Wow, the end of April already and I have only done one post this month. Between work, running for softball for my daughter, getting taxes done and everything else, the time has just slipped by. It's getting to be time to prepare for more shows, and I have been squeezing clay time in whenever I can.
The good news is......I finally got my Dream Machine!!!!! I love it. It was well worth the cost to save my hands from anymore pain. I have arthritis in the basal joints of my thumbs and cranking the pasta machine really takes a toll. The Dream Machine turning crank is so smooth, and I have had no pain this week. Check out Polymer Clay Express http://www.polymerclayexpress.com/ if you are interested.
I'm working on some new designs for necklaces to build up some stock for our shows. I purchased some graduating sized cutters when I bought my Dream Machine, and have been thinking of doing some layered pendants. I'm pretty happy with the results and have a lot more ideas rolling around in my head.
I made a necklace and earrings of faux turquoise on patterned black background. The necklace is hung on a double strand of suede and I made the ear wires from non tarnish silver copper 20 guage wire. The pendant was sanded and buffed with my Ryobi bench grinder that I attached a buffing wheel to. The earrings have a coat of liquid wax. I prefer to use my buffer for finishing pieces, but the earrings are a little too small to use with the machine.
Last, but far from least, I'm still working on my clocks. I have been receiving tutorials from Cindy Lietz and love the art sheet look. You can check out her site here: http://www.beadvideos.com/. I decided to make a large sheet for my clock face. Here is the result. As you can see, I haven't yet drilled and attached the clock component.
The good news is......I finally got my Dream Machine!!!!! I love it. It was well worth the cost to save my hands from anymore pain. I have arthritis in the basal joints of my thumbs and cranking the pasta machine really takes a toll. The Dream Machine turning crank is so smooth, and I have had no pain this week. Check out Polymer Clay Express http://www.polymerclayexpress.com/ if you are interested.
I'm working on some new designs for necklaces to build up some stock for our shows. I purchased some graduating sized cutters when I bought my Dream Machine, and have been thinking of doing some layered pendants. I'm pretty happy with the results and have a lot more ideas rolling around in my head.
Last, but far from least, I'm still working on my clocks. I have been receiving tutorials from Cindy Lietz and love the art sheet look. You can check out her site here: http://www.beadvideos.com/. I decided to make a large sheet for my clock face. Here is the result. As you can see, I haven't yet drilled and attached the clock component.
I'm hoping to be able to make larger clocks now that I have my new Dream Machine. So far, the ones I have made are about 6 inches in diameter. Small, but a perfect size for a home office, don't you think??
Well, time to get my daughter up for her double header today. Hope everyone has a great day!
Til next time....
