Kree's Clay and Jewelry Fun

Ellayna Kristine

2011-11-08T09:52:00.000-08:00

My final painting of my youngest grandchile Ellayna. She is Payton's baby sister and such a little heartthrob. I loved doing this portrait. It actually still has a bit more work to be done on it, but I had to post it.

She is I believe 3 in this picture and at the time of this writing she will be 4 on her next birthday. Quite the little love bug. She lives in North Dakota so I don't get to see her as much as I would like to, but at least I have her in portrait on my wall with her brother and cousin Emily.

I am so proud of my grandbabies. Also 16 x 20 oil on canvas.

Payton Mitchell

2011-11-08T09:48:00.000-08:00

So here is my portrait of my grandson Payton who was around 6 or 7 when this pose was taken. He is about to turn 13. My how time flies. I am very excied about this portrait painting of him which will join Emily on my wall.

Payton has such an infectious smile and when he would laugh he would laugh all over his face. He is definitely my little huggie bear.

This portrait was done on a 16 x 20 canvas in oils.

Gramma loves you Payton Mitchell.

Emily Elizabeth

2011-05-07T20:41:00.001-07:00

Ok, now here is my pride and joy. My first granddaughter Emily. This portrait was a work of pure love. I was going to give it to her on her birthday this year, but her proud Paw Paw said,"no, she can't have it, at least not yet." So I guess she will get it in a few years. Perhaps on her 16th birthday or graduation. Will have to see how soon Paw Paw will let it go. LOL

I truly enjoyed this painting. Next is my Grandson Payton and his sister Ellayna. I think I am loving portrait painting.

Newest Mill

2011-05-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted my paintings in a while. This was my latest mill painting. This was a blast to do. Had so much color and fun things. I loved doing this one.
This mill was one that John and I saw on one of our many adventures.

Been A Little Dormant

2010-12-27T08:22:00.000-08:00

But that's because I am working on some more paintings. Working on another Mill painting and also a Tuscan walkway from a picture that my sister took in Spain. Hoping to be able to post them soon.

I also just completed my stint on Atlanta's Biggest Loser where I won the competition. I lost 34.5 lbs and 12.7% of my body weight. Getting ready to start another one (OH NO!!) Called Gwinnett Loses. I need the competition to keep me in check. The Christmas holiday was horrible to me and I gained some back. Not a lot , but enough to know that I have to be totally careful. Here is my final before and after picture in case you want to see. :-) The competition was a rough 12 weeks, but I learned a lot.

Now to learn even more and hopefully lose an additional 30 lbs in the process. I won a beautiful ring with the ABL competition. This new one is CASH. YIPPEE. Anyway, I will be back to post more pictures and paintings. :-)

Lighthouse Competed

2010-10-02T16:52:00.001-07:00

Today it happened. The lighthouse finalized and I am super happy. I love how it turned out. Now to figure out what to do next. I am undecided, but have until next week to make up my mind.

Lighthouse

2010-09-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Now I am completing my lighthouse. Probably one more session and it will be done. Worked on the tree area and sky. Also put in some water waves and rounded up the lighthouse itself. This one is looking better and better.

River Run and Mountain Orchids

2010-09-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of mini paintings I have done in the past couple of weeks. the River Run I did today. These paintings are on 4 x 4 canvases. I love doing these when I want to paint for a little while and create something fun. My painting teacher is probably going to kill me, but I couldn't resist.

The mountain orchids have a pallet knife background. these are from a picture my hubby took when we spent a week in the mountains this year. These little guys only bloom once a year. so cute.

Mingus Mill Update

2010-09-04T17:28:00.000-07:00

Well, we are rounding the corner. Today we opened up the sky and now see the light coming through the trees. We also put the slats on the building and tin roof on top. The path was worked on as well. Won't be long and this baby will be finished. Each session I learn so much more.

Finished Painting

2010-08-18T17:34:00.001-07:00

And here it is, the final reveal of my hydrangea palette knife painting. I am so excited about how it turned out. Of course it helped that I had an awesome art instructor guiding and encouraging me all the way. Thank you Audrey! I am looking forward to getting back to my Mingus Mill painting now. That will happen in a couple weeks. Audrey has a show to attend and I get to go visit my family this weekend. So I will probably be going into paint withdrawals. I really love the end result of this painting and I loved doing palette knife. I am sure there will be more of these in my future.

Hydrangia Almost Compete

2010-08-16T06:31:00.000-07:00

Well, next post will be my completed masterpiece. :-) This is the next to last step which I will be completing on Wednesday night. I am so excited. This is my first ever pallette knife painting and I couldn't be more pleased. It started out pretty sad and it has improved to this point. I learned so much with this painting and I know it won't be my last knife painting. It was awesome. Once this is done it is back to the Mingus Mill painting.

Painting with Pallet Knife

2010-08-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

Today's class was so awesome. Learned a new painting technique with pallet knives and I think I am hooked. Not to the point where I won't pick up a paint brush again, oh no, but I love this technique. The picture I am doing this with is a picture of hydrangeas that I started a few months ago. I love how it is coming along now. Next week, we will work on the flowers themselves and glazing the picture. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but I won't go back now on this one. I love it.

Stage Three on the Final Stretch

2010-08-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

Here is stage 3 of my Mingus Mill painting and rounding the curve to the finish line. Still lots to do, but this week the boards will be going on the mill. This is not an easy painting for me, but I am learning so much. It is going to be my pride and joy when it is finished.

Stage 2 of Mingus Mill

2010-07-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about the accomplishments today on this painting. It is actually starting to look like something. Today I added the shadows which was very, very scary, but when I stood back I could see it worked. Also fixed the main building and other stuff. I am loving this painting. Also worked on my lighthouse and hydrangas, but think i will wait to post those until they are complete. If you want to see all three, they are in my album on my facebook page.

Second Paint Lesson

2010-07-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

I am so excited. I am taking painting lessons from artist Audrey Menefee. She teaches the old masters method of oil painting. Last week was my first lesson. I am painting the Mingus Mill in Gatlinburg, TN. John and I visited there this past April as part of our anniversary trip. Learning this technique through Audrey is giving me a new perspective at painting. I want to post this in stages so here is what I painted from my first session with Audrey.

Mini Lantana

2010-07-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

She loves me, she loves me not....That's kinda how I feel about this painting. It is on a mini 4" canvas and is a image of lantanas. I love Lantanas, even if they ARE considered weeds. Just thought I would try to paint them on a mini canvas.

I also want to paint a mountain orchid this week. When John and I were on vacation this year we actually saw one of these mini wonders. It was so cool. We were in the mountains when one actually bloomed. We were so excited. So am going to attempt to paint the picture that we took. If it turns out, it will be really unique.

New Rendering

2010-07-11T04:17:00.000-07:00

Did this painting yesterday. It is a rendering of a photo that a friend of mine sent me. Apparently this lake is somewhere in the Chicago area. It is actually a recreation area. I could have added a lot more, like there was a totem pole by the shore, paddle boats and a raft in the middle of the lake, but I liked the serenity of the way I did it with the accent of the pier and boat. I DO need to bring the blue of the lake out more, but am waiting for the painting to settle a bit before I mess any more with it.

Mini Paintings

2010-07-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

Haven't painted much lately, but I picked up a bunch of 4" canvas blocks and got a wild idea. I painted two of them this weekend. I have a bunch more to go so will be working on them. Want to try to do some mini landscapes and stuff so be watcing. :-)

Flower Cart

2010-05-23T15:59:00.000-07:00

Here is today's submission. I enjoyed doing this one. This is a take off of a Dorothy Dent version. It was fun converting it to my way of painting.

Fae Gifts

2010-05-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

I like this little painting. I did it as a time filler over the weeks and had no idea how it was going to end. It is painted on a 11 x 14 canvas and was a lot of fun to do. It mixed media which is new for me. It is just my goofy thoughts and very elementary looking, but I had fun with it.

Tomorrow I am painting a flower cart. Whoo Whoo

Lighting the Way

2010-05-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

I like this one. Been a while since I could get some painting done. I call this one "Lighting the Way." I wish my step-dad was still alive. He would love this one. He was a lighthouse freak. I was thinking about him the entire time I was painting this one.

Lost in Time

2010-04-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

Decided to paint today and here is the result. Reminds me of an old barn left to whither with time. Still have tons to learn, but I like what I see anyway. time will make me better as long as I don't quit practicing and learning.

Hibiscus Painting

2010-03-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a couple weeks since I picked up a paint brush so the heebie jeebies were beginning to hit me. It was time....so I decided to try my hand at a hibiscus. I have to say for the first time in a long time, I am satisfied with this work. I like the colors and there is even some dimension to it. These are my bathroom colors so I think this one will be finding a home there when it is dried and framed. The painting was done on a 16 x 20 canvas.

Amos Brother Ivon

2010-03-14T18:49:00.001-07:00

Poor Ivon. He just didn't feel like venturing out of his shell today. He just came out real quick and retreated back to his safe haven. (smile)
Ivon was a lot of fun to make, but he didn't feel "handy" so he just stuck his head out to say hi. Love these guys

Meet Amos

2010-03-13T12:06:00.001-08:00

I couldn't sleep last night. Got up at 2am and started creating this precious little Hermit Shell Fae. I am taking a class from Dawn Schiller and this was the lesson. I am so excited. At 4am I finally went to bed and finished "Amos" this morning. What fun this was. I can't wait to create some family members for him. I have loved these faes for years and I sincerely thank Dawn for sharing how to create them.

Red Beauty

2010-03-06T12:11:00.000-08:00

It has been a couple weeks without painting so decided to paint this one. I like this one a lot. It is painted on a 16 x 20 canvas with a black gesso background. Very pleased with how this came out.

In Awe of Nature

2010-02-23T02:58:00.000-08:00

This was not a great weekend. Not only was it a pain in my arce to have to do a total restore of my computer, but it just seemed like there was one disappointment after another. So to get my mind off of life in general, I decided to paint this. Not real crazy about it, but it was a time filler. It also gave me time to think.
I got my car back, but when I did I found out something else had gone bad....my fuel gauge. Of course that is one more thing that money has to be blown on unless I can argue my way into getting this taken care of as part of the accident, which it obviously was. Oh well. Anyway, at least I can paint when I get upset.

Waterfall in the Forest

2010-02-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

And here we have this week's entry into the Kree's painting fun. At first I didn't like the way this one was coming out, but the more I look at it, I am ok with it. I just figure it is the first and as I make more I learn from each one. this one will be fun to try again.

Not sure which one I will do next time. I think I want to do nother flower painting. We will see.

Pink Posie for Mom

2010-01-30T13:03:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I am addicted to painting. Who whoulda thunk it. LOL I love to paint to the point that I wish I could do it seven days a week. Only if that happened I would be homeless. LOLOL

I painted this for my Mom and was happy that she loved it. She even told me she knows exactly where she is going to put it. I love doing this, but I even love it more when people like what I do. I love having them hanging all over the house, but love it even more when they leave my house for a new home. Still need to venture into a waterfall. hmmmmm, next week? I think so. :-)

Stormy Night

2010-01-24T14:20:00.001-08:00

This weekend was seascape weekend. My goal was to make my sister Patti a painting and her request was a seascape. My first attempt I wasn't happy with. I called that one "Windy Shore". (The painting with the Palm Trees.) I figured it was a good first try, so would work on a second one.

The result is "Stormy Night." I really like this one. Funny part is that Patti likes Windy Shore. LOLOL I tried to convince her that Stormy Night was a better choice, but she really likes Windy Shore. Go figure! I guess we are more critical of our own work. So Stormy Night will stay with me.

Gris Mill Painting

2010-01-16T16:02:00.001-08:00

Here is this week's painting. I wish the photo would have come out better. This one was a lot of fun. A lot of detail, but fun. I like how the colors came together and how the moon is reflected in the water. Really enjoyed doing this one.

Sunflower Bouquet

2010-01-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

Finished this painting earlier today and after a couple adjustments, I really like it. It is not in oil however, but in acrylic. I want to learn other mediums so gave this a whirl.

Right now it is on sale at ArtWanted.com. Hope to see how it goes. I plan on doing an acrylic landscape next. I am not a HUGE acrylic fan, but I do like the fact that it is quick drying. I won't be giving up oils though.

Winter's Reflection

2010-01-03T17:12:00.000-08:00

I finished this unique painting tonight. It was not an easy one with the trees reflected in the water, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. This one was made especially for my little sister Ruth. It is a bit different from what she requested, but she said she likes it so that is what counts. If she didn't like it, I was going to keep it and make her another one. So, now she has to make a trip to Atlanta to pick it up. LOL

Magestic Autumn

2010-01-01T19:53:00.001-08:00

I painted in the New Year. LOL Actually this is a gift for a very dear friend of mine in North Dakota. DeNae and I were friends when I was living there over 15 years ago and we just got re-connected. I told her I was going to paint something for her and asked what she would like. She said landscape in earth tones. here is the result. I sure do hope she likes it.

My Husband's Christmas Present

2009-12-26T18:23:00.000-08:00

This was truly a labor of love. My husband is a huge fan of eagles. He has collected them in every shape and form throughout our marriage. I decided a gift of love to him would be a painting of an eagle. Although I didn't have him done by Christmas day, I guess a day late is not too bad. LOL

He was very touched and very pleased with the result. He could use some changes, but I don't dare touch it now. To do so would probably ruin it. I will save that for the next eagle attempt I make. :-)

The significance of the 1.4.3. in my signature? That is Johnny and my code for "I Love You".

I now have a couple sisterly requests so will probably be working on those next.

Winter Snow

2009-12-19T13:55:00.000-08:00

Today I painted a picture within an oval. What fun this was. Since I sold my other snow picture, I had the need to paint another. This one (if you look close enough) actually has snow falling.

Very appropriate considering it is cold here right now and they are saying a possibility of snow before Christmas. YAY.

Hidden Treasure

2009-12-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

Felt in the mood today to paint and came up with this little number to do. I learn from every one I do and this one was no exception. I am rather happy with the way it came out though. I still want to do a waterfall and seascape. Nerves are getting lighter. LOLOL

Final in floral Set

2009-11-28T14:33:00.001-08:00

TA-DA!!! I am so excited. I am finally starting to see more than what is on the canvas. What an awesome feeling. This is the third in the three paintings that will be a wall grouping when they are dry and I can get them framed. this one is special as I finally saw ruffles and went slower to make sure I got it right today. I am very proud of how it turned out. I almost went back to the other two and was going to do more to them, but decided not to. It is important for me to see the stages in my growth. Since tomorrow is my last day of vacation, I think i am going to paint a landscape picture. Then it is back to the day to day normalcy. LOLOL

Second Fantasy Flower

2009-11-24T08:40:00.001-08:00

Here is my second flower painging. This is smaller than the other one and will be part of a grouping. I have one more to make. Perhaps by the end of that one I will have this down better. All I know is I am enjoying painting.

Floral Fantasy

2009-11-21T15:32:00.000-08:00

I did it...I really did it. Here is my first floral oil painting. I have a lot of practicing to do, but I am very pleased how this came out for my first try. It helped that I had a wonderfully patient teacher too. LOLOL Looking forward to creating more floral pieces

Mica Shift Pendants

2009-11-21T07:43:00.000-08:00

Thank you Cindy Lietz for finally showing me a way to do this wonderful technique that works! I have struggled with mica shift for a long time. Normally due to slicing too deep etc. With the help of Cindy Lietz and her mica shift tutorial, I finally have a love for this technique.

Today I made three pendants from one piece of clay and I now want to do these in multiple colors and patterns. Whoo Whooo.

Ok, now off to paint a magnolia branch. :-)

Winter Snowfall

2009-11-14T16:02:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I am not real original in my title, but here is my second painting. did this one today and am fairly proud of this one. It was fairly easy and quick. I am anxious to tackle my next painting in a week or two. Want to paint a waterfall scene. Hopefully using a waterfall that Johnny and I went too a couple weeks ago. It was awesome. I am truly enjoying painting.

First Oil Masterpiece

2009-11-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I know this is not clay work, but I am so excited. Painted my first oil painting today and I am so jazzed about how it turned out. Took me five hours to do, but it was worth it. Never painted in oils before, much less from scratch. This is actually the Bob Ross wet on wet method and I love it. I have wanted to try this for quite a few years and just never got the courage to give it a try. Needless to say I will be painting a lot more.

My next try is to do a painting with a waterfall.

How Time Flies

2009-10-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

WOW! I can't believe it has been since May that I have put anything in my blog. MAN, can't believe it is already almost Halloween. Well, I haven't done a ton of claying, but have done some. Most recently I did this faux leather necklace based on a Cindy Lietz tutorial. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed this technique a lot.

In addition to doing this, I also have attended a Lindly Haunani workshop that was out of this world. I will post some images on that in next blog post.

Let's see and I also made some bead lanyards and eyeglass holders that I have posted on Etsy. I actually sole one of my lanyards just last week. So I guess I have done a few things, but it just seems like time is running away from me. The necklace in this post was a lot of fun and I plan on doing more in different designs and colors. What a super technique.

Mod Cane Necklace

2009-05-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

This was a fun project today. It is a combination of mobius and pillow beads. I saw the technique on Cindy Lietz's site this weekend and it gave me ammo to work on something new.

The picture is not all that great, but I like how this ste came out. Nothing like several techniques tucked into one to come up with a new necklace. :-)

New Pendants

2009-05-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

I made these sets today. What fun mixing clay with gold leaf, with inks. These sets were fun. I may have to do some more as they are all unique. I don't make many sets so these were fun.

The concept came from a video by Cindy Lietz. I just changed it up a little bit. Of course they are so light.

Jack the Candlestick

2009-05-24T19:40:00.001-07:00

Ok, so check it out!!!!! I actually completed a sculpt. Irrigardless how wierd it looks, LOLOL I actually finished a sculpt. This one was from a class by Dawn Schiller called Candlestick Jester class. Mine is a bit different because my candlestick is smaller and my dowel was larger. LOL So all in all Jack had to be improvised when it came time to put him together.

What has me all excited is that I actually did a sculpt. It tool me a while nad he is NOT by any means perfect, but he is a sculpt and I did it. And the best part of all??? HUBBY DIDN'T CALL HIM A TURD FUNGAS. LOLOL In case you haven't been reading my blog, that was the name my hubby gave one of my earlier attempts at a bonzai tree. In fact, he was right, but I still have that first attempt and will nto part with it.

This class was an online one that I paid for a while ago, (three months actually) and just now had the time to try and put him together. I am very excited, even though he looks a bit strange. HEY, no comments from the peanut gallery. LOLOLOL All greats had to start somewhere, right? Dang straight!!!

Finalizing Trollie

2009-04-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is an unusual, but fun project. It is actually a Troll matchbox ornament thingie.

I am uploading images of him closed and open. It is supposd to be like he is peeking out of the leaves. It was a fun class and I want to do it again.

When he is open you can see a small portion of the CD mirror that is under the leaves. It was fun and the next one will be a pretty pixie face.

Fantasy Mirror

2009-04-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't finished the matchbox project yet, but I did finish the latest Christi Frieson class - Fantasy Mirror. This one was very interesting with interesting results. The only thing I had difficulty with was the wiggly squiggly thing which on mine turned out to look like a moosy, gooey mess, but it was fun anyway. It was hard to get an image of it, but here it is anyway.

OH NO!! Another Class

2009-03-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here we go again. I saw this awesome class that I had to take part in. In my quest to learn to sculpt, I saw this and had to give it a try. It is a class working with small matchboxes. Just my speed. Small and simple.

Well, this is lesson one where we had to cover the box and make a troll face and hands. Of course I have to perfect the eyes, ears and other parts, but for a first time I think he is kinda cute. This week the lesson will continue from here. I am excited about this as it helps me learn more about perspective and face sculpting.

I am anxious to see how he looks after this new lesson. And he even has Teeth! Well, kinda anyway. LOLOL His hands were not as difficult as I thought they would be although they are not perfect. I am always game to try something new so I am anxious to see the end result. Loving this class a lot. (as if I don't have enough to do to keep me busy. LOLOL)

Creative Sillyness

2008-11-14T21:22:00.001-08:00

Ok, so here is some more of what I call creative sillyness. When I am bored or need a break from something, this is the result. Or is it? Well, I truly was bored tonight and wanted to clay, but had no idea what I wanted to do. So I grabbed a slab of this, and a glob of that and just went to work. Nothing in particular, nothing in my mind. Just needed to feel the touch of the clay and the smoosh of shaping it. LOL

This could be a pin or a necklace beads. Or both for that matter. It was fun and relaxing while it lasted. Now I have to go back to the boredom of daily life. If only I was wealthy so I could spend my entire day just claying away. Awwww the dream continues.

New Creations

2008-11-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

Today I was awfully depressed after not doing so well on my mid-term in college that I decided the best medicine was to create. I happened to have some scrap clay on my table and created these:

Two with the two openings I plan on putting pretty organza ribbons through and make into a pretty pendant necklace. Same with the one ith a single hole.

the one with the four curled corners will probably have a sterling silver chain at the top. Each bead, with the exception of the one on the bottom left has beads and dichoric glass beads on them. the blue double even has some swarovski crystals and a turquoise bead. I decided to put a flower and leaves on the one with the four corners and it came out really pretty.

This was just another of those abstract, let's see what comes out, sort of creation days. You never know what is going to come up when I am upset. LOLOL

Plant Starters

2008-10-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

Well, these were interesting. They are plant starters from test tubes. Another Poly Clay Play project that I just couldn't resist. The tubes have mokume gane technique. I love doing that. I used shades of green, yellow and blue clay for that portion. The hardest part was the hangers. Making S curves is not my forte so they look rather crazy, but it was still fun. I am thinking of making more of these and giving as gifts. Still have to think that one through. anyway, they were fun.

Seahorse

2008-10-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

This little cutie is a birthday gift to my niece who is turning four years old. She loves pink and I thought this seahorse would be just the ticket. I made her into a pin so she can wear it and packed it in a small clay covered pink Altoid tin. We are having a family party for her and her brother today and I will give it to her then.

What fun this was. I think I will make more of these.

New Creation

2008-10-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

Between school and work, I actually have had some time to clay. It has been a hectic time, but I am determined to spend some time at what I love. The tulip necklace I am quite proud of. It is Christi Frieson inspired and I am selling it on my website at ladyraine.com. I am loving getting into the intricate more elaborate necklaces. this one was made with clay and lots of fun beads and frillies. I really had a lot of fun with this.

Christi is such a talented lady and her work is so inspiring. I plan on doing a lot more of these types of necklaces with different alterations.

Emily with Bee Jewelry

2008-09-01T15:36:00.001-07:00

Well, here she is, my little princess Emily in the Bee ensemble that Gramma made for her. She really liked it. It was fun to see her open the bag and bring out the pieces. We had so much fun with her this weekend. Just wish we lived lots closer so the trips could be more frequent. But at least we had this weekend with her.

New Pendant

2008-08-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

So I went shopping last weekend and came across a bunch of beautiful stones. I saw them and knew they would make awesome pendants so I spent the buckolas and got them. This is the first of the six I purchased.

What a beautiful Indian Lace Agate! I was so impressed with this stone that I couldn't wait to make it into a pendant. I think it turned out really well considering my style is very predictable. LOLOL I gotta start taking some chances with my work.

Anyway, here it is.

Bee-u-tiful Set

2008-07-27T03:59:00.000-07:00

Leave it to Trish Hodgens to come up with an adorable set that I just HAD to made for my granddaughter. I saw this in our club projects this month and went bonkers. Emily is going to love this, and it just so happens that we are planning a trip to see her over labor day.

So I got my claying fingers prepped and made the entire set of necklace, bracelet, pin, box to put everything neatly in, and a card. the box (although it is not visible here) has four feet on them. I can't wait till the labor day holiday. I will take pics of her wearing the pieces and post that when we get back.

Ta-Da Complete Necklace

2008-07-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is, my finished triple dragon necklace. Created with inspiration and teachings from the fantastic Christi Frieson. I am so excited. It is not perfect, but for a first try I am extremely proud. Now on to the next project.

New CF Class

2008-07-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I am currently taking two of Christi Frieson's classes right now. One is called "A River Runs Through It", and the second is a Triple Dragon class. I started the first one and then put it on hold while I worked on the second. My intension was to go back and forth between the two. WRONG. I am hung up on the dragon one and will get back to the river one shortly.

This picture shows where I am right now. I have been in awe of Christi's work for a long, long time and the fact that she is so generous with her techniques is amazing to me. I am about three quarters done with this piece and I can't wait to get it totally done. I love dragons anyway, and this necklace has truly been a challenge, but I am getting there.

On top of that, I quit smoking!!! Yup, been 20 days now and I have no intension of going back. To say it has not been a struggle would be an udnerstatement, but there is no way I am going to allow the Nicodemon to get a hold of me ever again. Twenty days is quite an accomplishemnt for me so I just have to stand firm and all will be well.

Tut Experiment

2008-06-13T22:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this looks wierd I know, but I rather like it. The more I look at it, I kinda get this growing on you feeling. This was actually from a tutorial I purchased from a gal by the name of Eugenia. Of course hers looks much better, but I had to try it and from it I have got those crazy little cogs running around in my head. Mainly because the canes I made for this is numerous since I didn't exactly follow directions and have to use them somewhere, right?

Anyway, I actually think it is a bit unique for a pendant. Now to figure out how to finish the necklace part. Hmmm, since I have so much of the orchid cane, I think I will create some earrings to go along with it. That would set it off, wouldn't it? I have some other thoughts too when I try to reproduce this. At least my hubby liked it and didn't say it looked like a "turd fungus" which were his exact words when I attempted a bonsai tree (LMAO)

Sooner or later I will come of my own with everything I am learning from everyone else. There has to be an artist in there somewhere. I just love working with polymer clay and I don't think I will ever stop trying to find my own personal niche. Who knows, maybe I will be a Donna Kato someday, or a Maggie Maggio. Don't laugh; anythings possible (wink)

Where Has the Time Gone

2008-06-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

WOW! It has been a long time since I added anything here. Well, it is understandable considering all that has been going on in my life. The biggest event is that my 77 year old Mom is moving in with hubby and I. Dang it, she needs to retire. She has been working the past 13 years as a property manager. It is time for her to enjoy life. So she is moving in with us.

Since we decided to give her the bigger of the two extra rooms we have, we had to make some major moves, mainly our office/studio into the smaller of the guest rooms. It's ok, all is good as I love what I have now.

Everything is nice and neat and DH had such a great idea. I was going to give away the entertainment center and he said,"Why don't you use it to store your craft supplies?" Well, gee, leave it to the man of the house to come up with a super solution. I thought I was going to have to move my crafting into the kitchen. LOLOL Behind the craft area that is in this picture is our two computers. Makes everything great and in one neat area. Now I can get back to doing some long overdue crafting. But WAIT, can't do that yet...Mom's moving day is in two weeks. THEN I can get back to playing (wink)

I Killed My Mermaid :-(

2008-01-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

Well, I had a pretty sad night last night. I didn't pay close attention to my video instructor. (sniff, sniff) I had done my first firing of my little girl and was gingerly scraping her to get off the fingerprints and "celulite". That part went just great. But then I had to take some clay out of her head and make her hole bigger to prepare for her hair. Patricia said," be careful so you don't break her little neck as she is still soft." Well, I was carefully doing the scraping and had her cradled in my hand with two fingers propping her little head when all of a sudden I could feel her neck snap. I was devastated. Of course I tried to repair her to no avail and in the process her arm broke at the elbow and her butt split. *sigh* So I did a good job of ruining my very first project.

Being upset didn't last long as I chaulked it up to another learning experience and have convinced myself that my next attempt (which will be this weekend) will be even better as I have gained more knowledge.

I got tickled at my workout partner when I told her about my mishap. Her response was, "And now a moment of silence for the brutally murdered mermaid …………………………..” hehehehe Not only does this gal keep me motivated, but she has an awesome sense of humor to boot. Thanks Mila for making me feel better about my huge flub (smile).

All I know is that I am not giving up. In fact, it makes me even more determined to achieve this goal. Upward and onward (with a smile and a prayer)

Mermaid Face Closeup

2008-01-27T06:47:00.001-08:00

I WAS able to get one closeup of my mermaids face. Still work to be done. Eyes especially. I love learning. (big smile)

Mermaid In Progress

2008-01-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, now we are getting serious. LOLOL I have got to learn how to get clearer pictures. Sometimes they come out great and other times blurry, but I will figure it out before this project is finished.

I am now posting my 6" mermaid in progress. I have to do a lot of touch ups on her, add scales and ears and get her arms correct before she gets her first firing, but we are getting there. Each step brings me closer to the reality of a mermaid.

I also neglected to mention in my last post, all the great hints and helps I have been getting from my claying group, City-o-clay. You all have been a wonderful help and I greatly appreciate all the hints and links to make my dream a reality.

Your encouragement and critiques are helping me more than you know.

Hopefully my next post will be clearer as I get closer to making her real.

Second Face

2008-01-27T06:30:00.000-08:00

I have been so committed to this sculpting project that I can't quit. It is almost like an adiction lately. I have a lot of people to thank for giving me hints and for sharing their talents with me. First and foremost is Patricia Rose. I am a huge fan of her work and she has a lot of videos and hints that have helped me get to this stage.

Another great artist that I am envious of is Aidamaris Roman. Again, an artist who freely shares her skills and gives us novices an opportunity to learn her techniques. The face I created yesterday was due to her guidance.

Unfortunately I was not able to get a clear picture of this one, but it is the closest I have come so far. Still need work on eyes, but it is coming. The fact that I have come this far is amazing to me

Dream Fulfilling

2008-01-24T17:16:00.000-08:00

Oh My Gosh! I am doing the biggest happy dance now. A dream of mine has been to begin sculpting fantasy figures. Mainly mermaids and fairies. I have been struggling for months now, going over different tutorials from great artists and practicing like a mad woman. All my attempts have been so funny they made me laugh, but I was not about to give up. I figure once I conquer the face, I can move on to the rest of the body.

Well, today at work, I knew it was going to be a slow one, so I bagged up some of my prosculpt and some tools and when I was not doing anything I started working on her. (this should explain why she is dirty. I didn't care...I just wanted to be successful with the face. TA-DA...I finally got the hardest part for me - lips. And when I got done I was surprised to see that I actually had what looked like a girl! WOW was I excited or what? I had her on the stick of a paint brush and was running all around the office showing her off. Of course I was the only excited one, but I didn't care.

Then I figured I would attempt a bust to put her on so I could keep her as a step in my sculpting growth and that is what she is on. her little ta-ta's are not right, but I guess I will just call her abstract. LOLOL

Then after getting the bust the way I wanted it, I thought, hmmmm...how about some elfin ears? Ok so they are there too. Not the best, but they fit. So now that I have accomplished what I thought would be the impossible I am now ready to perfect the eyes. I think for the heck of it, I am going to get some Genesis paints and a heat gun and go ahead and paint her and even put some hair on her to see how she ultimately would have turned out. I did learn one thing, when I cured her, I didn't have her on any thing like fiber fill and she has a flat spot on the back of her head. That's ok, it is all in the process of learning. LOL So now we move on and get as good as some of the wonderful and sharing artists I have seen online. Man, I can't believe this!

BridesMaid Gifts

2008-01-20T13:50:00.000-08:00

My niece is getting married in Baton Rouge in March. She asked me if I would make some pendants for her bridesmaids. Three are wearing a really pretty violet color dress and her maid-of-honor is wearing a peridot dress. She wanted me to make peridot pendants for the bridesmaids and violet for her maid-of-honor. Well, let me tell you, trying to match Peridot is no easy feat and I don't think I did it, but she wanted each one different.

Here are the three that I have made so far. Each is a clay bead I made and then wire wrapped in square sterling silver. I was sitting on pins and needles until I showed them to her to see if these would be ok. I figured if she didn't like them, I would just put them on Etsy and try to sell them. SHE LOVES THEM! WHEW! What a relief. Now to make the violet one. I think I may still make some of these for myself to sell. I like that they are different.

Tessalated Hearts

2008-01-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun a couple weeks ago and forgot to make this post. I did some tessalated heart pins and then tagged and bagged them. Again, thanks to Trish and her great ideas through the Poly Clay Play Club. These were a lot of fun to do and what I love about tessalations is that you never know what you are going to get and they are always one-of-a kind.

Then the icing on the cake was learning how to do my own tags to protect the work for possible sale. Another fun learning experience.

Pinch Pots

2008-01-12T11:31:00.001-08:00

Man, I love the weekends. That is when I can just forget about the work week and play to my hearts content. If I was retired that would be even better, but I am afraid I would be fused to my office chair finding more new stuff. Today I took on Ziggy's Pinch Pots. I tried these when I first got into claying, but it was a total disaster. So I tried to give it another shot.

I had some scrap clay that I used to make these three and I like them a lot. Some of the symetry is a bit off, but I will get better with time. I want to get more creative and try some different shapes, but for now I am settling with what I see. this was a lot of fun and I want to make more and maybe use canes on them or flowers and bows etc. Will have to see how it goes.

New Poly Clay Play Project

2008-01-05T15:07:00.000-08:00

I always look forward to the new projects at the Poly Clay Play Club each month. The first day of the month can't come fast enough for me and January was no exception. Among other projects, Trish introduced us to Sentiments made with floral "globs". Here are four I made today. This was just too cool to me. I can see myself making an entire basket of these little suckers. LOL

In addition to that, there was a tutorial that incorporated these little gems in a necklace. So of course I had to make one. It's a good thing today is Saturday as I was at it most of the day (between raking leaves). So all I can say is GO TRISH! There is always something for me to play with in the club. Ok, back to playing with more "stuff".

Tin Coverings

2007-12-30T19:16:00.001-08:00

Happy almost New Year!!! It is so hard to believe that another year has come and gone. It seems the older we get, the quicker the time flies. Guess that's life. :-)

I'VE GONE ALTOID CRAZY!!! Yup, I really enjoy covering these tins. The picture is of come I have completed so far. I also have a lot of gum tins tht I want to do as well. I picture these as boxes to put cotton in and give my jewelry in when I am giving gifts. The larger tin at the top is a tin that my husband got a Christmas gift in this year. It made a perfect tin for covering. And I even added feet to it. LOL I can see a future overrun with Altoid covered boxes. They sre make for nice storage and gift boxes.

Where has the year gone?

2007-12-26T15:33:00.000-08:00

My goodness, it is amazing to me how fast 2007 has gone. Here it is the day after Christmas and I have no idea where it all went. I hope everyone had a marvelous time. We sure did. We spent it with my oldest son and his beautiful family in South Carolina. The weather was beautiful and our little granddaughter made it such a pleasurable holiday.

I wanted to share what I have been working on. It is merely a sample, but I like how it came out. Basically I started with a polymer clay cabochon made with white Femo Classic and added some gold leaf. I couldn't waste the remainder of the clay so I made some earrings to match and had some heart shaped Altoid tins, so covered one with the remaining clay. when all done, I wire wrapped the cabochon and made earrings to match out of the four beads I made. To make it a set I put a heart shaped piece of cotton fill in the tin which the earrings fit into nicely. I rather like how it came out. My niece is getting married in a few months and her colors are white and titanium and she has asked for bridesmaids gifts so I am thinking about trying this again only with silver leaf and silver wire. I think this would make a nice gift for her girls. I will have to let her make the final decision though.

I have also been busy covering other Altoid standard tins and whatever else I can get my hands on, between learning how to sculpt. I want so much to make some lifelike figures like fairies and mermaids. It is frustrating, but I am one determined lady. LOLOL

I hope everyone has an awesome New Year celebration. Comments on this project would be wonderfully appreciated.

Newest Project

2007-10-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have posted. Life has been crazy. I am back in school (I have rocks in my head), and have been clay playing (among other things). This week I created something I love. Thanks to the Poly Clay Play Club, I did this project and liked it so much, I received permission to sell them. Now this was something in the club a couple months ago that I just didn't have time to get involved in, but this week, since I was on vacation from work, I played a lot. This was what I did:

Aren't they adorable? I just love them. They are dishwasher magnets and I am so excited. I plan on making them to order in the color that the customer wants them in. And since dishwashers are being made now with plastic fronts, my customers will have the option of magnets or double sided velcro on the back. I am anxious to see how they sell. I may have to make up a bunch and see if I can possibly get a gift store or novelty shop to order a bunch. I am now testing on ebay and etsy to see if I get any takers and that will be an indication to continue. Thanks Trish for letting me do this. I haven't been this excited about a project since I ventured into Italian Charms. Only time will tell. LOLOL

Wire-Wrapped Pendants

2007-09-30T14:55:00.001-07:00

I can hardly believe we are already into October. OOPS! Wait! I am getting a day ahead of myself. Oh well. My goodness how time flies. Before we know it, Christmas will be upon us, and then a brand new year.

I had a lot of fun today. Here is Georgia this weekend there was a bead extavaganza and I just had to go check it out. I got some great buys on beads, but the best part is that there happened to be a class on wire wrapping so I had to go to it. The instructor was great and i was able to have some one-on-one with her. This is what I made in the class: I chose this beautiful black onyx capachon because I had made a pendant for my sister on her birthday and my Mom mentioned that she would love to have a pendant with a black stone. Just so happens, her 76th birthday is next month, soooooo...... The class was a real eye oepner and I learned a lot about wire wrapping.

When I got home I was so excited that I decided to make another, so that I could cement the instructions in my brain. I had a beautiful amythest color cats eye cap, so decided to use that. Here is the result: I want to get really good at this so will probably try to make s couple a week. I think I will put this one on my etsy site and see if it sells.

whimsical Dragon

2007-09-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, so is this little guy too cute for words or what? I had somuch fun last night creating him. I found a tutorial (duh, so what else is new? LOL) and I decided to give him a try. I call him "Dath" and I just love him. He is the first of what will become many I hope.

I actually have someone who wants to buy him, but I don't know if I can part with him just yet. You know how it is when you create something fo rthe first time. I can't remember where the tut is that I used to create him, but eventually I will find it. I am not crazy about the clay I used, but I will know next time.

Pencil Holder

2007-09-16T04:45:00.000-07:00

It has been a bit since my last post, but I had made this pencil holder so I could always have my grandbabies with me while I work. It was a lot of fun to make. I used transfer papers I had purchased from Lisa Pavelka to add the pictures of Payton and Emily and then some molds from sweetbrier studio to put the embellishments on it. Kinda looks like the kids are under a palm tree, doesn't it? LOL

I decided to go ahead and enter it in a pencil holder challenge at polyclayplay. Didn't win anything, but was able to show off the best little grandkids in the entire world. I love Trish's challenges, as they make me think a bit and try to get some imagination in my brain. LOLOL.

Cuff Bracelets

2007-09-08T05:59:00.001-07:00

Ok, so now I am into something new. I saw a link for making cuff bracelets and decided to give it a try. Here are two of the results of that challenge. I used polymer clay canes on aluminum armatures to give them strength. Actually on the purple one, it used a brass armature so it is really strong.

I want to make more of these. The black one is a thinner bracelet and I like that as everyone is different in what they like and do not like. At any rate, ti was fun and I plan on making a lot more of these. I also listed these o Etsy to see if anyone else likes them. We will see. :-)

Lutore, Bringer-of-ashes

2007-09-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

OK, now this is definitely a first attempt. I have been wanting to make dragons for a long time. I am so into the Renaissance period that anything to do with that period is where my head is at. I wish I was talented enough to make some faeries, but hopefully that will come.

I found this tutorial the other day to make dragons from scrap clay
and decided to give it a whirl. Of course my dragon is a far cry from the tutorial's wonderful examples, but by doing it I can see where I need to make adjustments. I call him Lutore, Bringer-of-ashes. I am pretty excited that I was able to get this far and by making him I can see the mistakes I made and will be able to fix them on my next attempts. I guess everyone has to start somewhere, right. The tutorial was great, but when you are not a person who sculpts, it is hard to make sure that all the proportions are correct. One thing I have never professed to be is an artist, that is why I value anyone who has that skill and who teaches people like me. I loved doing this and plan to not give up.

Swirl Bead Crazy

2007-09-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have to admit that ever since I learned how to do swirl beads from Trish Hodgens and our Poly Clay Play club, I have been going swirl bead crazy. I made these a week or so back to use as pendant focal beads. I haven't finished them but wanted to post the results. This technique is so danged addicting that I want to do it all the time. I also purchased a color mixing e-book on etsy the other day and wnat to do a lot of color experimentation. Since I do a lot of wire wrapping, I will probably be going insane with these beads. LOLOL

Flower Pendant

2007-09-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a while since I wrote. Between being ill and just life in general, I have not been able to do much. I have done some new projects lately. Actually a lot of first attempts that I want to post here.

Working with Polymer clay has been such a wonderful experience for me and has given me a relaxing way to explore my creative posibilities. I am not beyond trying something new, even if it doesn't turn out, so tutorials are my way of learning. this pendant is one of those first attempts. I saw a tutorial from the infamous Donna Kato. This woman is clay personified! I am in awe of her and her work. Anyway, I was browsing and found this tutorial and wnated to give it a try. The tutorial called "Floral Polymer Clay Pendant" was on the Carol Duvall show. I want to make many more of these and vary the technique. I love this and can't wait to do more. I have enough of the canes used to make severalmore for Christmas presents.

Perpetual Calendar

2007-08-05T04:29:00.001-07:00

Ok so this was fun, although I need to re-do the blocks I think. This was a project from the Poly Clay Club and it is not finished yet. I still have to make the stand that these pieces to on. There was a bit of distortion in the baking of the blocks so am not sure they will fit right on the stand. We will see. But I had a ball with this project. I used some skulpey clay that I had left on the shelf and although that is not my favorite clay (it is too soft for me) It worked out ok with this project.

Necklace and Cane

2007-08-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this should show how much of a newbie I am. LOLOL I belong to this wonderful clay club called Poly Clay Play (www.polyclayplay.com). The thing I love about this club is that being new to claying, I can learn something new each month. Trish is so awesome and her projects are just what someone like me needs. This month she taught us how to do a flower cane. Below is three states of reduction on the cane. Or is it above? LOLOL

Then she taught us how to do a swirl bead. WOW! How long have I wanted to know how to do that? Can we say forever? LOLOL so one project was creating a necklace with the swirl bead. Another project was covering a Bic Stick Pen. Unfortunately I didn't have one so opted to cover one of my clay tools. What fun was that? Dang I love claying. Have some more projects to do, but there is what I did in the last two days. Need to go a bit slower, but what the heck is a newbie for? LOLOL

New Clay Pendant

2007-07-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well, this one is interesting. I am very pleased with the outcome of this pendant. I saw a tutorial on making a faux labradorite (I think that is how it is spelled LOL) using some translucent clay mixed with black to make the grey color and then adding two pearlex colors on two separate pieces.

Then they are layered twice, imprinted and thinly sliced on some scrap clay. I then imprinted a stamp I purchased and viola! After baking and cooling I came out with this pretty colorful bead.

Of course I then had to wire it into a pendant and I think it came out rather nicely. I also made a round bead using the same technique and imprint and will probalby make that into a wired pendant as well. I have enough of the clay mixture to make a set of beads for a bracelet as well. I love trying new things. I need to practice with this technique as well, but I am glad I found it and gave it a try.

New Pendants

2007-07-26T20:22:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I went a bit pendant crazy today. Here is the first one:
This one I tried to do a swirl lentil, but I still need a lot of work on that. I am new to those, but I have always wanted to make them.

The wire used is gold filled. I am very pleased with this and obviously the picture doesn't do it justice at all. I need some classes on taking jewelry pictures.

My second one for the night is: This particular one was also trying the swirl lentil, but I used some canes for this one.

Sometimes I just go nuts all in one night. This one is also gold filled wire. Ok, let's see what is on the agenda for tomorrow. LOLOL

Shave Cream Beads

2007-07-23T19:36:00.001-07:00

Ok kids, so now we have a miriad of bead styles. LOL I wanted to see the different shapes and using different inks. Some were added to the original bowl of shave cream.

I don't know if you can see from this image but some of the beads have tiny indents in them. That was due to a second part of this technique that Ernie taught us. She said to try rolling our clay in salt prior to putting the cream mixture on. Then when the beads are baked you have to rinse them in water to get the crystals off. The result was a textured bead. Rather cool effect.

Some of these beads will be turned into pendants since I am so into the pendant thing all of a sudden. Others may be bracelet parts. Or who knows, I may keep these as a keepsake and bake a whole new original batch. Any way it goes, I enjoyed this demo a lot.

Upward and onward. LOL

Shave Cream Demo

2007-07-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness!! What fun yesterday was. I love this technique. It is a bit messy, but it was a blast to learn. I decided to make a pendant out of one of the beads and will post some of the beads tonight when I get home. I think I am going to make some more when I get some of the inks and shave cream. What an easy technique!

New Blog to Show Samples of Work

2007-07-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally decided to break into the blog world. :-) Since I am learning the craft of claying and wire work, I thought it would be fun to have a space where I can show my progress. This is going to be an experiment for me so we will see how it goes. I hope you see a lot of progress and fun things.

Since this is my first post, it is short and sweet with more to come. In fact, I am going to my very first guild meeting today. I am so excited. We are learning a technique using shaving cream and inks to make beads. Wish me luck!