Shouting Stones Design

See me on the web!

2012-01-10T21:17:00.002-06:00

Here's another project of mine on the web! Look for the Contented Bicone Crystal Assortment in the Create Your Style with Swarovski Elements line from EK Success. Included are the directions for this necklace.

Learning about myself...

2012-01-09T22:52:00.000-06:00

I was not particularly calm when I started tonight's Zentangle, but I wanted to do one, because I have missed a few days again, and I wanted to make progress toward my goal, so I did one. I forgot about not making mistakes, and tried to go over lines and fix things that I perceived as mistakes. That was my mistake. The finished tangle isn't nearly as good as it could have been. If I had just let the "mistakes" alone, they would have been swallowed up in the larger pattern. By trying to fix them, I feel like I've called attention to them and screamed, "Look here! I messed up!" Maybe that's a lesson to me - don't overanalyze and try to fix problems that don't exist.

Day 5

2012-01-05T22:38:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm missing days 2-4 on earrings, and days 2 & 3 on Zentangles, but I got these earrings done for today in the Earrings Every Day challenge, so I feel pretty good (the fact that the antibiotic is actually working on the strep doesn't hurt, either.)

I hate Murphy!

2012-01-04T22:28:00.000-06:00

and his little Law, too. I was feeling a little rocky on the ride home Sunday, but I stayed up, got lesson plans for Monday and my first earrings and Zentangle done for the challenges, and went to bed feeling pretty prepared (see previous post). I survived Monday, but came home that night and crashed, cursing the upper respiratory infection my family had passed onto me. Come Tuesday, I made it until about 10:30, at which point I called my husband to come get me and the school counselor to take over my class until the substitute arrived, as I felt passing out in the library was not in anyone's best interest. So I spent the rest of the day and night and most of today in bed. I don't just have an URI, I have strep!!! So at least one more day at home, assuming this is not a resistant strain and I don't need more antibiotics, and I still don't feel up to jewelry making, putting me at least 3 and probably 4 days behind on the Earrings Every Day challenge, and I haven't been able to do my Strathmore workshop at all, and I'm behind on the pieces I want to make for other competitions. But rather than just throwing in the towel, I'm going to not try to catch up but just to jump in from here and keep going. That is the best I can do, and something is superior to nothing. Now I just have to stay awake long enough to do something.

Challenge a Day!

2012-01-01T21:50:00.000-06:00

I'm participating in the Earrings Every Day challenge, sponsored by Beading Daily, this month. I'm also challenging myself to make a Zentangle every day, just because I want to. I won't post pictures of every one to this blog, but I'll be putting up the best of the lot. Today's Zentangle will go up later, since I don't have it's picture taken yet, but the earrings may or may not make it - they're Judy Belcher snowflake beads on base silver ball headpins with another small base silver bead at the top. Nothing fancy, but I made them today and they count!

It's hot!

2011-07-27T16:44:00.000-05:00

It is so hot in our house that I can't get any crafting done! Here is a picture of a nice, cool, ATC. Hopefully it will make you feel cooler - at least for a minute or two. I used watercolors for the background blue, then stamped snowflakes in silver and topped it off with Jolee's Jewels stickers. Uh oh - someone just woke up from her nap and doesn't like being hot either!

ATCs

2011-06-12T17:03:00.000-05:00

I love ATCs (Artist Trading Cards - my husband gives me a hard time and insists on thinking the acronym means Air Traffic Controllers - silly)! Here is one appropriate for the beginning of summer vacation. The card is made from watercolor paper, the bottom is a strip of watercolor paper I punched with an EK Success border punch and watercolored, the sentiment is written in sepia Pigma Micron on a K & Company piece over a bit of vintage ribbon.

Well, at least the intervals are getting shorter...

2011-05-17T21:24:00.000-05:00

But I''m still not posting as regularly as I'd like. This new little one takes up so much more time than I thought, and then the big one keeps getting hurt and needing to be driven instead of walking or riding her bike, and the cat is missing, and the list of things that are taking my time and energy away from art just gets longer and longer. No matter how many times I tell myself "I am going to do the project I want to send away for a magazine TODAY", tomorrow comes and the article still isn't written. Either the house is too much of a mess, or my (better) paying jobs need my attention, or some crisis has erupted in adolescent, baby, or husband land that demands my (and only my) skill set IMMEDIATELY!

someday I'm going to make some really pretty mixed media and jewelry pieces. The rough drafts are in my sketchbook and when they get to second draft stage, maybe I'll post them here.

Good to be back at Guild!

2011-04-11T17:32:00.000-05:00

I got to go to the North Texas Polymer Clay Guild meeting yesterday - I believe it's the first time I've been since September! I took Aly and everyone was thrilled to see her. Thanks to Sherri and Sandra for helping with my piece and to Babette, Shelly, Nancy, and everyone else who took care of her so I could work! I'll hopefully post a picture of my piece soon - in the meantime, here's a picture of Aly and me at the meeting.

Just So!

2011-04-07T20:52:00.000-05:00

This piece is my first mixed-media venture and was inspired by Kipling's Just So story, "The Cat Who Walks by Himself." Made from acrylic paint, vellum, cardstock, and chipboard, it came out pretty much like I wanted, although the lettering is not as good as I hoped. Here is the main piece and a closeup of the longer quote.

And then there was Spring Break

2011-03-23T15:55:00.000-05:00

Which I spent with Mom and Dad in the great metropolis of Luther, Oklahoma! I did find a fabulous paper store in OKC called Paper Crown - if you are in the area, stop by and check it out! I also signed up for some online art journaling and mixed media classes, so I should have pictures to show soon. I'm now working on a piece inspired by the Just So stories of Rudyard Kipling - hopefully that gets finished very soon.

On Vacation

2011-03-14T22:18:00.000-05:00

I'm visiting my parents in Oklahoma City this week. I've found a new scrapbook/mixed-media store that I'll have to visit. I'm hoping to get out to get some canvases as well. My daughter is sketching and watercoloring, so I may post some of her work as well.

Sparkly new toys!

2011-03-08T14:11:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited! I just got some new product from the team at Jolee's Jewels to work on. They also sent me some wonderful sparkly components to play with just for myself! I have several ideas already. I'm also working on a Irish themed piece for the Poly Clay Play contest, so look out for that next week.

I found myself!

2011-03-03T14:40:00.000-06:00

I just clicked over to the Jolee's Jewels website to see what was new for an upcoming project I'm doing, and there were my hat and gloves on the project page! I was so excited - click this link for the whole project. Winter's almost over here in Texas, but I know some folks still have snow! Besides, you could get the hat and gloves on sale now and be ready for next winter. Plan ahead!

Working along!

2011-02-23T21:52:00.000-06:00

Just finished a set of blinged shirts for Jolee's Jewels. They're going to A C Moore, which I don't have down here, but if anyone has one nearby, the black shirts with the pink and blue crystal swirled designs - I did those! I'll post a picture if I get the okay from corporate. Now I need to finish my interpretation of the Cheshire Cat for the opening of Alice in Wonderland at our local children's theater.

Getting ready for revamp!

2011-02-12T10:45:00.002-06:00

Okay, after doing some research and getting a lesson, I am about to embark into the land of social networking. I'm getting my Facebook page back up and deciding which pieces I want to feature on my redesigned website (hopefully to roll out by the end of February). I'll also be entering more contests and submitting my work to more magazines, so I should be around a lot in 3-6 months. I do have a piece in the current PolyClayPlay contest, so check it out!

Hooray for PolyClay Play!

2011-01-23T16:41:00.000-06:00

I won third place in the January PolyClay Play competition! The theme was 2011, and I made a star decorated with metal stamped numbers and stars, as well as HotFix crystals from Jolee's Jewels and Perfect Pearls powders. It's simple, but I (and apparently quite a few other people) liked it. Trish from PolyClay Play has these contests every month - she gives great prizes and makes it really easy to enter, so if you work with polymer clay, put something together and enter!

http://polyclayplay.com/challenge/index.htm

Victorian Funkiness

2011-01-08T18:41:00.000-06:00

I have a resolution for this year that has nothing to do with this blog! Instead, I've told myself I'm going to finish up previously started pieces and series and start new pieces/series in alternating order. I find that I'm stuck between, "I need to finish that before I start anything else (thereby not starting anything new)" and "I'm so tired of looking at that project I could scream (thereby not doing anything at all)." So this year I'm going to work on existing pieces and series, but also give myself permission to start the things that inspire me and learn something new.

To kick off, here is a piece that has been sitting (in various incarnations) around for over a year. It is a sort of funky pseudo-Victorian necklace - I was thinking steampunk when I made it, but there are no gears to be found. It is almost entirely pieces I was sent by my contact at Jolee's Jewels - I added only the small red crystals (which are also Jolee's), the head pins, and the round gold beads. I used a bracelet (including the toggle clasp for one side of the necklace and strung crystals and accent beads for the other. I really like my focal, which is made from a chandelier earring and other focals I added.

We may have snow tomorrow - a good day to stay inside and make reindeer!

It's a Marshmallow World...

2010-12-15T23:49:00.000-06:00

...that has hardened and been converted to gears! Okay, not quite, but here is a piece I call Snowpunk, meshing gears, snowflakes, kumihimo, and this really great bead mix I found at Artful Bead in Carrollton.

No snow yet here in North Texas, and seeing Ontario and Kansas City on the news, I'm surprisingly OK with that. Besides, I grew up in the high desert of the Denver metro area, and March was our big snow month. One year, Mom wished for a white Christmas. It's known as The Blizzard of '84 to the natives. Worst part - a household shortage of toilet paper!

Here's a closeup of the gears - I like them a lot and owe Christi Friesen (Hi from the other Christy!) for showing me the coolness available in headpins and stuff you can stack on little bitty gears!

Life is what happens...

2010-12-01T11:44:00.001-06:00

...when you are doing other things! I just gave birth, have had a great year as a Jolee's Jewels CAT member, and will be continuing to create now that my moderately difficult pregnancy is over. My older daughter just finished appearing in the Nutcracker which also took time and energy, but the year is over and I'll try to improve (again). This blogging thing is difficult for me (obviously) but I'm going to keep trying!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2010-01-09T13:47:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm back! My father says I have to pay him $500 if I even CONSIDER stage managing again, so I either have to save up or be firm in my resolution. I'm going to be pretty busy now, so I really probably can't do any more theater work. I was selected as a member of the Jolee's Jewels Creative Artist Team, so I'm going to have a lot to do and you'll see my work more places! To kick off, here is a piece I made with Jolee's Jewels, although not as a CAT member. This one is just mine, because I like snowflakes and blue together.

Steampunkin' Pendant

2009-10-20T14:16:00.000-05:00

This necklace is made of glass beads, copper chain, and a steampunk pumpkin pendant. I made the large bead mix, but it just needed something else. The copper chain strung on the multishaped. bead strand added the right touch.

Next up, Snowpunk! (Unless I get my steampunk turkey made)

It't time for the Great Pumpkin!

2009-10-16T14:42:00.004-05:00

That's actually the name of this pin. It's the first of what I like to call Steampunkins. With the clock element and the watch gears, it just begged to be called Time for the Great Pumpkin. Do you think it's sincere enough?

Defensor

2009-10-14T16:14:00.003-05:00

This little guy is called Defensor. He's not evil, just hangin' out, protecting his owner. He is a Peruvian ceramic bead, strung with black stone chips and glass gunmetal bicones and silver e beads.

Fall on the Mound wasn't as successful as I'd hoped, so now on to new ways to keep going in this economy.

Fall on the Mound!

2009-09-23T19:59:00.003-05:00

Yup, it's that time of year again! I will be at Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church (next to Marcus High School on Morriss in Flower Mound, TX) on Saturday for the Fall on the Mound craft show. I've been exhibiting there for several years, and will have new items and old favorites available for fall and winter occasions. I'll have lots of Charming Clusters, and some more Lump Owls, so come see me if you're in the area!

Whoo's There?

2009-09-14T20:18:00.005-05:00

Here's a simple little owl I made for a friend who teaches art down the hall from my science room (Hi Kristen!). I think of him as a lump owl, kind of like CF's lump cats. He matches the theme of the art room this year, and he was so much fun to make, he may soon have a whole flock of friends. The picture is kind of blurry- that's what happens when you try to use your cell phone for detail shots.

League of Extraordinary Felines

2009-09-12T12:03:00.004-05:00

Having been dragged kicking and screaming into steampunk by Christi, I find that I now really enjoy it, so I'll be creating with gears for a while. At the IPCA retreat, we had a competition to embellish a small round tin. I decided to do a steampunk cat because I hadn't seen one before. Well, one thing led to another, and with the advice of Rob Yost of Polymer Clay Express, I created... Macavity! He is the companion of Professor James Moriarty. Do not call him a nice kitty.

He is going to have nemeses though- The League of Extraordinary Felines will oppose his evil schemes. Look for Cheetah, the Kitten of Dorian Gray, Lucy, and others to appear!

He will have

Speedy Steampunk!

2009-09-07T19:42:00.003-05:00

This is Speedy the Steampunk Dragon. He is a member of the SteamPunk Delivery Service (SPDs) so everyone calls him Speedy. Right now he has to deliver this important mineral to a very important scientist so he can make a very important potion in his super secret lab on a super secret island. He doesn't have time to talk so bye!

(I made him in a workshop with Christi Friesen)

New Moon, new stuff!

2009-09-06T21:11:00.005-05:00

Well, here is the long awaited I Love Jacob Charming Cluster. Hopefully, it won't take me as long to get the Bella one up. I'm also going to do a couple of what I call "House Divided" ones that are just Twilight in general and not particularly either Edward or Jacob.

Wow!

2009-07-22T22:51:00.003-05:00

Well, it took a week, but I finally recovered from the IPCA Retreat. I'm going to borrow an idea from my friend Christi Friesen and let our friend Angela (The Crafty Goat) tell you about it at her blog here. Hopefully soon, I'll have the pictures of the clay creatures I made posted, as well as Jacob Black's Charming Cluster- it's finished, but not photographed yet.

What I do have a picture of is the swap I participated in during the Retreat- funny little story there. You see, I had tried to decide several times if I was going to sign up for a swap or not. I thought I had decided not to, and was pleased with my decision, what with the wrap up of school, and being out of town, etc. So at 10:30 the night the swaps were due (at 8 that morning), the swap captain stops me and says, "Do you have your swaps yet?" and I say, "I didn't think I signed up for a swap," and Suzanne says, "Yes, you did." So, I get busy and make the little green glittery cactus you see in the picture. Has nothing to do with the theme, but represents Texas nicely.

Finally!

2009-07-01T22:42:00.005-05:00

Well, I've mentioned a couple of times that I had something new to show, and I finally worked all the bugs out of my version. Presenting... Charming Clusters! Right now, they will be available in my Etsy shop and possibly at some local gift shops. I'm posting 2 that aren't in the Etsy shop here- both are going to friends, although they will probably be available if there is a demand. All clusters have lanyard hooks on the top so they can be hooked to a purse, backpack, jacket- anything!

First up, the Pink Princess! With lots of pink beads and charms of a tiara and a prince and princess at the ball, this is a special order from a work friend (Hi, Cindy!).

Next, for all you Cullen fans, we have the I Love Edward cluster. The charms say "I Love Edward" and "Bite Me" with a cute little apple hanging down. I Love Bella and I Love Jacob are on their way- wait 'til you see Jacob's moon and wolf! Edward's is in the classic red/white/black combo from the books- I'm thinking shades of blue for Bella and green/brown for Jacob. Twilight fans rejoice!

Here's another piece!

2009-05-17T12:29:00.002-05:00

This one is called Heart of Stone. It's kind of silly, because the heart isn't actually stone, it is polymer clay. The beads in the necklace, however, are semi-precious stones. Oh well. If anybody thinks of a better name, I'm open to suggestions.

Latest Designs that Didn't Win

2009-05-15T17:20:00.002-05:00

Okay, I'm trying not to be whiny. Just because I liked these designs doesn't mean everyone has too. However, I did hold off on posting these because they were under consideration elsewhere. Since it does not appear they are going to be used, I'll post them here over the next few days.

First, Spring Meadow. I really like this one- using the seed bead mix was inspired by one of the ladies I bead with every week, so thanks Jane! It looks really elegant but was suprisingly inexpensive to make.

Sod and other issues

2009-05-09T21:54:00.003-05:00

Warning- no jewelry or polymer info contained in this post.

I laid sod today with my husband and daughter, and now my sciatic nerve is really unhappy with me, so I am fairly unhappy in general. However, we do have a nice patch of St. Augustine where we once had clover, so I guess it was worth it - a sentiment not shared by my daughter, who asked "What was wrong with the grass we had?" I could have pointed out that only Uncle Jay's cows eat clover, and they aren't here, but I suspect that would have been countered with an offer to either a) acquire a cow, or b) send the clover to Carthage, TX. Either way, she wouldn't have had to lay sod. However, it isn't the right kind of clover anyway.

Of course, she's not here at the moment, having chosen to spend the night at a friend's and come home late tomorrow.

Happy Mother's Day (sigh)

Looking forward to July!

2009-05-01T22:01:00.006-05:00

Definitely looking forward to July- I've got a great idea for a project to share at the International Polymer Clay Association retreat! I got a brand new pasta machine- thanks Mona! and am ready to show off my stuff. Christi Friesen will be there (note to self - bring much chocolate) and I am looking forward to it.

It's nice to have something to look forward to, since they just closed all the schools in our district for a week - 1 confirmed and several probable cases of H1N1, so everyone gets to stay home until the little buggies die on the surfaces.

Fun with Donna Kato!

2009-04-28T16:07:00.003-05:00

Last weekend I had a great workshop with Donna Kato here in the North Texas area. We all had a great time and Donna is super nice and a great teacher. Here is the link to all the pictures of the workshop- I'm in two of them, but not the final class picture, as I had to leave early.

Contests I Hope to Win!

2009-04-27T17:19:00.004-05:00

All right,after that last post, I had to post about the ones I'm entering right now. I have 4 in the works for Bead Star (deadline May 1, so get cracking if you haven't started) and a couple for SoftFlex. Now obviously, I can't post the pictures of the entries here, but I can post the button they made to find out more about the SoftFlex contest - it's at the bottom (and very pretty, I think). I also hope to be featured in a couple of magazines soon, and will provide info on them as soon as possible. Some readers will remember a kit test offer I made earlier. Well, that turned into one of the magazine submissions. However, loyal followers will still receive a kit after I hear from the magazine and it is either turned down or published. I may even make a special kit for followers with different beads...stay tuned!

Contests I Didn't Win

2009-04-23T20:26:00.004-05:00

This week's post showcases two pieces I made to enter contests that I didn't win, but I still like them.

The one on the left was entered in Cloth • Paper • Scissors "Life's a Beach" contest. It is a mixed media piece with batik, specialty papers, polymer clay, real shells, and pewter charms. It will be entered in the Lewisville, TX Visual Art League Fresh Ideas show this summer. The one on the right is my entry in Scarlett Lanson's Use the Muse contest. The title is "Thalia's Gift" It includes brass pieces, handmade polymer clay beads, Swarovski crystals and pearls, and vintage glass. The photo doesn't really do it justice.

Mea Culpa!

2009-04-08T22:07:00.004-05:00

Ouch! It's been a very long time. My only explanation is that the fibro got really bad- I haven't done several things I wanted/intended to do. But, hopefully I'm back for a while. Didn't get my Easter kits out- I'll have to test with summer ones (luckily I ordered those beads at the same time). I tried to finish one tonight so I could photograph it, but my left hand is not able to hold the head pins and beads I need it to hold, so...

I do have a photo to share tonight- it's a contest piece I did called Elements. I entered it in the Stringing Magazine challenge. You can see all the entries here.

Well, I intended to share the photo, but it and Blogger have other ideas. I'll try to get it working after the weekend. Happy Passover and Easter to everyone!

Here we go again

2009-02-22T09:17:00.002-06:00

Ah, the change of seasons. Here in North Texas, it's starting to change from winter to spring. Now, while I used to truly love spring, because it meant summer and warmth were coming, I have less love for it than I did in the past. You see, any time the weather fluctuates wildly- from sunny and warm to rainy and cool and back again- my fibromyalgia and arthritis act up terribly which explains the 2 week hiatus in posting. I honestly haven't been able to type any more than absolutely necessary. Also, my daughter's production of Winnie the Pooh opens on Friday, so I've been spending time at the theater. Not as much time as I used to, because of the fibro, but some.

I did finally get the beads in for my kits, so I'll be opening up the testing group soon. Once the pain in my hands calms down a little more, I'll get a sample made for you all to see.

Almost Done!

2009-02-08T11:00:00.003-06:00

My inventory is almost completed- all I have to do is count my finished pieces and then put everything in the computer. This is a really good thing because the next thing I have to do is write the book for my intermediate class that starts, oh, MONDAY! That would be tomorrow. I have outlined the book, but I don't have all the samples made.

North Texas Polymer Clay Guild meets today. I'm taking Wilbury the traveling dragon. He's going all over the country meeting new polymer clay artists, and this week he is with me! He hopes Ellen has some new dragon friends for him to meet.

No Pictures for a While

2009-02-04T18:25:00.003-06:00

Unfortunately, this will be a picture free blog for a while, unless I post pictures of my old stuff. I have been working on a new lighting set up, and hoped to have it ready by now, but I'm waiting for the final piece to come in.

On a related note, almost all the supplies for my latest class came in today- only thing that didn't arrive- the unsubstitutable Kato liquid medium! I checked over all the orders and packing lists- apparently I never pushed the "add to order" button under it- so an emergency order went out to the great folks at Polymer Clay Express and they should have it here before we need it.

The intermediate class did finally make- thanks to Pat and Patty and all the others that signed up so we could meet and make beautiful things.

Working along

2009-02-01T08:51:00.003-06:00

Not much terribly exciting happening today- I've been requested by my husband to PLEASE have the Christmas decorations down by the time he gets back from working with our church this morning.

This post has been modified to avoid references to a project under consideration by a national magazine. See April 27th.

Updates finished

2009-01-29T12:37:00.002-06:00

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!

2009-01-27T12:48:00.004-06:00

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!

2009-01-25T18:50:00.004-06:00

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!

2009-01-24T17:19:00.004-06:00

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...

2009-01-10T08:30:00.002-06:00

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 ...

2009-01-02T22:04:00.003-06:00

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.

Studio Redo!

2008-12-31T18:53:00.003-06:00

I've been perusing the wide selection of organizing and planning magazines, websites, and tv shows designed to help us all get regimented in the new year. This has inspired me to start blogging the evolution of my studio as we change it up to better reflect what I'm doing now as opposed what I was doing the last time we added pieces to it.

See, my studio is also the guest bedroom, short-term storage, kid's craft area, and general, "hey-we-don't-know-where-this-goes-we'll-stick-it-here" room. Due to my health and general inability to keep the moderately sized house we have now tidy, moving to a larger abode with more space is not an option. Therefore, the third bedroom must do double duty until my daughter leaves for college. Since she is currently 10, that's eight years of having the futon in my office or the living room. Also, I'm doing less classroom teaching and more creative jewelry making and teaching. So the old setup just wasn't working anymore.

Here's a picture of my workspace before the latest update. If you look at the profile picture, there's a lovely view of the mess behind me as well. As we enter the new year, I'll share tips and stories from the evolution of my office into my studio.

Thoughts on a theme...

2008-12-29T14:41:00.004-06:00

I keep trying to blog, and keep having trouble being consistent- I know, this is an ongoing theme in this blog. However, some things are changing again, and I'm hopeful that I will be able to blog more consistently now.

To follow up on a few very old blogs- Fall at Fairfield sold from the Fresh Ideas show, and I taught another beginners class. Intermediate Polymer Clay class starts Feb. 9- registration opens Jan. 5.

Here's hoping this one doesn't fizzle!

I give up!

2008-07-14T22:18:00.003-05:00

Okay, obviously I'm never going to post on a daily basis. However, I will try to maintain once every week to 10 days. I didn't win the Visual Arts League Show- gee, big surprise, my entry was one of two 3-dimensional pieces there. But, the good news is that a girl came up to me while I was holding a piece (Seaside Cross- see the July 1st post) and said she liked it better than anything else she had seen. The best part is that I was holding it because it wasn't accepted into the show, and I was getting ready to take it home. So, someone likes my stuff, even if the "artistes" don't.

Here is the piece that was supposed to be July 5th. It's a mix of glass beads and polymer clay.

Catch-up!

2008-07-04T23:11:00.005-05:00

Well, I missed yesterday, so here's 2 today. Both are from the Texas Waters series. First is Summer at Galveston. I'm not happy with the picture- it drapes much better on a human neck. It has glass beads, freshwater pearls, and Hill Tribe silver accents on a silk cord. The second one is called Fall at Fairfield. It is mostly jasper with freshwater pearls,copper, and some beautiful fibers that don't really show up in the picture. Fall at Fairfield is another piece that is being entered in the Fresh Ideas show. Enjoy!

Texas Waters

2008-07-02T22:13:00.003-05:00

As promised, here's the next of my posts for the week. This necklace and earrings are from my Texas Waters series, which will eventually celebrates 4 different Texas lakes or seashores during the 4 seasons. We'll start with Spring at Grapevine, which includes sterling silver, freshwater pearls, wire mesh ribbon, kyanite, and these really great blue and brown slices which I've never been able to identify, but they look good!

Ouch again!

2008-07-01T23:19:00.003-05:00

Okay, so it's been a month since I posted again. Sorry about that- we've had some changes around here. My husband, Rob, started working from home, and he is usually on this computer. That shouldn't be a problem, except that my laptop is really configured to run from the network at school and doesn't like to be separated, so it pulls all sorts of stunts like refusing to connect to the internet. Add to that Elora is in a play and rehearsals have been tough, and, well, this blog got pushed to the back burner again. To try to make up for that, I will try to bring you a new piece each day this week. Some of these are going to the Visual Arts League Lewisville show Fresh Ideas, so you can get a sneak peek online and then see them in person if you're in the area.

Starting us off... Seaside Cross. It's polymer clay on a wood base and measures 9" by 6.75". There are real pearls and tiny seashells attached to the cross.

Here's the link...

2008-06-01T20:24:00.005-05:00

...to the Dallas Morning News article. Thanks Shawn for the great article! Now I'm off to work on my Elemental Dragons Snowbelly series- I'll keep you posted on the adventures of Aeris, Aqua, Ignis, Terra, and their eventual offspring Nimbus and Lava. I'm using metalic Kato clay with the concentrates to do Aeris (he gets to be first, and he's very proud of that fact). I haven't used a lot of Kato until the new formula came out, but I have to say I am liking it so far.

Thank you to the Dallas Morning News

2008-05-24T08:30:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow, I should be featured in the Dallas Morning News Metro section. I'm really excited, and plan to spend today updating my website. So, check it out starting tomorrow for the latest info.

Snowbellies- not just for Christmas!

2008-05-17T12:04:00.002-05:00

Here is the newest Snowbelly- Olly the Octopus! I'm still trying to get just the right mix of interior fluids to make the "snow" (in this case, tiny tropical fish) to float as long as I think it should, but he's pretty cute anyway. He has real freshwater pearls and seashells around his base.

Things I hate...

2008-05-14T20:58:00.002-05:00

...fibromyalgia, back pain, rainy days... Actually, I just hate that they keep me from getting anything done. On the upside, I did finally make a Flickr page since my incredibly talented sister (who actually was interviewed by Lucasfilm earlier in the week) kept insisting I had to. Here is a piece I posted on it. This one is in a private collection, but it's still one of my favorites.

Corrupting a new generation

2008-05-08T20:36:00.002-05:00

Ok, all I actually did was teach my daughter's Girl Scout troop some beginning polymer clay. They have a badge on "Making" hobbies and one of the requirements was that they have a craft professional come in and talk about their craft and how they ran it as a business. So I showed them my website and talked about balancing creating and administrative tasks, and we all made polymer magnets. The girls were really creative and went in directions I didn't expect! Thanks to Mrs. Nancy who invited me to come and speak.

Polydelphia in spirit

2008-04-29T15:54:00.003-05:00

Well, I sent my piece off to Polydelphia today! I wish I could go with it but maybe next year. Here's a picture of it. I've been saving it, thinking I might enter it in a contest, but I think this is even better. I really love it and hate to let it go, but all for a good cause.

Things happen...

2008-04-28T12:55:00.002-05:00

I just realized it's been 6 weeks since I posted. A lot has happened in that time. The main thing is that I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and have had a rather bad time of it healthwise (it's hard to post when you are laying in bed with the lights off wishing anything would stop hurting and knowing it isn't going to stop anytime soon). However, my really great doctors have made some changes to my medications and things are going better. I have to get the piece I promised to Polydelphia finished today, and it's also the last night of the beginning polymer clay class I've been teaching. So I've got a lot to do, but I should be back to posting more regularly. Thanks for being patient.

Newspaper feature

2008-03-10T20:41:00.002-05:00

Well, I was in the newspaper last week! I've been waiting to blog until I could post the picture that they showed. It was a nice little caption talking about Bottles of Hope. This shows my studio a little bit, and now you all know what I look like!

No more microwave clay!

2008-02-21T15:11:00.003-06:00

This is really frustrating, because I had really high hopes of Staedtler's new microwave clay. However, the results were extremely disappointing. I opened my sample pack last night to work with it. The texture was really soft and fluffy- similar to Model Magic by Crayola. Okay, I could have lived with that, BUT- it left a sticky residue on my ceramic tile worksurface that quickly dried and had to be scraped off. Then, I noticed that it seemed to be drying out as I worked alcohol ink into it- no colors available yet except white and terra-cotta. Okay, maybe it doesn't like alcohol ink- acrylic paint was somewhat better. I extruded a rope and made it into a loopy shamrock (more on that later). The clay did not stick to itself when it overlapped, but that was livable. Microvaved it for 10 minutes on medium power per the directions with a cup of water (half full- also in the directions) and when it came out- it was hard! By this time my daughter was calling, it was late, so I left my colored balls of clay, along with some uncolored clay on my table and left it.

By this afternoon, everything had dried out! Colored clays, uncolored clays, and when I picked up my shamrock, it broke! It seems to me that someone discovered you could microwave air dry clay and speed the drying time! I am NOT advocating that anyone try this, but the more I think about it, the more the stuff I used last night has many of the same characteristics I associate with air-dried clay. I wonder if someone at Staedtler's lab got a bright idea to try the microwave on their air-dry clay and it worked, so now they are marketing it as a microwave clay.

Bottom line- I'm sticking to FIMO until they reformulate this stuff.

Awards Ceremony & Cupcakes

2008-02-16T12:05:00.003-06:00

Here's a link to the video of the awards ceremony for the Bottles of Hope challenge at CHA. Thanks to Polymer Clay Productions for making this available to us all.

CHA Awards Ceremony

Also, in honor of Valentine's Day, some cupcakes from my incredibly talented sister, Kati!

Kati's Flickr Page

Hooray!

2008-02-12T14:59:00.001-06:00

I am so excited! Yesterday I was awarded "Best Use of AMACO Bead Rollers" in the Bottles of Hope Designer's Challenge!

This challenge is sponsored by AMACO, and this time Staedtler since they have taken over distributing FIMO clay. Thank you to Dawn and all the wonderful people at AMACO, Michael and his staff at Staedtler, as well as our presenters, Lisa and Julie.

I've already posted the picture of the necklace- but I'll post the award when I get it.

New clay by Sculpey

2008-01-28T20:28:00.000-06:00

Well, there's been a lot of buzz about the new Studio by Sculpey clay. I have to say that I don't usually like soft clays, but this one bakes to a really nice finish, which I find different from any thing else on the market. I'm working on several ideas to submit to magazines using it- I'll let you know when those are available.

Right now I have a picture of one of their introductory projects, designed by Donna Dewberry. The frame is wood, painted with 3 colors, then accented with Studio Sculpey leaves and antiqued. I've never antiqued before, and I'm not sure this is a sterling example, but maybe my students won't feel like this is something they just can't do.

Picture problems

2008-01-19T10:41:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm trying to post pictures to go with my blog- I have a great picture of my Bottles of Hope entry that goes with my last post, but Blogger won't let me get it on the site. I'll keep trying.

In the meantime, I'm getting ready to go update my website and will put the pictures up there as well.

Note from 1/28/08- All fixed!

Still trying!

2008-01-16T21:15:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I'm still not caught up- stomach viruses are no fun! I did get the Hope on a Rope entry in- here it is. They are being gifted to children with cancer this time, so I tried to make one that a boy or young man could enjoy even if they didn't wear it as a necklace. I'm also going to be doing a demo at my polymer clay guild in May- showcasing my snowglobe designs.

Still hoping to improve on blogging and claying!

It's been a long time...

2007-12-30T17:40:00.000-06:00

Wow- I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted. The holidays kind of came crashing in on me this year- my daughter and her preschool cousin were decorating the tree on Dec. 23- and usually we do that the day after Thanksgiving. I did get an Ott light for Christmas, and am planning on exploring color in the new year- I'll also be teaching a polymer clay class through our adult and community ed department and writing some articles.

Hopefully I'll be posting on at least a weekly basis- right now I'm working on two very big, very light weight pendants and an entry into the Bottles of Hope- Hope on a Rope contest. I'll post pictures of them as soon as they are finished.

After-Show Letdown

2007-12-03T21:01:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm done with shows for the year. This last one wasn't nearly as good as it was last year- not sure why. We didn't see many people buying at any of the booths, so who knows? I've got two custom orders, and then it's time to make Christmas presents for the family and my colleagues at the actual bill paying job. I've also got to update my website. On the up side, this ornament I donated for a local charity fundraiser was well received, so I won't give up hope yet.

Welcome!

2007-11-24T21:21:00.000-06:00

Well, this is my first blog. I'll try to let you know what inspires my pieces, maybe give some sneak peeks at new items, and generally keep you up to date on the land of Shouting Stones (as opposed to the "real world" where I'm forced to spend part of my time)

Right now, I have about a week until my final show of the season- Liberty Elementary's Holiday Bazzar on Dec. 1. I've got candle rings to finish, ornaments for my personalizing expert (and sister) to have to work on, and my latest creations- snowglobes! I'm focusing pretty heavy on polymer clay right now, but I'll be doing some beaded jewelry as well.