Scooby Doo Drawing Contest

I think this will resonate with those artists who are interested in "contests". Some of us enter them, most of us vote for our favorites when we can. Contests are fun, you hold your breath as you wait to find out if you are the winner.

My grandson Ian, who is 6 years old, has jumped on to the contest bandwagon. He had a Scooby Doo comic and saw that there was a drawing contest at the back of the book. After a few tries, the following is what he came up with - a great picture of Scooby Doo himself as well as the Mystery Machine! Ian is a second-generation Scooby Doo fan and knows all the ins and outs of the stories from cartoons, movies and comics.


I'm happy that he has the confidence to give this a try - he's already a winner because of that. If he also wins the contest...., icing on the cake.

Here is a photo of Ian taken during the summer.

GOOD LUCK, IAN!! You're my boy.

Sunshine Blog Award

I have a Sunshine Award for 12 people. If you want to pass it on as per the rules below, please do so. If not, that's fine! Just know that I visit your blogs and enjoy who you are and what you have to say.

The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity & creativity inspires others in the blog world.



The rules for accepting this award:

Put the logo on your blog or within your post.-

Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.-

Link the nominees within your post.-

Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Thanks BJ and Col!

Knighttwork

Cottage Days & Journeys

MoeArt

ZapKathArt

Chasin Rainbows, too

Melody O'Beau Designs

Beki's Beading Blog

Robyn Regan Photography

Living with Walls

Creative Sprinkle

Desertwind's Creative Musings

Your Daily Muse News

Every one of the people behind the blogs have touched my life. It wasn't easy stopping with 12, though!!

Thank you all for your comments on my blog, I enjoy getting them very much.

Update on Laurie Prophater's Faux Bone Technique

I haven't been in the habit of featuring others on my blog, but I have just seen some new work by a special clayer - Laurie Prophater. You remember the awesome surface technique that Laurie taught us all in the Winter 2006/07 PolymerCAFE magazine, right? She called it her Ancient Metal technique. I had so much fun playing with that one, and covered lots of things that looked super. It was nice and messy, and turned out great - I loved it. I used it on pens, jars and Christmas ornaments - all of them worked out wonderfully, too. I will be repeating it in the future.

Well lucky us - Laurie is again going to share! This time her new Faux Bone technique will be published in the Spring issue of Belle Armoire magazine. It should be on your bookstore's shelves around the first of March.


Here is a link to Laurie's Flickr album with her fabulous pendants and bangles in the new technique - get ready! You're going to love them!

Ornamental Elements' Photostream

Thank you, Laurie, for sharing your knowledge with the polymer clay community.

Polymer Clay Canes a la Judy Belcher

Recently, I have been having the BEST time making polymer clay canes. For Christmas I got my portable DVD player, so I have been hanging out in the Claypen watching a particular section of the Judy Belcher "Millefiori Story" DVD, and learning to make tesselation canes. The process on the first one was long, however the second one not only was a shorter process, but also a better result.

Here is a photo of one of the first sets of canes that I made from the DVD: (click on photo to enlarge).


Here is a pendant "to be" and a pair of earrings "to be" that I made from that cane:



Then I made a set of the canes using green. I really liked one comment that Judy made in the DVD - that she was not sharing color recipes because she wants to encourage people to use the colors that they love. Well, that was all I needed - first I used my beloved pink. Do you know that I kind of try to keep it from people that pink is my favorite color?? I do! So many people say to me, "I don't do pink" that sometimes I think I shouldn't tell. But now - I'm telling. I LOVE pink! It's a wonderful color.

I don't exactly love this shade of green that I used in the next set of canes, however, I think the contrasting colors just made the look of these canes pop beautifully. I hope you think so, too!








Well that's my blog for now... I am off to make more great looking canes, and lots of pendants and earrings, too. My most gracious thanks to Judy Belcher for sharing, and for a DVD most professionally done!

My studio space - "The Claypen"

Lately I’ve been sick with a typical but exhausting beginning of winter cold, however except for the endless coughing, I’m starting to feel better. I thought, then, that I would share my studio here. I really adore my studio, called “The Claypen”, especially since my husband re-fitted the clothes closet that was there with shelves that he built.


He had a beautiful desk that was so big that when we moved it in to his office 22 years ago, we swore we would never move it out. And so we didn’t – instead we took it apart and he used it to make the shelves in this closet for me. Thank you, honey! I can find everything now.


In addition to my work space, I have a second work area that has been used only a little bit lately by our daughter-in-law, April and our granddaughter Dezaree. Since April had the new baby 18 months ago, she hasn’t had time for claying or beading very often. But her chair stays, because I know she’ll find time once little Gracie gets into pre-school. And Dezaree will not be 14 and busy with everything else forever, either. In the meantime, I have two tables to work on. I create my jewelry at the long black table that I'm saving for April and Dezaree to clay on again in the future.


Now that I’ve seen these photos, which were taken soon after the remodel of the room, it makes me see that I need to clean again. It looked a lot nicer before I got in there and messed it all up!

Sometimes the best things just don't work

I made this bracelet when I found these great pink rock beads, and as I made it and photographed it, I thought it was a fabulous bracelet. I still think it's fabulous looking.

I always wear the bracelets and necklaces that I make for a couple of hours after they are made.... to make sure there are no serious flaws, that they are not uncomfortable, and so on. So I happily put on this pink rocks bracelet yesterday, thinking I would love it.

But no.... this bracelet will soon be no more. It was not comfortable, and the clasp kept turning to the top of my wrist, no matter how many times I fixed it. I'm back to the drawing board on these pink rock beads!

Three Necklaces

I've been working on and photographing three necklaces recently. I love them all for different reasons. First I have a really long (31 inches!) almost lariat-style necklace with a front dangle. It is so great that I made two - one for me. And it looks good on, especially with a black or navy blue shirt.

Click on images for a closer look.

We all love Julie Picarello's style (Yellow House Designs), and so here is a pendant I made using polymer clay in Southwest colors with her style of mokume gane, and strung on a simple gold chain.

Finally, I adore this red coral and lava beads necklace! This is one that was in my mind's eye for several months, and it came together nicely. The coral beads are heavy, but the lava beads are light, and it ends up being quite wearable.


I'll be posting them on my Etsy soon... trying to find time! We need to slow down the clock, that's what I say. Thanks for looking!