Learned something new.. thought I would share!

Hello and thank you for stopping in! 

I hope y'all had a great weekend?! 

Before we get started, I thought I would share with y'all the fact that not only was there no winner to the Cute Valentine Teddy Bear giveaway, but no one even signed up! OUCH, did that hurt my pride a bit. 

But I'm not one to complain, I just wanted to let y'all know what happened and why there was nothing more said on the subject. I thought I would try doing giveaways on my craft blog, since they had been so successful on my personal blog in the past. Guess I was wrong. Oh well.. :-(

Recently, I made some miniature Polymer clay St. Patrick's Day Green Beer mug charms for necklaces, earrings, doll house or just to collect. Here's the Green beer mugs. 

I also made October Fest Beer mugs and Root Beer float mugs. 
                 

And once they were all made,  I got to thinking.. "Wouldn't it be awesome if I could some how scent the Root Beer float?" 

Went on Google and found several links of course. The first link I came to, I recognized the name. This particular artist I've been a fan of her work for a few years, but I have never seen this tutorial of hers.  She's amazing, accomplished and has been published many times. This artist that posted a tutorial on Deviant art, Her shop name is "Monster Kookies". She's posted this "The Secret Scent; How to Scent Polymer clay". 

I also found an artist by the name of Toni Ellison, who gave a tutorial on Youtube. It's called "How to make scented oil for Polymer clay, candles and soaps"  Found another artist shop of "Tiny Hands online" who does nothing but Scented Polymer clay jewelry. And last but certainly not least there's "Cute-N-Sweet Cafe" on Etsy. 

Now, just as Kookie of Monster Kookies stated at the end of her tutorial, (The first listed above) she's not sure where this originated and obviously, either do I, since I have just stumbled on it. But nonetheless, I wanted to give credit where credit is due! All these ladies do such amazing work! 

WOOHOO!!! I couldn't wait to get back into the studio and start on making more Root Beer floats! I settled on the technique by Toni Ellison, using flavored extract and odorless oils. 

The photo of the Root Beer float above is scented with Root Beer extract and smells so yummy! Of course, the video tells how to make "Birthday cake" but the process is the same with any flavor. I was so thrilled! 

Next, I think I'm going to try the "Birthday cake" tutorial Toni gives and see how awesome that turns out! 

Special thanks to Kimberly Hart (Monster Kookies), Toni Ellison, Mei Pak (Tiny Hands online) and Nikki Buchicchino (Cute-N-Sweet Cafe) for being so generous and sharing their tutorials with us! 

Hey, thanks for stopping in and I hope y'all have a great day!

 Please be sure to stop in and say hello to the talented artists listed above, if you get a minute.

Polymer clay hints, tricks and tips..

Hello and welcome to the third installment of 

Polymer clay hints, tricks and tips.

When I first started out claying, I had to teach myself everything I know. Along the way I have tried a few things and failed at many. So, I thought I would share with y’all what I have learned. 

*Hints*

Tissue blades:  There are several brands of Tissue blades you can purchase. Some have handles you can snap onto the ends to prevent you from cutting yourself. Most tissue blades come without handles. They have a blade side and a blunt side. 

Some have marked the blunt side to avoid accidentely using the wrong side.

There are roughly four different types of blades on the market one can use when cutting your Polymer clay. 

1. The most sturdy or stiff blades is the best to use when you need to cut with great accuracy, such as with Polymer clay canes or straight lines. 
2. A more flexible blade which is ultra-thin, best for use with cutting curves or Mokume-gane. 
3. Small ripple blade for smaller wavy cuts.
4. Large ripple blade for larger wavy cuts.

The best way I have found to store my blades when not in use, is a small plastic box. The type children keep their supplies in elementary school. 

This way when reaching into my tools, I don't cut myself with the blade.

Another few blades clayers use are 
X-Acto blade or what I use, which is the blade from a scraper. I have found that this blade is the right size to handle for me. It's shorter than the tissue blades and longer than the refill of the box cutter blades that I have seen many clayers use. 

A fantastic place to shop online for clay supplies is Dick Blick Art Materials.

That's all for this week, tune in next week when we cover.. clay cutters. 

Thank you ! 

*CLOSED* WIN ME! Polymer clay Valentine Bear. Ends 1/27/13. US and Canada Only please.

Hello and thank you for stopping in! 

A few years back on my personal blog, I would run product giveaways sponsored by commercial vendors. Now that I no longer run a personal blog, I thought that I would bring back the giveaways. YAY!

 Each week Cobalt Moon Jewelry will run a giveaway here this blog, sponsored by me (Cindy Dowdle-Schoen) Items up for the giveaway have been handmade/ hand sculpted/ created for the giveaway purpose! It could be a sculpture item, jewelry item, Holiday item or hair bow center.  

The giveaway will be posted here on this blog and on Facebook. 

Each week a different item will be made for the purpose of the giveaway. Once the giveaway has ended, I will decide then if I want to list it in my shop for sale, if there is enough interest in the item. So, if you like the item, let me know about it :-)

Up for our first giveaway will be this cute Polymer clay hand sculpted Valentine Teddy bear holding a Pink Polymer clay heart that says "HI". I made this bear specifically for this giveaway, you won't find this in my shop or on my Facebook page until the contest has ended. 

This giveaway will be open for US and Canadian residence only, 18 years and older. Entries must be received by 10PM CST (Central Standard Time) on 

1-27-13. Be sure to include your email address with comments please. 

Winners will be selected via Random.org and posted here on this blog. An email will be sent to the winner, you will have 48 hours to respond with your mailing address. If no winner comes forward within those 48 hours, another winner will be drawn and so on until the winner claims their prize. 

The contest rules are :

1. Share this post on Facebook and leave a comment under the post that you shared. You will be entered to win this Polymer clay Valentine Teddy bear holding a Pink Polymer clay heart. 

Tell us what you like most about Valentine's Day

 2. Publicly follow Cobalt Moon Jewelry's blog via Google Friend Connect

(2 entries/comments) 

For an additional 2 entries

Re-Pin this photo on Pinterest 

Here is the link to the pin 

Make sure to leave a second comment telling us you re-pinned the photo.

Disclosure: This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or associated with Facebook.

The items up for the giveaway have been hand sculpted/hand made/created by me (Cindy Dowdle-Schoen) Cobalt Moon Jewelry for the sole purpose of the giveaway. 

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask  :-)

Thank you and GOOD LUCK everyone!

Polymer clay hints, tricks and tips.

Hello and welcome to the second installment of 

Polymer clay hints, tricks and tips. 

When I first started out claying, I had to teach myself everything I know. Along the way I have tried a few things and failed at many. So, I thought I would share with y’all what I have learned. 

*Tricks and Tips* 

When one decides to take on the fun that is Polymer clay.. if you don't have a clue what you're doing .. you can damage not only your furniture but your tools as well.

Unbaked Polymer clay can damage surfaces like wood and even plastic. It will "eat" through Styrofoam paper plates. So, one is faced with the task of finding the surface in which to work. 

Of course you can go and purchase expensive equipment, but there are a few inexpensive items you can work on. 

At my local Habitat for Humanity store, I found a Ceramic tile for $. 50. The size I got is 12 x 12 and you can not only work on it, but you can slide it into your home oven to bake on. At the temperature most Polymer clay's cure at, it won't harm the tile. I'm sure you can also find them at major do it yourself stores, this is just where I found mine. 

*Be careful when removing it from your oven tho, it will be very hot and retain it's heat for a long time after* 

Another surface one can use is a sheet of wax or butcher paper. I found that butcher paper is better for me because it's so much thicker. 

Before you get started, you always want to condition your clay. 

WHAT is conditioning?

Conditioning is the process that makes the clay easier to work with. Most conditioning is done by warming the clay in your hands until it reaches the right consistency to work with. The physical act of stretching, mashing and warming, changes the texture of the clay, thus making it easier to work with.

*Adding softening agents to the clay*

There are a number of things you can add to your clay to soften it if it's too hard. 

1. Eberhard-Faber (made by Fimo) makes something called "Mix-Quick" It's a soft block of extra plasticizers; you can use this in small quantities to recondition hard clay.
2. Sculpey clay softener liquid that does the same thing. Add a few drops at a time and work into clay. Don't worry, this will make the clay extremely sticky, don't give up, keep working the clay softener into the clay and eventually you will have the consistency you desire.
3. Transparent Polymer clay will also give you easier clay to work with. Add small amounts at a time and work in thoroughly until you have the consistency you desire.
4. Sculpey Mold Maker is another product that comes in a block. By adding small amounts of this very soft product to your clay and mixing thoroughly, you will find the clay will soften nicely.
5. Mineral oil, by adding a few drops of mineral oil to the clay, you will achieve the same results as using the Sculpey clay softener. I have not used this process, but I have spoken to a few clayers that have and they liked the results.

So, as with anything.. try some, try them all... until you find what works for you! Each artist has tried and true methods that have worked for them. The end result is.. use what works for your budget and taste. 

Another method of conditioning is by using a 

*Polymer clay dedicated Pasta Machine*  This one was found on the Joann Fabric and Craft Store website

 

Why does it need to be dedicated you ask? Well, even though the clay is Non-Toxic, you don't want to use the same machine for food. Clay just doesn't taste that great. 

You don't need to purchase an expensive pasta machine, there are always Polymer clay pasta machines on sale at any hobby store. I purchased one when I first started, back in 2004 and it is still going strong today. Some have had to replace theirs after a few years, but they are so inexpensive and such a wonderful asset to claying.. it's a good thing to get. 

*How to use a pasta machine*

Simply flatten the Polymer clay into a thin "pancake" and on the widest setting of the pasta machine, roll the clay through. Be careful you don't have the clay too thick when rolling it through, it can cause the gears within the machine to mis-align. Then you will have to purchase a new machine. 

Once you have passed the "pancake" through, fold it and at the crease, pass it through again. Keep repeating this process until you have the clay at the consistency you desire.

That's all for this week, tune in next week when we cover different types of blades to use with your clay. 

Thank you!

Okay.. Ok.. I admit it.. I got lazy !

Lately, during the holidays.. I admit it.. I've gotten really lazy and lax on posting here at my blog!

I'm going to confess to y'all something.. I just feel so overwhelmed lately!
A few of my close friends know that I was injured about 22 years ago and I have Fibromyalgia as well, so I'm generally in a great deal of pain most of the day and night. I try and try not to let it get in my way.. but if any of y'all have ever experienced chronic pain.. you understand what I'm talking about. I have good days and bad days. 

Trying to come up with new and fun things to post here and on Facebook, keeping up the house, trying to find time to create things for my shop.. it just got to me and I guess I just took a mental and physical vacation during the holidays! HA!

BUT.. it's the New Year.. and I'm going to do everything I can to get back on track. Please forgive me for letting y'all down.  

I have a few things to show y'all today.. at the encouragement of a new friend, Diana with Twostars Embroidery   I got to work making these Monster's Inc characters..

Meet Boo, Mike and Sully from Monster's Inc.

All three characters are listed on my Facebook page, but I haven't listed them in my Etsy shop yet. 

Please let me know if you are interested. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas/Holiday and a fun and safe New Year! 

Saying goodbye to my Artfire shop..

Cobalt Moon Jewelry Artfire shop

After almost 4 years on Artfire, many sales, many friends.. I have decided it's time to shut the doors on that shop ONLY!

Starting today and ending on December 31st at midnight, I will be running a 25% off everything sale in my ARTFIRE shop only!
You can use coupon code ARTFIRESHOPCLOSINGSALE25 during check out.

After the 31st, I will close the "doors" on the Artfire shop and concentrate only on my new Etsy shop.

Thank you to all my customers, friends and supporters..

A feature in a Magazine, me?!

Hi all! I hope you haven't been worried about me? I've been busy, like a lot of y'all... getting ready for Christmas! 

Cleaning the house, making things for people, that sort of thing.. and, I'm really pleased to announce that since opening my Etsy shop in October.. the orders have been steady. It's off to a fabulous start!

So, a few months ago, I was approached by the wonderful ladies over at Sweet Delight Sample Boxes. It's an online sample shop. Where someone will purchase a sample box that includes many samples.. from perfume to makeup to jewelry. I gladly supplied the ladies with some samples, knowing full well that whom ever purchased the sample box that contained my samples.. would also contain my business card.. so, it was a win, win for both of us!

Today, I received an email from the ladies at Sweet Delight The Online Magazine, announcing that my Pumpkin pie pendant set was selected to feature in the Winter 2012 online magazine issue.  Talk about over-the-moon excited.. I couldn't believe it! 

If you are interested in this Pumpkin pie set or any of my other items, you can find them in my Etsy shop, Cobalt Moon Jewelry. 

Don't forget to "Like" us at Cobalt Moon Jewelry, on Facebook for updates and postings of new items I've made!

A great big thank you goes out to Robin and Penny at Sweet Delight Sample Boxes ! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful and Merry Christmas!!!