Sunday, December 11, 2016


Create Beautiful OOAK Jewelry 

With these beautiful metal forms you can create rings and bracelets quickly and easily.
Great for giving as gifts, selling at Craft Fairs or for keeping yourself!


In under an hour you can have all of these pieces ready for the oven.
These projects are a great way to use up Mokume Gane slices or leftover canes. Or, use textures and silk screens like we did here.
We know you will come up with even more ideas on your own.
let's get started.





Let's work on the Hinged Bracelet first.
  • Condition your polymer clay and using a pasta machine, sheet it on a medium-thin setting.
  • Choose your silk screen and paint colour. (Follow the directions that come with the screens and allow the paint dry).
  • Cut a piece of clay just a bit longer and wider than the area you are trying to fill.  (Image 2)
  • A bit of liquid clay on the underside of the form will help guarantee that the clay will have a permanent bond once baked. 
  • Push the clay against the bracelet to get a good bond. 
  • Treat the open area of the bracelet like a die form. Using a small, soft brush., gently push the clay between the edges of the form to create a 3D effect (Image 3).  
  • You can do a little or a lot. This will depend largely on the consistency of your clay.
  • Now it is time to trim the clay.  Work from the front so that you can see where to cut. Then, on the under-side cut the clay away from the hinge. 
  • Using your fingers, smooth all of the edges one final time to make sure that the clay is adhering everywhere. 
  • Now using a sharp scalpel or X-acto blade clean up the edges.
  • I would suggest baking the bracelet with just one side done.  Once cooled you can complete the other side.
  • Complete the other side in the exact same manner or use a different surface treatment.
  • 1 Gift done!

                                
       Let's customize the Ring Forms. This couldn't be easier.      
       We'll use the channel ring first.


  • Lightly impress the back-side of the decorative clay with the channel ring.  This marks the width you need.  Using a long blade, cut a strip. This is great for using up small leftover bits of your cherished canes.
  • Add a bit of liquid clay to the channel.  Press the clay inside the channel and pull the strip slightly if needed, to stretch the clay so that it fits neatly inside the channel.
  • When the clay over-laps at the end, use a knife to cut through both thicknesses. Remove the excess by lifting up the strip and with the sharp tip remove the tiny piece from underneath. Your 2 edges will butt up against each other perfectly.  
  • Smooth the seam.
  • Bake
  • 2 gifts done!

        Now, let's work on the Rectangular Bezel Ring. 

  • Impress the ring into the back-side of the decorative clay to get a sense of the size of the rectangle you will cut. (This is also sheeted on a medium-thin setting).
  • Apply some liquid clay inside the bezel of the ring.
  • Place the cut rectangle of clay into the ring.  Roll the clay lightly in place.  If the clay goes beyond the edge just use your tissue blade to push it back inside the bezel. 
  • Bake.  I told you this would be easy! This ring has a lovey weight to it.
  • 3 gifts done!

         Last but not least, let's work on the rolled edge Channel Bracelet

  • The clay for this bracelet is sheeted on a medium thickness.
  • Measure the width of the channel and, using a ruler and a sharp blade, cut a strip from the sheeted clay.
  • Apply a scant amount of liquid clay inside the channel.
  • Place the plain or decorative strip inside the channel and smooth.
  • If plain clay was used you can now apply texture and lightly rub with with PearlEx powders, Gilder's paste or similar to highlight the raised design.
  • Using the pressure of your finger (or a sharp knife), clean up the edges of the clay if needed.
  • Bake!
  • 4 gifts complete!


 A while back, 
Tina Holden and I traded. She gave me a few of her lovely silk screens to play with and I gave her a few CaBezel molds to try!
 I used Tina's silk screen's for the projects described above.

You can find Tina's line of silk screens here
Thanks Tina!


   Can't wait to get started? 

Here is a quick reference guide to the supplies you might need to complete the projects.

           Jewelry Forms:

·         Channel Ring

·         Rectangular Bezel Ring

·         Hinged Bracelet Form

·         Channel Bracelet Form

          Tools and Supplies:


Friday, November 11, 2016

Grand River Bead Society Show and Sale. Tomorrow!


Come see us at the Grand River Bead Society Show and Sale this Saturday and Sunday n Guelph ON. We will have a large sampling of our products for sale and we will also be doing a demo of the CaBezel Molds! We'd love to see you there!

Click here for more information and the location.

Friday, August 5, 2016

Free Tutorial Using Polymer Clay,CaBezel molds and Silk Screens

Tina Holden (AKA The Beadcomber) and I decided to do a wee collaboration. I sent her a few CaBezel molds and she created a free tutorial for all to see using the CaBezels and her lovely Silk Screens. Soon you'll see what I do with her silk screens.
She now has over 65!!! That's a lot of time spent designing over the years.
Anyway, you can take a look at her great tutorial. I love her shot with the CaBezels on the beach! That's someplace I've never taken them :) hmmmmmm.....

Enjoy!
Find it here.


Free Tutorial Using Polymer Clay,CaBezel molds and Silk Screens

Tina Holden (AKA The Beadcomber) and I decided to do a wee collaboration. I sent her a few CaBezel molds and she created a free tutorial for all to see using the CaBezels and her lovely Silk Screens. Soon you'll see what I do with her silk screens.
She now has over 65!!! That's a lot of time spent designing over the years.
Anyway, you can take a look at her great tutorial. I love her shot with the CaBezels on the beach! That's someplace I've never taken them :) hmmmmmm.....

Enjoy!
Find it here.


Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Vacation time!

I just wanted to mention that I will be going away on a little vacation starting on May 19th.
Yeah me!
Shades of Clay will remain open, and it will be business as usual for all on-line orders.


For those of you that sometimes need the extra help placing your orders, please get in touch ASAP because no email or phone orders can be taken after May 18th. 
This special service will be offered once again after my return on approximately June 8th.



I am truly grateful that our wonderful assistant Patti, will be working hard filling orders and shipping while I'm away.


Patti will be checking email and I will be glancing occasionally at my FaceBook messages when I can.
We'll be doing our very best to take care of you during this time.



If there is something you need, please think about placing your order soon!



Great News!

Shades of Clay has started to carry the exquisite CreateAlong Silk Screen Stencils of Ilysa and Kira over at Polymer Clay TV! These screens are twice the size of most other silk screens!
I think you are going to love these beauties. 
You can find them here.







Even More Great News!
We are also now carrying Christie Friesen's Swellegant paints in the Mini Combo Sets.
Turn everything you touch into gold....and silver and copper......



There are still some CaBezel sets available in the Etsy shop here.

If you were thinking of placing an order over on The Art of My Clay Etsy site, please do so soon as that store will be taking a vacation starting on May 16 and won't re-open until approximately June 8th. (We'll see how long the jet lag lasts.  :)






Thursday, March 17, 2016

Shades of Green....with color recipes

Shades of Green........ Polymer Clay 

We all know what day it is when we see Shades of Green! 
St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated since the 1850's, and while many choose to celebrate with mugs of green beer, I think I'll stick to blocks of  clay and try to do something creative today.

Here are some recipes for you to enjoy.




All products available at Shades of Clay

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Alcohol Ink Class starting in April

At Shades of Clay we love to help connect artists and crafters with classes and events going on around you that you might not otherwise be aware of.
Here in Oakville Ontario, we have several artists and teachers nearby.
Alcohol inks have exploded in popularity! There are so vibrant and free spirited, no holds barred when using this media!
Starting April 20th, Diane Marcotte has an upcoming class at the Oakville Art Society.
You can find out more details here. (scroll way down)
Take a look at Diane's blog here.
You might want to sign up soon to avoid disappointment as class sizes are small.
Our stock of Alcohol Inks and supplies including Yupo are being rapidly depleted as the popularity of AI explodes.  Don't worry, we hope to be restocked  March 18-20!
If you have any classes, events or guilds that we can help get the word about?  We'd love to help.
Feel free to contact us here when you are ready to share.
Go forth and Create!

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Sale, New sets of CaBezels up on Etsy

The CaBezel Jewelry Molds
I have just added a few more sets of the Cabezel molds up on Etsy. The sets work out to a better price than if they were purchased individually.
I do this because I hear from many of you that you would rather buy them in sets.
They are limited quantities, first rate molds, no seconds.

The CaBezels are very easy to use once you have a bit of practice.  If you haven't tried them yet, Etsy is a great way to introduce yourself to them. Of course you don't have to just use them for jewelry Think book covers, journals and wall art too.

You can make dozens of your own bezels at a fraction of the cost that metal bezels would cost you.
It is a great way to use up scrap clay too! Just apply Gilder's paste, metallic foils, PearlEx or other mica powders and make them look like metal bezels.  The best part is, you will also have the mold to make the matching cabochons to fit your bezels.  
Of course, you don't have to fill all of them with Cabochons.  Why not put an image in the bottom and then fill them with ICE Resin.
See them here.
The possibilities are  limited only by your imagination!
Have fun creating



Sunday, February 28, 2016

Save $5 Shades of Spring

Come on over to Shade of Clay and use your coupon code before it expires.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Visit us at shadesofclay.com to use your coupon

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Great Deals, Goody Bags of all sorts

We are clearing out some products in the form of Goody Bags over on the Etsy site, The Art Of My Clay.
This is a great way to try some great products at a reduced price and add to your stash.
We have Jacquard Lumiere and Neopaque paints.
We have Ranger Inksentials glass slides and metal frames.
iDye for natural fibers, some resists and much much more. Please take a look here.