Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Clay & Cutting & Stamping OH MY

Well, I promised you a more complex project this week so here it is! This is an altered Composition Book. There is a lot to this one so here it goes.

I started with all black clay. I used Premo Brand. I conditioned the clay in my pasta machine and then divided the clay. I set aside the solid black and then used multi color leafing on the the clay. I started on a thicker setting and just added leafing until I got the desired look rolling the clay thinner each time. I rolled the pieces as thin as possible without the clay falling apart. (about a 2 depending on the machine)

The next step is to partially bake the clay. You do not want it to be brittle or it will not cut well...trust me on this one! I baked mine for 7 minutes. I removed the clay, let it cool and then cut your shapes. I used my CuttleBug to do the cutting with triangle nest abilities.

So I have all these large and small triangles. I used matching small and larger stamps from Prickley Pear to stamp the solid black triangles with Encore Gold ink. I then finished baking the clay which also set the ink. Once out of the oven and cooled I edged each piece with Gold Krylon.

I used a combination of glue and red line tape. I started in the middle and worked out. I just work one side then the other. I did have some hang over so I used and Exacto to carefully trim the edge.

I added more leafing to the project on the spine with double stick tape.

I found fiber in my fiber drawer that looked good with the project and attached some beads I also made from clay and attached with really strong glue. I use a lot of glue from Art Institute. It dries clear and is very strong.

I then put a line of glue along the outside edge and placed small mosaic tiles down. These are great if you can find them. I got these from The Stencil Collection but don't think the have these tones in stock. They do have some really pretty ones available!

My final step was to mix a very small amount of resin epoxy by Envirotex and brush it over the entire front of the journal. It filled in any gaps that I had missed and gives a cool texture to the finished project.

Hope this was worth the wait! I love doing fun and different things.

So now for a shameless plug! If you are in Missouri and love to attend crops check out my blog for details for a crop June 4/5. It is a fundraiser! Also join and follow my blog for a chance to win some cool prizes! kristiscreativecafe.blogspot.com

Happy Creating!
Kristi

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10 comments:

Summer Braxton said...

wow... very spectacular

Dakota Bear said...

WOW! This is quite an endeavor.

FitterTwit said...

That IS... but so worth it! Look how great that is!!! :)

Kristi said...

It was a lot of work but so pleased with the rusults. I had made another one close to this one but used a lot more Spellbinder dies. I Smperfied on this one! Thank you all!

IRW Dana said...

WOW, what a wonderful book! THanks for the wonderful info so I can make one for a friend. Thanks for the inspiration.

Michelle D said...

Great book! Very talented.

Penny Light/Light Whimsy said...

I love using clay with my cricut and cuttlebug. It's a wonderful medium, that is why I am sure that the cricut cake would be so great to use! This is a fantastic project.

Kristi said...

ty one and all! it was fun to make

Stampmyart said...

Looks awesome! One question... I didn't see if you finished baking the clay later? Or does it matter. I've been wanting to do a charm for my daughter but was afraid to hurt my Cricut...I never thought to partially bake the clay, LOL. Great thinking! ♥

Kristi said...

Good luck with your project. If you need to add bake time after cutting you may. I knew I was going to add a protective coating so did not worry too much about the bake time. It also was so thin that it does cook quicker. Have fun!!