Progress .. It's early but I'm smiling

Ok ok .. So I have seen so many posts about a word of the year.  

I have no idea if I have a word of the year...

Most of the time I have no idea what time or what day it is - 

my brain can only hold so much information at once and I think that it's on overload.

I swear every time I learn something new, it feels like I have forgotten something else...

One day I fear that I will forget how to swallow (again - yes it has happened before)

I think that I would like to have a word of the year

I would most definitely love it to be honest

There are so many words swimming around in my mind

I will have to try to circle them around to come up with a word or phrase 

that fits my goals for the year

Stay tuned for that 'Revelation'

I would love to lose some weight and get fit and healthy again

I know that this is one of my goals for the year

I think that I have found a way to start me on my path.

The Kinect for the Xbox 360 is AWESOME!

I have exercised at least an hour - seriously at least an hour more like two - every day this week

It may seem lazy to some to call a video game exercise

but until you try it you have no idea how much exercise it really is.

Plus I did get a fitness game to go with the other games (sneaky)

The kids and I put in a game and play, play, play

It may look like fun on the tv commercials - and it is - but it is a big ole workout in disguise

Check out some YouTube videos if you don't wanna take my couch potato word for it :) 

I have been smiling, smiling, smiling that last few days

knowing that my kids and I have spent so much time together 

just playing and having fun

exercising without having to call it exercise

Now to work on drinking water rather than soda or sweet tea

that is going to be super duper super duper 

HARD

It is necessary though - a must above all other musts 

(ok except for maybe the exercising thing)

Not only will I feel better, I will stop taking in extra 'empty' calories

and I will stop dehydrating myself which leads

to my sinus issues acting up 

which leads to migraines

So WATER is on my list this year

To digress here - 

This morning my doggy went psycho (I swear it runs in my family) 

and bit my youngest on the face 

Yeah I said FACE
So said doggy is now in need of new home (I cannot send him to a shelter)

One ER visit later, I called in sick to work and spent the rest of today snuggled up to my baby 

indulging him in whatever his little heart desired

movies, candy, hot chocolate, board games, and books

we even spent some time playing with clay - 

me working on some new ideas for pendants,

he was creating something out of a science fiction movie

Getting him in the shower this evening was a BIG accomplishment.. let me tell ya

I spent time working on ideas for pendants.

Did I really say that? I believe that I did

I know that one of my goals for 2012 will be to focus on creating my own beads and focal pieces

I love love love using handmade to create handmade 

I will still be out there using handmade by other artists

but I KNOW that I want to learn new techniques 

that may not necessarily result in a finished piece of jewelry

So let's see what did I forget? - Oh yeah!!! 

Project Runway All-Stars started tonight,

but I won't be able to watch until tomorrow

So SHHH to those of ya'll already watching

And there is something else 

OH YEAH 

Sign Ups for the 

5TH Bead Soup Blog Party

start TOMORROW!! 

I hope hope hope that I win the 

beady lottery and get to participate again.

For more info head on over to 

Lori Anderson's blog 

Pretty Things

to get more info

Much love

Shell 

New Adventures

After some prodding by Brenda Sue I have taken on the task of playing around with polymer clay in order to familiarize myself with it and the different things that can be done with it.  

So I thought that I would share with you some of the beads that I have created over the past week with this new medium (at least for me).

To start out, I thought that I would playing with marbling and here is what I created:

I marbled together some white and red Sculpey III.  I really love the different shades that these beads have. I tried two different shapes for these beads - round and oval. I had a little difficulty piercing the holes in some - at least when speaking of middle of the bead hole. 

Then I decided to try some of the texture stamps that I purchased.  For these, I used Sculpey III in beige (I wanted to be able to see the designs clearly so I thought that this color would be best.) 

For the left piece, I added color by the way of Guilder's Paste to this with a fingertip after baking.  The color didn't come out as I had hoped, but I think that with a little more practice I can get a better effect.  

The middle piece was baked and colored with Guilder's Paste after baking.  The effect is much better with this one.  

The third is an example of what happens when I don't apply even pressure to the roller when adding a texture stamp.  The left-hand side has only a faint impression.

Then I tried my hand at a cane.  Unfortunately, the clay was soft and ended up melding together.  So rather than waste the clay, I decided to use it as a marble effect. Below are the results.

I created a few flat circular pieces and added texture to these.  The larger circles have a hole in the top, while the smaller circles have a whole in the center.

I also created a round bead and had better luck with a straighter hole this time. 

The final piece was a larger round bead that I decided to make into a teardrop.

Not bad for my first attempt although creating the hole through the bead misshaped the smaller end.

Using the same clay as above, I thought I would attempt a crude toggle clasp. 

I have baked this and thought that it would be nice to add the wire after baking this first time.  I think that next time I will try to bake it with the wire in place.  The round part of the toggle has some texture added with the piercing tool.  The hole (which isn't pictured is in one side.  The toggle part has a whole pierced through the center.  

And here they are all together.

All in all, I must say that I am a little bit proud of my creations.  

And most of all I am proud of this piece that Aidan (my 8 yr old created). 

I am not sure how many of you can guess what it is .. I will will just tell you. It is a turtle with a rainbow in its back.  He not only created this, using Pluffy Clay, but he also narrated the entire time as if he was making an instructional video.  I will have to pull out the video camera next time to capture his hidden talent. 

Thanks for stopping by to see what my son and I created.  Hope to see you again really soon.

Much Love,

Shell

Fun for me!!

The Sari Ribbon Party Blog Hop hosted by B'Sue is over and I am a little sad.  The hop was fun and exciting.  It was so much fun to hop from blog to blog to see what the different participants created.  Each piece was unique and beautiful.  Most interesting of all is how many participants had never worked with Sari Ribbon before.  

Here is another shot of my piece 

To see photos of the different pieces that were created during the hop you can follow the links in my post here or go to Flickr to B'sue Boutiques Creative Group.  These photos as well as many others with pieces created with components from B'sue Boutiques can be found in the Flickr photos.  There are discussions going on about another upcoming hop, individuals looking for ideas or help, how different people started their jewelry making journey, and more.

Right now, I am most excited about the discussion going on around the theme for the next hop (maybe in January)!!  The theme is POLYMER CLAY!!  I have never used polymer clay before, but have always wanted a "reason" to buy supplies and get started playing with something new.  

Today I went out and bought some basic supplies because I just couldn't wait any longer to start playing.  So Aidan and I have been having fun tonight conditioning clay, learning that if the clay crumbles it is usually beyond repair, and playing with cutters, textures and colorizing.

I will be taking photos of my trial and error pieces as I learn this new medium and what it can offer.  I am already excited about what I can do with it.  I am watching different YouTube videos, reading tutorials and playing with the clay.  

Although down the road (at least around the curve), I am super excited about making my own canes to create signature looks for my own work.  How awesome is that!? Handmade by me with more handmade by me.  

The possibilities are endless when clay is involved.  I am only beginning to see what can be done with this wonderful medium.  I hope that you will join me in my exploration of polymer clay.

Much love, 

Shell