Book 2: Welcome to the Jungle, Leaf Style

Polymer Clay Leaf Tutorial

Well it’s here again, it’s Friesen Friday! Oh yeah! In case you missed it, make sure that you read the Overview for the Book 2 Tutorials for the month.

I don’t know about you, but I really like this “Welcome to the Jungle” Book. One of the reasons I like this book so much, is that it gives a lot of basic information for things that we can use our projects later on. Christie is quick to provide us not only with a wealth of information, but really awesome techniques that are simple easy to apply and yet look realistic and organic in their own way. So what do you think? I think we should start talking about leaves … shall we begin?

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DIY Simple Buttons Polymer Clay Tutorial

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Make Your Own Polymer Clay Buttons

It’s a do-it-yourself world out there and crafters around the globe are finding better, simpler ways to make things themselves. From recipes, baked goods, clothing, jewelry, and so much more. Tuesdays are usually devoted to a polymer clay tip, something that will help you clay better. I was asked to do a tutorial on how to make buttons. This is a beginner’s tutorial for simple buttons. You can use the knowledge you already have in your polymer clay technique repertoire to build on these simple buttons.

Christi Friesen’s Beyond Projects Sculpture Series – Book 2, Welcome to the Jungle

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Friesen Fridays - Book 2 JUNGLE Overview & Monthly Plan on KatersAcres Blog https://katersacres.com

CF Sculpture Series Book 2:

Welcome to the Jungle

YAY! It’s Friesen Friday!

Do you know what this means? This means we’re about to talk about Christi Friesen once again. Oh how I love to talk of Christi Friesen, Christi Friesen books, and her awesome style! Ok, well we’re not really going to talk about her….but we are definitely going to talk about her next book in the Beyond Sculpture series: “Welcome to the Jungle.”

Do you ever feel like you live in the Jungle? Sometimes I feel like this … especially yesterday when I found and had to squish 3 stink bugs (gross). Life can often be a jungle … but have you ever noticed that things that are healthy and strong come from a jungle? The ideas, exploration, and tutorials behind the Friesen Project are to get you out of your current element, learn a new technique, and to take a transformative journey into the polymer clay world. For many artists, they have yet to embrace the idea of combined elements and mixed media that can be used to enhance our designs.

PLEASE REMEMBER: If you have not yet signed up to receive the polymer clay & Friesen Project emails, please do so now. This will ensure that no matter what you are doing, you never miss anything! Now … let’s get JUNGLE-FIED!

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Etsy Shop Makeover: Building Your Brand

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Etsy Shop MakeOver:

Finding & Building Your Brand

It is my honor to have guest blogger Kelly Sorenson join me today for this post. Kelly has personally branded all of Kater’s Acres: from colors, designs, fonts … and the best part she make Parker & Lolly come to life in digital graphics (see their adorable faces all over my website). Kelly is a top notch graphic design artist that wants to help you brand your Etsy business. I have known Kelly for 3 years now and every time I work with her it just gets better and better. Without any further ado … let’s talk about business branding & your Etsy store!

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How to Find a Brand of Polymer Clay that Works for You

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Polymer Clay on KatersAcres Blog https://katersacres.etsy.com

Polymer Clay Brands & You

Finding the right brand of polymer clay can be a challenge for anyone, but especially new clayers. As I began the journey of the Friesen Project, I didn’t realize how many new clayers would be joining us. This week I have been bombarded by requests asking what kind of polymer clay I use in my studio and how to find a brand of polymer clay that will work for you. So, without further ado, let’s find a brand of polymer clay that will work for you, your hands, and your climate.

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Friesen Fridays: Dragon Sculpture for the Final Week of Book 1

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Make Your Own Christi Friesen Style Dragon Tutorial on Kater's Acres Polymer Clay Blog https://katersacres.com

Make Your Own Polymer Clay Dragon Sculpture

If you are like me, you’ve spent the month falling in love with dragons. You’ve probably made more than 2 by now and you’re loving every minute of it! Why? Because when you read through Christi’s books and learn her style, her humor and love for the inconsistencies in claying inspire you to be more creative than you thought you could be!

Last week you were challenged to create a dragon with arms and legs.

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Etsy Shop MakeOver Series: Product Photography with Crystal Zacharias

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I love having guest bloggers come and share their knowledge and skill with you. Today I introduce my first guest blogger of 2013, Crystal Zacharias of Crystal Gayle Photography. Crystal is joining us today to talk about product photography, the importance of taking good photos and how to do it like a professional, even when you are not. It’s my joy to have her join us today!

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How to Properly Bake Polymer Clay

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How to Bake Polymer Clay Tutorial on KatersAcres Blog https://katersacres.com

All you have to do is search the internet for help on how to bake polymer clay. You will see a lot of wrong and incorrect instructions on how to do this. But let’s be honest: every artist does this differently and every artist has their own system that works for them. What works for me, may not work for you. And the biggest thing with polymer clay … the baking times are different for almost every brand of clay and oven. Today I’m going to give you a few tips on how to bake polymer clay items at home in your own toaster oven.

Make Your Own Friesen Style Polymer Clay Dragon – How to Make Arms & Legs Tutorial

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How to Make Dragon Arms & Legs Tutorial by KatersAcres https://katersacres.com

Well, it’s finally here … the second week of Tutorials for the 2013 Friesen Project. I have loved seeing all of your work and dragons that you have made over the past week since we began this project. Here are two of my personal favorites…both done as an offspring of the Wendyll dragon from the first tutorial.

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Etsy Shop MakeOver Series: All About You and Your Etsy Store

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Etsy Shop Makeover Series - All About You and Your Etsy Shop

This week on our Etsy Shop Makeover series, we are going to talk about you…that’s right, you. We are going to talk about what you need in your About Page, Shop Announcement, and Your Public Profile. So are you ready to talk about you and nothing but you today? I hope so … let’s get started!

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How to Add a Patina to a Polymer Clay Item

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How to Give a Finished Polymer Clay Piece an Antique Finish on Kater's Acres Blog https://katersacres.com

Sometimes your polymer clay pieces need an extra something, just a touch of something special to bring out the details that you have embedded into the clay. When you have carved or engraved your clay, you will often want to accent those pieces after they have finished baking. Many artists call this adding a patina to polymer clay. Other artists call it antiquing an item. For today’s mini-tutorial, we’re going to call it an “antique finish.” There are many ways to do this, but this is the way that I find the easiest…

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Christi Friesen’s Book 1 Dragons: Tutorial to Create Your Own Wendyll Dragon

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Well, it’s finally here … the first week of Tutorials for the 2013 Friesen Project. Are you excited? I know that I am! After last week’s Friesen Friday and reading your book, some of you just couldn’t wait to dive right in and have already created your dragon. That’s fine, no big deal! But throughout this month there will be several different “specific components” you are going to need to work on for each project. Without any further ado however, let’s get started!

PLEASE NOTE: In order to do this dragon tutorial, you will need Christi Friesen’s Dragon book that is available for purchase here. Due to copyright, exact details and process have been minimalized to protect Christi’s art and design. Polymer clay is the most shared community in the world, please do not ruin that by going against US copyright laws.

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Etsy Shop MakeOver: Store Cohesiveness

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Welcome 2013! Last week AWeber wrote an awesome guest post about how you can send emails using their services to help boost your business. If you missed this article, go back and read it.

All throughout January & February we are going to help you turn your small Etsy store into a powerhouse. It’s going to take a LOT of work on your part. And you are going to have to ask yourself a lot of hard questions…but if you are up to the challenge and want to improve your store, sales, & eventually quit your day job, I can help you.

Today we are going to focus on your stores cohesiveness. From your graphics to your listings to the types of things you sell. Are you ready to start? Ready…Set…Etsy Shop Makeover!

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How to Embed a Bead into Polymer Clay

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How to Embed a Bead Into Polymer Clay

Sometimes It’s NOT as Easy As It Looks

For anyone who’s a self taught polymer clay artist, you’ve already made some critical mistakes in claying. You tried a shortcut (that didn’t work) or tried a way to do something that ended up ruining your piece. It’s okay, don’t worry, we’ve all been there. This month we are going “back to basics” in creating with polymer clay. So for today’s mini tutorial we’re going to go over the proper way to embed a bead into polymer clay.

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Christi Friesen’s Beyond Projects Sculpture Series – Book 1, Dragons

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Christi Friesen Dragon Book

YAY! It’s Friesen Friday!

Do you know what this means? This means we’re about to talk about Christi, Christi Friesen that is! Ok, well maybe not about her….but we are definitely going to talk about Christi Friesen books. You see, today is the first Friday, in a year of Friday’s, for the Friesen Project. This means that every Friday for the next year, we will be talking about Christi Friesen and begining to explore her style, unique designs, and transformative journey into the polymer clay world and using mixed media elements to enhance our work. I am so excited to be joining with you in this journey. If you have not yet signed up to receive the polymer clay & Friesen Project emails, please do so now. This will ensure that no matter what you are doing, you never miss anything! But without further ado, let’s dive in, shall we?!

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Build Your Brand Through Email Marketing – A Guest Post from AWeber

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With 2013 comes renewed goals, focus, vision, and purpose for your personal life. But what about your Etsy store? Today it is my privilege to introduce you to a new idea for you and your Etsy store, email marketing. Today’s post is brought to you by Rebekah Henson from AWeber.

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