About this Product
These Cardinal ornaments were made using Cosclay, a relatively new clay in the polymer category. Your Cosclay ornament will be flexible and resilient and will last forever. Drop it and it will not break, pack it up with other ornaments and no surprises when you get ready to decorate, your ornament will be intact and ready to hang. Talk about hanging - hanging is easy with the color coordinated twirled wire. This makes a perfect gift for the cardinal lover, any time of the year.
Measures 3-3/8 in diameter (not including hanging wire)
This ornament has not been tested outdoors for lightfast qualities. My recommendation is to enjoy this ornament inside, away from the elements of weather and the sun.
This ornament is Ready to Ship and shipping is no extra charge!
Judy B Freeman
Meet the Maker
Like a lot of artists and crafters, I've been making things from a young age. My family moved around a lot because my dad was in the service, so I was the "new kid" more than just once. I discovered that art and craft projects helped to keep me busy if we moved to a new town during the Summer months. During college I discovered 3-D art and got hooked first on sculpting and then on ceramic art. I graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts and, as many can relate, I got a regular job or 3 or 5 and my art projects were relegated to hobby status. After a life of not making art my first priority, I was able to switch gears. First I concentrated on being a ceramic artist and potter, creating functional ware as well as whimsical sculptural pieces. Then as the 50 pound boxes of clay got heavier and heavier, I decided that I needed a plan to help save my back. So I started doing research and started working with polymer clay. I retired my potters wheel and traded 50 pound boxes of clay for 8 pound boxes of clay. I made the total migration several years ago. Then in 2020 a new product in the polymer category was released, called Cosclay. It's a hybrid plastic - rubber clay and like polymer bakes in the oven, but Cosclay is quite resilient. Cosclay can stand up to the rigors of shipping across country and I've even dropped pieces without any breakage. I continue my artistic journey and have had fun selling on other marketplaces like Etsy and wholesale to galleries and shops across the country through the IndieMe website. Now the Goimagine website calls to my desire to help make a difference with my art. To be part of a truly handmade marketplace and reconnect with humans across the country.
I have a couple of "claims to fame". In 2007 a filming crew came to my home studio and filmed a 7 minute segment for an HGTV show called That's Clever! I demonstrated from start to finish how I made a ceramic cat bank. It took 2 years for the show to finally air and what an experience that was. My next claim to fame was also when I was still working in ceramic clay. I loved to make fish teapots. Three of my fish teapots were purchased by the Kamm Foundation Teapot Collection, the world's largest collection of teapots. I've had pieces, both ceramic as well as polymer in a variety of group exhibitions and have been fortunate enough to meet a lot of really great people in the process. My motto: keep learning, keep making.
Thanks for visiting - any questions, please don't hesitate to send me a message.
How it’s Made
Ornaments are fun to make, but at the same time have a bit of an involved process. The cardinal images on the ornaments started out from a photograph that I took of a cardinal sitting in a crepe myrtle tree across from our house. I edited the photo to get it to just black and white, then I used that photo to create a silk screen. I use the silk screen for the black portion of the ornament. I start out by conditioning the clay through a multi-step process. After running sheets of clay through the clay machine over and over and over, I hope to get most of the air bubbles out of the clay and get it to a workable state. Then I lay a slab of clay on a sheet of glass and use a texture sheet to impress a fun texture to the back of the clay, I flip the clay and then I use a cookie cutter to cut out the clay. I poke a hole for the hanging wire. Then I silk screen the bird and tree limgs to the clay and the ornament gets baked to cure. After it cools I go to work painting the red of the cardinal and the background color as well as the back of the ornament. Once the paints have dried I add 3 coats of clear gloss varnish. And finish him off by twirling some color coordinated wire for hanging. Like I said, it's a bit of an involved process! But the good news is this is not a mass-produced ornament that you'll see in every big box store. It's just little old me.
Shop Policies
REFUNDS/EXCHANGES: It's important to me that you are 100% pleased with your purchase. If after receipt and inspection, for any reason, you are not happy with your order, please contact me within 14 days. We can make arrangements to either exchange or refund. Return shipment costs will be paid by the customer. And the amount refunded will be the total cost of goods purchased, not to include the initial shipping charges. CANCELLATIONS: Orders may be cancelled at any time prior to the order being shipped, and full refund will be processed. Exception to this policy would be if the items are customized especially for the customer, and work has begun.
GIFTS: Special conditions regarding items purchased as a gift. If the giftee (person receiving the gift) requests to return the item(s) I will direct the giftee to contact the giftor. I will await instructions from the customer that purchased the gift. Same Conditions apply as shown above in Refunds/Exchanges Section.
DAMAGED IN TRANSIT: NOTIFY ME WITHIN 3 DAYS OF YOUR RECEIPT OF THE PURCHASE OF ANY DAMAGE. KEEP ALL BOXES AND PACKING MATERIALS SO THAT A CLAIM CAN BE FILED
*At this time I only ship within the United States
**All images are the property of Judith B. Freeman, LLC and may not be copied without written permission.
