Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Mystery Miles

Ok, this is what I wanna know. HOW do I get brain dead between Barnes & Nobel and our condo? Anybody got an answer? I mean, this is what happens: we go to B&N where I read all the new magazines and books and, much of the time, wind up buying them. I am all excited and have a zillion ideas! Man, I can't WAIT to get home so I can try a bunch of stuff. By the time I sit at my table, my head has mysteriously emptied itself of all inspiration and I sit there like a clod wondering what happened.

Or worse: I will sit down and open a new magazine and decide to try a project. And it doesn't even come close. The most recent was the article on Ranger Adirondack inks in the new PolymerCAFE... the one with the hot air balloon on it. I thought... oh, cool colors! I have those inks, I will try this. So, I sits myself at my table and gets out my white clay. Oh boy.

Now, the authors used Sculpey. I don't have that so I used Fimo Effects and then Kato white. Ok, I didn't have the black ink but I did have eggplant and some of the other colors mentioned.

Now, eggplant is the color more famously referred to on this blog as PUCE. A generally revolting color and not even CLOSE to any eggplant I have ever seen. Although... it does resemble a petrified eggplant. Maybe. In a nightmare.

So, I jump in glee as now I have something to do with the EP/Puce color I thought about flinging out my window except I don't wanna get arrested for puce-ing Hawaii. They may have kept the death penalty for that. :( I can talk my way out of most everything but I don't think even my glib tongue could get me out of the Puceification Of Hawaii.

So, I sit there and dutifully follow directions and heat gun the stuff and everything. What happens? I now have a EP/puce colored Fimo Effect oak leaf. The ink does NOT separate and/or change color as the authors said it would. Ok, maybe this is the clay, I think. Nah... can't be, but MAYBE....

So, I change brands. I now have TWO EP/puce colored oak leaves. Swell. So, undaunted I think... ok, I have Premo. So, I gets out my Premo frost as I am not opening a new white to have more puce colored clay leaves. Two are 2 more than I want.

I follow the directions again. Heat gun. And what do I have? A third puce oak leaf. What is the problem?! she shouts to the uncaring sky! Does Sculpey have some mysterious ingredient clay force field that forces Adirondack inks to separate?

Cindy! Where are you? Cindy Lietz (oh, I hope I spelled your name right!) knows ALL about experiments and colors and stuff. She is our polymer clay tutor and has a grand blog... over there>>>>>>>.

I was making leaves because I actually retained this great idea I had about making a really cool oak leaf necklace. You know... lots of leaves in all those cool inks that had run and changed colors. :( Why oak leaves, you query? I have no idea. Not a lot of oak trees in Hawaii. :D Must be a hang over from a past life as a Druid. Although we NEVER ever had puce leaves. Really.

The upshot of this entire failed experiment is that I am now the proud owner of exactly ONE small oak leaf that is actually usable. Made of 3 colors that are not puce. What is it with me and puce anyway?

12 comments:

Caly's Jewelry Creations said...

You crack me up Moe...! Never fails...! Please don't PUCE Hawaii...!!! That would be tragic...!!! Maybe you could tie a string around it's neck with a big rock and then sink it in the nearest large body of water...with your luck though...you'd end up with PUCE colored ocean...!!

MoeArt said...

Ok, just for you. Maybe I'll put it in the mail and send it to my favorite little sweetie in Biloxi. :D

Kathi said...

heh....I sort of like the puce color!! I actually use that ink color a lot. however, I am sorry your leaves are pucey.

MoeArt said...

and what exactly are you making with that color? Hmmmm? GIVE!

Kathi said...

hmmmm heck if I can remember what I have made....which means I need to make more now :D

MoeArt said...

NO, that's ok. The world has enough puce. :)

Cindy Lietz, Polymer Clay Tutor said...

Oh dear Moe! Sorry to hear your experiment went awry... kind of funny though! :-)

I haven't seen that tutorial so I'm not totally sure what happened and what it's supposed to do.

Maybe the ink dried too fast since it is so warm where you live? You could try dropping rubbing alcohol on the ink in droplets to get the colors to bleed and shift.

I'll have to see if I can get a look at that article and see if I can be of better help.

ColsCreations said...

I'm sorry your leaves didn't work out, but then again, if they had worked out we all wouldn't have had this great story to read. Puce-ifying Hawaii - LOL!

moe said...

I did the whole alcohol thing, Cindy. And it wasn't too hot as I had to dry the ink with my heat gun. It's just one of those things that happens because I'm me. :D But let me know f you can get it to work!

moeart.blogspot.com said...

Thanks! Cool new Blog, niece! Every go read Coleen's blog, ok? VERY talented person!

creativeways said...

lol, that was hilarious. YES, you must use Adirondack inks, YES, you must use the Pitch Black. Eggplant will separate a little but you really have to dilute the colors to get them to separate and heat them before they dry which is like...immediately. Do it again, once it does what it's supposed to, you will love it! and BTW, that leaf is awesome. I never would have thought to texturize a cut out leaf...till I saw this.

MoeArt said...

Thanks! I'm happy with that leaf. I did use all Adirondack but I didn't have the black. I figured I could use the puce simply because they used it in the article. I'm going to try the Bottle, tho. That patina looking face you did was my favorite! The gold color is the Mixables? Is that right? I forget the name. ANd the edges and back are Precious Metals Paint.