Count Down and A Little Sculpted Leaf Tutorial

August 19th count: 994! The person who buys the 1000th item will get to choose a free item from my shop. AND....there will be a give away here.
The count down (or up) is at 990....only 10 more items sold to reach 1000!!!

This is a little tutorial for making a somewhat realistic sculpted leaf. You may make a leaf any size you like with these directions. This one is quite small, I think it ends up being less than 1/2" long. I will put these leaves on the top of a pod bead. I think they add just the right finishing touch! You will need Polymer Clay and a needle or needle tool.

Roll a smooth ball of clay. This one is about the size of a very small pea.

Place your finger on the side of the ball and roll it back and forth
to make a teardrop shape.

Flatten your teardrop into a leaf shape.

Using a needle tool make a crease down the center of the leaf.
(my needle tool is a needle that has been baked in a clay snake for a handle)

Using your needle tool make veins on one side of the leaf
with the point of the needle touching your center line and
angling with the point toward the base of the leaf.

Press veins into the other side.

A leaf with veins.

Run your needle tool down the center from point to base to make the veins line up
and to give a crease to fold the leaf so it looks realistic.

Fold the leaf on the crease and
squeeze the point then give it a little turn or twist to make it look realistic.

Finished leaf ready to decorate a bead.

The leaves are going on top of a little pod bead.

Placing the sculpted leaves on a pod bead with the needle tool.

Finished bead ready to cure.

I hope you enjoyed this little leaf tutorial. If you have any questions about it or about working with polymer clay, I am happy to help!!

blessings, ZudaGay

The Story of My Name, as I remember it

I've had many questions about my name as it is a bit different. One question is, "What kind of name is Zuda?" The answer is, I have no idea! I had someone leave a comment on my pbase photo site that Zuda is her family name and she lives in Germany. She is the only person I've come across with my name...even though it is her last name.

So here is the story as best I remember it. I have one sister who was born while Daddy was serving somewhere in the South Pacific in the Navy during WWII. Mama named her Donetta after Daddy and Kay I guess because it goes well with Donetta. My brother came along seven years later and Mama had a name all picked out and named him Charles, I guess because she liked the name and Marshall which was Daddy's father's middle name....his name was Nova Marshall. I came along 5 years later and Mama had a name all picked out, I think it was Candita or something like that. Well Daddy thought it was his turn to get to name the baby. Mama didn't think so, after all she was the one who did all the work giving birth and all. Mama's mom gave her a talking to and convinced her to let Daddy name the baby. So my Daddy named me Zuda which was his mother's name. She died shortly after his birth. No one knows were the name came from. And he decided on Gay as my middle name. He had a good friend when he was growing up named Gay (who was male) and he always liked the name. And that is how I became named Zuda Gay.

Mama never did like the Zuda part and so I was called Gay most of my life. Daddy called all three of us kids Butch for the most part - big Butch, Butch and Little Butch. Hehehe.....I'm not sure why.

I had a thrill when I woke up Wednesday morning and saw that I was featured on Cynthia Tinapple's Polymer Clay Daily blog. Oh my goodness!!!! I've read PCD practically every day since she started it. To say that I am thrilled and honored and shocked would be putting it mildly.

I want to share some of my favorite pieces that I've made recently.

A Study in Golds and Browns

Red Flower on Gold Leaf Pendant


Fairy Garden Pendant

blessings, ZudaGay

Studio Time

Life has been a bit busy and....ummmm.....messy this week. Our one and only little bathroom is being remodeled from studs out. That means they ripped out all the old plaster and lath. Today we have use of the shower and the toilet and have hot water. We've been borrowing Jessica and Todd's shower and using the toilet at the church, which is a block away, when ours was out of commission. I also used the one at church when there were men in the basement and there were holes in the bathroom floor.......like a 2' hole!!!! Not tinkling with men down below!!!!! Needless to say I needed some time of quiet and creativity!

I spent quite a bit of time in my studio today. It was very nice and I enjoyed the time so much and I love the results!!!!! One pendant I listed in my Etsy shop this evening, but I'm going to show all of them here. Lord willing, I am going to work in my studio most of Monday.







I don't think that I will post tomorrow as it will be a busy day. We have our time of worship and then a family picnic. Just what Sundays are suppose to be full of - worshiping our God and spending time with our loved ones......what a joy!!!!
blessings, ZudaGay

A Black Day

I get out a color scheme and I get stuck in it for a little while. I try not to do this, but it seems like the color scheme needs to get out of my head before I can go on to the next thing. So I have black to share today. I like black, I like to wear black and it seems I like to create with black. So, for your viewing pleasure.........a study in black, with some pearly white, grey, silver and oh my, what is that...red?