Carousel Magnificence

Posted on August 2, 2020August 11, 2020 by Katie Oskin — Leave a comment

Full Sized Carousel Horse from Kater's Acres

Carousel Stained Glass Window by my Mom, Diane Dillon

In some of my YouTube videos (or here on the blog) you’ve probably heard me talk about one of my best friends, my Mom. She’s an artist of many talents. As a child, I grew up with her having a huge talent as a Stained Glass artist. She had a huge workshop in our home, a large number of clients, and even taught lessons.

Over the years I had many favorite pieces that she made, but one of my very favorites was this Carousel Horse. My Dad, an engineer by trade, always hand drew all of her patterns for her. This meant that every single window was customized for all of her clients and perfectly made to order. This particular window was made for her best friend’s home. Even though Mom would make several different versions of this horse, this one was always one of my favorites. This whole month’s tutorials for Club Members are based around the nostalgia of the Carousel.

How to Use Our Mica Powders

Posted on July 31, 2020August 12, 2020 by Katie Oskin — Leave a comment

So what is mica powder? In a nutshell and simply explained, mica is a mineral [a rock] that has a reflective and metallic look to it. When it is ground and made into a powder it retains those natural properties. Make is found both in the earth, from the ground and is lab-created (which is most often these days). The larger the particles that mica contains, the more sparkly and shiny it is and becomes.

Mermaid Teal Color Recipe Card

Posted on July 20, 2020July 20, 2020 by Katie Oskin — Leave a comment

Polymer Clay Color Recipe for Mermaid Teal by KatersAcres

I’ve written color recipes for polymer clay for a long time here on the blog. I use mostly Premo polymer clay in my studio, so I specifically write recipes for Premo polymer clay. All polymer clay artists have favorite color recipes. Mermaid Teal has shown to be one of them. It has been used by other artists, revisited consistently, and has been well-traveled on Pinterest. So today, I thought that I would take a minute and share with you a printable version of the color recipe so you can continue to use it.

Gina Griffith – Polymer Clay Sculptor

Posted on May 4, 2020May 18, 2020 by Katie Oskin — 1 Comment

Gina Griffith is filled with talent and creates unique one -of-a-kind pieces. It’s my honor and joy to share her work and her love of working with polymer clay to each of you today.

The Flight of the Macaws

Posted on May 1, 2020May 25, 2020 by Katie Oskin — Leave a comment

This month I wanted to try and do something new, fun, & different. Every once in a while I get so inspired by photos I take in nature that I feel the need to try my hand at making my own. This month, that’s exactly what happened. Last fall I went on vacation and saw a gorgeous display of tropical Macaws at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I was even quick enough to capture a perfect photo of multiple birds of paradise in flight. This whole month’s tutorials for Club Members are based around this photo.

Help During Coronavirus Pandemic

Posted on April 10, 2020April 10, 2020 by Katie Oskin — Leave a comment

Coronavirus Relief Parker by Kater's Acres - COVID-19 Charity Parker

Where there is a need, rise to it.

The quote above was said to me by someone I care about very much. And they challenged me with it at a very challenging point in my life. They used it to help me see the difficulty and circumstances in others and to help me reshape my focus. Need is all around us, but you have to first be able to see the need in order to be able to help those who need it.

As Pastors (read more about that here) my husband and I always try to do our best to reach out and help others. Even Kater’s Acres tries to help, give, and support others and their causes as well. This is exactly how the CFRainbowTree got its start. Once again, we are convicted to help others in their time of need; because “where there is a need, rise to it.”

Springtime in Paris

Posted on April 2, 2020May 4, 2020 by Katie Oskin — Leave a comment

French Parker with Eiffel Tower by KatersAcres

With the shock of the pandemic and coronavirus making its way around the globe, most of the world is stuck ‘sheltering in place.’ Here in the United States, this means most of us are only allowed away from our homes for essential needs unless your job is deemed necessary and essential by your state. With so much sadness, stress, and unrest, I thought this month would be best served if we all just took a vacation! But since we can’t really do that, let’s take a virtual one … to Paris!

March Featured Tutorials

Posted on March 9, 2020March 7, 2020 by Katie Oskin — Leave a comment

Tutorials of the Month - March 2020 from Kater's Acres | Review and Links

Every month we feature one or more tutorials. Our March featured tutorials are a fun holiday edition! These tutorials vary every month and are not repeated during the entire calendar year. This is a great way to get an overview of what whimsical and character sculpting is all about, as well as how to make and create designs yourself.

Crystal Hopson, Farmgirl Folly – Polymer Clay Sculptor

Posted on March 7, 2020March 7, 2020 by Katie Oskin — 2 Comments

Farm Girl Folly by Crystal Hopson, Polymer Clay Sculptor

Crystal Hopson is a delightful lady. She’s fun and has worked hard to develop her own voice that comes through in all her pieces. It’s my honor and joy to share her work and her love of working with polymer clay to each of you today.

SMART Goal Technique, Setting Goals the Right Way

Posted on March 3, 2020March 3, 2020 by cynthia_gougian — Leave a comment

Using the SMART Goal Technique to set and meet goals around your polymer clay work produce a real sense of accomplishment. A sense of accomplishment is very motivating. Goals also give a sense of focus and direction. But, it’s important to set goals the right way. If you aren’t specific and realistic, goal setting can be a lesson in frustration.

Karolina Söderberg, Polymer Clay Sculptor & Artist

Posted on February 12, 2020March 7, 2020 by Katie Oskin — Leave a comment

Wedding Cake Topper by Karolina Söderberg

Karolina Söderberg is a polymer clay whimsical sculptor, artist, owner, and administrator at Hobbyrian. It’s my honor and joy to share her work and joy working with polymer clay.

My Weekly 2020 Polymer Clay Challenge Results

Posted on January 24, 2020January 10, 2021 by Katie Oskin — Leave a comment

Do you ever know you need to get something done and you just can’t motivate yourself to do it? Well that’s me with this lovely gallery. You see I asked all my #2020PCChallege group members on FaceBook to please make sure if they had a blog to get their posts done and live so we could follow each others work and announce our projects to the world. And … I hadn’t even written my own yet. *Sigh* Major fail on my part. How does life get so busy anyway? Before I go on and on about how busy life is and how full I can cram things into a day, let me remind you a little bit about the project.

The Wispy Realm with Summer Ross

Posted on January 15, 2020March 7, 2020 by Katie Oskin — Leave a comment

Summer Ross is a polymer clay artist, owner and designer at The Wispy Realm. She has been one of our dedicated moderators for over a year now at our FaceBook group, where she heads up our Finished Fridays. It’s been a joy to watch her grow and progress in her polymer clay sculpting skills. I’m so honored to have her here today and to share her art with each of you.

My Favorite Sculptures of 2019

Posted on January 6, 2020January 6, 2020 by Katie Oskin — Leave a comment

2019 Favorite Sculptures from KatersAcres

Every year I have favorite sculptures that I create. Some are favorites because of materials or who I made them for; while others are favorites because of how they turned out. I should add that rarely is a favorite turn out the way that I envisioned it. Why? Because almost all of my sculptures speak to me. Yes, that’s right! They speak to me. Each in their own way, but they do. Allowing myself that freedom is what has made the following 5 pieces my favorite sculptures of 2019.

Easy Canvas Background Creation

Posted on January 3, 2020January 3, 2020 by Katie Oskin — Leave a comment

Polymer Clay OWL Mixed Media Wall Hanging MAIN by KatersAcres

Here’s a fast & easy way that I make many of my canvas backgrounds for my polymer clay creations. You can use this as a basis for your own or expound on it in any way that you choose. This is simple, easy, and can be done in about 15 minutes.