Author: Katie Oskin

CF Rainbow Tree 2023 Ornament Donations

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The CF Rainbow Tree is back for the 2023 Christmas season! It’s once again that time of the year that I ask for your help in making all things come together for the good of Cystic Fibrosis patients both young and old at University Hospitals in Cleveland Ohio.

I need your help and your polymer clay Christmas ornament donations.

If you can make polymer clay ornaments, I’d sure appreciate it. Last year we didn’t hit our goal. We need 500 ornaments per year for this project. What does that mean? It means that I need you to make ornaments and send them my way for the good of Cystic Fibrosis patients of all ages this Christmas season. Please see the information below for details on making your clay Christmas ornament donation.

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Color Palettes that Stand Out

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Color Palettes To Help Your Work Stand Out: Mid-Century Modern Box by KatersAcres
Fall Berries Color Palette & Color Recipe for Polymer Clay by KatersAcres

Wonderfully coordinated color palettes are one of the things that truly spark my creativity and light up my creative life. In much of the art world, things that speak to a person happen through good design and color. Every person has a color or a specific color palette that aligns with their soul, mood, personality, and even the design scheme of their home. In the opening season of the TV show Frasier, his producer goes to his home for the first time and says, “Exactly as I imagined, beige everywhere.” Most of the time, even our personalities tend to say a lot about our color and color preferences. For many artists, our color palette tends to reflect ourselves and not that of our customers or buyers. Well-seasoned artists do both and do it well; they design with their own specific color palettes but also keep their customers in mind.

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New Kater’s Acres Studio

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Kater’s Acres New 2023 Studio Redo

At the very beginning of 2023, I challenged my sculpting group to come up with a big-ticket item on their to-do list and just conquer it, straight away in the new year. This big-ticket item doesn’t have to be cost related, but it does have to be big in terms of time spent or given to something. So … my big-ticket item? I needed a new Kater’s Acres studio and fast. My current studio and office set-up wasn’t suiting my needs anymore. Not only had I outgrown the space, but most importantly, it wasn’t bringing me any joy. So after speaking with my husband, we decided that on Jan. 1st, 2023 we would tackle this big-ticket item.

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Prepare for 2023

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Start to Prepare for 2023 from KatersAcres

Over on Kater’s Acres Whimsical Clay Sculpting group on Facebook I try to write something that is motivational and inspirational to your clay journey on Mondays. Seeing how we are about to turn over a new leaf, saying goodbye to 2022 and saying hello to 2023, it’s appropriate to put a bit of thought into our preparations. Just as we do for the season of Advent, preparing our hearts and homes for the arrival of the baby Jesus, we do the same for the New Year. Many of us do that by coming up with resolutions, choosing a ‘word’ or a ‘phrase’ for the new year, or even by setting goals. So let’s stop for a minute and think about how you might want to prepare for the new year and what’s coming up for you in 2023.

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Nelson, the Polymer Clay Pumpkin Doll

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Nelson the Pumpkin Doll in Branches by Katie Oskin

Every month at The Blue Bottle Tree Insiders, we are challenged to do something with polymer clay. The challenge topic is chosen by Ginger and every month it is different from covering an object, to nail powders and even color mixing. This month, however, it is to sculpt a pumpkin head. [Get face-making stuff here] Yay!

Polymer Clay PUMPKIN FACE DOOR KNOCKER by KatersAcres

I do seasonal door knockers and dolls to place around my home. The door knockers I place on my front door year round and change them out seasonally, or whenever I feel like it. So because of this month’s challenge, I decided to do a pumpkin doll. I’ve done numerous pumpkin designs to place around my home, even in color schemes to compliment the decor. One of the most fun pumpkin designs was the Pumpkin Garden Tower. But without further ado, let’s meet Nelson, my pumpkin doll made for the Insiders challenge.

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CF Rainbow Tree 2022 Ornament Donations

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The CF Rainbow Tree is back for the 2022 Christmas season! As with many hospitals, the pandemic has changed many protocols and things that need to be done to help our project along. But, as per usual …

I’m in need of your help and your polymer clay Christmas ornament donations.

If you can make polymer clay ornaments, I’d sure appreciate it. I need your help decorating a Christmas tree & making ornaments to give to Cystic Fibrosis patients of all ages & staff once again this year. Please see the information below for details on making your clay Christmas ornament donation.

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Summer BIRD & Mini-Supply Swap

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Polymer Clay Birds & Mini Supply Swap with KatersAcres

It’s about time … that I host another polymer clay swap. If you’ve never been a part of an art swap before, they are a way to create, trade, give, and receive art from fellow polymer clay enthusiasts and makers. This summer we are going to be creating BIRDS to make and swap with other artists along with a mini-supply swap (value $10). This swap is not an either/or it is both. So every artist will be making some kind of bird item and sending approximately $10 worth of supplies to their assigned artist. The deadline to sign up is June 30th.

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My Studio Storage Pieces

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Kater's Acres Library Card Catalogue
Parker & Lolly daily mug rug made by Mom

So much of me revolves around my family, its heritage, and pieces of timeless treasures that it’s hard for me to let go of that part of who I am. I am a neat freak. Therefore, studio storage is important to me. My Mom is quite the artisan. Her stained glass, her sewing, and her quilts fill my home. Even my morning cup of coffee sits on a little Parker & Lolly mug rug that Mom made me. It’s big enough that I have taken it to clay classes and shared it with a claymate so both our coffee cups can sit on it. So when designing and building my studio, from my original studio at the old house to my new studio here in Ohio, my studio storage always came first and was a priority in designing and filling my space.

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When Creativity Wanes

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A Dialogue of Creativity for Polymer Clayers

One of the questions that I receive a lot is ‘what do I do when I feel uninspired?’ Or ‘what do I do when I’m just not feeling creative anymore?’ It’s a fresh new reality for many of us. Many polymer clay enthusiasts have left polymer clay (even briefly) to pursue other art interests for a variety of reasons during the pandemic. Let me be the first one to tell you (in case no one else has) – it’s okay, you’re allowed to do that and NO you’re not ‘cheating’ on polymer! Today we’re going to tackle this issue for just a moment.

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Product Demo Team of 2022

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Kater's Acres Product Demo Team 2022

There are all kinds of new things going on here at the Acres for 2022. One of those things is the new Product Demo Team. The Product Demo Team is a group of 4 artists that have been specially selected to receive, try, demo, and show you some of our products from the shop. This Team is comprised of some extremely prolific sculptors who represent a wide range of talent and abilities. So without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to this year’s team.

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