The PolyClay Diva

There's gonna be a wedding...

2011-09-04T11:26:00.000-04:00

...sometime in the next 24 months. My daughter became engaged last month to a wonderful young man. The make a great team, compliment each other beautifully, and we're all looking forward to the events to come.

I, for one, am very happy for both of them...but I'm also wiggin' out! I have to remember two major things:

1) This is THEIR wedding.

2) I am NOT in charge of anything about it.

Having done the equivalent of the elopement thing when I got married over 30 years ago, I didn't do or have all of the fluffy "pretty-pretty princess" stuff that a regular bride has...and that was my choice at the time. I find myself now getting over-excited about the little things...like the color of flowers, the many offerings for wedding favors, and so on.

Am I trying not to live vicariously?

You betcha. Trying REALLY hard.

Am I succeeding? well...

I kinda pride myself on not being that obnoxious, opinionated mother, and so far, so good. God bless 'em both, they've both been rather indulgent and have considered my suggestions...but I have to remind myself (on the daily) of the two statements above.

Meanwhile...I got ALL KINDS of stuff and ideas rolling around in my head! I will confess to having a folder on my laptop desktop of all the things I find on-line that I think they may want as part of their big day. One major thing that will probably stop me dead in my tracks, though, is how to pay for all of that stuff. Fortunately, both of them are very practical people, so they have no problem gently nudging me with "we'll consider it"... my husband, in the meantime, finds all this internal craziness on my part rather amusing.

Bottom line - as long as the two youngun's indulge me, I'll keep offering my assistance. When they get tired of it, I'm sure they'll let me know.

Meanwhile...visions of party favors, pearls, ribbons, and pretty glittery stuff fill my thoughts...this is gonna be fun!

In the clay and crafty realm, I've uploaded photos of a few more things I've worked on this summer...one is an egyptian-style necklace fashioned after one found in the January 2011 issue of Bead Style magazine - turned out rather nice. I've also added two more mosaic boxes to the Flickr page as well. Go in and take a look at 'em, whydontcha?

The Need for Beads

2011-05-26T19:08:00.015-04:00

So...Bedazzled (one of the coolest bead stores in the DMV) is having an African bead trunk show next weekend. Previous forays into their stores have either left me flat broke or irritated that I could not justify paying that much for beads, no matter how authentic or special. I’ve always looked for culturally-inspired beads, and anything round, little, bright, shiny, colorful, and from the Motherland is always gonna get my attention. You know me…I love the sparklies…

A few weeks ago I was looking through my blog reading list and came across the name of Marie Segal. She’s a California polymer clay artist who writes a blog called Art from My Heart. And she’s currently blogging an ongoing tutorial on making African trade bead canes…

Ding, ding, ding!!!

Last Saturday afternoon I broke out some basic color Premo, and this is what I came up with…

Not too shabby, huh?

And I still have a big honkin’ piece of this cane to reduce down later if I choose to. Marie’s instructions are SO easy to follow…while reading her tutes I was smackin’ myself in the forehead, thinking “now why couldn’t I have figured this out earlier in my clay-playing days?” Turns out, sometimes you only need a lil’ nudge to get you going in the right direction. I swear I saw my muse hanging around my studio door again, one foot in and one foot out...peeking ‘round the corner to see what I’ve been up to. Gotta lasso her and drag her back in here so we can get to craftin’ again!

I’m looking forward to creating a few more canes using her instructions. Thank You, Ms. Marie, for being oh-so-generous with your instruction and expertise!

On other topics…my sister came down from CT for a family wedding earlier this month. One of the first things she said to me as she hit the front door to the house was “I was told I had to look at your stash of stuff to see if you’ve made anything new”… the only thing that left the house (that I know of, anyway) was an emergency Swarovski crystal bracelet in some gorgeous jewel colors that went well with her outfit. I showed her some of the new beads I had made, inspired by a clay artist named Leonie Simpson. I love the organic look of the set on this page…and how deceptively easy they were to create. The set I made feels so good at the hollow of my neck! Here’s a peek at what I did…

That’s gonna be it for now – when I come up with something cute from the African trade bead canes I’ll be sure to share them with you!

Ciao, bebe!

The Power of Words

2011-04-11T19:07:00.000-04:00

Last week was an especially heinous work week.

I’m a Federal worker in the Metro DC area, you see, and witnessing the roller-coaster that was the Federal budget process was painful to watch, waiting to hear whether I would be able to go to work and expect a paycheck for the work I do, or find out that I’m….um…non-essential.

Expendable.

The process has been even more painful to listen to…hearing our elected officials twist and wring their words to fit the ideologies of those who they count as the “important people”.

Watching them try REALLY HARD to financially eviscerate social programs by the dozens – while holding as sacred other items that some agencies don’t even want. Reading about and listening to politicians - who profess to be people of faith - snatch away the safety net for many of our Nation’s most needy individuals. Whatever happened to taking care of “the least of these”?

The televisions in the lobbies of our office building have been broadcasting C-Span the past few days, so on our trips to and fro we can keep up on what’s going on. In addition to hearing some truly hateful words, what’s also struck me is the look of unbridled glee (and more than a sprinkling of smirks) upon the faces of some in the House of Representatives when the mention of a shutdown came up. Which was often. And then there were those outside of the Capitol Building, waving signs and flags, salivating at the thought of shuttering the doors of the Evil Empire for a week, maybe, two, maybe more.

Yup.

“Shut ‘er down. We’ll show those do-nothing, free-loading government employees what-for! They all make too much money, anyway – they need to go out there and get real jobs like the rest of us real Americans…”

Really? Us do-nothing, free-loading tax-paying, doing more-with-less every day for our country, imposing the laws of CONGRESS government employees without real jobs?

And it ain’t over. They’ve gotta meet later this week to finalize what they put off for 6 days – and we may find ourselves in the same situation we were in at 10:00 on Friday night.

Before they go on vacation.

Pile on top of all this, the tenor of public discourse in the past few years. Makes me wanna go somewhere quiet and pull the covers up over my head and stay there.

Words.

They have the power of life and death.

Decisions are made on the power of words. People. families, towns, cities, entire nations rise and fall on the power of words. You would think that THIS group of people, elected officials, would remember that fact. And also remember that this Nation’s not only made up of real estate, or corporations, but of people. All of us. Not just a chosen few.

Out of the blue, I got this video from a co-worker this morning.

Heidi – thanx for the message and the reminder – all of us need to remember the power of the words we use – be they written or spoken, read or heard. We have to be so very careful with how we use them. We can change lives. We can also destroy them.

Button, Button...

2011-02-26T15:11:00.003-05:00

There’s a blog I read on the daily called Polka Dot Cottage, written by Lisa Clarke. I first started reading this Jersey-girl’s blog somewhere around 2008, intrigued by the color choices in her creations. She’s ventured off into blogging about knitting and photography as well over the years, and I've learned some pretty nifty stuff from her...so much so lately, that she inspired me to “up my game” in my choice of digital cameras. I recently indulged in a Canon Powershot SX130 IS as well as a book on digital photography...so mebbe some of that knowledge will make itself manifest in my future photos. But one thing that really has caught my eye over the years are her polymer clay buttons. She has made some awesome button sets (AND pendants, AND shawl pins, AND other stuff), and I always marvel at her choices of color! Nicely done!!

Lisa made a very generous offer on her blog this month – she offered a free (yes, FREE!!) five-week on-line button making class – she challenged one and all to pick three colors of polymer clay and to tune in on Monday mornings to learn how to make buttons. It may be Monday afternoon before I actually get there, but here’s the result of the first three lessons:

Pretty nifty, huh? I think my favorites so far are the striped snail shell buttons…easy to do, and quite unique. I’m kinda feelin’ the asymmetrical striped buttons as well. I’m working with black, gold and copper Premo brand clay - when this is done I’m gonna make one big honkin’ button for this kimono jacket I made awhile back. I just need to decide what type I’m gonna make.

I also learned (or re-learned) a couple of things during this exercise:

- When they say clean your work surface and pasta machine often, they mean it. I was covering pens with light blue pearlized clay before starting on the Week 1 buttons, and got some blue pearl flecks on the black clay and some gold flecks on the copper. Yuck.

- Metallic or pearl clay may not always be a good choice for a primary color for buttons. Mebbe it’s better to use them as accent colors. Some may say that the resulting striations in the solid gold and copper buttons give them character…I think they look a lil’ afflicted. But that’s just me.

- It’s important to thoroughly imbed added clay into the existing base. Otherwise you’ll be there sanding the raised clay for days. Not so much fun when you’re sanding something really tiny.

- Do NOT SAND ANYTHING WHILE STANDING UP AT THE SINK. Especially teeny-tiny things. It’s aggravating to you, your back, and it annoys the teeny tiny-thing.

Lisa invited those who will, to post their button photos on-line for one and all to see. So here goes.

THANK YOU, Lisa, for the blog, for the lessons, and for the inspiration! I enjoy your work, and if I ever get it together enuf to plan a poly clay play time at one of the conferences, I hope to meet you one day!

STOMP!!

2011-01-15T22:35:00.006-05:00

Was listening to the radio yesterday and heard that STOMP! is coming to the Warner Theater in DC the last week in January. Started waxing nostalgic - took my kids to see the show at the Warner AND at the Fox Theater in Toronto in the '90s...REALLY loud and SO much fun! And the rhythms!! I'm sure they've made a few changes along the years, but looking at some recent Youtube clips, I found out that it's STILL fun...never gets old...at least, not for me...

Take a look:

not only newspapers, but brooms, trash can lids, plastic buckets, zippo lighters...and as wacky as ever. Think I'll check out ticket prices.

Back later...

And that's what it's about...

2010-12-24T19:32:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas, you guys...will be back in a few days...

Flash Brindisi!

2010-11-19T08:16:00.004-05:00

I’m in love with the Reading Terminal Market in downtown Philly, near their convention center. Lots of stuff to see, to taste, to experience. I try to go there every time I'm in town.

But in love with opera? Not so much.

Until now.

Who knew that La Traviata could be so much fun? Oh, yeah, if you happen to go to the Market, make sure you stop by Delilah’s for some of that mac & cheese – the absolute best in the country!
Have a great weekend!

Oh, My Hair!!

2010-10-26T04:50:00.004-04:00

Sometimes I’m obsessed with my hair. Whether to flat-iron it, or twist it up, or curl it…I never seem to be satisfied with the way it looks. And I've found that my hair can be political – sometimes I feel like I’m more “acceptable” if it’s straight rather than in its natural state. People often tell me so. And way deep down, that irritates me, sometimes.

Lately I've been flat-ironing it - looks pretty good, actually, especially with the new cut. But yesterday I got caught in a rainstorm and all I could think about was getting to shelter - not to protect the clothes, but the hair...'cause it's not like I travel to work w/ a flat iron every day...and right now I'm working at a place where it's important to look "put together". Sheesh.

So sad. You’d think that in my 50’s, I’d finally be at peace with this whole hair thing…

But every now and then something comes along that reminds me that my hair is just great as it is – versatile, always wonderful, no matter the style and length…because I got it goin’ on like that!

Enjoy the vid…

What I've been doing lately

2010-08-28T18:34:00.023-04:00

I've been working on a few things...

First - remember that color class I wrote about a while ago? It was fun - three colors, four canes, and a lot of knowledge was gained! Lindley is a great teacher and very funny...and it was nice to hang around folks with the same obsession - if even for just a few hours...

Next - these projects are new and inspired by Laurie Mika - a mixed-media artist who works with polymer clay and found objects. She creates these AMAZING mosaic pieces...I can't get enough of her book "Mixed Media Mosaics" - so glad she created this how-to so the rest of us can learn!

Below are some photos of my first two attempts. I used acrylic paint inside and out. The polymer clay tiles were also painted, covered in Pearlex mica powder, stamped, or image-transfered. I even tried adding beads under a lil' resin. Tried sealing it all w/ a matte sealant, but found that it dulled my tiles made with gold leaf.

Hope you enjoy my lil' bit of eye candy!

A slight diversion -

2010-07-13T13:51:00.004-04:00

Funny what you come across while windowshopping for new rides...

do.
dah.
dippity.

heh...back in a minute...

No PolyClay Stuff Today!

2010-06-17T19:34:00.009-04:00

Well...mebbe in a a lil' bit...right now I wanted to share a few blogs with you that I plan to add to my reading list.

First - one of my co-workers is married to a wonderful writer - his wife Kristenn writes a blog that I love reading. Tim and his family have to be one of the most

cutest

young families

ever...

especially the munchkins...their oldest and I happen to share the same birthdate...and the youngest - well, she's such a girly-girl!

Thank you Tim & Kristenn, for sharing all the wackiness - the blog's a joy to ready and it always makes my day!

The second blog caught my eye - first because of the name, and second, because of the subjects. mymilktoof is such a cute and quirky blog! I THINK that ickle and Lardee are made of polymer clay - not quite sure...but I found them this morning while browsing a clay site...I think I'm gonna add them to my reading list for a minute...gotta watch and see what they do next!

What have I been doing? Well, been doing clay, but not well, that's for sure. Oh, yeah, I've TOUCHED the clay, but I went "beyond the valley" with the tissue blade ONE TOO MANY TIMES. Here's what happened when I created a few canes, made a few sheets, and then started cutting on what I thought would be a nice pin or pendant...take a look at that thing in the center...

Yikes.

Word of advice. When they tell you not to play with sharp things when you're not fully awake and focused ...they're right. That woulda been one UGLY pin! Fortunately there's enuf cane to make another attempt later on.

I've also been working with beads and crystals - made these bracelets last week - two will be donated as door prizes for an upcoming event, and one is for the first lady of a Baptist church in Leesburg, VA:

Explanation: it ain't always easy being a Pastor's wife. Taking care of the man who's charged with taking care of God's people can be a bit daunting. That's why I try to make it a habit to honor the first lady of the churches who come to visit our congregation. I make these bracelets for them to show these wonderful ladies that I appreciate them and I cherish every lesson that they've taught me.

Patience, longsuffering and graciousness are not always my strong suit. Many of these women have been great role models...and hopefully, when I grow up, I'll be able to be like many of them.

Ciao for now, bebe - this weekend I go to my poly clay play day in Annandale - I'll bring back something pretty!

Confessions...

2010-05-30T20:31:00.018-04:00

Confession number one:
I'm kinda sucky at this blogging thing.

("Really?" you say? "Nahhhh, you're too hard on yourself...")

No, really. I KNOW I'm not (ahem) timely about postings. But I'm gonna try harder. I found Facebook a few months ago and let that take over as my way of "expressing myself" - but I'm trying to get away from doing that too much. Find it's just a lil' bit wierd. But I DID manage to find folks on-line that I haven't heard from in a LONG time, so that was pretty cool. Since the last time I posted I also went on a cruise with my mom's side of the family - awesome time, complete with lots of laughs, great food, and a wicked sunburn...oh, yeah, and a new found respect for the ocean and the blessings of being able to live in this country. God's been REALLY good to me.

Confession number two:
Good thing: I have my "play space" back - both kids moved out this spring, and I was able to set up the (ahem) "studio" again. Glad for that. So's my husband - all of my junk is in one room again...

Bad thing: I miss them. The kids, I mean. Despite having not enuf room here for four adults to peacefully coexist, I miss having them around - the laughing, daily conversations about life in general and common interests have been relegated to maybe weekly conversations by phone, or the occasional text message. And my husband has NO INTEREST in watching certain TV shows with me...

Which leads me to Confession number three:
I think I've become a Gleek.

I blame Carma.

Started watching it with her when she was here. (She got me wrapped up in Grey's Anatomy, too..) I used to get irritated with her taking up all the DVR space with her Dance recordings...and I've now managed to do the same with my weekly recordings of Glee. I feel slightly ashamed that I watch it...but it's o so much fun!!

Besides the Madonna episode, this is my favorite clip this season ...

Confession number four:
I've not allowed myself to play with clay too much lately. Here's a few of the things I've managed to create over the winter...

The pendant is faux jade - made with translucent clay and green embossing powder. I used a mold of a moon face and squared it off with a blade... and finished it with a sterling bail.

The apple earrings are my first experiment with miniatures - made from a tute in The Polymer Clay Cookbook by J. & S. Partain - just chock full of lil' goodies! I saw clay minis in person last October at the Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Show in NW DC last October and was intrigued - how could one create something so small? Now I know. My apples aren't as small as what I saw at the show, but you know what they say...how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice...

Finally, I may have mentioned before that a poly clay artist I met in Baltimore a few years ago told me the best way to get over any creative slump and "lasso" the Muse is to occasionally allow for a poly clay play day with others. So on the 19th of June, I'm taking a class in Virginia from Lindly Haunani - one of the craft's recognized experts on poly clay and color. What will I end up with? I'll let you know. I'm excited to get a chance to play, soak up some poly clay knowledge, and make something pretty.

Ciao for now...

¡Amo Nota!

2010-01-03T18:34:00.004-05:00

I love acapella music.

Those that know me well, know that I have a high appreciation for the human voice heard w/o the benefit of instrumental accompaniment...there's something transcendental about voices blended in perfect pitch and harmony - one of God's gifts to all of us, y'know...

Take 6, Rockapella, and my all-time favorites Sweet Honey in the Rock are all wonderful examples of acapella groups whose music I admire greatly.

In December NBC aired this week-long special called “The Sing Off” featuring acapella groups from around the country.

Cool.

So you know I’m gonna watch, right?

Carma and I watched that Monday evening, interested in what the groups had to offer – the first one up were these guys from San Juan called Nota.

By the time they finished singing I straight up in my chair and told Carma “Well. THIS is gonna be interesting, huh?”

OMG!!!!

And they only got better throughout the competition ... each performance just blew me away!!

In the end, I was so glad that they won - looking forward to their first album. Here's to a long and happy career!!

The Pink Glove Dance

2009-12-28T09:46:00.005-05:00

Thanx, Lynne, for making my day!

I hear that once the vid receives 1 million hits, there's a big donation to breast cancer research waiting...so watch, and pass it on to other folks...

God Bless the folks at Providence St. Vincent's and at Medline!!

(and especially the dude w/ the mop toward the end gettin' jiggy wit' it!)

All the Single Babies...

2009-10-23T10:57:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry.
I couldn't resist.

you know me...

All the Single Babies - Beyonce (Compilation) @ Yahoo! Video

Poly clay projects coming soon, I promise! Been busy mixing colors, cutting, baking and refining! Getting ready for Christmas craft shows!

Oh, yeah - there's the matter of that bracelet for Sheri...

Ciao for now...

Health Care Debate - Now Physically Dangerous?

2009-09-24T11:24:00.005-04:00

So I'm getting ready for bed last night and kinda listening to MSNBC with one ear, when I hear about this part-time Census worker named Bill Sparkman that was found hung from a tree in Kentucky with the word "Fed" written on his chest. No word as to whether it was written on a piece of paper, on his shirt, or on his skin - and how...

So this gets my attention. One, 'cause I just happen to be a Fed.

And two, I just happen to occasionally leave my office and go out there amongst the public doing my Fed thing - on behalf of the American people.

And it's possible that one of those people seem to be fairly pissed off at those who are working on their behalf.

I've been pretty perturbed about the public discourse climate that's seemed to take over during the past 9 months or so...and some of the comments I've received about our new political situation from a few folks I know that seem to be otherwise rational people... and the latest vitriol spewing forth from all angles because of the health care debate.

And now, all of this anti-government craziness may have roiled to the surface in some one's brain and may have convinced them that it was "OK" to take this guy out because of the work he does - on behalf of the American people. Not that THAT'S anything new - been alot of examples in the news lately of what happens when someone disagrees with another's views or actions. And on top of all that, I search the Web for more info - not a whole lotta news out there about Mr. Sparkman. In a town FULL of Feds.

But it makes one wonder, doesn't it? As a Fed, am I now the "enemy"?

Could it be that all of the hate that's been thrown out there has finally claimed a victim? It seems that there's a small minority of folks that have hijacked this issue and taken it way beyond the valley...and facts be damned.

And COULD IT BE that those who throw out out this hate for political purposes - or for other purposes - have finally had a chicken or two come home to roost - in the form of a single person taking their words so seriously that they decided someone had to DIE...because of lies, fabrications and untruths?

Death Panels?
Keep Your Hands Off My Medicare?
Socialism?
SERIOUSLY????

One fact is that we are in dire need of some serious health care reform. And one more thing...as a nation of so-called believers - what happened to taking care of "the least of these"? There's gotta be a way to fix the system we have now...shouldn't the health of everyone be one of those "inalienable rights"? If the USA is truly #1, shouldn't we be #1 where it really counts, on caring for our people? What good is it that we can kick some other country's butt in a New York minute - but can't take care of our own??

And so, this morning, here comes Tim to my rescue - to make me laugh with this vid. Thanks, friend.

So consider this my lil' protest on this issue. If we're gonna be angry, let's make sure the anger's pointed in the right direction, shall we? And can we be honest with ourselves about the issue and try to figure out a sane way to get out of this mess.

And Mr. Sparkman? God's blessings on you and your family. Doing the People's business shouldn't have to be that hard.

Not Totally Gone - just been busy...

2009-07-31T22:46:00.004-04:00

...in case you're wondering...

Life has just been kinda crazy lately, that's all. Now that we have a full house it's not been easy finding time to sit and play with the clay. But I have been working with it the past few days, and came up with a rather nice cane, if i do say so myself... hopefully I'll be able to upload a few photos soon. I also found out that I can now use my Yahoo Avatar in a non-Yahoo website or blog! So what you see on the top left is probably the closest you're gonna get to an actual photo of moi...

(truth be told, the avatar looks MUCH better than I do in real life...)

There was a recent meeting of the International Polymer Clay Guild, and two of my favorite clay artists (Cristi Friesen and Lisa Pavelka) are now featured on a YouTube vid that's making the rounds in the clay community...pretty funny stuff - if you're a polymer clay person! I've written about Christi (left) in a previous post...Lisa (right) you've probably seen on HGTV on the Carol Duval Show...or mebbe as a body double for Julia Roberts. Here 'tis...

Have a great weekend - will be back soon!

Playing for Change

2009-06-12T13:50:00.005-04:00

In order to stop feeling sorry for ourselves, sometimes we just gotta start thinking about others, knowhutimean? ONCE AGAIN, another friend unwittingly has come to rescue me from this funk... and for a pretty good cause.

Ever heard about Playing for Change? I just learned of it today. It's a movement aspiring to bring about world peace thru music. On the official website, the founder, Mark Johnson, writes that “the idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race.”

True dat. Be it from a world-wide perspective … or even just between two people. And with all of the stuff going on in the world right now, isn't it kinda nice to be able to know that we at least have this in common? Playing for Change has been working thru music to make things better for people that don't have a lot in their lives. I find that pretty cool.

One of my absolute favorite songs of all time is “One Love” written by Bob Marley. This is a version of that song that just sends chills up my spine everytime I hear and see it! Take a listen – you’ll see what I mean.

Wander ‘round the site and take a closer look and a listen. Then DO something to help make things better for someone else out there.

Me? I’ve joined the group…gonna go look for this CD/DVD this weekend…and you’ll see more about this movement in this blog in the future.

Lynne – thanks again for sharing, gurl...

My First Rant...

2009-06-08T11:14:00.007-04:00

If you consider yourself anti-religious, then don't read this post. If you consider youself a very very religious person, mebbe you don't want to read this post either.

I'm feeling just a teeny bit raw about matters and issues of faith recently...

how folks sometimes use their faith to beat up on others that don't believe or behave EXACTLY as they do....or how others think that those of us who do have a belief system are stupid with mush for brains...or a coupla other things that I don't have time nor the emotional energy to get into in this posting.

I believe that God gave us such a thing as free will. We are free to make decisions about all kinds of things - including how we interpret His word and how we live according to it... or even if we believe in Him or not. Our choice. Our decisions. And our consequences to deal with when it all comes out in the wash. I'm not gonna damn anyone for what they do or don't believe. But please...don't damn me about what I believe to be true, and what helps me get thru this thing called life.

I was watching TV a few days ago and came across this popular news/entertainment program...the host is a very funny guy, but SO dismissive of believers. So...click... on to another channel. I've got family members who sometimes seem to go thru crisis after crisis, but try to mention how faith might help...well, then risk being ignored or getting your head bitten off because you're trying to force religion down someone's throat.

Sorry.

God sustains me.

Lately, that's how I roll.

I got this vid thru an e-mail this morning. It kinda captures what I've been thinking about this thing. Thougt I'd share it with you.

Ciao for now...

Challenges....

2009-05-17T12:27:00.002-04:00

I hate getting sick.

This time last year was kinda heinous healthwise - was getting over a massive case of pneumonia last May - this year it's the pollen that's got me down. Usually pollen counts of 2,000 are enough to send me to my bed and to the doctor...this year we had a few 4,000 pollen count days in the DC area...and of course, my body responded accordingly. Which was kind of ironical, in a way - all the sneezing, hacking, and coughing was going on during the height of the "swine flu" scare. (b the looks on their faces, no one would believe me!!)

Lovely.

I won't gross you out w/ all the ugly details, but suffice it to say that I spent about a week at home trying to regroup. I'm just now beginning to get my nose - and my voice - back to normal. On top of all that, I found out I've got a couple of discs that are acting up...so I've made the acquaintance of an ortho surgeon and a physical therapist - both very nice people, BTW...

But God's good - and I've found that any day above ground is a good day. I'm back at work now, but during that week at home I didn't even touch my clay stash. So, no new photos of new Diva creations to show you today...

But now I have to touch my clay stash. My most recently-born moved back home in April - and the firstborn is moving back home next week. It's all Kool and the Gang with me, because I know that times are HARD out there for young folks trying to get established in their careers and having to deal with this economic downturn. I'm thankful we have a place for them to come back home to.

But I am kinda bummed - because I'm losing my "studio".

I've spent this weekend going thru all my "stuff", sorting out what I need to keep and what can be given away. I've moved my workspace down into my dining room, and so far it's looking relatively presentable - but I can't make any promises that it'll stay that way. Just posted a long list of crafting supplies on the local Freecycle Group - SOMEONE out there is going to work with kids or seniors this summer and can probably use some of that "I just gotta have it" stuff that I never used. And if I can keep it out of a landfill somewhere, all the better.

Now that the new workspace is functional, mebbe there'll be some new stuff to show off in the near future. Oh, yeah - played around with a new avatar, and posted new stuff on the daily reading list - go check it out...

ciao for now, bebe...

You make me feel like dancin'....

2009-04-13T12:31:00.004-04:00

Can't help myself - got a case of happy feet....again!!

Have a great day!!

Nature or Nurture?

2009-04-08T21:41:00.006-04:00

I read an article last month on how many of today’s daughters tend to go into fields reflecting their father’s professions. In our family this has proven to be true…my husband is in civil engineering and real estate; our most-recently born? an intern architect.

More recently, I was reflecting on the type of things women pass on to daughters – not the things we consciously teach them, but those skills and interests we’re delighted to find they possess when they’re all grown-up and independent. The thing I’ve seen in my own daughter lately is that creative/crafty streak.

When she was small, there WAS a lot of sewing, ceramic painting or cross-stitching goin’ on in the house. Thinking back to my mom, I can remember that she was into sewing, cake decorating, crocheting and knitting…I can even remember her creating sugar paste Easter eggs.

Did the crafty gene rub off? Perhaps – my mom used to make things to relax – I find myself doing the same thing, just using different materials.

Recently I’ve had a chance to take a look at some of the things my own child has done – after taking up crocheting in college, she’s getting really good at creating amigurmi critters. She’s recently acquired a sewing machine and is NOT afraid to use it. There's some really neat photos she's taken and had enlarged. There’s also some talk about antique furniture being refinished.

She says she likes to do these things - finds them relaxing, she says.

Hmmm.

Most of all, it’s the whole thing about being PAID to design buildings that I’ve been most impressed with. How COOL is that?

Carma, I’m supremely proud of you, gurl (‘course you already know that). Keep pressing – you’re gonna be a great architect one day real soon. And keep doin’ yer thing with the yarn and fabric and sharing the results with the rest of the world!

Eye candy for this week? This is from Gera Scott Chandler of British Columbia, Canada.

Enjoy!

Contain Yourself, Madam!

2009-04-01T21:05:00.007-04:00

Sorry – couldn’t resist…

Still not spending as much time playing with clay as I’d like to, but wanted to show you a few of the things I’ve had a chance to work on.

These are my first attempts at inro boxes – lil' tiny boxes strung with leather or I made these from Premo clay. The leaf inro is gold, and the art deco face inro is a bronze color, mixed from gold and a lil' green and black.

I understand that inro are Japanese in nature, and were created as containers that hung from a traditional kimono obi (no pockets, dontcha know…). Back in the day, they may have held medicines…or maybe snuff…today they could hold medicine, or money, or special messages - or any kind of itty bitty treasure. I think I’ll just keep mine empty for now.

I’ve seen inro made by other polymer clay artists and have been very impressed. But nothing compares to the inro on display at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco…AWESOME stuff! Had a chance to visit there a few years ago - if you get a chance, go check it out...

Another thing I’ve made is this mosaic paper maché box – this one is made from ultramarine and gold Premo clay. Not a great photo, but I like the play of these two colors together.

And finally, here’s some covered clay pens – I used pearl Premo tinted a smidge with orange, alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow and ultramarine blue. I LOVE the effects you can get with pearalized clay, manipulated properly. Once these were sanded down and buffed up, they all looked absolutely gorgeous! They may look kinda cool here, but you should see them in person – I think they’re rather stunning, if I do say so! The coolest thing about THESE pens? they're refillable!

Well I’m off to the West Coast in a few days – Holly, I’m heading your way with a few sparklies – hope you’re able to come out and play!

Germany and the Lil' Fishies

2009-03-16T20:48:00.003-04:00

I know what you’re thinkin’ 'bout this title… now that’s just a strange combination. I'll tell you in a minute...

So what’s the Diva been doing lately? Clay’s had to take a back seat for a lil’ while longer. In my few spare moments I’ve been working on mixing custom clay colors and making chips for my clay recipe reference pages. So far I’ve got three color pages pinned down – hopefully this will show up as more vibrant-looking work in the future. Gotta tell you, though, mixing miniature color samples by hand has proven to be a real pain in the…fingers…

I’ve been going thru some of my earlier pieces and hope to have a few more photos for you in the near future. Meanwhile, above is some eye candy by German artist Margit Bohmer , reminiscent of those paper beads we used to make as children.

Finally – I’m kind of a closet tropical fish person. Very relaxing to me – gazing at colorful lil’ fishies flitting here and there. When I was a kid my family lived in West Berlin, Germany where my dad was stationed in the Air Force. He was the fire chief at the Templehof Air Force Base way back in the late 60’s. While there, we had a nice aquarium at home, and there was small koi pond just outside the front door of the firehouse.

So in honor of the lil’ fishies of my youth, I wanted to share another plaything with you – you’ll find it on the left of this page. You can customize the number and color of the fish as well as the color of the food. Have fun feeding them by clicking somewhere on the blue area. The resulting lil' green specs? Lunch!!

Want your own fish for your own blog? Click on the "AB" on the top left of the fish graphic and pay him a visit - cool stuff at his site!!

Ta for now –

Snow Day!!

2009-03-02T09:34:00.007-05:00

This is what six inches of snow looks like. (check out the table on the right)

We've only had about two inches this year - thought we weren't going to have any more than that. But I've been wearing my snowflake earrings (thanx, Kathy!) and hoping for one "REAL good snow" before spring arrived ... this'll do. Very cool-looking this morning - as a transplanted Yankee, there's a special place in my heart for the white fluffy stuff. And right now it looks especially nice because the snow has stopped and the sun is peeking in and out of the clouds.

What was NOT cool was the power outage earlier this morning - woke up 'bout 1 am and noticed that it was extremely quiet - and dark - and cold...it took PEPCO about three hours to restore power to the neighborhood. Inside the house - quite chilly...outside - awfully pretty, even without moonlight.

Got a two-hour delay to report to work today - but since I know how Washingtonians behave on the highways in the snow - I think I'll just be safe, take a day of annual leave, stay right here and play with some clay for awhile.

Or mebbe I'll do something else - like laundry, some dusting, my reading assignment, shovel some snow...

(oh,who am I kidding?)

Cristi Friesen and a Bad Hair Day...

2009-02-22T18:19:00.007-05:00

...no, not Christi's hair - I'm talkin' 'bout my own...

Christi Friesen is a fabulous polymer clay artist with a slightly twisted sense of humor and a wonderful easy-breezy teaching style. I would love to have a chance to take a class from her! I’ve read pretty much all of her books and I am a constant lurker in her Yahoo group. I’m fascinated with how she makes creating with clay SO easy! She’s really fond of critters – and in one of her recent books entitled Cats, she shows how to create clay cats of all kinds - large and small. Besides - I understand she accepts chocolate as tribute from her students ... as a Godiva Chocolate gurl, I totally understand!! Check out her website - TONS of great eye candy in there!

Being a Leo, I’m quite fond of lions. This one is my first attempt at making one – I call it “Bad Hair Day”. Those who know me can attest that I have many of those…bad hair days, not lions. The piece is about 4” across – right now it hangs on the wall of my studio...

(ahem…the room previously known as my daughter’s room).

I’ve also uploaded a few more photos – a couple more leaf pins, and a few examples of the art doll angels I made for my office mates for Christmas. Feel free to go to my Flickr page to take a look. Check out the slide show on the left...

Ta for now – I’m off to watch the Oscars!

No, I haven't forgotten...

2009-02-10T18:09:00.005-05:00

...just been real busy these days. In addition to work, there's the church website that needs updating, trying to get my Flickr page to show a decent slideshow, and a taking a crash course in editing and uploading videos to the web. Speaking of which - check out Ethan...found him on YouTube...

I remember that look...AND that sound...my own kids used to make that sound. Loved to hear it even back then...but it was usually a precursor to learning that it was definitely time to take a nap - a "baby meltdown" usually ensued.

He's just TOO cute! Whenever I've been in a bad mood this week, this video puts a smile on my face! BTW - if I ever meet Ethan - remind me to NEVER let him near my newspaper until I've read it, OK?

Like the new Diva icon? Didja see it up there, top left? That's me on a good hair day and in my favorite clothes (if I could, I'd wear jeans every day)! Check it out (the icon, I mean) when you come visit - I'll be trying out different outfits from time to time, and mebbe even different hairstyles.

Want to try it yourself? Go to blessthischick.com and play for a while! And once you create your "diva", drop me a message and show her off!!

toodles, darlin'! Hope to have some eye candy for you real soon!

One Incredible Lady - One REALLY cool piece of art...

2009-01-30T21:33:00.006-05:00

I saw this mosaic piece on another blog this morning and was blown away - I had to share it with you. I'm a sucker for mosaics, and found this one particularly exceptional...

Ponsawan Sila is a polymer clay artist who lives in Indiana - I love her choices of color and her designs...and especially her willingness to share how she creates her work. I've been reading her blog for a few years now. You've really gotta check out her blog and see a closeup of the piece!!

About a year ago, Ponsawan came face to face with one of a parent's worst nightmares - her beautiful daughter Ada was in a horrific traffic accident - hit by a drunk driver - and has been battling back from a coma for many months now. Ponsawan has carefully chronicled the ordeal in a blog she calls Dear Ada - and while caring for her daughter she's still been creating with clay. She hasn't lost her touch - to me it seems that her work gets more beautiful with time!

I'm a firm believer in the power of prayer, and that God has a purpose for all of us. So if you will, please offer up a prayer for Ada, for Ponsawan, and their entire family - that His will be done, and that she continues to bring joy to so many others thru the work of her hands.

Ponsawan - you ROCK!! Keep doin' your thang, gurl!!

My sister...

2009-01-27T15:34:00.008-05:00

I love my sister...

We don’t get a chance to see each other much. But when she comes to the DC area, she likes to look thru my “toys” and my “sparklies” to see what she can bring back home to Connecticut.

A few years ago I brought her over to the “dark side” by teaching her jewelry making. Gotta admit, I’m a bit jealous, because her designs and color combinations are WAY cuter than mine...

But I digress.

Over the holidays she came to visit and discovered my polymer clay addiction. She promptly went thru my stash of stuff and took a few of my creations home with her. Her co-workers liked what they saw and asked if there were any more...so I sent her a box with some extra goodies – and got a request for a few more. Here’s some photos of stuff I’m sending off to the ol’ Nutmeg State in a few days…

And jus’ for fun – here’s a YouTube vid that’s had me laughing for a few days now. I’ve never been caught in a flash mob…but wouldn’t it be fun?

I (heart) Obama!

2009-01-20T14:50:00.009-05:00

This has been a most amazing day!

I'm having a hard time finding the words to express exactly how I feel about all the events transpiring around President Obama's inauguration. Like many, I watched the proceedings from my couch, with my coffee and fuzzy slippers...my youngest, however, braved the cold and the crowd along with her boyfriend and a few others (oh, 'bout a million or so)...

It was a wonderful thing to see, and I'm guessing that this young man will be just the leader we need. God Bless ya real good, President Obama...I look forward to good things - for all of us - in the very near future.

Oh, yeah/ my experiments with the inks and translucents?

Fail.

Obviously I should read a bit more before I attempt that again. I added the hot mess to my scrap clay heap, and took up another project, as you can see.

The latest copy of PolymerCafe has an article (and tute) by Dr. Ron Lehocky on his Hearts fundraising project. A very noble cause indeed. He began by talking about his need to use up the extra scrap clay and canes...

...well, of course I just glommed right onto that scrap clay thing. My scrap clay stash is almost large enough to sculpt a large German Shephard. And I have a hard time figuring interesting ways to get rid of all of it.

So what you see above are 21 hearts made of some of my scrap clay and scrap canes. Once I smooth them down with cornstarch and refine their edges, I'll bake, sand and buff 'em up. Valentine's Day is getting closer, and I'm sure the ladies at the office will tell me if they like them or not. We all gotta have a heart pin in our lives, don't we?

2009-01-16T11:37:00.003-05:00

OK.

I've caved.

My family (especially my children) will either be very proud or chagrined that I've finally decided to start a blog. I suspect they'll also be coming in occasionally to see if I've written embarrassing things about them... oh, well.

My reason? I love reading other folk's poly clay blogs, marvel at all the wonderful eye candy, and am impressed that there are even a few artists that share my world view.

My plan is to show off my lil' polymer clay projects, share works and other things I find inspiring, and oh, yeah, occasionally fire off on things, people, circumstances that are workin' my last nerve. How often? I dunno - I guess I'll find a rhythm eventually...

I've been busy at my work table experimenting with ink and translucents - and I'm dusting off the ol' camera. So stay tuned. You never know WHAT you might find here!

- Cheryl