SHE ALWAYS MAKES ME LAUGH, A ROSE IS A ROSE

Well, our craft fair is over and I did really well.  Not enough to go on a cruise but enough to keep me in clay and beads for at least a year.

One of my dear friends (Rose) that I've mentioned before didn't make it to the fair.  She ended up in the hospital with chest pains but she's OK and playing with clay and making me laugh again.  If you remember the last Polymer Cafe it had a picture on the front of some beads that Maureen Carlson did.  I looked at them a couple of times but didn't think it would be something I would be interested in doing.  Well, when Rose got her muse on she went to town and made a bouquet full of the cutest beads using Maureen's technique.  She was going to make a necklace but decided they needed to be on wire instead and they are adorable.

Some of the beads have sayings on them for inspiration.

Check out the detail on the faces.  Are they cute or what?  Rose, you did awesome.

  After seeing these I wanted to run home and make a bunch but then I remembered that my studio is a shambles.  I had an order for pendants, an order for a shawl pin and an order for earrings to match some bowling shirts.  On top of that, I have been ripping through my studio and getting rid of a ton of stuff.  Our clay guild is having a "Garage Sale" at our meeting this month so we can bring stuff in to sell.  I wonder how much it will cost to rent a U-Haul.  I'm embarrassed at how much stuff I have and don't use.  I have 2 or 3 of everything.  I think it's PCD.  Polymer Clay Disease.  I also have ILBD.  It's I Love Beads Disease.  Am I alone?  Are there group therapy meetings for this?

Back to work, goodbye stamps, goodbye beads, goodbye 2 extra Marxit tools, I'm keeping the 5 pasta machines just in case. LOL

RUSH AND HURRY, WHY WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE?

Our city's spring craft fair is this Saturday and I've known that for months.  My beading club is going to have a big booth and we are allowed to put 10 items and 10 pair of earrings in.  There are 140 of us so space is limited.  My stuff had to be in Monday night and I finally finished everything at 5 p.m. Sunday night.  I finally got my muse and figured out what I wanted to do with my polymer clay pendants.  I did a Kumihimo rope for one and then decided I didn't like it so I took it apart and did a Herringbone.  I restrung a couple things 4 times.  Had one done and my husband the jewelry critic didn't like it so I redid it.

This was a large Natasha bead that I had.  Did this in silver with blue and green turquoise pieces.

This spiral was done with a leaf cane.  I made one a little larger and brought it to beading but it sold so fast I had to make another one.  This is a Kumihimo rope.

This is watch parts on polymer clay under resin.  The squares are called bead frames.  Our local bead store went out of business and they wouldn't tell me where they got these.  I really like them.  I have them in silver, gold and the darkened silver.  If you know where I can get them, I would appreciate it.

Last for now is my lady face necklace made from Stroppel cane and the cane I made in the Barbara Maguire face cane class.  I added black volcano beads and coral beads.  It's not symmetric for a change.

Last but not least here is Buster protecting all my silver findings.

MY DEAR TALENTED FRIEND

I've mentioned my BFF's in many blogs.  You've heard me talk about Rose, Judy and Evelyn.  All three do polymer clay and all three are talented beyond belief.

Today I have to tell you about Evelyn.  She was an art teacher in her other life before she retired and came to Arizona.  She taught in some tough places.  The last couple years has taken a toll on her eyes.  She's fighting macular degeneration and she's still young and vivacious.  Even though she can't see, she is still doing clay and making gorgeous jewelry and fun things for her new granddaughter.

Last month at our clay guild we had a cane exchange and Evelyn wasn't sure what to do since I talked her into it.  She started to stress so I had her come over and we played around with doing Kaleidoscope canes.  She made a beautiful cane that she put into the swap and I was shocked when I opened the package and found the cane that I had fallen in love with.  The colors were vibrant and they were colors that I don't know I would have put together.  She has a way with colors.

This is the original cane she did.  I've been on a rip doing spiral, lentil beads, big ones.  Last night I was looking through my canes and thought what a great bead that cane would make and it would have to be big in order to fully see the detail in the cane.  I just finished sanding and buffing this bead.

I can't wait till Evelyn sees it.

Front

Back

I hope they come up with a cure for macular degeneration soon.  There are too many people out there with talent like her's that we need to cherish and appreciate.

Thanks Evelyn.

MORE SPIRAL BEADS AND SPIDER CAT

Did you ever try to take a picture of a bead that was so shiny you couldn't even take a picture of it with no lights?  I had that problem with this one.  I have been on a roll with spiral beads lately and this one was done with the ends of a leaf cane that I did.  I showed this bead to some ladies and one of them picked it up and said "these are my colors and I want this bead".  SOLD IT.  The other spiral bead that I made with my friend's cane that I posted last week has also been sold.  A friend I worked with 20 years saw it on facebook and said she wanted that bead and I should put it on a necklace.  Got an amazing price for these beads, maybe I better start making more spiral beads.

SPIDER CAT

I told you my little Buster was a climber.  He's 6 months old now and he's always into something.  I had the door to the patio open on Saturday and I was cleaning the pantry.  I heard a noise and I turned around and there he was going up the screen door.  Yesterday he spent the day diving in and out of the waste baskets in my office trying to get the plastic strings that beads come on.

This is more fun than I can stand.  LOL

SPIRAL LENTIL BEADS

One thing I really like making are Spiral-Lentil beads.  I like them for focal beads on Kumihimo ropes and on chain necklaces.  A few weeks ago we had a polymer clay cane exchange at our guild.  One of the canes I received was so beautiful I was afraid to cut into it but I had made a spiral bead and didn't like the way it swirled so I covered it with pieces from this cane and I just love the way it turned out.  The cane is called "The Head Dress Cane".  It was made by my friend Pat at http://www.fishwifery.blogspot.com/, you can see her cane there.  I sanded and buffed this bead and now I have to make the necklace for it.

Once I start doing spiral beads it's hard to stop.  It's like making beads on the bead rollers.  Last week I did a demo at our beading club and made a double spliced cane.  Gave a lot of it away but still had enough to make a spiral bead.

I love these colors.  My problem now is whether I want to sell them or not.  I might have to keep them for me.  This might need a fancy Herringbone or Kumihimo.  What do you think?

I had some left over pieces from different things I was doing and made a pendant that I didn't like after it was baked but once I sanded and buffed it, I like it.  Now I have another decision, what do I hang it on?

Once again, I need to take better pictures but you get the idea.

I have another spiral I did but have to sand and buff it before I post it.

Can't blog without a picture of Buster.

Oh the joys of being a kitten mother.