Not so lazy Claydaze of summer....financial freak out and & diversions

Art-wear or art jewelery or wearable art is keeping me hopping this summer. I just had a new order for earrings and am scrambling because my supply of bezels is in transit from the US. I just had to send an order for more supplies and I'm in shock at the outlay of money. Spending almost $1000 on materials and supplies is very scary for a person who mostly depends on consignment sales. I have a friend who does a lot of shows and has coveted wholesale contracts-  she'll laugh at me- for her $1000 is a drop in the bucket for a supplies order! anyway, as the old adage goes- "You have to spend money to make money"- wish me luck! If this blog suddenly stops you'll know I had to pawn the laptop.

Breaking News!- I finally ordered a new pasta machine (not a  D.R.E.A..M- I need to get a Hollywood salary for one of those).  My local clay friends will be laughing when they read this as my beloved old Atlas is frequently mocked for its battered appearance and "patina-ed rollers".  (Sand and shell fragments in clay can achieve the textured effect- I like it!) It's a beater but it's beloved. It has started to be- (wait for it)- CRANKY- and likes to chew thin translucent sheets so the time has come to let it find alternative employment as a doorstop. The replacement will be a new 7" Atlas Marcato- the same model. Poor thing- it has a crunchy life ahead.

But wait- there's more! I have a bug to experiment with silk painting- fabric and colourful fabric paint- what's not to love ? I'm currently at the online research stage with this.... hmmm- how much does silk cost?

Between ordering items, waiting for the letter carrier and researching new diversions and making earrings, pendants, BeachStone  bracelets and necklaces and reading The Girl Who Played with Fire (is that ironic?) I have found myself addicted to wonderful Luanne Udell's Blog. She's a master of the organic approach. Her blog is an absolute delight- images to savour and great reading. Tiny Beads and Little Lizard Thoughts struck a chord with me and I  have become a regular visitor. A visit to Luanne's blog is time very well spent especially if you are embarking on a craft show, she has a fantastic series on booth design.

Time to get some stuff out of the oven. Today's pic is  where I wish I was- sitting by my pond with Lisbeth Salander .

Crawling out from under a rock...

Ooops- I haven't posted here for a bit!  I'm currently spending time on my "rockpile" making lots of BeachStones to have on hand to make bracelets and necklaces for a couple of outdoor markets and to keep up to date supplying shops and galleries carrying my work. Making BeachStones is fun but it gives me time to do a lot of thinking...

I'm enjoying resin work - especially earrings- but it's stop and go as I make items and then have to wait for materials not available in Canada to cross the border. I am considering ways to combine resin and polymer clay without any metal components. I also saw a cool concept in Chile that I plan to put together with resin and crackled clay... stay tuned!

I've been wrestling a lot with the time and co$t of making large pieces that move slowly in galleries/shops--this recession is not over yet!  The idea of a focus on elaborate OOAK wearable art- art jewelery or whatever it's called is appealing to me these days! What is a good name for polymer clay wearable art? It's not jewelery- what IS IT? Artwear? Comments?

A peek at my Reading List for 2010 reveals that I'm spending time buried in books too! Currently I'm reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo...

Happy Canada Day!

To celebrate Canada Day I'd like to feature Clayamies- our national online polymer clay artists group. The talent goes from sea, to sea to sea! For an eyeful of cool Claynadian  polymer offerings visit the Clayamies' Blog or our Website  ! If you are a Canadian Clayer and want to join the group- head over to our Yahoo Group. 

Look at what we Can-do!!!

Further notes on the "LEM" UV Oven....

I've been using my home-made resin curing oven for a few days now and have found a few adjustments I can pass along- the cupboard shelf I used raises lights about 5"/12cm from the resin and that may reduce the speed of curing- similarly- the plastic cover on the ballast that makes the fixture look "attractive" affects the efficacy of the lights, so it should be removed. bare bulbs are best. Here's the LEM in action with a celluloid food container weighted with water  acting as a riser. A wire rack from a long defunct toaster oven is the base for my glass sheet.