Blog Hop Reveal is HERE!!

It's finally time to show what I made with my beads from the Blog Hop!!!!

Okay as a refresher --- I started with these thanks to my lovely partner, Amanda Wacasey. Here's her blog so be sure to check it out! Blog link: http://mandyinmystic.blogspot.com

Great stuff about this: I love this color theme! There is a great variety of nice looking beads ---and
a great big glass focal!
Challenges: Okay, I confess, I thought I was going to get a small selection of big beads.
And as you can see this is a large variety, but small quantity,  of  mostly 4-6mm beads!

But this is supposed to be about challenging yourself to try new things! And I took this to heart!

I'm experienced with kumihimo ....a style of Japanese braiding, which in its modern version can also incorporate beads. BUT this takes lots and lots of small beads and I didn't see a good way to use my bead soup in this way. SO, I thought well what about bead weaving? I've always wanted to try this!

Here is my first attempt.....

And then this turned into this pile......

Which then turned into these pieces!

These are earrings with a matching necklace. But as you can see, these are an antique-y brown color and my clasp? Antique silver but never fear....I changed the color to match! I used Swellegant Bronze and I think its a near perfect match! (:

By the way, I enjoyed Bead Weaving so much that I've learned herringbone, right angle weave and peyote.  So for this reason alone, I am thrilled that I joined the blog hop! (:

BUT of course, this didn't use all the beads.....so for those I practiced some of my basic wire working skills and made this:

This charm bracelet was a perfect way to use the beads, and of course allowed me to make sure there was plenty of sparkle. I have to thank Lori for the inspiration for this piece1 I was feeling stuck and she suggested a few ideas. This bracelet spawned from one of them, and I'm very happy with the result.

BUT if you notice, I STILL haven't used the focal. I was a bit stuck to be truthful --- how DO I use a big focal, display it well, yet make it interesting? Finally I came up with this, and I think it lets the focal shine but still provides some interest.

So, there you have it. I thought this was a very valuable experience that allowed me to learn new things! I hope you have enjoyed the visit. (:

AND Please go and check out the other blogs in the blog hop by following this link:

http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com//2014/04/welcome-to-8th-bead-soup-blog-party.html

Sometimes we succeed! (:

So not all experiments end up like the bezel one!
Check out how bead weaving is going! (:

The following is based on a FREE pattern by Linda Genaw called superduo Flower Chain Bracelet. I highly recommend it. The instructions are very clear and the bracelet is very dainty but lovely. She also has a pattern for matching earrings.

I made two sets. One emerald superduo and one magic purple mixed with size 11/0 toho beads in bronze. You can see I haven't quite finished the second pair of earrings and bracelet but I am missing the right sized jump ring and clasp.


And I made more beaded beads. Some of these use my bead soup beads, but as you don't know what I am going to do with them, I think its okay to show them at this stage.

I am happy that I've actually made a few of these! Sometimes its hard for me to do the same thing over again! But it definitely goes a lot faster the second and third and forth time!

And finally I made a beaded bezel. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Maybe the wrong color choice???

Anyway, not all experiments turn out badly! (:

Oh, in case anyone is reading this! I'd like to make more of the wire wrapped pieces (see a few posts back)....but I need some medium sized flat oval or circle beads or horse eye beads that can fit a 20 gauge wire through them. I bought the above mother of pearl (shown with the beaded bezel) but unfortunately, it only fits a 24 gauge wire which is way too small for that process.  I'd say anywhere from about 15x20mm (appr) to 30x40mm.  If you have recommendations, let me know. 

Fail is not a four letter word

Fail is not a four letter word. Okay...well literally it is but not figuratively. Over the past week or so, I've certainly managed to botch a lot of projects. I actually got inspired and revisited felting. Chuckle that did not go so well. I made some mutant pods that ended up in the garbage.
I confess that  I sometimes wish I had someone to 'hold my hand' through the initial projects. I think that honestly it would go better. But maybe I'll revisit felting sometime in the future again.

But I also attempted resin projects. You know those beautiful projects where they encase items? And this project failed for an entirely different reason!!

Before I get into that, I thought I'd show a picture.

So I started simple. Nothing like trying to do something way beyond your skill level right???? My plan was to use inexpensive bezels and try some cold enameling, add a little charm, and then coat it with resin. The cold enameling actually went very well. Then I applied the resin.....OMG, the resin is so SMELLY! I used a well known, "low resin" product. I did my research really...this is not one of the toxic resins. It made the whole house smell like chemicals.  And that my friends, was the end of my resin experiments. It's a bit of a bummer because I really like the cold enamel process....I need to find something else to seal it with.  

The big fail for me here is the fact that I spent money on the resin and the bezels and the cold enamel. Not the fact that the artistic process failed.  

But if we don't experiment we don't learn anything --right? SO, for some more successful experiments check out the next blog post! 

 

A great blog....

Happy St Patrick's day!
I thought today I would share a great blog with you -- The Beading Gem's Journal.
Here's the link: http://www.beadinggem.com

So what do I like about this blog?
One, she always has really interesting creative designs. So it is just a nice place for inspiration.
Two, she advertises many free patterns ---- and free patterns are good right??? (:
Three, about one a week/once every other week, she has a free giveaway.

This week its a gift certificate for Czech beads, so I urge you to go and check it out! (:

Bead weaving ... a start

So, I thought maybe I should learn some bead weaving skills. I bought some Fireline for the first time!
Here is my beginner's attempt using Beaded Charm Beads by Claire-Louse Patrick of Ciel Creations on Etsy.

I'm pretty happy with it! It is meant to be work with the side facing out. So...I'm hoping to show you what it looks like in a finished piece some time. 

I might use something like this for my bead soup fire polished beads...

Oh, and the best part...I'm no longer afraid of size 15/0 beads! (:

Do you bead weave? Do you have a favorite beaded bead or beaded pendant pattern???

The bead soup I sent out!

Now that my partner has received it, I also want to post the beads soup I sent out!

This is the bead I sent out --- I was originally going to go with a blue and brown "Wyoming-like" mix but my partner said she worked a lot with muted blues and browns so I changed to this at the last minute. It has gemstone donuts (rose quartz and a mystery one!), little Czech glass moons, a few mother of pearl coin beads, two strands of unicorn teardrops, and a bronze clasp.

I know pink can be hard to work with.....so I hope this wasn't too challenging!

Bead Soup is here!

My bead soup from my partner has arrived!

Its got a great oceany feel to it! In the upper left, there are some cool knitted beads.
I don't have specific ideas ....YET!

Some thoughts:
1. Maybe combine the knitted beads with felted beads?
2. Use the fire polished beads and sead beads in some bead weaving
3. Color the metal beads with cold enamel???

What do you think? (:

This book got me thinking....

I actually splurged on a book. Resin Alchemy by Susan Lenart Kazmer. I bought the book because I thought it might help me work through some more complex projects in resin.

Instead I find myself immersed in the section she wrote on Choosing and Combining Objects specifically Item #3: Build A Piece From the Heart.

If I might quote from the book, "Building a piece from the heart is what distinguishes art from simple crafting. An artist has to put herself onto the canvas. Every artist knows that when you build a piece from your heart, you are exposing your true self -- and that will make you feel vulnerable, maybe even afraid...."

I think this explains why I'm never really happy with my work. I'm by nature, a very private person. While I constantly feel the need to create, I'm not willing to let others take a look at my 'true self'.

Sometimes I feel like my head is a jumble of thoughts.....brave and anxious, cautious and reckless, mothering and sensual. It's a constant push and pull of conflicting emotions. How may I ask do I possibly translate that into art?

I don't really honestly see myself as a great artist or even a potentially great artist. I'm not even sure I would call myself an artist.  I just know that I have to make things. It's kind of like breathing.

Well, this book has given me a great deal to think about. Although I'm not sure how to go about implementing these suggestions or even if I'm willing to.

I sometimes wish this blog was completely anonymous. Even just writing these words above makes me feel like I have exposed too much of  myself.

Bead Soup Blog Swap!

I got my swap partner! (: She seems pretty awesome. And funny thing...she lives in CT where I used to live when I was growing up. I put together her package and got it ready to go tonight. As one might expect from me, I decided to make a different package than my original. I'm actually really happy with it, and I hope my partner likes it and it inspires her!

Liver of Sulfur...Wow!

Wow. I just tried liver of sulfur for the first time. Wow does it completely change the look of a piece. Here are some before and after shots:

BEFORE

AFTER

Me? I'm much happier with the after because I feel it draws more attention to the stone.

But what do you think? Are you a fan of antiquing your jewelry or more of a 'shiny' metal person?

My fight with polymer was a great thing!

You know how last time I said I had a fight with my polymer and we weren't talking? Turns out that was AWESOME. I actually took time to go through my beads and put together finished projects! It was a super productive week.

So a bit of show and tell....

A finished polymer necklace and earrings. Not really my favorite but the colors are lovely and the swirl on the main bead turned out really nice.

This might look like a previous project but it was made out of extra beads from that batch.

A quick set of earrings I'm not sure why I made, but they are now attached to ear cards.

A kumihimo bracelet with a fish button. Made with Sally Bead Jewelry "Pop on Top" and "Button closure" patterns. A tad bit too big...but the colors in the bracelet match the button wonderfully.

A necklace and earring set made from a set of polymer beads that I showed in an earlier blog post. One of my first attempts at stringing in a long time and I like how it turned out. The earrings aren't bad either. 

Maybe I should fight with my art materials more often....

 

Polymer Clay and I aren't speaking

Yes. You read the title right. I am not speaking to my polymer clay. I have gone so far as to 'Unfollow' all of the polymer clay pages on Facebook. Soon, I plan to stop receiving e-mail from polymer clay stores. Yes, this all seems very dramatic.

However, I have come to realize that I'll spend a whole day making polymer clay beads and most of the time  I don't even like what I make. I could BUY beads (probably cheaper) that I liked better and spend my 'art days' actually MAKING things.

Don't be sad. Remember I did say that I was a bit of a fiddler with my hobbies didn't I? My only question now --- do I try to sell all of my polymer clay stuff --- the pasta machine, the extruder, and my remaining clay, and the two books I bought. The louder part of me says YES, YES, YES! Because honestly, I could use the money to buy other craft stuff. The quieter part of me says, well, maybe this is temporary.

What would I do you say? Well, don't forget I'm still wire wrapping/wire weaving and that IS going well and I AM enjoying it.

Plus, I have a few things I'd really like to try.....

1. Bead weaving --- this is excellent because I already have beads and silamide/nymo. From what I've read these should be okay to practice with. I guess I'd like to buy some Fireline at some point if I'm enjoying this.... but really this is a relatively inexpensive pursuit since I have all the supplies I need from my days doing bead embroidery. Plus, I've found some kiss-ass tutorials on the web.  So --- expect some commentary on this in the future. Only con with this --- some of the best designs use 15/0 and to be honest, I have trouble with my 11/0. Sucks to get older doesn't it?  (Disclaimer...I'm really middle age....but I would compare 15/0 beads to lace knitting .......just not my thing! (: )  One big plus, I've found this tutorial on www.beaducation.com. This seems to combine wireworking with beaded beads and hey no  15/0 beads. However, I don't currently have spacers that will work for this design so something to try in the future maybe??

2. Bezel Effect. This is a combo of this nifty paint and resin.  I will confess this has been on my wish list for a while. Because I tend to be rather structured in my approach to things, I just love, love, love things that have own serendipity....like watercolor paint, and the randomness of gemstones, and well you get the idea. This paint, it does random, very cool things. Want to know what I mean?

For an even better idea of what I am talking about, check out this tutorial. Okay, now that you'e seen it, you can see how cool it really is. Biggest problem with this -- BEZELS are expensive, and the deep ones that work best for this are even more so. So what stops me from pursuing this at the moment is the money required to buy the supplies. Also, along this same line of thought....I'd also just like to try bezels and resin in general. SO, if you know of a place that sells nice bezels at a steal of a price, do let me know. (:


Oh on a completely different line of thought.....I have some MOST excellent news. I have created THREE bead soups as options for my swap partner. NOW I am NOT going to give it away because my swap partner might read this blog...but I'm especially happy with one of them and I hope that it will work. It's amazing, but I actually found some really excellent beads in my stash. For one of the bead soups I will need to buy another strand or two but for the most part, I think they are really beautiful.
Of course, the plan I spoke about earlier...the polymer clay or the wrapped pendants...don't actually appear in these bead soups!  But I was afraid the wrapped pendant would impose too much of my own style, and as you can see above, I'm not talking to my polymer. (:

On that note, I'm see you next time! (:

8th Bead Soup Blog Party!!!!!

I'm in! I'm in! I have officially joined the 8th Soup Blog Party!  I am super duper excited about this! I can't wait to 'meet' my partner via e-mail. I hope he or she likes what I send them! (:

Okay ...this is going to win the shortest blog post award but I was so excited I couldn't wait to post!

Pictures!!!

Yes, I have pictures for you today!!!!

Let's start with polymer clay: 

Remember these beads that didn't look like much? 

They became this! The light is a bit off (the color of the beads in the first picture is more accurate). But I really think this supports the idea that you don't know the beads full potential until you actually use them. 

So, I'm trying to keep this in mind when I look at this newest batch of beads.

Okay the box is a bit silly, but I like to keep them all together. They are stamped with the symbols for happiness and good fortune. 

These were supposed to be faux jade. To my eye, they are a bit on the blue side...but I do like the way they turned out. The purple/pink set above were a very solid color ---this set is definitely more 'swirly'! (: I think they are a bit light...but I plan to combine them with some brown/gold colored seed beads -- we'll see how that goes. 

NOW, onto wire work. First, I've made about 5 or 6 rings now. Some of them better than others. But my real goal with wire wrapping/wire weaving was to create some pendants.  So here are my first two: 

The purple is the first one. Dakota Stones...Purple Crazy Lace Agate. The bail is too big and I think the bottom is a bit funky (IRL...it looks okay here) 

The blue is the second. Crazy Lace Agate from Dakota Stones. The top of the bail is a bit funky but otherwise, I think it is a vast improvement over the purple. 

These are based on an etsy tutorial you can find here. This tutorial by Perfectly Twisted is called the Fossil Coral Pendant Tutorial. As you can see, it creates a simple yet elegant pendant out of  a focal bead. I give it 5 stars --- easy to follow, produces a nice looking product, and even a beginner like me can make something that at least resembles the original. (: 

BTW...I plan to patina both of these as I'm not a fan of shiny copper at least for these stones. I think an antiqued metal will help the stones shine through. 

Oh and while I'm posting photos, I hope when I grow up I can make wire work like this....

This is so NOT my work....this is done by the one and only Rachel Murgatroyd founder of the Wire Guild. In case you didn't read about her in my previous posts, check out her latest adventure here: www.wireguild.com. 

Now onto shops that are worth checking out!

Okay, I have been meaning to post this for a bit! See the bottom right hand corner of my blog? Yes, that's right, right there! See that list of great stuff? Well, I really want to tell you a bit about each one and why you might want to check them out!!!


So, I'm going to go out of order, because I am super excited about this first one!!

The Wire Guild!
1st the disclaimer: This IS a paid-membership site. No, I RARELY....make that never, join those. But this one was totally worth it. First, it's $6 (US) a month and you get two VIDEO tutorials included in that cost each month. Plus, the videos are awesome....the teacher actually fusses around with the wire a bit. I thought maybe good wire workers just looked at the wire and it behaved. LOL...the video shows even an expert wire worker needs to talk nice to the wire sometimes. And you know what? It makes me feel a whole bunch better. See, I live in a very small town, and I've never actually taken an in-person class in any of my 'mediums'. I pretty much learn via books, and purchased pdf tutorials and youtube videos.  This site, well, the videos are great and there is a forum which I have found very helpful.
I wish I could post a picture of the amazing work....but I think the images are protected. SO even if you will never, never, never join one of these sites, at least go and look at the beautiful wirework on the introductory pages. (:

And in case you are a new wire worker looking to buy wire, I have a few suggestions. Of course, you can always buy wire at www.riogrande.com. It's kind of a staple location for professional folks. But I'm not at the point where I want to buy that much wire!

So what if you are like me, and need a smaller amount at a reasonable price? Or what if you just like buying from a small family owned business? Well try this place:

Unkamen Supplies : This place is da-bomb! No honestly...I love this store. They have an awesome selection of base metals -- and silver and 'silver-alternatives' including a fine silver over copper wire that I kinda love. (:   Plus, have a question? Write them, and they get back to you ASAP! There shipping is also very, very reasonable which I can't say for a lot of places. Oh, and if you make chain maile? Well these folks have you covered. They also have a nice selection of other fun items including kits.  They have an etsy store as well, but I like their new website --it's colorful. One word of advice, if you are looking for something specific use the tabs or the search menu. The pictures are fun for browsing but can be a bit tricky if you are looking for a specific item.

Bellomodo:  This is a great all around supply place. They have all the basics and some fun stuff too. Their prices are also very reasonable especially when they have stuff on sale. PLUS, free shipping for orders over $14.99. I've shopped around and this deal is hard to beat...especially if you don't have lots to spend. (Most places don't give free shipping until $35 or more.)

Well, its just about time for me to goto sleep, BUT I want to include one more link today because this is another small shop with a wonderful owner.

Diva Designs
This lady makes AMAZING polymer clay tutorials.  I have the blended marbling one and the newest one about faux turquoise looks fabulous. In fact, if my swap partner for the bead swap (see previous post) adores turquoise, I'll be buying this tutorial ASAP.  (I plan to buy it down the road anyway, but that would just give me a great excuse!!! (: )

Okay...next time, I'm going to link some 'fantasy' shops! (:

Well, I'm embarrassed that it has been almost two weeks since I've posted. I actually think about this blog every night, but then I get too tired to come and actually type! So, I'm going to remedy this by getting here earlier!

However, first things first. I have officially joined  the 8th Bead Soup Blog Party!!! I can't tell you how excited I am about this.  It is a once a year event where a huge numbers of beaders who don't know each other, get together, swap beads and then make stuff!!! (:

Okay --- you can find a much better description here: Pretty Things Blog
Actually, I'm a tiny bit apprehensive about two things ----
1. Will I send nice enough things?  Well, I think so!  Here is my 'secret' plan:
     --- Make either a wire wrapped pendant (did I mention I haven't done this before?)  or
     --- Make a really nice polymer clay focal --- okay, I'm a  bit more confident with this plan. I actually have cabochon molds on the way  --- and alcohol inks --- I think I might make a faux amber or jade --- depending on what my swap partner likes --- or I might even try to make a faux turquoise
       --- However, faux polymer might not match my swap partners tastes (what if they say that don't like faux anything, right? (:)
       --- OF course, I plan to send more than just a focal --- I already have some lovely beads sitting in my Etsy cart --- and I'll select the best ones for my swap partner based on the focal and their color preferences

2. I'm a tiny bit apprehensive about what I might get ...and how I might make it into something presentable. But this is part of the reason I'm doing this swap! To stretch my artistic endeavors just a bit outside my 'safety' zone.

So, fingers crossed that my swap partner likes what I send, and that I am able to make something awesome with what I get!

And the party rolls on...

Okay, this is my second post and a week hasn't even passed since the first one!!! (:  Yeah for me. I have done some thinking though and I'm trying to embrace my sweet, hard to take seriously self. What the heck...I should just go with it! (:

Okay enough introspection, last time I promised to actually talk about my artistic endevours. SO, lets start with that!

Polymer Clay: I came to polymer clay via a funny path. I was actually attracted at first to some metal clay projects by Lisa Barth. If you don't know her or her work check out this link: http://www.lbjewelrydesigns.com/shop/gallery-c-7.html. Not only does she do incredible wire weaving (more on that later) but she has the most fantastic metal clay projects. So, completely enthralled with her work and the possibilities, I decided that I absolutely needed to do this. Well, that was until I realized the start up and ongoing costs! But unwilling to give up, I started looking around and discovered polymer clay! Reasonably inexpensive, you can cook it in a household oven, and the potential--- wow! To be honest, it has even more potential I think the metal clay (although perhaps not as sophisticated...well not in my hands at least!).

So I started working with polymer clay. My first clay was Kato....a very well know, well liked clay.  But I had a bear of a time conditioning it! After doing some investigation, I realized that what might be soft pliable clay at 70-75F was like a rock at 66F (the warmest temp that my house gets to in the winter).  So, I switched to Premo and what a difference! Since then I've pretty much spent at least one day every weekend making beads from my polymer clay.

And well, I promised to show some pictures and here the first one is!!!  So this is an experiment with translucent clay and alcohol inks. What you can't tell from this picture, is that at first these were DAY-GLO bright! Well, at least  I thought so! You can see the one I like to call bubblegum pink second from the right!

But believe it or not, I was able to combine these with some other 'magic elements' and turn it into something I'm really proud of! I promise to reveal the final product in a future blog. I'm hoping to submit the item I made to an informal contest which means I can't show it here yet!

So let's go onto my next item!

Kumihimo: Kumihimo is an ancient Japanese braiding technique that has been applied to modern jewelry making. I'm actually a big kumihimo fan. It's very relaxing (well except for the bead loading part)!  The piece show below was made with Swarvoski pearls and bicones that I won from Rings and Things (www.rings-things.com). (It was the most awesome prize pack ever!)

I made this as a gift for my mom's best friend and I'm really very happy with it. You can't really see the 4mm bicones here, but in real life, they make the whole piece sparkle (but not in an overwhelming way...just small sparkles).

Sigh, I had no idea I was so verbose. I hope you aren't bored. (Of course, at this point, I don't actually think I have any followers...so I'm basically talking to myself.)

Last topic for the day!

Wire Wrapping: Okay, more backstory.....remember how I said I was totally in love with Lisa Barth's metal clay projects? Well, call me a fan-girl of her wire wrapping too. So once again, inspired I decided to learn wire wrapping and weaving and wire working. I had some tools (from my time doing chain maile...have I not mentioned that yet? Hmm...) so I gave it a try. And I fought with the wire and it fought with me.....and well I think it won. My fingers hurt and after many, many hours I had a not very lovely tiny wire woven bracelet. (What you want pictures? Nope, not going to happen.) So I gave up (well not really.....more like I put the wire in the time-out corner). Then on Facebook I read about a brand new site called The Wire Guild. Well, at first I ignored the evil siren call. Then finally one day while avoiding vacuuming, I decided to go check out the site. You want a website link? Sure thing: http://www.wireguild.com/blog. What you should know up front: This is a membership site that costs $6 a month. Now, I'm not a fan of membership sites normally. BUT this lady makes videos...really good (sometimes funny!) videos. And that woman who fought with the wire? Well not this time baby! It actually talked to me and I talked back! And I made THIS!

Okay, so its not a masterpiece, but then I made another one and it turned out even better. Plus, I need to oxidize these ...so more pictures later. The best part was, I really really enjoyed making this and that is the first time I can say that about metal working. I'm really looking forward to making more wirework! Yes, I have been seduced by the evil siren at all!

Well, next time I plan on talking about some of the links to the companies I've listed below. Stay tuned...

Welcome...let's get this party started....I think

This is actually my second attempt at starting a blog. I think my problem with blogs is that I have a tendency towards introversion and a certain desire for privacy. Both of which are rather counter to the whole concept of a blog. (:

However, one of my artistic goals this year, is to participate in at least one blog hop. And guess what --- to do that you need a blog. (:

So --I'll try my best to tell you a bit about myself and a bit about my goals.

Me: Well, lets pretend for a minute we are in the game/site called "Second Life" ---now I've never actually been in Second Life (for fear of immense addiction) but I did see it demonstrated once and I think for my purposes it will serve ------ so, again pretend we are in Second Life. If I were to create a character that I think reflects me (well my fantasy of me) --- she would be an elf with purple eyes and dark hair and heck while we are at it, light teal skin. She would of course, be super tough with a tendency to wear clothes that a cross between steampunk and well, more practical garb. Boots definitely (butt kicking boots with a feminine flair --what the heck does that mean? I don't know...pretty but without high heels? Oh and good foot support) and pants that wore like jeans but looked like leather....and a jacket with a long tail and a short front because you know it just seems cool and edgy.   Okay, now that you've had a good chuckle...my real like self is a pale shadow of this ...jeans and boots...yes, elf-like...possibly. Purple eyes and teal skin....well that's perhaps a bit far fetched. I'm sure I don't qualify as super tough but we are all entitled to our fantasies.

Okay though...that's a bit of a fanciful start to this rather basic blog. My artistic goals. Sigh...I'm not sure I would go so far as to say that I'm an artist. I've had a few art quilts in shows, sold a few pieces of jewelry....but mostly I'm a fiddler. See I like to learn things. Lots and lots of things. And so I rarely take the time to get really, really, awesome good at anything. Is this is problem? Well I don't know. I've learned to quilt, art quilt, knit, kumihimo, bead embroidery, weaving, bead weaving, a tad bit of wirework and wire weaving, and at the moment I am enthralled with polymer clay.  

In the past, I've been happy to fiddle. Really. But this year...sigh. This year I want to somehow be more than I am. I don't really know how to explain this. See...I tend to come across as a sweet, nice, pleasant person (unless of course I haven't eaten breakfast or lunch...). But I feel like there must be more to me than that. Now you might say there is nothing wrong with being sweet and nice and pleasant...and well, you would be right. But the fiery, fierce, butt kicking boots wearing inner self is really rebelling. And art...art seems like a worthy outlet for some of this 'angst'...but I feel sort of stuck on how to express it.

So...I've come up with a few goals which I will talk about in my next blog post! (: