A Day at the Pond...

What a perfect afternoon....
Sitting by a pond listening to the frogs and watching the dragonflies buzzing around. All kinds of green growing things and little buttercup flowers with dew drops on the leaves.
Let your imagination take you to the pond. It is a nice little break in the day.   :)

Shimmer

I love some of the "new" colors in Premo. Particularly the wasabi green and peacock pearl. I am almost out of this cane and I keep stretching it because I do not want to use it all up. It goes from large items to smaller items and then finally I use the last bits to cover pens. I love how you can keep adjusting the canes to each project so there is hardly any waste.
When I first started with polymer I had a scrap bucket that was gallon sized and full. Now I am scrounging for scrap clay and always running out. I guess  that means I am getting better at reducing canes and liking more of my designs.
Now if I just had more hours in the day. So much clay, so many colors, so much FUN !

"Little"Gem

I am recuperating from my rattle snake bite and was lucky to get this commissioned piece to work on for a client. She is going to use it as a latch on a bag. It was a great diversion from my sore leg and I am in LOVE with her. I was sent this HUGE gem that is so heavy and fits in the palm of your hand. It is gorgeous and I was a bit nervous about messing with it but I think the muse was with me and it turned out wonderful.
I will be keeping my eyes out for a "little" gem of my own.

New Mexico BITES!

I had a surreal and painful experience this week. I was bitten by a rattlesnake! I still cannot believe it happened. It was a baby which they tell me is the worst due to extra neuro-toxins in the venom and the babies cannot control the output of venom so they give it their all.
 It was scary but I got to the hospital in about 20 minutes after it happened and they were able to start giving me anti-venom immediately. You can see in the picture the purple and red splotches and the pen marks where the swelling was traveling. This is two days after and it had gone down quite a bit. It looked like I had a tennis ball under my skin on my foot.
I have never felt such pain with the exception of childbirth and I am sore all the way to the top of my leg. Pretty vicious for such a little creature. He only had one itty bitty rattle but man what a wicked little beast! We did kill it and took it to the ER with us so they could identify it.
2 days in the Intensive Care Unit and 11 vials of anti-venom but I am going to be fine. I do think I deserve some snake superpowers and I am waiting to see if any manifest. Lol. Until then, I am on crutches and as soon as I can walk I am going to buy me some Snake Boots!

My thanks go out to the wonderful nurses and Dr.'s at GCRMC in Alamogordo and to all of the folks at poison control. Also to my incredible neighbors who took us to the hospital and took care of my family while I was away. I am forever grateful and blessed to have all of  you.

Element of Surprise...

One of the reasons I love working with polymer clay is the element of surprise. I never plan out my canes. I just pick colors that I like and start putting them together. This is from a flower petal cane in pink that I made. I did not really like it so I added some other canes to it and this was the happy surprise.

School Days

My kiddos went back to school today. :(

I miss them but I do have time now to get busy and get ready for the Renaissance ArtsFaire.

I will be in Las Cruces, NM at the Faire on November 3rd and 4th. If you are in the area this is a fun festival and there are so many wonderful artists represented. Huzzah!

Mother Nature

Went out to water my sunflowers and this guy was hanging out on the hose. As much as he creeps me out I have to admit that it is a marvel of nature.
I really hate bugs and had a time trying to get a photo but WOW. The camouflage here is incredible!
He was incredibly fast too. My daughter gave him a little nudge with a real stick and he postured and high tailed it out of there. I will never look at a stick the same way. I will be waiting for them to sprout legs and run at me. I really need to get used the creepy crawlies here.



Summer...

It's summer and time to head to the beach!  Over the years I have been asked if I can make a mermaid and until now I never had an idea of how to go about it. Now that I believe my skills have caught up to that request I have just tried my first mermaid attempt. Or is that just a fish tail? You decide....

I found these wonderful little glass bubbles and love how they look. I will be having fun with them in the future.I got them here ...http://www.etsy.com/shop/OOAKFairyland
along with some new fun supplies for making fairy wings. My girls are going to try them out and see what they can come up with.
Enjoy your summer!

Welcome Fairies....

This is the most clever use of a Fairy Door ever...
I had a special request from a very nice and enthusiastic customer who wanted a door to match her new home. Her builder even got into the spirit of things and added a step just for the fairies. What a clever and fun way to invite the fairies in.
This beautiful home is Lewes, DE , where I hear is a busy hub of fairy activity. I do hope the local fairies find this inviting little porch and make some very magical moments for the new home owners.

Wonderland

Life is full of wonders...

Take time to enjoy them.

Revisiting the Panda

My girls were searching to buy Panda charms the other day and it got me thinking I would make a Panda Door. I made some Panda jewelry back in 2007 so it was fun to try it again after so many years.
I think he turned out pretty cute. I think I will try to do some pendants next and see if they look better than the 2007 models.

It is always fun to revisit things and see what I have learned along the way. It is like looking through my old painting portfolio. 

Befor and After

We had a DYI weekend and put in a new floor and paint for Lilly. Look at that happy face. Here are the before and after pics. She loves her "new" room.

New Tutorial

Look to the right under PAGES and you will see my tutorials. Click on the Valentine Heart tutorial link and it will direct you to a slideshow.( I hope). I am still trying to learn my way around the computer.

Favorites for fun...

Just for Fun....
One of my new favorites.