Financial Crisis

Doesn't anybody get it? We're having a financial crisis because large corporations have been sending American jobs overseas for years. Bring the jobs back home and we'll see our economic status start getting back to where it should be. Having the government bail out those who have decreased American jobs is not supporting our people.

Red Flower Tutorial

I love tutorials, especially in pictures. LOL

Sab creations shares a beautiful red flower creation which involves the ever famous skinner blend.

Bronzclay

Recently I came across the buzz over bronze clay, so I've been googling my little heart out to see what it's all about. At first you barely could find a thing but now that the PMC Conference is over it's popping up all over.

The beautiful piece you see here is created by Jeanette Landenwitch.


Bill Struve, the inventor, has his presentation online at the PMC Conference website which also has some more eye candy of items created by this amazing stuff.

I would love to start using this product but I don't have a kiln and my piggy bank is looking bulimic. LOL

Simon's Cat

I can soooo relate to this...LOL

Marina Lombardi

For the absolute longest time I've been scribbling notes on how I would like to incorporate a new look for clay and wire and how I would like to show a wire form with clay as the filling. Well, wouldn't you know, somebody already did it...and they are doing it absolutely beautifully.

Blogs of Interest

I've added a new list to my blog on the right hand side. I call it Blogs of Interest. These are blogs that I visit frequently because there are soooo many talented artists out there and I just love seeing all the great stuff they are creating.

Take a look. Enjoy...and happy claying

Fairy Houses

I love whimsical and fantasy. It keeps my inner child alive as well as my outer child...LOL Today I came across a wonderful artist who builds fairy houses from natural elements. These are the most amazing and his technique is almost simplistic.

Who is this wonderful artist? John Crawford. This marvelous man has been traveling a wonderful artistic path which includes puppetry, magical creatures, dinosaurs, muppets?, and so much more. And, of course, fairy houses.

Take a look around his website and let your imagination go...even for just a little while.

Bruno Torfs

I was cruising around this morning, checking other blogs, when I was blown away by a post at my friends site Needle and Clay. TeaRose, a very talented lady herself, was blogging about Bruno Torfs and his amazing sculptures. Needless to say I had to share and spread the word myself.

Bruno,who was born in South America and now resides in Australia, has a magnificent sculpture garden. He is a terracotta sculpturer, among many of his talents, who decided to create a garden and open it up to the public. He started with about fifteen life size sculptures which have grown to over a hundred and he still adds to the collection.

After viewing some of his works on a flicker site, I was ready to jump on a plane and move in...LOL Barring cost and timing I'll just have to view them on the web but I'd like to share that with you too! Take the tour!!

There is also a wonderful slide show on Flickr you'll enjoy.

Furr Babies

I just love pets but unfortunately over the years I've developed an allergy to my furr babies. Talk about unfair! A couple of years after bringing my most recent cats into the family, I saw a major increase in allergies so off to an allergist to find out the problem. To my surprise, one of my many reactions was to cats and dogs. I just couldn't believe that was even possible since I'd owned several over the years without any problem. Well, what to do? Keep them and live with it, of course. LOL

It's now been about 15 years with my furr babies. Recently I noticed our little girl, who was the runt of the litter, was looking more fragile than normal and started drinking a lot of water. Unfortunately, we have discovered she probably has renal failure other wise known as kidney failure.

Singing Button

I just love fun tutorials and things you can do with your children. Parole de pate's blog site has a lovely and fun project for a singing button. My goodness, that takes me way back. I remember making them from real buttons and seeing this tutorial using polymer clay just added another wonderful dimension.



The blog is in French but you can always use a translation site to get it in your language.

So go have fun! Make a fun toy...and if it's just for yourself...well, I won't tell because I think I'll make one just for me too!!!

Pass the Hat - CERF

Everyone has heard the expression "starving artist" and in the craft world it has been a common practice for artists to "pass the hat" for those who are going through difficult times.

In 1985 Carol Sedstrom Ross and Josh Simpson decided to tap into this generosity and founded CERF (Craft Emergency Relief Fund). Their mission? To strengthen and sustain the careers of craft artists across the United States. It is a non-profit, tax exempt organization and the only one of it's kind in the United States.

CERF also provides a voice in government and public policy as well as building alliances with other organizations in the effort to make awareness of the concerns of the craft community.

There are a couple of publications I would suggest you may be interested in. Cerfnews is produced twice a year and Cerfe-news is produced semi-monthy. If you are interested, please visit and sign up for more information at their sign up site.

Another man's trash is...

One of the online groups I belong to has been talking about Freecycle. Well, the curious cat that I am, I had to check it out. WOW! It's a site where "another man's trash is another man's treasure" and the treasures are free!!!



What a great concept! You sign up as a free member and then join a group in your area. You can list things you want or things you want to get rid of. Then someone who is interested contacts you and you just give it to them...free OR you get what you want...FREE! This is a great way to recycle and re-use those items you no longer want, need or are just tired of and someone else gets the joy of having it.

I love the concept but just a little word on your privacy and security. It would probably be wise not to give out your address or personal information and meet some place away from your home. Most people I believe are honest but it's always wise to be on the safe side.

Clutter and Taxes

I'm making good progress purging the clutter in my home. The bad part is that it has put my art on hold. I'm still brainstorming designs and writing them down...so I don't forget because I will if I don't document...but cleaning is "work". No wonder so many people find jobs. I could never make it as a cleaning lady especially since I have a tendency toward compulsive disorders. If I clean, I really clean. So I'm trying new approaches in order to take breaks. I also discovered that if I can't decide to throw or keep anything I take a break. If I don't I start making a "maybe" pile and I'm determined that's what caused some of this mess. LOL

Also after a little research I've discovered I really don't need "every" receipt on my personal expenditures unless I'm claiming them on my taxes, so my shredder is getting a work out. After all a lot of companies give you the option of paperless billing, hence, no paper. That'll clear a lot of space. I've been keeping every receipt for at least 7 years and it's no longer necessary. For some reason when I did bookkeeping for businesses, it was important to keep every receipt and it spilled over into my personal life. Took me long enough to realize it's not necessary to keep a receipt for a candy bar, etc unless you want to make reports how you spend your money. I'm rather frugal so what's the use.

I also discovered that if you just have a hobby it could be deductible on your taxes. There's a 2% of gross income rule and considerations you need to watch. For example, if you are conducting as a business do not try to deduct this as hobby expenses. You could make a real mess and who wants to be subject to an audit. Check out Publication 529 and 535 to see if it sounds right for you. Remember you can't be making a profit.

One other major advantage of clearing clutter is giving away to charity things you no longer use or need. All that information is in Publication 526 and if it's over $500 you may need to fill out a form. I use Turbo Tax and it has a calculator where you input the item and it tells you how much you can deduct. It's really handy.

Well, this clearing out clutter is proving to be more of a benefit than I thought but I sure do miss my art, so I'll just need to think positive. The more I clear out means the more supplies for my art I can buy....LOL

Happy creating!

HELP ME! I'm a pack rat.

Just a quick note about the last post. I know it's boring going to a blog that doesn't change up topics frequently but I thought that was a very important one for all artists.

Nuff said. Are you a pack rat? I sure am and it gets really bad sometimes.

I recycle but before I do I look at the item and try to decide to keep or recycle. The problem is everything I see can be re-used or re-created in some way. Then I put it on my kitchen table or in a sorted box. It sits there, taking up space, gathering dust waiting for inspiration. Well, I get the inspiration and then I get distracted so the piles begin to grow and grow and grow. I don't want to throw them out because I keep thinking I'm going to do something with it and once in a while I actually do. I still save more than I use and it's in multiples of the same thing.

The past few weeks I got an urge and started making some decisions about tossing or keeping. I found out that my kitchen table is more than just a holding pattern for my "stuff"...LOL There's this flat surface people eat on. A really unique idea...tee hee!

So I'm on a mission to either make something or let go and recycle.

Orphan Works- Urgent Attention

I'm quite distressed by a bill that's been in congress for quite some time. From what I have gathered it protects the infringer. In other words, if someone has "stolen" your item and they cannot find who originally created it there is no protection for the artist who created it unless they register with the copyright office and pay the fees imposed. Can you imagine every time you create a piece of art, a technique, a piece of jewelry, your photography, your graphics, etc. etc, you have no recourse if the person who stole your work can prove they diligently searched for the owner but could not find them and therefore have a right to sell whatever they want because the work is considered orphaned. Bah Humbug!

Oh, I'm probably not explaining this as well as I should but frustration tends to stifle the flow of thought. There are several petitions against the passing of this idiotic bill but it isn't getting the attention it really should be getting in the art world so that it can be squashed.

Most artists barely make a living and who can afford all those copyright fees? Arghhhh. Sorry, but this just bothers the heck out of me.

Please consider this petition and sign.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/protect-artists-rights

More info can be found at:
http://www.copyright.gov/orphan/

http://www.orphanworks.net/index.html

http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/

http://www.sellyourtvconceptnow.com/orphan.html

Monday Monday

I woke up thinking "it's Monday" and this song came to mind so I thought I would share. Have a great day!

Getting Started

When I discovered polymer clay, it was a medium I had never used. It looked very promising and I decided I wanted to try it out. Well, lazy me. I checked out some vendor sites and ordered a package with several colors. After all one color seemed boring. LOL

My package arrived quickly so like a kid I tore into it. I loved the colors and the feel of the clay. All of a sudden all kinds of "big" ideas popped up in my head but I didn't write them down. Needless to say I have no idea to this day what those ideas were. For all I know, they could have been really good...or bad. LOL

I really procrastinated picking up the clay and just doing it. I didn't want to waste it so I spent several days just thinking about it. Then I spent several days surfing the net, looking at what other artists had done and checking out the tutorials. Now I was at a total loss for inspiration so here I go to the book sites to see what I could find. Oh, I found some and then I ordered them.
More procrastination! LOL I finally got the books and spent quite a bit of time looking through them. I loved what I saw. I also noticed that many of the instructions were quite close to the ones I found on the web. I still didn't start. Really silly of me too because I didn't intend to buy it just to look at it. That is what I was doing though.

Finally I decided to just try it and see what happens. I pretty much prefer instant gratification so a large project was not in the cards. I wanted to see what this stuff does and I wanted to see now. LOL Well I took 3 colors, red, white and green...it was Christmas time. I played with them a while. That was called conditioning. I cleaned out one of my medicine bottles and started applying it just willy nilly.

So my first project was not a masterpiece but that was alright. I was starting to work with it and that was the whole point.




The bottle on the top left is my first project. After that I cleaned some more bottles and started playing with canes and techniques. I even moved on to making a pinch pot (upper right).

When I look back on those days, I wonder why it was so hard to get started. I do know I had a lot of negatives hitting me up side my head and I shouldn't have been listening to them. After all you can't have the experience if you don't do something about it.

Life gets that way sometimes. I shoulda, woulda, coulda but didn't. Many times I've gone through procrastinating about something only to realize it was much better just to do it. I did the same thing starting this blog. Why do some people do that? Well, now that it's in black and white staring me in the face, I'll just have to do something about it. More doing and less thinking about it.

Is there something you want to do but just spend time thinking about it? Well, now is the time to stop thinking and get doing.

Ethics

There is a lot of controversy in the art world concerning infringements and copyrights. It's nothing new, however, it is important to remain courteous and respectful of other artists' work. The National Polymer Clay Guild has a post called Rules to Live By and I think it's worth reading.

http://tinyurl.com/356g90

Spring

Oh, I just love Spring. I can open my windows and bring the outdoors in. This is a time when everything begins anew. Even my attitude is new.

Before our current calendar was in effect (1752), Spring was celebrated (Mar 25) as the beginning of a New Year. It makes perfect sense to me but then I'm sometimes too logical...but think about it. In Spring the plants start growing, trees start turning green, and the animals begin having fur babies (LOL), just to name a few events. All these new happenings, so doesn't it make sense...NEW YEAR.

What happened? Well, the human element. Pre-Julian Rome calculations were 355 days and 6 hours broken into 12 months. Every two or three years, between February and March, the calendar would be adjusted 22 or 23 days. This was calculated to follow the seasons and the lunar phases. Managed correctly this all aligned with the solar year or Tropical year. Since this practice was not cared for when Caesar ruled, he eventually declared a reform and added 67 days to the calender. Funny thing but the last years before the reform were known as the "years of confusion" and 45 B.C. was known as the "last year of confusion".

Finally in 46 B.C. the new Julian calendar was in effect. It was more simplified and was to be as close as possible to the Tropical year without human intervention. Well, somebody got the algorithms wrong for leap year and it was happening every 3 years instead of 4 years. And here we go again...the calendar gets messed up but nothing was done for about 36 years.

Can you imagine how this kept making people confused? I'm crazy just telling it. LOL

Well, Augustus realigns everything in about 8 B.C. After that there were several proposals to recalculate things but it appears all were just theory, especially about the leap years. Now not everyone followed the Roman calendar and not everyone had the same New Year. Rome was January 1. I believe this was mainly due to when two consuls took office around 153 B.C. and Caesar never changed it. In other parts of the world the Alexandrian calendar began the New Year August 29 or 30 depending on the leap year. Those I call the Wise Ones were still using Mar 25 or Spring. In still other areas it was Sep 1 which is still used as the liturgical year for the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Now we speed ahead to 1582 when another miscalculation on leap days was no longer tolerated and Pope Gregory XIII promulgated the Gregorian calendar. Most Catholic countries adopted it and gradually the Protestants followed. Then Eastern Europe and some others. It wasn't until 1752 that Britain and US adopted the practice followed by more countries such as Russia. However, there are still some who still use the Julian calendar and some who celebrate New Year on a totally different day for various reasons.

So what is all this leading to. Just my opinion which is I think Spring is the New Year when all becomes new. It's the cycle of life and death. No matter how many calculations are contrived and how many calendars are imposed a new cycle of life begins and I'd like to think it is the New Year for Mother Earth.

Well, having gotten that out of my system I'm embarking on putting together bits and pieces of my short polymer clay journey so far. Eventually I'll catch up with myself and be up to date but in the mean time, I'll have some record of my travels so far. Oh, and I'll be putting up some pics too.

Wandering Mind - Blogging

For quite some time I've been wondering what to write on my blog and procrastinating the eventual commitment. Now that I've been following some other blogs, I don't feel as uncomfortable. I had it in my mind that I would be committed to publishing some daily masterpiece, laboring over the content, stressing because I can't think of anything to say and be too disoriented to work on my art. I was very wrong...slap me in the forehead or can I only do that if I should have had a V8? LOL

Amazingly enough, bloggers range from posting an occasional snippet to very professional publications. I fall somewhere in between, leaning much closer to the former at this point. Why is that, you may ask? Or maybe you didn't but it's my blog so I'm going to write what's on my mind.

Blogs are another way of communicating and you can put into it whatever and whenever you want. One day it may just be a ramble and then the next it's something profound but it's always something you are interested in. IMHO your blog is for you. It's an avenue to express yourself, maybe think out loud, learn something, remember something or let your mind wander. Which is something I do very easily. I've always wondered if I have an attention problem. Sometimes my brain just jumps from one thing to another. Well, like it's doing right now.

There are so many things you can do with your own blog. You can keep track of a new path you are on, like a diary or maybe you found something that you think others would like also. With all those spiders crawling around the internet there is going to be someone who is interested in what you have to say...even if it's only you. After all if you are pleased by what you have written, then it's time well spent.

Now I just have to listen to my own advice. LOL

Welcome

Every day is a brand new day in which we have a choice. My choice is to follow a dream and although there may be challanges, there will be new experiences. The road we choose to follow is an adventure and I'm going on safari! I may not always update this site as well as others who publish their information but that's probably because I'm experiencing something new and exciting or it could be I'm just in my studio creating a new art piece.So welcome to my little piece of the internet. I hope we'll enjoy the trip together.