POLYMER CLAY AND FRIENDS

Was there a life before polymer clay?  I still have friends that I stay in touch with that I went to high school with and friends that I worked with but I realized this morning that most of my close friends are ones that I've met because of our shared passion for polymer clay.  When I joined the Arizona Polymer Clay Guild I made friends that I absolutely cherish.  When I started teaching polymer clay at our beading club I made friends who are part of my daily life and I cherish all of them.  If it weren't for polymer clay, I wonder what I would be doing and who I would be hanging out with.  So, I'll tell you where this is leading.  About 6 months ago a woman joined out guild and we hit it off right from the get-go.  She is one of the most talented clay artists I've ever met and I just love her colors and unique things that she makes.  The fact that she has an incredible sense of humor is also what brought us together.  We have been supporting each other through some tough times the last couple months and she decided she needed to cheer me up and let me know how much she really cares.

These are the presents I got from her Saturday.  The thing in the middle is a card with a picture of a cat in a bag.  I've been laughing non stop every time I look at it.  I'm sure that's Buster's twin.  Check out the gorgeous pendants and the bead she made.  The bead was made from pieces of cane that she got from me in our cane swap.  I'm trying to figure out how I can wear all three at the same time.

 

She also gave me this incredible texture sheet.  You know there are going to be a lot of cat things made with this.  LOL

 

Please check out Michele's Etsy shop if you want to see some beautiful pieces.

 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MichelesArtJewelry

 

Thanks again my dear Michele.  That card is sitting on my desk and it makes me smile non-stop.

 

A DAY AT THE BEACH WITH MY BEADS

Yesterday I was looking for some clay to condition for our clay guild meeting this weekend and I found a package of colored sand that had never been opened.  SURPRISE.  I look for one thing and find others and never find the things I'm looking for and Evelyn isn't here for me to blame.  LOL.

I found the sand and I found a pile of translucent clay and decided I would dust and iron some other time.

I have about 8 colors of this Scenic Sand and it says it's color safe and doesn't bleed and yadda, yadda, yadda.  They didn't lie.  I made little piles of sand filled translucent clay, I spilled some of the red sand in Booboo's bed so I had to stop and clean that up.  I made some beads, baked them, put them in the tumbler for 4 hours and buffed each and every one of those little suckers.  Here is what I made and I have to say, I think this would be perfect for a day at the beach in Jupiter, Florida.

The beads on the earrings don't match but most days I don't even know if I'm wearing shoes that match so this works for me.

CINDY LIETZ NECKLACE

Cindy Lietz http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/ does wonderful tutorials every week.  I had some clay leftover so I incorporated two of her tutorials.  One is the Leopard Cane and the other one is The Rocker Bead.  Please go to Cindy's website and join all of us Cindy followers so you can see the amazing videos that she does every Friday.  The cost is really minimal and whether you are an experienced clayer or a newbie, her tutorials will teach you the art of polymer clay.  There is no where else on the web that you can get this amount of information and be able to see someone actually do these things.  She is the inspiration for the necklace I made tonight.

I have more of the Leopard Cane beads in the rock tumbler that I will be buffing and trying to decide what to do with them.   I love these beads, they are so unique and I can't wait to try the Leopard Cane with different colors.

Thanks for visiting.  Time to take the cat and go to bed.  Big day at the Arizona Clay Guild tomorrow.  Next week is 4 days of claying in Prescott.  Besides spending time with one of my favorite friends Judy, 24 other clayers will be there.  This year we have a man so we all have to be on our best behavior.  Wonder if he understands "HOT FLASHES"?