Tuesday, August 31, 2010

15th giveaway- an angel inside

In honor of 2 years and the angels I have met.
For the 15th giveaway, I am going to give away a steampunk unzipped heart with an angel inside.
Infinite Love and Gratitude.


What is in your heart?
This polymer clay heart is a Steampunk pendant that has watch parts, watch face, belt, heart, screws, gears, stars, and an angel with wing.
There are words stamped in the background.
The heart is 2 5/8" high and 1 11/16" wide and it is 5/8" thick at the thickest point.

It is made from high quality Cernit polymer clay.

There is a large copper ring in the top of the heart from which hangs a 36” piece of brown satin cord. It will hang about 16-17 inches. The cord is easily removable if you wish to add your own chain or cord.

It will come signed and dated on the back of the pendant.

Rules
1. Leave a word of wisdom for one entry.
Words of wisdom are my comments, so all you have to do is leave a comment. I am loving the words of wisdom people are leaving though, so feel free to do that. Check them out there are some good ones in there.
A phrase, a quote, or your own words to live by would be wonderful and they made my day this morning. Thank you!

To get more entries, leave a comment for each one.
This is for more entries, one for each thing done on the the list. You do not have to do any of these though.

2. Go to my Shop "Art from my Heart" in Etsy and leave a comment on this post only with the piece you like best.

3. Be a follower already or become one and leave a comment on this post only saying so.

4. Post about my giveaway in your blog and leave a comment on this post only with the link.

5. Place the angel in your side bar on your blog with a link and leave a comment on this post only.

6. Tell me about an angel in your life and leave a comment on this post only.



The giveaway will close on the 8th of September at 6 pm PDT.
Good luck.
Thank you so much for sharing your precious time with me in blogland.
I am honored by your visits.

Monday, August 30, 2010

A Milestone for me

On Saturday the 28th of august 2010 was small marker in my life.
I have been blogging for two years.
I used to say I would never blog. I think I should never say never.
I started this to promote my business and my art, but...
I have met so many talented, friendly, beautiful, giving, and wonderful people in blog land.
I have learned so much about myself.
I never thought I would last this long.
I have enjoyed writing, something I never thought I would enjoy...


Maybe I should never say never.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Extruder Checkerboard

The clay Extruder is one of my favorite tools.
So many things are possible with this tool.
Lots of people tell me all of the time "I can not cane".
You can, you just didn't have the right tool.
First step, stop telling yourself you can't.
Step two, find the right teacher.
Step three, find the right tool.
Step four, OPEN YOUR MIND!
Step five, have fun.

This is a way to fool everyone, even yourself.

All links below will lead to my husband's store, if you are looking for these products. Thank you so much for looking.
Thank you so much for supporting myself and my family.

Cernit polymer clay- black and white
Makin's professional clay extruder
Kemper Slicing Blades
1. Condition the white first , a half of package is enough. Get it nice and pliable.
2. Unscrew the handle until it is all the way out.
3. Roll a little log that is small enough in diameter to fit in the extruder barrel and fill it up. Place the square disk that comes with the extruder into the other end.
It is best to roll a log long enough to fill the barrel than to put in small logs to fill the barrel. The little logs will create air pockets.

4. Screw the handle back down slowly and at an even pace. Going slow helps the harder clays not shred on the edges of the square and other disk patterns. Extrude out all the white and then do the same thing with a half of package of black.






5. Press the two square coils together side by side. If using a smooshy clay do not smash together. Gently now.









6. Hold the ends of the square lengths and cut in the middle.









7. Lay one half right by the other half so it goes black, white, black, and then white.








8. Hold each of the ends again and fold gently in half so you can cut in equal halves again.








9. Flip one of the halves over so the pattern on one half is the opposite of the other.







10. Stack one half on the top of the other half.
Match up the lines of the squares as much as you can here.








11. Cut that stacked set in half.









12. Turn one half around 180 degrees horizontally and place on top of the other half. You can click on all the pictures to make them larger.









13. To make the checkerboard smaller press gently on each side of the 4 sides with your finger, one at a time.
Flip the cane from end to end and press on the 4 sides one at a time again.
Continue flip, press 4 sides, flip, press 4 sides, flip, press 4 sides... until it is smaller in size.





14. Ta-dah!!




15. You can also take one of the halves at this point and flip it end to end and place next to the other one.
This will multiply the pattern in one cane which makes it easier to apply to things in a row or border.










Slice off thin slices from the single checkerboard or the double with the clay slicing blade and add to your clay work. Or cut off slices and make beads out of them by piercing them with a needle or needle tool (bug sticker). Or cut off thin slices and bake and use in Encaustic painting, scrapbooking and collage.
OR??????

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Great giveaways

Theresa at Faeriemoon Creations is having a Giveaway!

Click the picture and it will take you there.
Hurry closes on August 27 th, 2010


Mother moon"s Eat Pray Love Giveaway


Click the picture and it will take you there.
Ends September 1st, 2010


Nydia at Bringing up Salamanders is having a Goddess giveaway.


Click on the picture and it will take you to the post!
Keys not included <]:)
Ends on the September 1st, 2010

Monday, August 23, 2010

Clay Day- Bottles of Hope


 08/21/10 was Clay Day with my polymer clay guild the San Diego Polymer Clay Guild.
We make Bottles of Hope for the Moore's Cancer Center at UCSD in San Diego.
We made 51 bottles yesterday for the center.
We took 54 bottles to the center on tuesday 08/17/10

Yay team! 
Bottles of Hope are bottles covered with clay and donated to the cancer centers and hospitals all over the world and given to people going through cancer. You can read about them at the link.

They are a pure gift of love and hope. The work, the clay, the bottles and the good intentions are completely given from each artists heart. They are never charged for.
It is one of my Guild outreach programs and we make a lot of them, gladly.
I am proud of us.
Marni's bottle


Linda's bottle
Sylvia's bottle

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Day of the dead kind of day

I made some new day of the dead earrings and listed them in my store.
This holiday is one of my favorites.
I adore making bright flowers and I adore making skulls, it is so perfect.



I also met a glass artist named Amy. 
She has some beautiful work and a shop at Etsy


Amy's glass is so richly beautiful and so well crafted it makes my heart sing.
Even the holes are smooth and clean, I love that.
Please stop by and take a look at her work. 
Nice Glass!!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

No, Donna you do not have to make another one, and more catch up

I am still having trouble with my back. My friend (sister like buddy) Meredith at MeredithArnold.wordpress.com (also comedian artist, tool junkie for people with bad hands, an amazing travel companion, artists in business advocate, and oh yea, Sharkie Sharks mom) suggested that I use ice for 15 minutes and then heat for 15 minutes.
A couple of times a day.
I had been trying both but not together in sequence. To my amazement, it is working, YAY!! Now that is a HUGE YAY!!! since I have been pretty much on my back for days. Hard to do when you have to chase a crazy and full of energy 17 month old around all day.

Not to mention that it does nothing for my I gotta make something all day long every day or go insane attitude on life. I have felt like a slovenly pig for days now.

Yesterday though, after one day with this regimen, I can move a little again and even type.

So if you have a back ache that feels like someone opened your back at the spine area and is rubbing aluminum wire (Think foil on teeth, yup, that is the feeling) over your spinal nerves and no matter what you do to get comfortable there is no position known to man that you can find to relax for more than a couple of seconds, you might want to try this.

Meredith, I love you and thank you.

It also gives me the chance to be able to connect with all of you again and even sit here and type something out. YAY Again!!! I have missed you all so much!
Able to even do a little shuffle like dance! Wooo whoooooooooo.
Life is incredibly good most of the time, isn't it?

UPDATE!!
I traded with Donna at So Dark, so cute a unzipped bat winged girl for an orphan.
I wanted it made out of polymer clay and she willingly obliged me.
Even though, she said she couldn't do it (HAHA!!)
I am thoroughly in love with my orphan and feel that I got the better end of this deal.
The texture and mottled look of the skin is wonderful and I adore the forlorn look on this girls face, Click on the picture for a larger view.
This is a pendant and she used my favorite colors, green, purple, and orange together.

Isn't she charming? Pretty darn good for some one that couldn't work with polymer clay, huh?
No, Donna you do not have to make another orphan (even though you should). I got mine. She is awesome and I LOVE her.
Donna also has a blog store on line. You want to see it, it is So Dark, So Donna Shop. Slightly macabre, slightly off center, and Oh so Donna!!

Thank you so much Donna for making my dreams come true!!

Also, I was lucky enough to win something from another wonderful blog buddy, Mother Moon.

I have traded with Mother Moon too! Her Jams and Jellies are unbelievable.
Homemade jams and jellies are something I have always wanted to do and learn.
I also enjoy them and love them, the taste is sooooo divine.
My grandmother used to do this and I love that time in my life, so it also brings warm fuzzies to my heart and mind. I would have taken a picture, lol, but those are long gone!

I love Mother Moon's wisdom too, she is an earth mother with a planet consciousness I admire deeply and would love to emulate more fully.

I received a sand dollar, and beach in a bottle with a beautiful box with beachy things on it.
So beautifully crafted with a thoughtful feeling to it also. This giveaway was celebrating her blog being a year old. Congratulations and I wish you many many more.
I am putting this next to my computer so I can go to the beach whenever I want and smell the salt air and feel the sand between my toes.

Thanks to all of you, my dear ones, in this week of unending back pain and crabby attitude that came with it. I smiled hard when these came in the mail and email.

Have a great weekend, my pretties, go out and get a little sun and see the beauty that surrounds you, feel the love that is in your hearts, and create something with no limits.
Play, dance, and hug yourself for me.
All is well, you are perfect.



 

Friday, August 13, 2010

Happy Birthday Silke

One of my favorite people is having a birthday party today.
It is Silke from Metamorphosis
Stop by and show this wonderful and talented woman the love on her Birthday.
Happy Birthday Silke.
Anne from El Milagro Studio, another one of my favorite and beautiful blog buddies put this whole thing together and if you want to see everyone on the list visit Anne.
This is a party!!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

14th giveaway winners

Sorry, not to be around at all and this taking so long but I have been flat on my back for 6 days.
Back is worthless, I am tired of laying around, but sqinting a lot, gritting teeth, and making moaning noises and it is too early for Halloween.

Yes, you heard that right.
There were so many people that I picked three. Thank you so much for all you did. I am so thankful and I adore all of you!!

For the Bee pendant

Barbara r-g

 you are the first out of the hat!!
Congrats!








CraftyMoose

You were the 2nd. Congrats!
If you would like to wait for a bee pendant, I would be more than happy to make you one.






Dede
You were 3rd. Congrats! If you would also like to wait for a bee pendant, I would be more than happy to make you one too!







Congratulations to all of you and welcome to all of my new followers. Thank you for your support and kindness all of the time. You are all indeed very special people.
I am so honored.