Welcome Another New Friend

Wow 61 followers, that is so fantastic. Please meet Meli, she is a fabulous miniaturist. Please help me welcome her by stopping by her blog!

Fireworks!!!!

Here on Post we celebrate 4th of July the weekend before. So we took the kiddos out to watch the fireworks last night! Me...I LOVE them...the sight, the sound, even the smell!(when you are close enough)

Next year I am taking my tripod, but even with out it I got some fantastic pictures...so I thought I'd share a little 4th of July magic with y'all! Enjoy!!!

Flamingos and Koi

Nope I didn't go to the zoo, or a park or anything...today a pretty pink flamingo flew out from blocks of clay and 4 pretty koi swan along with her...Thank goodness flamingo prefer shrimp over koi! ;-)

I 'grew' a few rose blossoms too, but they are still cooling. So those will show themselves tomorrow...

New Pieces

Yeah, I finally got to do some serious claying today! I made dogs, cats, a rabbit, a lamp, some glow-in-the-dark aliens, and an adorable beach baby! So what do y'all think? (clicking on each pic should bring up a larger image.)

Artist of the Week!

Argh and wouldn't you know I'm a day behind. I'd like to blame it on being sick with a cold, if I can. Thankfully I am feeling much better today. But enough about me!



I would like to introduce you to a fantastic artisan. Please say Hi to Christina of Swan Mountain Soaps, she and her family live way up in Alaska. She creates fantastic cold-processed soaps, body lotions and butters, and even jams and jellies using elements native to Alaska. Her gorgeous products can be found on Etsy.

1. What brought you into your chosen craft or art?

Living in Alaska, I and my whole family suffer from really, really dry skin. Several years ago, I purchased some handmade soap on a trip. I was amazed at the difference *real* soap - not the detergent bars from the store I'd used all my life - made on my skin. I'd dabbled a bit with handmade lip balms and thought, can I do this?

I read and read and read everything I could find on making soap from scratch. it seemed so intimidating - working with lye, creating a formula. I joined and lurked on several soapmaking forums before I finally found the courage to make my first batch. I scented it with lavendar essential oil and added lavender buds to the mix, which I thought would make a nice, decorative effect. Well, the soap felt great and smelled great, but what I didn't know was that lavender buds turn brown in cold process soap. They look exactly like mouse poop. Nice. However, an addiction was born.

2. Do you have a favorite piece that you have created?
Yes, a different one almost every day. I am currently in love with my Wild Dandelion soap because the swirls came out really nice and smells exactly how I think Spring should smell. It's still curing so it isn't up on etsy yet (cold process soap has to cure for at least 4 weeks). This sounds dumb, but I am always reluctant to sell the last bar of any batch of soap I make. I feel such ownership over it - like they're my little soapy children. =]

3. What would you tell someone who would like to venture into creating?
If you're going to get into making your own cold process soap, don't ever plan on having any free flat space in your house ever again. You will have to put soap on it. The dining room table is usually the first to go. Then goes the bookshelves, the tops of bookcases and china cabinets. Knickknacks and decorative items suddenly seem silly and extraneous when they are taking up space that could be devoted to racks of curing soap.

Oh, and you'll never have any money again either. Any money you have will HAVE to be spent on more soap stuff. Like I said, it's an addiction. But your house will always smell good. =]

Thanks!
Christina


So I hope you will take a few minutes to go visit Christina over at Swan Mountain Soaps

Monday, Monday

Ah here it is another start to another week. And me, would you believe I have a cold!!!! What is wrong with this picture...it's 80-90 degrees out and I have a cold!!! So I am sitting here drinking hot Acai Berry herbal tea, by Stash teas. It's really yummy. Gotta go make some more in just a few minutes.
I have read all my emails and am current on all my blogs, so I think it's into my craft area (goosh I love being able to say that! LOL) for some more organizing. I have several projects I need to work on, but can't right now due to the mess...so I NEED to get this stuff organized soon...
Who knows maybe this afternoon I will have pics of the nice clean area! :-D A girl can hope!
So y'all have a wonderful day...and I'll leave you with a few more pics from Disney.
This is what I need--------------------------------------->
Magic Broom helpers, that'd get things done!
<------Gorgeous sunset over the lake at Epcot!

Happy Father's Day and Happy Birthday to me!

To celebrate, my birthday and Father's day, my sister kept our boys for the day, and hubby and I took off for a day of hiking and antiquing. We have determined that hiking in GA is best left to either early (EARLY!!!!) morning or Spring and Fall! We did about 4.5 miles in the middle of the afternoon! Thankfully hubby being military was prepared with plenty of water. But that hike nearly kicked my behind! I am sore and tired, but content. After getting back into the (wonderfullly air conditioned) van, we drove off to visit the FDR (Franklin D. Roosevelt) home in Warm Springs GA. That was a neat little museum trip. Then off to do a little antiquing before lunch, and afterwards too. We didn't buy anything, but saw loads and loads of gorgeous antique furniture, that if we had unlimited moneys we would most definitely have brought home!
Came home and soaked in the tub to replenish my skin. I read a little in my current book of choice. Frank Beddor's Seeing Redd It's the second installment of his Looking Glass Wars trilogy. It's a gritty, edgy young-adult retelling of the Alice in Wonderland story...I thoroughly enjoyed it, and so did my then 13yr old son. My hubby is reading the first book right now.
Here are a couple of the few pics I took while on out hike...the view from Pine Mountain, somebody's message (it reads WALK ABOUT) and a neat lizard. (clicking on the pics will enlarge them. :-D )

Sunny Saturday

Haven't done any more in the dining room...yet, but I'm heading in there after I read my blogs.
Figured I'd post some more pics from our trip to Disney this past April. Enjoy!!!
<----- This is just inside HollyWood Studios. This was our first park.
---------> Buzz LightYear atop Pizza Planet restaurant






<----- The view down one of the sidestreets...it's a huge wall!!! The optical illusion is jsut incredible!

Fantastic Friday!

Ahh the week is almost done...hooray for the weekend. Sunday is my birthday, I'll be 32, and it's Father's day too. So my sister (who is staying with us for a bit) is gonna take care of our kiddos for the day. Hubby and I decided this afternoon that we are gonna take the day and go hiking! :-) (I'm so taking my camera too! :-D)
Yesterday my oldest helped me move my craft armoires into the dining room. So now all my storage is set up...I just need to work through all the bits and bobs and try and get everything sorted away. My unopened bricks are sorted by color into 4 plastic shoeboxes... I'm trying to figure out how best to store my baggies of pre-conditioned clay...I have loads of it in tons of colors. I don't really want to call it scrap clay as most of it is single colors, I am definitely open to suggestions!
I have 3 large computer armoires available to me...I need to organize my clay, a small amout (well 2 boot boxes) of beads, a stack about 2 inches thick of 12x12 scrpbook paper, and well tons and tons of fabric...(most of that is in 2 large rubbermaid containers which will most likely slide under my work table.

So...how do you all store and organize your craft rooms?

Welcome!

Yeah another new friend!!! BlueLapis has decided to follow my blog, I can't find a blog for her or I'd share...So BlueLapis, if you have a blog or website/store please let me know so I can share your info with everyone. :-)

Welcome!!!!

Wow, I've got 4 new bloggers to introduce...It's always a pleasure to meet new friends.
Susana doesn't appear to have a blog, but I'm thrilled to have her here.(Susana, if you have a blog or website you'd like to share please let me know!) Yosofat is from Indonesia...he loves all things superhero. He has 5 blogs, covering everything from superhero images to definitions for unusual ingredients. His other blogs cover travel, posters, and fantasy toys!
Next are 2 amazing Miniature artist...Minna from Minna's Dollhouses and Kim from Fairchild Art.
I hope you will take some time and visit these new blogs.

Artist of the Week!!!!

Today I am featuring a fantastic glass artist...I hope you enjoy meeting Rebecca Werner, the creative force behind FiraMarina! Rebecca can be found all over the net...She lists her gorgeous beads on both Ebay and Etsy (although at the moment her beads are on Ebay...you can view her SOLD beads in her Etsy store.) rebecca also has a blog, a Twitter and of course a Flickr account.

1. What brought you into your chosen craft or art?
Since I was a child, I've always loved fashion and design but more than anything, I LOVE color! Painting and working with clay making small sculptures were my first loves and I actually still work with them on occasion. But one day... while looking around on the internet... I found this site about making glass beads and had a feeling it would be something I would really enjoy. I researched the heck out of it...bought a start up kit... and the rest is history! I truly love what I do!!!


2. Do you have a favorite piece that you have created?
That's hard!!! I'll pick a few though since I do a variety of shapes and styles. Some of my favorite Silver Linings are



A few of my favorite sets are



A few favorite focals are.....

I have so many more but these are just a few!

3. What would you tell someone who would like to venture into creating?
First... find what works for you! Like in my case... just because I wanted to sew, that didn't make me good at it!!! ; ) Find what's natural for you... what you are good at! Experiment a little... try different things. What do you feel makes up who you are? What's some of your favorite things? Since mine was color, fashion, and design lampwork was perfect for me! It incorporates all three. Most of all.... PLEASE be original! No it's not hard to be unique! Just be who you are and create what comes from that. Use your imagination... find things that inspire you besides what everyone else is doing! I've never taken one class and I never will. That's just me though... I don't want to be influenced. Learn the technical part from teachers or books (like how to set things up or materials needed) but get the designs and inspiration from YOU and your surroundings.

I hope you will take a few minutes (or hours, as it's possible to become captivated in the mass of lovely shapes and colors of Rebecca's beads :-D) to visit some of the FiraMarina sites.

Welcome, welcome!

Another fantastic artist has joined my followers. It's a pleasure to have a new friend.
Please go say 'Hi!' to Eliza over at Wasting Gold Paper She is a wonderful miniaturist. She has some AMAZING miniature watercolor pictures painted between the lines on and index card!!! Thanks for coming over Eliza!!!

no pics today. :-(

But boy oh boy was I busy...I have been planning to rearrange my dining room for well I think almost a week now...I keep getting distracted by this wonderful laptop and all the wonderful things to find on the internet. Well today I finally said "Get to work!" and stayed off the laptop for a bit.
So into my dining room I went...I turned my kitchen table around and shifted my computer armoire and little filing cabinet. Oh and my bookshelf too. My 8 foot craft table is now up and along my front windows, next to it is a small bookshelf where my polymer clay books will go, then my Armoire is next. Since we are no longer using the computer in it, this will be one of 3 cabinets filled with my craft supplies. I have a small double stacked shelf that sits on the corner of my table, my embossing powders, pearl powders and other small "tackle-style" boxes sit in it. I still have loads more work to do to get my crafting area set up and ready to be worked in...but I have FINALLY gotten started! So I am a happy girl!

And you know what I think I will share a picture after all...this one is from my most recent photo session. :-) Enjoy!

Featured on TinyCrafts blog!

Oh my goodness, talk about being surprised and incredibly flattered...Andrea of Tiny Crafts featured my steampunk cf-style lion on her blog!I hope you will take a minute to check out her blog. Thanks so much Andrea!

Lovely Sunday

Yesterday was a pretty nice day, a little overcast and breezy, but all in all very nice.
Hubby and I started the day bright and early going out to watch some friends compete in a Reverse Triathalon...5k run, 20k bike ride and then a 500 meter swim. I applaud them for that...I sure couldn't do it! They both did well...placing in the top 3rd. After that hubby and I came home to an empty house...my sister had taken our boys out to breakfast and on a shopping excursion. So hubby and I enjoyed the peace and quiet. Then when they got back we hung around the house for a bit before taking them to go play at the pool for a few hours. Then back home for dinner and more relaxing.
I am still trying to get my FireMountain orders sorted and repacked...have run into a few snags...about a dozen items seemed to not make it onto the order. (and man do i feel horrible about it, but I suppose out of about 800 items, well it coulda been worse! But I still feel really bad!!!) And then on top of that I have about another dozen items that I cannot find the owners for...I had one lady change her order a couple times on me and I have a feeling that, that is where they came from...but they were items she decided she didn't want...so now I am not sure what to do! Grrr
But all in all this group buy went pretty smoothly...now just to get finished, so I can load the boxes into my car to take to the post office this week. (that and it's kinda hard to rearrange my dining room with them all over! LOL)
I am moving my craft cabinets into the dining room and adding an 8' craft table as well...this way we should actually be able to EAT at the dining table again! LOL And this set-up will basically give me a dedicatet craft area as well...at least that's the plan anyways! LOL
So for now I am off to catch up on the latest posts in my blogs, and then offline...gotta go get some work done! Y'all have a blessed Sunday!

Soggy Thursday

Well it's raining yet again here...the days of sunshine were lovely! So I have spent the last 2 days sorting and repacking beading supplies. I have over half of the items repacked and ready to go to their proper homes. Thankfully there have only been a couple small snafus. (wish there wasn't any, but I suppose it was kind of inevitable with such a huge order)
I apologize for not posting an artist of the week this week, I have an email out to my planned featured artist, so it may yet still happen. If not this week I will make up for it next week.
I really wanna play with my clay but have got to get these supplies squared away first...and I am boycotting them right now, I'm going cross-eyed looking at 'em! But I'll get back to them shortly...that way I can rearrange my dining room to allow for my craft table to be set up...so yeah it'll probably be next week before I actually get any claying done...but I have some great ideas in my head ready to work on.

My Fire Mountain Experience Continues

Today was a huge mail day! A week ago I placed an 800-item order with them. 3 boxes, each over 30 pounds, arrived today! I opened each box and as is always the case with Fire Mountain, found them neatly and carefully packaged. I emptied the 2 smaller boxes onto the kitchen table. Hubby teased me saying it looked like a scene from a movie about drug dealers. LOL All those smaller baggies,and I have yet to actually OPEN those baggies to get at the individual products! My table is filled to capacity.Tomorrow starts the process of sorting and repacking. I am hoping to have that all done within a week or so. It has been an interesting process, and there is still more interesting bits to come! I'm sure there will be more pics and fun to share.

My Mermaid

I have avoided finishing my mermaid for quite some time...I was concerned about painting her face and doing her hair. But yesterday I decided to just sit down and do it! And well here are the results. I am not completely satisfied...but for my first sculpt I am pretty happy with her. I did manage to sculpt her right hand backwards...grrr...I think I am going to make her a 'kelp' blanket, to basically cover up the boo-boo. I need to finish the 'sea garden' I am planning to set her in. So hopefully over the next week or so she will come into completion.