Friday, May 28, 2010

Website work and free Tutorials

We have worked very hard to build a website for our little business. After looking at other sites and assessing the time taken to build our little site, I am in awe of the amount of work required.

Our first attempt did not seem to show our molds to the best advantage. So, we made a few changes. We took new photographs of all of our molds and reviewed the pages with tutorials and stamps.

Our most recent molds, PJ001 through PJ009 were a different format from the molds created for Sweetbrier Studio and needed work. They were used in my classes and none of them had any project included with the purchase of the mold since the students used them in a class with a lesson.

It was obvious that projects and tutorials needed to be written for each of these. 'Much easier said than done.

Starting with our top selling PJ009 Wild Flights micro mold, the choice was to make an embellished focal bead. The body of the bead was made of translucent clay with micro glitter worked into the clay. The tutorial shows two finishes. Varnish only and antiqued with heavy body acrylic paint, then varnished. Since many folks got this mold in a class but not the Focal Bead Tutorial, we have posted it on our Free Tutorials (Tutorial #6) page of our website. BEST FLEXIBLE MOLDS..

With that done, both of the Thunderbird molds needed projects. Since they are so much alike except for size, the tutorials are basically the same. A variety of color combinations and a photo of a wooden cigar box embellished with a colorful eagle.

The PJ008 Roses and Butterfly micro mold was next. Again, a project was needed. This time I went for old fashioned and feminine. A heart pin with roses seemed just the thing. (It also matches my peach jacket.) The tutorial for this mold is also available in the Free Tutorials page (tutorial #5) page of our website. BEST FLEXIBLE MOLDS..

Next we needed a project for the cabochon molds, PJ001 Almond Cabs & More and PJ002 Cabs & More have a tutorial for Faux Abalone.

While making parts for PJ003 and PJ004, I began playing around with slices of canes in the bottom of the cabochon mold. Beginning with PJ004 Dominoes and more mold, I started with a simple design. After this design, I got a bit bolder and began to do more in the cabochon mold before adding clay. The results were way beyond my wildest expectations.
Begin the project by filling the mold with less clay than needed to fill it. Push the clay all the way to the edges making in a shallow cabochon. Remove the shallow cabochon and set it aside.

Next arrange very thin slices of flowers, leaves, fun canes and loopy ribbons in the bottom of the cabochon mold. When satisfied with the design put the shallow cabochon put back into the mold, on top of the cane slices, and very, very firmly press in place.

If you have the PJ003 Egg shapes and More mold but not the tutorial, it's your lucky day. If not, the technique should work in any solid, flexible mold with a flat bottom. This cabochon is made with some of my favorite canes, especially the rose cane. The leaves are Illusion Leaves, one of my classes. They look rounded even though they are flat. The translucent and white ribbons are really striking on the dark background. Add a little ultra fine micro glitter and the effect is wonderful. (Matches my black outfit.) :-) You can download this tutorial, also for free, on our Free Tutorials (Tutorial #4) page of our website. BEST FLEXIBLE MOLDS.

The designs continue to grow and develop.

The tutorial to make this lovely cabochon on a skinner background comes with PJ004 Dominoes & More mold. I'll try to get it up on the Free Tutorial page soon. The oval cabochon in this mold is 30 by 40mm, and fits a standard setting.

Clay buddy Jane came over yesterday and I showed her how simple these pretty pieces are to make. Shown here is the result of cane slices in the PJ028 Symbols of Faith mold. A flat cross designed for patterned clay. I did it very quickly but was again, delightfully surprised at the results. The bright colors and pearly green background are a beautiful mix.

Feel free to visit our Free Tutorials page of our website. BEST FLEXIBLE MOLDS.

Have fun!
Penni Jo

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