Artist of the Week!

Today we have a fabulous fabric artist. Jen Eskridge of http://www.reannalilydesigns.com/ Jen makes adorable outfits, fantastic bags and gorgeous quilts.

1. What brought you into your chosen craft or art?
I started sewing when I was about 8-9 and started quilting my senior year of high school. There was something very theraputic about working with fabric and creating. It led me to abandon my college major (environmental engineering) and pursue a degree in Apparel Design. My parents weren't thrilled, but it turned out well 10 years later.

2. Do you have a favorite piece that you have created?

My favorite tool is the Seamingly Accurate Seam Guide. It has so many functional uses for all levels of sewing. My favorite design is the Army Cube purse. Its got a different kind of shape, it holds TONS and its very well received by my customers. Along with commission sewing work, I have a line of quilt patterns and my favorite pattern is the Floating Bubbles Quilt. The design is not traditional, yet is easy to make using very traditional methods.

3. What would you tell someone who would like to venture into creating?

For someone wanting to create & create for money- I'd tell them to be prepared to hear the word "No". For every YES you'll get about 20 "No". And although, it is discouraging at first - please keep creating. It only takes that one YES to get you to where you need to be. Be confident and move forward. Secondly, I had an art professor in college tell me that you should never feel self-concious or on-the-fence about your work. You should be confident. If you don't love your creative work, no one else will. Pretty smart guy.

Thanks to Jen for being Artist of the Week! Be sure to visit her shop and also check out her blog.
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Artist of the Week will be taking a week off, next week. We will be on vacation, but be sure to check back April 14th to see who the next featured Artist is!

Make Mine Mini!

Mini dragons that is! I decided I wanted to see if I could possibly make my KW-style dragons smaller. So instead of my normal 6-10 ounces of clay I set out with simply 3! It was nerve wracking for sure, and honestly gotta say I'm glad I no longer have my acrylic nails!!! This little blue guy is about a third the size of my earlier dragons. I used Swarovski rhinestones for the eyes rather than beads. I forgot to put wing holes in, but I can easily drill them in later. So whatdya think?

Easter Eggs

These eggs (there are 2 pics each for the 2 eggs I made) were made using a tutorial from PolyClayPlay, They are loads of fun, and I can definitely see this techinique being used in many different ways! i would love to do more, but sadly not enough time before this Easter. But there will definitely be some for next year!!! (oh yeah and can you jsut see the Christmas ornaments that this technique will make!!!! I can!!!)

Meet Lelah!

Lelah is a little over 2 weeks old, but her wings just finished drying and she is ready to fly...or well she would be if she wasn't so tired! This little gal just can't seem to wake up. I sewed her a little golden pillow to rest on. She was very grateful for it too.

3/26/09

Here it is Thursday already. My how time does fly. Today spent painting...nothing fun like pictures, but a big meeting room in a cheery buttery pale yellow. My friend and I got 3/4s of the room painted. I gotta head to bed early tonight, as we are meeting tomorrow at 9 to finish the job. Urgh, I am so not a morning person, so I will most likely be stopping for some java before hand. I don't drink much coffee, but like it when I have something I need to do in the mornings. Thankfully we should be done by lunch time. Hopefully I can get some more sculpting done. I have some Easter things I need to get up on my store...um like NOW. LOL Last night I made 2 filigree Easter eggs following the tutorial from www.polyclayplay.com I made one open work...which btw happens during a 'magic' step! ;-) And the other is a solid one. I will take pics tomorrow and share. I had hoped to make more, but well as close as we are to Easter and knowing full well that I will be on vacation the week prior, well it seems kinda pointless. Oh well there are plenty of other holidays coming.
Oooh and it looks like I will be doing a 2-day craft show in May. So I am very excited about that. But man oh man I need to get busy. Hopefully I can start making a dragon or several smaller pieces a day from now till the begining of May. (except for my weeek at Disney!) Hopefully that'll go well!
Well I think I'm off to go soak in the tub. So y'all have a good night. Talk to you all tomorrow.
Deborah

Middle of the Week Already!

Can you believe it? Maybe it's just me but time really seems to be flying. Today I actually got some crafting done in between loads of Laundry. I have had a dragon waiting for wings for over a week now. I finally got her wire 'framework' done, as well as painted the fabric for her wings. So tomorrow I'll do the next steps and hopefully by Friday she will have wings and be ready for her debut. After that I made a couple of 'filigree' easter eggs. One needs to be baked tomorrow but the other is done...well almost. I am in the process of making it a hollow 'openwork' egg...and it'll take a couple days for the magic to happen.
I'll do some more claying tomorrow morning, but tomorrow afternoon I'd be painting. Nothing fancy, we are painting one of the meeting rooms at my husbands unit. But when I get home it'll be back to the clay...I want to make some more Easter eggs. Oh and I have a couple custom pieces I need to make for a friend.
Well it's late so I'm off for now, until tomorrow.
Bye,
Deborah

ARTIST of the WEEK!

Today's artist of the week is actually a chef! I hope you enjoy learning a little about Nicole of Nicole's Homemade Treats on etsy.
1. What brought you into your chosen craft or art?
I have been baking, cooking and making candy since I was a child. My Nonnas (grandmothers)taught me everything they knew and I enjoyed every minute I spent with them. On any given day we would make homemade pasta, bread or candy: the aromas that filled the house were enough to make you salivate!

To this day I try to make as many things from scratch as I can. I find that even when my days are hectic and I don't feel that I can do anything else, just making a simple batch of cookies relaxes me and brings back all the wonderful memories I have of my Nonnas.

All my family and friends are constantly trying to get me to open my own cafe/bakery, but I don't feel that it is a good idea, especially since I have young kids. Selling my "treats" to local restaurants/stores and having my Etsy shop are perfect for me at the present time.

I have the best of both worlds, I am a stay-at-home mom who is able to make goodies to share with others!

2. Do you have a favorite piece that you have created?
Since I make cakes, candy, granola and pastries, I don't consider them "Pieces." However, my homemade (organic) granola is my favorite item. I made up the recipe myself, use only the best ingredients possible, using organic products whenever possible. My granola is very versatile: you can eat it plain (it is great when you
are on the go), add milk to eat for a bowl of cereal or mix it with yogurt for a satisfying, yet healthy meal.

3. What would you tell someone who would like to venture into creating?

A.) Keep it simple.

B.) Do what you like & like what you do.

C.) Trust your instincts.

D.) Always use the best ingredients/products you possibly can.

E.) Don't make promises you cannot keep.

F.) Always say, "Please," and "Thank You."


Pictured Above Are: TOP RIGHT: Nicole's Homemade Organic Granola, TOP LEFT: Almond Turtles BOTTOM RIGHT: Milk Chocolate Coconut Clusters BOTTOM LEFT: Milk Chocolate Peanut and Pretzel Bark

I hope you will take a few minutes to visit Nicole's shop! nicole also has a blog that you can visit to learn more about her.

Thanks Nicole for being Featured ARTIST of the WEEK!
Deborah

Nice Monday

Today was actually a pretty good day. Nice and sunny so I was able to get outside and take pictures of the earrings I made over the weekend. I made over 40 of them. I also started uploading them into my store (www.dlsarmywife.etsy.com )So far I have about 10 of them. It's a slow process, adding pics, typing descriptions and setting all the bits and bobs. So over the next few days I will get my pics updated and have the full gamut of them up for sale.

My earrings are all made with silver tone hypo-allergenic ear wires. I'm very sensitive to nickle so these are a must for me. I use Czech glass beads, Swarovski crystals, and semi precious stones. I hope you'll enjoy checking them out.
Deborah

Sunday, Sunday

Today dawned bright and sunny out. Hubby had to go into the office for a few hours to get some work done, so the boys played Wii, while I made some more earrings. ( I made a total of 40 pair!!!) I may not be making jewelry anymore, but I love earrings! The are quick, easy and instant gratification. Not to mention it's a great way to use up pairs of beads! I made 4 sets of Prom jewelry for my friends daughter. (I'll take pics tomorrow, hopefully!) Whichever sets she doesn't choose, will go into my store. As will all the new earrings I made. So if you are interested check my store in the next couple of days. :-)
Still got more tidying to do...didn't do much over the weekend after all. But my goal is to get my living room tidied and then make another dragon tomorrow. My goal is to try and make a mini-dragon. My current dragons run around 6x5 inches...I want to try for one half that size. Just to see if I can! LOL
Oh and don't forget, Tuesday is my next Artist of the Week! (just a hint...she makes edible treats!!!)
Hope everyone has a good Monday! bfn
Until tomorrow
Deborah

Eeek!

My how the days fly by! My last post was Thursday and here it is Saturday already! I have been pretty un-creative the last few days...no sculpting...gotta do some house cleaning. Ugh! I so wish I could afford a cleaning service. I so do not like cleaning. Alas I can't afford a maid so I guess I gotta do it. I today I've got to get my kitchen table cleaned off and well as do some tidying in our living room. Then I need to get out my jewelry making supplies and make several pieces. A very good friends daughter asked me to make her Prom jewelry again this year, so I need to make up a few examples for her to choose from. I also have a couple pieces for another good friend...Her hubby is deploying later this year so I am fixing a couple Support pieces for her. And I still have several custom Medical Alert bracelets to make for another friend. So this weekend will be spent playing in the beadies! But hopefully I'll get enough cleaning done to relax and do some claying next week.
I have another dragon waiting for wings, that maybe I'll get to this week. She is a pretty sleepy little gal, in a pretty coral color. So hopefully pics of her coming soon too.
Oh and be sure to check back next Tuesday for another featured artist...and let me just say this one will be scrum-dil-y-umtious! :-D
Y'all have a great weekend!!!
Deborah

Cut 'em Out and Finish 'em Off!!!

Ok after your wings are completely dry trim them out. I usually leave about a 1/4 of an inch around. The next step is kinda tricky as it can easily get away from you!
You need a candle with a short trimmed wick. You want a small controlable flame here. Turn off any fans and try to work away from a breeze. Holding the wing about 1/2 to 1/4 of an inch from the flame pass the fabric by. Because the crepe satin is a polyester the fibers will melt together and seal themselves. It is actually very easy to light this stuff of fire, but a quick breath easily puts it out. But PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be careful!!! And I definitely do not recommend allowing children to do this part. Ok so the warnings out of the way just slowly work your way around the fabric to seal all of the edges. Repeat with the second wing. The final step is to trim the wire so that your wings sit flush against your dragon. Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
Hope you enjoy making your wings.
Deborah

Seal 'em In

Now take your paint and run a bead of paint over top of the wires. I usually give it a little swirl to make sure the wires are comepletely covered; top and sides. Make sure that your paint is touching the fabric too.
Now...time to be patient again...set your painted wings aside and let dry
thoroughly!!!! Again I usually leave them be until the following day...but give them atleast 8-10 hours to dry.

Let's Finish Those Wings!

Ok so hopefully by now our wings have adhered to the fabric...you let it dry overnight right? I know it's really hard to be patient and wait...I have a terrible time with that myself. But it's really for the best.
Ok so back to the fabric. I flip over the piece so that the fabric is now on the table, and gently lift off the plastic. Sometimes using the tip of my craft blade helps it to pop up. NExt we take our fabric paint again and run thin or thick beads along both sides of each wire. Making sure to STOP where the 3 wires meet. This unpainted part is what will stick into your dragon.

Adding the Fabric

Ok after you have put a fine line of paint on each wire carefully the fabric over top of your wires...try not to smudge the paint. (be sure to choose your favorite side of the fabric...lay that on TOP of the paint...it will show on the front of the wings that way.
Now set your fabric covered wings out of the lay and LEAVE THEM ALONE atleast for several, and I do mean several hours, or better yet until tomorrow. You really want the paint to be completely dry.

I'll post the rest of the steps tomorrow.
Deborah

All Dried

Ok after the glue has dried (or while it's drying if you are impatient like me:-) ) You can work on the wing fabric. Either using the solid color of your choice, or your hand painted fabric (let me know if you are interested in how I did that.) cut a pieces about 8x10...this will most likely be way more than you need but we can save the extras for other projects.
Using the fabric paint put a small amount onto all the wires...this is just to temporarily adhere the fabric to the wires. (BTW just leave the wings stuck to the plastic for now1)

Wing Layout

Ok the next thing we do is lay out the wire to form the wings. I put the longest pieces down first, then add the medium and short wires about an inch up from the bottom of the longest wire. Be sure to make a RIGHT & a LEFT wing! (Believe me nothing is more frustrating than discovering that your dragon will be flying in circles cause you weren't paying attention. Maleficent was VERY unhappy with my for that little flub! )
I set my wires onto a plastic document protector that will allow me to lift off the wires after they dry.
Add a drop of glue where the 3 wires meet. Set this aside to allow it to dry completely. I usually leave it until the next day. Although set under my table lights the glue usually dries in a few hours.

My Dragon Wings

Hi all, several people have asked me how I make my dragon wings...so I thought I'd share here how they come into being.

1. Material---
18 gauge wire, color honestly doesn't matter as the paint will cover it.
Crepe Satin...( I have found that this works best ) either a color or white to paint your own.
Glue, any kind I use washable school glue (cause it's what I had on hand)
Fabric Paint in the bottles with the 'writable' tips
a candle
2. Cut 6 pieces of wire, 2 long, 2 med and 2 short. This really is by your choice but I always make sure that the longest piece is atleast an inch longer than the desired wing length. If you want the measurement I used in this demo leave me a message and I'll get back with you.

Meet Ballade

I happened upon Ballade a while back...as I watched him, he peered over his shoulder obviously making sure no one was watching him before he got into mischief. I have since discovered that the little guy likes jelly beans. And well as long as I have some handy he seems happy to only steal a single sock now and again.

BTW Ballade means mischief in Danish

ARTIST of the WEEK!!!!

Hi everyone! Over the weekend I decided I wanted to showcase some of the amazing artists and crafts people out there. So I sent out some feelers...and let me tell you, I already have artists lined up to feature all the way into JUNE!!! So I hope you will enjoy reading about these fantastic artists, and I hope you will visit their shops and websites.

So with out further ado...

Artist of the Week is Stacy of Curly-Girl Bow-tique
I asked Stacy to answer a few questions about her and her art. I hope you'll enjoy reading about her. And be sure to visit her shop to see more of her adorable goodies.

1. What brought you into your chosen craft or art? Well, it all started when I was trying to find cute and affordable hair accessories for my daughter Avery. She was only a few months old at the time and everything was so expensive and not what I was looking for. I ordered a few headbands online but they were a fortune. Once I took a good look a them I realized "I could so do that," and I started making korkers ( btw I asked Stacy, korkers are the curly ribbon bows :-) ) myself. All of the sudden people were stopping me when we were out, asking where I got her hair accessories. Once I realized there was a market for girly stuff, it just all blossomed from there! Which is when I came up with the idea of Curly-Girl Bow-Tique!
2. Do you have a favorite piece that you have created? Right now I am very into the bottle cap jewelry. It seems to be very popular for all ages and it is a lot of fun to make.
3. What would you tell someone who would like to venture into creating? Go for it! For me it is so theraputic. I do a lot of my work once my 2 kids are in bed. The house is quiet and it is my time to be creative. I also have several friends on the many sites I belong too, which gives me the opportunity to network.

Thanks Stacy, Enjoy being Artist of the Week! Be sure to stop by Curly-Girl Bow-tique on etsy!
Deborah
PS Check in next Tuesday for my next Artist of the Week. Interested in being an Artist of the Week...send me a message!

My Newest Dragon

Meet Pansy, I found her out while photographing my pansies the other day. She loves flowers, gardening and the sunshine. You never know...if you look carefully one day you might find Pansy hiding in the pansies in your garden.

Meet Ruby!

Last night I decided to take a short break from Dragon Land and create a 3-D humming bird. I followed the tutorial put out by Nicole of Mossy Creek Designs Her work was inspired by Christi Friesen and then she put her own spin on it. I then took her focal piece design and made it into a free standing...well free flying piece. (this was inspired by another artist, but for the life of me I can't remember who. (my apologies to the artist who inspired me, if it's you please let me know so that I can credit you for the idea!) To finish Ruby off I will be placing the flower into a small votive holder with some pebbles and faux water. (God willing that will be heavy enough to counter balance the weight, slight though it is, of Ruby)

Hope you all enjoy her!
Deborah
BTW...starting tomorrow I will be featuring a different artist or crafts person every Tuesday. I hope you will stop in to learn about many other artists out there creating away!

Meet Redeep!

Here is one of the newest dragons I created! (His cousin is still airing her wings. :-) )Redeep was supposed to be a spring dragon, showcasing the green of new plant growth...but he decided half way through that he'd much rather play about in the ponds with the tadpoles and frogs. As a matter of fact he likes playing the in ponds SO much his little toes have begun to grow webbing!

As with all my other dragons he is a Kudzu's Whimzy style pieces, made from polymer clay. His wings were actually hand painted by me. :-) I hope you enjoy him as much as I do. just looking at him brings a smile to my face.

Eeek It's Saturday!

Yikes Friday just flew by...most likely since both the hubby and the boys were home. Donnie and I were up late Thursday night, so we ended up not going hiking, and today is grey and chilly...so not today either, maybe tomorrow, but we shall see what the weather does. Sooo anyways I went out yesterday to get our sticker for Donnie's car, and then off to go shopping. Donnie needed a base and some landscaping materials for his sculpture and I needed...well I didn't NEED anything. But when has that ever stopped a crafter! LOL So I picked up some ribbon, I decided that my mermaid will have a removeable 'net' bikini top for modesty's sake! LOL I also bought several more colors of Tulip fabric paint for making dragon wings, um oh and I found some artists acrylic paints on clearance for mixing with liquid polymer clay as well. Hmm what else did I buy yesterday...oh another face mold, some binder clips needed to support paper clips while backing, and some florists foam to carve into a 'reef' for my mermaids garden.
I stopped into Books A Million looking for the new POlymer Cafe magazine, but they didn't have it. Sadly they are the only place in town that carries it anymore...none of the craft stores do!!! So I guess I'm off to track it down online. But while there I picked up an audio book by Laurell K Hamilton. She writes mythical/mystical romance books. (be wary she is um...spicy! lol) I love to read and was hesitant about buying books to "listen" to, but it was wonderful to be albe to listen to a story while working. So I think I will definitely be buying more audio books. :-)
After fixing dinner I sat down to create another dragon. I wanted a springy green one, so I mixed up a gorgeous greeny-gold color and set about following Sally's directions.
Check out the start here! And listened to my book and sculpted away. The little guy gave me some trouble...his head fell off!!! But I put his head it the freezer to chill while I strengthened his body and neck. Then added his head back on and continued sculpting. I loved the way he turned out and into the 'sauna' as Sally calls it, he went. While he was baking I decided to make another one...this one based off the lovely pansies growing in my flower beds. So I pulled up a picture I had taken and set about mixing my colors! Again following Sally's awesome directions a pretty little girl dragon was born. They still need their finishing touches, but hopefully they will be ready to photograph tomorrow. (and hopefully the weather will co-operate tomorrow to allow some shooting too! :-) ) So check back tomorrow to see my new dragons.
Well I'm off to go create something...I think it'll be a Mossy Creek Designs Hummingbird! Have a wonderful Saturday!

Meet Harvey!

This is Harvey, he is a FuzzBunn! FuzzBunn's came out of the wonderfully creative mind of Christi Friesen Harvey is a fantastic blend of pearl, white, black and gold clay, as well as a neat clay called Granitex.

Today was a relaxing day for me. I spent the day finally doing some clay work just for me. I finished my mermaid...she has a tail and hands now too. I just need to paint her face and give her hair. And of course I made Harvey as well.

Depending on the weather tomorrow, we are planning on another hiking trip, of course if it rains I'll spend the day claying. So we'll see what the weather holds tomorrow. :-) My kids are off school tomorrow and hubby actually has the day off. So our weekend started today. So wishing y'all a wonderful weekend.

My 1st teaching gig!

So today was the Conference...I was very nervous to start with, but my ladies were great. We ended up having a really great time and boy oh boy some of them made some amazing pieces! And to think many of them had never used polymer clay before!!! Some of the ladies expressed an interest in maybe learning more. So many of them took home my business cards, so we shall see! Oh and Blaze may have a new home too!

It was a busy day, but a good time indeed! Tomorrow is my relaxing day...laundry and clay! Wheee! I wanna make a couple of Christie Friesen's new FuzzBunns and of course atleast 1 more dragon. :-)

So hopefully I should have some new fun stuff to share this weekend.

One more day to go!

One more day until the Conference I am teaching at tomorrow. So in preparation I spent much of the day conditioning about 5-6 pounds of clay. My arms are kinda tired! lol I also put together 6 sample hearts that I am going to demo and teach tomorrow. I am a little nervous about teaching as I have never taught clay before and I could have up to 35 women per class! But I'm going at it with a just-have-fun attitude! So I will stop back in tomorrow to let y'all know how it goes. Wish me luck!!!
Deborah

Gorgeous Sunday

Friday the oldest asked if we could go out and do something as a family. So after talking with hubby yesterday we decided to take the kids to one of our local state parks to go hiking. The day dawned grey and foggy, but by 10ish it had cleared up nicely, I made a nice big sub sandwich, packed graham crackers, strawberries and granola bars. Oh and lots of water! We leashed the dog and loaded everyone into the car. It only took about 35-40 minutes to reach the state park, and we started hiking. It's a 2.5 mile hike, and the 1st half kicked my butt. (I really need to start working out, and I'm gonna too!) We stopped for a picnic lunch and then finished the rest of the hike. It took us about 2 hours, but we really enjoyed the day! It was a gorgeous day, clear skies and a ncie breeze blowing. We decided to start going back several times a month if not ever weekend. All 3 of the boys enjoyed themselves very much.
So no claying today, but I have several projects tomorrow to work on so hopefully I will have new pic tomorrow night. Enjoy the rest of the evening and talk with you all tomorrow.

3-7-09

Today dawned bright and gorgeous...well at least I think it did. I was still asleep at dawn. lol but hey 10 am was bright and gorgeous. :-) I spent today running errands around town, and then fun of all fun grocery shopping. Hubby helped me put away the grocery and then made dinner. He made yummy Picante Chicken. And it tasted even better knowing I didn't have to slave over the stove for it. But it really really was yummy.
While out running today I picked up the movie "City of Ember" I bought it for the kids, but found myself quite intrigued by it. It's a story about an underground city built after some kind of world altering disaster. 200-some years later the city is falling apart and the generator is failing. 2 teens embark on finding the 'exit' from Ember. I highly recommend this movie...it even managed to keep our 4 year old intrigued!
Well I think I'm off to go play Chocolatier-Decade of Decadence for a while. This is the latest edition of the Chocolatier series that I adore. I mean a video game that involves chocolate...what's not to love! Tomorrow hubby and I are taking the boys out to one of the local state parks to go hiking. But I plan on doing some sculpting tomorrow, so hopefully look for some new goodies to come soon.
Night for now,
Deborah

What a Fabulous Artist!

I received an email today from an amazing polymer clay artist. Eugena of Eugena's Creations She is having a fantastic giveaway on her blog. I strongly encourage you to go visit her blog as well as her etsy shop! She makes some of the most gorgeous pendants I've seen, her sense of color is just phenomenal...and what's more she offers tutorials to learn how she craetes her fabulous creations!
I am sure you will enjoy surfing her site as much as I did.
Deborah

Wednesday, hump day

Well here it is the middle of the week already. Wow time is really flying by. This time next week, I'll have taught my first polymer clay classes. I'm excited but still kinda nervous. The class is 55 minutes and I realized the other day, that making the heart pendants only take about 5 minutes! eeeek! but I figure we can talk some time to talk about the clay, and show off different ways to decorate them. Maybe I can even show off how to make some tiny clay flowers. Oh boy...the more I think about this the more nervous I get.
Thank goodness I have a week to relax and prepare. Of course in the meantime I need to finish 30 custom ornaments for a friend. I baked her pens today, I need to sand them and them add the pink clear coat to finish them off. But that won't take too long at all. I have 6 ornaments already baked, and another 7 ready to go in the oven. Only 17 more to go.
Then I need to make a couple more of my Lil Devils for a custom order going to Germany. Those little guys are quick easy and fun to make though. THEN I can play and make some mroe dragons!!! Oooh and now that my laptop is back, all my tutorials are back...I need to make a Mossy Creek hummingbird!!!! Yeah! So as soon as I finish my work...I can play! wheeee!

So hopefully by the end of this week I will have some new pictures to share with everyone.
By for tonight
Deborah

Last Weeks Newspaper Article

The reporter finally sent me the article from last weeks paper. I was thrilled to be featured in it. The heart at the left was also featured.

Sculptor to Lead Workshop

Cheryl Rodewig
THE BAYONET

Less than 100 slots remain for the 2009 Fort Benning Women’s Conference. That means less than 100 chances to sign up for the many diverse workshops available at the conference.
“Seeing different classes we have available — wine tasting, belly dancing, gardening, automotives — I’m excited,” said Renee Peterson, secretary for the conference.
Although Peterson will be busy coordinating details the day of the conference, she knows at least one workshop she would definitely attend if she could: the sculpting class.
She’s never tried her hand at the craft before, but after seeing Deborah Steinmetz, who will lead the class, create such “elaborate pieces,” she wants to try, she said.
“Watching her work, you can tell no matter what piece she’s doing, she’s putting her heart and soul
into it,” said Peterson, who buys occasional sculptures from Steinmetz to display at home or work or to give as a gift.
Steinmetz discovered the inexpensive hobby less than two years ago, right before her husband deployed to Iraq.
While he was gone, it gave her something relaxing and comforting to do — “a way for me to work out the stress of the day,” she said. She even mailed him a couple small pieces to remind him of her.
Sculptures make great gifts, Steinmetz said. They can also serve practical purposes, such as a candle holder, book end or cake topper.
“The possibilities are endless,” she said.
In keeping with the theme of the conference, “Big Hearts, Great Ideas,” participants in the workshop will sculpt a heart that they can personalize to their taste.
“I think there will be a lot of reminiscing,” Steinmetz said. “It’s a new medium that a lot of people haven’t tried. It’s so much like Play-Doh. And then they’ll have a souvenir to take home with them. Each piece will be one of a kind.”
No matter what people think, this class is not just for artists, Steinmetz said.
“If you can roll a ball in your hands, you can make something. It’s so simple,” she said. “You won’t need anything but your hands. It’s just a chance to sit down and play. And it’s neat to watch something come out of a two-inch block and to turn it into whatever your heart desires. It’s almost magic.”
Conference attendees will also get a chance to hear from artist Sandy Clough, keynote speaker for the event. Based in Georgia, Clough will share about her creative process and how it can apply to others given individuals’ unique talents.

Come visit my Store!!!

Two of my dragons are finally up for sale on my webstore As well as some new jewelry pieces and some polymer clay items as well. I have a SALE SALE SALE section now too. Check it out for some new goodies at great prices. As I mentioned a few days ago half of all my proceeds over the next 4 months will be donated to Fisher House.
Thanks for checking out my new items, be sure to check my store over the next few days for even more new items and more great deals!
Deborah

SNOW in Southern Georgia!!!

I was awoken this morning with the gleeful voice of my youngest child! "It's snowing!!!" Sure enough I peeked out the window to find a light coating of snow on the grass. Light fluffy flakes were falling at a pretty steady pace. The boys needed to clean their rooms before they could go out and play, so for once those rooms got cleaned in record time! :-D We bundled up (as best a southern family who hasn't seen snow in almost 7 years can) and headed outside. H & B had so much fun running around in the thick slushy snow. Throwing snowballs and just having a wonderful time. I took quite a few pics and then came back inside. The boys played outside until they were soaked and chilled. I brought them in, had them change clothes and made them some cocoa. We put their clothes, shoes and everything in the dryer so they could get nice and toasty warm. We watched the 2nd LOTR movie and had popcorn. After getting nice and warm again, the boys all bundled up and went back out to enjoy the brief snow. I didn't get any claying done, or really anything for that matter but it was a wonderful day. I hope everyone else had a safe and warm day.
Deborah