Inspiration blues...

April showers, May flowers...or so the saying goes.  There has been an abundance of precipitation around here of late, so I am expecting a plethora of flowers this year.  With so much rain in the forecast, it makes the little bursts of sunshine even more desirable.

I think that along with the sun, my inspiration is also hidden in the clouds.  For the past few days, I have been waiting for inspiration to come...

...but it hasn't.  Perhaps it's the rain and the dark clouds that are making me feel a little blue and uninspired.

I have created these little clay Hydrangeas and am hopeful sharing these pictures and my thoughts will get me out of this 'funk'.  Your words of wisdom always touch my heart and make me smile.

So here they are ready for their close up.  I went searching for some milk glass for Mother's Day and was lucky to have found several pieces.

I also found a beautiful vintage frame which I painted white, and bought some gorgeous smelling soaps from a little boutique near by (shopping therapy often works).  I plan on making a sweet little package for my mum for Mother's Day.  She loves Hydrangeas and these items will look great in her bathroom.

The necklace was a gift from hubby and the ring is his Nan's wedding band.  It was given to me by my sweet Mother-in-Law.  Nan, who is going to be 90 years old this fall, lives in England and is the epitome of a posh English lady.  Unfortunately, she suffers from Parkinsons and dementia, which is a heart-breaking disease for everyone involved in her life.

I managed to take some photos of my clay Hydrangeas resting upon some real Hydrangea leaves.  I think they look lovely and could pass for real.

I had originally prepared a tutorial using polymer clay and a different technique, but found it very complicated to take pictures of the steps.  Then, I came across a tutorial - courtesy of Martha Stewart - that I found was much simpler and you can even watch a video of it here.  So I combined the tutorials and hope you like the results.

You will need:

White Crayola Model Magic (air drying clay)

blue food coloring

toothpick

floral wire

floral tape

scissors

You could use either the Model Magic or the Polymer clay.  For this tutorial, I decided to use the Model Magic because the material is similar to the one used on the Martha show.

But here is my little secret...you have the ability of making any color you want by adding a few drops of food coloring to the clay.  It does not change the consistency and you save some money in the process.  For this particular color, I used approx one drop of blue and less than a drop of red.  I had originally written the steps on my pictures, but feared they are too small, so I have also written them below. 

1. Make an oval shape of approx 1.5"
2. Cut the top part in four as shown
3. Flatten each petal with your fingers and round the tips
4. With a toothpick, make the indentations for each petal and make a little hole in the centre.

5. Roll a small piece of yellow or blue clay for the stamen
6. Apply it to the centre of the flower with the toothpick
7.Allow to dry (approx24 hrs or if using polymer clay bake as per package instructions)
Note: If you are using polymer clay, insert wire at the bottom of flower prior to baking.
8. Once dry, pierce floral wire to the bottom, secure with a little hot glue.
9. Wrap wire with floral tape and group into bunches of 4 or 5
10. Wrap all stems together with floral tape.

I think they look very sweet sitting in the milk glass.  I placed some of my coffee filter roses to go along with the display.

I also bought these gorgeous Hydrangeas at our local nursery.  I bought some for my mom and some for my mother-in-law.  Let's hope someone buys some for me as well (honey?).

Thank you once again for stopping by.  Knowing that you are here always makes me feel better.  I look forward to hearing from you and finding out how and where you find inspiration.

much love,
Lucy




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