Polymer Play Days 2010 (and more)

Hi everyone!

It has been a while since I wrote anything in my blog. It seems that the less you write, the more difficult it becomes to just sit down and write something :))

And I do have something to write about! Not about my creations (I am not very creative lately), but about a fantastic polymer clay festival called Polymer Play Days, which took part here in England a couple of weeks ago. Jist like the last year the festival was a lot of fun. We had 6 workshops, half a day each, with 6 fantastic teachers. To my delight I also had an opportunity to speak Russian again, as there were 3 more Russian-speaking wonderful ladies apart from me this year :)) And I was happy to sit again at the same table with Diane and Jo.

So these are the things I made during three days of workshops:
Alison Gallant taught us to make a chrysanthemum cane, which we used to make different kinds of beads


Sylvie Peraud taught us to make mosaics. This is a technique where you have to sand your pieces for a very long time, but the results are fabulous.
These are my unfinished yet items

And this is what mosaics should look like when sanded and buffed, these are pieces made by Sylvie herself.

On a second day we had workshops with a lovely couple from Spain, Natalia and Dani.
Natalia has shown us how to make these felt broach style beads

Dani has shown us a very interesting and complicated technique of making hollow beads. I did not like my beads, which is why I will show you Dani's examples (Photo from Olga's blog):

I liked the ideas of these hollow beads, I will have to try making them at home some time.
On a third day we had workshops with two fabulous American artists, Donna Kato and Lindly Haunani.
On a Donna Kato's class we were making funky rings with rotating discs. My ring:


Lindly's class was about colours and Skinner blends.
I only had time to make these two plates at the workshop:

Then I made a few more items out of leftovers of Skinner blends at home.

I think I am almost inspired now to get back to clay :))

And that wasn't all yet! :))
After all the classes on a last day we had a charity auction for Macmillan cancer support. I won a gorgeous seed bead necklace! I think making such a jewellery of seed beads is extremely complicated, and I am very happy to own this masterpiece.





And that is not all yet! :))) We had a raffle! I was lucky again, and I won a beautiful ring made by Sylvie!

I bought myself a lovely pendant by one of my favorite Spanish polymer clay artists, Noelia. I love how accurate and neat her works are.


Not to make two posts in one day I also want to show you the beautiful beads I bought from a polymer clay artist Elena (shim-shoni)

And that is it for now! I hope you enjoyed the photos! :)))