Category: teaching

Posted on by — Leave a comment

First Class Taught in the New Art Studio

It is so nice to get back to teaching again, and to have the space to teach in.  Just loving the New Art Studio!!  Such a great creative energy in my new space!!  If you know me you know I love creating and I love teaching.
I am a little slow with this post, as you know life and work sometimes gets sometimes gets in the way.

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of teaching a Precious Metal Clay (PMC) Class to a student named Pat.  Pat declined to be photographed, but I did take pics of the projects we worked on.  It was a fun class.

In this pic we are sculpting some of the PMC.

For those who don’t know anything about PMC, it is like modeling clay.  You have to keep it moist while you work with it.  You can roll it, press it, draw on it and/or carve designs in it, just like modeling clay or FIMO.

Here are some of Pat’s pieces she was creating in Class.

You can see some of the tools on the table, cookie cutters, textured sheets to press designs into the clay.  It is a lot of fun to work with.

After you are done sculpting and the clay has dried, you can clean up any rough edges on the pieces, and the put them in the kiln and fire them.  Two hours later, presto you have a metal pendant.  In this case we used Silver Clay and it comes out .999 Silver, better than Sterling Silver.

Below, Pat’s finished pieces.  Three after polishing, one before polishing up.

And my finished pieces.

  I would love to teach a class for you, and love to share my knowledge with you.  Contact me to arrange your class.  Click here for more info on classes:  “Classes I Teach”

#class #classes #teaching #preciousmetalclay #pmc #newartstudio #studio #picoftheday #jewelrydesignartist #fiberartist #fusedglassartist #lampworkbeadartist #art #artist #artstudio #kiln #instalike #instagood #followme #christinamlee #christinamleedesigns #followme
Posted on by — Leave a comment

New Art Studio, Update

Here is the next set of pics of the new Art Studio:

img_0545

Exterior wall and window are in on the right side unit, or the south side.  So studio is completely closed up now.

img_0553

Photo of the window and wall from the inside looking out.  Forgive the yard and the construction zone.

img_0566

Started painting the floor on the left side or north side.  I am really happy with the way the floor is coming out.  The north half of the studio is almost done!!

img_0574

Started painting the ceiling and walls of in the south side of the studio with the primer.

img_0590

I really make a mess when I paint….lol.  Been scraping paint off my hands, face and glasses for days.  Ceilings really splatter when you paint them.

img_0598

The electrician was working today on the lights, ceiling fans and outlets, this is the north side.  Yeah!!  Getting so excited!!  I should have electricity connected soon!!!

img_0599

And lights and fan on the south side.  I just put a final coat of paint up where the lights and fan were going and will come back and finish the rest when all the primer is done.

I have been cleaning up the old studio up stairs, sorting stuff and getting preparing to move the work table and glass storage cabinet out to the new studio.  Started taking small stuff out every trip outside, and putting it in the purple cabinets, such as beads and glass rods for bead making.  I am moving out my glass band saw, glass grinder and two small table top 110 kilns.   I have to clean off the work table and empty out the glass storage cabinet so I can move them out.  Tons of work painting, and painting, and painting, and moving stuff, but will be so worth it when I get it done!!!  The old studio upstairs inside the house will be turned into my fiber arts studio for sewing, yarn, spinning and weaving.  All the glass work, fusing, bead making, torches, jewelry design will all be done outside in the new studio.  I will also have room to teach classes again!!!  Yeah!!!

#newartstudio #artstudio #picoftheday #instagood #instalike

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Classes I teach: Lampwork Bead Making

LAMPWORK BEAD MAKING:

This class I teach you how to make your own handmade lampwork or flamework glass beads.  Glass rods are melted under an open torch and formed into glass beads.  You will learn about expansion of glass, about compatible glasses, how to anneal your beads, and much more.  $100.00 includes all supplies and use of all tools (you take home your finished beads).  This is a one secession class, 5 hours long.  The class is limited to two students.

Classes are available by appointment only:

Due to limited space available for teaching, my Classes are limited to 1, 2 or 3 students per class depending on the class.  This makes my classes very individualized providing you the one-on-one instruction that you will not receive in a larger class setting.  This also allows me to be flexible in my teaching schedule.

Classes are generally weekday evenings, or Saturday during the day or evenings.  I can also work with you to fit your class around your schedule.  I can arrange a weekday afternoon class if that is the only time you have available.  I thoroughly love teaching, so click here to see a list of other classes I teach: http://creationsbychristina.net/?page_id=913

Follow my blog via email.  Be among the first to receive my blog posts and to know about specials and sales, click the ‘subscribe’ button in the right hand column.

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Knitting & Crochet Friends

Hello everyone. I am venturing back out into blogland, adding my Knitting & Crochet Friends group and fiber arts to my blog.  In these blog posts, I plan to share links to patterns I find on others websites and other blogs, share some patterns of my own that I am currently creating, and help you with any crochet or knitting questions you might have.  I hope you to feel free to ask for help.  Also I want you to meet Spike, whose picture you see here on this post.  Spike, the scuba diving doll (amigurumi), is our mascot for our group.  I will share more about Spike in a future post.

First let me share how this group got started.  It was May 2009 when my best friend, Linda, asked me to teach her to knit.  We were in Michaels arts and craft supply store, Linda, our husbands and myself.  We were looking at some very pretty yarns and Linda asked me, Do you know how to knit?  I told her that I did.  She asked me if I could teach her.  I told her I had not knitted in many years, but yes I could teach her.

We both decided to buy some yarn.  As we looked at all the pretty yarns, I started to pick out something I liked for myself, when my Husband, Rick, said, If your going to knit something, make me an afghan for the couch to cover up with when I take a nap.  Rick picked out a a nice variegated yarn in burgundies, browns, blues and tans, (to match the couch), and then I went home and dug out all my knitting needles from years prior and Linda and I started meeting every week.

It wasn’t long before more people wanted to learn first knitting, then crochet and by Sept 2009 we officially started a local group here in Bradenton, Florida called Knitting & Crochet Friends.  About a year later I created our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KnittingAndCrochetFriends

Leading this group has been a blast for me.  I love teaching.  I had not knitted or crocheted in about 25 years and I forgot how much I love the needle arts too, along with my Jewelry Design and Silk Painting Design.

Various people have passed through the group in the past three years.  Mothers and daughters learning together, from ages 6 to 70 we have had quite the variety, some rank beginners, some intermediate, and some well accomplished needle artists.  It has been fun getting to know each one.

If you in the Bradenton, Florida area, or are in the area for a visit, please join us on Sunday nights, we would love to have you.

Here is a pic of that first knitted afghan for Rick:

This afghan was my own design.  I knitted 6 rows, with the standard knit stitch (garter stitch), then I knitted one row and purled one row, for 10 rows (sockinette stitch), and alternated that pattern to create an afghan.

Over the past 3 years, I have went on to make afghans for each of my 7 grand children, and have made hats, scarves, fingerless gloves, angels and snowflakes (more about all these in future blogs).  It has been a fun adventure and I am looking forward to many more years of teaching.  I especially love teaching young people, seeing them learn handcrafts is so rewarding.

In wrapping up this post, I will share two great places to find all kinds of patterns for free.

If you are looking to find crochet patterns this is a great place is:  www.crochetpatterncentral.com

For knitting patterns:  www.knittingpatterncenteral.com

Christina

To follow my blog, click on the purple diamond on the right hand side of the screen below the links section.——>