THE LAST OF THE HEARTS AND A FEW USEFUL TIPS

The hearts for the wedding are done.  This last set was done with the new tiny flexible mold that I bought from Penni Jo Couch at bestflexiblemolds.com.  I love her molds.  The other ones I did in lots of colors with Pearlex and Perfect Pearls.  These I did in just white and the color of the flowers and leaves.  I wish I would have done them all in white but I'm not starting over.

Here are some of  the pens.  They have beads at the top with a magnet so it will stick to the refrigerator.

Click on the picture to see them closer.

Right now they just stick to each other.  Now I have to put the rest of the hearts and pens together but I got an order for another frame and they need it right away for a gift.

USEFUL TIPS

I lived with my grandmother for 25 years.  She died when she was 99.

  Grandma started smoking when she was 50 and I knew she always liked beer but until we lived together I didn't know how much.  She had a great sense of humor too.

GRANDMA'S TIP #1

She had a "friend" that would come over unannounced, at odd times and wouldn't leave.  She would help herself to what ever was in the refrigerator and run her fingers over things checking for dust.  One day grandma saw her car pull up and she told me to pull all the kitchen chairs into the dining room and to get the vacuum cleaner out and put in the middle of the living room floor and open the vinegar bottle and pour it into the toilet and leave the seat up.  My grandma was very smart so I did what she told me to do.  In the meantime, she got out all the buckets and put them on the floor in the hall leading to the kitchen.  The doorbell rang and grandma let her friend in.  Her friend looked around and made a sniffing noise.  Then she said to grandma, "I guess I got you at a bad time, I'll come back some other time when you aren't busy".  She left, grandma got herself a beer and a cigarette and sat in a chair and told me to put everything back the way it was.  I did what she said.

If you want to get rid of unwanted guests, make believe you are in the middle of cleaning and get the vinegar or Pinesol out and put it in a bucket in the middle of the floor and put the vacuum cleaner by the chair they usually sit in.  Have all these things handy at all times.

WEDDING HEARTS AND SISSY

A while ago I mentioned that my nephew was getting married in September and my sister is having a bridal shower for his fiance.  I told her I would make some shower favors thinking there were would be 15 or 20 people at the shower and then she told me there would be between 40 and 50 and she was having it at some restaurant near her house in Chicago.  The first two words that came to my mind were "BIG MOUTH".

I had to decide what I wanted to do and I wanted something different and special.  I love making pens and putting beads and magnets on them so they will stick to the refrigerator.  I just finished the pens for the quild's swap so I just kept going.  I've got the pens done.

So now I'm working on the tops.  I decided to make hearts.

The front of the hearts have their initials on the top and on the back I stamped
"LOVE" 9-17-2011

I used a lot of Pearlex Powders and Penni Jo Couch's flexible molds. http://www.bestflexiblemolds.com/.  I just ordered some more from her to use to make the next 40 molds for the hearts.  I love her molds.  I use them a lot when I make beads for the cancer stricken kids at Beads of Courage.  I'm glad my family doesn't look at my blog because these are going to be a surprise for them.  When I finish some I'll take pictures and post them.  If you click on the picture you can see them up close.

MY FRIEND PK'S BIRTHDAY

Today is my friend's birthday.  I made her a frame with her dog's name and picture in it.

This is Sissy.  She let me put those curlers in her hair and take her picture.  I put a little Yorkie button on the back along with a cat button.  PK use to have a Yorkie by the name of Jose, he always tried to kiss my cat Booboo and Booboo would swing at him (never connected).  Jose would put his head down and start crying and Booboo would just shake his head and walk away.  He was a spoiled brat but was very cute.  Sissy on the other hand is very hyper and very smart and loves kissing but not cats.


Hope you had a nice Easter.  We are having oatmeal for dinner.  We had our Easter dinner Friday night.  When you are retired and away from family, holidays just seem to come and go.  I usually get a bag of black jelly beans every year but I didn't this year.  Must be the oatmeal thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

POLYMER CAFE AND FINALLY DONE

I got my June issue of Polymer Cafe in the mail today and I was sitting outside reading it waiting for my friend Judy and her husband to come and pick up a car by my house.  I started reading the last page titled "The Musings of an Artistic Late Bloomer".  As I started reading I had this feeling I had read this some where before but didn't know why.  I looked up at the top of the page and there she was big as life "JUDY KELLY".  Just then they drove up and I'm running across the street waving my magazine and yelling.  I'm sure the neighbors thought I was nuts.  Judy was in shock when she saw the article.  She didn't know it was going to be in there.  Anyway, for a kid who couldn't draw stick figures or do stained glass she sure has taken to polymer clay.  I'm kind of proud because I sort of pushed her into it.  We were hugging and whooping and then her husband said to me "see, you created a monster".  It wasn't the first time and won't be the last.  CONGRATULATIONS JUDY, you are in the big time girl.

A couple weeks ago Judy, Rose and I took a class on beading on spools.  I sort of left mine sitting there for a while.  Well, now I have a pinched nerve in my back so I couldn't go golfing today.  I decided it was a good time to finish that necklace.

This is the best I could do for a picture.  My computer got a virus and I had to change some programs.  I tried to flip this but my Picasa doesn't want to transfer or work very well right now.  I really like this necklace.  My husband said I should sell it since I never go any where dressy enough to wear it.  Wait till we go out for fish Friday night and I have on my good tee shirt that matches this necklace, he'll be surprised.

Going to ice my back and put all my beads away.  At least I finished something today.

Hey Linda, thanks for your update on the gold prices.  Glad I do polymer and not precious metals.  Love all your information.

PEN SWAP - AMAZING THINGS AND A GENEROUS PERSON

These are the pens I received from our clay guild pen swap.  They are beautiful and unique and the one that looks like a pencil really is a pen and the eraser is clay.

AMAZING THINGS

Wasn't sure what else to call all these things that I saw at the guild yesterday.

These are beads made by my friend Lupe for our Beads of Courage project.  She sanded and buffed these guys.  Aren't they adorable?

This piece was also done by Lupe and you will see it in your Polymer Cafe this month.  She was the runner up for the Steampunk Challenge.  She's a happy girl.  That was her first time in Polymer Cafe.

These are pieces made by my friend Evelyn.  Look on the right side of the picture.  She made ice cream cone beads for the Beads of Courage project.  They are soooooooo cute.

These are Judy's necklaces.  Rose, Judy and I took a beading class to make spools and make a necklace.  Rose and Judy finished their's, I'm still a work in progress.  The necklace on the right was made with a faux Pandora bead technique.  She incorporated wire, ribbon and beading into this.  It's yummy.

This is Rose's spool bead necklace and she made the little colored beads that go in between out of polymer clay.  Isn't that fun and beautiful?  She's so colorful.

A GENEROUS PERSON STORY

About two weeks ago I got an email from a lady saying she saw my blog.  She told me she had done clay and was allergic to it.  It made her lips go numb.  She told me she had all this clay stuff and wanted me to have it and hoped I could use it.  We emailed back and forth for 2 weeks and I met her Saturday afternoon on our way home from the guild.  She lives about 3 hours from me.  At first I thought this was a little strange but I do have things happen like that.  We loaded 5 bankers boxes from her car to my car along with some little boxes and a plastic box.  It was 95 degrees outside so it was too hot to stand and talk.  She liked the necklace I was wearing so I gave it to her.  When I got home I was stunned.  I have 2 boxes full of clay, some open some new, bead rollers, pasta machines, clay books, cutters, stamps, mold sheets, etc.  and this:

It's called the Syndee Holt Travel Clay Studio.  It has all these bottles of Pearl Ex powders, Lumiere paints, Neopaque paints, Pinata paints and a host of other things.  I felt like it was Christmas.  I'm set for a good number of years on polymer clay supplies now.  I'll be making beads for the Beads of Courage as fast as I can now.  My dear, sweet person that gave all this to me, I want you to know I really appreciate it and hope I can help you with something some day.  Hope you think of me everytime you look at the cat.  Thank you again.  People really are nice and kind.

BURRO POOP PART 3 AND PEN SWAP

OK, the burro poop didn't work for me.  I have a bag of dried burro poop if anyone is interested.  For sale, CHEAP.  Got a free room and some free food at the casinos and had a good time but the burro poop must only work for the person that picks it up off the ground.


GUILD PEN SWAP

Tomorrow is our monthly guild meeting and we are having a pen swap.  These are a few that I made.

They have a lucky lady bug in the middle of the heart and the top part is a magnetic beaded piece so it will go on the refrigerator.  I put them in a bag with a magnetic list note pad so it can also go on the refrigerator.  I made pendants for each bag and stamped everyone's name on the back of the pendant.  Attached the pendant to to swivel lobster so it go on a purse or bag.  One of our girls is a motorcycle mama so I made a special one for her.

This one I made out of the cane I made last week.  This one is for a really sweet lady with a big heart.

PICTURE FRAMES

My friend Evelyn made some frames for her great niece and nephew who are twins and Evelyn is a twin.  They love horses and cowboys.  Evelyn was an art major and taugh art her whole working life.  She's also got macular degeneration and is having considerable problems seeing.  I think she does great even though things are usually pretty blurry for her.  These are the frames she did.

YEAH EVELYN.  Love that cowgirl hat that she hand made.  These are all covered in polymer clay.  The horses and boots are Jesse James buttons that she used some Rub n Buff on.  I think these are awesome.

Can't wait to see the pens I get tomorrow.  I'm making little bears right now for The Beads of Courage so I better get back to work.  Just wanted to put in an update on the burro poop.

LUCKY BURRO POOP PART 2

I'm not sure how many parts to this story there is going to be but it will be at least 3.

Here's part 2.  I sanded the resin on one of the pendants and it looked terrible so I put more resin on.  The first layer of resin was Gel du Soleil which I read about some where.  I ordered it because I like UV hardening resin.  It comes in a 9 ml bottle which is very small and the smell is very strong.  It does dry very clear.  I didn't realize the bottles were so small.  On top of that layer I put the burro poop and then another type of UV drying resin called Ultra Dome.  It's a bit thinner but also dries clear.  After all the chaos in the back yard and the problem with the resin I decided to put Magic Glos on it which I am a big fan of.  I put a layer on the top and put it in the sun and then I put a layer on the bottom and put it in the sun.  It actually looked pretty good but you could still see some of the problems where I think they fell on the rocks and the guys picked them up and put them back on the wall.

I decided I wanted them shiny so I put some gloss on them and put them back in the oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.  When I got them out I was shocked.

The resin had turned to amber.  I really like it better this way.  Not sure what caused the color change because I've rebaked Magic Glos and it never changed colors.

I made pendants out of them and going to give one as a gift and wear the other one to the casino tomorrow.

This necklace and bracelet were made by my friend Rose Anthony.  She did turquoise, amber, coral and a couple techniques to make beads.  She put this gorgeous necklace and bracelet together from all the beads.  The turquoise are my favorite, no maybe the amber or maybe the coral but I like the lapis too.  I can't decide.  LOL

Well, Part 3 will be here Thursday or Friday.  Stay tuned.

LUCKY BURRO POOP???????????????

Some friends of mine live in Bullhead City, Arizona which is right across the Colorado river from Laughlin, Nevada which is like a little Las Vegas.  Anyway, they all say that if you take some burro poop and sit on it while you are gambling it brings good luck.  My friend brought me back a bag of poop that they got from Oatman, AZ. http://www.desertusa.com/oatman/du_oatman.html  It's an old mining town and the miners brought the burros to pull the carts.  Now the burros walk all over the town and go in the stores and get fed by the people in the town.  They pretty much have the run of the town and the story is, their poop is very lucky especially when you are gambling.

My husband said I should make pendants out of the poop so I wouldn't have to sit on it???????  It kind of looks like marijuana when it's in the bag.

WELL, I made two pendants out of polymer clay and cut the middles out, baked them and filled them with a thin layer of resin, put them out in the sun to harden.  I baked the burro poop to make it sterile.  My office smelled so bad even the cat left.  I used tweezers and put some burro poop in the pendants and put more resin over the top.  Put them back in the sun to harden and they looked really good.  Put another coat of resin on and put them back on the wall in the sun.  Did not know that the neighbor was going to have his yard done (cut and blown).  Forgot about the pendants.  After an hour of blowing I remembered the pendants and when I brought them in, the resin was all yukky.  I think they may have fallen in the rocks when the guys were blowing the back yard and they picked them up and put them back on the wall.  I had checked them earlier and they were looking clear and clean.

OK, now you are laughing.  Not very lucky burro poop so far.  As you can see, the resin is pretty well screwed up.  I tried to sand it and that made it worse.  We are going to Laughlin Tuesday so I'm going to take these with me and sit on them anyway.

Orlando Polymer Clay Fandango

A while back I got an email from Charline Alghreen the President of the Orlando Polymer Clay Guild asking if I had something I could donate to the Orlando Polymer Clay Fandango which is being held in June.  Lately I've noticed a lot of artist blogs showing all the things they have donated to the Fandango so I thought I would do the same.  I did quite a bit of chain work to some pendants I had made and sent them to Florida.  The items that we have donated will be auctioned and the money will be used to fund polymer clay outreach programs such as:  Central Florida Fair demonstrations, public library classes, Bottles of Hope for cancer patients, and Beautiful Baubles for hospice patients.  I love donating my work for charities as you know with all the things I make for Beads of Courage. 

I wish I was going to the Fandango, they have quite a few big name teachers attending and some great classes that they are offering.

Anyway, here are the pendants I sent down there:

Our Arizona Polymer Clay Guild is more than happy to donate items to charity projects.  If you have a charity event that is coming up and would like items for an auction please contact me.

IF YOU ARE CLAYING YOU ARE PLAYING

So, I've been claying and playing.  Right now I'm glad my relatives don't look at my blog.  I just finished making the pens for the pen exchange our guild is having but they are a secret so I'll wait and post the picture either the day before or day after.  I've been making canes so that I can make 43 pens for my sister for a wedding shower.  My nephew is getting married and my sister is having a shower.  I'm going to surprise her and send 43 gift items for the people that are at the shower.  I love making pens and she said she didn't care what I made as long as it was springy.  Here are the first of the pens.  Not finished yet.

As you can see there is a little eye hook in the top.  When I get one all done I'll post it so you can see what the eye hook is for.  I am making hearts that say LOVE 9-17-2011 on the back and these will be attached to the pen along with a special finishing touch.  Here are the hearts.  They need finishing also and I only need to make 38 more, YIKES.

I wanted to put their names on them but it was too long and I just wanted little hearts.  I'm going to spray these with PYMII to protect them.

This is a cane that I just finished to use on the pens along with some flower canes I'm going to make tomorrow.  The center got a little off but so is mine.  Ha ha ha

This is a Pandora bracelet I'm making for my sister.  The beads are polymer clay made from the same cane I made the golf stroke counters from.  I need to get some bigger holed, crystal spacer beads for in between.  I bought the Pandora bracelet at Joann's.  It's a size 7.  My sister has a size 6 wrist but you have to remember if you are making a bracelet with big beads you have to have a blank a size larger.

These are beaded spools.  I'm making a necklace that calls for beaded spools.  I have a long way to go.  I think I need 12 more.  You have to paint the spools and varnish them before you make the necklace.  Thank goodness my friend Rose likes to do this.  Rose, Judy and I took a class and Rose was kind enough to paint and varnish all the spools for us.

Now you know why I haven't posted in a while.  WHEW.    Have to fit bowling, golf, playing with the cat, laundry, ironing, etc. into all that.  I don't cook, my husband eats cereal for dinner.  I mess up the kitchen when I cook and he does the dishes so he doesn't care if I cook.  Tee hee hee.