Busy, busy, busy!

I have been hard at work lately trying to perfect a jewelry piece that incorporates my two favorite media: polymer clay and shrink plastic. I think my latest attempt may be successful, though I have no idea if it will actually be appealing to others! Here's the basic design idea, for those of you who like to have sneak peeks of new ideas!

My son has started third grade and I have signed him up for some after-school activities. Since he spent much of the summer in our house playing on his tablet or watching TV, I felt he should get more active. He will be getting some one-on-one gymnastics coaching as well as learn to play tennis.

I'm also currently taking a graduate-level psychology class, which will hopefully be the last one I need to take before I apply for licensure. Yes I love art, crafts and my freedom, but I do need to be doing a bit more that provides me with some sense of purpose or fulfillment. Psychology is still my first love and what I think I am best at, so if I am able to eventually get a job as a therapist, it will be a goal achieved after at least 30 years of working towards it.

So yes, I am busy, and a bit overwhelmed and stressed, but I'm sure I'm not alone in that! Feel free to share your own "busy" stories!

Working to perfect an idea

For the last couple days, I've been trying to make some tile beads using a technique I learned from an Israeli artist, Iris Mishly and another technique by Melanie Muir. Without giving away the specifics of their proprietary techniques, I will say that in trying to cover the backs of my tile beads for a nice finished look, I always have problems getting my side holes neat and even. Even if I have a good hole to start with, I have trouble once I start covering the sides. Can't see the holes, sometimes forget exactly where they are, it's a mess. So today I came up with an idea that's working for me. I don't know that it's all the innovative, but I thought I'd share it for others who may be having the same problem I have been having.

First, start with a tile bead that has it's holes already made. Extrude some thin strings of clay, stretch them straight and stick them on the baking tile to cure. Cure for the recommended time. Once cool, stick one end through one of the holes in your bead.

Then clip off the excess with scissors or wire cutter.

Next, lay the shape on the clay you wish to cover the back with and cut a rough outline so you know how much clay you need.

Then, lift up the bead and the backing you will be using, turn the bead over and hold in your hand with a sponge, sandpaper or other fine texture.

Begin forming the clay backing to the edges of the tile. Depending on how long you left the clay strings, you may get a bump sticking out on the side or a large piece of the cured string. Just work around it.

Next, take a thin bead pin or the end of your need tool and push the cured clay string from one side of the bead out the other side and remove.

Lastly, smooth the edges with the sponge or texture and open the holes a bit more with a needle tool if necessary. Then bake! And you're done. Neat holes!

I hope this was helpful to somebody. It's been driving me crazy! I made a beautiful set of tile beads once with a tutorial but I could not get the holes to stay open or straight. Hopefully my next set will be easy thanks to this idea. Happy claying!

Five lbs gone, and only 70 to go!

I started Nutrisystem about 2 weeks ago. Pricey, yes. But totally worth it so far. The food actually tastes good! Most of it anyway. My favorites so far are the Broccoli Stuffed Chicken Breast, Thin Mint Bar, Ravioli in Meat Sauce, Trail Mix Bar, Protein Drinks, Turkey Sausage and Egg Muffin and Stuffed Apple Pie. (Wouldn't recommend the Turkey and Stuffing or Italian Herb Flat Bread Pizza. Yuk.) Yes, the portions are small, but that is what I need right now. I am at my highest weight ever and I do NOT like it. I am 5 feet tall and used to be considered petite. Never had a weight problem until my 30s. Now that I'm at the beginning of the second half of my life, I decided I do NOT want to be this big, this out of shape, this uncomfortable and this unhappy with my appearance for the rest of my life. I have a 6 year old to keep up with!

Oddly enough, since I started on the plan, I've been feeling more tired and a bit achy in the mornings and have had a lot of stomach aches (not so unusual for me in times of stress but things around here have been less stressful than usual). I'm going to assume that I'm still going to bed too late and not active enough, but I will keep a note of it. Anyway, I've lost about 5 pounds so far. Only 70ish more to go!

We now return to our regularly scheduled blog. . .

Sorry for my absence. . .it was a difficult summer. But things are looking up. . .

I finally decided that enough was enough. I tried to comfort myself with donuts all summer, and, as delicious as they were, they just made me fatter and even more unhappy with myself. So I decided a few weeks ago to join Nutrisystem. Today was only my second day, but I am hopeful. The food tastes better than I expected and I like that things are spelled out for me.

On a different note, I have become completely obsessed with shrink plastic, mandalas and backgrounds/patterns I can download. Compulsive hoarding runs in my family and in addition to amassing large quantities of crafting supplies, I have also amassed large amounts of jpgs to print onto shrink plastic. I bet you're wondering what I do with them. Good question! So far, not much. I've made a few keychains and earrings, but plan on attempting to sell some as mosaic tiles. And if they don't sell, I may make some new mosaic projects myself. Stay tuned!

Thanks for being interested in what I have to say. . .and please comment if you'd like me to blog more often!

BPW

Just keep claying, just keep claying. . .

Lots of changes are going to be happening in my life in the next year. Life changing changes. And as usual, I have very little emotional support from my husband or family. The most emotional support I get is from my sweet, loving and empathetic almost 6-yr-old. When I think about having no friends, nobody to talk to in person except my husband and son and not having a close relationship with any of my family members, I start to feel lonely and very alone. Those thoughts can really get me feeling sad, sorry for myself, etc. So I have to remind myself daily to keep my mind focused on polymer clay, my son, my dog, claying ideas, claying inspirations and claying itself. I've got to "just keep claying. . ."

Don't Fuck With Pinterest

Today I made the unfortunate mistake of expressing my desire for Pinterest to be a little more organized and pinners to be a little more conscientious about crediting artists. I did this by posting a picture I created, onto various polymer clay groups on FB, with the request written out. You would have thought I challenged people's belief in god! I was accused of trying to tell people how to organize their boards, what to call them and was also told that pinning is a "very personal thing." Really? A public photo sharing site is so sacrilegious that a request meant to help everyone enjoy it more is attacked? People took my request personally, as if I was standing over them shaking my finger and saying "Bad pinners!" The whole thing is ridiculous.

What's more ridiculous is how personally I took the responses. Reminds me that I can't lean on FB or the internet for human connections, I need to go out and make them in person. And appreciate more the people that do love me and care for me.

I also learned a few other valuable lessons:

1) Don't expect others to understand your intent when making a request for something over the internet. The lack of tone of voice or context can be a huge detriment.

2) Don't expect others to feel as you do or, at least, give you the benefit of the doubt, just because you all love the same thing.

3) Don't fuck with Pinterest.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bdbear10/8719522652/in/photostream

Up late again

As I sit here watching The Daily Show on my DVR at 12:44 am, I know I have probably made the same mistake of staying up too late. In the morning, when I have to take my son to school, I will definitely be tired. Too tired to stay up all day. I will eat my breakfast, then come back upstairs to sleep and hope I get up early enough to get some claying done.

I've been trying to eat healthier and less, in an effort to lose weight. But I just can't seem to get motivated to be more active during the day, and I know that is what I need to step up the weight loss. I'm usually totally absorbed by my clay ideas and plans and all I want to do is stay in my craft room and work. I've gotta find a way to fit in exercise every day, whether I want to or not.