focus on life–week 43–in the shadows

Friday was the deadline for the art charms to arrive for the 2013 Art Charm Swap hosted by Jennifer Cameron of Glass Addictions.  I was relieved that my charms arrived early, almost a week before the deadline – go me! November 15th will bring a blog hop to show off the charms created and to kick off the auctions in support of Beads of Courage.  Last year, I also participated, and received some wonderful charms and more importantly the auction raised $600!
When I saw Sally’s prompt of “in the shadows” for this week I knew a teaser pic in silhouette would be perfect.  Then all week I forgot to take the picture!   So my iphone snap tonight is not exactly what I had in mind, it gives away even less. 



I have been distracted by another idea.  I think it started with the making of these very charms. During the creative process (which I’m trying not to give away yet) I somehow created these.



This got me to thinking that a tongue depressor just might make the perfect earring “card”.  Today I finally brought the idea to fruition with a little cutting and drilling.


This is a great start but not entirely what I had in mind.  I thought since I already had the holes drilled I would dip them in some paint and hang to dry, to look a little like paint stir sticks.  I looked around the room and thought, hmmm dangling sticks of paint where a kitten explores is probably not the best part of this idea.



I decided that alcohol ink and a toothbrush would provide just the right amount of decoration.  Here you see them in part of a cold air return that just happened to be on a clearance table next to the PVC pipe when I was picking some up to act as table risers.  It was a show display serendipity!  They also stand on edge quite nicely as the posts allow them to rest at a perfectly tilted angle.  For transport, they also arrange tidily in a cigar box.  I’m also very happy with how these studs are all coming together, this is a new product I will be featuring at Handmade Harvest next Sunday.



Now I suppose it’s time to start thinking of Halloween.  I wonder if the other “in the shadows” photos will help more with that eerie leaning.  Head on over to the studio sublime to see them all.

How long does it take you to make that?

I’ve just updated my show calendar, which has it’s own page here on the blog.  I am going to have to do a bit more fiddling to make the layout right, but for now I’m frustrated with the tool and have to move on.  I was a little disappointed that not all the shows I wanted to take part in would have me, but I’m excited to be part of two new to me shows and two returning goodies.

I’ve always loved craft shows.  I love going and I love taking part.  I’ve been working on new product, complete redesign of my booth, new packaging, new signage and the list goes on and on.  I can’t wait to see it all come together, since right now everything is either still an idea or somewhere on the road to done. I fully expect to still be tweaking all kinds of things right up to the last minute as that’s just the way I am.

Last night I was working on some new post earrings, that will be debuting at Handmade Harvest.  I had to move some things around to have just enough space to work.  One tray in particular has about twenty or so pendants that the final layer of sealant is curing on.  I was trying to remember if it had been 72 hours yet when I realized it would be wise to just write down the time I finish at!  Such an easy solution.  Of course my next thought is these aren’t really done.  You see they have this little void in the centre that I want to add a little sparkle and resin to.  That means these “done” pieces will have about another three steps and five more days before they are really done.  I had a flashback to a wonderful sign I saw at the Pottery show one year.  It was two pages long - regular 12 pt font! I stood there and read through and it detailed, and I mean detailed, from start “I dug the clay out of the ground” to “I set up this table full of mugs”.

Back to my tray of pendants, I started trying to count out steps on my fingers, what to call a step, hmm, lets see…

-I found the vintage button - I made a mould - I conditioned the polymer – I moulded and then further hand shaped and sculpted – first cure – I added a base colour – I added three layers of metal paint to sections - I custom mixed more polymer – textured it – sculpted it as a bezel to the first piece – second cure – I colourized (3-5 layers) – I highlighted – I sealed three layers…and more to come.

So lets call that fourteen steps, but some of those are really multiple steps, each with different amounts of time doing and lots more time waiting.  This is why it is so hard to answer that favourite question of craft show attendees: “How long did it take you to make that?”  It’s a fair question! One I sometimes answer with a smile and a hmmm, then tell them something else entirely about the piece or the process.  Mostly because what the heck time shall I count.  These pendants have been a work in progress for about two months now and they aren’t done in my mind yet.  

Really I take the question as an invitation to chat about my work, so please, don’t stop asking it! Just know, I’m not being intentionally vague or flippant if I say 2 months!

Here is where I should be showing you these pendants I’m going on and on about, but they ain’t done so instead



Rufus has not learned yet that a good studio kitty should stay off the worktable and keep his hair to himself!

Almonte is flirting with me

 I had hoped to complete a piece of jewelry inspired by Ottawa to share for the Challenge of Travel, and I shared my lame excuses here.  That idea is still a good one and I think I will reboot and refresh it in time for Winterlude – which is usually in February but I swear it’s related, this is not just procrastination.

I wrote a bit about Almonte just the other day, as I was drawn to see all the goodies at Fibrefest.  I was actually in Almonte a few weeks ago with my parents and Averleigh to see a new shop Hello Yellow.  I had been planning a trip to check it out and get mum a birthday present.  I could just imagine giving it to her and explaining where I had found wonderful thing x only for her to say, “hey I wanted to go too”. So instead we made a day of it.

Here is where I show you a picture of the very thing we found.  Oops.

Here instead is a picture I stole for owner Emily’s blog where you can just make out another similar gorgeous glass pear shaped terrarium up on the shelf right where the eaves trough would go on that second home shaped shelf (the one in the background).  Ok you can barely make it out, but see all the other cool stuff, just trust me – it’s awesome.



I was also going to stop in at the Tin Barn Market but as luck would have it we were there on a Monday when they are closed.  I took a card and knew it wouldn’t be long before I was back.

After my purse was full of fresh old buttons from Fibrefest, and short on funds, I got in the car and thought hey – Tin Barn Market time! Pop that address into google maps and decided I could certainly get back out and walk the 400m.  Ah yes small town.  I spotted something I loved within 3 feet of the door.  The price was fair and it was a bit on the big side so I left it right where it stood as I explored the rest of the store.  All manner of excellent things but my money was already spoken for so I walked back to the front and just then a pair of women came in and I made space for them to enter.  They immediately spotted this same loveliness.  I stood quietly, waiting, surely they will just look a little and move on – there’s lots more to see! Nope they picked it up walked to the cash, bought it, then straight back out the door! Ah man.

Oh Almonte you tease!

I rationalized I had already spent enough on the day, and those vultures savvy shoppers must have already seen it as they didn’t look at another thing.  Who me bitter?

Today brought some great news! I have been accepted to the Handmade Harvest Holiday show, November 3rd.  I see you Almonte trying to redeem yourself.  This is a two day show with different vendors each day.  I will be there will my goodies on the Sunday.  That leaves me the Saturday to go check out all the other handmade goodness, or perhaps while the others are distracted, slip back into the Tin Barn Market.  Either way, I hope Almonte will show me some love!



Perhaps this little video will give you a taste of the show