We're opening a physical location in North Florida, come and see us soon! Things Crafty Creative Center in Lake City.

Well, it's true. The next nutty thing we are doing is opening up a retail and classroom space. We actually have 2 classrooms, and we have invited local artisans and crafters to bring their goods in for consignment. We are so happy to be able to provide the local community and our friends and fans a place to come and learn and perhaps pick up something fun in the gift shop!

We plan to be open sometime in August, of course there's a lot of decorating to do! Ilysa didn't have internet for over a week- so today we are just showing you a quick tour of the new space, we weren't sure if the internet situation would support a polymer clay tutorial. So we'll be back next week with something fun. In the meantime, don't forget we are having a 25% Christmas in July sale until the end of the month!

The Sale Coupon Code is BELLS at http://createalong.com

How to make a collar necklace with polymer clay and a metal quick collar form

I love these quick collars! The shape of this one in particular fits a lot of necks :) You can customize them in an infinite number of ways... use the colors you like, change up the theme, use different cutters and stamps, silkscreen on it, the choices are endless!

For this one, I used the left and right birds and cherry blossom cutters, my metal stampers, and a quick collar. 
I also used some mica powders! What fun, this project comes together quickly and easily.

Polymer Clay Shrine Inspiration and Embossed design

I can't keep my hands off the shrine cutters I am so drawn to working with them. At first I was trying to make traditional shrines but then I started looking at the cutters in a whole new different way. I thought what if I turn it upside down now it becomes a super awesome design element too! So off I went to play and play and the rest is history. Join me on Polymer Clay TV to see some of these fun and easy creations I have been making.

We created the first set of shrine cutters for our Create Along Box which is a monthly box that we curate and create.  These boxes have been a big hit as we pack them with lots of fun and new things to create with. You can get the July and August boxes at this link.

http://www.createalongbox.com

We have since added 3 new sets of shrine cutters and you can find them all in our http://www.createalong.com shop. We also have the elements mylar stencil and the silkscreen available too. Some of the products are exclusive to the box but we do try to make a few things available after the boxes are shipped. 

While I was playing with the stencil I decided I wanted an embossed hams design so it dawned on me how I could get a great texture. Watch the video to see how I achieved this look. Hope you have lots of fun creating!

How to polymer clay tutorial attach to wood and make an ornament, magnet, or pendant

In this project you can learn how to attach polymer clay to a piece of wood and embellish it so you can create an ornament or magnet. You could even adapt this technique to jewelry to create pendants and earrings.

Supplies used:
Folk Art Color Shift Paint
Word art: Here's the Silkscreen I used
Premo Turquoise polymer clay
Sculpey Liquid Clay gold
Slice of wood from Hobby Lobby (oval)
2 eye screws
small piece of sari ribbon
about 4 inches of crystal cup chain
Paintbrushes

Unboxing the June Shrines CreateAlongBox! Thanks to Mudkip Mama on Twitch

thanks to Jamie, or "VegasJamie" on Youtube, "MudkipMama" on Twitch- who got one of our June boxes and was so excited about it that she unboxed it on live video, watch below!

If you don't know what Twitch is, it is a live streaming platform where you can watch people do all kinds of things. Many people play video games there, but there is a section for live crafting, playing musical instruments, makeup tutorials.... you can find all kinds of things! You can comment and chat live, and you can just jump on there anytime to see what's going on. Jamie usually does crafting on her channel on Friday nights.

Here's what she thought about the last create along box- we did not ask her to do this :) Thank you Jamie for being awesome :)
If you want the next create along box, be sure to bookmark http://createalongbox.com and get on our newsletter so you are notified when it goes on sale!