Whew!  I’ve been a very busy girl.   We’re counting down the days ’til the small local craft fair next week and have been putting the finishing touches on the last few items. 

 I wanted to take some more photos to share with you, but it’s dark these days when I get home from work. 

 pssst… I’ve asked Santa for a photo tent so I can take better indoor photos…..  You’ll have to wait until the weekend for a sneak peak. 

Even with it getting dark out earlier and my wanting to be in bed at 6:30, this is still one of my favorite times of the year.  The weather for the past few nights has been colder.  I get to bundle up in my favorite “Wicked” hoodie and sweatpants (it’s wise to call 1st before coming over….not a pretty sight)…… Thanksgiving is just around the corner….. Starbucks has Pumpkin Spice Lattes   Ahhhhh,  Life is good!

I have to head back to the studio and finish sanding some more heart pendants.  Hoping to get 1 coat of polyeurathane on them before GLEE comes on  

 Have a great evening/day. 

 I’m off to make a cuppa tea and head back to the studio.

Last year I started a regimen of eating better and excersizing more.  I was doing well for a while and then for what ever reason, I fell off the wagon.   I am far from one of those fitness fanatics or heath food people.  Eating better, for me, is making small substitutions for the food I love.  I incorporate whole grain pastas or have some popcorn for a snack instead of a box of Hostess Cupcakes or a jar of peanut butter and a spoon.  I like food waaaaayyy too much to give it up entirely.  I like to cook it, eat it and in some cases, if I could, I would marry it.  Sorry Mr. Crafty, but if cheesecake had beat you to the proposal, who knows.

So I’ve been working out everynight on my Pilates machine (otherwise known as the torture device) and trying to make heathier choices in my meals and snacks.  It’s going well so far and I think next week I will start walking in the evenings. I’m only telling you all this to help keep me honest and keep it going.  Wish me luck as I take on this new task of a heathier me

I hope eveyone has a safe and happy weekend!

Ircrafty

One of my favorite things to do is to gather with the girls in my life and have a Craft Day.  We start out with good intentions and  all get together on the premise of getting things done….. but let’s face it….. we are never as productive as we set out to be.  

This is our time to talk about the important issues of the day.  “When did my mother’s hands end up on the end of my arms?”  “ Why didn’t somone prepare me for that 1st glimpse into a magnifying mirror?” ( that I would see Sam Elliot staring back at me? )  We have a great time sharing with each other our latest creations and bask in each other’s fabulosity.  We spread out into our little workstation areas and begin our varied projects……

Each of us dabbles in a variety of mediums that range from glass painting, soap making, knotting pearls, and more.  If there’s an artform out there waiting….. one of us will find it.  Part of the joy, I think, is buying the tools and supplies, making some space in our studios - and then sharing these new found techniques with each other. 

   I was able to create a new petal for a cane I’m working on.  I’ll have pictures of the finished flower soon.  I hope everyone is having a safe and wonderful weekend. 

 Talk at you soon

These are a couple of the necklaces I have created for the craft fair.  The hearts are made from Polymer Clay and strung on an organza ribbon 18″ cord.  They were created using millefiori canes that I’ve constructed. 

“Millefiori or ‘caning’ originates from an ancient Venetian glass-blowing techniques where long rods of glass were made with tiny flowers going through the entire length. It is Italian for ‘A thousand flowers.  Polymer Clay artists have adapted this technique for use with clay”

I consider it therepy!

In the example above, without getting into too many details…..I have taken a petal that I designed and cut it into 5 equal lengths.  I then took those lengths and built them around the center of the flower.   Then all of the voids are filed with translucent clay. 

Now I can take my tissue blade and slice off very thin slices to place on rolled out pieces of clay to make a sort of “fabric” sheet to work with.  As with the heart necklaces…. now I can take cookie cutters and cut shapes from the sheet.  Or wrap them around some Altoids Tins.  My options are endless. 

Working with the clay is very thereputic for me.  From deciding on a color scheme and type of flower….. to working and softening the clay to prepare it for it’s new form. 

I didn’t want to leave you this evening without sharing one of my favorite Flickr groups to get lost in.  The photos below are from Polymer Clay Artists that I strive to learn from.  Most have created tutorials or offer tips and tricks for creating such beautiful flowers.

Enjoy!

Okay, I admit it…. I have a problem.  I l-o-o-o-v-v-e-e office supplies, gadgets and containers of all kinds. This is a cool little case I picked up the other day to hold my growing collection of  thumbdrives.

There’s more of them than what I have pictured.  I have 1 for graphics, another for the many pictures I have to take.   Just to get a couple of good pictures of an item, I take several shots and save them off for future use.  I have a couple for utilities…. malware removal tools and drivers…… things I need for work.  and don’t get me started on the others I have for my music  

 Binder clips…. that’s another item I can never have enough of.  These are the mini size.  They are great for hanging necklaces and other items for photo taking, clipping items up in my studio.  I print out pictures, for inspiration, and clip them to a kind of clothes line that I have on my desk.

The mason jars they are kept in …… well those are an obsession for another day.