Boys, inspiration, polymer clay and poo.

It’s odd. I find if I’m not spending time with boys I do a lot more crafting and have a lot more inspirational ideas. Last July I went on a self-imposed boy-ban and took myself off to Crete for a week. The creative ideas almost became too much… so my friend bought me a little note book to write them all down for when I got home. I guess that’s how I ended up with all the stock for the CND Christmas Craft Fair.

I still carry around a little notebook. It’s not the same one. The Cretan one, I keep by the bed, as I have a lot of creative thoughts before I go to sleep. I also have a more elaborate inspirations and design book. That is hard-back, A4 and has various collages in and snippets from mail-outs from my favourite designers and makers. It’s something I learnt at school and at the time I thought was irrelevant. I had to do it again for a jewellery course I started in 2006. If I am ever having a creative block I can just open the pages and I start getting ideas just from looking at the collages and photo-montages.

Oh man, I can’t half rabbit on.

I made a list in my notebook of all the things I can do, or have tried, and all the things I can’t do, and would like to try.

One thing I haven’t given a go recently is polymer clay. ‘Recently’ as in, I used it a fair bit when I was 10. My friends and I would all buy different colours and then share them. My least creative friend (in the present) made me a badge that said ‘Take That’ on it, and I wore it most days. Polymer clay is also known as Fimo and Sculpey.

Anyway, these days I see some amazing things being made from it. I never realised you could make things quite so detailed. I’m not sure I’d have the skill or the patience, but I’d certainly like to develop some unique style of my own with it. I have been a big fan of Tarina Tarantino for a long time (although I think I only own one crystal hairgrip, location unknown L ) and have been after a Pink Head gothic style necklace for ages. Check out this page of her website for a beautiful polymer clay cross, and also have a gander around the rest of the site, it’s beautiful. Another polymer clay crafter I love is Komodokat. I love kitschy stuff and I think her poo and toilet roll charms are inspired! I also love her buttered toast and sparkly tooth earrings.

Great work :o)

PS I was really hoping to add more items to etsy tonight as I found a USB port that seems to work :o) and it keeps my drinks warm! Anyway, my mum and dad took me out for tea and have only just left (it’s 9.30pm here) so that’s out the window. I will def do it tomorrow as the Penthouse is clean and tidy and have no plans except eat pasta.

xox