Home Show

I'm toying with the idea of doing some home/open house type shows. I want to start selling some of my stuff but I don't really want to go to the work and expense of art and craft shows yet. So I think I'm going to try doing this type of thing starting sometime after the new year. That should give me enough time to figure out a few of the details and get an idea for displays. I'm going to ask my mom to host the first one with her friends because I have this problem with trying to sell to my own friends. I feel like my friends would buy stuff out of guilt rather than really liking something. I know that is probably just silly, but I think I need a little more confidence in my work before this feeling that I am somehow manipulating them will go away. Strangers won't feel bad telling me no.

Beads and Thoughts

OK, not the greatest pictures in the world but you get the idea. So here's what I've been thinking; I really like making floral canes, but I feel like typical floral beads aren't my style. I think I make them well enough but I think I'm more leaning towards the black and white set. But those still seem like they are missing something. Well these are my thoughts and those are my beads. :)

Roses Roses Everywhere!

I made a few new rose canes the other day. I really like the way they turned out. I've already put them up on Etsy along with some other newer canes.

Color Wonder

I have recently discovered Crayola's Color Wonder markers and finger paints. They are a clear "paint" or marker that only shows on special paper. So my two year old can color off the side of the paper (or couch for that matter) and I don't have to clean up her lovely art work from where it shouldn't be. Such a wonderful invention! I'm fascinated by color and this has naturally led me to Maggie Maggio's blog "Smashing Color". She is what I would call the color guru particularly of the polymer clay world but also in other artistic fields as well. Anyway, I was looking through her gallery of works and I saw her lovely watercolor beads...jaw droppingly beautiful I must say. Well I had to try to make some of my own. I'm not entirely sure of her technique but I made my best guess and came up with some beads that I am very happy with. They definitely aren't as good as hers but I'll take them! I'm still struggling with finding my "thing". I don't know if that makes sense but I want to find my style, my voice in my work if you will. I want to be able to make a piece and when it is all said and done someone could look at it and say "That is Keila Hernandez's work". Right now I've been doing a lot of imitation and experimenting but I haven't gotten there yet. I don't know how long it takes for an artist to find their voice but I hope it happens soon. Well here are the latest pictures of my stuff. Maggie style beads and an experiment with metal leaf, liquid clay and a heat gun. (very fun by the way!)

Tragic Loss

No, no one has died, however I have suffered a great loss. In my husband's good intentions of making our computer a happier machine by reformatting it, he failed to double check that my pictures were entirely backed up. Therefore, I have LOST nearly all of my pictures from the past 8 months. This includes not only all my recent clay work but even worse the pictures of my kids. I am a excessive picture taker, I want to savor every moment and (eventually) put all my picture in a scrapbook. Like most scrappers I am about a year behind in my books so I hadn't even printed any pictures except for some from March... I suppose life goes on but I am just about in tears about having next to no pictures of my 9 month old son.

This was all a few days ago and to lift my spirits I just finished the biggest cane I have ever made. It had so many components (and a lot of translucent) that it just kept growing and growing. By the time I was ready to reduce it it weighed 1.5 pounds! I know a lot of people make canes a lot bigger than that but most of mine are just a few ounces. I was almost afraid to slice it after I reduced because I was so scarred that it would be terrible and I would have wasted all that time (nearly 4 days) and clay. But when I cut it open my fears were relieved and I think that it turned out pretty good. Let me know what you all think.

In Progress

Here are some pictures of the things I'm working on right now. I was visiting Donna Kato's site the other day and I was admiring her translucent cane work so I decided to try a bit of my own. These colorful beads are what I ended up with. I still have to sand and buff them but I couldn't wait to take some pictures.

The next 2 pictures are the results of my new clay extruder! I was at Hobby Lobby and I couldn't resist getting one. Even better was when the lady in the checkout behind me gave me a 40% off coupon! What a deal! So I've been having a lot of fun making extruded canes in several colors. I also picked up a cabochon mold so I've been trying that out too. I'm not really sure what to do with them yet but I'm sure something will come to me!

Finally, I made these little ladies from a tutorial in Polymercafe. They are about 1 inch tall and they have a hole through the shoulder to make them beads. Kinda fun but a little time consuming.

Links I Love

Here are some of my favorite most visited sites and blogs for you to enjoy.

www.polymerclaydaily.com
www.etsy.com
www.catherienarts.com
http://www.npcg.org
www.polymerclaycentral.com
www.silastones.blogspot.com
www.claychicks.com

Leaves

I am growing a forest! I ran out of leaf canes the other day so I set to work making some new ones. I'm loving the new technique I learned from C.A. Therien with the stem piece in the center.



These canes are now up on my etsy shop too!! http://www.khernandez.etsy.com/

Latest Etsy

I had a good cane making day today and I posted some new ones on my Etsy. Go take a look!! khernandez.etsy.com

Keep checking back, I'm going to be working hard making canes all week!

Art Festival

This Saturday was my first experience with selling at an art show. My friend Bethany who uses my beads in her jewelry designs had a booth at the Indian Hills Art Festival here in Ottumwa. It was an outdoor show with about 25 vendors selling their art; some jewelry, pottery, paintings, photography and a handful of other things. It was a lot of fun even though the temperature was pushing the upper 90's. I'm super excited too because a pair of earrings with a set of my floral beads won the Regional Business Award for fine arts! How cool! I was told that jewelry never wins so that makes it even better. Bethany graciously let me keep the ribbon so I have a new big blue ribbon hanging over my clay table! I would put a picture up but I left my camera in one of the jewelry boxes that my friend has with her. oops. I'll post them as soon as I get my camera back.

One more blog about Bead and Button

Ok one final blog about my wonderful time at the Bead and Button show and then I can move on with life. I just wanted to share some of my pictures from the week.

There are my cute little beads on display next to Jana Roberts Benzon's bead set! wow!

This is a close up shot of my set.

This is the full case that they were in. There were several cases displaying all the wonderful beads and beaded creations from all over the world.

This was the class I took with C.A. Therein on cane making. Ponsawan Silas was our assistant for the day. She is such a enjoyable lady.

Finally, this bewildered lady with a dopey look on her face is me doing an impromptu demo at the National Polymer Clay Guild's booth. See the sign...I'm not making this up!

At Bead and Button

You will never guess what happened to me today! First my day started by taking a wonderful class with C.A. Therien. We then took a break for lunch and I got to show her some of my pieces. She gave me some wonderful advice and then we returned to finish our class. This evening I went down to the show floor to do a little looking and buy a few things I had been wanting. I stopped at C.A.T.'s booth and she took me around to meet some other polymer clay people and such. We stopped at the National Polymer Clay Guild's booth and I was volunteered to do a demo on the spot! Way out of my comfort zone but I did it and it was great! What a day! I'm so pumped I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight. I never did even get to buy the things I was planning on getting, maybe tomorrow! I have just been overwhelmed with the generosity of the people of the polymer clay community. If any of you that I met this week read this, thank you so much.

Bead and Button

In a few hours I shall be on my way to the Bead and Button show. Yikes! I'm not even packed yet, I need to clean my pasta machine, collect my beads that I want to take with me, so much to do so little time! Here's a couple more pictures before I go. This first one is an earring bracelet set that my friend Bethany made with my lavender and cream swirl beads. I like the way she paired them with the faux ivory beads.

This picture is two jungle bracelets, kinda fun!

I will have a laptop with me and hopefully I will have Internet access so I can post some pictures while I'm at the show!

For the Love of Clay

Ahh my first post! What to say, where to start? Well, welcome to my blog! My goal is to keep anyone interested in what I do up do date. Right now I'm preparing to attend my first ever Bead and Button show!!!! I'm so excited! I entered a couple of my bead sets and one of them was accepted. I'm also going to be taking a class from C.A. Therien on cane making. I already make canes, but I figure the more I can learn the better, besides, I've never taken a polymer clay class before and I really admire C.A.T.'s work.

I'm also getting a collection of beads ready for a local art show June 16th. I make the beads and my good friend Bethany Goodman puts them together with lovely crystals and makes stunning jewelry. Check out her stuff at http://www.lotusanddragonfly.com lots of fun stuff.

Don't forget to also check out my canes, pendants, covered eggs, and other cool stuff in my Etsy shop www.khernandez.etsy.com

Ok, well lets see if I can figure out how to post a picture!

This is one of my latest pendant designs. It is a half lentil so even though it's large it is light weight. If you love it I have it in my Etsy shop!