LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW

An amazing thing happened here in Sun City West, Arizona today.  It SNOWED.  It lasted about 30 seconds but it snowed.  I've been here 8 years and I've seen hail but not snow.  I'm from Wisconsin so this was kind of fun.  It's colder here than it is in the midwest right now.  This is the cloud that dropped those 2000 pieces :0) of snow on us.

I love it especially after the 4 months of over 110 degrees this summer.  We were going to run out and buy a shovel but changed our minds.  I just played golf 2 days ago.  This is strange.

BEADS OF COURAGE BEARS

I decided that I'm not going to make any resolutions this year.  Every year it's the same old thing, lose weight, spend more time working out, eat less sugar and blah, blah, blah.

This year our Arizona Polymer Clay Guild is going to get more active with the organization called "Beads of Courage".  Please go to the website to read the entire story http://www.beadsofcourage.org/.  Children suffering with cancer and other serious diseases tell their story through their milestones with beads.  Every time they get an injection, have chemo, have a test, come back to the hospital, what ever the task is, they get a bead to make a necklace or chain of beads.  The last one we were shown was over 6 feet long.  I just can't imagine a child having to go through that.

Our guild has been donating polymer clay beads to this organization for many years.  This year we decided to make an even bigger effort to find out what they need and this is where my resolution or lack there of comes in.   We were told the kids love brightly colored beads, animal beads, girl beads, boy beads but pretty good size beads.  The beads have to have at least a 2 or 3 mm hole to fit on the cord or necklaces that they have.  Two years ago I donated 50 purple hearts.  I was told that when a child is done with their program, they were given a purple heart.  I don't know if that's still true but makes sense.  Anyway, I decided I was going to make 100 bears by the middle of January.  I started yesterday and I have 17 done.  I have a beautiful bear mold that I'm using and I'm putting Swarovski crystal flat backs in the eyes and I'm using powders and glitter to spruce them up.  I have 5 boxes of clay leftovers and wasn't sure what I was going to use them for, now I know.

These little guys are being coated to protect their glitter and powder.  The first orange bear got his nose crushed in and I didn't notice till after I baked him.  I'll just tell them he had Botox that went bad.  I've had a couple glitter explosions (and it's only the first day).  I ordered some new bear molds and some baseball bats, hat and ball molds for the boys.

Will let you know when I get the 100th one done.

Hope you have a Happy New Year and a Healthy 2011.

CHRISTMAS DOGS

OK, I had to put up the picture of Angel dressed for Christmas.  She is the little Yorkie that was roaming in the desert full of cactus and burrs and was brought to my friends.  SHE MUST BE THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL.

CHECK OUT THE RED NAIL POLISH.

This is the frame I made for my friends Joe and Dee.  This is Scooter.  They rescued him before he was about to be euthanized.  He is a great dog.  Well behaved and he smiles.

This was the polymer clay frame from hell.  It started out black and white and after baking it came out black and beige so I antiqued it.  I usually finish my frames by spraying them with PYMII but it rained here for 2 days and I couldn't do it outside so I had to cover this with Diamond Varathane.  Took forever to dry because it was so damp here.  We aren't use to that in Arizona.  About a month ago I bought the Walnut Hollow stamp set at Michaels.  I really like the way it works on clay.  As you can see by the frames I made, it makes printing in clay really clean.  Now if they would make more in different text sizes and fonts, it would be great.  Think I'll send them an email and find out if they can.

Hope you had a nice Christmas.  We sure did but I still have too much food left and my pants are getting tighter.  Must be that closet with the little shrinking elves in it. :0)

MERRY CAT CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS

The last 35 years we have shared our Christmas holiday's with at least one cat, sometimes two and this year is no different.  Last night my husband and I opened our fun gifts to each other and there was lots of paper.

He looks so mean but he's such a happy cat.  For those of you who don't follow the Booboo antics, he was 19 on Halloween.  I was unwrapping presents and I heard the noise and there he was.  He's in pretty good shape for 19.  He still plays with balls when he's not sleeping.  He sits outside the shower and waits for me and yells at me when I've been gone too long.  He doesn't like dogs and chased my friend Brenda's dog Otis under the bed last week.  He's never done that before.  Poor Otis was shaking when we finally got him out.  So, I had to make a gift for Brenda and Otis.  I really like doing these frames with polymer clay but I don't like painting and the wood on these frames is peculiar.

Another mean picture of Booboo. :0)

Tonight we are having 9 friends over for dinner, we are doing something out of the ordinary.  We are having shrimp, crab and pizza.  We bought three big pizza's from Papa Murphy's yesterday and that's what we are having for dinner along with the 10 kringles my husband's brothers sent us for Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and would someone please buy me some bigger pants?

NEW KID ARRIVED FOR CHRISTMAS - CHRISTMAS COWBOY FOR GRANDMA

As many of you know my friends lost a very lovable little dog by the name of Annie.  They got her last December and she died in April.  She was a little Yorkie.  She stole everyone's heart.  It took a long time for all of us to stop crying after she died.  She left a big hole in everyone's heart.

In July they adopted another dog by the name of Honey:

Honey is on the right, Beau her brother is in the front, he's 7.  Their friend Scooter is in the back.

Honey doesn't like tall men.  She bites my husband in the back of the ankle every time he turns his back on her.  She is getting better, now she just barks at him.

Last Saturday I got a call saying their groomer showed up at the house with a little gift that she found wondering around the desert.

They were sent an Angel.

Her eyes were all gunky and she was full of burrs and cactus.  Isn't she adorable?  She is so sweet and can run like crazy.  I can't imagine anyone throwing a baby like this out in the desert but it's happening a lot.  They think she's about 7 months old.  She sure has added a spark to everyone's life.  I'm going to steal her, hope the cat likes her.  They appropriately named her Angel.

GIFT EXCHANGE AT THE CLAY GUILD

Today the Arizona Polymer Clay Guild had it's Christmas party.  We had a great raffle and we exchanged gifts.  I made a picture frame and thought it would be a great idea to put a picture of a good looking guy in it.  I never dreamed that our oldest (83) member would get my gift.  I thought perhaps one of our funnier members would get it.

I was a little worried about what she would think but her daughter said she was going to give her a pair of thongs (not shoes) for Christmas.  I don't even want to think about that picture.  I told Grandma Dorothy this cowboy would be at her house at 6 o'clock tonight.  She yelled "woohoo".  I didn't expect that.

I think I'll keep the cowboy and let her have the frame.  LOL

NEW BOX, NEW PIN - MEASURE TWICE CUT ONCE

My friend Evelyn is a shopper and I'm glad she is.  For Christmas this year she made me a pin and wait till you see what it came in.

This box is so beautiful, I'm going to keep all my treasures in it.  The top is inlaid wood and is gorgeous.

This is my pin, she kind of looks like me but my hair isn't curly anymore.

She's really cute.

MEASURE TWICE CUT ONCE

If I hear one more man tell me that I'm going to cry.  Evelyn and I are doing frames for our families and friends for Christmas.  The frames don't come with glass.  It says on the frame paper that they are 4 X 6.  The first ones I did I bought some $3 dollar frames from Wal-Mart and took the glass out and used it.  Then I bought some frames from the 99 cent store but the glass was crappy.  We called around and found a guy at True Value that said he would cut 40 pieces of 4 x 6 glass for us for 60 cents a piece.  We were so excited.  Evelyn picked up the glass, I went over and got my half, took it home and it didn't fit.  Quarter inch on both sides.  I almost cried.  I called Evelyn, picked up her glass went back to True Value and this nice guy said he would recut it.  Two hours later I was back at True Value picking up the glass.  Two guys in the store over heard our conversation and said "Measure Twice, Cut Once".  Last night at dinner I was telling our friends about it, guess what the guys said??????  I could myself burning.  Did any of them offer to measure or see what we needed?  NO

The only one that didn't say anything about measuring twice was the nice guy at True Value.  I gave him a good tip and went on my way.

By the way, the True Value stores are selling these cool necklaces.

They are battery powered and they blink fast or slow or stay on permanently.  The little yellow pin blinks too.

I told my husband I wanted something bright and shiny for Christmas (I was thinking diamonds) he came home from True Value the other day with this for me and he was all excited that he found something "BRIGHT AND SHINY".  I guess I'm lucky I didn't get a new vacuum cleaner.