Crafts by Chris » Crafts by Chris

monthly muse – tribal

Chris — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:28:11 +0000

February’s Monthly Muse inspiration is all about tribal prints in neutral colors like black, white and tan (Nomad). If you’re feeling bold… try adding a pop of color, like Tangerine Tango or Deep Orchid. Or add rich gold for a luxurious look.

I did manage to find a little time to make something for January’s Monthly Muse inspiration…

I’ve been hard at work on the color mixes for the Kato Spring 2012 polymer clay color recipe ebook and hope to have it ready to go soon. Next on the agenda is working on taxes and cleaning my studio. It’s amazing how quickly the mess gets out of hand. What are your plans for the month of February? Anyone working on something new and exciting?

FIMO Classic Spring 2012 Color Recipe Ebook

Chris — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 04:40:57 +0000

Whether you aren’t comfortable mixing colors or just want to save yourself some time, these recipes are for you.

Bigger and better!

* 80 polymer clay color recipes from PANTONE’s Spring/Summer 2012 color trends.

* 47 pages in PDF format

* Trend info by color collection

* All recipes use FIMO Classic polymer clay.

* Recipes are formatted as printable “recipe cards”.

* Ideas for organizing your color recipe cards.

Price: $10.00

Premo Spring 2012 Color Recipe Ebook

Chris — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:04:32 +0000

Whether you aren’t comfortable mixing colors or just want to save yourself some time, these recipes are for you.

Bigger and better!

* 80 polymer clay color recipes from PANTONE’s Spring/Summer 2012 color trends.

* 47 pages in PDF format

* Trend info by color collection

* All recipes use PREMO! by Sculpey polymer clay.

* Recipes are formatted as printable “recipe cards”.

* Ideas for organizing your color recipe cards.

PLEASE NOTE: These recipes include cobalt blue and zinc yellow, which after the end of 2010 will only be available through Polymer Clay Express (http://www.polymerclayexpress.com/), Munro Crafts (http://www.munrocrafts.com/), or Creative Wholesale (http://creative-wholesale.com/).

Price: $10.00

guilty pleasure

Chris — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:37:55 +0000

I’m not a big fan of reality tv shows, but have to admit that Project Accessory has become my guilty pleasure. You can watch the episodes online here. (Yes, I’m being an enabler.) Each week designers, with varied backgrounds (hats, handbags, jewelry, shoes, etc.) have a different design challenge. The challenges involve creating multiple accessories in a limited amount of time around a theme. The designers are definitely pushed outside their comfort zones…jewelry designers creating a pair of shoes or a handbag.

How often do you step outside your comfort zone? If you have a clearly defined style and your work is easily recognized as yours that’s a good thing. However, if you don’t shake things up once in a while your designs may become stale. One of the things I’ve noticed while watching Project Accessory is that when the designers are pushed far out of their comfort zones, they lose their own sense of style.

So, how do you step outside of your design box while still retaining your own style? Baby steps. Change up your color palette. I’m not suggesting you work in neon colors if you generally work with a more muted color palette. Each season’s color forecast contains varied colors from brights to more muted shades. Try incorporating just a few seasonal colors into your designs. What else? Try a new technique or even working with a different medium. While the new technique or medium may not find it’s way into your designs, perhaps a shape or pattern will spark an exciting new idea.

What have you done this past year to step outside your comfort zone?

monday inspiration – Christmas

Chris — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:52:18 +0000

Christmas colors (reds, gold and green) are the inspiration for this week’s color palette a week (CPAW). I’m hoping to get the house decorated for Christmas sometime this week….as soon as I talk hubby into getting the boxes down from the attic.

While we are on the subject of color, the purple issue of From Polymer To Art magazine landed in my mailbox Saturday. This issue marks the magazine’s first anniversary. Congratulations to Saskia and Marjon on a job well done! The current issue (purple) is filled to the brim with beautiful projects, artist interviews, informational articles and much more. Of course, you won’t want to miss my “Let’s Talk Colour” section, which includes color trend info, color recipes and collectable “Deal A Muse” cards that are included in each issue.

monday inspiration – Halloween

Chris — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:25:51 +0000

Halloween colors are the inspiration for this week’s color palette a week (CPAW). Color outside the lines, set your imagination free and have fun!

friday finds – Roberta Warshaw

Chris — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:05:27 +0000

Friday finds is pretty self explanatory. I’ll be sharing things that catch my eye.

This week is the work of Roberta Warshaw. Roberta’s background in graphic design is evident in her polymer clay bead and jewelry designs. Her mix of texture, geometric shapes and crisp clean colors has a modern tribal look to it.

Click on any photo to see the product listing.

Visit Roberta’s Etsy shop, see more of her work on Flicker, and check out her blog here.