Playing with Clay

FH and I got home late last Monday and I was knackered. I also had no plans for my streams Tuesday and Wednesday. I'd been thinking up a new sculpted teapot design in the car, so I decided on just playing with clay and seeing where things took me.

Whilst rummaging for colors, I found some pre-mixed "dough" colors leftover from workshops I'd taught and decided they needed to be used up as well.

 The first thing I played with was a cane for candies and cake decorations. I attempted a strawberry design. It's... ok. I'm not super happy with it. The design itself was not well planned out and the result is "meh" in quality. I can do better, so that one is going where it should've gone first. The sketch pad. Also I don't know if the clay had started to dry out or if it was just really cold in my studio, but I was having problems with my canes cracking and breaking apart as I was working them to make them smaller.

After I got fed up with the cane foolishness, I switched to my prototypes for new teapots. The center tomato is plain. The other two are based on one of the emote designs E-Jipt uses in his Twitch channel. It's a "Not Tomato." Long story. The gloss varnish and the sunlight weren't playing nicely and this is the best picture I have of them. The tomato teapot itself still needs tweaking. Also I'd like to make them a bit smaller.

The leftover bits of cane got the teapot treatment as well. Also some of it got turned into lollipops.

Wednesday was "baking day." I started out making a simple split-top loaf and a braided loaf. Then I decided to try marbled rye. I'm pretty pleased with that experiment. The rye can use some tweaking, but this is a good first result.

Various dinner rolls followed as did cookies in different states of preparation.

While I was working, a viewer asked how I'd made the tomato teapots the day before, I so made another to demonstrate. And E-Jipt suggested a Pokemon-themed teapot while I was working so I tried that as well.

The tomato teapot has more detail than the first versions. I added more vine details and am happier with it. The Pokeball teapots... not so much. They're too big and clunky for one. I turned one into a cookie jar as it looks better size-wise. Also the red smeared everywhere on the white bottoms. So they get to join the strawberry cane back at the drawing board. I may end up making the two haves of the Pokeballs separately and "gluing" them together with liquid polymer after par-baking them. Just to keep the red from staining the white. I'm not sure yet. But it's a neat project idea to play with.

Thursday night was the mini group meeting and we all made the Plein Air set from True 2 Scale's tutorial. That was a lot of fun. I'd made mine already so I could help everyone else figure their out.

The next several meetings will be all hat shop oriented. Hatboxes are next month, but I'm not teaching that one. However I need to make some tools for making silk roses and start practicing a hat design people liked. Unless I'm complete rubbish at it, that will be June's project. We go out for dinner in July, but I'm going to suggest having an all-day play day in July sometime. Don't know how that will go. 

That's all for today. I need to go sketch up some cane designs and start research mini hat shop items. See you next Sunday!

Sad Traveling

After I posted last week's blog, I found out one of my brothers-in-law had passed away the day before. FH and I are currently dealing with family obligations at the moment.

I'll be back to minis next weekend. Until then, be well.

Art Studio Progress

So far, this is what the room looks like. I decided the artist would be working on a seascape featuring dolphins. The wooden oval on the floor is a placeholder for the table that I started building last week.

Now that I have this picture, the lighting is off. Drat. No time to go take another though. The dolphin "model" is made from a rubber toy that came in a sea creature variety pack. I carved the wooden base and drilled holes to insert a section from a straight pin. The poppy flowers and pictures are "left over" from another painting in the studio.

Originally I wanted to use bamboo chop sticks for my table legs but they didn't work so well. I switched over to a wooden dowel and decided that the legs needed carving to be better looking. Again, drat the lighting in the photo. I still need to carve 4 more of these because the table has a lower shelf.

That's where the project stands as of this moment. I'll be back at it tomorrow! See you next week!

Art Studio in Miniature... Work In Progress

Last week I started working in earnest on some ideas I'd been playing around with in my head. The first was a mock up of an easel. I couldn't find a tutorial on one I liked anywhere, so I winged it. This one is done in balsa wood. 

It's been stained, had paint smeared on it, and been aged with a black wash now. I'm missing the current picture of it. I'm putting it into one of the Attic lamps after it's varnished. Waste not want not.

The second easel is done in basswood, It's slightly different, as the sizes of wood strips I had on hand were different than the balsa. I made a hinge for the back leg out of fabric that's stained to (sort of) match the wood. There is a length of chain from an old necklace keeping the leg from flipping too far out.

I've stained it with cherry. The top "thingy" that holds the canvases in place will be added once I get a canvas on there. I need to start a painting on a canvas so it's a work in progress.

Speaking of the canvases I made a few of them and a handful of brushes as well. There's a palette that still needs one side varnished too.

A while back, True 2 Scale Minis did a tutorial on a plein air watercolor painting set up. That got played with too.

Yesterday I made some labels for spray cans and tubs of gesso. Hoping to get those worked on today and Monday. The palette needs finishing, including paints added to it. I'm thinking this easel needs some paint drips, but perhaps not as many as the prototype received. Also need to throw together a table and or stool for this scene. And then there's the paintings themselves... Hoping to get it all finished by Tuesday afternoon... Wednesday at the latest. 

Wish me luck!

Shamless Filler

It's raining and Daylight Savings Time has robbed me of a much needed hour in which to get things done. I've been fighting with a computer program that I'm determined to master and the last week has seen me out of the house more than in it.

So, today I'm going to show off a couple of paintings FH and I did last month. Our niece's school was doing a fundraiser for a trip to Puerto Rico and the four of us (her mother included) were actually able to paint together. Much fun was had by and and many cookies met their demise. 10/10 would happily do that again.

I love the way FH's sky looks like a burning sunset with churning clouds. The shading on his sand is most excellent as well. It's definitely about to rain here... the clouds in the foreground are building upwards and the sea is turning green. I can almost feel the wind picking up speed when I look at his painting.

I did a less stormy sky and created more of a cove. The little palm trees were just aching to happen while I worked. It took me forever to be happy with the water. I also went back and added shading on the sand after I saw FH's idea. It's calmer in my little cove.... night time is descending and wrapping the world in a blanket of shadows.

The highlight last week was meeting this little lady in person.

Her name is Kaya and she belongs to one of my favorite glass artists, E-Jipt. They were rolling through the midwest on their cross country move and I was lucky enough to be able to drive down to meet up with them. She loves to play tug of war and when E-Jipt is live streaming from his stupid, she sometimes gets into his lap and has screen time. Kaya has quite the following in the Twitch.tv community. Many regular viewers have suggested that he add another camera under his workbench so he can change the view to feature her when she is nearby.

So that's all for this week. I'm hoping to figure out the software I'm working with and get back into my studio tomorrow. We'll see if technology and I can reach detente.

New Digs and Old Stash

The desk area in my studio is finally together and usable! Artie somewhat approves... maybe.

Our local club finally had our N.A.M.E. Day from last year. The cutter we ordered kits from had several issues, thus preventing us from playing last October. Finishing this piece will be one of the first projects in my renovated space.

I wasn't certain what I would put in this vignette until I spied the box labeled "Victorian Ladies' Shop." Most of the content have been in my stash for 10-15 years. It's about time they were put on display.

I'm off and running now! See you next week!

Chevrons, A Desk, and Vase of Tulips. Oh My!

The twins' chevron quilts are now quilted and in need of binding. I did not get a chance to make the binding last week BUT I did locate the fabric I bought to make the binding, so there's a start in the correct direction.

My new-to-me desk is finally in place in the studio. Now to get it organized and ready to create from!

And I received a surprise in the mail on Thursday. The glass blower friend in WA state sent me a tiny clear vase. He's working at making table top sized vases, instead of floor vases/urns. I trimmed up some tulip stems and filled it up with bright colors.

That's all for now, FH and I just got home from helping some friends hang, tape, and mud drywall. Always a good time. Now to find a shower. See you next weekend!

These Shoes Were Made for Sleepin'

Once again I'm not going to show off the chevron quilt progress. FH and I found out his grandmother was feeling well enough to make the trip to meet her new great-grandson, so we headed south so we could see her too. Well worth skipping over the chevron quilts again.

I did finish a fun project for our little nephew.

They are already almost too small! He's got big feet for a baby his size. Takes after his daddy and his uncle. ;-) They both had gigantic tootsies at birth as well.

But his mom and dad both love those iconic sneakers and think the booties are adorable.

Time to rest up so I can do laundry and try to get the quilting on the last chevron done tomorrow. I'm going to try and have the binding made and machined on before Thursday night. We'll see how well that works.

Until next time!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I know I said I'd talk about the twin chevron quilts today, but I'm playing hooky! With the snow falling outside and today being a day for love, I'm going to go snuggle up with FH and watch some movies.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, love-filled day! <3 p="">

Baby Steps

Our new nephew was born quite healthy, if a tad disgruntled at being evicted from his warm apartment, on Monday afternoon. For anonymity purposes, I'm calling him "Mr. J" in the blog. Yes, that's a comic book reference. His parents would be proud. ;-) Speaking of his parents, they are quite besotted with their bundle and the three of them are a gorgeous family.

I'd been working on some things for wee Mr. J, but only a few were done in time for his early arrival. A set of three little washcloths. I found the pattern on Ravelry.com. I'll note that I skipped the edge stitching.

Still need to play catch up with his crocheted booties. I did have several pair of fleece booties for him though. They've been hanging out in the gift stash for ages.

After I drove home on Wednesday, I had a paint night event to attend. I'd signed up weeks ago when we thought FH would be out of town on business. Lucky break he wasn't or else I'd have needed a friend to look after the cats and bunny whilst I was gone. Instead of the adorable cartoonish kitten in the original sample, I decided to go for a more realistic cat. Of course it's Artan. I picked this event because the original kitten was black. Not bad for someone who's only ever sketched cats before.

Thursday it was back to the grind of laundry and housework. Currently the workroom/studio has spilled out into the house even more, so working on it counts as housework. I rediscovered a box full of tiny magazines that were cut from an issue of some miniature magazine back in the late 1990's. They were cut and folded, but somehow never got any further than that. During a break to rest my increasingly irritable knee, I glued them closed and tossed them into the 'Books and Magazines" container.

My new desk for the studio has yet to be delivered. FH and his boss were going to haul it over on Monday, but the boss had a family issue come up. Hopefully we can claim it soon... it's a cast off from FH's work and perfect for what I need. 

On Friday I finished the quilting on one of the chevron quilts, but I neglected to get a picture. I post about it and progress on the other chevron quilt next week.

See you all then!

On the Run

I don't have time for much. A friend needs help watching the family dog whilst she goes into labor tonight, so I'm off! We don't know what the baby will be, other than big! They're inducing her two weeks early as the baby is already at 9.5 pounds!!

Wish them luck. Blessings and prayers are always appreciated.

See you next week!

Various bits and assorted baubles

I'm cheating a bit this weekend and posting on a Saturday night. I'm starting to feel sick and have a feeling if I don't post now, I won't until I feel better.

The cleaning, purging, and rearranging continued off and on all week. I'm hoping to bring the new work desk in next weekend. I had to sacrifice one of my old console TV's to have room for the new desk. I figure if I haven't started the scene I was going to put into it by now, I can safety trade it for a new desk.

The paint night at the bar on Tuesday was a lot of fun. FH went along too and all three of us (my best friend/sister of my heart) had a wonderful time. We've starting talking about doing a family paint night here so the happy-goth teen can join in the fun too. She's only 15 and all the paint nights are held in bars... must be 21 to attend.

I've hung my painting in the hallway. It may not stay there permanently, but for now it works.

FH is debating hanging his in his workroom/man cave or taking it to work.

The postman brought me a treasure this morning. The tiny vase I commissioned from one of my favorite glassblowers arrived and I love it! I was able to commission it live, discuss details with him, and then watch him make the piece in real time. It was awesome!

The colored tubing he used is one he made himself earlier in the week. I actually got to watch that too. I love everything about this piece.

I'm putting hydrangeas in the arrangement, but maybe not these exact flowers. Might be making new ones. I will also be making some pussy willow branches and hyacinths. Not sure when I'll get started on those, but it won't be until I get the studio usable.

That's all for now. I'm going to go veg out and rest. Hopefully I won't be sick for too long. See you next week!

Still Cleaning and Sorting

I've been working on and off all week on stuff around the house, so not much time for creative things... unless I'm watching other people do them.

There is a website called Twitch that allows gamers to stream the game their playing live for an audience. The channels are separated by what game a person is playing and anything in a section had to be related to the game in question. Twitch began seeing people doing art in various forms that related to video games and after some deliberation they launched TwitchCreative.

The Creative channels allow artists and crafters from all over the world to broadcast live as they work on projects. Many of them will even take commissions live during their streams. As they work, you can chat with them and some even walk you through what they're doing in detail. I've even watched/listened as a glassblower in Washington state gave pointers, tips, and safety instructions to a guy who wanted to start his own glassblowing set up.

Currently, I "follow" four glass blowers, two sculptors, a painter, a leather worker, a quilter, a cross stitcher (yes, people tune in to watch her stitch!), a woodworker, and a chainmaille artist. I've been known to load up one of their streams and let it play in the background as I work around the house. It's nice background noise... sort of like a documentary. Everyone is all over the world, so generally at least one of my favorites is working when I'm in the mood to watch/listen.

I do have a project to show off that I did back in November. I never got around to posting it for some reason. I signed up for a painting evening that was sponsored by a local bar. That type of event has become very popular around here.

In fact, I'm going to another next week so I'll have at least one project to show you next week. Until than, I hope everyone stays warm!

Purging

I've started off the New Year with a big project: I'm clearing out the storage room.

So far I've filled up the 95 gallon recycling bin twice... to be fair, the first time was topping off the regular contents. But I pretty much filled it again the day it was emptied. I have to wait for another month for them to come back. The 95 gallon garbage bin is also filled to bursting. Good thing they come on Tuesday morning.

Fabric that I will never use is being given away. Some has been traded to a plumber friend of ours so we can get our upstairs shower fixed. The rest is being picked up by a couple who hauls fabric, notions, and sewing machines up to a Reservation in the Dakotas. Not sure which one, but whichever it is, they have a sewing class program.

Lots of things have been earmarked for Goodwill donations and will likely be hauled over there in the coming week. FH just carried up the old TV to be loaded up. I'm not sure when he thinks it's going, but now it has to be loaded as it's blocking the door to the garage.

Mercedes is enjoying short trips outside to play in the snow. They are short trips as the temperature here is in the single digits... not fun when you're using Fahrenheit!

It snowed all yesterday afternoon. So far it's the largest snowfall this winter. I'm just wondering if it will stay winter or try to be fall again in the next couple of weeks.

On the quilting front, I did get my machine in for repairs and servicing. Hoping to hear from them this coming week. Even if it's, "we need another week because you managed to do a number on it." ;-)

On the mini front, I did get a few more boxes made for Tinsel Towne. They are printies I found online, but the website isn't working at the moment.

Also FH bought me a mini Eames chair in mini for Christmas. I've been wanting one for a while now. A friend gave me a doll that had been given to her.... honestly I'm not sure where he came from originally. But he's going to be dressed in a silk robe at some point and will set in the chair.

The pillow is for modesty. Someone added a few details to his body with polymer clay.

That's all for this week. I need to get back to the studio and start sorting through quilting UFO's and suchlike. Hopefully I'll be done with the major sorting and furniture rearranging in a week or two.

Nada, Nil, Nothing

Nothing fun or interesting got worked on in the last week. FH, and critters, and I were too busy trying to stay warm. Our power went out Monday morning with a little help from a wild ice storm and didn't return until Thursday afternoon. Over 44,000 homes and businesses in our area were in the dark in the wake of that storm.

We lost everything in the fridges and freezers but no big trees fell on our home or cars. Nobody was injured and none of the power lines that came down were anywhere near the house to put us in danger. The was no real damage to the roof either, which simply amazes me given the strength and direction of the winds.

All in all we got pretty darn lucky. FH got a 3-day work week out of the deal too. Monday his office lost power before our house did and the roads were too icy to drive on.

We spent New Year's Eve quietly, basking in the warmth and light inside after the power came back on that afternoon. Granted we had to clean the upstairs fridge and freezer, go buy some groceries, and put things away before we could relax.

Only cleaning out the deep freeze remains and then we can get back to catching up on the regular house chores that couldn't be done in the cold and dark.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year's Eve and here's hoping 2016 is much kinder to the world.