Monday, September 29, 2014

They say that opposites attract...

Introducing April & Warren, wed on Saturday, September 27th, 2014:


I simply loved working on this little bride & groom

...and their cat Koko!



























It was so much fun "dressing" them in their polarized favorite NHL team jerseys, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Montreal Canadiens!


And I thought their idea for putting their wedding date on the backs was awesome!









Congratulations, April & Warren!
Wishing you a happy marriage, a lifetime of love...and both your teams...good luck this season!
Thank you for choosing Li'l Newlyweds to help you create your memorable moments.

Karen Pasieka
Subtle Details

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Li'l Art Polymer Clay Workshop with Karen Pasieka, artist and owner of Subtle Details

How would you like to make something like this?...

 
Or perhaps something like one of these?...

Learn how in one of my polymer clay workshops!

5 hours of class instruction with a 1hr lunch break (bring your own or lunch at one of the lovely nearby restaurants).  You'll learn the tools and techniques you need to get you started on your polymer clay creative journey!  In this class, you'll make your very own Li'l Art piece out of polymer clay.  We learn, we create, we bake in-class, and you go home with a finished piece!  Bring with you your inspiration (think about what you'd like to create, a colour pallet, a scene, an idea), and I'll help you create it!  A materials fee of $20 will be collected at the start of class, providing you with a starter kit of polymer clay.  Optional framing kits will be available for purchase ($20 ea.) at the end of class. 

See what you can accomplish in just 5 hours!...

 

 (pictured above are some of my past student's work)


Please visit our website for a list of next available workshops:
https://sites.google.com/site/subtledetails/new-services---classes



Friday, July 18, 2014

how do I do it?...and how you can do it, take my polymer clay workshop!

I don't normally do this, tutorials that is, but many of you have questions about how I make...well, everything!

I'm not going to show you today how I make everything (that would take way too long!), but as I recently went to the effort to photograph some of my work-in-progress for a show application, I wanted to share it with you!

Some of this you may have seen me demonstrate at one of my craft shows...but for those who haven't, here's a quick overview of how I make my Dozen Roses necklace:









One of the more fun & recent designs is my Ranunculus brooch.  I'm so happy with this one, and the bonus is that I get handy-dandy canes in the cut offs that I can use to create whimsical miniature flowers for my Li'l Art designs!
 










Now, this technique is no secret, you can find how to videos on Youtube of how to make the colours blend from one to another, but I'm really pleased with the demonstrative nature of these work-in-progress photos.










Hope you enjoyed this little peek inside my work process!

- Karen Pasieka


Learn how you can do this & more in one of my 
polymer clay workshops!
The next scheduled workshop is:

Saturday, August 16th
10:00am - 4:00pm
5 hours of class instruction with a 1hr lunch break (bring your own or lunch at one of the lovely nearby restaurants)

Organized through the Town of Richmond Hill
You do not need to be a resident of Richmond Hill to register.
Register here:  https://ereg.richmondhill.ca/InternetRegistration/Start/Start.asp
Enter course code:   458466 




Friday, June 6, 2014

the creative process...

so I had an idea that I've been wanting to try out since I created this:

"waiting"

...notice the little pink flowers, ranunculus.

this modern looking flower was abundant at last year's The Wedding Co. Spring Show...and I simply fell in love with it!



So I wanted to take it further.  I thought, how about a brooch?

Ok, well, I'm sharing with you the process.
You see, it's one thing to make a miniature version, it's another to bring the design up to a larger scale.
So here are the results...

...hmmmm, no









...definitely not










...not quite, but better










...aha!  that's it!










from start to finish....






















They're each about 1" in diameter.  I'll be adding brooch backs to them shortly, up for sale soon after that :-)  What comes next?  I'd like to try making them bigger.
Oh, and the added bonus?...
Oh yeah!
Simply in love with this piece, entitled
"is it just me, or are they dancing?"

Yes, that's right, those tiny little "radiant orchid" (this spring's it colour according to Pantone) coloured flowers, and the even tinier white flowers were made from the almost accidental canes that came out of my large-scale ranunculus brooches!

You can expect more Li'l Art pieces like this coming your way soon :D!







Sunday, March 16, 2014

having more fun making children's birthday jewellery!


...this time for my niece, Neeve :)

I have to say that I'm really loving making the children's jewellery.  It's so much fun to make pieces that pop with lots of colour and cute details.

So here's the latest...

I made them both today, starting at 6:00am!  The colours picked out of an outfit I was gifting her, I made the two because I wasn't convinced I liked my first attempt.  But now that they're done, I like them equally.




This was the first pendant of the two...






















on an 18" long nickle chain with Swarovski crystal charm...

and the second...






















on a 12" long 5-strand memory wire necklace with sterling silver accents and Swarovski crystals.

I detailed the back of the simple polymer clay pendant bases with a stamping of my niece's initials.

Both were designed to be a little more durable, to stand up to wear by a 4 year old!

After finishing them, I could not pick a favorite so I gifted them both!

My eldest son (who dearly wanted to help finish making them, but is after all, only 3.5 years old) had this to say..."Can you make me a necklace mommy?".  I have to say I hadn't given it much thought until today, but now the wheels in my head are turning for a polymer clay boy's necklace...I'm thinking...a train (one of his favorite things).  Stay tuned!



Friday, February 28, 2014

in good company with Dickens and Shakespeare

finally got a few shots of one of my favorite pieces, Li'l Bouquet "cascade" bib necklace...



(along with Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, and Shakespeare's King Lear & Macbeth, my personal favorite!)

looking at the pictures now I'm thinking of a few tweaks I'd like to make to the styling...perhaps later :-)

Saturday, February 22, 2014

birthday Li'l Bouquet



Whipped up this Li'l Bouquet necklace for my friend's daughter's 4th birthday.  Purple is her favorite I am told, but I simply couldn't decide on any particular colour so I used them all!  I think in future I'll just use 3 of my polymer clay "button blooms" flower beads per necklace, but thought this was quite fun!  The apple-green memory wire is 4-strands thick, adorned with an amethyst-coloured Swarovski crystal (the birthstone for February), and is 14" long with a 2.5" long extension chain.  This one will grow with her :D


Happy Birthday Rebecca!

Like this one?  Check out this Li'l Bouquet "princess" necklace I made a couple years ago...
http://www.subtledetails.blogspot.ca/2012/08/like-calming-sigh-of-relief.html

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

see what you can do!...a polymer clay experience

It's been a while since the last workshop I taught with the Town of Richmond Hill, but as another is scheduled & coming up fast, I'm reminded of the photos I have which I had always meant to post!

5 hours of polymer clay instruction, polymer clay starter kit, baking, buy a frame kit & leave with your
very own beautiful artpiece!

It's always so much fun, and I am always amazed at what my students can do.

And the finished work...

AWESOME!