No PolyClay Stuff Today!

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...

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!

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

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...

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?

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...

...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

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...

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....

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...