings!    Sandhill Cranes fly south for the winter forming flocks of over 10,000 birds.   One terrific place to observe them is at Bosque del Apache in New Mexico.   There is an annual Sand Hill Crane Festival every November.   We took a birding trip and got up very early in the cold morning to get to the area where the cranes would take off and land.   Thousands of these birds migrate to this area each year to create quite a noisy spectacle.   The birds are skilled at soaring with their 5 -7 ft wingspan and they can ride the thermals for hours at a time.   These beautiful light grey birds with red foreheads land by the water and in fields making loud trumpeting calls.   They eat plants, grains, mice, snakes, insects, and worms.   They often dig in the farmer’s fields for tubers….....

 2 Silver Clay Tortoises and 1 original sculpture  The last post about the tortoise left you hanging…..... with a mold ready to use!   The original sculpture was done with polymer clay and baked.   The mold was made with 2 part mold compound and I was concerned about his head and made a second one.   Just a note here….the first one was the best! For those of you not too familiar with silver metal clay, here is a brief description.   The clay is made of micro filaments of silver (recycled I understand) and blended with an organic mixture so the clay is malleable.   It dries pretty quickly so it is important to work quickly and keep the clay moist.   Getting the two parts ready In the case of my tortoise, I conditioned the clay and pressed it into both parts of the mold and let it dry.   Then I removed it from the mold and was anxious to see how the two parts fit together.   With a little adjustment they did well!   After cleaning the...

more flower hairclips at www.etsy.com/shop/lindabrittdesign Hair clips, ribbon flowers, feathers, and beaded flowers are very popular this Christmas.   Since it is time to wrap my holiday gifts and because I like to be creative, I took one of my ribbon flower hair clips and attached it to ribbon on a package.   Rave reviews!   So the person who receives my gift gets a bonus…a pretty package, the gift inside the box, and a one of a kind hair clip!   It will be a gift she will remember and be able to wear in her hair or on a hat all year! Other shops to peruse for hair  http://www.etsy.com/listing/88428691/emerald-kelly-green-and-black-peacock?ref=ss_listing http://www.etsy.com/listing/86230312/lime-green-and-white-french-beaded?ref=pr_shop

Lots happening in my life this week so I’m taking a break from the tortoise project while I participate in a couple of holiday sales.    Tuesday was the Hassayampa Holiday Sale at the Hassayampa Golf Club. (Dec. 6).   The second holiday sale is this Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Hidden Valley Association Clubhouse.   1615 Coyote Road, Prescott AZ.   Time 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.     If anyone is in the area, please stop by and see the ornaments and 10 artists’ creations!   There will be lots of pre-Christmas shopping just waiting for you.   Bring a can of food for the underprivileged Prescott families. (Saint Vincent de Paul donations).  This Thursday (Dec. 8) my friend, Willie, and I are going to Phoenix to have High Tea at the Arizona Biltmore.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_Biltmore_Hotel http://www.etsy.com/listing/57237052/on-sale-vintage-brown-hat-with-tri-color It’s taking some thinking on my part to decide how to dress for...

A recap!   I carved a tortoise from red polymer clay in my previous post.    The turtle needed a little more detailing with a carving tool to make the design on the underside more visible.   Now it’s time for the next step – Making the Mold from the red tortoise model.        The two part mold compound in this case is Part A white and Part B purple.   When part A and B are mixed I have about 10-15 minutes of working time before the mixture sets.   A small amount of this mold making compound went with me to Tanzania where I made a mold of a beetle.   It amazed the guide and I gave him some to take home to his kids.   I always wondered what they did with it. Part A and B were mixed by pressing and folding them into each other.   Then I wrapped it around the red tortoise pressing so that the designs on the model would show in the mold.   To give a separation for the top and bottom of the turtle, I took an x-acto k...

After my last post on the Reptile Show, I have decided to make a tortoise out of silver clay.   Thank goodness I have artistic license!   My vision (goal – hope) is to make a small recognizable tortoise that could be duplicated and used as a ring, a pendant, earrings, or beads.   Not having done any of this before, I decided to share the experience with any of you who might be interested!   First I need to decide on which kind of tortoise….so I Googled ‘tortoise’ and got some amazing pictures.   What a variety!   After looking and thinking, I selected the Star Radiated Tortoise.    It has a very pronounced star pattern and will be a challenge.      My plan is to carve a small tortoise out of polymer clay, a medium that is easy to work with and manipulate.   I chose red because I like red!   I put my new Craftoptic glasses on and start conditioning, moving and carving  referring to the pictures.   As I work with...