Perhaps I've finally got this blog site rearranged to look more like a normal blog.  Hope it doesn't disappear tomorrow!

Second camera still not downloaded.  It's the older but much lighter one and has most of the photos.  Far easier to carry, fits in a pocket but doesn't have the same quality of picture.  I got the newer one for taking ETSY pictures of polymer clay items - for example:

Anyway, my goal for today is to finish paying accumulated bills and to start back on finishing some wall clocks.  For one, I'm going to try a new surface finish and then decide if I'll continue to use that for future items.

The garden will just have to wait until I have more free time.  And Tom's putting on this 70th birthday party for me on Saturday night.  We'll have a house full of relatives, some of whom I have to contact today to make sure of when they'll be arriving.  We'd have waited another week, but Pittsburgh's going to be full of the G-20 meeting next week and getting here plus getting around will be a terrible hassle.  This morning's paper announced the closing of most of downtown to cars, and part of it will even be closed to pedestrians.  It should be an exciting week but also a real pain in the neck for those of us who live here!  One of Tom's daughters lives near Pittsburgh and the other is already in from Harrisburg.  That just leaves my 3 sons to account for.

A wonderful 2 weeks in Italy.  Started in Sorrento, did Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.  Then to Rome for 2 days.  Colluseum, Vatican, WOW!  Followed by a drive to Florence with a stop in Orvieto - I'd forgotten how wonderful that cathedral is.  Florence also amazing.  Museums.  Siena and Lucca took a day.  Verona and San Gimignano (sp?).  Then Venice.  Romantic gondola ride with music.  All the good stuff.  Lots of photos, most of which I haven't even downloaded yet.

The first 3 shots I believe were in Verona and the last is Florence right by our hotel.

Tomorrow morning we head for Italy.  Got suitcases all packed except for last minute stuff like pills and such.  Shut down my ETSY site already 'casue I don't have time to package orders today. 

Got the remaining plants into the garden on Tuesday - and managed to scrape my replaced knee in a fall.  No big deal (I don't think) just a big bandage covering the abrasion.  I hope it rains enough to help the new plants survive while we're gone - some are out of reach of the automatic 'irrigation system'.

Got clocks heavy sanded last weekend but I've still got lots of fine sanding to do before I can buff anything.  In addition to clocks, there are 2 switchplates, some zipper pulls, pillboxes and letter openers to be sanded.  And bookmarks that have to have tassels put on.  I've ordered some waxed cord to see how that works on the bookmarks.  but I'm also trying to make some scarves with polymer clay big buttons to sell on my web site.  I must be losing my mind! 

And I've still got to catch up on paying bills before we leave.  And pack up the cameras and binoculars - and find an appropriate bird field guide.  I'm starting to feel overwhelmed.  Why am I sitting here writing a blog??

But I seem to have gotten bogged down on the internet!  I got drawn into Facebook and found photos my son had posted, so I had to look and comment on some.  Then I decided to upload some of my recent polymer clay creations, but couldn't remember how to do that.  However, I did find out how to change my profile photo, so of course had to try it.  Then I figured out how to add more of my pictures, got sucked into taking a couple polls and commenting on Bob's item.  All in all, about 2 hours what with having also to read some other folks' updates and so forth.

Wow!  It's been a long time since I updated this blog.

The Exposed Artists' Market at Southside Works went well.  Again, I sold mostly smaller items, but did sell 3 clocks.  This is the first crafts fair where I made rather more than the fee for the space - another plus in my mind.  But boy was it tiring!

Since then, Tom & I visited Eric, and he and Lori just visited here - about 2 weeks later.  In Chicago, though, I got to meet Lori's boys - who mostly ignored the adults and went about their own business as 6 and 8 year olds tend to do.

Friday morning, I made all my unfinished clocks into actual clocks.  Here are some quick photos of them.  They are all sitting on the countertop in my work area, running, so I can be sure they actually keep time.  I've had a couple cases where the clockworks were faulty, so thought I'd better check.  Tomorrow I'm taking most of them to a consignment-type shop near the Galleria Mall off Route 28.  La Belle Emporium, it's called.  It's a start-up in a former record store - LOTS of space available!

          

And here is Itty-Bitty-Kitty investigating the second hand as I attempted to get a better picture of the last clock by putting it on the floor so I could get higher above it:

The craft show starts Friday.  Yesterday, I spent the entire day finishing things.  Sanding and polishing, mostly.  Then I figured out how to use Buna (sp?) cord to string pendants.  All I had was clear cord - black would have looked better, but who has time to go shopping?  Today I was supposed to drive to Lebanon PA to pick up some exhibit display systems, but Tom talked me out of that last night.  Good thing, too - I've got a sinus headache today.  I'll have them shipped.  After all, I've only got 2 wall clocks to hang.  And they - and other clocks - are my main project today.  Got to add clockworks to all the otherwise-finished clocks.  They all use pretty much the same hardware except the wall clocks have a hanger instead of a stand.  Here are the desk and wall clocks before being turned into actual clocks:

And then there are these things - they are masks made on the back of a large spoon.  I'm not sure what to do with them:

Thought about maybe keychains, but the "hair" would probably break off.  Maybe dangly things to hang from car mirrors.  But for that I need stretchy thread or string.  No time for shopping right now!  (Did I already mention that?)

If the clocks don't sell at the Exposed Artists Market at SouthSide Works, they'll be listed on my etsy website:  www.marcympc.etsy.com

I still haven't planted the rest of the items I got almost 2 weeks ago at the garden center - they'll just have to wait 'til Monday.  Or next weekend, since we're going to be visiting Eric in Chicago most of next week.  And then the following week I get to go see Vicki in Margate - a beach at last!  As well as seeing old friends and places.  She wants me to go back to the house I grew up in and ask to see the inside since so many renovations have been made in recent years.  I'm kind of curious myself, so we'll probably do it.

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 Tom's hematologist appointment seems to have turned out as an anticlimax - the doctor said his combination of symptoms points to a serious problem in maybe 1% of cases, but those are so serious that it's best that it be checked out.  So more blood was drawn for more tests and Tom's to go back in 2 weeks for results.  Then, probably, he'll have appointments at 6 months intervals for a couple years, then at yearly intervals just to make sure nothing starts to change rapidly.  Sounds like he's got nothing to worry about - except having to remember to make doctor appointments at appropriate intervals.

We went to Eau Claire WI to visit Andy and Bob over July 4th weekend.  A quiet but fun time was had by all as I got re-acquainted with pug Bogart and Siamese cat Brendon and Andy's garden while Tom also got to see their house addition for the first time.  We learned a couple of new games, had bratwurst and corn on the cob for the 4th, then went to see fireworks at 10PM.  Eau Claire is a lot further north than Pittsburgh - daytime is noticeably longer.

Now "all" I have to do is get ready for my 3-day crafts show this weekend.  I'm still frantically producing 'inventory'.  Tried out some new (to me) bigger clocks - they'll be wall clocks if I ever get them finished.  Right now they just look like big plates with holes in the center.  They're based on a wooden plate form covered with clay.

And beside them are bookmarks, pillboxes, a bracelet holder and a zipper pull just out of the oven and untouched since then - they were done last Thursday and still need to be sanded and polished except for the bookmarks which just need a tassel added.  I save also the little round holes punched out of the bookmarks figuring some day I'll make a polka-dot clock or something.  Gotta figure out how to handle the seam where the 2 pieces of clay connect to become large enough to cover the clock-plate.

So, anyway, I'm feeling a little frantic - so much to do and so little time.  Plus I've never done a 3-day show outdoors before.  Weather forecast looks good so far - rain possible only on Sunday.

Enough for now - gotta get back to work!

So Tom has an appointment on Wednesday with the hematologist at Hillman Cancer Center.  Don't like the sound of that institution's name!  He got his skeleton X-ray done last Thursday in several stages - different positions for different parts of the body.  Guess we'll find out what all this means on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the garden is hopelessly in need of weeding.  And I keep hoping and weeding.  I'm seeing some headway, but realized I've lots of packets of seeds to be planted.  They're all a little late this year, but many got into the ground this past Saturday.  Areas of the garden are beginning to appear looked after at last.  And I got a bunch of plants on sale that are not yet into the ground -  largely because every time I go to plant something, I find lots of weeds to pull instead.

My big 3-day crafts sale starts July 10th, but apparently I have to provide my own table.  This whole thing is beginning to feel out-of-hand.  The only long folding table I have weighs about a ton and may not fit into my Honda Fit!  And I'm still producing items to sell - inventory.  And we're visiting Andy over 4th of July, which takes 3 days out of the remaining 2 weeks.

Do I begin to sound frantic, or what?

I'll post photos of some of my products after I take them but here's a sample.  This picture was taken for the Polymer Clay Artist's Guild of Etsy challenge: