Polymer Clay Daily

I'm on Polymer Clay Daily...ok not really, but several of my canes made it! My clay friend Ponsawan made this beautiful mosaic wall piece and used some of my canes as pieces. (check out the little flower ones) Today's feature on PCD was her mosaic. Ponsawan is very talented and a very sweet person. Visit her blog to see more of her work.

Back to School

Yesterday I was invited to help with Ottumwa Christian School's art class. They have been doing some work with polymer clay for a couple weeks so I was invited as the local "expert". I showed the kids some of my work and then demonstrated making a simple cane. Then they dove in trying their hands at their own creations. I had a ton of fun and I hope they did too. I brought my camera with me but, as I have the tendency to do, I left it in my bag and didn't take any pictures. Lena (my 3yr old) also came along to teach the kids how to "play clay."

Canes

These are my latest 2 face canes. The one on the bottom is what I cut off after reducing. The rest of the cane looks a little less depressed. :)

Faces

After about a week of not touching my clay at all I have been working on a new project. I am making face canes of women from around the world. I've spent the past several days searching the internet for beautiful portraits of women wearing traditional ethnic clothing. Then I try to draw out how to adapt that face to a cane. It feels like a very long process but I just finished one last night. It is of a woman in Bangladesh. This is the picture I used for inspiration and also another inspiration picture I will hopefully be caning soon.

Bangladeshi girls

Hmong woman

A little side note, I found the picture of this Hmong woman on a website that just fascinated me. http://www.inspiringelements.com/pohw/index.html There are several portraits of Hmong women and excerpts of their life stories. When my husband and I were in college in Minnesota many of our friends were Hmong (we were even members of Hmong Student Fellowship:) Anyway, looking at all the pictures made me reminisce and miss my friends.

Hearts

These heart brooches were made following the instructions in the latest issue of Polymer Cafe. I don't usually do projects, it kind of seems like copycatting. But through it I learned how to cut a beveled edge and get a rounded edge on a flat piece. They were fun!

IPCA

Formerly the National polymer Clay Guild, now the International Polymer Clay Association, has announced that this years conference will be held in Chicago! Can I just say that I am so happy!!!! My husband's family lives a mere 25 mins from where the conference is being held. That means the whole family can come and we can have a bit of a summer vacation, complete with clay! Well, maybe. I'm still not certain of all the details and we will have to see if the timing works out for everyone but HOPEFULLY I will be able to go. Hooray!

I hate it...I love it....

SANDING.
For those of you that read my blog who are not familiar with polymer clay this posting will sound like the ramblings of a crazy woman who has been sniffing her clay. For everyone else I know you understand the paradox.

I hate sanding. It drives me crazy. It is SO time consuming. It turns my fingers into raisins. Sometimes it even makes my fingers bleed because I haven't noticed that in addition to sanding a bead I have been sanding my finger as well. All in all it is horrible! But...when I hold in my hands a perfectly sanded piece that has been buffed to perfection...ahhh sweet bliss. I LOVE IT! There is nothing better than touching the silky surface of a finely finished piece. (oooooo, alliteration, clay as poetry)
OK. so I know that I'm going a bit over the top but I just finished sanding and buffing a batch of brooches and I am enjoying the finished product.
Can I get an "AMEN!" from the clayers!!

Family Picture

Here is my family at our Christmas celebration.

My parents are in the center with my (tall) brothers and wife (left) and fiancee (right) and then the hubby, kids and me in front. Oh, and the cute fluffy one is Charlie.

Let there be LIGHT!

My parents got me a light box for Christmas so I have been experimenting with trying to get some better pics of my stuff. I still having a little trouble getting the light just how I want it but not a bad first try. I am now searching my house for good backgrounds!