WHO LET THE DOGS OUT? CHRISTI FRIESEN DID

I got my new Christi Friesen book today about DOGS.

It's a great book and I read it from cover to cover today.

Well, Christi is having a contest on her facebook page.  If you put up a selfie with her Dog Book, you have an opportunity to win Spike the lump mutt.  I don't do selfies.  I do take a lot of pictures of Buster though so I opened the book and called him.  He came running and stood by the book so I could take his picture.  He can be a ham sometimes.

He doesn't like real dogs but he likes this book and Christi said it was OK to put his picture up with the book.

Speaking of dogs.  I got a new sewing machine so the first thing I did was make bandanas for Beau and Champ.

Beau

Champ

My husband laughed and wanted to know if that's why I bought the new machine so I could make dog bandanas.  Absolutely.

I walk these two every morning for a friend of mine.  This morning we had a scare and my blood pressure shot up.  We were a block from her house and there were 3 coyotes walking up the street toward us.  I grabbed them and we hid in the bushes but they saw me.  One came walking toward us and the dogs started barking like crazy at it and it ran away.  Then another one came and they did the same thing and he ran away.  Champ thinks he is a German Shepherd.  They have no fear.  I had to go home and change my underwear.  When I see them in packs I get scared.  I wear a whistle just in case but I didn't need it today.  That little guy would be no match for a coyote.  Now I have to make more bandanas for my niece and nephew's dogs so says my sister.

MISSING IN ACTION

It's been a while since I posted my last blog.  For 3 weeks I felt like my world was on a roller coaster and I couldn't get off.  The roller coaster is still going but not quite as fast.

You all know I'm an animal lover and can't say no when someone asks me to help or donate to an animal organization or a charitable fund for animals.

Two weeks ago there was a benefit to raise money for a lady who rescues small animals.  I told her I would donate some of my handmade items for her silent auction.  I had a deadline and almost didn't make it because of these dam migraines that I get.  I finished the 12 items 2 days before the benefit and the night of the benefit I found out that I was the only one that donated anything.  The whole benefit was not organized very well and I think I've been had but I guess I just learned another lesson.  I also bought $100 worth of tickets and gave them to friends so there would be more people there.  I was told there would be 200 people there and I think there were 50.  I was also told they would be serving wine and beer and told all my friends.  There was none.  My neighbor and I each made 125 cupcakes for the event.  I was going to take the leftovers to a class I was going to the next day and when I went up to get them, they had been packed away by other people who said they were going to be selling them at a luncheon the next day.
So what would you have done?  I just stood there with my mouth open.

Anyway, here are some of the pieces that I donated and I'm glad my neighbors and friends got most of them.

This is a black and white polymer clay cross with a Kumihimo beaded key chain.

Black and white polymer clay cat pendant.

Polymer Clay bead on blue and green turquoise.

Pink and clear crystal stretch bracelet.

Polymer clay cat on silver chain with Swarovski eyes.

Puppy pendant on ribbon.

Polymer clay pendant with an angel cat and a Kumihimo necklace.

These are just a few of the things I donated and I know the person that the benefit was for has done an incredible job of rescuing small animals and I applaud her for the work she's done but next time I will check with the organizers before I spend two weeks going crazy.  

The next day I took a polymer clay class with Sarah Shriver and had to have all my clay conditioned so that was another thing riding the roller coaster with me.  This was a very good class.

Sarah is a wonderful teacher, now I have to spend time putting my canes together.

I was hoping life would calm down a little but it hasn't.  I still walk my friends dogs every morning, I bowl twice a week, golf twice a week, teach beading and Kumihimo and now I'm getting shots to see if they will help with the migraines.  I had two yesterday.  Maybe I should drink more wine. LOL

This is Honey, Beau and Champ on the bottom.  These three have kept me sane, moving and feeling better.  I am now the #1 dog pooper scooper in the neighborhood and wouldn't trade it for a $1,000,000.

Can't forget Buster.  This is the look he gave me when I tried to put his Halloween neck piece on.

OK, I'M DONE WHINING.  

Next time you volunteer for something, check it out big time to make sure there's more than one person organizing and planning an event.

I forgot to mention that at the same time, my sister's mother in law was turning 100 and they were having a big birthday party for her.  She lost the bracelet I had made her 3 years ago and was all upset so I had to make two more and get them in the mail in time for her party.

I guess I wasn't done whining.

INITIAL CANE AND A HARNESS

I'm sure that title sounds funny to you but you'll see why I put that there.

My last blog was about my friend Michele coming over and showing us how to do an initial cane.  I've decided I don't really like mine and I think it's because it was black and white.  It's too stark.  I should have gone with Evelyn and Carol's idea to do an ecru and black one.

This is a pendant I made that I really like even though the picture isn't so great.  It's a triple layer pendant and has buildings on it.  It was a new  Mayco stamp that I got.  I did some little additions to it like the cross hatch on the top.  It's been sanded 4 times.  I antiqued it with burnt umber and it didn't pop so I used gold and I like it a lot.  I made the pendant baked and sanded it.  Put the paint on it, baked and sanded it again.  And then,

I did the back with my initial cane and a bail.  See, you are saying the initial cane stinks.  Well, I should have made the initials thicker too.  I must not have been listening.  But, I baked and sanded and buffed it again.  It's solid.

This is an owl pendant that I did that I really like and it's going to get crystal eyes very soon.  Again, the initial cane is not to my liking but I was planning on keeping this for me anyway.  This one has been baked, sanded and buffed 3 times also.  The bails on these are something I learned from Michele and she is going to be putting out an incredible tutorial on Etsy.  I'll let you know when it's ready.

You know I walk my friends dogs everyday.  This is Beau.  He is 10 years old and he's an incredible dog.  We always put a harness on the two little ones when I walk them and I mentioned that I thought Beau should have one too.  I thought it would be easier on his neck.  He's had this for two days and now he struts like a king and his neck doesn't pull.  Both of us are happy campers.  You know I'm a cat person but I've been walking these 3 dogs for 8 weeks and I'm learning a lot about dogs and dog people.  If you have a dog, put a harness on them when you go walking.  Don't attach the leash right to their collar.  Isn't he handsome?

These are Kumihimo bracelets I made to take home for the family.  I'm going to Chicago for two weeks so I won't be blogging for a while.  I'm looking forward to the cool weather.  I've had enough summer.

POLYMER CLAY AND KUMIHIMO

I need to dust and vacuum and wash floors and clean my office and iron.  It's raining here in Arizona so I think that's a sign that says I should do polymer clay or Kumihimo and let all that other stuff wait till it stops raining.  LOL

A friend of mine from home has a niece who has a severe brain problem and had to have surgery.  They are going to have a benefit for her to raise money to help with the expenses.  I made some Kumihimo bracelets and some polymer items for them to use in the raffle.  The blue and white pendant was a polymer cabochon that I beaded around and did a Kumihimo necklace.

I sent 5 of the red, white and blue bracelets, my friends are very patriotic.

My girl friends birthday was yesterday.  She is the mom of the three dogs that I walk every day.  I made her a purse table holder and made a box with Champ's picture on the top.  I want to steal him but Buster doesn't care too much for him.

I just finished this and put it in my Etsy shop.  The polymer pendant is made from the braided cane I did a few weeks ago.  It's a purse bling/key chain.  The Kumihimo beaded part was done with Megatamas, drops and seed beads.

I think I better iron or my sweetie will run out of shirts.