For the moment, at least, it is not raining here.  We’ll see how long that lasts.

Here is a new clock that I’ll be offering in my etsy shop soon.  This is part of a series experimenting with black, white and red in various mokume gane techniques.  I feel that technique works better with the so-called metallic or pearl polymer clay colors, but this customer wanted colors to match her kitchen – and I ended up with far more of the combination than I really wanted to work with.  There will be clocks, switch plates and even bookmarks in these colors.  (Hope other people have black, red and white rooms in their houses – or just like these colors…)

Our house is still not back to normal – we had several leaks after the recent storms and had a contractor working all last week to find the sources of the water and repair the damaged walls, doors, porch ceilings.  In the end, we had to remove all the wallpaper from the kitchen and dining room.  Since the rooms were emptied out anyway, I called another company to refinish the hardwood floors – but they won’t be here until the end of this week.  So we’re still living in somewhat of a crowded mess.

This is my entry to the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy’s current challenge. The theme is ‘Flora and Fauna’. I figured there’s plenty of flora on my Marigold Wall Clock!

In other ‘flora’ news, my daffodils are in full bloom. Why is it I never seem to get out there to take pictures – and then they’re gone… Planted some astilbe ‘bare-root’ plants this morning. This time I got them into the ground the day after they arrived, so there’s a good chance of survival. And I also planted the “Sea Holly” handed out at the Western Pennsylvania Landscape and Gardening Symposium Saturday. Feeling quite virtuous about planting so promptly!

All last week, everything was torn apart as workmen looked for the source of a leak, then worked to repair the damage. Caulking that failed was the problem. Since we’re supposed to have thunderstorms this afternoon, I guess the repair will be fully tested!

And, speaking of studio – i.e. polymer clay – here’s some info about a special promotion on Etsy:

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Spoil your mom or yourself for that matter! Win a Beautiful Basket Full of gorgeous Polymer Clay items. No Purchase Necessary. To be entered into the drawing, either purchase an item from the stores below from April 11th to the 25th or send an email to Laurelsteven.etsy.com with your name and email address.
What better way to honor your mom than with a handcrafted, beautiful item from the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy members? Shop handmade on Etsy. Shop at the stores listed below to enter!

11BOLDStreet.etsy.com
Beckysuecreations.etsy.com
Claycenter.etsy.com
Higirls.etsy.com
Kellyplaysclay.etsy.com
Marcympc.etsy.com
NKDesigns.etsy.com
Peggers.etsy.com
Polymerclaycreations.etsy.com

My next project is to be mechanical pencils in shades of blues and greens – a custom order. At least the leak has gotten me to straighten up and re-organize my work area!

Well, I finally did it – I listed my beaked toads for sale on Etsy. Being more productive means I can’t continue to hold on to my favorites.

 PCAGOE announces a Mother’s Day Promotion for ETSY: 

A beautiful gift basket filled with amazing polymer clay items from our guild members will be given away in time for Mother’s Day.  More information will be forthcoming on our blog and in our stores. No purchase is necessary.  If you would like a chance to win, please send a convo to Laurel Steven at Laurelsteven@etsy.com to be entered to win.

So – go to ETSY, search on PCAGOE team, and look at all the wonderful items that can be created with polymer clay!

Here’s my “Madame FooFoo”, for example:

And – just to remind everyone it’s still amaryllis blooming time, here are a few more:

Since I keep around 200 of these bulbs over the winter, I’ll have an ongoing supply of plants and no where to keep them all as they start blooming.  It’s a challenge every year, but the blossoms are so intriguing that I have to admit – I’m addicted!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Polymer-Clay-Artists-Guild-of-Etsy/211243825552895 is the website address of our new page.  Interesting new items, a link to all members’ shops and more.  I’m still working on black, red and white items.  Here is an example:

  Well, the bracelet is pink and purple, but the others are black, red, white and sometimes gray. 

Several of our members have already posted photos and info – so go to the page, click ‘like’ and stay in touch!

I spent part of my day today assembling clocks.  Will have photos of them some time soon.  A couple are going to the Mothers’ Day promotion that Polymer Clay Artists Guild of ETSY is putting on.  More details on that coming up soon.  It will be an opportunity to win a basket of items with no purchase necessary.  I’ll pass on further info when I have it.

And it’s amaryllis season, too.  So:

More of these pictures to come shortly.

So I’m still trying to use up all the black, red and white ‘cane’ I produced while trying to fill an order for a double switch plate in those colors.  Here are some more:

As well as the box you saw last time and a bracelet I made last year after the previous Cabin Fever Clay Festival.  The bracelet combines the work of 2 instructors – one who taught how to make these bangles and another who taught an optical illusion cane.  I took these photos for a friend who sells Corvette jewelry – I was bemoaning the number of black, red, white and sometimes silver items I’d produced and she said that those are Corvette colors.  She’s going to see if her partner wants to expand beyond jewelry.  (Or produce bracelet fasteners and/or smaller bangles in black, red, white for kids.)  Who knows, I may have a new market.  But I am getting awfully tired of these colors.  And I think I like the ones with silver better than just the black, red and white.

Today is a FeederWatch bird count day for me – wish this computer was near where the feeders are.  But I’ve got bills to pay, records to keep, and email to read.  Maybe later for the birds.  (I started this morning, but there were mostly squirrels – they tend to discourage the birds – only got a couple of cardinals and some house sparrows.)

Still babying my foot – ice, elevation, Ace bandage wrap.  If I wrap it too tight I get in trouble, so yesterday I had my physical therapist show me how it’s supposed to be done.  Somehow, my wrapping doesn’t look pretty like his did.  But I do have a better idea of how it should be done.  We’ll see what today brings.

So here’s the link:

http://pcagoechallenge.blogspot.com/

for voting on the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy current challenge.  Today is the last day, so get out there and vote!!  (PS – My entry is the Butterfly Goddess – hint, hint.)

Got all the clay conditioned for Cabin Fever Clay Festival, at last.  Now I’ve got a week to find all the other gadgets (oops – tools) called for by the various instructors.  I’ve got most of the things somewhere, but figuring out where that somewhere is is the difficulty.  My ‘studio’ may well be totally rearranged before this is over.  

And I still have a ton of the black – white – red makume gane cane (more like a blob than a cane in the case of makume gane).  Guess I got somewhat carried away when I finally located the article with directions for this cane.  A customer had asked if I could make her a switch plate in that pattern, but in colors to match her kitchen instead of the copper, silver and black on red that I had on display.  Then I came down with Bell’s Palsy (yes, last April) and everything clay stopped.  Over the summer I tried other variations on black, red, white but none of them was quite it.  So, needless to say, I’ve got quite a stock of switchplates – and some clocks and bookmarks – in those colors and related variations.

The top two were done over the summer, the bottom 4 (clocks on left, switch plates on the right – all just as they came out of the curing oven before sanding and buffing) used the ‘new’ cane with black clay as the base on the bottom set and a white clay base on the set above.  I think the metallic clays lend themselves better to the beauty of the technique.  I may try with pearl as my base clay, and also with some foil and translucent inserted into the block of mokume gane.  I certainly have enough to experiment with!!  And I’ve got still others that I didn’t photograph since they’re finished and downstairs with my craft fair stock.

And with the scraps – boxes and bookmarks:

And zipper pulls and whatever.  I sure hope there are other people out there who like this combination of colors!!  It feels like I’ve spent the entire year doing nothing else.

Still having to baby my foot, prop it up, ice and wrap it to keep swelling down, but less so each day.  

Still conditioning clay for Cabin Fever Clay Festival.  Today will be black and white – 12.5 oz of each.  

It would be nice to do something besides conditioning clay, but what with having to prop up my foot and ice it fairly often, I don’t get a lot of time to be sitting up!  Fortunately it’s the weekend at last so my schedule is not so busy.  And next week maybe I can start exercising again.  I’m sure there are exercises that don’t require lots of standing up – well, I think so.

Today is a FeederWatch day.  I wrapped my foot in an ice bag, propped it on a kitchen chair, and stared out at the bird feeders for a while.  Gee – I wish they had me counting squirrels!  We did get a white-throat sparrow yesterday along with the usual crew.  This is the first time in about 3 years that I’ve had a bird bath heater that actually works.  We’re getting larger groups of cardinals and goldfinches (and squirrels) than in past years.

Haven’t seen one for almost a year.  Guess it helps to update my email address when it changes.

Got stitches taken out today – and can wash my foot tomorrow.  Hurray!  But it still swells up and sometimes hurts when I walk.  Seeing the Dr. again in 2 weeks.    Mostly it seems I’ve spent this week babying my foot to keep swelling down.  But I did win 2 Mah Jongg games yesterday.