Creative Musings

Free Creative Tutorials by Lisa Pavelka

Want free creative tutorials with all kinds of mediums? We'll here they are and I'll be adding more, so check back often! Just click on the "Tutorial" photo album of this blog and look for the link to the tutorial (some are written instructions and others are videos) that you can use for personal creations that help you "discover your inner artist!" Click on the thumbnails for each project for a larger view and the link to the instructions.  

I believe we are all hard-wired for creativity and that it is our birthright. My goal is to do what I can to inspire, encourage and enable you with your creative journey.  

Happy Creating!

Lisa Pavelka

 

 

Giving Thanks with an Free Tutorial

I'm thankful for so much...especially for all of you who. I greatly appreciate your continued friendship and support. Sharing my love of creativity is a privilage I'm fortunate to offer in my chosen profession as an artist. In honor of this Thanksgiving, I wanted to give everyone this tutorial on making a faux postage stamp image transfer pendant.

 

I'm also offering the chance to get a free sample strip of image transfers from my "Fine Arts" waterslide transfer collection. Just send a self addressed - stamped envelope to me at 7813 Cape Flattery Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89147; postmarked by December 15, 2014.

In addition, here's a coupon code for 20% off any order at www.lisapavelka.com:

Just enter LP2014 in the coupon field for any order you place this year. 

Click here to download The Faux Postage Stamp Tute

Thanks so much from the bottom of my creative heart and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

A Brand New FIMO

I've been having a great time experimenting with the new FIMO Professional clay with the True Color System. The colors are phenomenal and mix easily and beautifully. I've been playing around with the formulas in the True Color mixing chart (seen below - click on image to link to a pdf version of the full chart). It comes in 24 colors (including six in the True Color system). In addition, there is also a companion line of FIMO Doll Art flesh tones for doll making and sculpting. There is also a set of available of the six True Color clays that correspond with the 170 color recipes. Even though it's softer, I didn't find it to become sticky. It offers the matte consistency I also enjoy with the FIMO Soft line. The colors remained true during baking which is another plus for me. 

I find it much easier to condition than FIMO Classic but it still offers the same superior finished strength and flexibility (in thinner pieces) as the original FIMO clay. In addition to the seen above, I've been making several new pieces with the clay that can been seen under the "FIMO Professional" Gallery in this blog. I intend to add new images as more pieces are created. I can't get enough of this stuff!

 

 

New Inspirations

It's lovely to be busy but it can make it difficult for me to find the time to share what's going on in my studio. I've recenty taken the time to upload in the "New Inspriations" album on this blog, photos of new artwork as well as older pieces I've either never taken the time to photograph or images I haven't yet shared. If the newness of spring is encouraging you to get busy creating, I hope these images in the new album further inspires your desire to discover your inner artist! 

Sharing the Joy of Creativity This Holiday Season

I've added a free tutorial below (just click on blue link) for creating metallic leaf frames and project accents. Along with this, I'm offering a 30% off coupon code off the total order (excluding shipping) for my website good through December 31, 2013. You're welcome to share the code with your friends and family as well as using it repeatedly through the remainder of the year! Happy Claying - Lisa 

Download Metallic Leaf Tutorial 

 

 

FIMO Inspirations 2 - Antwerp, Belgium

   

Podcast Pendant Technique Taught in My Classes

It was a tremendous honor and amazing experience to teach at Staedtler's 2nd FIMO Inspirations Symposium along with clay luminaries Kathleen Dustin, Christine Dumont, and Saskia Veltenaar. It was a whirlwind three days of clay instruction and good times with dynamic students from 18 different countries.

   

Group Photo on the Badboot and the Event/Teaching Team

I was lucky to see so many familiar faces and make new friends in my classes and out. I also had the chance to spend some time exploring this amazingly beautiful city with friends Gerlinde Karg, Liselot Henderyckx, Kathleen Freisleben, and Martina Medenica.

  

Enjoying Belgium Fries with Liselot and Kathleen (left), At the Reception with Martina

There was so much to see outside the class, from exploring the historical wonders of the city to flea market shopping and amazing food! Not only were my students incredibly adept in learning the techniques and adapting them to their own unique styles and creations, but many left me with lovely gifts from their hands or their countries.

   

Team Staedlter with the Teachers (left), Class samples from Student Gabrielas Schmuck 

Staedlter put on an amazing event on the Badboot. The wondrous venue boasts the largest shipboard pool afloat in the world. We had marvelous receptions including the opening night we're stones were dropped into everyone's champagne. A diamond expert was on hand to check them. Four lucky participants found out that theirs were genuine diamonds!  Even though I wasn't among the lucky few, it was tremendous fun to get drink up to get my crystal. 

       

Nils Henssen Kicks off the Event. Dinner Cruise with Friends

The second night featured an elegant dinner cruise with live entertainment. If it weren't for all the walking, I would have put on at least 10 pounds. You can never have enough chocolate or waffles!

   

Nutella Covered Waffles, YUM! (left) Clay and Cake, What Could Be Better? 

The whole trip went by in a blur, but I have my memories and photos to relive over and over. You can see lots more from the trip by checking out the FIMO Inspirations Album on the blog.

       

Beautiful Sites Abound Throughout Antwerp

There are loads of inspirational photos from Belgium's architecture and art to see as well as more shots from the event itself. 

 

Anchors Away!

   

Fun with goodie bag packing and then the opening ceremonies

The SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Create Your Style cruise may be over, but the excitement of this amazing creative adventure lingers on! Well over one hundred students from locations across the globe converged on the Norwegian Star for a week of fun, sun and most of all, crystal creativity!

Time to get beady!

Students were divided into class groupings with either Nick Regine (aka: The Professor of Crystal) and Ambassador Diane Fitzgerald, or in a rotation with Stephanie Dixon, Val Hirata, Tammy Honaman, and myself. We were honored to have Bead Style magazine editor, Cathy Jakicic, aboard attending classes and inspiring everyone on behalf of Kalmbach publishers and organizers of the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee this coming June.

 

Loop d'Ombre Bracelet and Iris Earrings 

I taught the Loom d'Ombre crystal bracelet project which is versatile and can also be used as a necklace.Thanks to the generous donation from Beadalon, of the Big Eye needles that I love, beading at sea was even easier. Some students were able to complete both the bracelet and the bonus Byzantine chainmaille "Iris" earrings in class and others met up with me outside of class to work on this fun and flirty project made possible by the generosity of Blue Buddha. 

Ron and Cindy Wilson of Dreamtime Creations and other cruisers enjoying the festivities 

The week began with goodie bags chock full of cool tools and supplies from Fire Mountain Gems and other companies. Students received generous kits of crystals and sponsored materials in each of their classes, but the swag didn't end there. During the trend presentation (given by Marlene Kohlhofer of SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS), everyone received another loaded goodie bag from Cindy Williams of Dreamtime Creations.

Diane Fitzgerald teaches her cute paperclip earrings while others work on their design challenges. 

Outside of class, participants divided their tim between relaxation aboard ship, excursions and shopping ashore (with stops in Belize, Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel Mexico) or with continued creativity in the conference room through free styling or in teams working on the design challenge.

 

Free Crystal Inspriation books for everyone. Thanks Kalmbach!  

Kalmbach sponsored an Ambassador book signing where everyone received autographed copies of the new Crystal Jewelry Inspriation book featuring projects by many of the SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Ambassadors. Demonstrations by NIck Regine, Stephanie Dixon and Dian Fitzgerald were also conducted during the book signing event.

1st Place Challenge Winners with their very heavy swag bags of crystals and other goodies.

The last night ended with drawings for dozens of door prizes and judging/announcement of the three winning teams participating in the design challenge. Many of the ladies attending were previous Polymer Paradise and Crystal Chix cruisers. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet new friends too. The amount of talent among the students (both amateur's and professionals alike) was jaw-dropping.

Ladies from Downunder show how it's done!

A huge thanks to Kim Paquette who organized and hosted the event, making it a smashing success.Everyone left for home with their suitcases bulging with crystals and more, but the best take-aways are the memories of this amazing week at sea. Be on the lookout for a video presentation of cruise highlights and a make-it-take-it segment Rick Boghosian taped of the "Professor of Crystal" (Nick Regine) and me on how to create the bonus chainmaille earring project, featured in my cruise workshop kit     

          

In a nutshell, the perfect opportunity for fun, relaxation, adventure and most of all, creativity!

View more cruise photos in the "Anchors Away" Album on this site. You can learn more about upcoming creative cruises including the Polymer Paradise cruise with polymer clay luminaries Christie Friesen, Maureen Carlson and myself at: Art Across the Oceans.  

 

 

 

 

Creating Across "The Pond!"

Time to Get to the Tele! 

Can I say I adore the UK? I was so very fortunate to spend the last week in England, teaching nine classes for my friends at Palmer Metals. I've know Amanda and Mark Naylor for years. We've long talked about my coming over, but this year they made it reality. 

Claying Around at Palmer Metals

What a treat to teach a variety of classes from SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS crystal design to polymer clay and resin focused classes. I even had some old friends pop in for some classes!

Striking a Pose with Friends Penny Vingoe and Kay Vincent During a Class Break 

The first part of the week was spent teaching at Palmer Metals headquarters, which boasts a lovely training room. All the staff, including my friend Irene McCarthy went to great lengths to treat me like royalty. They constantly brought me steaming cups of lovely British tea. Everything about my trip was grand with perhaps the exception being cold and damp weather, or as the Scottish say, "Dreak!" But who's complaining? I was indoors most of the time doing what I love best, sharing my love of creativity. All the students were delightful.

     

With Amanda and Mark Naylor at the Historic Rose & Crown Pub-Some Things Really Do Last!

Mark and Amanda made sure I went home a bit heavier by way of wonderful meals prepared in their historic farm house kitchen or dining out. I just relish the chance to dine at a historic English pub! We enjoyed a delicious curry one night that I'll be dreaming of for ages. I personally feel that food in the UK gets a bad rap. Who can gripe about a proper English tea?!?!   

It was fascinating getting a behind-the-scenes tour of Palmer Metals plating operation. 

We headed Northward for the weekend where I taught four classes at the Harrogate Bead Fair, while Palmer Metals had a both filled with fantastic creative products. I managed to get in a bit of shopping, both at the fair and one night when Irene took me into Birmingham, for a few hours of power shopping.

Contributing to the British Economy with a Trip to Selfridges Department Store!

My hosts put me in the lap of luxury during our stay there at the Rudding Park Resort. The stunning wedding chapel was the view from my room.

Rudding Park Wedding Chapel

One treat was the drive back and forth from their historic home to their company in Coventry (where my car was made!). I was able to glimpse castle views and enjoy the beautiful British countryside. While it's nice to be back home, my memories will fill my heart to overflowing for a lifetime. To see more photos from the trip visit the UK '13 Gallery here on the blog. Cheers and happy claying!    

 

New Ways to Sparkle!

With Lisa Lambright (center) and Christi Friesen (right) at the Tucson Clay Guild Dinner

Having just arrived back home from the always fabulous Tucson Gem and Mineral Show where I taught classes and exhibited at the Tucson Bead Show, located at the Windmill Inn.

It was wonderful getting to demo for my friends at Parawire with their new Cobra Coiler and Dreamtime Creations with Kellie Defries (aka: The Crystal Ninja) Crystal Katana tool.

       

Kellie's Blinged Out Ride - All Lettering and Rims are covered in crystals!

Last Wednesday, many of the SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Ambassadors convened at the Beyond Beadery room at the Whole Bead Show for a signing of our new Crystal Jewelry Inspirations book by Kalmbach. We were joined by our wonderful editor Karin Van Voorhees. Afterwards, many of the Ambassadors joined Lisa Lambright and me at our suite for a late night pizza party.

Ambassadors taking a break from signing

    

At the Dreamtime Creations Booth with my wonderful CraftOptics and with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Ambassadors Kellie Defries (left) and June Beach (right) 

Amidst all of the work and scheduled events, Lisa and I managed to make a little time to visit some of the shows and shop. Fortunately the limited time kept me from running amok with my credit cards.

Mountain of Beads

I was so glad to get the chance to stop by and check out my friend and fellow Ambassador, Linda Hartung's new WireLuxe product. She gifted me with a sample that I am going to develop a project on this year for publication.  

    

AlaCarte Clasps new and fabulous WireLuxe, Tim Hartung in front of the booth at To Bead True Blue 

What a lovely surprise to arrive home and find the new innovations box of sparkly goodness from SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS. Below is a photo of the sample box. Click on the image for an enlarged view with the component numbers and colors including the Oh-La-La Crystal Rose Gold.  

 

 

Paperworld - Germany 2013

 

 

It was a tremendous honor to be asked by Staedtler (makers of FIMO clays) to demonstrate at the Paperworld/Creativeworld show in Frankfurt, Germany, this past week. Friends from countries Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and the United States came by to visit. It was also a chance to make new friends with some of the people who stopped by to chat about clay and watch some of the techniques and creations I had the chance to work on over the four days. Below I pose with friend and fellow clady, Gerlinda Karg at the Staedtler bar. To the right are some hearts I made during demonstrations to commemorate Valentine's day.   

     

The show floor and the booth were constantly abuzz with crowds of people. After visiting CHA (the Craft and Hobby Show in Anaheim, California) the previous week, this mega show was a real eye opener. The massive event is actually several shows within a show. There was Creativeworld, Christmasworld, and Paperworld. There was no way to cover the entire show, even if I wasn't demonstrating. It's no exageration to say that there are many, many miles of walking in order to see everything. 

I did have the chance to make quick trips during my breaks to a few just a few of the other halls and get an idea of just how extensive this event truly is. It was fun seeing so many beautiful displays in one of the several Christmasworld halls.

 

I certainly got my exercise walking around. This also gave me the chance to place pieces from my "Random Acts of Creativity" project around the show. I managed to leave a few other pieces in the restaurants and airports I stopped in, both coming and going on my trip. 

The Staedtler booth was beyond impressive. It dominated the space in the hall where it was located. It was the first thing you saw when entering and it filled up an incredibly large space. Dozens of meeting tables were filled with an international crowd who came to learn about the latest products and place orders for their stores and businesses.

 

There were private meetings rooms as well as a huge bar that ran the span of the back of the booth. A crew of wait-staff happily served customers and employees an array of goodies including coffee drinks like cappuccinos and macchiatos, frozen fruit smoothies, soft drinks, beer, and champagne. Visitors to the booth could also belly up to the bar for a petite lunch of German sausages and potato salad, sandwiches and fruit salad. The only show I've ever been to that compares with this are the Consumer Electronics and Comdex shows. 

There were several interactive displays with flat panel screens of all sizes throughout. My demonstration space was a raised, illuminated work space with gorgeous, lighted displays of FIMO artwork and samples including a few of my own pieces. It was lovely having a full size oven in the wall behind me to bake some of the demo samples.

A personal highlight was being invited to create the first FIMO covered pens for the numbered and limited edition "Pen of the Season" project. The design they selected are for the Spring season. 

   

Samples of the pens were on display in a place of honor, among numerous high-end writing implements in the luxury pen area. Above is a still shot taken from a looped video that showed feature high-end pens in the line.

The chance to come and work at this show was a dream come true and one I hope to be fortunate enough to repeat one day. For now, I'm working on getting reaclamated to the time zone difference in time to head to Tucson for our suite booth and classes at the Windmill Inn (room #106).

We'll be there Feburary 5, 6, 7, (closed the 8th) and 9, at the Tucson Bead Show. If you come by, mention you saw this blog post and ask for your free gift (while supplies last, no purchase necessary). You can also sign up for one of my Classes last minute. Click the highlighted "classes" link in the previous sentence to see what's available. Most sessions require little to nothing to bring in the way of tools and all materials are supplied at no extra charge. These offerings are being deeply discounted below the normal fees for these workshops and seating is extremely limited. I hope to see some of you there.