Updates finished

Yay! The update to my web site is finally finished. It now shows some winter pieces instead of summer ones! I also updated my class listings so that you can see what I'm actually about to teach instead of what I taught last year. 

I forgot to mention Dan Flake, who took the great shot of my Twill Soon be Spring piece that's shown a couple of days ago- Thanks Dan! Visit his website at www.danflake.com if you get a chance.

On another note, Wilbury the Traveling Dragon will be at my house soon. He just missed our ice storm, but hopefully we'll find lots of fun things to do. Click here to see all the fun things he's already been up to across the country.

Ice Day!

The daughter and I are off today, courtesy of a winter ice storm, so I have some extra time to work on my studio. Here's a view of the back wall of my office, although it's already had a few changes made to it.

I have to say, I love my PTouch labeler. The photo isn't that great, but everything in it is labeled. My mom helped me with some of the organization [which is to say, she sat there and laughed at my lembas bread comments (see sorting post)]. However, the important part is that she shared with me the concept that we don't label containers so that we can find things, we label them so we can put things away.

Gallery Night!

I was at the opening of a Member Show called Transitions last night- I had a piece entered. Didn't win anything, but the piece sold while the show was being hung! It's called "Twill Soon be Spring" and is made from polymer clay. The image is several winter bare trees, but one is filled with spring green liquid clay and has tiny yellow flowers all over it.

Also, I have an intermediate class starting on February 9th at Milliken Center in Lewisville, TX.

I'll have a beginner's intensive workshop sometime before that for people who want to attend the intermediate class but don't have any experience with polymer clay.

Update: Picture is now posted (obviously)

Back at last!

I was out of town all last weekend, visiting my parents and coming up with ideas for my studio. The wall paint ideas we came up with are great, now if I can only get them done sometime in the near future!

I also worked on some pieces that I'll be teaching in an upcoming class- the picture shows me working on one.

I did go to Container Store today in search of plastic boxes with secure lids. I've decided that all my supplies are going to be kept in clear containers with secure lids so that I can grab what I need when I teach classes and workshops and not worry about them spilling. I didn't find quite what I was hoping for- I'll have to look some more places.

Inventory is MORE fun, inventory is MORE fun, inventory...

To borrow from Joss Whedon, "Grrr...aarrggh!" At the moment, my studio is mostly sorted, but now I have to do end of year inventory! And with school starting back up, the paperwork (which is my biggest problem anyway) is increasing. Permission slips, flyers (now my daughter wants to play volleyball), lunch menus... it never ends! Why paperwork has to live in my office is something of an issue anyway, but it lives there, so I just need to find a way to deal with it.

I notice I switch back and forth between studio and office to describe my space. It's actually a combination. When I did mostly lesson plans, educational paperwork, and such, it made sense to call it the office. Now that I'm using it more for creative pursuits, I'm trying to shift my mindset and call it the studio.

And I did find a nifty accordion file that looks more like a binder at OfficeMax, so we'll see how it handles my idea files. If it works well, I may go get some more.

Sorting is fun, sorting is fun, sorting is ...

In college, I had a friend who, as he stretched before fencing club, would repeat, "I love to stretch, I love to stretch, I love to stretch...," as he grimaced in pain. Apparently the theory was that if he said it enough, he would come to believe it.

I have been sorting my studio for days. At first I believed that sorting was fun. Everything I got sorted out and neatly corralled in a box or basket gave me a sense of accomplishment. However, as I find things that were hiding either throughout the house or in the forgotten corners of the room, I am losing my sense of accomplishment rather quickly.

Then there's the things you find that you can't believe you have that many of. In the movie version of The Return of the King, Sam is looking through his backpack for something to eat. He pulls out a packet of lembas bread, the food given to them by the Elves. He tells Frodo, "We've got some lembas bread. And some more lembas bread. And, oh wait, even more lembas bread." I may have the quote slightly wrong, but the expression of forced pleasure on Sam's face as he keeps finding more of the same captures my feelings while sorting my office quite nicely.

For the record: I don't need anymore straws.