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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Clay Picture Tutorial: Violin

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I can post a picture of the finished product now that it is in its new home. If you want to see it closer then click on my flickr account in the left sidebar, that will take you to my photostream where you can enlarge it.

I already went through the very earliest steps in my last tutorial post here. I will continue where I left off in this post.

I make the focal point of these pieces out of colored clay. I have done the whole thing in white before then painted a scene over it and I didn't really like it as much. As you can see I am on a tree kick. I have one more to do with a tree in it and then I can branch off in a different direction. Branch off... get it? Ha. Anyway, moving along.

I like to mix the trees like you'd mix up one of those cool swirly beads people make out of polymer clay. I've never actually made those beads, pretty much just trees. But that is about all I draw as well, so go figure. So I chop up the different colors, 3 or 4, so they mix better.

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Squish all this in to a ball and really blend the swirls together so when you roll it out it looks all treeish. (Very technical here, as you can see.) Then go ahead a roll out the clay to tile thickness. I then take a clay slicer (knife will work) and make slits in the top and bottom of the rolled out 'tree', these will become the branches and roots. I twist these sliced pieces then roll them out flat again, shaping them as needed to look like branches.

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I lay these on aluminum foil and use the foil for transport and baking. I don't even use a pan. When the piece is just out of the oven I can then grab the foil (don't touch the burning hot lava piece of clay though!), I sandwich it between layers of plain paper and then lay a heavy book on top.

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The Writer's Jungle. Wonderful writing program and equally wonderful tile flattener.

Once the tile is cool then you can glue it to the primed background. Pick a strong adhesive that is safe for polymer clay.

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Then add any other elements that you want to be made out of colored clay. I usually put a figure of some kind. I have no advice here. I would gladly take some if anyone is offering however.

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Okay, that is enough for today. Next time I will demonstrate how I truly am bad at organizing the middle parts of my plans. I get it done, but I am sure there is a better way to go about this. I will leave it up to you to streamline this process as I am somewhat committed to my messy ways.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Google thinks I am a knitting blog.

Here is my heartfelt apology to anyone who has been misdirected to my blog in hopes of gleaning knitting wisdom. While I have in fact completed a few knitting projects I am barely past a beginner and still tend to bite my nails in frustration over a particularly difficult dishcloth pattern.

I could understand if I kept getting hits from google for searches on things such as "witty wisdom from the trenches of motherhood" or "delightful woman who shows off her clever crafts", but no. I seem to get multiple daily hits for people searching for knitting greatness. And alas, that advice does not exist here. So if you are here for such sport, feel free to look around but please don't laugh too hard at my feeble attempts at knitting. Well, go ahead and laugh. I am cool with that. Laughter is good.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Thunderstorms!!!

Last night we had one of the worst thunderstorms to strike this area in awhile. At one point we actually gathered the kids in our arms and ran downstairs due to what sounded like a tornado or waterspout (we are blocks from Lake Michigan) near by. I am guessing over our heads since there wasn't any kind of damage trail today. But our grill was knocked over and thrown about five feet. It is a big heavy grill too. I've lived through enough tornados (in Iowa and Texas) to know that train bearing down upon you sound combined with wind that feels like it would rip your skin off. Pretty scary time for a bit there. But all is well. Makes me glad we live here, because we do get a lot of storms and high winds, very high winds. But we have only had to do the 'hit the basement' thing a handful of times. Tornados usually form a bit more inland from our location. Lake effect.

I have a theory too. After I posted my grumpilicious post yesterday, the storms started and the pressure and fury of nature sort of matched how I felt inside. Now today when all is well, I too feel calm and peaceful. So I am thinking that one of my reasons for the extreme unexplained funk I was in yesterday was my reaction to the change in barometric pressure. I know I used to feel that connection as a teen. I must be more hormonal now or something to start that up again. My poor family.

Or someday I'll be the little old lady in the corner saying, "Storms a brewing... grandma can feel it in her desire for prozac."

Friday, April 25, 2008

WHAT?!?!

It is completely spring. The birds are singing, the grass is totally green and growing. I could even plant stuff if I was so inclined and motivated. I should look like this...

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I however, do not. I look like this...

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Ummm... ignore my eyebrows. And the unnatural way my forehead reaches to the sky and tapers off like a for-really-real conehead. Yeah. Dark teen memories associated with that feature.

I have been in the blah sort of place the last couple days. Days that I end up taking Midol even though it isn't time to take such a drug. It is more in a supplemental sort of fashion. The title of this post is in reference to the shortness of my temper lately. I am strangely raw. I am guessing it is because my husband's work is in full swing again. His job is very cyclical. Insane busy in the spring and fall. Slower in the summer and stuck in the house almost all the time all winter. I go through husband withdrawal when the busy times start and a oh.my.gosh.get.out.of.my.space time when winter begins.

The sun has awakened so much and with it the energy level of the kids. Which is great. It is meant to. However, my boy is very high energy to begin with. With a loud voice, and tornado personality. Couple that with the sudden lack of daddy time, it is a strange adjustment for us all. We will adjust. Pretty quickly, we always do. But sheesh... I am so fantasizing of a solitary vacation to a place where the sun has warmth and the only noises are calls of tropical birds and the slight pulse of waves breaking on the beach. Pass me a margarita. Thanks.

Gosh, this is such a rantish, venty type post that I try to stay away from. When I started this blog the only criteria I placed upon posts were "happy or amusing". I don't know why, I just like rules. But here I am breaking them. In your face blog. And I feel decidedly better. Thanks for listening. And seriously... the margarita?

Thursday, April 24, 2008

School Bell

My kids make me laugh every day. They are just plain funny little people. Yesterday was an experience that just had me shaking my head and chuckling for hours though. Check it out.

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My kids set up a school room with rows of chairs and my chair at the front. They pulled out a ton of workbooks and packed backpacks full of them and some plastic food. Then announced they wanted to "play school". Okay... I asked them if they remembered that we homeschool. We kind of always do that, don't we?

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I guess not. It seems "playing" school means that you work silently, in a self-motivated way for hours. HOURS. Concentrating on workbooks that you scorn when presented by your mother. However, if your mother is "playing teacher"... then you will happily sit for hours. HOURS. You will even read and write without pretending that you cannot do so. You won't fall off chairs.

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Hey, eyes on your own paper!

My daughter looked up several times after diligently writing page after page to say, "Mommy, this is so much FUN." I would look up from writing letters and agree heartily. My daughter suggested we do this every day. Again, with the hearty agreement from me. Then she suggested that we should set up a chart so I, as the teacher, could put up marks when they do well. I said, "You mean like your 'real' point charts?" I asked if I could just give them 'real' points for being good in 'play' school. She found that idea perfectly acceptable.

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Oh, the other seats are not actually empty. Remember them? The slightly creepy imaginary friends that live in my walls? Their seats. They also behaved rather well. For them. They did asked to be excused for a few too many bathroom breaks, but I could live with that.

I have had some issues with a couple of those pesky friends lately. Like why is Les calling my daughter and badgering her into joining him at Hotel California? "No, Les, I WONT go with you to Hotel California!" She shouted into her plastic phone the other day. Plain creeped me out, Poltergeist style. And as for Morph... after I found out he has been reincarnated 12 times and remembers all his previous lives, AND worships five deities... (we've been learning about different religions - can you tell?) I am a little sketchy about his roll as my son's best imaginary friend. However, the imaginaries did fine "playing school" yesterday. Besides, we can't really control who our kids end up in class with can we?

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Rather successful couple of days...

The last few days were just plain fun ones. We've done so much and I failed to capture even most of it on film, but without reservation. I mean, getting caught up in the joy of living is pretty much the prize on many levels. A photo or blog post just the souvenirs. Nice to have, but not the trip...

Anyway, here are a few things I did manage to capture.

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First time threading a needle. Couldn't get the first time sewing photographed because I was "spotting". :)

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Sewing stuff littering the table. It was fun to have the girl so transfixed by it all. Brought back so many memories of feeling the very same way as a child. I had a strange fixation with thread and buttons for years.

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The cutest inspiration ever. The girl wants me to sew her a "meep". For whatever reason that is what we call any hedgehog stuffie. So I told her I would do it if she helped me. Thus began her journey into the world of hand sewing. I will post pics of our lumpy little creation after it is complete. It is close, just missing arms and legs and looking very eggish and lovely.

The great archeologist dig...

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My girl wants to be an archeologist, artist and ballet dancer when she grows up. The boy wants to be an archeologist and video game programmer. When I brought out this little gem where the kids dig into the plaster block to find "ancient treasures" that double as game pieces to a board game, I didn't know what to expect. I certainly didn't think we would end up with DAYS of entertainment, enriching conversation about the tedium verses rewards of being on an archeology dig. Not to mention the obvious lure of ancient Egypt that cause all sorts of questions and web exploration. But the best part? The very wonderfully best part?

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The hours... (thank you Santa Claus, bringer of toys of great interest)

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Hours... devoted to digging. (Notice the outfit change, and how little progress was made? Days of fun I say.) So many projects were finished because of this toy which in turn allowed us extra time to explore outdoors when daddy gets home from work. (Due to ongoing projects being DONE, much to daddy's happy surprise.) And I do think they will make great little archeologists when they grow up. But I am sort of looking forward to them finishing the thing. The tinted plaster dust is getting a tad bit irksome.

Oh, and one final, but still very exciting thing for me personally...

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I made a perfectly acceptable veggie quiche. I even finally figured out how to do a crust. I just finally "got" it. I have tried for so long and it was like it just worked. Yay, quiche!

Well, that is enough for now, if I don't go to bed I will be tempted to let the little people dig way too long tomorrow...

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Gifting

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In our life there is a single color, as on an artist`s palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love. ~ Marc Chagall


Typical material things don't really do it for me. I don't know why, it is just that way. I've never been one for gifts of flowers, jewelry, trinkets, stuff like that. I could have easily done without an engagement ring. (The hubby wished he had known THAT...) I didn't even want a wedding. Just not my thing. (We had one, a small one, but it was as close to our way as possible with that sort of show.

What does that do for the whole gift giving thing that happens on days designed for such sport? Well, we usually either skip it, or say "this is what I am getting for 'insert whatever obligatory gifting day here'", then buy it. It's about the kids anyway, that is our fun. This works great. We love it. We aren't people who need much for happiness. And we are cheap. At least we try to be. Well, I try to be.

Well, today my husband brought home the pencils in the above picture. I know it seems silly maybe, that they took me to that place where engagement rings, and long stem roses are supposed to take you. I mean, I could have just bought myself the pencils if I wanted them so much, right? (Well, technically no - because of the me being cheap thing remember?) But aside from that - what is the big deal? *** cue music for my 'walking to and from school uphill both ways story'.

When I was in college I had my first taste of what poor is. Like if I had apples, peanut butter and crackers I could eat for a week kind of poor. I worked long hours and took hard classes and had the sort of early adulthood life that sometimes wore me down. They sold art supplies in the student book store at a discounted price and the display of these pencils would just assault me with lust. Seriously, it was that bad. So every once in awhile I would buy one. This practice continued over the years and I even worked in an art gallery for awhile that sold them. Again, a pencil would be my special treat for myself. I used them a lot. They were beautiful and durable. Fluid, strong, blending well and inspiring happiness. I used them to decorate letters back when email was a novelty. (It was there, but who actually had their own computer and internet access?)

You'd think I would have had a lot of pencils by now, huh? Well I counted today and I had 32. Not that many for the joy they have brought me for over a decade. Today as I was comparing the colors between the ones I had and the new ones I discovered only a few common pencils, for a total of 80 unique colors. That is quite a lot of happiness. I have been little kid giddy all day over it. We don't do gifts often. But he sure gets it right when it happens.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Finding Balance

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I miss blogging. I miss reading blogs and commenting. Some of my favorite things have been neglected during this self improvement phase I've been in. Right now I am in this crazy-middle-place of habit changing where I am doing new things, but haven't totally let go of the old yet. And it is just sort of messing with my head.

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Oh, and their heads too.

Don't get me wrong. Waking up early, like predawn early. (That is, especially on Mondays - it is a 'oh my god my head is going to explode' early.) Anyway, waking up early and walking while the world warms, birds sing, fog lifts (literally and figuratively) - has been transformative. I went from collapsing back into bed after my walk for the first couple weeks to pulling out the long neglected yoga mat and stretching. Another milestone. I should be so zen, one would think... Kids, is mommy so zen?

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No comment? Huh, maybe not quite yet. I think the problem stems from the fact that in my need for the extreme hour I had previously been staying up really late at night. In choosing to utilize the morning for my 'alone and silent - the world is still asleep but not me' time, I have upset my body clock. The clock that still thinks that 1AM is the coolest. time. ever. This makes for a short night's sleep, going to bed at 1AM and then I forcing my eyes open at 5:45AM. But I have maintained my cool.

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Okay, maybe I've been a little short tempered. A little wall bumping, meal forgetting, 'why can't you just DO YOUR MATH?' sort of person lately. But it is for the greater good right? I'd be in a better place if it weren't for the ants that discovered my cabinets. Because nothing says good morning better than ants in your cereal. It tends to turn the dial on my mild OCD tendencies past eleven. So I am a frenzy of cleaning madness and distress.

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Don't worry. Bug guy is coming today. So chill out and just be yourselves. No worries. See mommy isn't worried. Mommy is so calm she is asleep in her chair. Totally at peace with her world.

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Awww.... what sweeties I have. Bringing me a blanket, giving me a 'good nap kiss'. Sure, you can skip math today. And let's have frozen waffles for breakfast.

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See? Changing habits doesn't have to be all bad. It is done with good intentions, white fluffy clouds of possibility. This is just this middle phase and it is scratchy and uncomfortable. Soon we'll get to the place where I will fall to sleep like a normal person and then can use the day for good stuff like coherent thought and meaningful activities. Like killing ants in creative ways. In very non-zen, non-passive ways. (Hey, they started it. They are in my brown sugar for goodness sake.)

So I am slowly returning to the normal programming. And the kids and I will be better for it. Transformed, renewed, uplifted, healthy in body and mind...
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Well, maybe body.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Bead Fairy pink/black



Bead Fairy pink/black, originally uploaded by Mommylion.
Trying out flickr.


Okay, just trying to set up a flickr account for the crafty stuff I do. I am not sure if it will work for blog posting though. Too big, not enough control for my issues.

The above are fairies I made for the pink and black bead fairy swap on swap-bot. They were fun to make. My girl got a kick of watching me turn her picture into a fairy too. I'll have to post ones I received in return soon. One from Norway. Fun!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

My lackluster blogging...

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The kiddos said "Stop!" Stop hanging out on the computer when the sun is so fine and we are so young and the world for us is glorious and needing to be explored. So I have stopped in a fashion. Certainly my blogging efforts have slowed for a bit. I have a bit of time right now as some lovely game makers decided to embed ancient Egypt type trinkets in a plaster block and call it an archeology dig. The kids have been scraping and digging for a half hour now! Genius.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Telephone Friday...

Ringing phones have always bothered me. The shrill noise screeching out of nowhere, startling me, interrupting my day, it was a good decision when I switched our home phones to cell phones and could change the ringer to pleasant songs. However, the business phone is another story. But hey, it pays the bills and I have the ringer really low. So it doesn't interrupt the flow much.

Today however, my son woke up early and so we popped on the tv (gasp!) while I went about my morning routine. An unfamiliar show was on and it used a noise on the soundtrack that mimicked the sound of our business phone ringer EXACTLY, down to the muted level. I was going out of my mind wondering what the early Friday morning rush of crank calls was about before I realized it was the tv. Sigh. So I had no choice but to change the ringer to the ever so much more shrill variety. Is it bad to wish for a slow morning? :)

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

I can't do Wordless Wednesdays...

I'll try 'almost wordless', how's that?

My life the past few days:

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Beads from one container...

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Into another. Monotonous over-organization. That is me.

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Rows and rows of it...

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Look a whole drawer for glue! This makes me oddly happy.

While this has been tedious dusty work, it is inspiring. I am able to see what materials we have, see what projects we could be doing now, figure out what we need for the future and just generally purge the ridiculous. I forgot to take a picture of the 'ridiculous' pile. Totally forgot. Otherwise I would love to share that mess with you.

Other than that, I have finally started waking up early in the morning and I have resumed my morning walks with my mom. Yay! Spring is good.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Doodle Postcards

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For a swap on swap-bot.

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Detail of face card, doodled with paint and pen.

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My daughter's first mail art.

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The little artist.

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The boy saying, "My mommy is a beautiful princess." Awww... (He really was, I can't remember what he wanted at the time, but I remember him saying that. The kid does know how to sweeten me up.)

The smell of office supplies in the morning...

Our small town is growing. Actually it has been for a few years, but for those of us who don't mind change, it has seemed slow. Some sort of critical mass was reached a year or so ago and suddenly vast stretches of once bare fields became populated with storefronts that moved beyond dollar stores and auto parts merchants. One of the most recent places to open was a decent sized Staples. The husband and I stole a few hours from our home projecting and snuck away to bask in all the office supply glory. We are dorks like that. That place might have to alternate with Home Depot on our date nights, as the place we go hang out. See- total dorks.

Our trip was very productive and we discovered refill cartridges for my Parker fountain pen. It has been years since I have found these and have never had quite enough gumption to remember to order them online. We also found a perfect household check register - seriously these are hard to find, at least in my town up until now. And finally - the mini cd-rw's that my camera uses. My camera is old but still working, but the mini cd-r discs have become harder and harder to find. (I can still get them online, but just keep forgetting to order them.) They have been phased out in most places and I was happy to see they actually still carry them. Just in time too, since I was on my last cd-r disc. Not to mention with the cd-rw I can just keep reusing them now. Yay for Staples!

Oh, and I got some striped paper clips. These I didn't know I needed until I saw them. Now my life is a bit more complete. It would be more complete if I had bought the Berol Colored Pencil set and the Berol Marker set I found there like these. Ooooo, pretty colors. Sigh, just one more place to throw my money at...

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Great Quote: Leo Buscaglia

The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt. - Leo Buscaglia

I have always loved Leo's wisdom. I found this quote in the sidebar of a blog this morning. I had to post it here to make it easier for me to read and reread. I love it when words just strike me like that, changing the day in an instant. Not that today has been bad, it has actually started and continued very nicely. However, now it has more of a glowy sense of purpose haze about it.

Friday, April 4, 2008

When he sleeps.

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This boy is straight up life. He was created by the sheer will power to exist. He wakes with the sun and percolates with energy that I can only dream of. If he were to bare a tattoo it would read "I get to be whatever I want." As 'whatever he wants' tends to be his personal mantra. He is kind, funny, witty and trying. After he was born, my hair started to turn grey. I am convinced there is a connection. There are days that I can feel it turning grey and they directly correspond to how many times I have to say his name.

He has two volumes. Loud and earsplitting. He has two speeds. Running and sudden stops. He loves with all his heart, plays with all his might, is so passionate that sometimes I already sweat the impending adolescence. His favorite music is metal (how did that happen?) All loud screeching guitars and intense drum beats. You should see him rock out to "Chop Suey" by SOAD. Though the song most dear to his heart is "Authority Song" but this is because I used to sing to him as a baby "you fight authority, but authority always wins." Which was my wishful thinking as the current figure of authority in his world. He fights authority. Something in him has to.

He is a tiny little thing. A brilliant mite of dynamic strength and energy. He swings a nerf sword like a ninja reincarnated. He has a soldier's spirit but a gentle heart. He drives me crazy, he makes me proud, he completes my motherhood, he is my image double. And when that vast amount of energy burns down and he crashes into a warm heap of sleeping boy, I can't stop staring at his soft cheeks - still rounded in toddler curves, the long lashes, his calm breathing. Total surrender to dreams and a mother's arms when he succumbs to a random nap. When he sleeps I get to pause and feel the love for this little embodiment of wildness overpower me. When he sleeps the quiet shows me how intensely his life burns and fills my days with vivid color and noise. And every time he sleeps and I take the time to notice these things, I get a little bit tearful and sloppily grateful for the bipolarity that is motherhood.

Clay Picture Tutorial: Part I

I wanted to do a tutorial on how to put together the clay pictures I like to make (like the detail picture on the top of this blog). A few people have asked me how and so I kept track during my most recent undertaking. I will just fill in a few steps here and there as time allows, then maybe link them all together at the end to make it easier to find later.

Okay, on with the clay picture tutorial.

First you need a sturdy frame. I like to use old window frames as they are usually free and a lot of people dig that look. They are also really sturdy. Cut down some cement board or pressed board to the size of the frame. Prime the pressed board. I have also used lighter frames and foam core board on smaller pieces with great results. But on a larger piece like the one here, stick to the heavy duty stuff as the clay itself has some heft to it.

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I recommend the use of all and any free labor if said labor is at all inclined to participate.

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"You mean we aren't getting paid?"

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Ready for clay.

That is all for now... part II coming soon.
I am not trying to be coy with offering so little. I would put more, but the owner of this piece hasn't seen it yet and I don't want her to see any of the important parts on this blog before seeing it in person.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

A less flashy reveal than previously desired...

I have found that life does not exist for magazine-type room makeovers. Life needs to move on before all is perfect, and one project seems to be born from another - sort of extending the whole reworking process. So I really have no big beautiful reveal pictures of our new craft room. In all honesty it won't be totally done for a few weeks probably. But I can show my new favorite corner. Which just so happens to be the place that was my least favorite corner in the whole house before. The craft junk corner.

Here it was before the craft room redo: (Honestly it wasn't usually this bad, this was when I did the big "dump" of stuff so I could quickly clear the room before the construction. But you can see how much junk there is and how we could get more wrapped up in finding the stuff to start a project than actually doing a project.
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Plain chaos.

Here is is now:
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Not totally done, but so getting there. There will be shelves above and maybe a bulletin board or something along those lines. Notice underneath the desk, all the lovely rows and rows of clear pull out drawers, each with its own theme of craft item. Heaven.

Close up of my personal project:
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My husband came home with these clearance cabinets ($50!) and we realized they were too wide to hang on the wall. So we made them into moveable window-seats. I upholstered a couple boards with an old eggcrate bed liner and clearance curtains. Not the best upholstery job ever, but probably the most cozy place ever to hang out on the computer or craft on. Safe for very feisty little kids too. Most unpredicted portion of the project and most loved one so far.

An early shot of the whole counter:
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With my husband who is thinking, "Woman? Is it not enough that I am spending my weekend building you a craft room to stop the insane clutter around the house? Must you keep taking my picture when I am unshowered, under-nourished and seriously doubting our relationship?" I love that guy.

So that is my awesome new area so far. It was way more than I hoped for, but I was totally ready to slap a couple boards on top of some low bookshelves we already had - compared to that, this is just amazing. My husband wasn't at all into appeasing my frugal side that much. But he didn't do too badly cost-wise for such a huge visual and functional difference. The most expensive piece was the countertop at $70 and the cabinet benches. The rest was just boards and paint, and some blood, chaos and a few tantrums (but those were free, so it's all good).

Oh, the best part? I am short (5'2") and regular kitchen cabinets come up to my chest (aaahhh, that is NOT the best part). The best part is that this whole thing fits me so well. He originally wanted to put in a real kitchen cabinet set but I kept insisting they would be way too high. So my husband and his friend built these to accommodate my height and wow, what a major difference in comfort level. It is even shorter than a standard table height but it is still fine for my husband who is just shy of 6'. It makes it a nice height for the kids too, especially the one that likes to fall on his head a lot.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

My daughter's first poem.

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A few months ago my daughter looked up from crafting something and announced she was writing a poem. Then she just started to spout off lines. Quickly I grabbed a pen and wrote it down. A few weeks back when I attended the Bravewriter conference I found out that I did the right thing. I will admit my first instinct was that she should have to write it down to count, but the words were too precious to miss. And now I know that the words, and cherishing them, are what is important. Her hand will catch up with her brain soon enough.

So anyway, on with her poem. (Which I found while finally cleaning the amoeba of papers from my desk yesterday. I love spring cleaning.)


The Beautiful Spring Time Day
by Sage, age 6

The flowers bloom
The grass sways
Trees grow apples
The bushes grow blueberries
The trees go back and forth
And dance in the wind
Thistles spread their buds
All the spring time stories are told
By the little chirping birds

Changing habits.

For months now I have longed to switch my late nights for early mornings. I am an extreme person. I need one or the other. Both involve me, a dark sky, alone time, tea and some sort of creative pursuit. Blog reading and posting too, can't forget that. I have switched between the two as life circumstances dictate. Recently, however, I have been allowed to choose which is right for me. And I have been longing for the mornings, as I liked the image of easing into the day and greeting my little ones when I am fully awake and ready to go, verses cranky and trying to de-fuzz my head after a late night. It sounded perfect for the now and so grownup. However, switching from 1 a.m. bedtimes to 5 or 6 a.m. risings proved daunting.

Today, however - I did it naturally. Maybe the excitement of my new space roused me, (which I will soon blog about as we near completion). Maybe the copious amounts of caffeine I consumed yesterday built up in my system and released into my bloodstream at 5:30 this morning. Whatever it was, here I am. I am hoping this proves a natural transition to early mornings. I am blogging about it here as a way to confirm this habit. I know most mornings won't be like this one, bounding out of bed like a little kid excited for the day. But it is still what I want, so I write it. An if I blog it - it will be, sort of thing.