It's time to reflect on 2014 and look forward to 2015.
In the last half of 2014 I spent more time in my studio than
I had in the last three years due to work commitment and travel. It was good to be home and able to spend time
on creative projects. I was also able to
reconnect with my local guild, the Mile High Polymer Clay Guild, which was
rewarding and nourishing creatively.
Creating tutorials and filming them for YouTube videos was
one of my primary creative outlets.
Sharing techniques and interesting projects with a larger community was
one of my top goals for the year. I had
published one video in 2011 which was to have been the first in a series. I wasn’t able to create the next installments
of the series until October of 2014 – over three years later. Wow.
All in all I published 10 polymer clay videos on a variety of projects
including silk screening, making a pendant, three types of earrings, a bracelet
and a jewelry making tool during the year.
These videos were well received and I grew my channel subscriptions from
66 to over 300 by the end of 2014. Not
huge numbers by any means but a nice trend.
The comments and words of encouragement have kept me going. I appreciate every one.
Social media has never been a focus for me although I recognize
the opportunities offered by using Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and
others. In 2014 I made a concerted
effort to improve my use of social media by posting more regularly. I have seen how social media drives
engagement and community so I’ll work on improving in this area.
My goals for 2015 include developing more tutorials,
publishing an article or two in a polymer clay or mixed media magazine and
better use of social media. To push
myself I’ve signed up for a couple of art related challenges that keep me
creating on a daily basis. These
challenges feel like a lot of pressure right now but I’m hoping that they
motivate me to spend more time in the studio.
Wishing all a creative and prosperous new year. Happy New Year!
Let’s knit with polymer clay! Join me in my studio as we make a polymer
clay knitted “fabric” that we can use to make these cute mitten earrings. You could also resize the mitten template to
make a necklace, bracelet or zipper pull. 
I like to add metal to my jewelry but not being a metalsmith, I need to find creative ways to get the luster and weight of metal into my designs. In this piece, I'm using metal buttons easily sourced from fabric stores and on-line. There are so many styles and finishes that I'm sure you'll find something to add interest to your pieces. Try this technique but be sure to add wire to create an anchor so the button won't fall out. If the button is a shank style, you may have to cut the shank down with heavy duty wire cutters. You'll still want to wrap wire around the remaining part of the shank to secure it.