Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

Lace transfer in center of ornament I did it!   I finally got the transfers to work!   Last Friday, I told you about the class I was taking on line (Heather Campbell and ‘Lady Luck Pendants’) and how I did not have the clay softener for the transfers.   If you missed that, please go back and read about how I decided to do Christmas Ornaments my way instead of making the ‘Lady Luck’ Pendants.   Also check out the other classes on this site: www.craftartedu.com    Lace Photos Transfered to Unbaked Polymer Clay   There doesn’t seem to be much sense in taking a class unless you try all the techniques.   This week I have all the ingredients and decided to follow the instructions for transfers!   Yes, putting the clay softener on the rolled out clay and placing the toner based lace designs face down on the clay with the softener between generally worked.   I had to really burnish the back of each design and as you can see from the photos some worked better than others.   I was abl

May makes me think of hats…maybe it’s the Kentucky Derby.   Maybe it’s remembering the black straw with the big turned up brim that I wore to church in high school.   Such a fashion statement!   Or it could have been the hot pink derby hat I wore with the faux black suit I designed in college.   Whatever it is, May just says ‘HATS’ to me.   You might like to check out this link to see the current Kentucky Derby Hats!    http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/04/living/kentucky-derby-hats/index.html?hpt=hp_abar I thought it might be a great time to share the story of one of my vintage hats that is on my etsy site www.etsy.com/shop/brittdesign . Many years ago, I started collecting hats.   I love to wear hats that are unusual and as people discovered my love, they started giving me their old ones.   One of those gifts was this Archie Eason hat that looks like three doves were swooping around and decided to land on my head.   It was just unique enough to become one of my favorites.   I also l

May 26 (mark that date on your calendar!) I’m teaching a silver metal clay class at Bead-It in Prescott AZ.   I placed a limit of 5 people on the class so if you are interested call Bead-It (928-445-9234).   Yes, this is free advertising!! We are going to make a pendant from 10 grams of silver clay with a fold-over bail with tiny clay shapes and a CZ gemstone.   Because I want the class to be somewhat cost effective, I ordered 10 grams of silver clay for each student.   I’m used to having packets of 50 grams of clay to work with and I really need to know how big a piece the students can make from the 10 gram packet.   10 grams of silver metal clay next to a penny My task was to make a pendant as an example and to show at the bead store enticing students to sign up.   Yesterday I designed and made the piece.   And yes, I used every bit of the clay.   Today I torch fired the pendant and finished it.   It was my first time to torch fire a CZ stone.   CZ or Cubic Zirco

 Mother's Cool Necklace  When I was young, I wanted jewelry like my mother's.   She was an art teacher and pretty cool.   I always wanted to be grown up like her!   I even wore her white wedge shoes to school in the 6 th grade without her knowing.   Yes, our feet were the same size then and, yes, the teacher did call my mother! When I was in college in the late 60’s and early 70’s, I was first an “everything must match girl” before I moved into the hippie flower child period of bright colors and macramé. Matched my red suit!  Macrame!  And this was Mom's too!!    When I married, my husband made our wedding rings from pieces of family gold jewelry and some new.   He finished them the evening before the wedding.   Fortunately for me, his mother and father had taught him the value of good handmade.   The rings are timeless and beautiful.   When I was working as an interior designer, my jewelry was usually ethnic .Since I lived in th

My newest tools have been on the floor long enough!   The doming kit and the Swantrom Disc Cutter Set were getting dusty and I was getting anxious to try them out.   Out of the box and unwrapped! Swantrom Disc Cutter Set Remember my trip to the junk yard in a previous blog?   My friend, Kim, and I divided the scrap metal and the wire and it too was sitting on the floor.   Right!   I could hardly walk to the work bench. I had a couple of polymer clay discs ready for something and I liked the blue copper (someone’s failed etching project) from the junk yard.   So I took the disc cutter and tried it out.   After a couple of tries with the mallet, I had a disc.   Wow! It works!   And a second disc and tiny holes in each of those. I was careful to leave enough blue copper around the holes I cut so that I could use the leftover for another project I have in mind. Next the doming kit…not as easy.   In fact, I watched a Beaducation video on YouTube about using it and I will prac

Not long ago, I cleaned out one of my sewing drawers.   I had a lot of pieces of vintage lace.   At one time I was going to make wonderful Victorian accessories but that time has passed.   Ashley Spicer is a friend who is so talented, the creativity just drips off her fingers!   She makes fabulous children’s clothes as well as ‘Elf Coats’ for grownups.      She just started making corsets and cuffs and uses recycled fabrics.   She was the perfect candidate for my laces.  Check her out at http://www.etsy.com/people/beTwitterpated    My cousin, Sally, lives in San Angelo and we share our love of art and living often.   When I told her I gave my laces to Ashley, she said, “You photographed them first didn’t you?”   Hmmm. Well NO I had not.   It seems Sally does a lot of digital scrapbooking and was drooling over what she thought I had given away with no record.   You never know …..   The day I took photographs of Ashley in her ‘Elf Coats’ for her art submittal, I also picked up the

 Bead-It in Prescott AZ Viking Knit is one of the oldest wire chaining techniques and we first see it being used in the 9 th century.   That must be about the time wire was being made in long enough pieces with a small enough diameter to be flexible for chaining.   It is again popular with jewelry makers and once a person learns the technique it can lead to a Zen like experience.   Basically it is using 26-30 gauge wire and making loops in a circular pattern around a dowel (or similar object) using continuous wire.   When it is finished, the tube is drawn through a series of holes, each smaller than the next, until the chain is the size you want.   The Project I’ve wanted to teach this technique and our local bead store, Bead-It, agreed.  We set a date and had lots of interest.   My first Viking Knit Class was a learning experience for my 7 students and for me.   Aren’t we always learning?   The goal was to make a bracelet with Viking Knit chain and an S hook clasp fro

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!

 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 insides and sanding them so that the sides

I have several pieces and parts of old jewelry and I’m always on the lookout for more.   The thrift shops, second hand stores and interesting boutiques are places I tend to seek out.   I also am very fortunate to have had a mother who loved jewelry and old things.   I’ve had a wonderful time going through her jewelry and remembering the best of times with her.   Going through the jewelry box, I found this beautifully painted porcelain cabochon of two lovers set in a brass triangle.   It had been a brooch at one time and the clasp was broken.   Of course, I used it in a necklace.   Vintage brass and pearl chain combine with pearls and crystals to make quite a charming necklace! Another day, I attended a trunk show at Bead-It in Prescott and purchased a vintage belt buckle with rhinestones.   I used half the buckle; wire wrapped a vintage rhinestone button on the bar and made a sparkling pendant with matching earrings for the holidays!   I found this piece of decorated square silver