Just a quick hello

It's gloomy here today. so I thought I would post a little still life picture I took over the weekend.

Doesn't this look like a huge tin of spice? No, it's all just an illusion. I combined a small plastic vial (repurposed from holding glitter) and the tiniest purple flowers from my yard. I just think they are so sweet and looked good with sunshine streaming through the window this weekend.

I made another trinket box. I like the combo of pink and green, and as my friend Kim says, we always need more boxes to hold our treasures, so another box was in order.


I mentioned previously that I applied liquid clay to the outside of the can prior to putting on the clay. This acts as an adhesive for the sheets and strips of clay that I cover the can with. This is not strictly necessary. You can certainly cover the can without the liquid clay. By the way, most craft stores now carry liquid clay in their polymer clay sections. It can be used in several different ways and if you're not familiar with it, I suggest you try it.

For the top of the trinket box, I cut a circle from a sheet of matching clay and add a ball of clay as a handle. I even added four clay orbs for feet this time. I covered some watercolor paper with fabric to make the lining.

Well, that's all for today. I just saw the mailman deliver a box, so I've got to run and see what bloggy friend Kristen sent me. I'll take pictures and post them later. I can hardly wait!

Have a good rest of the day, and don't forget to get creative.

Fabulous Friday...

Actually every day is fabulous. Today especially, as I got an e-mail from a bloggy friend telling me to watch for some mail she is sending me. That is so sweet and it reminded me that another bloggy friend sent me a gift and I forgot to post it. So as soon as I get the second one, I will post them both. I have the best friends.

On a different note, it's been raining again here in the Star City, but that certainly doesn't keep me from doing a project. My hubby and I eat canned tuna periodically, and I love the size of the cans. I have been saving them for a rainy day project and yesterday I came up with this.


For those of you new to polymer clay, you can not only sculpt and make beads with it, you can cover a variety of items with it to make such fun stuff. I used beige colored clay and covered the outside of the tuna can with the clay. There are several ways to do this, but I liberally applied liquid clay to the outsides and bottom of the can before applying the bottom circle, and the long strip around the sides. I then made polymer clay flowers and leaves to make a little design.

I am going to use this little box for jewelry, so I finished off the inside with fabric and a padded bottom, (just like me).

Just a little trinket box here, but the possibilities are endless, I have covered light bulbs, cardboard boxes, and wooden items, just to name a few. I have been playing with polymer clay for years, off and on, but I almost always go back to jewelry. I did want to show you this and remind you that there is an artist in you just waiting to come out. You don't have to wait for a rainy day to invite that artist in, go for it and have fun.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. The hubs is getting ready to take me to lunch and a movie, so I'll say bye for now, but we'll talk soon. Take care.

At last, a tree picture...

These pictures will probably be boring to you, but here they are anyway. Our woods are so deceptive looking, it looks like you could just skip down to the creek with ease. Not so, these are woods, as in forest. The ivy that the previous owner planted in 1969 takes over and hides all kind of booby traps. It really is hard to maintain and this is just the latest stage in trying to keep it manageable and asp, rodent and bee free.

Remember you can click on any of these pictures for a better view...

So this is a before picture. Notice the broken tree, way down the hill. Things like that are the main reason that we are trying to tidy up. For some reason, I feel like I need to keep apologizing for having our trees cut down, but there were just so many of them. I hope my tree cutting doesn't offend anyone. I think it did, in the past, bother some of my neighbors. This is the third major tree cutting that this company has done for us over the past seven years. I guess we have probably taken down 40-50 trees, just to get it to this point.

While it is extremely uneven terrain, fortunately, it is not a complete incline, in that there are two flat strips that run the width of the property. That is what gives me hope for having a manageable area (and the horseshoe pit). It will remain a work in progress.

Here is a shot of some of the guys, operating the equipment. This is such a dangerous occupation. Today, my heart went into my mouth several times. The ground was still soft from last week's rain, and the tractor wheels spun and lifted up from the ground, and it looked really scary. They are professionals, though, and always figured out the safest way to move the logs after they were cut. They had to put chains on some of them and drag them up to where they could then be grabbed by the front part of the tractor and lifted into a huge trailer (parked in our driveway) to haul off.

They will be back on the next dry day, to bush-hog and clean up as much as possible. I could hardly wait to get my big red walking stick and walk down towards the creek.

So this is the after picture. If you look slightly to the left of this shot, you should see a red "x" that I photoshopped in. This is where we were headed. DH wanted to clear some debris from the creek which was causing a bit of a dam. I still can't make it down that far, too many stickers. He dropped out of sight several times, but he always answered when I called to him, so I didn't freak out too much. Come to find out, he somehow ended up ankle deep in the creek . We had a bit of a giggle over that. (I did, anyway)

No art to post, but I have been working on a new pillow, that I will post as soon as it is completed. Take care and beware of April Fool's Day. Watch out for viruses and sugar in the salt shaker.

Also, I wanted to apologize for not staying current on commenting on my favorite blogs. Everyone has been so prolific lately, that I have gotten behind. I'm still reading them all and loving them, as usual. Hopefully, I will do better.

So that's it for today. Have a great rest of the week and keep sunny thoughts, as I need one more sunny day for the last of this tree work.

TTFN

Raining since Wednesday...

Yes, I thought I would have a marvelous pictorial of my newly cleared out woods by now. Nope, it started raining Wednesday and is still raining on Saturday. At this rate, the ivy will have covered all the logs that they had to leave and it will be like one of those horror movies where the vines come alive and start crawling up the sides of the house trying to pay me back for offending them. Sheesh. Plus, I have this in my front yard....


Maybe I could start it up and give rides to all the neighborhood kids. Can you imagine me on this monster? What a crazy thought. I would love to ride on it though. Hmmm, maybe I could bribe the operator with donuts and coffee, might work.

Anyway, since I had some time this week to be creative, I worked on a necklace. The word in the fashion industry is that accessories are really big this spring. No, I don't mean popular, I mean LARGE. I loved the neck ware in this article, but didn't think metal flowers would be that comfortable. The other day I saw some really expensive silk flowers in the scrapbooking section that would have made a beautiful focal piece, but I was too frugal to buy them. So, I took apart some silk flowers that I already had and reconstructed them into a neck piece.

I sewed them onto a cloth base and then beaded the centers for a more dimensional look. Click to see details.

This is just the first one and it needs some refining. Someone very near and dear to me, that won't be mentioned, (but his initials are D.H.) got a funny look on his face when he saw it and thought it was much too large. It's the concept, that I like, so perhaps smaller flowers will help the next one. (Yes, Darling, I'm going to do more) I am certainly open to ideas from all of you folks. So let me know if you have any ideas.

Lastly, I recently purchased a random blouse, simply because I loved the color and pattern and when I got home with it, I realized it unintentionally matched the earrings I made several weeks ago. I was going to try to take a picture (in the mirror) of me wearing them, but it turned out so funny that I am calling it "What big hands she has".



Just being silly on a rainy day, waiting for the hubby to come back from playing music. By the way, DH had his hair cut short yesterday, and maybe, just maybe, he will let me post a picture of him. He has worn his hair long for several years now and decided it was time. He went six weeks ago and had about six inches trimmed off and it was still long. Yesterday he went for it, with me standing by, telling Misty exactly how I wanted it. He trusts me with his hair and it turned out great.

Well that's it for now. Hope it's not raining in your neck of the woods, but if it is...get your housework done, and then play indoors. It's ok, it's the weekend!

TTFN

Tree People

Help, our woods are out of control !! Yes, we had to bring in the professionals. The tree people are working in our woods today and tomorrow trying to get things back in control before the woods take over. I spent the entire day, going from window to window, watching them. I have so much respect for these folks. Even with heavy equipment, it's still a dangerous and difficult job. Our back woods is quite deceptive. When looking out over the bank, you think it is just a gradual drop down to the creek, but it is actually a bumpy, stumpy, holey (as in critter holes) mess.

Since I looked out the windows all day and I didn't get any art done, I thought I would show what I worked on this weekend. I am trying to improve my off-loom bead weaving skills and one of the first things you learn to do is bead around a cabochon. The only cabs I have are actually off mandrel, flat backed lampworked cabs. They are a bit heavier than a gemstone cab, but I think it turned out ok.

I added black velvet cording and found this piece to be quite comfortable. If you aren't sure what a lampworked cabochon looks like up close, check this out...

This is a really pretty multi-layered piece. I know you can't really see the depth of the bead, but it is about 1/2" thick with millefiori and stringer and other lampwork techniques all encased in clear glass.

That's it for today, I'll keep you posted on all the goings on in the woods and take pictures when we get some more stuff done. The hubby has promised to make a horseshoe pit for me, and I am so excited.

Well, take care and have a great evening.

Fancy Mountain Memories

The weather was chilly yesterday, but the sun was uber bright as we went up and down the isles at our local flea market. Several weeks ago, at this same flea market, I purchased a bar of handmade soap from a great little shop called Fancy Mountain Memories. They set up at various spots throughout a fairly large area. I spoke to the husband of the lovely lady that makes the soaps, lotions and such, and he gave me quite a bit of history about how her soap recipe was handed down from previous generations and how it has evolved into such a lovely range of natural products.

All of their products were displayed in a lovely presentation, laid out in a very pleasing fashion with lace on all the tables. They set up under a tent-like shelter that helps to block the sun, while allowing you to take your time looking at all the lovely things Mindy has created.

(This is a picture from the Fancy website)

Since I have such sensitive skin, I am hesitant to buy handmade soaps and creams, but the ingredients were plainly printed on the labels. Everything is natural and I decided to give it a try. I hate the thought of throwing out something if I can't use it, so I asked if there were any samples sizes, or any broken bars that I could purchase at a discount. (yea, that's me, always looking for a deal) He thought a minute , brought out a bar of "Sophie's Dream" which supposedly had some minor imperfection and wasn't being put on the table. He sold it to me for half price and told me about their website.

After I got home and tried my new soap I was so impressed. This is not the commercial, hard, sudsy soap that I am used to. When I picked up this bar and went to wash my hands, it was creamy and luxurious. The fragrance was beautiful. It took me a moment to get used to this natural soap because it is so different. I mean different in the best sense of the word. Talk about a deal, the bar was actually too large for my hand, so I used a steak knife and easily cut it in half. So I got two bars of Sophie soap for the already discounted price of one.

I went on their website and checked out the other products and noted when they would be back in town. I went back yesterday and had the pleasure of talking directly to Mindy, the artist that makes these lovely products. She had a pretty bad fall recently and is still recovering, but was so gracious in showing me the products and letting me sample the body butter. I did buy the body butter and she gave me a free bar of soap. It was a lovely experience.

So I just wanted to let all my friends know about her. Check out her website to see if you are in any of the areas that they visit, or place an online order with her. Perhaps you prefer to just visit her site and sign in on her guest book. Either way, I just wanted to make a quick post about her and let everyone know that I really love her products.

It's a quiz...

What can you do on a cold day when your art muse is on vacation? You know that button box that you have with all those fabulous buttons? You think you still have some texture medium on the shelf and you know that you have a small canvas panel...



You want to do art but, all you can think about is cake. So you take the canvas cake and frost it with the texture icing, and decorate it with the tasty buttons...

No, seriously though, that's pretty much how you do this project. After deciding on which buttons to use (I used all flat buttons with holes) and making sure they are free from wire or any other googlies, set them to the side along with a pair of tweezers.

Protect your work surface with an old towel, and spread the texture medium directly onto the canvas panel with a pallet knife, spoon or something of that nature. Spread it on fairly thick, this gives you more working time and the creamy texture medium will come up through the holes in the buttons and up around the sides. I say creamy, but this product is actually pretty stiff, very much like stiff icing. You then carefully place the buttons, face up, on to the canvas. I hold the button flat using my thumb and index finger. I hovered the button about 1/2 inch above the canvas and lightly dropped it into place, thus not getting the texture medium on my fingers. I, then, lightly pressed the button down, holding the tweezers vertically over the button so the medium would ooze up between the holes, as you apply light pressure downward with the tweezers. You can place the buttons in what ever pattern you desire. This medium, that I like so well and used on another previous project, starts to set up after about one hour, so you have to be ready to roll when you start this project. Then when you're done, you get something like this...

Click on pictures for larger view

After letting it dry overnight, it looks really good just leaned up against the wall on a shelf or mantle, or you could frame it or hang it. It would even be a fun project for kids, nothing hard about this. But it does look like icing, so don't taste it. There you have it. The next time your inspiration is failing you and your muse is on vacation, grab the button box and make art.

Take care and get ready for the weekend, it's almost here.

Not your Grandmother's pearls...

I love pearls, but they always seem a bit stuffy. I still think that a pearl choker has it's place, even if you're at work...



So in an effort to make my pearls a bit funkier and to get more wear out of them, I'm hopping outside the box. Here is my first attempt.

I took a strand of creamy colored costume pearls and added a cream and brown metal pendant. This was a funky find at a bead show years ago and it's just now finding it's way into a design.

Here is a close up version...



This pendant had two jump rings on the back, so I added two more and placed them between the pearls. This way I can remove them at any time and did not damage the necklace. Just showing that something simple can really make a difference when re-purposing that vintage or broken jewelry we all love.

That's it for now, I'll be back soon. Take care.

Wearing of the Green

I don't actually celebrate St. Patrick's Day, as my family tree consists of French, English and Native American. If you know me though, you know I never miss a chance to wear some sort of celebratory jewelry. I have a pair of Shamrock earrings that I will combine with these vintage pieces for my trip to the grocery store today.


The circle pin on the left is mine from when we wore Peter Pan collars. I think I was about ten years old when I got this.

The double strand beauty on the right is my Grandma's. She was such a diva. I have a lot of her jewelry, along with the jewelry of two of her sisters.

I have a fairly large collection of vintage jewelry, mostly 60's and 70's, but several family pieces from the 30's-50's.

I could probably post one piece of jewelry each day and not repeat for easily five years. Hmm... that's an idea for blogging, when I don't have any art, I could post a piece of jewelry.

Well, anyway, this is my take on wearing green on Saint Patrick's. I hope you all have a great day and celebrate in a safe and happy way.

Ok, So I'm a Goonie

I just finished watching Goonies, and I had forgotten how much I really love that crazy, silly movie. I love all the characters. Everybody has a favorite scene, mine being at the last of the movie when Chunk "adopts" Sloth.

I think sometimes we all have had periods of time when we felt like Goonies, maybe sometimes we still do. For me, as a child, being a Goonie was being the "not so trim" little girl, that wanted adventure and was only able to experience it in the children's books I read constantly. I read several books about pirates and insisted that my uncle buy me a black eye-patch. Somewhere he found one and yes, I wore it.

In a way, being a Goonie is a great thing. It means that you know that you are different from the other kids. That you march to a different drummer. You don't have to be plump or goofy looking to be a Goonie. Look at Cyndi Lauper. She did the theme song "Goonies R Good Enough", along with an elaborate music video. I remember reading that she had always felt like a Goonie and strongly related to the movie for that reason.

I am a longtime Cyndi fan. I went to see her in concert in 1984 and she was wonderful. She still is. Grew up to be a very beautiful, very classy Goonie.

I don't know about you, but the hubby and I are still not like the other kids, and we are quite happy about it.

Well, that's it for today, I think I'll go down to my Goonie cave and go through some of my treasures. Take care and embrace being yourself! You rock, y'all.

Friday the 13th?

Friday the 13th? No bad luck for me today. Check out that fabulous polymer clay artist, Cindy Lietz, I have the honor of being the subject of her blog post today. Thank you so much, Cindy. You are the best!

I want to say thanks to all the fabulous blogger artists that were so kind to post pictures of the little hearts that I sent out. You are all so special to me. Thank you all so much.

That's all for now, I'm too humbled to think of anything else to say. I'll be back, you can count on it!

What's that sound?

Pat, pat, pat...what's that sound? It's me patting myself on the back.

About seven years ago, my sister gave me four pair of the most beautiful beaded earrings. I have taken such care with them, wrapping them in tissue paper when I travel and wearing them everywhere. They are in my opinion, very unusual. I have been studying them and looking on the internet for instructions so I could make a similar pair. No luck. They seemed so intricate and difficult to recreate. Since I'm taking a break from art pillows right now (sorry, Sweet Marie) I took time to really look at them. I tend to be a bit analytical anyway, so I sat down at my work table and using my lighted magnifying glass, I began to really look at these earrings. Hmmm, I say to myself, this is just beading. I should be able to do this. I do jewelry design, I do bead embroidery, I really think I can do this.

Ok, so now I'm really excited and ready to begin. After spending way too much time perfecting the frame that the earrings are made on, and making one practice piece to get the feel of things, I just went with it.

I am very happy with the results. If I were to get really picky, I would be a bit concerned because the one on the left got a bit wonky, but all in all, I like them. There are probably hardcore beaders out there, who might look at this and pat me on the head and tell me this is one of the easiest techniques to use. Now that I've figured it out and actually done it, I just might agree. I think if I knew what this style of beading was called, I could have saved myself some time. It may be a form of netting, I'm just not sure. I just know it really was fun and since I love hand sewing and I have really good eyeglasses these days, it was actually fairly easy to do.

So, that's what I have been up to. Oh, I also made a really fun, funny, funky bracelet out of the yellow net bag that some lemons came in. My hubby just looked at it and shook his head. It is a bit different from the jewelry that I usually make. I might post it later, I'm not sure.

Well, that's it for now. Take care and if you know of any way to get a pattern for these earrings, please let me know.

What a beautiful day

The sun is shining, I've opened all the windows and it's just too pretty to be on the computer. Don't believe me? Here's the proof.

I had my camera right here when the breeze was tossing my curtains about. I love days like this and since the Hubby is out in the garage "organizing", I feel like I want to be doing something productive. It will probably end up being jewelry related, so maybe I'll have something cool to post later.

By the way, check out the coffee cup that I'm sending to my sister for her birthday next month. It says "I'd worry about getting older if I wasn't still so darn cute" .

Well, that's it for now, but you know I will be back soon, doing the Happiness Dance like Snoopy does, because...well, just because.

Pink Beads

Just a quick post, so we can finally stop looking at pillows. They are fun to make, but I am ready to get on to something else. Something like this pink necklace and earring combo that I put together.

This picture doesn't show off how pretty the metallic pink pearls are. The faceted beads are light pink acrylic, which helped to keep the piece somewhat light weight. The large pink shell beads are fairly heavy, but it is very comfortable to wear. My Darling Hubby has a dental appointment tomorrow, so I think I'll go with him and have an excuse to wear this new creation.

Speaking of my DH, he is such a sweetie. The kitchen table we ordered arrived today, so being the thrifty thing that he is, he picked it up and put it together.


He worked really hard getting it just right

...and saved us $80.00 in the process. You can't really tell from the picture, but the table is almost waist high. Perfect for food prep, I'm so tired of hunching over the old table and chopping and cutting. Plus, my kitchen is somewhat small and now I can even open the oven door all the way. By the way, notice in the grocery bag...there are plenty of chips and Gourmet Ginger Ale for a "job well done" reward. He is a very special guy and he deserves a special treat. I'll bet that you all knew that, anyway.

That's all for now, take care and enjoy the rest of the week.

One More Pillow

My dear friends, be sure, there is one more pillow. I had been wanting to do a hippie chick wearing a headband. As I was drawing the four petaled flowers around her, I was reminded of one of the cutest things I have heard lately. I was watching "Little Miss Perfect" and the cutest little girl (age 5) had just finished her interview and was so happy and excited. When her mom asked her how it went, she said it was a miracle. She said, " I feel so happy, just like a Princess on a Butterfly Wheel". I have no idea what she meant, but she really got to me with her sheer delight.

So I now present the Hippie Chick who became The Princess on a Butterfly Wheel. . .


I wanted to say thank you to all who have commented on my little pillows. I am sure there will be more in the works, but this week as I was walking past my work table, I heard this little, tiny pink voice calling to me. It was a strand of shell beads that was just begging for a little vacation time. So I'm off to help those little pink beads realize their dream. Out of the drawer they will come and soon, when the weather is warmer, they will be accompanying me on day trips to the flea market and other fun places.

All that being said, I'm off to my studio to finish up this really crazy necklace. Have a great evening and stay tuned for more art, as it just springs up everywhere around here.

Be afraid...

Ok, now I think you probably know from reading my blog, or my profile snippet, or seeing my pink and blue outfit or noticing my cute little painting in my new banner...that I am a laughing, happy, crazy, kooky kind of chick.

Well, all that being said, I suppose we all have a dark side. I usually read mystery novels, seldom romance. While I do watch some chick flicks, I prefer old black and white Voodoo Island type movies. I watch vampire and zombie movies, and I previously thought that talking ventriloquists' dummies were the creepiest of all. Until now, so turn on all the lights and grab the claw hammer, because it's time for my latest pillow creation....

Meet the scariest clown around. The idea in my head was that of a cute and non threatening clown. I then started looking at pictures of Victorian clowns and pictures of clown marionettes, and this just sort of emerged. I did another one, but it turned out much larger than this one and I am thinking he just might be destined for the face of an art doll. I'm just not sure.

I am having fun with these little pillows, but I'm like a inquisitive kitten that keeps jumping outside the box. Once you know you can get back in when necessary, you get a lot braver. Who knows what might find it's way onto a pillow.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. It's raining here, so I think a cup of tea and a good book are in order. We'll talk soon. Take care.

More Pillow Talk

I am digging on this pillow making. I love to draw and I hate to feel like I am "wasting" my time in the evenings by just sitting around and drawing. My sister and I drew all the time when we were kids and my mother loved it, it kept us quiet. Anyway, making a pillow out of my art is a good way of displaying the drawing in a way that I don't feel embarrassed and feel like I'm "showing off " by looking at my own art. So here are the latest ones.

You may remember this little face from a recent set of ATC's. I recreated her here.



She has a bit of a crazy doll look to her, but that's ok.

I have been toying with the idea of doing a girl with flowers for hair. I got a new quilted bedspread yesterday in my favorite color combo of pink and green, so I had another reason to make a pillow. I am happy to introduce you to her.



Well, that's it for today. For all of you who sent addresses, I did want to mention that I got the hearts mailed out yesterday. It was a fun giveaway. I hope you enjoy them. Take care and have a great Friday.

Pillow soft

I don't know about you, but I am so inspired by the beautiful art pillows that Sandy is creating, that I decided to have a go at it myself. Some of you may remember these little pillow dolls that I made and embellished at the library event last year...



It was fun and it may have even motivated several young library patrons to make their own little pillow dolls.

Then one year for his birthday, I presented DH with this little bit of fluff...

Mmmm...smelled like cinnamon. That was fun to make also. I don't know what it is, but there is something so satisfying about making a pillow. They are soft and squishy and just so comforting. I used to like to make pillows. Now, thanks to my friend, Sandy, I love, love, love making pillows. Art Pillows!!!

Seriously though folks, here is my first art pillow. I redrew, using Derwent Graphitint pencils, one of my earlier faces, using the same beige fabric that you see in the prim pillow. I, then, heat set it with the iron and made it into a pillow. Size is about 7" x 10".

I was so happy with the result that I couldn't wait to make another one. My sister has a lovely friend who just received her citizenship and is so very proud of this accomplishment. (Do you have any idea how hard these tests are? She prepared for two years.) So to acknowledge this special event in her life, I made the following pillow...

In case it isn't clear from the photo, those are red and blue fireworks going off around this little lady and below her is the date of her citizenship ceremony.

Well, that's it for now. I just could hardly wait to post these. Sandy not only motivated me to get out my sewing machine, she encouraged me to think outside the box a bit. That is what art is all about. Learning, creating, enjoying. If you are new to my little world, you may not know that the name of my blog refers to how easy art is. Everyone can be an artist, it's just that easy. Yep, you might say it's just "...a walk in the park".

Take care.

I just wasn't likin' it...

You remember my work in progress from the other day


Well, several things about this design just didn't set with me. Keeping in mind that I'm not a professional, but have been making jewelry for a long, long time -remember Pop Beads-? anyway, after putting this together in the design above, I felt that some more refining was in order.

I tried to duplicate the look of a handmade glass bead and am actually very pleased with the result. It seems, though, that combining a glass look bead with natural stone beads, seemed a bit off. Also the black wire and crimp beads, which I really like in other applications, just seemed to take away from the look of this focal bead. I have lots of other beads in my stash so I took everything apart and after trying several other ideas I came up with this...

This is a shorter necklace, and I used textured glass beads in purple, smooth glass beads in teal green and smaller beads in an iridescent purple.

I had just about given up on wearing short necklaces again, because I have become so conscious of the effects of gravity on my neck. I just decided yesterday, "shoot, who cares?" The lines aren't going to go away so why should I limit myself, when I love jewelry so much. So I put it on and it looked pretty good, lines and all.

I suppose this is just another step in the journey of aging. Accepting your new look and even embracing the changes. I'm rocking the silver hair, so why not start rocking the rest of it? You just watch!

Well that's all for now. Take care, have a great Sunday and don't forget to rock your look.

Just a few things

I am just showing you a few things I have been working on lately. I mentioned last week that I got new supplies for Valentines Day and I have been having a blast. My hubby is so good about letting me do my thing for hours at a time. He is the best. So here we go...

Since I am always trying to duplicate glass art, (lampwork, fused, etc.) in polymer clay, I am constantly on the look out for a product that dries clear. I have done a bit of faux work with UTEE (ultra thick embossing enamel) and like the results, except it is not that easy to work with hot glue and it does have an amber tint when completely "cured".

All that being said, here is a product called Liquid Glass

It has to dry overnight, but the results are stunning. It is a clear plastic and cannot be heated (guess how I know?) but when completely dry, after being layered with iridescent papers that are by the same company, you get a pretty good duplication of that dichroic look.

Something like this...

I also like the look of little items enclosed in glass (think aquarium beads, usually done in lampworking), so this is just an experiment to see if it would work with Kato Clear Medium.

This is a great product. So much better than Translucent Liquid Sculpey, which usually scorches when I try to gloss it up with the heat gun. It does seem a bit thinner than TLS, but if you cure the layers first in the toaster oven, and then heat it, you get a very clear and hard finish.

This shot doesn't really show that these canes are completely enclosed in the Kato clear medium. But I'm sure you get the idea. I plan on making some itty-bitty fish and enclosing them, also.

I made several canes, also this week using the technique developed and so generously shared by our friend and polymer clay artist, Cindy. Thanks Cindy, you are so talented and we all look forward to what you will come up with next!

Never knowing what to do with canes, I made a couple pair of earrings just as practice...

You may remember that I like to take my scrap clay and see what I can make from it at the end of the day. Here is a bead I made from scrap clay, smooshed together in a loaf shape and then twisted.


I liked it so much that I got out some other beads and using black Accuflex wire, I crimped my way to this...


A quick update on my cholesterol testing, my results were really good with my total cholesterol being 193. Hubs is gradually bringing his levels down. Now we are off to the grocery store for lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Eating healthy, especially organic, is a bit more expensive, but the taste and the long term benefits are so worth it.

I'm working on sending my hearts to you all. I have gotten addresses from about half of my bloggy friends, so hang in there, if I haven't gotten yours yet, I'll be e-mailing you soon to remind you.

Take care, and have a great day!

He Expects Nothing Less...

My hubby and I don't go in for the traditional Valentine's Day things. We smooch and hug all the time anyway, and we buy each other things throughout the year, so I always "surprise" him with a sappy sweet handmade card. This year I added a little sculpture for his desk. Fortunately, he is used to my offbeat style and likes anything I, so lovingly, present to him. Here is his new art...

click for an enlarged view

Yes, it is a piece of art made from a grape stem. I fashioned the base from polymer clay and painted it a bit. I painted the grape stem here and there, and glued a raccoon bead to the base. The seeds were added so the 'coon would have some food, but they ended up looking like pulled baby teeth, so that's a bit yucky. When I gave this lovely item to DH, he looked up at me with the funniest look on his face and then just smiled and shook his head. He did add this little bit of art to his desk. I think he actually likes it.

I also practiced with my new Derwent Graphitint pencils. They are water soluble colored graphite pencils. Very subdued colors that really pop when you touch the wet brush to them.
A bit of a departure for me, as I usually use very bright colors, but I like them a lot.

click me, too

This was just a few quickly scribbled lines that reminded me of hair, so I added some wonky facial features just for practice purposes. The colors are so subtle, I can think of lots of applications for them.

Well, that's it for now. Remember that if I haven't gotten your address yet for your heart, feel free to go to my profile page to my contact section, and send me your info. Love y'all bunches, so take care and wish us good numbers on our cholesterol tests tomorrow.

And the winner is...

Happy Valentines Day, Sweethearts! This will be a short post today, as all I am doing is announcing the winner of my heart drawing. I had fun doing this and once again I want to let you all know how much I appreciate you doing this . Ok, drum roll please.....the winner of the heart drawing is...

YOU!

I had enough hearts for everyone that commented to get a heart. I tried to be fair about it and did the drawings according to the ones that you said you liked, and then if you didn't get that one or if you had no preference, I put your name back in the pile and drew names until each name had a heart. I actually came up three short, until I realized there was a picture that I forgot to post.

As I was looking at these little hearts, a part of me said...ah, these are so lame...but I know it is the thought that counts. Anyway, you know who you are and all I need is for you to e-mail me your address and eventually I will send out all these little hearts.

I know some of you don't blog on the weekend, but not to worry, your heart will be here until you are ready to have it sent. Just let me know.

All that being said, I had a blast with my new art supplies from Dick Blick (I always order online) and did several little drawings that I will post next week. I got my Fire Mountain Gems order today (I guess you can figure out what I got for Valentines Day...supplies) so I'm off to clean up my work area to see what I can create with all my new stuff.

Have a great Valentine's Day and hug the one you love!

It's Valentine's Eve...

Just a quick post to let you know that my heart giveaway drawing has been done. I will announce the winners tomorrow. It was a lot of fun and I really appreciated everyone participating. Thanks for making me feel like my little blog and my funky little hearts were worthy of your time.

I wanted to show you what I worked on this week. I hadn't done anything cat related for a long time, so here is my version of a "Fat Cat in The City".

This was done on 7"x 10" cold pressed watercolor paper. He is drawn with India Ink markers and colored in with Inktense pencils. I like the versatility of these colored pencils. They are a watercolor type pencil, but the pigment is ink so after you use your water on them and they dry, the ink is permanent. You can color over the areas after they dry, but you cannot re-wet them and lift off color like you can with traditional watercolors. I am currently waiting for the arrival of my Dick Blick order with yet another type of water media pencil. I'll let you know how they work.

In the meantime, have a great Friday and come back tomorrow to see who won my Valentine's Day heart drawing.

My Valentine Giveaway...

You may know that I like making polymer clay hearts and I have made quite a few. A Valentine giveaway might be a good way to share them. I usually make jewelry from my pieces, so a few of these hearts already have bail type findings on them, so you can run a cord thru and make a necklace. After making a few in this manner, it occurred to me (finally) that not everyone likes pendants. So...the rest of them do not have findings on them. If you win one and want a finding, just let me know. I have all the tools to add a finding easily. After using the word "finding" four times, I suppose I should mention, that a finding is usually just a piece of metal or such, that makes the piece wearable. Without further chatter, I present to you the hearts of my giveaway.

...Click on the pictures for a better view...

The above hearts are just sort of big and funky. The left one and the bottom one have polymer clay bails.


The hearts in this shot above are more traditional. Softer and sweeter. The top one has a piece of cotton fabric embedded into it and a gold free form bail that I made with a scrap from my good wire. The one on the left is so cute, I made a ruffle from thinly rolled clay and sandwiched the inside edge between two hot pink hearts. The heart on the right is pink and white marbled clay, made using a mold that I made from the bottom heart. The bottom heart has a bit of white paint for a distressed look.

Ok, folks where would you be without some Metal? I'm a metal head (read 80's head banger), and love some Steampunk. Here is my take on the metal...

Steampunk heart left has a gold bail and bits of gold wire, again from my scrap stash of good wire. The right heart has inexpensive findings punched in and will probably tarnish nicely in time.

I have a really nice bead carved from some type of antler. The carving is so precise, I suspect it was machine carved and not one of a kind. Anyway, I used it to make a mold to make the following pieces, mostly because of it's resemblance to the Valentine heart.

I made some of these out of bone colored clay and some out of pink clay. They are all highlighted on the high spots with gold paint. None of these pieces have any findings on them. They are a bit curved on the back side and I think they are almost too pretty to relegate to the jewelry box. I think they would look cute placed next to your computer, so you can think of me when you blog.

Now last, but certainly not least, is the biggest of them all. This piece is big and concave. It would look great as a pendant if you like larger jewelry. If you win this one and want it flat, to glue to a book or box, just let me know and I will reheat it and flatten it out. That's one of the beauties of polymer clay. It is so forgiving.


Yes, you are seeing correctly. It's Minnie Mouse waving at you from a this red, gold and black highlighted heart. It's a bit busy, but I think it's really cute.

Well, now if you have made it this far, I'll bet you do want to participate in the giveaway. Here is what I have decided on. Please leave me a comment saying which heart you want and why. I will do the drawings next Friday (the day before Valentines) for each heart and then if I have any hearts left over I will pop them in randomly with the winners.

You don't have to have a blog to participate. If you are a reader of my blog, but don't have your own blog...just go to my profile and e-mail me your "comment" and I will add you to the names in the hat.

I hope you like this little giveaway and want to participate, I think it will be fun.

That's it for now, I'll be back later with my take on some of the tags I have received recently. Take care and have a great Friday!

Hump Day

My mom, always got up on Wednesdays and declared excitedly "It's Hump Day". For those of you unfamiliar with this term, she meant that when work was done, she was over the hump and on the downside, sliding into the weekend.

Anyway, it is Wednesday and I really don't have anything to report, except that once again the forecast said snow and we have bright sunshine and 23 degrees with a wind chill of 9 degrees, and no snow.

I have been trying out several different things in my studio. I will be doing a little giveaway next week in honor of Valentine's day. Something heart related, of course, and while I was trying this and that, just like the Mad Scientist that I am, I realized that I have glow in the dark polymer clay.

Glow in the Dark Clay??? Does it work? That can't possibly work! Prove it !!

Yes, wee ones, it really does glow in the dark. Not for very long periods of time, but hold it up to the light and it gets re-energized. All glow-in-the-dark products contain phosphors. A phosphor is a substance that radiates visible light after being energized. To make a glow-in-the-dark object, what you want is a phosphor that is energized by normal light and that has a very long persistence. If you want to read more on this subject, feel free to click on this link, which is where I found such an easy to understand explanation.

Well that's all for now, except to wish everyone a Happy Hump Day. It like having a holiday every week. Take care and stay warm and safe.

The Wrestler

It's been quite a while since we went to see a movie, but DH has been anxiously awaiting "The Wrestler" with Mickey Rourke. We are both fans of old school professional wrestling and have been to several matches, with both big time professionals and small time locals. All that being said, here is a quick review of this movie.

It was very realistic and very raw. I averted my eyes during more than one scene. Mickey Rourke made me like him by allowing me to like his character. I have always appreciated the theatrics of professional wrestling and I have always known how tough this sport is, even though it is choreographed and always touted as "fake". Mickey's character has a deep respect and love for his profession and all his team mates. He just can't seem to make life work outside the ring.

Several of the sentiments in this film may seem predictable and a bit formulaic, but sometimes that's how real life is. I think that's the thing about this movie... I kept forgetting that it was a scripted movie and not a documentary. It even looks like Mickey is doing his own fighting and stunts. It really was pretty intense. If Mickey Rourke doesn't win the Oscar for this film, it won't be his fault.

The supporting actors were just as good and believable in their performances. This may be the movie that some folks don't want to admit that they liked, don't want to admit that they were moved by it. I have no problem telling you that it moved me.

It is violent, it has nudity, adult situations and four letter words, but none of these things were unwarranted. It seemed real...very real...and I was sorry it ended.

Thumbs up from me, but not for the squeamish.